Anything Could Happen

Chapter 2

Authors Note:

The amazing cover for this story was made by @chaneldonut !

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*2 weeks later*

I think the whole unaffected population is still in slight denial of what is going on.  Everyone knows things will never be the same, but some people want so badly to believe it isn't true they've worried themselves into a slightly psychotic state of disbelief.

The population of the world has decreased dramatically to 5 billion, and that's only the one's accounted for. Japan itself sunk completely into the ocean. Nearly everything and everyone within 100 miles of the volcanic ring of fire has been completely wiped out. Pyroclastic flow was affecting the entire earth covering the skies in ash.

Yet still the most catastrophic of events are the giant earthquakes and floods killing off whole countries. Just this first week since the announcement there has been over twenty reported earthquakes ranking over an eight on the Mercalli Scale.

My town felt safe at first, but slowly every building closed down. Even the school only continued for three days after the tragedy struck. Walking down the streets was potentially life threatening in multiple ways.

Nobody was really living anymore; we were all just surviving

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"Ava! Come down here!" my mother called from downstairs.

I got up from the comfort of our living room couch and ran down to her.

" I need you to do something for me."

I nodded, telling her to continue.

"I know it may sound crazy, but Matt has told me every one has been doing it lately, and it's not that we are running low on any supplies but having more never hurt, you know?" She rambled.

I furrowed by brows and nodded, confused at what she was saying.

"If you would please just go down the street and ring the doorbells of a couple houses? If there's no answer after 3 minutes ring again and if there is still no answer I need you to go into the house and grab everything you can carry."

I froze and widened my eyes, my jaw nearly hitting the floor. My mother was consenting -- no asking me to steal?

"I know it sounds crazy," she continued, "but we need to do this before anyone else gets to the houses first."

"Mom! You can't be serious!" I exclaimed, but she only shrugged and used her eyes to plead with me.

This was absolutely insane, I thought. I was though well aware these were very stressful times for my mother in having to deal with all that is going on and still take care of 3 kids.

So, with that in mind,  I put on everything a child would if they were to go out in the snow, and then another layer of each item so I could keep a manageable temperature. Walking outside for the first time since the event I noticed the sky was now a depressing reminder that this world we live in was not the same as it had been merely a week ago.

 Dark grey ash covering the once beautiful blue sight. Shriveled up trees were lying all over the road. Not a single one stood up like they once had. The freezing cold fog covered the view of anything within fifteen feet of where you stood giving the creepiest feeling as if you were in in a horror movie.

I headed over to the nearest house that once belonged to a loud Hispanic couple. I rang the doorbell just as my mother had instructed. Nobody came. I couldn't have wanted to walk in there any less. How was I to know if there was truly no one in the house? I could step in just to have 17 guns pointed at my head.

Just as I was about to step in I saw the slightest movement in the window through the corner of my eye and that was enough to scare me away.

The house I came to next was small and painted a refreshing shade of blue, the house had belonged to an elderly couple, whom of which were not threatening to me. I slowly opened the door and stepped into the pitch black entryway with one foot.

"I-Is anybody here? You had your house lights on, I was just going to tell you to turn them off" I lied, trying to make my presence seem kind. I quickly noticed a light switch and flipped it on.

I slowly began to walk up the stairs, grateful it only had one floor aside the small entryway. The house was set up very similar to mine, just as every house on the block was.

There was a long hallway to my right full of closed doors, except one at the end of the hall. I wasn't to interested in figuring out why the door remained open.

My plan was to quickly raid the bathroom and leave. I made a stop to the kitchen first and opened the cabinets first and took a great deal of canned food and shoved it into my snow pants. My main interest was not food, but rather things like matches and shampoo. With that I turned to the unfriendly hallway and slowly began to make my way to the second door.

Since our houses were set up the same, I had a feeling the bathroom would be located in the same place, to my luck I was correct. I turned the light on and closed my eyes just in case a cat was to pop out at me or something.

Nothing strange happened yet again; the house lacked life so much it was scarier than it would be if I knew there was at least a pet to accompany me.

I hurriedly grabbed everything I could: Toilet paper, toothpaste, aspirin, soap, anything I could find. The shower curtain was conveniently already open and I turned to grab the 2 bottles of half-used shampoo.

I leaned in to grab them and to my utter horror heard possibly the most terrifying sound in my life. My heart began pumping so quickly it physically hurt.

The door had slammed shut. I wasn't alone here.

"Hmm, a bit lost, aren't we now, love?"