The End Boxset: Postapocalyptic Visions of an Unstoppable Collapse (25 page)

Mr. Wright and Thomas burst through the school doors and into the courtyard. “Where are they?” Mr. Wright yelled to the guards. The guard in tower one moved his flashlight in Mr. Wright’s direction. “They’re running around out here, sir,” the guard replied. “Well get off your damn tower and get them. And no firing of your weapons!” he said. The guards reluctantly nodded and moved to the stairs of each tower. Kiya froze against the wall of tower one. She could see Thomas and Mr. Wright from twenty feet away. Erika stood with her back against the fifty-foot tall steel entrance door. To each side were circular steering wheels. They were designed so that a person, on both sides, could turn the wheel to open the doors. Erika assumed as much by examining them. “Kiya!” she said as loud as she could without being spotted. “Come here, quick.”

Kiya was hesitant, but once Mr. Wright and Thomas looked away she ran to Erika. Deputy Willis made it to the bottom of the tower. He found Oliver standing at the controls and grabbed him. “Just what in the heck do you think you’re doing?” he asked, jerking Oliver by one arm. Suddenly the loud creaking of the front gate could be heard. Deputy Willis looked up in disbelief, and then pulled Oliver outside with him. Shelly ducked behind the barrier, just out of view of Thomas and Mr. Wright. She could see the front gate opening, with Kiya and Erika on both sides, cranking the wheels around with all of their might. The two other guards reached the bottom of each tower and ran towards Erika and Kiya, attempting to stop them. But it was too late. The doors had been opened just enough for the crowd outside to breach through. The roars from outside the gate sounded almost joyful, like they were a crowd at a football game. But the looks on the parent’s faces were anything but cheerful.

As they pushed their way in, Kiya and Erika ran to the left, towards tower one, away from both guards—who were both trampled by the crowd. Mr. Wright stared ahead at the encroaching crowd and gripped Thomas on his shoulder. “Run,” he said. Thomas looked at Mr. Wright, confused. “Why would I run? I didn’t do anything,” Thomas said. Mr. Wright looked to Thomas, looking for solace that wasn't there. Thomas moved away as the angry crowd surrounded Mr. Wright.  The vitriolic faces of over a hundred parents were upon him; each face, indistinguishable from the other. “You,” a man said pointing. “What have you done with our children?”

Shelly crept from the barrier and called out to Kiya and the rest of the group.  Deputy Willis appeared, grabbed her by the neck and jerked her aside. He clutched Oliver in his other arm. Both Shelly and Oliver squirmed as they called for help. Their calls drew the attention of middle-aged stocky man in his forties. He left the crowd and ran over to confront Deputy Willis. “What do you think you’re doing with those kids?” the man said. “Sir, this is none of your concern,” Deputy Willis said. The man took a step back and punched Deputy Willis squarely in the face, causing him to collapse on the ground. Oliver and Shelly looked down at their unconscious captor in shock. “Go find your parents,” the man said. As the two nodded and walked away, the man called to them. They turned around. “You both need to know that it’s not right to punch people, okay?” the man said. 

“Okay,” Shelly said back nervously.

The man then made his way back into the crowd. Many of the parents had pushed passed Mr. Wright and went into the school. At least twenty other adults surrounded him, badgering him for answers. A scuffle ensued and Mr. Wright started swinging. Several parents jumped in, and then scene became chaotic. Oliver and Shelly witnessed a large group of people ascending on Mr. Wright. A few screams and then he was drowned out by the cheering of the crowd. 

Oliver looked to tower one where Kiya and Erika were hiding. “Over there!” he pointed. They ran to each other and hugged. It was unexpected embrace—and no one could really figure out why they did it—but it just felt natural. “How did you guys know how to open the gates?” Oliver asked.

“I’m not stupid,” Erika replied. “It's pretty obvious.”

“I didn’t even think that the gates would unlock. There was no power,” Oliver said.

“They probably don’t use power,” Kiya said.

They pulled away from each other and started to look around. More and more adults were filing through the gate.

“We did it,” Shelly said proudly. “We liberated the school.”

“We should probably find our parents now,” Kiya said.

“Yeah,” Shelly answered, “we should.”

Everyone looked at the ground and then to each other. “See you in school tomorrow?” Erika asked. They laughed and looked around, searching for any recognizable faces. “Stay safe guys,” Shelly said running off. Kiya, Erika, and Oliver looked at each other and smiled. “I should really find my mom,” Kiya said walking away from the group. “How do you know she’s here?” Erika asked. “I just know,” Kiya answered. Kiya moved throughout the crowd looking for anyone that resembled her mother. Unfortunately, they resembled moms of all kinds. Women with the same height, hair, and complexion. Plus it was very dark.  She glanced back over to the spot she was standing at only a moment ago and caught a quick glance of Erika and Oliver talking. It was the last time she would see any of them again.

Chapter 5: Alice, Brian, and Kiya: No Home for Us Here

Moments before the doors were opened; there was talk outside of overtaking the school by any means necessary. Several parents were searching in vain for the police or some authority figure who would take charge of the situation. The man who climbed the wall, only to be shot, was forty-four year old Bill Hackney, single father of two children attending Sun Crest Middle School. He had been shot in the chest; a wound that he may have been able to survive if not for the brutal fall from atop the school wall which broke his neck. “Can we get an ambulance here? A paramedic? Something?” another man yelled kneeling from the crowd as held Bill's corpse in his arm. One of the parents happened to be an off-duty paramedic. She ran over to assist Bill, but determined there was little that could be done because he was already dead. Alice watched the scene in disbelief, holding on the Brian's shoulders. There was a stunned shock among the crowd once they realized there was no help or assistance on the way. “This is going to get real ugly, real fast,” Alice said to Brian. The parents formed at the gates and tried to push and pry their way through to no avail. “Murderers!” a woman yelled. Others joined in the chorus as well. “Mom, is that man dead?” Brian asked. “Yes, Brian. It was an accident, a terrible accident,” Alice said. She looked to the top of the wall and scanned along the perimeter. She thought it possible that there weren't enough guards at the school to cover every area.

Alice turned Brian around to face her. “It's not safe here for you. I want you to wait in the car,” she said. “But you said that we can never split up,” Brian replied.

“I know that I said that, and it's true,” Alice said. “But if we get inside the school, I can't risk anything happening to you.” Brian was done arguing with his mother for the day, though he had plenty of objections to waiting in the car. But he wanted to find Kiya just as badly.

“Listen to me,” she said. “Don't leave the car, for any reason. No one knows that it works so no one should bother you. Just lie low and wait for me. I promise that I'll be back with Kiya.”

Brian shook his head. “Now go,” Alice said. She hugged him tightly. Too tightly, he felt. He placed his arms around her and tried to squeeze back. Brian turned away and made his way back to the car. Alice watched until he disappeared into the darkness alongside an endless line of cars. Now it was time to get into the school. She looked around the crowd to find a parent that could perhaps assist her. An accomplice. Someone as determined as her to get into the school. Alice was realizing that standing outside the front gate was getting them nowhere. It was at this moment that another gunshot ran through the air. The crowd jump to the ground gasping in terror. “Get down!” A man yelled within the crowd. Alice leapt onto the ground, landing on her chest. The impact caused a sudden jolt that knocked the wind out of her. Alice lifted her head up. Several people remained on the ground, lying still with their arms over their head. “This is ridiculous,” Alice said to herself. “It is,” a man lying on the ground answered. There was shouting from the other side of the wall. The people on the ground slowly lifted their heads up to listen. Then followed the sound of the front gate slowly moving open. A large squeaking metallic sound, as if the door was being unevenly pulled open like a curtain.

“It's opening,” the man next to Alice said. “The gate is opening.” Alice looked to the gates. The man was right. They opened slightly a crack then stopped. Then opened some more. Alice jumped to her feet. More people followed. “They're letting us in the school!” the man shouted. This drew the attention of nearly everyone who within an earshot. Most of them had been gathered outside the school for over six hours now. They hadn't even taken into account what was happening in the world, why the power went out, or why their cars weren't working. They just wanted their children back. As they pushed through the opening between the two squeaking, metallic doors, Mr. Wright had underestimated their resolve. Alice ran towards the door, joining the other parents, but found herself being pushed to the side. The crowd turned unruly within moments, as several parents pushed their way into the school.

Alice finally made it through the doors and joined the other parents as they walked up the entrance lane into the school, past the three guard towers, and into the courtyard. There she witnessed a group surrounding Mr. Wright, pushing and shoving him. Out of nowhere, it seemed, a punch was thrown, knocking Mr. Wright onto the ground. Alice ran towards them. Other parents journeyed right into the school, through the courtyard and into the various classrooms buildings. “Stop hitting him!” Alice shouted as she stepped into the middle of the crowd. “He knows where our children are.” A bald, overweight man was holding Mr. Wright ready to take another swing. Mr. Wright's head hung low. His face was bruised and bloodied. “He's going to pay for this,” the bald man said. “We need him,” Alice said. She walked right up to Mr. Wright and grabbed his collar. “Where is everyone?” she asked. “Gym...auditorium...cafeteria,” he mumbled back. Alice remembered Kiya's classroom after visiting it during open house weeks prior. The only thing she wasn't sure of was its exact location within the school. Time was a precious commodity; especially with parents storming the halls looking for the same thing she was.

Mrs. Crabtree perked up from her cot as she heard the sound of multiple footsteps moving down the hall towards the gym. It was an alarming sound, like that of a stampede. “It can't be children,” she thought to herself. Several students sat up, disturbed by the noise. The sound grew closer, and with it, came a swarm of adults entering the gym. All the children had awakened. The teachers, including Mrs. Crabtree, got up from their cots, trying to understand who the people were and what they were doing in the gym. One parent caught Mrs. Crabtree eyes. “Where's my son?” he demanded. Mrs. Crabtree turned to her class. “Everyone just remain in your cots,” she commanded with her arms outstretched.

“Amber!” one of the women shouted. Mrs. Crabtree looked behind her to see Amber standing near her cot. “Mom!” Amber said. She ran to her mother, pushing Mrs. Crabtree out of the way. They embraced as the other parents confronted Mrs. Crabtree. “Where are our children? What have you done with them?” several of the parents demanded.

“If everyone could just stay calm, we can locate the students. What we can't have our people running around starting a panic,” Mrs. Crabtree said.

“A panic?” one man shouted. “This school is responsible for a man’s death. You're all going to burn for this.”

The rest of the crowd joined in agreement. They were pushing themselves uncomfortably close to Mrs. Crabtree, encircling her.

“I don't know anything about that. If you would just listen to me for one minute—”

“We're done talking,” an angry woman declared.

Suddenly, several students—girls and boys—from Mrs. Crabtree's class ran over to her, pushed their way through the adults, and encircled her. “Leave Mrs. Crabtree alone. She didn't do anything,” Bobby Ramer said. Mark Nelson noticed the commotion and walked over to aid Mrs. Crabtree as well. “Yeah, she's just been looking out for us. She could have escaped the school at any time, like some of the students did.”

“And she stayed with us,” Rachel Moss said.

“So don't mess with her,” Luke Ardono added.

The kids all clamored in agreement, causing the parents to back off. One man with great concern in his eyes approached Mrs. Crabtree to speak. “Just please, help us find our children so we can go home.” “It's not going to be easy,” Mrs. Crabtree said. “But I'll do my best to help each one of you find your children.” The parents nodded in support, and certain calmness came over the formally tense scene. Mrs. Crabtree rubbed her head in exhaustion. “How did you get into the school?” she asked.  “The gates opened, and we came in,” the man answered.

“Who opened the gates?” she asked.

“We don't know,” the man said shrugging.

Mark looked up to Mrs. Crabtree. “I bet it was Kiya and them. I knew they were going to escape.”

Mrs. Crabtree struggled to get her thoughts together. The repeated pain in her head felt like a migraine. “The best thing for us to do would be to conduct an orderly search through each area,” she said in an exhausted tone. “Each grade is in a designated area. This is the sixth grade. The seventh grade is in the auditorium and the eighth grade is in the cafeteria.”

“Show us,” a woman demanded.

“I have to stay with my class. I can't go anywhere.”

“I'll show them,” Mark Nelson said walking away, “Follow me.”

“Mark, no. You need to stay here and wait for your parents,” Mrs. Crabtree.