Tabitha by Andrew Hall Read Free Book Online Page A

safety. There were screams of protest from below, as people crushed
against each other in the pitch black cellar. Claustrophobic yells. A
thundering rush drowned out their shouting then; a rumbling tide above their
heads. The floors above crashed down on top of them in a dusty crush. The cafe
collapsed into screaming rubble.
     
    Alex and David were
running. They had to get to their family, and get away from the city. The
colossal dust cloud crept down every street, drying their mouths and lungs,
blinding and choking them as they ran. Behind them other people edged outdoors
too; calling after them in the dust and silence, unsure whether to stay or go.
It was like running through fog, and all the while the hail of rocks and grit
pummelled everything around them. The fallout cloud above them only grew
bigger, rolling over the sky to block out the sun. Abandoned cars and dust-pale
bodies appeared through the choking mist. A grimy film of dirt coated
everything. It powdered the sidewalk thickly under their feet, like fake snow
on a hot dead Christmas. Buildings toppled around them and people screamed for
help, but the brothers didn’t stop running. When entire walls were sailing
through the sky from across the river and crashing down in the streets, all
they could think was run . They’d always managed to keep perfect pace
when they were younger, but David had let himself go. He was starting to lag
behind.
    ‘Down
here!’ Alex shouted, taking a side street where the dust cloud wasn’t so thick.
David stumbled and retched on the road, but Alex was there to pull him up and
drag him on. The city sounded like a warzone around them, all echoing cracks
and booms. A rock crashed down onto a dumpster on their left, cratering the
lid. Alex watched his feet running but didn’t feel like he was there. He felt
his heart racing, but he wasn’t sure if he was still attached to it. Everything
was dizzy and spinning in the shock. His brother’s voice was right next to him,
but far away. All he felt were the stinging pebbles that struck his skin,
raining down on them after another massive, static hiss. All he knew was that
they were running. Running from a volcanic cloud that was twice as big now,
filling the sky. When they reached the far end of the side street onto another
block, David grabbed Alex’s arm. Begging for a moment to stop and catch his
breath.
    ‘Jesus
Christ,’ David panted, gasping for air. He felt like passing out. They stared
down the road at the ruined city beyond the river; everything burning and
collapsing. Through the huge gloomy cloud of the fallout, there was a dark
shape moving in the sky. A black monstrous mass of tentacles that loomed over
the city, only hinted at through the dust cloud. A twisting tower of light
spewed out from its belly, toppling skyscrapers in a thundering rush. Churning
more of the city up into the sky. Alex opened his mouth to speak, but he
couldn’t find the words. The blond brothers could only look from the ship to
one another, silent in disbelief. Something exploded behind them, throwing them
into the air. David watched the world spin around him, as if in slow motion,
and the road came up to slam him in the face. All he heard was the ringing in
his ears, high and endless. Senseless, he lay there staring at the dust cloud
in the sky, vast and tumbling, like a volcano had blown. Nothing mattered for a
little while, and he closed his eyes... Then he remembered that he wasn’t
waking from a dream. He was lying on the road at the end of the world. He had
to get back to Helena and the kids. That was all that mattered. He looked
around desperately for his brother, ears still ringing. The street was a silent
grey fog, tilting and shaking as he looked around at it.
    ‘Alex?’
he called out. His voice echoed down the empty street, into the creeping wall
of dust.
    ‘I’m
here,’ came his brother’s muffled voice behind him. Alex helped him back to his
feet. David staggered. Blinking and