The End Series | Book 1 | The End: Genesis Read online

  “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 D
C. 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.” r />
  “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.