For Experimental Purposes Only

Chapter 10 (Vee)

David kept trying to call Jason. No one answered.

I wondered if his phone died. I really hoped his phone died. I could hear terrible things happening to the building above us.

I leaned myself against David's shoulder and closed my eyes. He wrapped his arm around me, and somehow, even in the middle of all the confusion and terror, I felt safe.

I don't know how long I was asleep for. I wished I would wake up on my pullout bed with Jason and Isa in the same room while David was yelling for us to get ready for school. But I didn't. I woke up with my head resting on David's shoulder in a basement full of people I didn't know.

He was still holding his phone, scrolling through text messages from Jason.

"Did he pick up?" I moaned.

David shook his head. Every muscle in my body felt tight and tears stung my eyes. David noticed. "Hey, they'll be alright," He tried to reassure. I don't think he believed it himself.

I tried to picture a future with just the two of us. Then I remembered that this was all just an experiment and I wouldn't have David in my future.

Before I came here I always would envision myself with a nice suburban couple. In a yellow house with a picket fence. I always imagined them with a kid or two of there own. For some reason when people said "home" that's what I pictured.

Now it all felt like a lie. "Home" was with David and Jason and Isa in the attic of a house made in the 1940s located far away from anyone else, because why would I need anyone else when I have them.

David called Zoe. She was fine. She lived on the side of town that didn't get hit so her house was still intact.

About an hour later someone said the news declared it was safe to go outside.

Someone told us to be careful because the building was probably in ruins. I felt like a little kid. I held David's hand like something terrible would happen if I let go. Right now it wasn't the most ambitious thought.

We slowly made our way up the stairs. I tried not to look at the remains of the building. It actually wasn't that bad now that I think about it. The windows were broken and the rooms were a mess, but nothing had happened to the actual structure of the building.

I stayed as close as possible to David. He whispered encouraging things as we left the building. The car had rolled into a different parking spot but wasn't damaged.

"Do you think it works?" I asked David.

"One way to find out." He mumbled.

He walked to the car. The thing that beeped and unlocked the car didn't work. But the regular key did. I went to sit where I normally did in the back seat. David told me to sit in the front with him.

The puttered and started. Like it was just as unsure about driving as we were.

The city looked terrible. Buildings were completely destroyed. Houses. Coffee shops. Government buildings. Everything. Just Gone.

I wondered about people. If anyone was hurt. Or worse.

I started crying. Not nice polite pretty girl crying either. Just full on ugly crying. David's knuckles were white around the steering wheel. And still one of his hands was able to find mine. He squeezed it tight and I cried harder.

"Hey, hey," He kept saying until my sobbing turned to sniffling, "It's going to be okay. I promise you. I love you and I promise that everything is going to end up being okay."