30 minutes later.
Parking lot.
Rome followed Abby to her car.
"It won't start." She reckoned.
"The explosion should have acted as EMP."
"Fried all power on Earth. My God. Earth." It dawned to her the magnitude of Earth.
"They are still here..." Looking at the car of Cassy.
"If only we have First Responders or Firemen." Rome mouthed.
"There are lots of fire in the city. Cars won even start."
"Shit. Then the fires...."
Abby nods.
Rome cursed.
If firetrucks won't run, where to fight fire?
"Bee, Tyler isnt here. You see."
"Yeah..Mom and Dad is dying out of worry now." Her face painted with worry.
"They won't be worried for you. Maybe for Tyler, yeah. But you? nah...we all know you're a fighter."
Abby chuckled. "Ro. Thats for sports. Not black out and earthquake."
"Its good analogy."
"No it isnt."
They still have not gone home.
Along with the others, they started to round the base of the mountain for rescue.
"Mom. Dad. Ill go out."
The big brother of Abby, Tyler.
He is 26 now.
Got medium built and looks strong.
Blue eyes and blonde balding hair.
"Son, bring this." His father handed him a gun.
"Dad..." Nodding twice to assure his olden father.
"Take care. Bring your sister back." Stacy hugs him tightly.
"I will mom. Ill contact you through walkie talkie and dont trust anyone."
"Go. We'll hold the fort." Jeff with his dad jokes.
Tyler got to his bike heading to Camelback.
Just a few minutes pedal.
But tonight, its gonna be a highway to hell.
On the road, chaos and pandemonium.
In the communities, the people gone to the streets and started burning something.
Downtown is already burning and they are still burning stuff. Stupid people.
Tyler gone through this road for a million times and nothing like tonight he is not sure whether to go straight, left or right.
Bang bang bang!!
Sounds of gunshots made him duck as he flyby the highway.
Cloak under the darkness, his nerves on 180 revs going up to 220.
But for his sister/bestfriend, he braves the apocalypse.
"Rome. Its like they vanished."
"Its impossible but all the people that got tossed from the trail earlier aren't here." Rome sat down and lit his Marlboro red.
"Could they have been swallowed by the mountain?" Someone answered Rome.
"Are you crazy! Have you not taken your meds? Swallowed by the mountain! Fuck!"
"Shut Up! I'm not talking to you."
"Maybe he is right. The mountain got them. How else can we explain?"
"Guys. Maybe the aliens started their invasion?"
Man is wise but Men are stupid.
The gathering for the searchers turned into a heated debate.
Rome who started it massaging his temple.
Abby sat beside him. "I wanna go home, Ro but...Cassy and Brooke."
She got emotional.