Heart of Gold

Amari struggled to keep stride with her older sister as she was pulled along the beaten sidewalk. Her small legs ached and burned as weariness began to set in on her body. Imani was fully aware of her younger sister's slowed pace, but she knew they couldn’t stop. They had to get to a safe place. They didn’t have time to stop and rest or catch their breaths.

“We gotta keep moving,” she said moreso to herself than to Amari.

“Mani, I’m tired,” Amari whined, almost completely out of breath.

“Come on, Amari. We’re almost there,” she replied, her tone laced with desperation. She was lying. She didn’t know where they were headed.

“But my legs hurt!”

“Amari…”

“I’m hungry!”

Imani’s eyes quickly darted back and forth as she searched for a good hiding place. “There.” She spotted a large dumpster sitting in a nearby alley. She hurriedly shuffled Amari across the street into the alley, and behind the dumpster.

“Eww! It stinks back here,” Amari complained with disgust.

“Look, you’re tired aren’t you? Well this is as good as it gets right now. So just sit still and be quiet.”

Amari looked up at Imani with sad, wet eyes that pained her heart. Amari was just a kid. She didn’t understand. She didn’t understand why they were walking and hungry and hiding. She didn’t understand why they would never see their mom and dad again.

“I’m hungry, Imani.”

Imani dug into her jacket pocket and pulled out a half eaten pack of ritz crackers she’d picked up from one of the abandoned mini marts they’d passed along the way. She gave the crackers to her sister. She was starving herself, but she could go without.

They sat huddled together on the wet ground, against the brick wall of an old hardware store, both near exhaustion. Imani watched as her sister hungrily devoured the crackers. A newspaper laying scattered in a nearby water puddle caught Imani’s attention. She grabbed the soggy paper and read the date.

April 24, 2063

One week ago before. Before their lives had been turned upside down, and everything and everyone they loved had been snatched away. She observed the pictures that told a tale of happier times. The towns annual Easter egg hunt in the park. A new nuclear plant being constructed in a nearby town. A prominent businessman’s promise to make the city ten times better than it’d been before.

Imani felt her sister’s head hit her shoulder. She looked down and saw that she’d fallen asleep. She pulled Amari into her lap and began to rock her, silently humming the song their mother would sing to them each night while tucking them into bed. Sweet memories. That was all she had now. That and Amari. She pictured her mom's beautiful face, brown skin glowing, eyes bright and mischievous. She could hear her voice in her head, singing that song about sunshine and grey skies.

Imani grasped the heart-shaped locket that dangled around her neck. She felt it’s warmth in between her fingers, and it comforted her. Always warm. No matter what the temperature of the room, the locket always seemed to possess a sort of heat to it.

It was a gift from her father. A total surprise because it hadn’t been her birthday or a holiday, or anything special. Just a random item he’d brought home one day after work.

“I’ve got something for you baby girl,” he’d said as he pulled the small purple, silk bag from the pocket of his slacks.

“What is it daddy?”

“This is my heart. I’m giving it to you for safe keeping. He fastened the chain around her neck.

“Why is it warm?”

“Cause it’s filled with all my love, and all your mom’s love. No matter what happens, you’ll always have that. Okay?”

No matter what happens? Imani didn’t understand that. What could ever happen? Why would she need some locket filled with her parents love when she had her parents themselves. She didn’t know. She’d been just as naive then as Amari was now.

“Imani. Wake up, baby girl. Come on. I need you to wake up for daddy.”

Imani thought she was dreaming as her dad gently shook her from her slumber.

His best attempts to remain calm were faulting, and Imani notice the urgent look in his eyes. Something was wrong. She could feel it.

“I need you to come with me,” he’d stated as he pulled her from her bed. He grabbed her jacket from the back of the bedroom door, dressed her in it, and quickly ushered her out into the hall and down the stairs. Her mother was already waiting at the back door with Amari in her arms, still peacefully asleep. They’d all hurried out the back door and across the lawn to an old tool shed. Inside, Imani watched as their father moved aside a lawn mower and a couple of plastic chairs, revealing a cutout in the floor that Imani herself had never noticed. He pried the piece of plank out and revealed a door. He turned and looked Imani in her eyes.

“Baby girl, I need you to do me a favor. I really need you to be brave right now, okay? I need you to stay here, you and Amari. Stay in here until either I or your mom comes to get you.”

“But daddy why? What’s going on?” Imani began to cry. She didn’t know what was going on, but she could feel that something wasn’t right.

“Listen. I need for you to do as I say. Stay here, and keep Amari. No matter what you hear, do not come out of here until I or you mom comes to get you,” he’d said in a stern voice that Imani didn’t dare question. He opened the trap door and helped Imani climbed inside the small room. Then he carefully placed the still sleeping Amari in with her before climbing back out. He took one last look at his daughters, worry etched in his face, and closed the door. Suddenly, Imani and Amari were alone in a dark, underground room that Imani hadn’t even known existed prior to now.

BOOM

Out of nowhere, there came a blast so loud and strong the force of it shook the little shed, sending hammers and saws and other tools crashing to the ground around the door.

BOOM

Another.

BOOM

A series of explosions set off all around them, awakening Amari. She began to cry. Imani could only pull her sister closer to her as she too silently cried. She didn’t know what was happening, but she somehow did know that neither her mom nor her dad would be coming back to get them.

Imani closed her eyes as she felt a hot tear escape and roll down her cheek. She quickly wiped the tear way. Night had began to fall. “We have to keep going.”

Where? She didn’t know. But she knew it wasn’t safe to just sit and wait. They had to keep going. There had to be others who’d survived like they did.

“Amari. Wake up. We have to keep moving.”

Imani place her sister on her feet as she stood to her own. She looked down at the newspaper again, trying to figure out what to, where to go. She grabbed Amari’s small hand and, together, they darted out of the alleyway and continued on into the night.