Chapter 3: Remnants of a shattered city
A few weeks past and they were on their last night of their original food and they decided to use the food James had to carry after they left so they would have something which luckily James had backpacks also. "Ok so tomorrow we leave right? Right?" Zoe kept asking "YES!" Alexander said for the 40th time that night "Now go to bed, James fixed the elevator so were leaving bright and early"
As Alexander woke up the next morning he opened up his eyes and saw both of the girls already packed and sitting right in front of him watching him "OK OK you're up! We can go now!" Zoe practically screamed. Pandora just sat there looking at him. "Yes yes I know give me a second dang, I want to find them too but we can't go out half cocked, we need our game plan, we already have all our food, water, guns, and sleeping bags packed in the backpacks and we each have one gun and ammo that we will carry in our arms at all times" Alexander said rubbing his eyes "but first we need to see what we are dealing with, which means going outside" Said James. They had decided James was trust worthy and he wanted to go with them so they welcomed him. There was safety in numbers. Everyone got up in the elevator as James turned it on and it started climbing. As it got close to each metal ceiling it opened for them letting them reach the surface.
When they reached the top they exited the elevator looking around. The bomb shelter door had been blasted open by the looks of it. Alexander looked at them and said "Let me go first just in case there is still something wrong" James moved in front of him saying "No I'll check, you have to stay okay so you can watch out for your sisters" Alexander said "Okay thanks" James walked towards the door and gasped when he walked outside. "What is it? Are you ok?" They asked. "Come look" James muttered. They all walked outside and what they saw shocked them. The sky was no longer the bright blue they remembered. It wasn't even the grey of storms. It was a burning red color. Even the sun looked pure red. The ground as far as they could see in every direction was dry ground with only dead plants on it. "What did they do" Alexander muttered under his breath. Then they started to realize it was fairly hot outside, hotter than it had ever been before where they lived. "Well let's get moving we will head home first it's only a little away" he said to James.
As they walked down his old street he was amazed how many houses still stood, it was like being trapped in a place that had been empty for hundreds of years. They got to his house and Alexander held his shotgun up to his chest and asked James if he would stay watch outside. James agreed and the three entered the house which was standing but looked destroyed. "Be careful" he said. The entered the house to find it mostly empty except a note nailed in the wall. Alexander call the others and the read it I hope this note finds you guys ok, your mom and I have gone to the town center because there is supposed to be a meeting there and we hope you will be there. We searched all of the school bunkers but you weren't in any of them but we won't give up so if you find this come to the town center. We will be waiting. Love mom and dad. Alexander looked up and saw tears in his sister's eyes. It pained him to know they were looking too but he couldn't let the girls see it. "They will be fine" he said "Lets head to the town center."
As they walked to the town center nobody talked. The first noise they heard besides the wind was screaming. A woman was running down the street from the town center babbling words that made no sense. They looked at each other stopping then all burst into running towards the town center. When they reached it, it was madness people were attacking other people biting them and clawing at them. One person ran past them saying "It's some of those who were outside during the bombing. They are trying to eat everyone!" The group each grabbed their guns tighter and started walking into the madness looking for their parents.