Maria's hand was tight on her gun. She could feel it in the wind as it blew past her; something had changed...something was wrong. Her eyes were closed, and she was listening to the sounds of the chaos unfolding around her house. It was louder than usual; there was a raid almost every night, but tonight...it was like the civil war was waging again. Taking a deep breath, Maria sat completely still, digging her way through what she was hearing. Fire burning....sirens....more explosions...people screaming...houses and buildings rattling and shaking....Maria winced as glass shattered somewhere. A sharp breath broke her trance as the earthquake suddenly ceased.<br/><br/>Looking up, Maria's eyes fell on where the attack was instantly; it worried here how close it was to the house. Carefully, she maneuvered her way to the edge of the roof, slid her gun into the holster again, and began to climb down. Once she was half way to the first story, Maria simply jumped, landing with a small thump on the ground. Standing up straight, Maria frowned. She could hear...music? Someone was singing...Maria tilted her head, walking around the side of the house, pulled by the sounds of Sojo's singing.<br/><br/>She smiled lightly when she saw him. She hadn't heard him sing before...or maybe she had? His voice was familiar of course, but the way he was singing...and the song...She was still standing a bit away but she could hear him clearly. For a moment, she was caught up in the music. It wasn't until a second explosion sounded that Maria was snapped back into reality.<br/><br/><br/>"Oh shit!" Maria muttered, her eyes wide at the ball of flame in the sky. That one was closer, much much closer...and near the homes off too many people she knew. Breaking her gaze away from the firey works, Maria turned and took off back to the house. Against her mother's yelling, Maria flew down the stairs and into the armory.<br/><br/>She grabbed almost more that she could carry. She grabbed her rifle, another pistol, a bag of ammo, slipped two knives into her boots, and was running back up the stairs. She had to find out what was going on...make sure everyone was ok.<br/><br/>"Stay inside Mama." Maria called, slamming the door shut behind her. She paused on the porch to load her gun, glancing up past her gate just to keep an eye on what was happening. Snapping the magazines in, Maria tucked her pistol into her holster, slung her rifle over her shoulder and held it tightly as she headed down the driveway past Sojo and through the gate as another explosion went off twenty feet down the block.