Thanks for Nothing

For a second the silence in the mall became louder than the screams. Most of the people did not know what the blast was all about. This second faded fast as everyone went back to screaming and running. People were on the floor and others still pushed to get out of the stalls.

Davis held Diaz' hand so tight that anyone who would grab her strongly would cause it to reap from the rest of the body. All his eyes were focused on getting out of the mall. What David wondered was how such a big place had no regard for evacuation in such emergencies.

They were in the crowd. People pushed against them like they were an enemy. The only sounds that were as loud as their screams were the pounding of their hearts. Panic was the most precise sensation that everybody felt. Their hairs stood still on their skins to show how much fear coursed through their vessels.

Davis focused his eyes on the light he saw ahead. He kept pushing as he got closer to it. Up the stairs was a task but no one had a choice. It was funny how no one realized that allowing people to leave in an organized way would have been a faster way to evacuate the mall, but I guess that is how panic works. Emotions cloud logic and we are back to our animalistic survival techniques.

After so much pushing, they finally made it to the exit. Everyone could smell the fear and tension in the air. It was so obvious that no one was prepared for anything like this. Maybe the people in Tenei had never experienced any disasters.

Reaching out, Davis was so eager to know what had happened. Unfortunately, all that everyone was doing besides screaming was running. Police cars and firefighters could be seen at the back of the mall but there was no smoke. Only dust floated above the mall. The focus then changed to finding safety.

"Thanks. Stranger." Went Diaz as she struggled to get some air.

He had become very fond of her and this time he could tell. He even felt responsible for her security.

"Wait." She gathered all the energy she had left. "We have to go back."

These were not anywhere close to the words Davis wanted or expected to hear from Diaz. What would suffice the need to go back to that place? Part of being human meant that they were afraid of this thing they didn't know.

"You can't be serious. To that place again? Are you insane?"

"My bike, I left my bike."

Why did she have to be so sensitive about something that could be bought? All in all, there was no going back to that place. There was nothing much more important than their safety. At least one of them understood that.

"It was my cousin's bike. It is all I have left of him. Please take me back. I have the card in my pocket. It's not even in the mall, it's outside." Davis would not let go of her hand however sentimental the situation was for her. Jeopardizing her safety was not a risk he would take. He understood that teenagers were naive and had no sense of security.

Reaching far enough, Davis turned to her and told her they would check it out once everything settled. The truth was that he had even forgotten that she had a bike when they got there. He could not remember where she put it and at what time. Maybe he was too fascinated to remember her having it.

Davis had forgotten he was hungry. The concentration on getting to safety had clouded his thoughts on getting a meal. However, his stomach revisited the issue as soon as he was out of danger. He gasped for air as he tried his best to relieve his fatigue. He turned back to Diaz who seemed sad and told her she would still find her cousin's bicycle when things cooled down.

She was sad and grumpy. This cousin must have meant a lot to her. She tried insisting that they find a way back there but Davis was strict on not allowing her to risk her life for something she can get at some other time. He told her that first thing the next morning, he would take her to the mall to pick it up.

"Don't worry, you will find it. Right now I need you to calm down and show me where I can eat cause I am starving" Davis was clever enough to redirect her attention.

It was not easy but Diaz picked herself up in that long and sad face and told him that they can go to one that was just close to the coffee shop but she would not eat because she was not in the mood.

They walked to the hotel, finally having a place to rest. There were whispers all over about the mall. In their low tones, some people said that it was the owner's way of making sacrifices to gods that made the money flow while others said it was a technical issue that had never been anticipated. That was all everyone talked about.

Davis and Diaz located a place to sit and were immediately attended to. Not to be shocked by cultural differences, Davis ordered something he was familiar with while Diaz said she would only have water. She was very preoccupied and concentrated on her thoughts.

"You should try and eat. You need to calm yourself down and trust me." Davis' attempts to raise her appetite were futile. He felt sorry for her loss but continued reassuring her that she would get the bike and she should not worry about it but eat.

It was not easy for Diaz because her illness meant that she was super paranoid. Living with Bipolar Disorder was not learning the alphabet. In fact, she was managing it well at that moment. She would often become so paranoid that she experienced an anxiety attack.

Davis was so concerned about her that he was having trouble continuing to eat. He was not certain how to handle Diaz because he had never encountered anyone with her mental condition. He tried making jokes, a technique he used on his sister back at home to make her feel calm, to help Diaz clear her mind. However, nothing was working.

"You know what. I just remembered that you are not my father and I have the card. I am going back on my own." Before she could even finish her statement she stood and left.

Davis quickly left his seat too and tried running after her. He had to pay first before dashing out of the hotel, something he was almost forgetting.

"Diaz! Wait. Okay, let me go with you, at least to make sure you are safe." He was running after her, shouting on the streets of Tenei, which he had begun getting familiar with.

"Why do you even care? We are not friends and you have never treated me like one. No one does." Her sob could be heard in her voice. She had her head facing downwards and her hands were shaking.

But there were two important questions to both of these parties. Why did Diaz need that bike so much that she had to go back to a dangerous place? Davis wondered what her cousin meant to her. However, the question Davis should answer himself was why he felt the need to get concerned. Was it because of what happened to his sister?