Page 15 of The Stars

“We don’t have time. We need to move. Now!” Jess’s voice was tight with urgency. “He’s crossing the road.”

Just then she glanced over her shoulder and saw a dark shadow slink across the road. It was roughly the size of a bear yet it had no fur.

“Run,” Jess said, and Amy was pulled quickly towards another truck. She was shoved in alongside Jess.

“What the hell is going on?” Amy demanded, but the others were already piling into the truck.

The truck rumbled to life, and Jacob hit the gas, speeding them out of town and towards the outskirts, heading back in the direction she’d just come from. Back towards the silo.

“Amy.” A voice caught her attention from the front seat. She turned, locking eyes with her brother. He looked different—older, harder, his face drawn with exhaustion.

“Joe? What—?” She shook her head as she took in everything about him. He was skinnier. Gone were the massive muscles he’d had most of his adult life. Instead, he looked like a man who had starved. He was still strong, yes, but instead of the lovable meathead he’d always been, he was lean, toned, and… tired.

He cut her off. “I know it’s hard to wrap your mind around, but it’s ten years since I last saw you. The last time we saw you was in the silo, right?”

She nodded quickly. “I… ended up in the field,” she said stupidly.

“That night, ten years ago, Brea sent you here. We’ve been expecting you, sometime soon. We just didn’t know the exact date and time or place.” He shook his head.

Her breath caught in her throat. Ten years?

“Everything’s changed,” Joe continued, his voice grave. “More than half the population on earth is dead. When they attacked, that first night, they shattered the moon, and well, everything fell apart after that.” He shrugged and glanced out the window quickly.

She glanced back and watched as the dark figure chased after them.

“We have to lose him before we go back,” Jacob said. “Everyone hang on.”

“They’re fast but stupid,” Joe explained.

“Who? What?” She shook her head but then held in a scream as Jacob turned the truck quickly down a back alley.

“Harpies,” Jess answered as they held on. “They’ve been working with the other gods.”

Amy’s stomach twisted with dread. “Gods? Who? Who attacked?” Were they in danger now? What were Harpies? Were they chasing them? She glanced behind them and could still only see darkness.

No one answered her as Jacob weaved through what remained of the town.

“We’re clear,” Jess said, closing her eyes.

The truck slowed and took the turn that would lead them back out of town.

Amy wanted to scream, to demand more answers, but there was something in the silence of the truck that made her stay quiet. Instead, she gripped the seat tightly as her mind raced to keep up with the whirlwind of information.

“What about everyone? The town? Our family?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Joe’s expression darkened, and for a moment, he didn’t answer. Then, with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world, he said, “Liz didn’t make it. She died during the first wave of attacks.”

Amy’s chest constricted. “Liz? No...” She felt her body tense.

“But the triplets survived,” Joe added quickly. “Luna, Stella, and Orion. They’re with us. They’ve been with us since... since everything went to hell.”

Amy swallowed hard, trying to process it all. Her sister-in-law was gone, but her nieces and nephew had survived. Triplets? Shit. Liz had been pregnant with triplets. They hadn’t told anyone there were three of them. Had it been a secret they’d hoped to surprise everyone with?

Joe continued, “We’ve been hiding out at the silo. It’s the only safe place. It’s become a fortress we have to protect twenty-four-seven. There’s a whole group of us now, nearly a hundred people. We’ve made it our home. It’s not much, but it’s safe. For now. We are the protectors. We do what we can using what we have.” He glanced over at Jacob. “We’re stronger together. They can’t break through that.”

The truck sped along the abandoned roads, the dark landscape blurring past them. The closer they got to the silo, the more her fear gnawed at her. What had happened to the world? Who had done this? Gods? What gods?

As they pulled up to the cave entrance of the silo, Amy saw that the thick rock walls were now fortified. There were guards stationed all around it with several on the hillside. They were all dressed in full camo and scanned the surroundings with scoped guns and night-vision goggles.