The cool air that swept in from the sea was a refreshing change from the summer heat. It heralded the creeping fog that obscured the horizon and carried the acrid chemical smells of vinegar and smoke.

Perched on the back of her bicycle, a young girl watched the dense greyness swallow dozens of trees and houses, wrinkling her nose in disgust. She wasn’t moving, just watching and chewing bubble-gum, whose wrapper indicated it was once watermelon-flavoured, but was now as bland and dull as wood pulp.

It was strange to see fog in the middle of a sunny day but the silence was creepier. Chirping birds, buzzing insects, barking dogs, even the chaotic symphony of children vanished once they disappeared behind the billowing clouds.

It was as if they were never there at all.

Gina felt her heart shuddering in her chest. It was hard to breathe or even move. She didn’t know why she was afraid, but the fog terrified her.

She watched in horror as her mom’s car passed by her and disappeared into the fog.

“Oh no.”