talk about it..." Mitch simply sighed,

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He started going down the stairs. Carlson watched him leave and turned back toward the appartment.

There was a call from across the hall, "Guys!" Mitch yelled, "I'm through!" Carlson got up, "OK. I'm coming." He'd already talked the plan through with Cascy. First he would go down with Mitch and once they'd got outside they'd get help. It was simple but it meant that they had to leave Cascy for a little while. "Cascy, I'm gonna go with Mitch. Now are you absoloutely sure you're gonna be OK?" Carlson asked.

"Sure, don't worry." replied Cascy. Carlson gave Cascy a hug for comfort and Cascy smiled as he watched him leave. Downstairs Mitch wished he'd given Cascy a hug too, but he didn't want to waste any more time, then Carlson appeared, "OK, you needed help?"

Mitch said, "Yeah, I've hacked as much away as I could, now we need to push away the broken parts of what's left." As the two of them worked on pushing the wood splinters away they both realised something odd. "Mitch, isn't there usually street noise?" Mitch let go of the door as he thought, and he too realised that it was bizzarly silent outside. Both looked at each other and Mitch shrugged, "Dunno, maybe we're just both deaf!" he mused. Carlson laughed at his joke but did not find it amusing. Then Mitch asked, "You brought the axe?" He thought they needed to do some extra hacking afterall. "Damn, I left it upstairs..." Carlson wined. "I'll go get it."

"No, I'll go with you." said Mitch. "I don't feel safe down here all alone..." The two headed up the stairs.

A strange sensation filled them both as they nearly reached the top...They could sense their bodies tremble as the walls began to shake. "What's going on?" shouted Mitch fearfully. Carlson too could not explain why the appartment was shaking. "Maybe it's an earthquake." he said bewilderingly. There was a sudden gut-wrenching thunder as cracks started to appear in the cieling and walls, tearing the concrete apart. "What the hell is happening?" Mitch repeated. He faught against the shaking turmoil, "We have to get to Cascy!" he screamed. Carlson had to shield his eyes from the rubble which was starting to free itself from the ceiling. In the heat of the moment, Mitch had lost grip of the banister and slipped off the step. Carlson did not see him fall, "Cascy!" he called. Then as he turned to look for Mitch, he was hit by a large piece of rubble which knocked him to the side violently, but still he gripped on to the bannister. He was torn. Should he go after Cascy or Mitch? Then he felt something tug at his arm. His vision was obscured by the falling dust and concrete, but he realised it was Mitch who had made it back up. His face was plastered in the white rubble, "C'mon Carlson!" He pulled Carlson up with him as he made his way to the top. Carlson saw another boulder come in their direction, but Mitch did not not notice it through his concentration. Carlson tried to move Mitch away but he continued to pull in the direction of the apartment. Then Carlson felt Mitch's arm slip out of his grasp, as he was forced to move out of the way of the boulder. Mitch looked suddenly at the boulder, he shielded his face with his arm instingtively but it came straight for him. He felt the boulder brush past him and some other force which pushed him away from the danger. His body was thrown onto the top of the banister, where Carlson caught him in his arms. Mitch looked back to see that it was Cascy who had saved him. Cascy had used up the last of his strength and was now in danger of being crushed in the rubble. Carlson watched Cascy stumble through the obscured hallway. Cascy shouted, "Go! Go save yourselves!" Carlson took Mitch by the shoulders and forced him away. Mitch was too reluctant to leave, "Let go Carlson, I have to help Cascy!" But Carlson would not let go of Mitch, "This is our last chance to save ourselves, come!" Finally Mitch gave in but had to be half dragged away by Carlson and he continued to stare back into the crumbling yonder. Carlson felt crushed inside but knew this was the best thing to do. By the time the two of them had reached the exit, they were both exausted from panic and grief. They had only escaped into the light, when a surging blast of warm air and light lifted them right off their feet and sent them hurling into the air. As exausted as they were, they were barely able to take in that they were in a massive explosion of some sort. Mitch straggled with his arms and legs in desperation as he felt the air rush past him. It felt cold on his skin, and the force that was pushing him forced him to continue forwards. Mitch could only think to call for his friends, "Carlson...Cascy?" Then in an instant, they were repelled back down to the ground, their bodies thrown to the earth like litter. Mitch felt his entire body smack down onto the hard surface of the ground. His head felt heavy and he could not lift it.

Then, everything went black...

"Mitch..." The bleak call echoed in Mitch's mind. "Mitch..." Then Mitch opened his eyes. A sharp light forced him to close them again. Fully conscious he realised that the calls were only memories. He tightened his wrists, wishing away the bad conscience inside of him. He tried to listen to his actual surroundings. He could make out the sound of some birds singing and the feint whistle of wind. It was brushing against him and felt cold, though he enjoyed the cooling sensation as he was feeling quite hot. He again opened his eyes, but this time fully. He took a glance at his fist infront of him and at the ground beneath it. He saw sandy brown dirt and as he moved his head slightly he saw grass. Mitch tried to get his head together, Am I still in New York?...

He rested his forehead on his thumb and forefinger and wiped the sweat off with the back of his hand. His skin felt like it was burning up. Again he took a look around, at the ground and the grass, the grass was tall and wild looking. He also noticed a few trees in the distance. No. This is not...not even Central Park. Mitch thought. He forced himself up on his feet, still a little dizzy he stumbled a couple of times before he gradually regained his balance. Mitch eyed a patch of shade over by a tree. He did not go to it, instead he cupped his hands together and called, "Carlson..." He imagined that Carlson must have ended up nearby. He walked in a circle several times in search, until he heard another yell, "Mitch!" The voice belonged to Carlson. Mitch immediately followed the voice to a nearby tree. Carlson was in the shade, he was sitting down before he spotted Mitch, then got up to greet him, "Mitch, you OK?"

"Yeah..." His voice was monotonous. Carlson tried to recieve eye contact with Mitch but his eyes were fixed firmly elsewhere. "You?..." Carlson nodded, still Mitch wouldn't look him in the eye. He walked a few paces and Carlson tried to comfort him, "You need to sit down..." He said soflty. Mitch turned quickly to him, "No time for that now, we have to find Cascy." He could feel his anger building. Carlson stared and his eyes were still on Mitch, "Mit-" but Mitch interrupted, "Are you coming with me...or not...?" As he spoke, his voice was shaky and he looked around desperately as he called, "Cascy?...Cascy?" His calls were full of anger and frustration. Carlson stood still but looked down to the ground, he turned himself away form Mitch. Mitch called a few more times and still walked out through the grass. He lashed at the grass as he walked, his elbows were bent and his fists were clenched tight. Then he went silent as he closed his eyes and relaxed his breathing. He looked at his right hand which was shaking and soaked in sweat. He felt that his forehead was too. Mitch slumped into the grass, he could feel himself begin to choke up. He tried to hold back a tear but failed. Carlson noticed Mitch had stopped his calling, and came over to find him curled up and quivering in the grass. He walked over to him and knelt beside his pathetic jiggling body. "Look...None of this was your fault...It just happened, and...we just have to do what we can to keep us...going." Mitch puffed at the ground as he breathed, then he turned and looked at Carlson. His face was laden with tears, and on his forehead he had a small scratch near his hearline. "It should have been me who was hit by that boulder...it should have been...me right from the beginning, me who...not C-Cascy..." He sobbed loudly. His hands shook voilently and he dug his face into them. Carlson too had tears in his eyes. He sat beside Mitch and they embraced in a united cry. Then Carlson felt he should get up and he dragged Mitch onto his feet. Mitch almost fell right back down again but Carlson supported him with his arm. Mitch stared at the grass again, he looked ahead of him at the trees. He felt Carlson try to move him to the shade but he became transfixed onto something in the grass. There was something which made Mitch force himself away form Carlson, and he moved quickly away again. Carlson felt Mitch was still upset and decided to let him free himself of his emotions. He watched as Mitch stumbled upon the ground in the distance, as if he was trying to go somewhere in particular. He looked hard at his disappearing figure, then followed him at a slow pace.

Mitch knew he had seen something. He knew what he wanted to find and whether it wasn't he still wanted to find something, just to be relieved of the curiosity. Mitch became close to what he had seen. It was something brightly coloured which stuck out from thglance at his fist infront of him and at the ground beneath it. He saw sandy brown dirt and as he moved his head slightly he saw grass. Mitch tried to get his head together, Am I still in New York?...

e natural surroundings. He saw clearly now the same colour up front. There were clothes, and then he saw a body. Mitch recognised it instantly as

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