Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 530(@200wpm)___ 424(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
I find myself trotting past Kellen and the rest of the group, eager to see what’s at this lake. When I round the turn, I discover a parking lot and not much else aside from a few scattered picnic tables nearby. There’s a tiny restroom building with probably one toilet inside and a single car sitting in the lot.
In the darkness, I see two figures moving.
It’s the people who hauled ass past us.
“Hey!” I call out, running toward them. “We need help!”
As I near and swing my flashlight over their forms, I discover two women around my age, both terrified and crying.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” I say as I come to a stop twenty feet away from them. “Someone in our group is badly injured. We need to get her medical attention immediately.”
The taller brunette scowls and angrily points at the tire. “Because of you people standing in the road, we got a flat tire!” Her lip trembles until she bites down on it. “Leave us alone.”
Kyle and Jesse show up next, halting next to me.
“Listen,” I say, voice calm. “I’m sure we can help each other. Maybe we can exchange fixing the tire for taking our friend to the nearest hospital.”
The short blonde crosses her arms over her chest and frowns at me. “Hospital? Have you listened to the news lately? Everything is in chaos.”
“We’ve been outrunning disaster after disaster for days now, so excuse us if we’ve missed the evening news,” Jesse deadpans, irritation in his tone.
I elbow him and shoot him a sour look. Being assholes won’t get us far.
“What do you mean?” I ask, gaze darting back and forth between the two girls. I realize they’re both shivering and severely underdressed for this weather in just their hoodies and pajama pants. “We have extra coats. Want to trade for information?”
The rest of our group approaches quietly behind us. The two girls take in our ragtag group and seem to calm a bit when they don’t sense an immediate threat. Having more women, a child, and a dog helps too.
“Coats for info,” the brunette snaps. “I’m Mallory and this is my college roommate Katie.”
I motion for Dan to hand me one of the extra coats we brought with us and then pull another one off the loop of my backpack. We’d held on to the extras in case we needed them for warmth. Once I have both the coats, I hand them over to Mallory. She and Katie quickly pull them on, zip them up, and don the hoods before revealing any information.
“My dad told us to stay in our dorm rooms. That it would be safe,” Mallory says, sniffling. “But then there were earthquakes. Bad ones. We barely made it off campus with the clothes on our backs.”
“Where are you headed?” I ask. “Are there any FEMA camps anywhere? The military?”
“Our phones stopped working,” Katie says. “So other than what we could hear on one local station on the radio, we’re not sure.”
“What did the radio station say?” Kellen asks.
“That we’re fucked,” Mallory bites out bitterly. “The whole world is crumbling and going to hell. Granny may’ve been a moonie, but she was right, God bless her soul.”
I bristle at the mention of a fellow moon maniac. Whenever I think of those crazies, I can’t help but get sucked into thoughts of my parents. Now is certainly not the time to think about them.
“Can you elaborate?” Kellen questions with impressive patience.
“Texas and Ohio are gone,” Katie croaks out. “Both the entire eastern and western seaboards are gone. They said all of Europe and South America are gone.”
“What do you mean gone?” I ask, glancing over at Kellen, whose features have tightened as though he’s in pain.
“Sunk into the earth, underwater, or a blazing inferno,” Mallory says. “That’s why we’re trying to hurry to Oklahoma where we’re from. It might be safe.”
Might.
“Where is the station broadcasting from?” Dan asks.
“Stove Pipe Wells,” Mallory replies. “It’s a tiny blip on the map from what we can see, but the man on the radio said they have shelter, medical personnel, and food. We figured we’d stop on our way to Oklahoma. Neither of us has eaten all day or even slept, for that matter.”
Kellen slowly approaches. Both girls eye him warily but don’t move away. “Let us change the tire. You can rest and eat with us and then can we please send our friend Elise with you? She’s been burned and in agony. The rest of us can catch up to you at Stove Pipe Wells, but in the meantime, she’ll have access to the medical staff.”
The two girls exchange a look and then Mallory speaks. “Okay, we’ll take your friend.”
I let out a breath of relief. Kellen shoots me a small smile before he waves Wayne over. Kellen takes Elise from Wayne, who then offers to change the tire.