Over the next 18 hours, despite all the reassurances from the fire updates app, the news and Alex.  Holly paces inside, then outside, checking the horizon for signs of a fire. Can she hear something? No. Is it warmer than normal? No. She knows things can turn in an instant; she knows the dangers of a bushfire. 
She looks out across the landscape, over the rolling of the hills in the distance, over the shimmering lake that runs towards the coast, and over horizon finally seeing a glooming overcast of smoke. It's coming. 
"Holly, come back inside! Wind's  goin' in a different direction." 
Holly reluctantly nods, then follows the sound of his voice into their house. She lies on the couch next to him and he holds her as he falls asleep. There had been so much anxiousness in the last few days, so much weight placed upon her, so many fights with Alex, that when she laid with him and felt his hands holds her tightly, she couldn't help but feel safe and calm.   
When Holly opened her eyes, she looks out the window and noticed it’s a bit darker than before. That's unusual. It's only been a few minutes so, she decides to get up and go outside to check. Unable to ignore her twisting gut feeling...
Instantly when walking outside, the heat hit her like a fist. The fires were here. The smoke was getting closer and closer. As she looks out, she could now see a glow coming towards them. There was no ignoring it now. They had to leave. 
‘Alex,’ she called out, running inside.
"ALEX!" shaking him awake.  
‘What?’  he groaned.
‘We have evacuate. The fires are here.’ 
‘Shit.'  
Instantly, both of them scramble around trying to grab everything. Grabbing the suitcases they prepared. Thoughts are racing wildly. Will everything be ok? Do we have all the essentials? Have we forgotten anything?? Do we have enough time?? 
Checklist:
​
-
Passport
-
Any important document / certificates
-
Money
-
Clothes
-
Keys
-
Other personal items
 Sprinting to the car with the last of their things. They slammed the boot. The sky is getting darker, flying glowing embers are now whizzing above them. 
'Quick,  lets  go.'  Holly said 
Alex hurriedly turns on the car and the radio immediately turns on...  
ABC emergency broadcast:
‘This is Julian Anders with you from ABC Brisbane...You can’t miss it... The bush fires are worsening throughout Queensland, and there’s an awful lot of smoke.  Firefighters now struggling to contain the flames.  Tim King, one of our local reporters who lives in Everton Park has a report for us:  
“I’m just talking to you from inside my car, Julian. You can probably hear the wind shake the car. Can you hear me?”
Yes we can Tim, what can you see?’  
“I can see the flames across the river and as they pass along the mountain. They’re… ah, four times the size of the trees....”
(A siren screamed through the radio.)
“This is an official emergency announcement. The Queensland Emergency Services Bureau has advised that the situation has quickly deteriorated. The risk of the fires is now assured and the Bureau asks everyone south of the Gold Coast to evacuate immediately.”  
Alex turned off the radio. 
"The fire is getting closer!."  Holly said panicked.
​
Alex didn’t need to be told twice as, the view outside their windows was rapidly diminishing.  
​
Stomping down on the gas, the car skids as they go faster down the dirt road. 
As they drove over the mountain out of Samford, Holly looked back  and saw the scorched red earth behind her. The hellscape that was once her home, and remembered all the actions and inactions she had  taken in life. All the time she knew something was happening, and all the time she spent not doing anything about it. The view diminishing by the minute with the ever-increasing smoke and fire now surrounding the road.  
Alex glances over at Holly who's eyes are fixed to the window. 'Stop worrying there is nothing we could have done. "
'What? Nothing we could have done about climate change?' Or the raging inferno we are trying to escape from?' 
'Now's not the time." 
'and when is Alex? These issues don't just disappear until we feel ready to deal with it.'
'You know just as well as I do that we are all guilty for this.' 
'How?' 
'Well for one, we as consumers make demands; companies supply it.'
'Oh well what am I supposed? I'm only one person.. 
Where to begin.
Climate change. An issue that could be the difference between life and ultimate extinction. In today’s society, we live harmfully and unsustainably. We abuse the power we have, and take what we are given for granted. Due to this, our world is suffering. Now, more than ever, we have a choice to make. Reflect on ourselves, our thoughts, our actions and our lives. Evolve ourselves and those around us to live a more eco-friendly, sustainable lifestyle...or ignore the issues and cause our own demise.
Our future and the environmental future is in our hands and it will be up to all of us to fix what we have caused. Environmental disasters we are experiencing now, is only the beginning, if we do not learn, protect and restore what is left of our natural world. Everything in this world including humans are interlinked. Each species holds an interconnected purpose that allow the natural world to thrive. It is up to us to restore our balance with nature. If we do not realise this now, and do something about it. We will lose everything.
There is always something that can be done in our own individual ways to make positive change happen. It doesn't have to be overly complicated. The first step towards positive change is in your hands. Begin your journey now, by starting to educate yourself about climate change and learn about your own personal contributions. (both positive and negative)