The End Boxset: Postapocalyptic Visions of an Unstoppable Collapse by BJ Knights Read Free Book Online Page A

over and disinterested.
    “You need to see this,” Alice stressed.
    Randall sighed and pulled himself away from the engine to look. The smoke was thick and black, and moving steadily towards them.
    “Looks like there's been a fire,” Randall said holding a crescent wrench.  
    Alice walked to the end of the driveway and stopped a young couple walking by.
    “Excuse me, are you guys having car trouble too?”
    The man looked up, nearly surprised by the direct question,
    “Uh, yeah. Our car broke down about a mile down the road.” the man replied.
    “Our cell phones don't work either,” the woman interjected.
    “Same problem here,” Alice replied. “I would let you use our phone or give you a ride, but nothing works here either.”
    “That's okay, we're just going to walk back to her sister's house,” the man said.
    “We had just left, now we're coming back. Talk about awkward,” the woman added with a tired laugh.
    “Maybe it has something to do with the power plant.” the man continued.
    Just the mention of such a thing had Alice's undivided attention.
    “ What happened to the power plant?” she asked. The man and the woman exchanged glances, and then the man looked to Alice.
    “There was an explosion, at least that's what people are saying. That's where all the smoke is coming from.” he answered.
    Alice could feel her muscles tightening, her mouth was getting dry, and panic was setting in.
    “Thanks for the info. Good luck,” she said as she fled into the garage.
     
    Randall was still messing with the engine even after Alice told him that he was wasting his time. If everything she had been told over the years was true, all of these events were connected. The only question was what could she do about it? She knew that in being prepared for a disaster she was ahead of a lot of people in her neighborhood. But how long before the very worst she had always imagined became a reality?
     
    Randall felt a rush of wind blow past him. He lifted his head from the engine to see Alice, wearing a small backpack, racing her son's bicycle down the driveway and into the street.
    “Alice!” Randall shouted.
    She didn't answer or turn around. Randall ran from the car to the end of the driveway.
    “Alice, come back!” he shouted again. Alice turned her head slightly.
    “I'll be back soon. Stay here if they come back!”
     
     

Chapter 9: Kiya’s Story
                 
    Kiya was sitting in her classroom when she heard the explosion. The classroom was quiet as all the sixth grade students were working on mid-day math exercises. Kiya liked math. It made sense to her. Right before the explosion a boy sitting behind her tapped her on the shoulder.
    “Hey, Kiya. What's the answer for number four?” he whispered.
    Kiya didn't answer, trying to ignore him. But he persisted.
    “Psss. Answer. Number four. Come on,” he continued.
    The teacher, Mrs. Crabtree, was sitting at her desk at the front of the class room. She would sometimes look up from her Elle magazine to scan the classroom. The boy looked down quickly to avert her gaze. “Kiya please,” he pleaded looking down at his desk.
     
    The problem with assigned seating was that sometimes you ended up sitting in front of people like Mark Nelson who would always ask you the answers for the math questions. It was the third week of middle school, and although Kiya seemed to be adjusting fine, there was one person she couldn't stand. His name was Mark Nelson. He was helpless. He was pathetic. He was...needy. So just because Kiya did her work and studied hard, he expected the answers? Was it because she was a girl and he was a boy? Were girls expected to give boys answers? Had the world gone mad? This was the last straw, if she didn't let Mark know to leave her alone, the charade would continue through the entire school year. She had to put an end to it. She was going to turn around and rip him to shreds. She was going to make him cry right there in class