"Duck!" two voices yelled in unison. A girl with jet-black hair ducked down as a dull red ball soared over her head.

She straightened herself up and began chasing after the ball, panting. The ball rolled to a stop, and she bent down to pick it up but froze as her hands closed around the ball.

Sirens rang out, high, loud screeching filled the area as the group of kids shared a nervous look, before the girl stood and released the ball, then ran to her friends.

"My house has a basement! " Cried out a teen, pointing to a nearby building. They immediately rushed to it in a packed huddle, trying to get their themselves but not wanting to abandon the others.

As they rushed to the building, a distant plane could be seen heading in their direction. They ran faster, opening the door and crowding inside. A loud boom could be heard in the distance, and the ground began to shake beneath them.

They darted to door in the hallway, wrenching it open and running inside. As they darted in, a louder boom sounded. They began to panic more, slamming the door behind them as they raced to the basement.

Another boom, and another. They grew louder and louder, and the ground shook more and more. Dust fell from the dug-out basement, as they huddled in a back corner.

Then, a loud boom sounded directly above them. They screamed as the ground shook terribly, clumps of dirt falling and loud banging and snapping sounding from above.

And then -

Silence.

Nothing.

The steady drone of the planes faded, as the group breathed heavily.

It was over so quickly, but they were afraid of going out.

After an hour or so, they began to speak.

"Do you think it is safe to go up? They couldn't have possibly used nuclear bombs, could they?" said one, the girl who had grabbed the ball earlier. She had dropped it, and, for a fleeting second, wondered where it was. But it quickly left her mind as her thoughts returned to their situation.

"I don't know, Toledo is small compared to other towns so they wouldn't waste their resources on us, would they?" said another girl, her blue-green eyes looking around at everyone wildly.

"I say we go." Said the first girl, turning towards the stairs. The group was silent, a girl with brown hair, who seemed older than the others, opened her mouth to speak. But before she could start, the first girl wrenched the door open.

Her eyes widened as a bright light filled the room. Her hand fell from the doorknob, and she was still.

"Oh, no..." She said softly. The group rushed up to see what had happened and stared out on what had once been their home.

It was oddly bright, and most buildings had collapsed. Their remains were piled around the town, some having fallen out onto the streets. Trees were dead, and their house had collapsed but had been blown to the side slightly.

She stepped out, trying to look for any signs of life. Nothing looked familiar to her, or any of them.

They stepped out of the basement, glad that it had remained standing. They stared at the land, surveying it as had the first girl.

Suddenly, she winced. She rubbed her shoulder, looking down at it.

"Who hit me?" she snapped, glaring at the others. They turned to her in confusion.

She began to wince again. "Something's stabbing me!" she yelped, running her hands down her body as if trying to brush off bugs.

"Guys..." she said, looking up at them. A strange purple sand began to form at her feet, and the group backed up.

Then, she screamed.

She fell to the ground, limp. The group was afraid to touch her, as the purple sand began to cover her.

Then, the second girl to speak winced. She began to look around wildly.

And then, everyone else.

Before long, a circle of young children lay limp in the ruins of the house, in the ruins of Toledo, Ohio.

Little did they know that they were about to be thrown right into the mess of the world.