Chapter Two

Previously:

Normal wasn't what he'd find though because normal was...

Poof.

Gone.

Lee had pumped his legs furiously giving his body and outlet for the nerves that were wreaking havoc on his insides, with each street that he passed though more dread filled him. Just like it had been with his street he found running cars with no drivers discarded items, he'd even seen a pram beside a bench fortunately there had been a kid with the pram. Lee hadn't stopped to speak to the kid because he knew exactly what he would ask and Lee didn't have any answers for what had happened. Lee had even decided to ride through the town plaza to only be found with the worst of accidents seeing a car firmly crushed and partly through the front of the hardware store. That time he'd paused, Lee had hoped off his bike and investigated the crash to make sure no one had been hurt from it but all he found was a steaming car with a crumpled in front and a blaring siren. That was the main sound though now blaring sirens even in the distance he could hear the high pitched ring of multiple sirens shrieking together. If this was happening on the high way he dread to think the state of the cars that would have crashed out there. Because he knew now for some odd and unexplainable reason the adults had disappeared...no not just the adults because Louise had gone too so from what he could tell everyone older then the age of fourteen had vanished somehow.

He wasn't about to try and even understand where those could have possibly gone or even the reason for it, if he allowed himself to over think and analyse it all he'd end up catatonic. Lee had always told his parents he wanted independence, they'd argued countless times on his need for freedom because he believed he was mature enough. They always had a counter argument for some stunt he'd pulled that argued his claims but right now he'd take that because as he tried to think of a world without his mother he didn't honestly know how things would get done.

"Toast and ramen noodles" Lee had tried to joke to himself as he'd jumped back onto his bike giving the hardware store one last look before straightening his shoulders and pushing off and away.

As Lee continued his ride towards the school he wouldn't be prepared for the mass panic and out roar that would be pouring out of the main entrance. Seeing the younger children and even some of the older kids crying had dashed all but the last hope he had and even though he was never one to show emotion openly to anyone who wasn't family he felt the sting of wanting to cry. Lee had dumped his bike to the ground rather forcefully and moved back towards the school as other's were running out some in groups while other's looking around skittishly as if they were about to be caught doing something they shouldn't.

"We rule the school" Cheered energetic and over enthusiastic boys as they whooped and hollered loudly, Lee would have found it amusing had he been here when all the adults had bounced but he'd seen the town. Lee had faced a reality maybe the kids in the school hadn't yet, they'd go home and they'd see the empty house the left items where the adult had vanished while doing something and they'd realise something was wrong. That it wasn't a laughing matter anymore, he wasn't about to tell them though because while some were upset and scared as soon as they all knew the reality of what was going on they would all be panicking.

Lee stopped when he got to the school entrance his eyes locking with Kale Mason, there wasn't a person in this school who Lee had fought and joked with more than Kale. Just last semester they'd both been suspended after Lee punched Kale after making a comment about Louise's ass they'd been back in school only a week after the incident before they were found together in the library using pages to make joints out of. Lee had grown up with Kale known him most of his life and yet he still was unsure on Kale, the sarcastic humour and biting snide comments left him on the fence when it came to him. Lee wasn't surprised however to see Kale sitting on the school steps his jeans with large holes at the knees his bright red converse and skateboard brand t-shirt with a cigarette limply hanging between his lips. It didn't matter what was happening in the world, Lee knew as long as Kale had cigarettes and someone to torment for his own humour he'd survive anything. Lee jumped up the steps looking down at Kale as he rested back on his hands his chest rising and then blowing smoke out of the corner of his mouth as he looked up at Lee with a smirk.

"Well look who finally decided to grace our fine school with his presence" Kale said then turning to look around as if he was talking to someone while he sat alone chuckling to himself removing the cigarette from between his lips and flicking off some of the ash "let me guess Louise vanished during the middle of you bumping uglies" Lee laughed shaking his head

"I take it everyone over fourteen vanished then?" Lee asked he knew the answer though but he watched as Kale shrugged his shoulders and then took another deep intake and blew it out, each movement Kale made seemed calculated and timed as if he did something too fast he'd freeze up.

"I don't know about vanished there was a lot of Porky Ralphie to disappear" Kale cackled at his own comment, Porky was a cruel nickname that Ralph had gained because he was a rounded boy in the grade above and Kale loved to tease and make fun of him "I swear his ass was left behind well at least some of it. I was sitting in class flicking paperclips at the back of his head and he just blinked out" Kale shook his head wiping his forehead pushing some of his hair off his forehead "I thought I'd been smoking to much of my stash because I knew good Ole Porky wouldn't have moved that fast for a donut let alone to move out the way of me throwing crap" Lee waved his hand for Kale to hurry up, Kale scoffed at him then flicked his cigarette at Lee's feet.

"Ass" Lee grunted out standing on the still lit butt of it.

"Anyways yeah older then fifteen and you made an exit on whatever is going on. The fact that you've showed up to school makes it abundantly clear craps going down" Kale stood then brushing off his pants punching Lee's arm in a his friendly jerkish manner and then nodded his head away from the school "If there isn't any adults I'm going to take advantage of some alone time pull out my stash and smoke myself into blissful nirvana. So you can either come along or you can join the tard parade that's amassing" Kale didn't wait for even a response from Lee as he started walking down the rest of the steps and then down the street, no doubt Kale would reappear soon enough once he ran out of pot to smoke. Once Kale realised that without adults around there was no one he could buy his stash off of he'd be panicking just like the rest of the kids in Perdido and then Lee would get his own amusement. Thank god Kale's little sister seven years old Jacey was mature enough to keep Kale in line while the adults weren't around.

"Don't forget about your sister Kale" Lee said then worried Kale would actually forget about his younger sister and let her find her own way home. Kale didn't respond only waved over his shoulder not looking back, if Lee saw her around he'd take her home he knew how Kale was and he didn't want little Jacey getting the short end of the stick because her brother was a jerk who cared more about his pot hidden in his sock draw.

That thought had made him consider all of the other younger children around Perdido Beach, not all of them would have older siblings to take care of them. Hopefully whatever had happened would be fixed before too long kids being left without adult supervision was just asking for trouble, there was probably people on the way already to check out what had happened. Government agents would be here to take control so media didn't find out about the strange event of all those over fourteen disappearing. Lee told himself he just had to hold out until some adults showed up and took charge that was it, he'd hang out with his friends and wait to find out where his parents were, where Louise was and maybe... Maybe she'd let him continue where they had been stopped on his bed because that was what he truly wanted to go back to his bed and enjoy Louise's lips against his and her soft small hands on his bare chest. Lee couldn't help the large almost dopey smile that filtered across his handsome features as he thought about Louise being so grateful to be back with him that she'd give herself over to him. Fantasies but good ones none the less, he could hope for that, Lee would look forward to a reunion between himself and his hot older girlfriend where shirts and maybe even more clothes were not needed.

"Your either thinking about Louise or Kale's pot has finally killed all those brain cells" Cameron said knocking Lee from his thoughts as Lee turned to face him, moving up to the top of the school steps and bumped fists with his best friend Cameron

At a first glance many would assume that Cameron Elis and Lee were related somehow, both with the typical tan that many of the locals of Perdido Beach had. Cameron had a lighter shade of hair but both wore it in a similar style, even the builds of both teenagers was similar lee being only slightly taller with a narrower build that made him look leaner but both were in good shape. The similarities ended with appearance though with the two, Lee had always been a much more relaxed go with the flow sort of guy willing to try anything once. Cameron was a self proclaimed ladies man, he'd never had a relationship that had lasted longer than a few weeks but that was how he liked it. Cameron was definitely a love them and leave them type.

"Looks to me like we've got ourselves in a bit of a problem" Lee told Cameron as he stared at his phone intently "it isn't working I tried calling my parents just got the dial tone even though I had full signal" Lee said as he looked around it appeared the school was dying down now, not that Lee could fault any of them who wanted to be in school when they didn't have too.

"Yeah I know tried about every damn contact in my phone it's just...strange" Cameron looked up from his phone his usually calm demeanour showing the same tell tale signs of worry Lee carried "A few of the guys were talking just after it happened. Some are saying it's some sort of government experiment. Cindy that girl that I hooked up with last month she swears it's god or something" Cameron clicked his fingers while trying to remember the word Cindy had said when they'd all been arguing amongst themselves on what was happening "the rapture" Cameron smiled widely once he remembered "something about us all being left behind because we're sinners or some bull but I know for a fact that Mr O'Bryan would have stuck around if it was the case the dude was pure evil" Lee smiled was lopsided as he bobbed his head along as Cameron spoke

"Mr O'Bryan wasn't all that bad" Cameron looked at Lee his face twisting in a very clear expression that disagreed with his friend "okay he was a douche on the whole presentation of your work but he was so much better then Mrs Peters the old hag would just scream at me all class about my attitude" Lee walked with Cameron as the two seemed to be moving now away from the school as everyone else had, Lee retrieving his bike and pushing it along as they walked side by side. Lee had clearly calmed since arriving at the school seeing his friends and other people he knew in the same situation he'd found himself in didn't make him feel so alone in it all.

"Mrs Peters she always called you Leo" Cameron chortled roughly then coughing as he tried to even out his voice again clearing his throat as he bumped his shoulder into Lee "Leo I've told you that ruler is not to be used as a weapon or catapult" Cameron made his voice nasally and higher pitched as he tried to impersonate the old female teacher that most the parents of the students claimed taught there when they'd been younger.

An awkward silence filled between the two as they slowly walked towards the town plaza, Lee already knew what they would find in the town plaza after riding through before on his way too school. Neither of the teenagers wanted to say what was truly on their minds though, the fear that they'd not see their parents again was too likely a reality in this moment in time. With every few steps the two would look at each other give the typical forced smiles and shrugged response and then fix their gazes forward and continued to walk on. It was Cameron to finally break the silence.

"What do you think is going to happen now?" he asked his voice almost a whisper.

"I guess adults show up and make sure we're all safe and then take list of who... disappeared. Government agents or something they won't want this getting out to everyone it cause too much trouble unless they know what happened" Lee said it seemed the most realistic idea of what was too follow "Yeah so we should just enjoy the freedom while it lasts because once the adults are back I doubt we'll get much freedom after" Lee tried to force out a laugh that Cameron only smiled at in response.

"I think I want to go to my dad's shop" Cameron said unsure of himself while Lee nodded. Mr Elis owned a small shop just on the outer skirts of the town plaza it sold mostly magazines, newspapers and candy, it did okay considering it was one of the closest places in Perdido to get hold of any gossip magazine that most of the mother's read. Lee normally would have to go there at least once a week to collect magazines for his mom, if it wasn't Mr Elis sitting behind the large till counter it was Cameron while he ate the candy stock but he'd always seen it as a perk of the job. Lee understood why Cameron would want to go to his dad's store, in a normal world they'd open the front door that old fashioned bell would ring overhead and Mr Elis would greet the two boys.

"Yeah we should. Just to check out things we could lock it up for your dad who knows what people will take while no one's around to stop them" The two then moved faster at Lee's words knowing just how likely it was that kids would have already noted that with no adults everything they wanted was literally a reach away. Lee checked on Cameron from the corner of his eyes a hard scowl on his features, Lee knew that for one thing any kid who stole from Mr Elis shop Cameron would hold a grudge against them for a very long time.

**~~**ABSENT**~~**

Riley Kramer had felt only pain. The moment she'd opened her eyes she'd been sure she hadn't felt much pain even after hours of dance practice before a big competition. Her ears were still ringing loudly and she felt sticky, it didn't matter how many times she tried to open her eyes though it was as if her body was too tired to even make that small sign of movement. Riley had been in the backseat of her mother's Honda on the way out of Perdido Beach on the highway when her mother had been cut off mid rant about the coming dance competition. Riley had been too busy looking at her phone and only paying half attention to what her mother had been saying. She knew her mother tried but it was more of an annoyance, both her parents were doctors which left them away more than they were around so when her mother and father were home she felt like they were intruding on her life. So she let her mother try and actually be a mother all while doing her best to ignore the rant like any normal teenager, her dance partner James sat beside her paying attention to her mother but that was usually the way.

"I think you guys are really g..." her mother had been cut off in the middle of saying a word when Riley had looked up to find the front driver's seat empty her mother not in place. She had only had enough time to see that her mother was gone before the car swerved off the road and collided into an oncoming car that looked empty. Riley had only had time to scream when everything around her went completely black.

Riley whimpered as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings now, the car was thankfully upright but the roof and most of the driver's side was completely crumpled in. The glass of her window had shattered and she could feel the glass in her hair, only once she reached up to the painful ache over her forehead did she feel the large gash just above her eyebrow that was covered in dried sticky blood. It was the state of her dance partner and friend James though that concerned her the most, his side had taken the full force of the collision. He was slumped over his head resting on the seat in front of him his legs looked twisted unnaturally and there was blood so much of it, it seemed. Riley cried out in pain her ribs hurting her making her feel like she couldn't breathe she guessed she'd either broken a rib or bruised them in the collision but her mother wasn't here and neither were any paramedics and James needed help. Riley unbuckled her seatbelt and winced while shimmying over a little securing James' head and neck in her trembling hands and then moved him back so he was sitting back, the entire side of his face was swollen with small shards of glass stuck in his cheek and forehead. She wiped at her tears the pain too much while she checked for a pulse and cried out loudly at first when she couldn't seem to find one.

"Please be okay please" she'd coughed harshly her throat dry while she tried to swallow tasting blood on her tongue.

When she felt the somewhat slow thump of a pulse she was relieved that he wasn't dead, not yet anyway she'd thought morbidly to herself. Only when she'd tried to them move James did he make any sign of being alive when he'd sharply cried out in pain while still unconscious. Riley had seen it then moving his body only a little his legs had become more visible, James had been wearing shorts which made it all the more clear the damage. His leg was broken. The bone hadn't pierced the skin horribly like in the hospital drama shows she watched on a Thursday night but the way the odd angle was of his shin she could see it was broken. She hated herself in that moment for thinking about how she'd needed to find another dance partner if she wanted to compete any further this year. Maybe it was selfish and she knew that but she couldn't help thinking it, that wasn't important though what was important now was getting herself and James help. So Riley did the one thing she thought might help as she started crying and panicking in the crushed car on the highway.

"Help please somebody help us" she screamed.

**~~**ABSENT**~~**

"No f-ing way" Cameron growled out angrily slamming the door to his dad's shop, he couldn't even bring himself to look at it again as he shoved the key into the lock and twisted angrily.

Lee had kept silent at the state of the store when they'd entered he'd been too busy trying to hold Cameron back from pummelling the little kids that were raiding the candy shelves of everything. Cameron had tried to get free of Lee and grab one of them but Lee had been adamant that hitting on a little kid would just make him look like an ass not matter what they'd done. Lee had kept hold of him though even as the kids scurried out some leaving the candy to the floor as they dashed out giggling all with chocolate around their mouths. Lee had kept out of Cameron's way after the kids had made a dash for it he could see that his friend was angry. He wasn't sure if the anger was just because of the kids that had made a mess of the store or if it was him finally letting some of the emotion out over what was happening, either way he wouldn't judge his friend for trying to find an outlet. So while Cameron had ranted about how much money it would cost his dad when he returned Lee did his best to try and straighten the magazine racks and pick up the half eaten candy bars and throw them in the trash.

"Seriously adults are gone for maybe an hour and a half and kids are already looting stores" Cameron continued on as he counted what was left in the till, Lee hadn't said anything to Cameron on how it seemed on too steal money when all the shops at the minute didn't have any adults so there in reality was no need to buy it. He knew that just make Cameron angrier so he kept his thoughts to himself. "You know I think maybe we should take this all to my house" Cameron said then as Lee stopped what he was doing and turned to him giving him a confused look.

"Why would we do that your dad's just going to have to bring it all back when he shows up. I get that you don't want kids stealing but it was bound to happen ya'know" Lee said thinking it best to try and calm his friend down now make him think logically about it, he knew Mr Elis wouldn't be all that bothered by a few candy bars being taken when something like this had happened.

"They ain't coming back man" Cameron almost yelled more out of panic then anger this time as Lee shook his head not agreeing not wanting to agree with him "Come on Lee you think adults wouldn't have showed up by now. People would know" Lee was about to interrupt Cameron but he continued refusing to be silenced "just listen okay. We don't know how long we'll be without adults Lee food is important we need to ration it or some crap we can't waste it" this time Lee had to interrupt because thinking like this was exactly what he didn't want to do, when he heard the word rationing it reminded him of history class and how they would ration food during the war to civilians they weren't in some sort of world crisis this was just something odd, something strange that would be fixed. Even though he wanted to believe it though, it didn't sit right and he knew maybe logical thinking was to plan for the absence of the adults being longer than just a few hours.

"Give it today if no one shows up by this evening..." Lee sighed running his hand through his hair and then nodding at Cameron "If by tonight no adults have shown up we hide this stuff. If we're going to do that though there are more important stores that'll need people watching over then this place Cameron" Lee and Cameron had come to an agreement then, they would try and hope for adults to show up but if they didn't both knew they'd have to move this stuff to another location because if adults didn't come back straight away it meant food would become something important. Lee doubted they'd be alone long enough to eat through all of the food in town that wasn't it at all but things like candy would be eaten first because no adults to say no and it was easy to prepare. Lee and Cameron didn't know that as the two of them spoke that just across from behind the store that children were screaming as the McDonalds was engulfed in flames, there was many problems that would start in Perdido now that the adults had gone. Babies left alone, cars left running and even ovens that were in the middle of cooking lunch, across most of Perdido there was lots of panicked cries for help as everyone realised help may not be coming.

There's my second chapter guys I really hope you'll let me know what you think so far. I've tried to bring in all the character's that were submitted to me but I'd just like to give a shout out to ShadowDude90, Stalking dream and DeathAngel80. I really hope you like what I did with the character's you gave me I know it's still early but I tried to keep them how you described them. Another note I may not be able to give all character's their own specific part like I managed with Riley Kramer but I promise to try my best on doing so. If they aren't mentioned all the time I'm sorry but I'm working on moving the story forward and once things start picking up maybe there will be different things going on that'll have me moving between different character's.

Please all of you review and let me know what you think. Still keep submitting guys so I've got more character's to look over and see where I can work them into my ideas. Maybe a few more normal kids and try and make them realistic and different I don't want lots of the same type characters.