Night of the Purple Moon by Scott Cramer Read Free Book Online Page B

Jordan cried. “I know who it is. He’s in Abby’s class. His name is Ryan Foster.”
    Emily squeezed his hand. “That means other kids our age are probably alive. Let’s go.”
    * * *
    Abby stared out the window into the brooding face of the lavender monster. The vice of fog was tightening around them. The Couture’s house had disappeared ten minutes ago, but she could still make out the shape of the lobster truck. Mr. Marsh was missing, his body probably dragged off by the coyote pack.
    She checked her watch again. Jordan and Emily had been gone forty five minutes.
    Usually when the fog was this thick, Abby would retreat to her room, pull down the shade, and curse her father for accepting the job as librarian and moving them all here. Castine Island was one of the foggiest spots on the planet, which meant she had privately sworn at him a lot.
    “Ajay’s online!” Kevin shouted.
    She jumped.
    “My cousin,” Kevin added as he typed.
    Abby rushed to his side. Strangely, she was joyful knowing that someone else was alive.
    Kevin was on Facebook, typing in the chatbox.
    KEVIN: AJAY!!!!
    KEVIN: AJAY, ARE YOU THERE????
    KEVIN: AJAY????
    “He lives in Mumbai,” Kevin said.
    “India?”
    Kevin nodded. “He’s fourteen. He has an older brother, Jyran. We visited them last summer. You need a satellite connection to be online.”
    Abby thought her friend Mel in Cambridge had satellite.
    KEVIN: PLEASE RESPOND
    KEVIN: ???
    They stared at the screen.
    “What time is it in India?” Abby asked.
    “Eleven thirty at night. They’re nine and a half hours ahead of us.”
    They kept staring at the screen in silence.
    The computer bleeped.
    Abby grabbed Kevin’s arm from excitement.
    AJAY: KEVIN
    Kevin’s fingers started dancing on the keyboard.
    KEVIN: ARE YOU OKAY?
    AJAY: EVERYONE
    A pause. Every passing second felt like a minute. Kevin started up again.
    KEVIN: EVERYONE WHAT?
    KEVIN: AJAY?
    A bleep, finally.
    AJAY: MY PARENTS, JYRAN
    “I know what he’s going to write!” Kevin shrieked. “His brother and parents are dead.”
    Abby swallowed hard. “How old is Jyran?”
    Kevin lowered his head. “Sixteen.”
    AJAY: THEY’RE DEAD
    Kevin didn’t move, as if his fingers had turned to wood. Abby noticed that he had closed his eyes and was crying softly.
    “Kevin, you have to keep typing! Say something.”
    He choked out a sob, but otherwise kept his eyes shut and didn’t move.
    The computer bleeped and bleeped.
    AJAY: KEVIN, ARE YOU THERE?
    AJAY: KEVIN????
    AJAY: PLEASE ANSWER ME
    AJAY: WHAT SHOULD I DO?
    Abby slid the computer in front of her and typed.
    KEVIN: OUR PARENTS DIED TOO
    KEVIN: THE POLICE DON’T ANSWER THE PHONE
    KEVIN: NO RADIO, NO TV
    She thought it was too confusing to explain who she was.
    KEVIN: THE FERRY ISN’T RUNNING
    AJAY: I SEE DEAD PEOPLE OUT MY WINDOW
    AJAY: THEY’RE IN CARS, ON THE SIDEWALK
    AJAY: FOR BLOCKS AND BLOCKS, EVERY DIRECTION
    AJAY: ADULTS ARE DEAD EVERYWHERE
    Everywhere. The word exploded off the screen. The world was a big place. Adults were dead in Ajay’s neighborhood in India half way around the world. Adults were dead on Castine Island. The fact that TV and radio stations didn’t work and web sites were out of date probably meant adults were dead in New York, California, Boston, and other large cities. No ferry meant more adults were dead in Portland. A chilling thought bubbled up from deep inside Abby’s brain. What if the only survivors left on Earth were children?
    AJAY: SOME OLD PEOPLE ARE ALIVE
    AJAY: KIDS ARE ALIVE
    AJAY: KIDS MY AGE
    AJAY: AND YOUNGER
    AJAY: THERE’S A BABY CRYING NEXT DOOR
    Abby swallowed her tears and typed.
    KEVIN: AJAY
    KEVIN: ARE YOU SAFE?
    KEVIN: AJAY?
    KEVIN: ARE YOU THERE?
    “We lost the connection,” Kevin said, his face wet and glistening. “He’s gone.”
    * * *
    Jordan and Emily walked away from the mangled car and toward the harbor, the fog growing thicker by the minute.
    They hadn’t gone far when Emily stopped. “Jordan,