As The World Burns Read Free Page A

intermittent text from her later that day stating that she was scared, but okay. All attempts at communications following her text were futile. Everyone was cut off, and without the means to talk long-distance with each other as conveniently as they had been accustomed to, things quickly grew chaotic. Paul had heard the reports that many states in their journey had not been hit, including Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. One problem that persisted throughout all areas, however, was the loss of power. It was rumored that electrical grids across the country had been dismantled, but how, or why, Paul did not know.
    The only verification for Samantha that he needed was what he felt. He believed Samantha to be alive because he could feel her. It was a matter of faith. When he tried to explain this to his step-daughter, Julie, he received only a strange expression in return. In the backseat of the Malibu were their backpacks, food, water, and some choice weapons for defense. The trunk was filled with several 5-gallon jugs of unleaded fuel. Most of what was in their possession had been graciously donated by the people of New Haven, a small tight-knit community who took Paul and Julie in for close to two weeks.
    In that brief time at New Haven, they faced more challenges than they had ever been prepared for. The vivid memory of the town and its people faded in Paul's mind the closer they got to Colorado. He didn't think he could ever forget them. How would he, even if he wanted to? He hoped that they could return to New Haven after finding Samantha. He fantasized several different outcomes where he and Samantha were happy and living life to its fullest. They could escape from the horrors taking place around them and be happy. It was an idealized fantasy, of course, but something Paul depended on to keep him going. At the wheel, his mind drifted with the possibilities of a future where everything had went back to normal. Samantha would give him all the direction and answers he needed to survive. That's how she was, and that's perhaps what Paul missed most in the new and frightening world that surrounded him.
    "Julie, wake up," Paul said, perking up.
    The Colorado border was less than two miles ahead. Julie shifted in her seat and snapped awake in a panic of heavy breathing.
    "Everything is fine," Paul said with a hand on her shoulder. "We're still on the road."
    They were both on-edge. It had been an exhausting past couple of days, but Paul knew that their journey was far from over. If he could keep Julie calm up until they found her mother, he would consider his job done.
    "Where are we?" Julie asked, rubbing her eyes.
    She could see little beyond the limited range of the headlights before her.
    "We're almost to Colorado," Paul said.
    "We are?" Julie replied in an excited tone.
    "It shouldn't be much longer before we're in Denver," he said with a smile.
    Julie quickly snapped out of her tired state.
    "Where are we going once we hit Denver?" she asked excitedly.
    "Uh," Paul began with a stutter. "The thing is, Julie, we don't know exactly where your mother is. Denver is a big city, but if we search high and low, I'm sure we'll find her."
    "Earth to Paul, I know that. We can't drive around shouting her name. There are like, thousands of people in Denver."
    "Hundreds of thousands, to be exact," Paul interrupted.
    "Thanks, professor," Julie quipped. "So where do we start?"
    "I talked to her before I picked you up from school. She was at the convention center," Paul said with his eyes on the road.
    Julie thought for a moment and turned to Paul.
    "I don't think she would have left Denver. Where would she go if she did?" she said.
    "I told her we were coming to Colorado," Paul said.
    "You did?" Julie asked.
    "I don't know if she got the text or not. Cell phone towers only last so long without power."
    "I feel so bad thinking of her sitting there worrying about us. What if she thinks we're dead?" Julie asked in an anguished tone.
    Paul gave