the day the world was supposed to end — Chapter 9
The world was prepared for their certain death. The asteroid never hit and they survived. Now citizens try to rebuild a disordered world caused by panic and desperation of an end that never came. Everyone wants to know how the asteroid missed them. In a world controlled by local legions and militias and with communications systems destroyed survival can prove as difficult as to answers on why they survived.
A new chapter is released every Sunday afternoon/evening. Below is a link to the last chapter:
Ed closed the driver door and went the opposite direction from Gerald. Ed couldn’t imagine his hitchhiker would be a former pastor. As a pretty devout agnostic, he would have called the asteroid missing the earth as a miraculous event performed by a higher power. But his passenger for the drive was a man losing faith, where it would be obvious to rejoice in it.
He could hear the commotion of the men of the Legion drinking in the patio of the bar in the background. He could use a drink but there were more pressing issues.
A couple of blocks of walking lead him to a nondescript brick building with two guards manning the front entrance. It was an old library. You couldn’t tell at first glance but it had wide open spaces, limited floors (only two stories), and the large receptionist area with made worn down wood.
The guards cleared Ed at the front entrance. He approached a twenty something attractive young woman wearing the typical Legion attire, jeans and button down shirt with the standard hat. She smiled at Ed. “Your late. He is waiting. I heard you picked up a hitchhiker.”
“Girl, you don’t even know the half of it,” Ed shot back charmingly. She was athletic, curly haired and spunky. Ed walked around the receptionist area and made his way behind her. Ed leaned in and whispered in her ear. “Sophie, all you got for me is how late I am. I have been a long trip, I figured you had a little more honey in your words. Sophie’s head tilted with her hand slowly brushing the scruff of Ed’s cheeks and chin. Ed smiled as her mouth closed in to his lips. “Ed. I love you and missed you. But your late, get your ass to see him.”
Sophie turned back and started to file the documents on her desk. Ed resigned himself to heading over to his intended meeting.
The long hallway lead him to a small conference room. The door opened and he was ushered in. “Ed, your late, but forgiven” a voice came from the back of the room. The conference room probably held about 15 people but easily 25 where buzzing around writing on white boards and listening on the CB radios lined up on table. In the middle of room there was where the voice had forgiven him.
Sitting at the end of the table was an a grey haired man in his early fifties but with the build of a man in his early thirties. He was the only one sitting as others worked or at least tried to stay busy. Ed made his way over as the man summoned him with a simple head movement.
“Ed.” “Richard.”
“How was your trip, I heard you picked up a hitchhiker.”
There were no secrets on the compound. “Yeah, seems to be the news of the day. Harmless…troubled man. He is a pastor. Actually a former pastor.”
“Ed, I don’t want to get into small talk about a damn pastor you picked up. I am not sure if you remember but the world is finishing its honeymoon on having an asteroid miss earth. Now, Ed this is the hard part.”
A man with several files in his hand put a sealed envelope on the table in front of Richard. Richard slid the envelope to Ed. “Take it, don’t open it and follow me.” Richard got up and walked out of the conference. His presence created a path as the subordinates made way for Richard and Ed.
Ed followed him through a set of double doors and to the end of the hall. Richard put in a code and the door opened. Although the door was at the end of the hall, Ed realized it was the entrance for the complete space on the wing of the hallway.
Ed walked into the Command Center of the Knoxville Legion. He could see the cameras set-up throughout the compound. The frantic nature of the small conference room was contrasted by a quiet working environment of around 25 men and women working with monitors and computer screens.
Richard led him to the center of the room, where a digital map of the country and then of the world where shown side by side.
“There is no US government. That stays here. We don’t need uprisings. Look at the map, what do you see?”
Ed looked at the screen. “Green stars around cities where there are other Legions” “Exactly” Richard responding proudly.
“Let’s see what we got ,” as Richard pointed to the screen. “We got Knoxville, Dayton, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco Olympia. Now let’s look right next to the map on the right” Ed’s eyes moved over to the global map, watching Richard’s finger illustrate.
“London, Dubai, Sarajevo, Tokyo…” Why are some areas dark, Ed interrupted Richard. “Richard lowered his finger examined the screen. When the world lost most of our communications the month before the asteroid landing, these fuckers started some kind of nuclear fight. We think Moscow get hit by one of their east neighbors and China got it from all other ends. Africa is still there, they just are starting to get some communications up.
“So there was a nuclear warfare as the world was ending?” “Yes, are you surprised. We are all planning to die and these guys want to stick it to one of bitter neighbors and end them early.”
“If you came on time, I could explain went down. Look at the bottom of the US Map.” Ed looked and saw a red mark on the border of Alabama and Florida.
“Each of our Legions are trying to keep some order. My southern friends in Mobile, Alabama is having problems cooperating. I need you to go down and provide them with the envelope you are holding. Now, they have two headquarters one in Mobile and another Fairhope, Alabama.”
Ed knew where Fairhope was located. It was 45 minutes from Mobile. It was a beautiful city, where northerners made their retirement and writers were inspired.
“Ed, becareful in Fairhope. They have a bunch of southern hippies and socialists who know how to shoot like a country man.”
Ed shook his head in compliance.
“Ed, you can open the envelope, don’t show it to anyone, except for sealed letter. The letter is for your passenger”
“Passenger?” Ed asked surprised.
“Yes. A scientist is going to accompany you down south. The envelope is for him. He knows he needs to go but doesn’t know about the envelope. He needs to go with you.”
“Any issues with my passenger?”
“No. He is as tame as your pastor friend. His name is Albert and he is waiting for you at the bar.”
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, take the pastor with you, I don’t have time for rosaries and confessions.” Ed was about to correct Richard on the difference between a pastor and priest, but decided to take his orders with no comment.
He chuckled as the doors closed and he was in the long hallway making his way to Sophie. He thought of his mission. He was heading to the bar to pickup a pastor and a scientist for a road trip to Alabama.
