The End: Genesis

An Emp Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller

Zion Cage

Copyright © 2020 Zion Cage

All rights reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people or real people are used for fiction purposes only. Other names, characters, places, and events are the ultimate product of the author imagination, and any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

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Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Epilogue

About The Author

Coming Soon

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The End: Into The Past

In events prior to the EMP, Vivien will do anything to please the one she loves. That is until he decides to put her away. Her eyes open and, for once, she realizes the truth. She will have to make a hard decision.

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“I know not with what weapons world war III will be fought, but world war IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

Albert Einstein

Prologue

12th September, 2001

Fourteen of them sat around a round table. The room was mostly dark save for the light that hung directly above them. Only two women sat in their midst as they argued.

The man at the head of the table got tired of thebantering and shouted in Russian:

“Would you all shut up!”

Everyone obeyed. No one wanted to make him angry.

“We have been planning this for over five years. The ones who went before us have laid down the foundation. Now, all we have to do is to finish it. We have limited time. We were close but this occurrence- it has ruined everything. If we don’t recuperate quickly, it wouldn’t matter how far we’ve come. The whole plan would be ruined. All I asked was if anyone had a plan of action. Nobody has anything good to say. Of what use are any of you here then?”

There was silence for a while then a man raised his hand. The man at the head of the table nodded for the other to speak.

“As I said before, we should just strike immediately anyway. We are in position“

POW!

The sound of the gun shot reverberated over the walls of the room and everyone watched in shock as the man fell dead to the floor.

“Since he refuses to see the folly and short-sightedness of his plan, I think I should just help him out. Now, anyone else with something more brilliant?” the leader said.

Silence reigned for what seemed like hours, then a lady; the blonde, dark-skinned one, raised a hand. The man at the head smiled. Whenever she had an idea it was good. He nodded for her to speak.

“Well, if we want full damage, we must learn to bid our time. I have an idea but it’ll require us to get them to trust us long enough and let us in. What better way to do that than to…”

She spoke for a long time but when she was done withspeaking, the man smiled. It was brilliant.

Chapter One

“It wouldn’t be the first time that the government withheld the truth.”

14th November, 2021

10:25pm

West Loop, Chicago, Illinois.

USA.

Alexander Michael cracked his fingers and sighed. Getting up from where he sat before his computer, he stretched his arms out and yawned. He had hit a milestone in the proposal he was preparing for his stepfather’s Civil Engineering Company. He was a programmer, skilled in Python and SQL despite being in his third year of college. He studied Computer Science but he was far ahead of his curriculum. Gertrude, his step-father, had asked him to build a database for his engineering company and Xander had decided to commit himself to the project. That was most likely the last project he was going to handle for Gertrude before leaving Chicago.

He had never really connected with Gertrude on a personal level. His father, Thomas Michael, had died of cancer five years ago. His mother, Alicia, had decided to get married again a year ago. Alexander hadn’t appreciated the decision. He had been happy with things the way they were. He had been working as a freelance programmer for various companies. He earned enough to buy his own Nissan Altima car. His mother had worked as an accountant for Gertrude Engineering. She had been earning enough to feed her family. Needless to say, that was where she had met Gertrude and had fallen in love. After the wedding, Alicia had been promoted to become an executive at the company and the whole family had relocated to Gertrude’s mansion in West Loop. The job got more hectic and she was bent on pleasing her new husband so Xander and Grayson saw her less often.

Mentally, Alexander barfed. He hated love stories. Gertrude tried to make them look like a normal family. Whenever he came back from work with Alicia, he’d get a pack of chocolate for Alexander and his little sister, Grayson. Alexander found himself rolling his eyes. Apparently, Gertrude hadn’t noticed that he was twenty years old. He didn’t want the relationship with Gertrude. He loved his family without the presence of an outsider. He knew the feeling was probably childish. Even Grayson had opened up completely to Gertrude. However, Xander didn’t appreciate the change.

He knew that the contract Gertrude had given him was more of an act of goodwill. Obviously, Gertrude could have gotten someone more professional for the project. What bewildered Xander the most was the pay. He hadn’t seen such an amount on a database management system development project before. Alexander had wanted to refuse it but his mother had convinced him to take it and, deciding to only be professional about it, he had taken up the project, working his butt off to ensure Gertrude got maximum satisfaction. Not wanting to stand in the way of his mother’s happiness, he had also decided to move away from Chicago. He didn’t know where he’d go yet but he had made up his mind to leave by next year. He couldn’t keep living under Gertrude’s roof.

He moved to the mini-fridge in his room and pulled out a bottle of Coke. Gulping a bit, he set it aside and returned to his table. He had a strict policy of not keeping liquids near his computer. Just as he was about to return to work, there was a knock at his door. He already guessed who it was.

“Come on in,” he called out as he swung in his chair to look at the door. Just as he had guessed, his eleven-year old sister, Grayson, came in. He smiled at her.

“Hey, Gray. What’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be asleep by now?” he asked as she sat on his bed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be too?” she asked, tilting her chin at him. Xander laughed at her expression. She was growing up fast and was becoming sassy- in a sweet way, though.

“Well, I’m not the one with a ten o’clock curfew on my head. I get to sleep anytime I want actually,” he said, raising a brow at her. A smile broke out on Grayson’s face and her lips split revealing her gap-tooth. She was the only one in their immediate family who had it. Thomas had said that she had gotten it from his father.

“I’m just so excited. I can’t believe tomorrow is my eleventh birthday. I think I’m gonna be up till midnight so I get to be the first to wish myself a happy birthday,” she said.

“Just as you do every year, huh?” Xander said as he turned and started typing into his laptop again.

“Yup,” Grayson said as she got up, went to his mini-fridge and took the half-empty bottle of Coke. Xander heard the sound of his fridge opening and he glanced perfunctorily over his shoulder.

“Hey, I didn’t tell you to open my fridge, Gray. You’re gonna pay for that,” he said as he continued to type.

“Mmhmm,” Grayson said as she came to stand by him. “What’s all this junk you’re writing? One would think you were doing something meaningful that brought you all that money. They wouldn’t know you’re writing stuff that even kindergarten kids would call crap.”

Xander rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Grayson. It’s called a programming language. Kindergarten kids aren’t supposed to understand it. Neither should you. And get that drink away from my table, will you? You know my ‘No Drink’ policy,” he said as he pushed her head away from his table. She giggled.

“Oh, please. Spare me your stupid policy. We’re still going out tomorrow with Prim, right?” she asked as she stood behind him and placed her neck on his shoulder. He could perceive the scent of coke from her breath.

“Not after you just called my world-class safety procedure stupid and said my programming is really dumb,” Xander said as he continued to type. Grayson ran to stand in front of him so that he couldn’t see his screen anymore.

“Oh, come on. I’m sorry. It was a tongue slip. It’s my birthday and you promised me you’d take me out if mum can’t,” she said, pouting and blinking her eyes rapidly. When Xander tried to look beyond her to his screen, she moved to stand in his way again. “Oh, come on, Xander. Please.”

Xander sighed as he looked at her finally. “You know you’ve got adorable puppy eyes, don’t you?” he asked.

“I know. My teacher says I should be imprisoned for being cute,” Grayson said and Xander laughed.

“Shut up, liar. Okay, so I’ll still take you out. However, I’ve got this small presentation to handle in the morning therefore, Nia will take you and Prim out in the morning to the amusement park so that you guys don’t have to deal with the rush then I’ll come in when I’m done and take you both out for lunch at any fancy kids restaurant around. After that, we could go see a movie,” he said. Nia was Prim’s mother. Grayson’s and Prim’s birthdays were only a week apart and so they usually celebrated their birthdays together. That year, Xander’s mother was too busy to go with them so Xander had taken it upon himself to be in charge of the celebration. Grayson beamed.

“Thanks, big bro,” she said, hugging him tight around the neck. “You’re the best.”

“Yeah, sure. I hope you say that too when I tell you to go do your homework. Now, get to bed and let me get back to work, would you?” he said, trying his best not to sound emotional.

15th November, 2021

9:54am

West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

USA.

“I researched the models most companies use for their staff, clients and inventory management databases and I decided that this model would be best for Gertrude Engineering,” Xander said as he pointed to the images that were projected on the wall. “It’s a relational model. I programmed the system so that your database managers could easily locate information based on relationship…” he went on to describe how the software model he had built would ease the operations of Gertrude Engineering. When he was done, the executives and technicians asked him questions, all of which he answered satisfactorily. His gaze was on the face of his mother and Gertrude. His mother never stopped smiling while Gertrude kept nodding his head. When there were no more questions, Gertrude spoke.

“Well, we have all heard what Mr. Michael has offered. Do we all agree to his proposal or are we sending him back to the drawing board?”

Murmurs rippled across the conference room. A lady spoke.

“I think I like it. Personally, I’m excited about its automation. Finally, I get less stress putting in data that could just find its way to the right column.”

Then another man spoke.

“I think it’s great.”

Gertrude spoke again.

“All in favor raise your hands,”

Xander watched in satisfaction as every hand, including Alicia’s and Gertrude’s, went up. He smiled.

“Well, then. I guess you have a go-ahead. You’re doing a great job,” Gertrude said and Xander nodded.

“Thank you all,” Xander said with his palms clasped together.

Gertrude turned to the rest. “Thank you all for being in this meeting. This meeting is now adjourned. You may all return to work. Do not forget that you all have a deadline of this weekend to submit your weekly progress report. I want them all on my table before midnight, Saturday. Have a great day,” he said and they all got up from their seats. As they milled out of the office; Alicia, the beautiful blonde haired woman that she was, walked up to Xander and hugged him. He had gotten his dirty blonde hair and blue eyes from her. It was one of the things that reminded him that they were still family even when he wanted to stay mad at her for remarrying.

“I’m so proud of you, son. I’m speechless. You really are a prodigy,” she said in his ears. He knew she was close to tears. That was the voice she used when she tried to hold back tears.

And she had called him a prodigy. That was what his father used to call him before. It was Thomas who introduced him to computers. His father had never ceased to praise his abilities, even when he’d had none.

Alicia pulled away.

“So, I need to get back to work now. You heard Gertrude’s instructions. He can be quite a bossy head at times,” she said, knowing Gertrude could hear her. “Take care of your sister, please. And remind her of my weekend promise to her. It’s going to be a ‘girls at the beach’ one,” she said before leaving the hall.

Xander managed to mumble a ‘yes, mum’. By then all the people who had been in the meeting had left. Xander looked up to see Gertrude still leaning casually against the wall.

“You did a great job back there, son. I’m so proud of you,” Gertrude said, peering at Alexander with his deep grey eyes. Unlike Xander, Gertrude had dark brown hair that was greying at the temples.

Xander sighed, wishing Gertrude hadn’t called him son.

“While I’m grateful for this opportunity you’ve given me to work for you, you’re not my father. Stop calling me son,” he said. He needed to keep the boundary lines clear so that no one crossed it.

Gertrude seemed hurt for a second but his look changed to a pleading one.

“Come on, Xander. We’re a family here. I’m not trying to take the place of your father but you’re the closest person I’ve ever had to a son. I just find myself wishing you’d let me in. I’d do anything, Xander.”

“My name is Alexander. And I’ve really got to go. Grayson is waiting for me. Thanks for the job. I promise not to disappoint you,” he said as he turned to leave.

“I know you won’t,” Gertrude said. “Would you need anything? I could have some money sent to you for Grayson’s celebration. I’m sorry we couldn’t make it today but we are planning something for the weekend.”

“Don’t worry, Gertrude. I’ve got it all covered,” he said without stopping.

By the time he got to his car, it was twenty five minutes past eleven. He had to take a deep breath to ease out the tension. He knew Gertrude was trying. He saw it every time Gertrude spoke to him or made a gesture. However, he couldn’t bring himself to accept Gertrude. Maybe it was because he still missed his father a lot. It had only been five years, after all. He sighed. Deciding to push the thoughts away, he started his engine and drove into the car lane from the garage. He needed to be happy for Grayson. He couldn’t allow anything mess his mood up. He looked forward to seeing Nia again. Nia had been their neighbor while they had lived at West Town. Her husband had left her when Prim had just been born. Xander still didn’t understand why. He remembered his conversation with Nia in the morning when Nia had come to pick Grayson up. As usual, her dark hair was pulled back into a neat bun. Her dark skin was still clear and wrinkle free despite her being in her late thirties. Warm, brown eyes were always present on her face and she had worn light make up to bring out her youthful features.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the girls more enthusiastic,” she had said.

Xander had grinned.

“You’re probably right. Thank you, again for agreeing to take the girls out now. I didn’t know how to fix it all into my schedule for this morning,” he had said.

“Oh, I have no issues with that. As long as Prim is in your hands for the rest of the day, I’m happy. And I should be thanking you. I must warn you, though: twelve noon is her most active hour. She’d get so energetic, you’d be tempted to whoop her,” she had said. Her words had made Xander laugh as he shook his head. For as long as he’d known her, Nia had always been this way. She’d always been warm, gentle, and funny.

“Besides, I don’t think there’re many people that I'd trust more than you with my daughter,” she had said finally.

“Really?” he’d asked.

“I don’t know what you think about yourself but I think you’re very responsible. It isn’t hard to tell just how much you love your sister and how much you’d be willing to do for her,” Nia had said as she looked towards the girls who were talking about what they planned to do once they got to the park. She’d let out a deep breath then.

“We just need to be careful these days, you know. You’ve heard the rumors, haven’t you?”

The reality of their situation had made Xander nod his head.

“Yes.”

There had been words spread around of a potential attack on the States although there hadn’t been much proof to back them up. It was the fears of others that made him more worried than he wanted to be.

“Do you think it’s true?” she had asked him.

He had inhaled before responding; “I’m not sure.”

“I’ve always tried to trust the government,” she’d admitted. “I’d like to believe if something really was that serious then we would know, but you can never be too sure.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time that the government withheld the truth,” he’d said.

It was almost a year since business man, Billy Monroe, had been sworn into office as the President of the United States of America. So far, his track record had been flawless. The people he had selected to be members of his cabinet were only the best in their fields. According to him, they were round pegs in round holes. The laws he had made only made life better for the people. He had centralized the whole economy in such a way that privatization was still allowed but private bodies were answerable to the government as to how they ran their businesses and to the amount they gave out towards altruism. Altruism was compulsory which was a good thing. There were now more scholarships, jobs and community service programs. Somehow, this president had also managed to create ties with the Russian government. After a couple of talks, he and the Russian government came to a bilateral agreement to combine resources towards the development of both economies. No one had seen that coming. From what Xander had read, economists had projected that if the agreement lasted for only a year, the Russian and American economies would become so strong that both would be unbeatable by other nations for the next ten years.

It then got weird when both presidents signed an agreement that allowed cross-migration into either state without the former strenuous restrictions. Everyone had begun to wonder why the government would make such a decision that exposed the States to attack. He had reassured the citizens with the fact that the agreement had been signed by both parties thus exposing them to equal danger. It was still unnerving though, especially with rumors going around the internet of a looming attack on the nation.

A sad smile had taken over Nia’s face as she met Xander’s gaze.

“That’s true.” Her eyes had moved back to the two girls, and she’d let out a deep breath. “I guess I just have the hope of a parent that everything will be alright for my daughter. We’d better get going,” she had said before calling the girls to herself and taking them with her. Alicia and Gertrude had gone to work long before them. Once again, as he drove to the park, Xander’s mind pondered on the rumors.

Could they be true?

He had gotten to North Orchard Street. He recalled that there was one right turn left before he got to the amusement park. He turned on his radio. The quietness in the car had become eerie. He needed some external sound to help him relax. However, what he heard on the radio made him tense all the more. The voice of the lady who was speaking seemed urgent.

“…All citizens are to move to New York where a ship would take them to safety…”

Xander zoned off from there. He hadn’t tuned in early enough to hear all that had been said. What was she talking about? Was there a problem? Why did they need safety?

Suddenly, his car jerked, flinging him forward. His seatbelt restrained him so that he didn’t collide against the steering. The radio stopped working. So did all the equipment on his dashboard. Just as he was about to catch his breath, he realized that his wheels were still moving though his engine had gone off. The car ahead of him had stopped completely. He turned the steering to avoid crashing into the car. Unfortunately, a Buick Muscle car was still moving forward with speed from the side. It crashed into his car, sending glass shards pouring all over Xander. The impact caused Xander’s head to collide forcefully against the door frame.

He blacked out.

Chapter Two

“All of them got out.”

15th November, 2021

11:57am

North Orchard, Chicago, Illinois.

USA.

Xander hands flew to his left leg the moment he gained consciousness and he groaned. A searing pain coursed through body and, when he opened his eyes, he could see the damage. The leg was curved to the right instead of straight. His hand went to his head from where blood had trickled down. The blood had dried up though. His torso seemed okay. His breathing was labored as his hands went to the power window in a bid to open the car. He pulled on the knob, satisfied with the click sound, he tried to push the car open but it wouldn’t budge. That was when he noticed the Buick that blocked him. He had to restrain himself from cursing. He looked to his right. The door seemed free however; the issue was how to move to that side of the car with his hurt leg. Bracing himself, he unfastened the seat belt that had saved him and crawled slowly over to the next seat. Taking deep breaths, he pulled his bad leg up to the driver seat. He opened the right door and pushed himself so that he fell on his back to the ground.  He groaned the moment his leg hit the ground. The pain was unbearable. He waited for the pain to subside before he made his next move. Spinning on his back so that his head was close to the car, he tried to get up, using the car for support. All the while he was careful to not allow his left leg touch the ground. He looked around as he stood straight finally.

For the first time, he noticed that the city looked like a ghost town. All of the lights were out, leaving him thankful that it was afternoon. There were cars littered across the street, some crashed into buildings and others into other automobiles. It was eerily quiet and, the moment he noticed the amount of corpses everywhere, he closed his eyes. There was no living person around him. The realization hit him hard.

It had happened.

He needed to move. For the most part he would tell anyone that he was a healthy man because it was the truth. He worked out occasionally and had run track all through high school but nothing had prepared him for the battle of only using one leg. He struggled to get oxygen to his lungs as he moved with the help of the car and, even though his foot wasn’t hitting the ground each time he moved, he could still feel the shock of pain registering throughout his body.

Animal Science had never been a subject that he really liked. And now, in his time of pain, he felt himself regretting that. He suddenly felt that he should have been a better student and paid more attention when he’d been in anatomy. Maybe, it would have prepared him for what to do in cases like that. From the sight of the city, he sincerely doubted that a hospital would be of any help to him. All of their machines would be down and the doctors would be gone, at least those who had survived. Xander refused to allow his mind wander to how many lives the attack had taken.

Letting out a deep breath, he gazed across his surroundings until he found what he’d been looking for. Hobbling over to it, he picked the stick up. It was taller than his waist therefore he deemed it good enough. Eventually, he’d find a larger one but, for the moment, that was what he would have to use. His fist clenched around the stick that he was using as a crutch as he tried to walk with independence. Unfortunately, it was weak. It snapped the moment he allowed his weight rest on it and his injured leg made contact with the ground.

A small scream left his throat as he fell into the snow. The frustration rose in his body as his temperature continued to decrease. The weather was very cold and he was unable to walk. What was he supposed to do then? Without the strength, he wouldn’t be able to hop around forever. And obviously he couldn’t walk on his left leg, not in the condition that it was in.

In the next second, another realization filled his mind, causing him to cringe with fear.

The girls!

Resolve filled him. Giving up wasn’t an option. He had to find the girls. Just as he was about to get up again, he heard a voice. “Mister!” It was a female voice. He frowned, sitting up just enough to see a woman.

She didn’t look good. Had he been unaware of the situation that the country was in, he would have thought that she was a hobo living on the streets. Her red hair was full of filth and her face was dirty. There were bags under her eyes and grime underneath her fingernails. She looked like she needed a bath. But at least she looked warm which was more than he could say about himself. The three piece suit he wore barely kept the cold away.

“We didn’t know that there were more survivors out here,” the woman stated, as she began to remove her coat before draping it across his body. She caught a glance of his leg as she covered him.

“Oh, that looks nasty! We need to get you to the health care center. Carlisle might be able to help you there. You haven’t been walking on it, have you?”

“I didn’t particularly have a choice to.”

“Ah, I see,” the woman stated, as she nodded her head. “Well, it ain’t too far, not where we’re going.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

A puzzled look made its way across her features and she seemed genuinely surprised by his words. “Now, why would you say something stupid like that?” she scolded him, placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow up at him. “Obviously, you are unless you have a death wish.”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, sweetie, but this person is probably gone at this point. I doubt you’d even be able to find the body if you were looking. Now, come on,” she urged him, beginning to reach for his arm. Xander knew that her intent was only to help him but he didn’t want her help, not when he didn’t have the girls with him.

He jerked his arm away.

“They’re not dead,” he stated, his voice stern because he didn’t want to consider that possibility.

“How can you be so sure?” she raised an eyebrow at him again. She wasn’t sure of how many people they were talking about any longer. “When was the last time you saw this person?”

The question made Xander frown. It was one that he didn’t know the answer to.

“Well,” the red head asked, growing impatient.

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly, his words cold.

“Don’t go snapping at me because you can’t handle the truth,” she narrowed her eyes at him. “Who is it that you’re looking for?”

Xander studied her, as if unsure whether or not he could trust her. He wasn’t a proud man and often he would relent whenever he thought that he needed help but this was different. Their country had just been attacked, their population dying. It left him not trusting. He didn’t know how long he’d been out and that only helped to raise his suspicion of her. Still, with how she looked, he doubted she was anything more than a survivor that had managed to live through the attack. He sighed in defeat. “My sister and her friend.”

Oh, we’re talking about two people, Harper thought.

“And just how old are they?”

“Eleven.”

The woman nodded her head. “Are the three of you from here? From Chicago?”

“Yes. But not from this neighborhood.”

“Why did you stop here?”

“It’s my sister’s birthday. I was supposed to pick her and her friend from the amusement park. Look, why does any of this matter?”

“I suppose it doesn’t.”

Before either of them could say anything else, the sound of a loud growl interrupted them, making Xander’s eyes widen as he quickly looked around them. The sound had been so dangerous and much closer than he was pleased to admit. It made him gulp. “What was that?” he asked, turning around to face the woman.

She was looking into the distance, her eyes scanning for something before she checked behind her. When her brown eyes came back to meet his, he could see the worry clouding them before she coughed and cleared her throat. “My guess is a bear.”

Xander choked on his own spit. “Maybe it’s just me but I don’t remember reading about wild bears running free around this area otherwise I may have picked a different amusement park.”

She rolled her eyes. “They’re not wild.”

“Circus then?”

“When the electromagnetic pulse hit, all of the power went out. Lincoln Park is known for its zoo.”

“So, all of the animals…?” he began to piece it together.

“All of them got out.”

His lips separated as he let out a shaky breath before shaking his head, attempting to get up. “I have to go then. I have to find them. Only God knows where they are now.” His efforts to get up failed as he began to fall down. The woman caught him just before he hit the ground. She was stronger than her small figure suggested. She propped him up, allowing him to lean against her for support.

“Then, we’ll help you,” she said, turning her head to meet his gaze.

“Why?”

“The apocalypse didn’t exactly take away our hearts,” she told him, offering him a small smile. “Not all of ours anyway.” It was a terrible joke, but it lightened his mood, even if only a bit. “But, first we have to get that leg checked out by Carlisle. You won’t be any help to them if you can’t even walk.”

He debated arguing before letting out a groan of defeat. “Fine, but let’s make it fast. Time isn’t exactly on our side.”

Chapter Three

"Their dead bodies would be frozen over in the snow.”

16th November, 2021

12:49pm

North Orchard, Chicago, Illinois.

USA.

“Ow! Take it easy. That hurts,” Xander exclaimed as Carlisle, a grey-haired woman, applied balm to his left leg and massaged it. The woman snorted.

“You’ve not even gotten to the painful part,” she said as she continued her work.

Xander sat back and grimaced as each move of the woman’s hand caused pain to shoot up his ankle. His mind was full of worry. He hadn’t seen his sister yet. The only reason he was calm was because Harper, the red-haired woman who had brought him to the make-shift clinic, had promised to help him look for Grayson and Prim. If he would be a good boy and listen to her instructions, he figured he would also be able to get some supplies from her when he finally had to move on with the two little girls. Unfortunately, her instructions entailed him staying back to recover for a whole day. The only reason he didn’t die of anxiety was because he believed that the girls were safe with Nia. He hoped they really were.

Carlisle pulled hard on his leg and twisted it towards the left causing a ‘crack’ sound to be heard across the small room from his leg. Xander yelled and jolted up from the bed. He hadn’t expected that. Carlisle got up from her seat and headed towards the door of the small room.

“My work here is done,” she said just before walking out of the door.

The room was a small one however it was filled with over fifteen patients having varying levels of injuries. Medics attended to some while others were sleeping. The room was probably one of the classrooms of Lincoln Park High School- the school where Harper had brought him. According to what he had been told, the EMP had killed a lot of people in different ways. Planes as well as cars had crashed. Elevators had suddenly stopped. Hospital ventilators and life supports had been disabled. No one knew who was behind the bombings. It had happened a little over an hour after passing out from the crash. The makeshift health care center had been set up immediately by local medics to cater for the health of survivors from any of those incidences. Harper had said that the whole area had been searched to find survivors. Harper was one of the police working in that area of Chicago. She had been off-duty that day but because of how sudden the attack had come; she had left her home to help out. At least that explained why she had looked like a hobo. She had been pulling people out of wreckages all day long. There was uncertainty everywhere and so every police person, whether in uniform or not, had to be around to reassure the people. Winter had come in full force and nobody knew where the next attack would come from. All the supplies around town had been rationed so as to be managed.

Xander took a while to recover from the pain. He looked at his leg. It was straight by default again. After a couple of minutes, he got down from the bed to test the leg. Harper had given him a crutch to help with walking. He took the crutch that had been lying by the bedside and used it, along with his good leg, to stand upright. Slowly, he put his bad leg to the ground. It didn’t hurt much any longer, which was good. He limped out of the room into a larger hall where over a hundred people were gathered. There were youth, adult and children alike. What they all had in common was the fact that their normal course of life had been disrupted. There were no cell phones to preoccupy them. Instead they all had to face the future with a level head. Family members were with their injured loved ones. Harper had said that all the injured people around town had been gathered in there. Some had died. There were some stretchers with bodies completely covered with leather.

He spotted Harper just ahead, speaking with a man who also looked like a hobo despite being in a suit. Xander noticed the glow stick in her hand as he walked up to her.

“Hey, Harper. Thanks. My legs feel so much better,” he said once he was within hearing distance.

She smiled when she saw him walking better.

“Well, you do look better. Carlisle is dun’ a great job once again,” she said.

“Yeah. Sure. She’s been massaging me since yesterday. Unfortunately, she didn’t stay long enough for me to thank her when she finished,” Xander said and Harper laughed. She turned to the man she had been talking with.

“Joel, this is the guy I told you about who lost his sister. His name is Xander.”

“Hey, boy. Good to meet you,” Joel said, stretching out his hand for a handshake.

“Thanks. Good to meet you too,” Xander replied, though he was not too comfortable with being called ‘boy’. It reminded him of Gertrude. Suddenly, he wished he had been nicer to his step-father. He didn’t know if he would ever see Gertrude or his mother again. He chose to swallow his pride and honor Joel. Besides, the man was definitely in his forties, to say the least. Xander decided the man had earned the right to call him ‘boy’. He turned back to Harper.

“What’s that for?” he asked, referring to the glow stick.

“It’s for when it gets dark. Even torch lights were snuffed out. After fires, these are the next best sources of light we can get,” she said, waving the glow stick. Xander chuckled. She reminded him of Nia.

“Hey, Harper, my leg is fine now. Don’t you think we should go out searching? It’s been a day already,” he asked. That was the main thing on his mind.

Harper sighed with a smile on her face.

“Okay, Xander. We’ll go now. I can see how much you love your sister. Would you come along, Joel? If there’s anyone who would be able to trace them, I’m sure it would be you.”

Xander raised a brow and Harper chuckled.

“He is the head teacher here at Lincoln Park High School. He is super intelligent.”

“Oh, come on,” Joel said. “There’s no need to blow my trumpet. I’ll come along.”

Harper seemed to glow.

“Great,” she said and they all began to move towards the school’s exit.

The crowd in the hall was overwhelming. They had to push through some and walk around the rest. Just as they got through to the exit, Joel asked,

“So, where exactly are we hoping to find your sister?” and they all stopped.

None of them had thought about that.

“Well,” Xander began, “We were going to begin at the amusement park. That’s where they were supposed to be at the time the EMP hit.”

“How old is this girl actually?” Joel asked with a raised brow.

“It’s not just a girl. My sister and her friend got lost together.”

“How old?” Joel simply asked again.

“Eleven.”

“And who were the girls with?”

“A friend of mine,” Xander said.

Joel thought on it for a while before saying,

“I’m not sure but I think there should be another camp at Lincoln Park. We might find them there,” he said.

Harper piped up.

“See, I told you he was the best addition to our team. Let’s get going.”

Just as they were about to head out, they were accosted by a soldier. He was a large man with a gun.

“Hello, please we would need your attention inside. We have an important announcement to pass,” he said. Three other soldiers walked into the school.

Fear filled Xander. This couldn’t be good.

Chapter Four

“The truth is that a lot of you … will not make it.”

16th November, 2021

1:15pm.

North Orchard, Chicago, Illinois.

USA.

Xander, Harper and Joel walked back to the main hall and found it teeming with more activity. People were gathering close to the school’s main entrance. Xander didn’t care and wanted to leave the school building but Joel held his hand and motioned for him to wait.

One of the soldiers motioned for the crowd to be quiet while another, most likely the leader of the team, spoke to the crowd with a loud voice. He used a funnel and not a megaphone. Xander guessed it was because all electronic equipment were jammed.

“Hello, good citizens of America. Can we have your attention please? Be quiet so that you’ll hear me. We are quite numerous here so please be calm.”

Soon the people got the point and began to quiet down. The leader continued speaking:

“On behalf of the military forces of the United States, we really want to apologize to you all for failing to protect you from the present onslaught. We may not know who is responsible for this yet. However, we assure you that our intelligence is actively working and none of this will be repeated. However, for your safety, the government has instructed all citizens to make their way to New York by whatever means they can. We understand that all vehicles aren’t working and that there’s even no way to fuel these things and so the best possible way for most of us is to walk. It’s approximately a seven hundred and ninety-mile journey. On foot, from here to New York will take roughly thirteen days of trekking and that’s how long you have before the next ship will leave for Spain with the next batch of citizens.”

Xander suddenly remembered the last information that had been given on the radio. He wondered what had happened to his mother and step dad. There was no way to reach them. What if they were dead? There was no time to think about such things though. If he, Nia, Prim and Grayson were going to make it they would have to leave with the next ship. To do that, they would have to leave with the others the next day. In other words, he had to find them today.

“In other words, you all are advised to begin to migrate to New York,” the leader said, as though to confirm Xander’s thoughts. “It’s best to do this as a group. Your strength is now in numbers. Support each other and ensure you take as many supplies as necessary because you don’t know where next you’ll find supplies. This is winter. The truth is that a lot of you are not accustomed to these conditions and might not make it but keep telling yourself this: if anyone can make it, I can. Finally, are there any questions?”

The whole place burst into an ocean of words as everyone began to speak and ask their questions at the same time. The soldier once again tried to calm them down and only succeeded to do so after another soldier shot a pistol into the air.

“Be quiet, all of you and raise your hands if you have a question. I will choose who I want to hear from and I’ll answer all your questions at once,” the leading soldier said. This time there’s no calmness in his voice. It was obvious that he had had it with the crowd.

This time, only three people had the guts to raise their hands, signifying that they had questions. The leading soldier motioned for one to speak. The man who spoke was an elderly man. Obviously, the man was angry.

“Well, why can’t they just come pick us from here? I’m over sixty years old. My legs don’t work as well as they used to. I can’t trek all the way to New York. Besides, it’s even so easy for me to trek from Chicago to New York. What about those all the way at the other side of America? What of those in Dakota like my child and grandchildren? What of my children in Wisconsin? Will they be able to make the trek in this cold? Definitely, the government can do better than this.”

The leading soldier nodded his head as a sign of acknowledging the question.

“Next,” he said and the next person piped up. It was a lady who was carrying a baby.

“Sir, couldn’t we just go to the neighboring countries like Canada. It would be so easy to reach and we don’t have to get there in fourteen days.”

The soldier nodded again and motioned for the last person to ask his question. It was a middle-aged man, probably in his thirties.

“Sir, what exactly is going on? We can’t pretend like this isn’t from the Russian government. I mean, the president blindly allowed freedom of movement from Russia into the American air borders without scrutiny. What exactly is happening? Tell us what you know so far.”

The soldier sighed at the question. Obviously, his patience was running out and he was just trying to rein his anger in.

“Okay, people. I’ve heard your questions. I believe you represent the opinions of a majority of the people here and your questions deserve answers, some more than others, though. So I’ll answer your questions. No, you can’t just go into neighboring countries because you don’t have legal permission to go there. You have no citizenship there and so you’ll not even be allowed to go through the borders especially in these times of uncertainty. However, the government has managed to secure the alliance of Spain. There you’ll be granted almost all the rights and freedoms of a citizen throughout this period where we’ll be trying to figure out the source of this terrorist attack and fix the mess that it has caused. There will be free entry as long as you’re going in with the vehicle provided by the government. This leads me to your question, sir,” he said, referring to the elderly man. “The truth is that this information was given to us only moments after the bombing in Washington DC. Soon after, the bombings over Central America took place. That’s as much as we know because, from that point on, we lost all means of communication. We don’t know just how much damage has been done to America. All we know is this last command to take you to safety. I know it looks impossible now but take the journey one step at a time. It’s definitely better than remaining here to die. You will survive this if you try. Now, to the final question. I want all of us to avoid jumping into conclusions and making up conspiracy theories as much as possible. Let’s all focus on getting to safety, shall we? I feel like that’s enough work on its own without adding the burden of trying to figure out what you have little information about. We assure you that we are doing our best to resolve this issue. Thank you. I and my team will be moving to other counties and settlements to make this announcement. We do hope that by this evening, all of you must have left here. By tomorrow morning, a squad of soldiers will sweep over this entire area to ensure that no one remains. Believe me; you won’t want them to find you still here. Have a safe journey, folks. I pray we all meet at the other side of safety.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the school building.

A lot of thoughts were running through Xander’s mind however, only one was his priority.

“I have to find Grayson,” he said to Harper just before limping briskly towards the exit.

2:22pm

Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois.

USA

The trio arrived at the grounds of DePaul University School of Music where a camp had been created in one of the blocks. They had stopped by his wrecked car to pick up his back pack on the way. He looked forward to turning his laptop on in hopes that it wouldn’t have been destroyed. The smell of grilled meat filled the air. Xander could easily spot where it came from. Some men stood close-by over a grill. Xander guessed they were trying to feed as many as were in the shelter, a feat that seemed impossible. Then one of the men mentioned that it was pig meat that was on the grill. Xander decided he wasn’t going to eat of it. Hardly had they entered the before Xander heard the voice of a lady calling him.

“Xander! Xander! Thank God you’re alive!”

Xander looked ahead to see who was calling his name. That was when he spotted Nia running towards him. Her brown colored skin was covered with sweat. Apart from that there were no signs of damage on her. She hugged him when she got close enough. He held her tight too, glad that he had found her. It meant he had found the girls. He pulled apart.

“Boy, am I happy that you’re alive. Where are the girls? I need to see them,” he said in happiness. Joel and Harper stood by the side, sharing in the joy without interrupting the reunion.

Xander noticed the way Nia’s face darkened at his question.

“Nia, where are Grayson and Prim? They are here, aren’t they?”

Nia broke down in tears.

“I lost them. Before the EMP, I had gone to get something for them to eat. Then all the power went off and I was trapped in the diner. By the time I came out to look for the girls, they were gone. I reported to the guards. They’ve been looking all over for them since yesterday but they’ve not been found,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks.

Xander wished the ground would open up and swallowed him as all the hope drained from his heart. Joel stepped forward.

“What were they putting on?” he asked.

“Grayson was wearing a jeans jacket and jeans pants with a white shirt inside. Her hair was tied with a pink ribbon. Prim was wearing a blue thick long-sleeved shirt with jeans pants,” Xander said.

“Have you asked the people around using this description?” Joel asked Nia. Nia didn’t seem sure.

“Well, I told the guards about it. I guess they did. I also asked a couple of people back at the park. None of them had seen anything,” she said.

Harper nodded. “I think we know what we need to do now,” she said.

The four of them spent the next couple of hours describing the girls to people at the shelter and on the road in hopes that someone had seen them. No one on the road had seen anyone matching their descriptions. They stopped for a while and sat on a broken down car, more because Xander needed to rest his hurt leg. He had convinced Nia to return to the shelter to take care of herself. Her stomach had become upset. Xander suspected it was due to her ulcer. The three of them were left to handle the search.

“I know we’re getting tired but I feel we should go to the zoo and search there. There might be clues. Someone there might have seen something,” Joel said. Xander looked up at him with a small frown.

“How come you’re not tired?” he asked.

Joel laughed. “Oh, I am tired but I endure it. I ran track and long distance back in high school. Those things don’t go away too quickly and we need them now,” he said and Xander found himself nodding in surprise.

Harper got up and turned to face them.

“Joel has a great idea. We should check it out as soon as possible,” she said and Xander groaned.

“Somehow, you guys have become more enthusiastic about this than I am,” he said as he got up.

The park had almost been empty save from some guards and zoo attendants who were left to oversee the zoo till it was decided what would be done with the wild life. None of them had seen the people the trio had described. The three of them had gone as far as a secluded floral shop close to the woods. They hadn’t made any progress still. Xander gave up and sat in the snow.

“This is hopeless! How could those girls just disappear from off the face of the Earth?” he asked in exasperation.

“They couldn’t have disappeared. They are out there somewhere. We just need to know where and we won’t know that if we give up,” Harper said. She spotted an elderly lady sitting in front of the flower shop. The flower shop stood opposite the small woodland that was covered with snow. Harper went to the lady. Joel and Xander watched from afar as Harper conversed with the woman. Suddenly Harper yelled for them to come over.

“See, you would have given up right at the edge of your breakthrough. Tell ‘em what you saw, ma’am,” Harper said with excitement. The lady told them how she had seen two men carrying two unconscious girls with the same descriptions into the woodland a day before.

“I wanted to call the police but there was no signal on my phone. These telecom companies nowadays. As unreliable as my drunk grandpa. Anyways, I couldn’t accost them to ask what they were doing. An old lady like me must mind her business if she wishes to live any longer,” the lady said.

“You mean abduction?” Xander asked, mortified.

“I don’t know. Go find out yourself,” the lady said.

Xander nodded slowly. Joel was deep in thought as well.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Harper asked. “Are we going to stand here all day or are we going to go searching?” Turning to the old lady, she added: “You’ve heard of the order to move to New York, haven’t you?”

6:45pm

Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois.

USA

The four of them walked around the forest, looking around for clues but there were none to follow. Xander wouldn’t allow them give up so they went deeper into the woods and searched until it was dark. Unfortunately, they still couldn’t find any sign of the girls. There was no means to tell time and the place felt spooky. Xander’s arms and left leg were worn. The pain had become excruciating but he couldn’t afford to give up. After searching a while longer, Joel spoke,

“Look, let’s go back. We’ve spent the whole day searching and calling out. Even if they are alive, the people who took them must have carried them far away by now. Let’s just hope that they are still alive. Hopefully, the people with them will be headed for New York too. It’s in our best interest to head back to the health center now so we can move with the rest of the people.”

Xander shook his head.

“No. I’m not leaving here without my sister. I’m not going to New York without her. I’d rather die here.”

“But Xander, you heard what the soldier said. A swarm of soldiers will be returning tomorrow. What if they spot you here? Besides, we stand a better chance telling the guards of our findings and having them look for the girls. It’s better that way,” Harper said.

“I’ll skip that chance. I have to find my sister.”

“Xander, be reasonable. You can’t possibly do this on your own. You’re in no physical condition to walk this woodland alone,” Joel said.

“Don’t bother trying to dissuade me, Mr. Joel. You made me come this far. I’m not going back empty handed.” Tears were running down Xander’s cheeks by then.

Harper sighed.

“I know how you feel. I remember when I lost my husband. I found it hard to believe he was gone. It wasn’t until after many nights of starving myself in a bid to wake up from what I believed was a nightmare that I finally realized that he would never be coming back. So, do what you must. I wish you good luck. I hope we see at New York,” she said.

Xander couldn’t say anything. He couldn’t believe Grayson was gone.

Harper handed the glow stick over to him.

“Use it to find Grayson. Joel and I will find our way.”

“Good luck, Alexander,” Joel said.

Xander nodded and walked away deeper into the woods as Harper and Joel watched him go.

Chapter Five

" You have no idea what's coming at y'all...”

16th November, 2021

7:00pm

Lincoln Park, Chicago, Illinois.

USA.

Xander limped through the woods with the glow stick. He tried so hard not to be scared but it wasn’t working. The darkness was too dense for the glow stick to be effective but he managed it any way. He walked for many miles but he couldn’t hear a single human sound. He began to wonder if he had been foolish to come out that far.

He fell to the ground in tears. He knew he couldn’t turn back even if he wanted to. He was lost. Worse still, he hadn’t found his sister yet. The thought of his sister being dead weighed him down. He wished he could simply die there.

Then he heard it- something like a growl. His mind suddenly reverted to earlier that day when he had heard a similar growl. He didn’t know where it came from but the strength to get up filled him. He realized that he didn’t really want to die. He flashed his glow stick to the left and right in a bid to see what the roar had come from. He couldn’t see much though. The glow stick had dimmed. He swallowed hard and took some steps in the direction from which the sound came, trying as much as possible to not make any sound with his feet.

It appeared out of nowhere- a bear standing on its hind feet. Xander’s eyes widened in fear and he dropped the glow stick. He tried to limp away but he was too clumsy. His crutches fell from his hands and his body followed suit. The bear roared at him. It stood on all four of its feet not more than two meters away from Xander. He screamed in tears;

“Get away from me, you beast. Don’t kill me please.”

The bear wasn’t pacified by his pleas. It charged towards him.

It leapt up to take him down.

There was loud bang in the air and the bear suddenly fell dead to the ground.

Xander gasped heavily in a mixture of fear and relief.

"Awwn. Bart the Bear is dead. He used to be my favorite. The EMP must have brought him out of hibernation," a voice said behind Xander before laughing. Xander looked back and saw two men. One was with a rifle.

“Thank you so much. Thanks for saving my life,” Xander kept repeating.

The one with the rifle turned to the other who was still laughing.

“Hey Connor, you think we should snuff him out too? He’s well out of civilized range here. I wonder what brought him out this far.”

Xander’s eyes widened.

“Please no. Don’t kill me please.”

The other one appeared to think it through.

“Well, we should spare him. He looks quite young. I think he'll sell. Besides, he was limping so he shouldn’t be much trouble. Let’s keep him, Morgan.” Connor said with a southern drawl.

“I think we goin' regret this,” Morgan said.

“Just shut up and put him to sleep.”

Morgan grumbled but he walked towards Xander anyway. The moment he got close enough; he rammed the end of his gun into Xander’s head. It knocked Xander out.

8:00pm

Xander woke up and found that he was tied to a tree with a strong rope. His head hurt where he had been hit by the gun. His mouth was gagged with a handkerchief. Morgan and Connor sat close-by, eating roasted meat. Xander tried not to make any sound so as not to draw their attention. He took in his surroundings. They all were under the starry skies and there was a fire burning before Morgan and Connor. They sat with their backs towards him so that he couldn’t see the woods beyond them. He spotted something long and thin in the dust close to a large dead animal. He guessed it was the tail of whatever animal his captors were eating. The burly one was using a white mini tablet. Xander wondered how the device still functioned after the EMP. Morgan and Connor used a knife to cut chunks of the large animal before roasting it over the fire. It took Xander a second to realize that they are eating the bear that was going to eat him. He was about to laugh at the irony but he noticed a pink ribbon in the dust a few feet away. Close to it was a black bag. He squinted to see the objects clearly. He couldn’t help but gasp the moment he realized that the ribbon was the one his sister had worn and the backpack was his. He began to shake himself in a bid to get free. The men noticed and Connor smiled at him.

"Hey, boy. Yer awake, eh? I'm guessing yer must be hungry. There's enough of the bear to go round. Yer can think of it as revenge on the bear for frighten' yer like that," Connor said as he got up with a chunk of roasted meat. When he got close and offered the meat to Xander, Xander struggled all the more to be free from the rope that held him to the tree.

"Let me go, freak! Where's Grayson? Where's my sister?" Xander tried to say but the words came out as muffled sounds.

"See? Told you we should have killed him," Morgan said.

Connor raised a brow as he stared at Xander's face. Then his eyes lightened as though in surprise.

"I should have seen it before! He looks like the light-skinned girl, Morgan. He must be her brother."

Relief and fear rushed through Xander's heart. He had found the girls but he wasn't sure what the men had done with them. Connor brought the handkerchief down and asked,

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

"Where are they? Give them to me. I want to take them home." Xander said, still trying to break free from the rope.

"Uh-uh. No, can't do. They are safely tied up there," Connor said pointing to a tree opposite Xander. Because Morgan and Connor sat in obstruction to his sight, Xander had been unable to see them before. Grayson, Prim and a little boy were sleeping against the tree. They looked so tired. Their mouths were also gagged,

"And I'm taking y'all to my bosses. They'll know what to do with y'all."

Xander cursed.

"We're not going anywhere with you. You'd better let us go or the cops will get you."

Morgan snorted.

"Yeah, sure. Call them... If you still have a phone."

Xander realized it was true. There wasn't much he could do. No one would be able to find them. Another thought jumped through his mind and he suddenly began to shout for help. His voice woke the children up. Grayson looked around for where her brother's voice was coming from. When she saw him surrounded by the big men, she tried to shout his name.

"Xander! Help us!" was what she wanted to say but it came out unintelligibly.

Prim joined her to try to get Xander’s attention. Even the little boy who didn't know Xander joined to call for his help.

The noise got the two men angry. Morgan didn't even ask for permission before he butted Xander head with his gun again, knocking Xander unconscious. Connor turned to the kids and ordered them to shut up. They obeyed instantly.

"See, I told you that we should kill him. He will cause us a lot of trouble. If we are caught it would be because you allowed him to live," Morgan said.

Connor thought on it for a second then he nodded his head.

Morgan smiled and pointed his gun at Xander's body.

"Oh no, you don't," Joel said before hitting Morgan's head hard with a crutch. Morgan slumped. Connor turned to fight his assailant but Joel had the element of surprise on his side. He dodged Connor's punch.

"Let the kids go," Joel said. Connor didn't reply. He lunged at Joel instead and both of them fell to the floor in a tussle.

Harper was at the tree where the children were tied. She loosened the ropes. It took a while but she eventually got it done and the children were set free.

"Stay here," she said to them before running to where Xander was tied. As she got there, Morgan began to stir.

"Uh-uh. Not on my watch," she said as she slammed her boot against his head, knocking him out cold. She then set Xander loose and helped him stand. He was hardly conscious and barely managed to walk but she was able to get him to where the children were, away from the fight.

Joel and Connor rolled on the floor. Joel no longer had the advantage and Connor was on him, punching his face. With one heavy push, Joel managed to turn Connor over and Connor landed on his back close to the bear's carcass. Joel braced himself for another round but Connor suddenly shouted and jerked up. He didn't move to fight Joel. Joel was surprised and looked at the ground where Connor had fallen. There was something long and thin like the large animal's tail but it was alive. It curled itself as though afraid. Then Joel remembered that bears didn't have long tails. Connor had fallen on a snake.

Joel looked at Connor and noticed Connor wilting. In only a matter of seconds, Connor fell to the ground paralyzed. Tears streamed down his eyes. Harper, Xander and the kids gathered close to Joel and watched Connor writhe in the dust.

"You have no idea what's coming at y'all Americans. It's big. My bosses will destroy this wretched nation. Go on to New York. Your destiny awaits you there... If you even get there," Connor said just before he died.

17th November, 2001

7:00am

North Orchard, Chicago, Illinois.

USA

Xander watched and smiled as Prim and Grayson played hopscotch in the snow with Brandon Finney, the little boy that had been kidnapped too. His parents had given up all hope of finding him. When Xander, Harper and Joel had returned him to his parents the night before, they had wept hysterically for joy. It was the morning after the girls had been found. Xander, Nia, Prim and Grayson had followed Joel and Harper to their shelter back at North Orchard. Grayson had been sad about moving to New York without Gertrude and Alicia. Xander had promised her that they would all be reunited in New York. He wasn't sure about that though. Nothing was certain anymore. And Connor's dying words gave him the chills.

Xander opened his bag and pulled out his laptop. He checked it. It wasn’t starting up. His phone too wouldn’t come on. He then pulled out one of the two white minitabs from his bag. He had collected them from the men who had abducted him the night before. They both were switched off. He tried to turn the one he held on. It didn’t come on. The battery had died. He wondered how the devices were to be charged since there was no electricity. The minitabs didn’t even have charging ports. He held it under the sun.

The form of a battery appeared on the screen and it came on.

"Okay y'all, let's go!" Joel called out and Xander put the minitab and his damaged devices back in his bag. It was time to go. Nia called out for Prim to come to her. Along with the over two hundred people who were in that community, Xander got up and, with Joel leading the way, he began the march North East to New York.

"Hey, Grayson. Stop playing like a two-year old doll. Come on let's go," Xander called out and Grayson came to walk beside her limping guardian.“One-legged goat,” she called him.

Epilogue

18th November, 2021

7:00am

Outskirts of Vermont, USA.

Aaliyah zipped her hoodie up and laced her boots. Packing her black hair into a bun, she threw the hood over her head. Slipping her bag over her shoulders, she stood in the ankle deep snow, deep in thought. The movies had always warned them about it. Even her novel had mentioned it in passing. She wondered why the EMP had to happen in her generation. Suddenly, walking to New York wasn’t what bothered her the most. She could keep doing that. Her mind ran over the events of the previous day. She could hardly believe she had almost been abducted. Apparently, there was war looming. They were in a danger zone. Americans had turned on each other and the spirit of America had now become the spirit of survival. She didn’t know if she could handle it.

Marcia, her grandmother, came to stand beside her. She hugged her grandma- the only other surviving person in her whole family. They had shared her loot from the previous day with the Hankins.

“We’re going to be safe, Granny,” Aaliyah said. Marcia coughed in response and sadness filled Aaliyah. Time was running out.

She passed through the small streets cautiously, looking for the green cross that symbolized pharmacies. Her eyes were also peeled for any abductors. She spotted a small building. It had the sign she was looking for. She frowned when she noticed the iron doors that blocked entrance. The windows were barred. She couldn’t go through them either. She walked up to the door and looked at its lock. It was of the more complex sort- the kind that took a while to open. She set to work on opening the lock. In five minutes she was done. A smile lit her face up as the doors swung open to let her in. she walked through and shut them so as not to be noticed. She walked through the aisles, searching for pain killers, diabetic drugs and bandages. She found them one, after the other. Then she got an idea. There was so much need for drugs back at the camp. People had caught the flu and had to resort to natural remedies which they knew little about and weren’t used to. If she got drugs for them, she could make some good exchanges. She ran through the store, picking up whatever she felt would be necessary.

She was pleased with herself when she saw how full her bag was. She decided to leave. She was about to head out when someone suddenly grabbed her from behind and held a hand over her mouth to prevent her from screaming.

About The Author

Zion Cage is the author of more than a dozen science fiction novels and the winner of the prize for the best adaptation of the new generation Apocalypse in 2018 still being at College. he wrote for the newspaper group and delivered podcasts on the apocalypse being at Georgia State University. today he lives with his charming wife in Valdosta in the south of Georgia and is passionate about all the possible directions that the world could take if the apocalypse really happened. His favorite stories to read and write are mostly for characters who become stronger by overcoming the challenges and fears. Zion Cage love Basketball and he often plays in the Gym with his friends on Sundays. He also loves soccer and his favorite team is Atlanta United.

Zion Cage loves to hear from his readers so you can find his books and connect with him via any of the channels listed below:

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Email at ZionCage97@gmail.

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Books In This Series

The End

Something Sinister is brewing in the United States…
The United States is hit by an EMP from an unknown source and its citizens are asked to move to New York. Without basic survival skills and being in the middle of winter, it’s more of a journey to the death for most. And then there is the increasing number of kidnap cases everywhere.
4 Unlikely Heroes…
Xander, Aaliyah, Stephen and Suzanne are individuals from worlds apart and with different conflict. However, with suspicions of foul play in the country spreading, fate must bring them together to clear the air and set things right.
Or at least die trying…

The End: Genesis

Alexander Michael’s life is thrown into tumult in the wake of the EMP. He had been warned but he never listened to rumors. He sister, Grayson is now nowhere to be found and he is separated from the rest of his family. He sets out on a quest to find his sister despite the negative odds and, soon, he finds out that something dark is at work in the United States- something bigger than he could imagine.

The End: Survival

Aaliyah isn’t ready to face the truth of what has happened to their world because she isn’t ready to let go of the ones that she loves. Now, with her grandmother, Marcia, by her side, she has no choice but to continue further to the unknown, where only a small amount of the population are surviving. As Marcia’s health continues to deteriorate, Aaliyah is forced to make decisions that will impact her life, forever.

The End: Captives

It’s the Eve to the massive EMP plan and the Ray of Hope terrorist group has gathered the orders of various black market buyers for the children that will be kidnapped after the EMP attack. The leaders of Ray of hope inform their agents of the progress, warning them to be alert so that every displaced child be carried off at the first opportunity. Connor and Morgan are part of these agents and they are sent off.

The End: Warzone

As a veteran, Stephen is used to undesirable climates. From his days in the military, he has taught himself not to be so dependent on man-made appliances. He’d always been a bit suspicious of the activities of the government, and when the EMP did occur, he was more prepared than most. With survival skills that surpass basic, he is easily able to adapt to this new world as he begins on his trip to New York, where his only companionship is his German shepherd, Tanner.

The End: Rogue

Vivien Dmitri is at the top of the terrorist organization, the Ray of Hope.

For some reason, though, she decides to bring it down. It’s not an easy task,

and she’s forced to recruit people to join her on her mission. Still, it’s a race to the death, and she is determined to finish it.

THE RAY OF HOPE MUST FALL!