"Cole? Peter's alive!" Sam grabs the book excitedly.
"Let me see, let me see!" Tim pleads like a little kid.
"I can't believe it, there's still hope."
Peter Cole went to school with us throughout middle school and like us, ended his junior year tragically when Earth was destroyed by the intense meteor shower. I haven't explained it well, but as an overview, every town, city, state, country, continent, and person was obliviated when the shower occured. The meteors were the size of houses, and bigger, like the places it destructed. Nasa had been studying and observing for any signs of a meteor shower before, and they called negative on the theory. But, theory turned to reality, and reality into terror.
It was all over the news, first Euroupe and Russia, then down to Africa, east to China and it quickly destroyed Canada. It was closing in on the the Americas and the U.S. New York was hit first and then west to San Francisco, California. Then all power was lost and only the sun beating down on us, and the many flames that carressed the city lit up the last days and nights we would ever witness again. Our school pulled our fire alarm when flames entered the hallways. Many students and teachers, choking on smoke, could not escape in time. But, I did, and so did Sam and Peter.
There were others but they all lost their lives soon after their escape, because there was no time to say goodbye to their loved ones. I had ran through the streets that weren't yet lit a flame and who's buildings didn't yet fall and crush the innocent bodies below. I reached my house and gathered everyone. We hid in the only safe place we could find, the sewer system. We stayed there with the other families, and those 36 including us, turnedinto survivors within a couple hours. We knew it was safe to come out when the screaming stopped and there weren't anymore terrible earthquakes. One by one we helped each other climb the ladder into the hell above. We covered our faces and walked a great distance of 20 miles or so until we found shelter in a restuaraunt that was decent enough to provide enough food and drink for two nights. But, it didn't stay like that. That's when Thatcher came.
I remember the foot steps coming into the restaurant and the unshaven face of a slightly built thirty year old. We were so happy that there was one more survivor. Now there was 37. But, there was something different about him when he introduced himself. He seemed torn apart not only in body, but in mind, too. I mean everyone was scarred, but Thatcher only remained civil for a couple days. He claimed he could lead us to a better place and keep us safe. Look after us, but, we would soon have to look after eachother. Thatcher led us through the water and under the bridge to the side of a hill. And there we found our new home, the cave. But, Thatcher betrayed us, and never gave us food or water again, he pushed rocks infront of the opening to block the light and to keep us in there to starve. We were able to push some of the rocks out of the way and find plants to eat, and we would heat up the salt water from the bay so we could drink it.
We still don't know why Thatcher did this to us. We all claim that something took over his mind and was controlling him. Not like some robot or alien being. But, selfishness, pity, and insanity turned him into a savage. We still know he is out somewhere in the city, because he will occasionally get drunk and go over to our cave, trying to put the rocks back in place and we'd have to fight him off. Or sometimes, just sometimes, his personality and soul being would change into the man he once was leaving us water and bits of food he'd find. We also know Thatcher is still out there because three of us were missing over just one week. He had killed them all, we had said. Even Peter, our other friend.
Peter lost his whole family and lived in the cave with us until just two weeks ago we had lost him. We searched for him and couldn't find him anywhere. the only peculiar thing was that his backpack and water bottle were gone as well. We claimed that Thatcher had ran out of food and in the middle of the night somehow took it and with him, Peter's life.
But, now, Sam is right, there is still hope. Peter is most likely alive and ould be anywhere near here. And there is still hope that the other two who we had lost, a old woman by the name of Elsie and a young man, Cliff, could still be here.
So that explains it, 37 survivors, 3 lost makes 34, and 33 are inncoent. The one left is Thatcher. We only hope that those numbers would increase if we could search for a sign of any body on Earth, or anywhere else. With the equipment of Art, the middle-aged astronomer, that he managed to save, we can send out radio signals, but we haven't recieved any back.
My grandmother used to tell me:
A life can only be spared through the love that you give, not the love that you find, because if there was no love to offer, then every soul in the world would perish into the grains of sand. That is our drive, our being, our hope. And hope, Jada, is the thing that moves us forward.
So, if everybody believes in eachother and our human race, equally and effectively, then there is more to life than its own ending. Because hope, readers, is what moves us forward.
