A/N So again KimHua and I took the same basic outline and events just like last time and wrote our own take on what happens focusing on the parts we feel important and the perspectives we want to throw in. So read both mine and his and tell us what you think. Then go be a sweetheart and read the first challenge also. There’s a good reader… :-P

Chloe couldn’t imagine when last she had been as excited about anything as she was today. Something powerful was going to happen, she just knew it. She glanced through the car window at the flow of traffic which crawled ahead. It seemed like everyone wanted to be a part of this event. She didn’t mind though; it just seemed to make the day more memorable, more inspirational.

She had heard of the Solidarity March a week before when a friend mentioned it to her. The idea of people of different religions putting aside their differences and uniting for the greater good sounded inspiring and Chloe knew she had to be a part of it. Her eyes hadn’t stopped sparkling since.

“Ugh! You’ve got to be kidding me!” Neil muttered angrily under his breath as he leaned on the horn. “Come on!” he shouted out the window.

Chloe glanced at Neil and sighed softly. This wasn’t exactly what she had wanted when she worked so hard to convince him to come. She didn’t want a cranky boyfriend ruining the experience. She had hoped for a partner; a kindred spirit. Someone she could share this with. Didn’t he have the same hunger for something… more?

It was something she couldn’t really describe. It was a longing, a craving for a touch of something… different. She wasn’t looking for the stifling traditional structures that dusty, old churches offer. Neither was she interested in “hokus pokus”, chanting or any other funny stuff. She just wanted the nagging void within her to be filled.

Neil surprised her by suddenly applauding; his face fixed into a sneer as he looked ahead. “Finally!” he cried as the procession seemed to finally gain momentum only to have them come to a complete halt a few minutes later. Chloe grimaced as Neil uttered a particularly foul curse.

“Neil, please?” she pleaded softly.

“Hey, it was you who insisted that I come,” he snapped at her.

“To enjoy it with me, not to be a grump.” She crossed her arms and stared ahead at the cars in front of them that finally began moving once more. On the sidewalk, several people made their way towards the rally’s meeting place which was near the St. Mark’s Cathedral – a quite fitting place to meet, in her mind.

“Enjoy it?” Neil looked at her as if she had gone mad. “Chloe, these people are crazy! All this nonsense about uniting religions is utter hogwash. People of different beliefs have been murdering each other for centuries and that’s not going to change now because of a few loons who don’t know their religion’s own history.”

“That’s simply because those people didn’t know of better. They felt threatened and didn’t understand that everyone was aiming for the same goal.”

“And what goal was that? Total domination of the simple minded and eradication of the sane?” Neil shook his head. “It is completely against science and evidence. It’s all wishy-washy fairytales that they expect you should swallow as truth. Life would be so much easier without it.”

“But don’t you feel there’s something more out there? Something beyond what we can see?” Chloe turned towards him. “There are things out there that science cannot explain. Things that shouldn’t happen but does anyway. Something beyond the natural that – ”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this!” Neil exclaimed. “Have you gone mental? Chloe, wake up! There’s nothing out there in the big beyond. There is no pie in the sky when you die. There’s just the here and the now. I can’t believe you would think of considering spirituality. Really,” he shook his head in disgust. “I’ve had enough of this talk. It’s bad enough that you’re dragging me to this thing.”

A bitter disappointment formed a lump in Chloe’s throat. In an instant, all the excitement had been drained from her. She didn’t want to cry; not here or now. But she had a hard time pushing the tears back from her eyes. She had really hoped… ‘A foolish hope,’ she chided herself. ‘You should’ve known better. He’s not like you. He never will be.’

She didn’t know how it happened. How was it that in a few months they could grow so far apart? Maybe they just weren’t meant for each other… Chloe inwardly shuddered at the thought. This was the first time he acted this way towards her. It was the first time they really got stuck on something. Would it be the first of many? Is this how it’ll be till the end?

Once again she looked at the people on the sidewalk. They seemed so happy and excited like she had been but a moment before. She found herself longing to be among them instead of within the presence of her boyfriend; within reaching distance of the one she loved. She glanced at him and then ahead. ‘The meeting place isn’t so far from here,’ she thought. Chloe wasn’t one for conflict and she wasn’t keen on creating it. ‘But sometimes you have to do what you need to do regardless of the consequences.’ She waited her moment as the car came to a stop once more.

“You know what?” Chloe broke the silence; inwardly mustering up her courage. “I wanted you to be here because this was important for me. I needed this and I needed you. But I’m not going to let you spoil this for me any further. Damn it, Neil, for once could you not have thought of anyone besides yourself!”

She unclipped her seatbelt, opened the door and looked at the surprised face of her boyfriend a final time. “I’ll go alone and you can go wherever the hell you want to.” She got out quickly before Neil could stop her and slammed the door shut. The air was clearer outside of the car. It cheered her up somewhat as she walked determinedly towards her destination despite Neil’s cries behind her.

--

Neil was stunned as the door slammed shut. ‘What the hell just happened?’ He sat still for a moment before reality sank in.

“Chloe!” he called; getting out of the car. She seemed to quicken her pace as his voice reached her. ‘Great! Just great!’ he sighed and looked around uncertainly. He started walking towards her when the flow of cars began to move forward.

“Hey Buddy! You planning to leave this hunk of junk in my way?” an irate driver called out, which made Neil stop. He couldn’t leave his car there. With a sigh of resignation he moved back towards it.

“I thought you were here for a Solidarity march, so where’s the love eh?” he asked as he got to his car.

“Right, because you would know something about that!” the driver shouted back as Neil climbed in.

Neil decided to ignore the man as he started up the car and got back into the procession. What would the man know anyway? He was probably as stupid as the rest of the people who would join this march.

‘But Chloe’s not stupid,’ the thought came to mind. He couldn’t understand it. Why would she want to become a part of this nonsense? What was going on with her? There was a time not long ago that he thought he understood her completely and he couldn’t help but be fascinated by her. She was like a ray of light. Always excited; always hopeful, but at the same time always grounded. She seemed to understand things the way he did. Sure, they did have their differences, but it was nothing like this. He once understood her, but now… Now nothing about Chloe made sense anymore.

She had given him the way out. He could turn back now and go do ‘whatever the hell he wants’ – as she said. Neil couldn’t deny being temped to do just that. There were definitely at least a dozen other ways he could think of spending the day… but there wasn’t one that didn’t include her. He grimaced as he made his decision. Today he’ll go be among the loons.

There were more drivers that began parking at the side of the road; deciding to make the rest of the trip on foot. Neil sighed impatiently. He wasn’t really in the mood to walk among these crazies for longer than he had to. He began looking around for the first free space he could find. There probably weren’t much parking up ahead anyway.

--

It took only a few minutes for Chloe to reach the outer edges of the gathering. The number of people was even greater than she expected. Everywhere she looked an excited face met her. She pushed in among them, wishing to be enclosed by them. She wanted to be a part of this, no matter what Neil thought of it.

Banners with messages of peace and unity on them were carried by several people among the group. Others had flowers in their hair and wore bright neon-coloured clothing. And another small number of people had their faces painted white with a blue dove on the right cheek. ‘Why didn’t I do something more special for today?’ Chloe thought and then shook her head ruefully, ‘Just imagine what Neil would’ve said about that.’

Laughter broke her thoughts as she looked around her once more. The group had begun moving forward and their excitement was contagious. She found herself smiling softly as she too began walking ahead – caught up with the energy of those around her who were singing, shouting and some even dancing as they made their way towards the cathedral.

--

He walked among them but wasn’t one of them. He wasn’t supposed to be this close, but he couldn’t help it. It was just too tempting; too thrilling. It was a chance to walk among the sheep before they reach the place of slaughter. He relished in their excitement; their ignorance. Time ticked down far too slowly for him. He wanted everything to happen now. But wait… wait… patience is a virtue they say. He’d have to wait and see. Fortunately, time won’t stand still. The moments will come. The pure, undiluted moments of ecstasy… so nice, it just has to happen twice.

--

St. Mark’s cathedral loomed ahead at the opposite end of a T-junction as the rally finally reached their destination. It was the perfect place to come together in a show of harmony. It seemed the organizers had arranged for the road to be blocked off from traffic; Chloe wondered what strings they had to pull to achieve that. There were, however, a few cars parked within the narrow two streets… ‘Maybe some of the organizers’ cars or maybe some cars of the church staff?’ Chloe thought. None of the people seemed to mind them as they walked past. ‘Fortunately the rally isn’t the kind that would damage property.’

“Brothers and sisters, what an awesome sight we are!” a voice called to them through a megaphone. A young man had moved up the steps of the cathedral and now addressed the crowd. “I wish you could see us as I have the privilege now to look down upon you. We’re not few in number. We’re not limited to one age group, or financial status, or race, or gender. We’re all different… and in that difference, we are one!”

Nothing about his appearance stood out in particular except for his long dark hair that was caught up in a ponytail. He wore beige jeans and a black t-shirt that hung loosely on him. Even from a distance Chloe could see that he was absolutely psyched as he walked to and fro on the cathedral steps; welcoming those who came.

“We are one in spirit, in truth… We’re all reaching towards the same things. We all have the same hunger, the need for something more; for something beyond ourselves.”

Chloe could feel something within her leap at the speaker’s words. This is what she had longed for: A group of people that had that same craving in their hearts for something more. She wondered who the speaker was and was tempted to ask, but everyone around her was so caught up in what he was saying, she didn’t want to disturb them. No one seemed to want to miss what he had to say. ‘I’ll ask later when he’s finished,’ she thought.

“… It’s time to stop turning against each other in hatred and ignorance and recognize the common goal. Religious leaders have already begun breaking down the walls that separate us by coming together in moments of prayer. And while that is a fantastic step towards progress, we need to go further. We need to stand together as one not only in times of prayer or in times where we perform some kind of ritual in our beliefs, but also in the every day things. Look around you! C’mon,” the man encouraged. “Look at those standing here with you…”

Chloe glanced around as everyone did, at first shy and uncertain, but the smiles of others made her loosen up.

“Reach out and touch those beside you. Can you see us, you can feel us. We are all here together as one. Why can this not always be so?”

A soft hand touched Chloe’s shoulder. She turned towards that direction to see an old lady smiling up at her. Chloe couldn’t help but smile back. She felt a lightness to her; a wholeness. The speaker was right, they were all there together. ‘How wonderful if it could not always be so…’

--

He smiled as he saw how engrossed everyone around him became. If ever he had doubts about his mission, these sheep had given him a new resolve to carry it out. What a wonderful world this would be without having to suffer simpletons like these.

Looking around, he spotted his marker. ‘Time to go,’ he thought as he slowly made his way out of the crowd. As he reached the point where the people began thinning out, he pulled out a small, black cell phone with a gloved hand and dialled the number he had memorized. The ping on the other side of the connection told him it went through. ‘Ten minutes…’ He hid a smile as he walked away from the rally and vanished around a corner.

--

‘What a fruitcake,’ Neil thought as he heard some idiot yammering on a megaphone. The people stood crowding an intersection. It seemed a stupid place for him to gather together… ‘No wonder the traffic was so crappy,’ he grimaced. He, along with some other sceptics, stood further down the road. Part of him wanted to stay there – especially since the guy started talking… and even more especially when the group had to get all touchy with each other. The sceptics merely looked at each other; daring the other to just try and touch them. Then they started smiling at each other as they realised they were thinking the same thing. They were united in their separation from the fools in front of them.

“What a bunch of crap,” Neil heard a guy mutter before he stalked off. He wished he could do the same. He was definitely not in the mood to try and press through the crowd in front of him to find his girlfriend.

‘Ready to suffer for woman and country,’ he thought as he prepared himself, then the thought struck him. He glanced down at his belt and clipped his cell phone off of it. ‘Hopefully she brought her phone along…’

--

There were some looks of annoyance cast Chloe’s way as her phone started playing some obnoxious tune Neil liked. He had set it so that she’d know when it’s him calling. Her interest in phones (and technology in general) was very limited; if she could call and send messages, she was happy.

‘Neil…’

She wasn’t sure she wanted to speak to him just yet, but she couldn’t exactly ignore him right now either.

“Hello?” she whispered, trying not to disturb those around her who already seemed quite displeased at the fact that she answered the phone in the first place.

“Chloe, where are you now?”

“Where do you think? I’m at the rally,” she snapped at him again. “Neil, I can’t talk right now…”

“Look Chloe, I’m AT the rally. I’m just trying to find out how to get to you!” Chloe could hear his own temper flare.

“Oh…” she felt so foolish; a blush creeping to her cheeks. ‘Idiot!’

“Look,” Neil’s voice was calm. “Just tell me where you are and –”

A thunderous noise suddenly came from behind her before the wave struck. She felt herself being lifted off the ground and thrown forward like a rag doll. She felt the scorching heat and the shrapnel tearing into her skin without recognizing what it was. Then Chloe felt nothing.

--

“Chloe!” he shouted into the phone. “Chloe!” He listened then looked at the phone’s screen. The call had been ended. He quickly redialled Chloe’s number only to hear her answering message. ‘Oh God…’

The explosion had deafening and then came the screaming. Neil didn’t know how to process what he was seeing right in front of his eyes. Some people running, others on the ground, the debris scattered everywhere, the smoke… He didn’t understand how he was still standing. ‘Maybe I wasn’t within blast range…’ he thought and then came the chilling question. ‘Was she?’

Neil quickly phoned an emergency number – ‘Had anyone else done so yet?’ – and told them what just happened. He ran forward looking around frantically and calling her name. He shouted until his voice was hoarse, but he was just another voice among the hundreds. And they were all screaming.

--

It took a moment for Chloe to register what had happened. She found herself on her stomach; her head sore as she must’ve bumped it as she landed. She felt someone lying on top of her and tried to move out from underneath them. She gasped as the pain shot through her body. Nothing felt broken, but her entire body felt on fire. Chloe gritted on her teeth as she moved – the streets rough surface grating against her skin.

Managing to get into a sitting position, she gasped as her eyes fell on the person who had been on top of her. The old lady’s body lay unnaturally still as it had shifted from Chloe’s movements. Her clothes were torn; her skin broken and bleeding.

Chloe felt tears welling up in her eyes as she felt for a pulse underneath the lady’s jaw and released them as she found none. ‘She must’ve shielded me…’ She clumsily wiped her eyes with shaking hands and looked around her. Nothing looked as it did but a moment before. All around her there were glass, banners and flags, metal and… broken bodies – some alive, some not. Those alive were either beginning to sit up dazed as she had or began screaming as the pain from their injuries kicked in. Other people were running and shouting. Some were fleeing the scene while others were running among the dead and wounded.

She looked towards the direction the blast came from. The skeleton of a car stood there in pieces, burning still found herself unable register, unable to comprehend. All around her were the images she had always seen on the television screen. This wasn’t real… it couldn’t be. Then a sharp clarity struck her that forced her onto her feet and made her look around frantically.

‘Neil.’

Sirens were blaring all around Chloe as police, fire trucks and ambulances came onto the scene; quickly barricading the scene from curious onlookers and those outside the blast range. Two men in paramedic uniform rushed towards Chloe.

“Ma’am, are you alright?” one of them asked her already putting his gear down so he could inspect her.

“No,” she tried to wave them off. “I mean, yes… I’m fine. I’m not seriously injured. Go tend to the others first.”

--

It couldn’t end like this. Not like this. There was still so much they needed to experience together. Still so much they needed to work though. His eyes burned, his throat itched and Neil wasn’t so sure anymore that it was the smoke that was causing it.

Things had gone a little sour in their relationship, sure, but wasn’t it normal? Both had changed so the past few months, they needed to get used to each other again. They needed to meet each other halfway and work things through. And maybe he didn’t always do that himself, but it’s not too late now, is it?

‘Please let it not be too late!’

Chloe had said that he spoiled things for her, that he thought only of himself. She had looked so angry and hurt when she left the car; when she walked away. He didn’t want that to be the last image of her he sees. He didn’t want her to feel that way about him when her last breath ever leaves her.

He studied the faces of those around him and those they were moving away from the sight. Moving closer to the barricades, he tried to look beyond them.

“Sorry sir, you can’t go beyond this point,” a stern-looking policeman addressed him.

“But my girlfriend’s in there,” Neil tried to explain. “I was on my way towards her when the car exploded. She has to be in there somewhere.”

The officer’s eyes shifted into an unreadable emotion before he shook his head. “I’m sorry, but you can’t come through. If she is in here…” he seemed to falter. “Then there’s nothing you can do for her now but wait… and pray.”

--

Chloe had eventually given in to the concern of the paramedics and had allowed them to treat her. She had several cuts to her forearms and head as she had fallen and her whole body felt tender, but other than that, she had come off of the encounter relatively unscathed. She told the men who treated her of the old lady and how she must’ve shielded her from the blast – a conclusion they both agreed on.

When they had finished with her, she was moved further from the blast site and helped to sit on the sidewalk beside a light pole she now leaned against. Then they returned to their duties – a task Chloe didn’t envy them. The screaming hadn’t stopped despite the administrations of paramedics. Many victims were being wheeled off to ambulances – some writhing on the beds; some lying eerily still.

‘Neil.’

She had looked at those within the blast site while the paramedics had been tending to others and couldn’t see him. She had this certainty that he was alright – a certainty she couldn’t exactly describe or understand even. But despite this, she longed to see him now. She wanted him near her, beside her, holding her. She didn’t want any distance from him… More than ever did she realise how much she needed him and wanted him in her life.

“Chloe!”

Chloe looked up. Had that been her imagination? No, there - beyond the barricades. Neil's dark eyes stared back at her, a look of relief splashing across his face as he started pointing and talking animatedly with the police officer blocking him from the scene. She wanted to call to him, but found herself unable to speak. Slowly and rather gingerly, she moved to stand up, using the pole as an aid. The officer had also turned towards her, but still seemed unwilling to allow Neil entry. Her heart swelled with joy as she watched Neil push past him and run towards her.

The unthinkable happened.

A second explosion erupted, its invisible arms smashing into both police cars and ambulances alike and creating a domino effect of shattered glass and metal that mowed down anyone unfortunate enough to be in its way. A wave of fire and smoke instantly engulfed the space between Chloe and Neil before disappearing as quickly as it came, leaving only fresh destruction in its wake and creating a new chorus of screams and shouts.

She leaned against the pole for comfort as she screamed his name. This time she had been the one out of blast range while Neil… ‘He was so close to it. Where is he?!’ She shifted from her position against the pole and began moving forward; ignoring her body’s protests as she sprinted towards the place she saw Neil last.

“Miss!” a policeman called as he moved to cut her off. “Miss!” he called again as she ignored him and quickly caught up to her, grabbing her and pulling her away from the area. “I can’t let you go there –”

“No! No! Let go!” Chloe cried as she wrestled against him, which proved a futile gesture as he managed to restrain her quite easily.

“Miss,” the officer said firmly and calmly. “We need to get you to safety.”

She felt the fight leave her as she allowed the man to pull her away – her eyes never leaving the blast site.

--

‘If only everything would stop spinning,’ Neil thought groggily. Opening his eyes had taken enormous effort, only to find himself unable to focus on anything. His head felt muddled and sore; his ears were ringing. In fact, his entire body felt weirdly abuzz. It was as if none of his senses worked properly. He had no idea what state he really was in… except for one thing, he knew he was in a significant amount of pain.

He slowly tried to move – which felt an impossible task. His muscles stung as his body shifted into a sitting position and he couldn’t help but groan in discomfort. His limbs were fortunately intact, from what he could tell. Gradually things around him began coming back into more focus and he examined himself more closely. His clothes had been torn and singed from the blast, his right thigh and lower arm carried particularly nasty burns. Neil grimaced at the sight.

Slowly, but determinedly, Neil got to his feet just as a paramedic rushed to his side. The paramedic spoke to him and asked him questions, but he couldn’t manage to make out what the man was saying. The voice seemed faint… far in the distance as opposed to right beside his ear. At Neil’s incomprehension, the man tried again, this time a little louder which helped Neil make out the word “ambulance”. With a faint tug, he allowed himself to be led to the nearest ambulance.

He stumbled forward slightly and felt slender hands rushing forward to stop him from falling. His vision blurred slightly as he looked at the familiar face that suddenly flooded into his vision and felt his eyes burn.

“Chloe,” he managed to utter before she engulfed him in a rather painful hug. He happily ignored the pain as he wrapped his arms around her and held on for dear life.

--

A/N The second explosion and descriptions surrounding it was written by Kimhua in one of the desperate moments where I got stuck with the story. So credit goes to him for that bit which I “stole”… ;-)