The End Boxset: Postapocalyptic Visions of an Unstoppable Collapse (12 page)

“I'm looking for my son too,” Alice replied.

“It's just—I didn't have a choice. I've got nothing else but my two boys. I'm sorry I yelled at you.” The woman extended her free arm to Alice, “My name's Susan.”

Alice shook her hand. “I'm Alice. It's quite alright. Things are very crazy right now.”

“I was driving along to get Robert at school like I always do at this time, then my car stopped. It just stopped. Right after that explosion. Looked like a bomb went off in the sky.”

“You saw it?” Alice asked.

“Yep, a big bright burst of light, like a quick flash. Like lightening or something.”

“I didn't see anything. I couldn't start our car earlier. And our power went out,” Alice said.

“Maybe the lightening took everything out. Like when a transformer blows. I can't even get my cell phone to work.”

“Me too,” Alice said with her attention focused over Susan's shoulders to the school. The crowd was becoming more unruly, and she was desperately hoping for Brian to emerge.

“Listen,” Alice said looking ahead, “Best of luck finding your son, I need to find mine before things get too out of control here.” With that, she started to walk away and back towards the school.

“No wait!” Susan called out. Alice turned. “I know I was a like a big super bitch to you and everything, and I'm glad you accepted my apology. But, as you said, I can't go in that crowd with Conner.”

“I'm sorry, I really have to find my son,” Alice said.

“I have to find mine too,” Susan said. Her voice was shaky and tears were forming. Susan continued, “All I ask is that you watch Conner while I go into the school and get his brother.”

“Susan, they're not letting anyone else in the school,” Alice said.

“Trust me, they really don’t want to get in my way right now.”

Alice cracked a smiled, feeling like she was being unwittingly pulled away from her goal.

“The problem is that I have another child, a girl in middle school. And I have to get as well,” she said.

Susan looked at Alice in disbelief. “You're going to walk there?” she asked.

“What choice do I have?” Alice said. 

Susan began to cry making the situation more awkward than Alice could contend with. “Please,” Susan said between sobs, “Please help me.” Alice wanted out. If she could teleport to another time and place, she would have. “Isn't there someone else you can ask to watch your son? Any friends of family in the area? Perhaps nearby?” Alice asked.

“I have no one. Please, if I can't get passed those gates in ten minutes, I'll come back,” Susan said.

Alice took a deep breath. She looked at the crowd. Its size only grew. Her eyes followed the large gate around the school. An idea suddenly struck her. To the right side of the school were the woods. A path leading into this wilderness was not far ahead. Everyone was trying so hard to get into the front gates, it never occurred to anyone to find another way in.

“I'm going to find another way into the school,” Alice said

“What
other way
?” Susan asked, rocking her Conner.

“I'm going to jump the fence on the side. I'll look for your son and mine. You wait here. That's what I can do. What I can't do is stand here and play babysitter.”

“I guess that could work,” Susan said looking at the ground.

“What does your son look like? You said his name is Robert, right?” Alice asked. 

Susan looked up. “Yes, his name is Robert. Check classroom 2A first. That's his homeroom. He's about five feet, five inches, with short dark hair, sort of a shaggy crew cut. It's been a while since he got it cut. He's wearing a SpongeBob SquarePants shirt, blue shorts, and Nike sneakers?”

“That’s good enough. I've got to get moving. I won't be long.” Alice faced Susan directly. “Stay in this spot. Do not move. If I can find your son, this is exactly where we'll be meeting you.”

With that, Alice was off. “Alice,” Susan called. Alice stopped and turned. “Thank you,” Susan said.

“I'll be back soon,” Alice said. She hurried to the path into the woods remaining unnoticed to most of the people that walked by. Susan cradled her son, holding him tight. “Not much longer, we'll be home soon.”

Chapter 5: Kiya: Lockdown at the Middle School 

For Kiya, there was noticeably less commotion at Sun Crest Middle School. The principal, Mr. Wright, true to his word, had effectively put the school on lockdown. It was after 3:00pm. School would have normally gotten out by now. Instead, the students were told to stay in their classrooms until further notice, with threats of suspension or expulsion if they failed to comply. As soon as the power to the school went out, and rumors of terrorists attacks in the air, Mr. Wright wasted no time in sealing the school off from outside elements. The school had large, non-scalable concrete walls surrounding it. All gates had been closed, and Mr. Wright ordered that no one could leave or enter the school. In similar fashion to Brian's school, a mob of parents had gathered outside to get their children. In effect, the school literally looked like a prison at this point. Mr. Wright stood on the top of the north tower, near the front gate, grasping a megaphone. He was flanked by the Vice Principal, Ms. Foley, and the school's security officer, Deputy Willis.

“I assure you that your children are safe and secure here. Due to recent unforeseen events, I've been instructed to place the school on complete lockdown. No one gets in, no one gets out. This is for the safety of not only my faculty, but for your children as well.”

Mr. Wright's announcement was nearly drowned out by the crowd outside the gate. It was unconscionable to think that they couldn't get their children.

“You open those gates!” an angry man shouted from below.

Mr. Wright continued, “Please, sir. The best thing we can do is wait—“

“What are you waiting for?” a woman yelled.

“Until we know that it's safe. You have to understand, while the students are here, they are our responsibility. And we're going to ensure that they are free from harm.”

This only upset the crowd further. Mr. Wright talked into the ear of his Vice Principal, “I think our work’s done here for the time being. Come with me to my office. There are some things we need to go over.” Ms. Foley nodded. They looked over the crowd of confused parents at the gates. Mr. Wright spoke again into the megaphone, “We promise to keep you regularly updated on the situation here. It shouldn't be much longer. Please be patient and we'll have your children to you in no time. Thank you.”

Mr. Wright lowered his megaphone and handed it to Deputy Willis.

“Keep an eye on them,” he said, “Make sure nothing gets out of control.” Shouts from the crowd below could be heard making all sorts of threats against Mr. Wright. “I'll have your job!” “I'll sue you and this school!” “Let our children leave!”

Deputy Willis nodded back to Mr. Wright. The principal and his assistant climbed down from the north tower and went back into the school.

Kiya's sixth grade classroom was currently in a state of normalcy. Causal chatter between students filled the room as their teacher, Mrs. Crabtree, sat at her desk reading a magazine. The windows were open, letting in the cool breeze from outside. The commotion in the front of the school, so far, went unnoticed. A fire still blazed in the distance, over the school walls and beyond the surrounding town. There was no power in the room, but for now, natural light was enough. This would become a problem, however, once night time came. The students were getting noticeably anxious. Mrs. Crabtree was looking forward to getting home herself. Her husband, a college professor, was currently away at a writer's conference in Boston. She planned to use the alone time to work on her book of poetry that she longed to get published.  Any minute, she believed, Mr. Wright would announce that the school gates were opened and that everyone could go home.

Kiya was doodling in her notebook. Mark Nelson, the annoying kid that sat in front of her, turned around to engage her in conversation.

“So when do you think they're going to let us leave?” he asked.

“I'm not sure. Soon I hope,” Kiya said.

“I've got to get home. I'm kicking ass in Dragon Slayer, but if I don't get online soon, I'm toast. Have you played Dragon Slayer?”

“No,” Kiya said looking down and scribbling.

“Do you play online?” Mark asked.

“No,” Kiya said.

“Why not?” Mark asked.

Kiya looked up. “I don't know. I just don't”

“Well you should. It's awesome. I love Dragon Slayer. I'm like the best player in the world.”

“In the world?” she asked, skeptical.

“Yeah, in the history of Dragon Slayer in the world.”

“I don't believe you.”

“Yeah, you're right, I'm not,” Mark admitted.

“So why did you say you were?” Kiya asked.

“Because I'm pretty good, but not
that
good, you know? Someday I could be though.”

“I'm sure you could,” Kiya said.

The kids in the back of the classroom were growing more restless.  A group of boys, led by Thomas Cassie—the top troublemaker in class—were not very happy about staying after. “Yo, Mrs. Crabtree. School's over. Can we leave yet? Come on!”

“I'm so hungry that I just ate my own arm. Now I have no arm left!” Erika, the red-headed girl in the back, shouted. She concealed her right arm in her sweater while waving the empty long-sleeve around.

Mrs. Crabtree looked up from her desk and placed her magazine to the side. “Enough, Erika. I'm not falling for it. Thomas, we've been over this. We have to wait until we get properly released.”

Thomas stood up. “What would they do if we just got up and walked out right now? School's over, you understand? We don't have to be here any longer,” he said.

“Take your seat now, Thomas. This is your final warning,” Mrs. Crabtree said.

“Screw this!” Thomas shouted, “I want to go home!”  

Mrs. Crabtree stood up in haste and placed her palms on her desk. “Thomas Cassie, I'm not going to tell you again to take your seat!”

The class had silenced by now. All attention shifted to this argument between student and teacher. Kiya felt uncomfortable and embarrassed for both Thomas and Mrs. Crabtree. Thomas didn't appear to be budging. He felt the eyes of all students on him, but he was also traveling into uncharted territory. How far could he take it?

“You want to know what I think, Mrs. Crabtree?” he asked.

“What is it, Thomas?” Mrs. Crabtree asked back.

He was ready to take it to the next level. He could say, “You're a stupid bitch!” or something of that caliber, but then he had to be prepared to walk out of that classroom for good.

Before Thomas could make his next move, however, Mr. Wright entered the classroom with the Vice Principal. Thomas slinked back into his chair. He wasn't going to win this battle right now. 

“Hello, Mrs. Crabtree,” Mr. Wright said, “I hope the class is behaving and that everything is going well.”

“They have been excellent, Mr. Wright. I'm sure everyone is ready to go home. It's been a long day,” Mrs. Crabtree answered. 

Mr. Wright glanced down at the carpet below, shuffling his foot on its surface. “I'm glad to hear that.” He looked to the classroom as a whole, and continued, “Thank you so much for being good during this difficult time. You've been excellent students so far.” Mr. Wright looked over to his assistant. “Now, you all know our Vice Principal, Ms. Foley.” Ms. Foley nodded to the class. “She and I have been working tirelessly to ensure that this school is secure and that you are safe. And at this point, we're well aware that school normally ends at this time, and that you're expecting to go home.” The class was hanging on each word, waiting for the moment when he would say they could finally leave.

“This—this is not easy. These are not easy times. But the school is still on lockdown, meaning that, at this point, no one can enter the school, and no one can leave it. We hope this changes soon, but all I ask for is just a little more patience from each one of you. Be the responsible students I know that you can be.”

For Mrs. Crabtree, it was like a shot in the gut. She couldn't handle much more of this. She wanted to demand answers from Mr. Wright there in front of the entire class. Her inability to speak up to Mr. Wright was a weakness similar to her inability to speak up to anyone her entire life. Her husband, Walter, came to mind. For him, they were working towards
his
career. For starters, she moved to Pittsburgh to teach at a middle school so he could advance at Penn State as director of graduate studies. And who was off at some writer’s conference right now? Him, not her. 

When it came time to call Mr. Wright out, Mrs. Crabtree hesitated. “It wouldn't be wise or professional,” she thought. “And I don't want to startle the students.” Thomas had backed-off earlier, but once he realized what Mr. Wright was saying, he had heard enough.

“You trying to say that we
can't
leave yet?” he shouted.

Mr. Wright, a tad surprised at the directness of the question, answered. “What I'm saying is that conditions are not safe enough for us to open the school yet.”

“
What
is not safe? This is a bunch of crap. I'm leaving! Let's go guys!” Thomas called out.

Grumbles of support followed along with nods from several of the students.

“Thomas Cassie, stop it right now,” Mrs. Crabtree demanded.

“That's okay, Mrs. Crabtree. Thomas, I'd like you to come with me,” Mr. Wright said.

“Oooooo,” the class called in unison.

“Calm down, class. It's not like that. I just want to have a talk,” he added.

Thomas stood up from his chair and looked to the nearby open window.

“What if I were to just slip out the window, huh? You going to expel me then? You know what, I don't care. Go ahead and do it. I hope I never have to come back to this school again!”

Mr. Wright held his hand up in calming manner. “No one is going to expel anyone and you're not in any trouble. I just want you to come to my office to talk.”