End of Days

CHAPTER 1

Santa Veza, California
Date: May 21, 2047

Adam Cross walked into his favorite coffee shop wearing his black jacket suit and tie with a white button shirt, matching black pants and shoes. The coffee shop was right across the street from his work place, Walter Rennock Publishing Company. The coffee shop was always busy and had people with computers always writing something. As Adam walked, in he took no notice to the TV reports and ordered an espresso with extra foam and looked at the TV.

"Julie Wu, reporting from the Mt. Newnon Astrological Observatory outside of Santa Veza where scientists believe that this comet, the Kyvichsky-Loomer Comet may be more devastating then previously anticipated. Here is Dr. Sergei Kyvichsky with further details." Said the Asian-American reporter.

A middle-aged Russian man took the screen, "We believe that this particular comet may be made up of a highly magnetized element that may irritate the earth's core. This irritation may or may not interfere with today's society." Said the man. A news reporter raised his hand and Kyvichsky pointed at him.

"Damian Trumann, Chicago Press, what do you mean by 'interfere with today's society'?" Asked the reporter.

"Well, the most this magnetic element will probably do is cause a few minor earthquakes and one major one, but that's about it. At least that's the worst case scenario." Said the Russian man.

The waitress gave Adam his coffee. Adam picked it up and left a two dollar tip and walked out the door. He took a sip of coffee; it felt warm as it rolled down his throat. He then looked at his watch, accidentally spilling coffee on his wrist. As the hot coffee burned his wrist he dropped the cup and it which broke when it hit the ground. As Adam wiped off his wrist of the hot coffee, he noticed everyone around him was looking towards the sky and decided to see what was so important.

The sky was red and looked like it was set ablaze by the passing comet, He pulled out his solar phone to try and get a picture of it but suddenly a black speck appeared behind the trail of the comet, it seemed to slowly grow larger and larger. Suddenly it seemed to catch fire. The sound of breaking glass filled the city as the burning object smashed through the skyline before slamming into the street in front of Adam. Cars flew into the air as others swerved and burst into flames.

Adam turned on his phone to look at the news from around the globe as people gathered around the object. Adam switched to Tokyo, an elderly male Japanese reporter was reporting with an English dubbing. He was standing in a scene of chaos in Tokyo. The city was being hit by a freak meteor shower. People were running and screaming in panic. Cars were crashing and swerving to avoid fleeing people and stores were being looted.

"I am Hotoyama Hirokura, reporting for Japanese World News. As you look behind me you can see that Tokyo is being hit by meteors the size of basketballs and cars." The reporter fingered his earpiece and said, "We are getting word that Mount Fuji has just erupted. Not only that, but several 300-foot-high tsunamis have struck northern and southern Japan. Many coastal cities including Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kobe, and Sapporo have been completely submerged. The rest of Japan's cities have received major damage and countless loss of life from multiple earthquakes and sudden meteor showers."

The picture changed to footage of tsunamis, meteor showers and earthquakes hitting Japan's major cities.

"Preliminary estimates put the death toll in Japan between 23.9 to 37.2 million, with that number rising rapidly."

Adam looked around and saw all the television screens read EAS. People were raiding and looting stores of everything edible. Adam switched to CNN on his phone. The news went to a black newscaster in a devastated Washington D.C.

"This is Edward Durring and I am standing in downtown Washington D.C. where a massive hurricane with winds in excess of 300-miles-per-hour has devastated the city. Much of Washington is in ruins and most of the city has been submerged due to a 100-foot-high storm surge. President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, the White House cabinet and staff, and all of Congress were taken to a secure location shortly before the hurricane hit and are safe. Up to 7,000 people are feared dead with over 12,000 injured and over 13,000 missing. The death toll is rising at an alarming rate."

Adam started rapidly changing the channel. What he saw was unbelievable.

Berlin had been hit by three huge F5 tornadoes. Hong Kong had been devastated by a meteor shower and tsunami. London was being hit by 150-mile-per-hour gales. San Francisco had been hit with an earthquake so strong, the city had literally been split in half. Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, Bombay, Shanghai, and several other low-lying coastal cities were literally sinking into the sea. A previously unknown volcano had erupted right in downtown Moscow. A freak snowstorm had buried the cities of Montreal and Toronto under 40 feet of snow.

When he reached the Santa Veza News, Julie Wu, the Asian reporter, was still reporting from the observatory.

"This is Channel 12 News anchorwoman Julie Wu from the Mt. Newnon Observatory. Dr. Kyvichsky has just announced that the comet is made up of a more highly compacted substance then previously thought. This comet may not hit the planet's surface but the sheer existence of it in the Earth's atmosphere is causing global chaos. As we speak meteors are striking the planet's surface, earthquakes are tearing the planet open, freak weather conditions are hitting the planet and tsunamis are hitting all nearby ocean cities. Dr. Kyvichsky, what do you think will happen next?"

Before they could say anything the solar phone cut to static and everything seemed to stop. A high-pitched sound heard by all nearby people and Adam looked into the streets, wondering what it could be. Suddenly a car flipped onto another as a manhole flew into the air and destroying another car. Hot steam flew from the sewers as people panicked and ran. Adam ran towards a subway tunnel and was about to run in when he saw scorched corpses. A man slowly walked out of the tunnel with his skin horribly burned and bubbling, then he collapsed on the stairs as smoke flew from the subway and suddenly people all around, including Adam, fell unconscious simultaneously.



CHAPTER 2

The smell of smoke was in the air; Adam was lying on his back in a daze as water trickled onto his face. He was lying in the subway system of Santa Veza. He got up, his head ringing terribly. He saw a train derailed and crushed by fallen concrete and there was a smell that reminded him of overcooked chicken. He knew what that smell was. He looked down to see crusted lava and melted steel. He was standing on a half melted slab of concrete from the streets.

He began to walk on the crusted lava. Being surprised by gas pockets that broke through, he saw the inside of the train. It was filled with charred corpses and burned belongings, It almost brought a tear to his eye and he continued down the subway tunnel, seeing the bodies of dead maintenance workers and broken walls on the subway. The lights above him sparked and fell and most of the tunnel was dark and creepy.

He reached the end of the tunnel and looked out and saw that buildings as tall of the clouds now lay in ruined rubble, cars lying upside down in the streets, buried in rubble or burning. Street lights flickered red and the streets torn apart and he heard a noise coming from his solar phone.

"This is an Emergency Alert System message to all known survivors. The world is in ruins. Armed forces are started a national investigation of survival. If you are alive, come to Saint Louis, Missouri, where allied forces will take all survivors to a location where they can live their lives." Adam saw that his solar phone's screen was slightly cracked but the image was still able to be seen clearly, He put his solar phone away.

Adam climbed the rubble of what was once the Walter Rennock Publishing Company and saw that the city was almost been completely destroyed. All low-lying suburbs were now completely submerged and all of the marvelous skyscrapers now blocked roads and were nothing but rubble. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of car alarms, electricity buzzing and the sound of rubble falling.

Adam reached into his book bag and grabbed some water. 'This is the only thing I have left to survive on.' He thought to himself when he heard the sound of footsteps. Adam turned around to see three men; one was wearing a torn suit and bare feet. The other two were wearing shirts with undone ties and torn jeans with boots, each holding a metal bar in their hands.

"Water?" One asked.

"Yeah." Replied Adam.

"Give it to me!" Shouted the man.

"No way! I need this." Said Adam.

"We have been looking for food and water all day, now give us that water!" He shouted.

"I said no, now get your own!" Said Adam as he took a sip.

"Gladly, get him!" Shouted the man, the other two ran towards Adam.

Adam ran down the destroyed building as the two other men threw concrete and steel at him. Adam reached the bottom but the three other survivors were close behind him. Adam looked around and saw a large crack in a skyscraper roof which lay on the road. Adam dashed towards it quickly.

The inside of the skyscraper was an iron nightmare. Sharp pieces of metal dangled from the ceiling and dust poured into the skyscraper. Adam ran for it as the two guy broke through the hole with their iron bars. Adam ran through the twisted metal death trap, cutting his arm and hand, as the guys followed right behind him. Panicked, Adam ran and lost his balance and slid on a pile of rubble.

"Well, well, well, looks like we've got you surrounded. Now give us that water!" Shouted the man. Adam knew he couldn't get out of this, and then he noticed that they were standing in front of a window.

"Okay, it's all yours." Said Adam as he tossed the water bottle. The three jumped for it like dogs for a bone. The glass window cracked and shattered under their combined weight and they fell into the deep unknown darkness below.

Adam looked down and saw it was like a canyon except a river of lava was far down. He heard the building buckle and decided to get out of there before it was too late.

He saw a large opening and got out of the skyscraper, the light was bright, and the city seemed more devastated. He sighed deeply, just glad to be alive, and then his solar phone crackled to life again. "This is...Julie Wu at the Newnon Observatory...Please, if anyone is out there...help... Vanessa...if you can hear me, help." The phone then went back to silence. "I can't get to Mt. Newnon on foot, it's fifty miles from here." He said to himself. He lay back against the wall of the skyscraper and took a deep breath. He noticed something, a sign that read Murphy's Mechanics.

As Adam got closer to the still standing structure, he heard the sound of flames and the buzz of electrical wiring. He opened the garage door and saw the inside of the garage there was a vehicle on fire and covered in rubble from the collapsed roof. Then he saw a truck. It had a few dents and covered in dust, but besides that it was perfectly useable. He opened the door and looked in the visor and the keys fell into his lap.

He put the keys in the ignition and the engine sputtered, he tried again, and the engine still sputtered, he tried one more time and it sputtered to life and the engine hummed. He slowly drove out of the garage. As he looked around he saw nothing but dead bodies and cars either in flames or totaled by falling rubble. He saw a dented sign on the heavily dust covered highway that read "Mt. Newnon Observatory, Next Exit". He drove to the next exit and down the interstate.

The once peaceful mountains known as the Rockies were now volcanic, dark and dangerous looking. The truck gas tank read full still, so he had plenty of gas. The grasslands around him had turned into dry deserts. As he passed he saw planes in flames, burnt corpses, and holes in the ground where meteors and space junk had hit.

He saw the roads were dangerous too. Parts of the roads had either sunk or rose due to the recent earthquake activity. Soon, he reached a large crater-like area. Smoke rose from the rubble of what looked like the remains of a town. He saw the legs of a sign sticking out of the ground and decided to investigate it. He dug out the sign, wiped away the dust and was shocked at what he saw. The sign said, "Welcome to Browning, California. Population: 15,674" He got back in his truck and continued until he got to Mount Newnon.

CHAPTER 3

Adam drove up to the observatory and saw that it was starting to slowly sink into the ground. The mountain had become unstable and the upper parts of the mountain were hollow. He looked in the back of the truck for something and found a large crowbar. He ran up to the observatory and wedged the crowbar in between the door and the door frame. The door snapped open and fell down. Adam reached into his book bag and grabbed a flashlight. The room was dark and damp, he heard crying coming from a catwalk above him and he decided to check it out.

He reached the top of the staircase and saw Dr. Sergei Kyvichsky lying dead on the floor with a bullet wound in his neck and a Russian-style gun in his hand. He looked up and saw a young woman sitting on the ground, crying. She was wearing a tan jacket and a blue suit dress underneath. Her long black hair was tied into a bun with two chopsticks in it. "Ma'am, are you alright?" Asked Adam, stepping over Dr. Kyvichsky's corpse. "Yes, I'm okay." Said the Asian woman. Adam realized that he was talking to Julie Wu, the news reporter.

"I have a truck; we can get out of here." He said and helped her up. They ran down the stairwell and before they could get out, the telescope tore through the ceiling and fell onto the doorway. "Come on!" Said Adam as he tried to climb the telescope. He jumped off the telescope and caught Julie as she jumped off, too. And they ran to the truck, got in and drove away.

They drove down the cracked and charred road and soon saw a crashed military helicopter, next to it was a pile of burning corpses and all the guns were taken. They continued down the road, eyes more aware. Suddenly, they saw an injured US military soldier, limping slowly down the road and Adam decided to stop. Julie immediately recognized the man and said, "That's my sister's fiancé, Roger Williams." Adam decided to help the man. There was a newly cut scar across Roger's face and his chest seemed to have been shot at. He was using his M16 gun as a crutch to walk.

They helped him into the back of the truck. Roger lay there quietly, breathing heavily. Julie, who was also sitting in the back, was helping Roger with his wounds. "So, where are you from?" Asked Adam, now missing his black jacket. "I was originally from Topeka, Kansas until I went to Iraq. Then I went to Las Vegas to live with my sister, Chrissie. I met and fell in love with Vanessa Wu, who was on vacation. We're engaged to be married. The wedding was supposed to be a in a few weeks." Said Roger, with a higher strength in his voice. The truck continued down the road.

Suddenly the truck made a loud screeching sound and swerved to the left and came to a sudden halt. Adam, nerve-racked by what just happened, got out of the truck to see what happened. The tires were shredded to bits by a spike-strip just lying on the road. This was very odd, because spike-strips were not to be used outside of the city limits.

"Looks like we'll be walking," Said Adam to Julie. He picked up some of the supplies in the truck and placed them in a duffel bag. A flashlight, some canned food, a survival knife, and a few bottles of water. They then continued on foot. “I remember where we are. The helicopter was hit by something here. There should be a small town over the next ridge. Vanessa’s cabin is about 45 miles from that town." Said Roger. "Good, maybe we can find a doctor there. We’ll get you treated, then we’ll go get Vanessa, then we’ll head to Saint Louis." Said Julie. “Sounds like a plan.” Roger said.

Adam's phone crackled to life, "This is a National Weather Service Update. It appears the worldwide chaos may be over, but that's not what's on the minds of Americans. People are wondering if the weather conditions are truly over, luckily we still have some satellites in the sky and keep anyone who can hear us updated. Right now Europe and Africa are being hit by fierce snowstorms and the Montreal-Toronto storm may be on the move." Said the phone before it went back to a low static.

Adam, Roger and Julie walked for what seemed like miles through the Sierra Nevada, pasting by the ruins of towns. They soon reached a small town that seemed to have been made for the ruins of a large chapel. A bizarre symbol had been spray painted on it. The windows were shattered by what looked like vandals and some walls had caved in, but it was a perfectly useable structure.

"Thank the gods of Armageddon for having mercy on thy soul, body and mind." Said a deep voice from inside the church. Adam slowly peeked inside and saw a middle-aged man in a torn robe standing in front of a group of about 20 to 30 people. All seemed to be praying.

"We'd better leave. Cults like these are dangerous." Julie whispered. As they walked towards the exit, another man in torn robes stood in front of them.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Asked the man, Roger grabbed his gun, but the man in robes pulled out a small handgun and tried to shoot Roger. The man had very poor aim, however, and missed. Julie knocked the gun out of the man’s hands, grabbed it and shot him right between the eyes. The man fell, dead before he hit the ground. Everyone in the church cried out in horror.

“Seize them!” The leader yelled. Six people, two men and four women, angrily advanced towards the trio, each holding knives, but Roger quickly dispatched them and the cult leader with his M16. The congregation recoiled in horror, and then began to cry for vengeance.

“Let’s go!” Julie yelled.

The trio ran out the church and down the dark street.


Chapter 4 coming soon.