Aftermath (After the Fall Dystopian Series Book 1) Read online

  The other boy leaned back from behind the TV. “Nothing, dumb ass” he said, “we’re trying to fix it.” This was Jeff, the linebacker on the school’s football team. Where Chad had class and tact, Jeff had loud and obnoxious. He was that guy at parties who shoved his way to the front of the keg line. And if a freshman was found taped to the goal posts, it was a safe bet Jeff was behind it.

  “What happened to it?” Paige asked.

  “The game just cut out,” Chad replied, flipping through channels.

  Jeff jiggled something behind the TV. “Check it now.”

  “Nope,” Chad replied, still staring at a static screen.

  “Did you guys try unplugging the cable box, and letting it reboot?” Paige suggested.

  Chad and Jeff exchanged a look, then Jeff leaned back behind the set, pulling the plug from the outlet, then plugging it back in.

  “Who’s the dumb ass now,” Paige grinned.

  “The verdict’s still out,” Jeff remarked, moving back in front of the set. Slowly an image flickered onto the screen. Jeff looked back at Paige. “Maybe you’re not as dumb as you look,” he smirked.

  “And maybe you are,” she smirked back.

  The image flickered on to a news report. It showed a reporter standing on a long stretch of beach, with hundreds of dolphins washed up on the shore. “And we’re just learning that reports of similar occurrences are coming in from all over the world,” the reporter said to the camera, “and authorities are cautioning people to stay inside, and away from windows.”

  “Check the other channels,” said Paige, as they all took seats on the couch and chairs.

  Chad flipped to another channel. There, a meteorologist stood in front of a large green screen map of the U.S. “…areas are reporting wide spread power outages from these massive electrical storms sweeping across the globe.”

  Suddenly the image was replaced by an EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM warning. Three loud beeps sounded, followed by a high pitched tone. As the tone blared, the words “THIS IS NOT A TEST” scrolled across the screen.

  And then there was a blinding flash!

  CHAPTER TWO

  Day One

  Paige’s eyes squinted open. It took her several seconds to get them fully open, and even longer to realize where she was. Yes, that was the arm of the couch pressed against her cheek.

  She sat up, looking around. The sun was still pouring in the living room window. She remembered that part. Everything else was a blur.

  She scanned the living room. Everyone was there - Shelby, Brad, Chad, and Jeff. All passed out in the last spots she remembered seeing them in. Wow, she thought, what the hell happened?

  She sat there for almost a minute, just trying to piece everything together. She felt like it was there, tucked away somewhere in her memory, but she just couldn’t pull it in.

  She finally climbed to her feet, steadying herself, as a brief sensation of vertigo swept over her. Then it was gone. She headed off down the hallway, and into the kitchen.

  The vertigo was back. She steadied herself for a moment, gripping the refrigerator handle. And then it passed. She opened the refrigerator door, and the first thing she noticed was there was no light. Then she noticed there was no sound from the motor.

  She looked behind the refrigerator, checking the plug. It was in the outlet. She walked over to the light switch, flicked it on. The lights weren’t working either. Then it dawned on her. Those idiots must have blown a circuit while they were monkeying around with the TV. She shook her head.

  Then something pinched behind her ear. Ow, she grimaced. Whatever it was, it stung. She reached behind her ear, probing her finger around. There was some kind of bump, about the size of a zit. You gotta be kidding me, she thought to herself, as she headed to the bathroom.

  The lights in the bathroom were also out. Those idiots had probably blown the circuits for the entire house. She was definitely going to give them crap when they woke up.

  Paige fumbled through a drawer in the counter, and pulled out a small mirror. She propped herself on the counter, back against the large bathroom mirror, then angled the small mirror so she could see behind her ear. There it was, pink and swollen. She pinched it between her nails, trying to pop it.

  Ow! She exclaimed. That thing hurt. She clenched her teeth, and tried one more time to pop it. A trickle of blood came out, but the bump was still there. Screw this, she thought, pulling her hair back over her ear. She’d pick up something at the store.

  Then came a loud blast from outside. It sounded far off in the distance. Paige hopped down from the counter, and headed back down the hallway, and across the kitchen. Their large Arcadia door looked out over their pool deck. Paige twisted her head, looking out across the pool deck. And then her face froze in shock.

  ***

  Paige staggered out onto the deck, and across the wood planks. Somehow she managed to miss landing in the swimming pool. The edge of the patio deck dropped sharply down the hillside. From her view, Paige could see the entire San Fernando Valley basin. It was massive, ringed in by mountains in the distance. A mecca of millions of homes, buildings, parks, streets… and it was all completely destroyed.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Aftermath

  Time seemed to stop, as Paige stared at the devastation. Buildings had crumbled into ruins, and giant chasms and fissures split across entire neighborhoods and streets. Something that looked like lava boiled up from some of the fissures.

  There were craters where shopping malls had been, and fires raged through what had been apartment complexes. This devastation continued as far as her eyes could see, spanning from one end of the horizon to the other.

  In her history classes, her teachers had shown her news reel footage of Dresden following the allied bombing campaign during World War II. The intensity of those bombing raids had created a firestorm, decimating entire portions of the city. Buildings, bridges, and streets had been nearly incinerated, leaving nothing but jagged concrete shells dotting the city.

  That was how Los Angeles now looked.

  ***

  Paige raced into the living room, finding everyone still crashed out in the same spots. “Wake up, you guys!” she hollered. And nothing. Nobody even stirred. She went over to Brad, shook him. “Brad, wake up!”

  Brad’s eyes squinted open.

  “Come on, Brad, get up!” she hollered, then turned to the others. “You guys, wake up!” she went past each of them, shaking them until their eyes opened. “You guys, come on!”

  “What the hell?” Jeff muttered, rubbing his hand across his face.

  “LA’s gone, you guys,” she shouted frantically, standing in the middle of the floor. “Everything. It’s been blown up.”

  Finally she was getting some reaction, although it was mostly in confused looks.

  “Just come on,” she said, heading for the hallway. “You gotta see this.”

  ***

  Intermittent explosions continued to erupt throughout the city. Most likely gas mains erupting, Paige guessed. She’d finally assembled everyone on the deck, and they were gazing out over the destruction. Just the sheer magnitude of it was beyond anything Paige could have imagined.

  “Ho-ly shit,” Jeff muttered. “It’s all freaking gone.”

  “What the hell happened?” asked Chad. “Did any of you guys hear this?”

  Everyone just shook their heads.

  “Was it an earthquake?” Shelby asked.

  “I didn’t feel anything,” Brad replied.

  “Me neither,” added Chad. “But then I was out like a light.”

  “We were all out,” said Paige.

  Jeff looked over. “You guys were too?”

  Each of them nodded.

  “The last thing I remember was that warning on the TV,” added Paige. “You know, there were those three beeps, and then the tone.”

  “Yeah,” replied Chad. “I remember that. It was right after the weatherman was talking about the electrical storm
s.”

  “Do you guys think that could have done this?” asked Shelby.

  The others just shrugged.

  “I don’t know. Maybe,” answered Brad. “It depends on what was causing the electrical storms.”

  “We should check the news,” suggested Shelby. “I’m sure they’re talking about it.”

  Paige shook her head. “There’s no power.”

  Then Shelby winced. “Ow!” she exclaimed, grabbing her ear. “Something bit me.”

  The others looked over. Shelby was probing her finger behind her ear.

  “Is there like a bump?” Paige asked.

  “Yeah,” Shelby nodded.

  “I have one too,” Paige said, then turning to the others, “you guys, check behind your ears.”

  One by one they all nodded.

  “What the hell,” Jeff swore. “What is it?”

  “It just moved!” Shelby exclaimed!

  Suddenly a deafening blast echoed across the valley. They all spun around, as a mirage-like wave rippled across the sky…

  And from that wave, enormous objects materialized in the sky.

  The friends just stood there, staring. What they were seeing was impossible, and yet there they were. They were spaceships. Paige had no doubt about this. And she also had no doubt they weren't built by us. Nothing about them resembled anything we had ever built. Or seen. Roughly disc-shaped, and miles in diameter, their surface textures looked like jagged lava rocks, or even meteors, with thorn-like protrusions jutting out from the side. And they were hovering several thousand feet above the city ruins, without any engines or exhaust.

  Humans definitely hadn’t built them.

  “Get down!” Brad hollered. They all dropped to the deck.

  Then a deep rumbling echoed across the valley. Like the rumble of an earthquake, but it was coming from the ships.

  “You guys…” Shelby pleaded.

  “Just stay still,” Brad replied.

  Then slowly a noise built, resonating across the valley. It squealed at an ear splitting pitch, like nails on a chalkboard times a million. It lasted about seven seconds, but during that period those bumps beneath their skin glowed red. And moved.

  All five of the friends keeled over in excruciating pain, screaming, and clutching their heads. It was punishing, pushing beyond any level of tolerance, and blasting their sanity.

  As the sound faded out, their faces looked up - and there was nothing but rage left in their eyes. No compassion, or understanding, just the blind need to kill and maim.

  Jeff yelled at the top of his lungs, springing to his feet. He grabbed Shelby with one hand, and heaved her into Paige.

  Paige toppled onto the deck, banging her head with a dull thud. She was out. And then something tiny fell from behind her ear, and onto the deck.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The Implants

  Paige had no idea how long she was out, or what caused her to awaken. But slowly her eyes opened. Her ears rang from the blow, and her vision was blurry. She slowly propped herself up on her elbows, as things came into focus.

  The first thing she noticed was the pain she had felt behind her ear was gone. She probed her finger behind her ear, and yeah. The bump was gone too.

  The ringing in her ears continued, seeming to block out every other sound. She winced a bit, looking down. Then something caught her attention. On the pool deck, next to her forearm, was something tiny and metallic, and oddly out of place. She leaned in for a closer look…

  Then it moved! This tiny thing, whatever the hell it was, could move. Paige grabbed it, took a look at it up close. The only way she could describe it was like a spider. But it seemed to be made of some kind of metal. Or was that its shell?

  A scream caught her attention. It was Shelby. Paige spun around, just in time to see Jeff slam Shelby onto the pool deck. He grabbed her hair, then slammed her head down hard. There was a crunch. And then blood. Flowing out from her head across the pool deck.

  Paige didn’t have time to think. “Stop!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. And now the attention was on her. Chad spun around. The rage in his face said it all. This was no longer her friend. Paige leaped to her feet, and bolted for the door.

  Paige poured through the door and into the living room. She raced across it to the pool table, reaching it just moments before Chad charged through the door. He stood at least eight inches taller than Paige, with another sixty pounds of athletic muscle.

  Paige barely had time to grab a pool stick and duck behind the table, before Chad closed the distance. The two circled the table, Paige trying to keep it between them.

  “Chad!” Just stop! I don’t want to hurt you,” she hollered, but her pleas fell on deaf ears.

  Chad growled, shifting left, then right, keeping his prey off balance.

  “Chad, come on! Just stop! It’s that thing behind your ear,” she pleaded.

  Chad quickly shifted left, then lunged across the table. Paige swung the pool stick, putting every ounce of muscle into that swing. It collided with Chad’s head.

  Chad staggered back, momentarily stunned. “Chad, please. Just listen to me.”

  Chad shook away the daze. He glared at her, his lips curled back in an animal’s snarl. Then he lunged again.

  Paige swung the pool stick hard, nailing him in the temple. He stumbled back, then dropped to the floor with a heavy thud.

  “Chad!” she screamed, rushing over to where he lay unconscious. She knelt beside him, feeling his neck for a pulse. It was there. With a groan, she rolled him onto his side, then probed behind his ear.

  There it was - the red bump. She dug her fingernails into his skin around the bump. It was soft, and fleshy. She pinched it hard, till the skin tore. A small trickle of blood oozed out. Then she had the implant in her fingers.

  She turned her attention back to Chad. “Chad?” She gently patted his face with her free hand. “Hey. Chad.” Slowly he stirred, his eyes squinting open. At least she hadn’t killed him.

  “Paige?” he said, his eyes now fully open, and staring back at her with a puzzled look. “What happened?” Then, he seemed to feel the bruise on his temple. He touched his fingers to it, while Paige watched.

  “Sorry,” she cringed, “but you weren’t gonna stop.”

  He shot her a puzzled look. Stop what? But that look was soon replaced by an even more puzzled look, as he stared around the living room. He seemed to be realizing for the first time where he was. And the obvious next question that flowed through his thoughts was, how did he get there.

  Paige seemed to sense his confusion. “You don’t remember chasing me in here?” she asked.

  He just shook his head.

  “You were trying to kill me,” she added.

  He looked back at her, and that look said it all - what the hell’s going on?

  “I think this is what’s doing it,” she said, showing him the tiny implant. “It’s that thing that was behind your ear.”

  He leaned in for a closer look. “What is it?” he asked.

  She just shook her head. “I don’t know,” she replied. “But they’re making everyone go crazy.”

  Then it moved! Paige startled, as it slipped through her fingers, and onto to the floor. Like a spider racing around. Paige snatched up the pool stick, then smashed the blunt end down on the thing. She set the stick aside, as they took a closer looked at the smashed device.

  Suddenly Jeff’s howl rang from the patio. Paige and Chad spun around towards the door. Jeff had Brad pinned beneath him, with Jeff’s face buried in Brad’s throat. Jeff was thrashing his head, like a lion chomping on its victim.

  Then something tore, and Jeff’s face came up smeared in blood. A deep wound on Brad's throat told Paige where the blood had come from. Jeff had bitten through Brad's throat.

  “BRAD!” Paige screamed, springing to her feet, and starting for the door!

  “Paige stop!” Chad yelled, grabbing her from behind. But it was too late. Jeff’s head snapped
around, seeing them through the door.

  “Go! Out the front!” Chad hollered, swinging her around towards the front door.

  Jeff was already on his feet, barreling across the patio towards them, as Paige and Chad sprinted out the front door.

  Paige and Chad poured out the front door, and down the driveway. “Get in my car!” he hollered, riping open the driver’s side door, as she raced around to the other side.

  Chad jammed his key in the ignition, twisted it. And nothing happened. “Shit. Shit, shit, shit,” he muttered, twisting it again, and again, and pumping on the gas pedal.

  Suddenly something heavy slammed into the driver’s side window. Chad looked, and there was Jeff, snarling at him through the window. The blood on his mouth, and rage in his eyes. This guy was going to kill them. And he had about fifty pounds more muscle than Chad.

  Jeff’s fist smashed through the window! He grabbed Chad, yanking him through the window, and heaved him down on the driveway. He dropped down on top of Chad, and pummeled him with his fists.

  “Get off him!” Paige shouted, jumping onto Jeff’s back. She had one arm around his throat, and beat him with her other fist. But if he felt any of the blows, it didn’t show. It was like watching a cat attacking a pit bull. Jeff reached back with one arm, and tossed her off.

  Jeff turned back on Chad, wrapping his hands around Chad’s throat, and squeezing. Veins began bulging on Chad’s face, as his consciousness slipped away.

  Then there was a sharp CRACK! Jeff’s eyes rolled up, as his grip released from Chad’s throat. Jeff tumbled over onto the driveway. Paige stood behind him, clutching a bloody bicycle lock in her fist. She let it drop.

  ***

  Moments ticked by, as Paige sank down on the driveway beside Chad. And they just sat there like that, catching their breaths.

  “Are you okay?” she finally asked.

  “Yeah,” he panted, still recovering his breath. Then he turned to her, and saw the numb look on her face. “Are you okay, Paige?” he asked.