Locket of Hope

As the awaited detonation occurred; Reese curled up and held on tightly to the heart shaped locket. He could feel the floor underneath him tremble as if it were holding onto something too. The ground shook for another thirty seconds after the initial burst. After a minute of trying to pull himself together, Reese could finally stand up and check his surroundings. As he looked around the small florist shop, he saw the shattered windows, all the arrangements and vases all over the floor. This made him distraught about his love and hoped she was safe. Reese finally decided to walk out of the florist possessing a single rose. As he walked down the street, he saw all the devastation made by the nuke, cars up in flames, bodies of stragglers and even more destroyed businesses. He arrived at 25th street to his family’s general store and glancing into in it he sees all the shelves tipped over. He then thinks about his mother and father; he checks his phone…no service. Glances to the left outside of the door on the sidewalk and sees a bike that was in decent shape. He hopped on the bike and rides to his house. For the hour that he is pedaling he feels his father’s presence and remembers the times when they would ride bikes through the trails in the mountains; through all the streams and over that bridge going across the river. He hoped a month ago would not have been the last time he spent time with his father, but it certainly felt like it. By the time he got to the house, Reese was depressed and anxious to see his parents. As he pedals into the driveway and hops off, he sees a tree that landed through the middle of the house, laying through the living room, kitchen and his parents’ bedroom. He started sprinting to the front door that was untouched, he opened to find his mother kneeling down, sobbing. Laying in front of her was Reese’s father, taken by one of the rafters. Reese kneels beside his mother and holds her. After a while Reese leaves his mother there and heads back onto the bike. Searching for his girlfriend, he pedaled until he got to Briar Lynn High School and the sight of the building made Reese uneasy, but without much hesitation and a good grip on the locket, he ran into the front doors and down every hall. Until he heard alarming voices coming from the direction of the library, he then rushes to down the English hall to the last doors on the left. He then barged through the doors and he saw her, with a bookshelf on top of her and her study group trying to assist. Reese then rushed over to them and served with every muscle in his body to move the shelf. As Jane was freed, she had a glow in her eyes and as Reese helped her get onto her feet, he had a huge grin on his face, although Jane had a discomforting smile and sharp pain in her right arm. They stood there staring into each other's eyes, in tears, they embraced each other. After the minute of contact Reese stepped back and looked around… no one was there he then asked, “Where did they go?” and she replied,” Who? We are the only ones here.” Reese stood there looking around, confused. After a couple minutes of trying to figure out what happened he finally looked at Jane and said, "Jane... I am so glad you are okay...", he hands her the locket and the rose, "This is for you." he added. Jane struggled to open the locket, so he opens it for her. Reese hands it back, "I love you, Jane." She blushed and smirked as she gazed upon the small picture of them from their first date on the top of the Ferris wheel. She then looks up to him and says, "I love you too, Reese." He then grabs her by the waist and pulls her in for a kiss and she drops the heart shaped locket...