Harmonic: Resonance Read Free Page B

matter of hours.
    The power surge had somehow shut down vehicles in motion, leading to crashes, leaving people stranded and others injured or worse. During the aftermath of the power surges, the religious sought sanctuary in the church, and rescue parties had brought in the rest. The church had become the muster point for all in need, all who had been displaced or injured; it was seemingly beyond the reach of spreading fires but close enough for the transport of the town’s wounded.
    Some of the stories were not of fire, but of ghosts. One man told the horrific account of a body dangling from a tree, hanging by an invisible rope. Other stories were of angry spirits trying to grab or strike the storyteller, of ghosts seeking revenge or retribution on those who now occupied the house they had died in. There was talk of the end of the world, of the devil, and of judgment. The few who had not seen the ghosts described the sightings as symptoms of shock or fear, as mass hysteria or shared hallucinations brought on by the inhalation of toxic smoke. The two viewpoints spurred accusation and bickering, and although I had seen the ghosts , I couldn’t be certain they were not a byproduct of shock or from breathing in toxins. It seemed unlikely so many would share the same hallucination, but just as unlikely that what we had all seen could be real.
    I followed the turning heads to the back doors of the church, as several of the medical personnel rushed to receive newcomers. I made my way to Powell and was about to ask how I could help, when the doors opened again to a blackened figure, writhing on a stretcher. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman; its burned skin oozed blood and fat from every crack, while its lipless open mouth gargled a scream that filled the hall. As I gasped, the smell of burnt hair and cooked meat filled my mouth and nose. I turned away with a hand cupped over my mouth and ran out through the open doorway.
    Powell found me around half an hour later, leaned against the nearest tree, still trying to spit out the taste of burnt hair.
    He put a hand on my back. “You okay?”
    “Not really. I don’t know how you do it, how you can see people like that and ...”
    “I’m sorry you had to see that. They shouldn’t have brought him in, there was nothing we could do for him,” he said.
    I turned and looked up at Powell. “He’s dead?”
    Powell dropped his gaze to the ground and gave a nod. “We’re going to have to set up a place to treat the newcomers, everyone’s freaking out in there. They shouldn’t have brought him in.”
    “I’ve never seen anything like that, but it was the smell that got to me.” I covered my mouth and nose, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.
    “I threw up after seeing my first burn victim. It’s a hard thing to see, and it never gets any easier,” he said.
    I wiped away the tears as they formed, but it only made my eyes sting even more. “So many lives destroyed and the dead coming back; I feel like I’m going mad. Is it some kind of judgment from God, that’s what people are saying?”
    “I don’t know anything about judgment, or God, but when the fires are out and people are back on their feet, there’s going to be a lot to think about. Maybe people will treat each other better, knowing there’s an afterlife.”
    “Is it like this everywhere, the rest of the country, the world?” I asked.
    “I don’t know. There’s no TV or radio. I’ve heard the same thing’s happening in the next town over, but beyond that, your guess is as good as mine.”
    “So no one’s coming to help?”
    “I only know what I’ve heard, but it looks like we’re on our own for now.”
    “What about the Army?” I asked.
    Powell stared back at me, unable to offer the answers I wanted, and the feeling of guilt began to replace my expectations.
    “I’m sorry,” I said.
    “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I wish I could tell you more. I wish I knew what was going