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“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.
