Farren was awake, if you could call it that. Maybe a better description was that she was conscious, but totally unaware of just what was going on around her. She could hear the screaming, hysterical shouting, and sirens, sure, but she couldn't remember why they were happening. The smells of smoke, dust, burning flesh, and blood filled her nostrils, making her want to gag. The sounds and smells collided in her already aching head, causing it to swim and to make her nauseous. As she lay surrounded by rubble, she found she wanted to disappear into the clutches of darkness once again. There she could escape the sounds and smells of people dying. She could get over the sickness that was growing in her stomach and she could better ignore that incessant screaming of her name.
August. She could smell August.
Half convinced that she was dreaming, Farren fought to open her eyes. The task was daunting, but she was spurred on by the drive to see if he was there with her. His hands on either side of her face seemed to be proof enough of his existence. Finally, her eyes fluttered open. Despite how blinding she found the light, she kept her eyes open, drinking in the sight of her older brother. It was in that moment that the smells hit her even harder. She closed her eyes, wincing, trying her best to not let her breakfast come up for round two.
"Auggie." She managed to croak.
She tried to pull her thoughts out of their sluggish pace, but it was rough going. She remembered going to the march, but then things got fuzzy. From the sounds and smells and the sense of urgency to August's voice, she knew that something was wrong. "Auggie, what happened? What's wrong?" Her eyes opened, revealing a small well of tears building. Farren rarely cried, but she was confused, hurt, and worried all at the same time. Needless to say she had never been in this situation before.