Chapter 7
Veronica was stuffed by the time she had finished her cheeseburger and fries.
The small diner was known for its enormous portions and low prices.
The owners had opened the establishment decades before and genuinely cared about their customers.
Despite how close they were to several major tourist attractions and metropolises, their small community always felt close knit and like a home to Veronica.
As she sipped on the last of her soda, Veronica scrolled through all the news updates on her phone.
It was surprising to see how many there were regarding the same topic.
Everywhere she looked, there were talks of war between the US and allied forces and those that opposed their views.
Russia and China both seemed determined to start something, though she doubted very much it was the same view the rest of those nations held.
It had been her experience, more often than not, that people didn’t share the same views as the politicians who held office.
The same could be said no matter what your nationality was.
She didn’t begrudge the people, only the leaders, as much as her own nation for their lack of diplomacy.
It was one of the very few ideals held over into her adult life from her youth.
More often than not, she saw the government that was supposed to help and protect their people turn against them to foster fear and hatred instead of trying to find a way to come together.
Shaking her head, she turned off her phone and set it on the table as she looked out over the serene little town she called home.
A rather thick, middle-aged woman with a healthy dose of makeup meandered in her direction and gave Veronica a friendly smile.
“I don’t normally expect to see you out here this late, Veronica. How are you doing today?”
“I’m doing all right. A little on the tired side, but overall, pretty good. How are you tonight, Bertha?”
“Oh, you know me. I’m just living the dream. I normally only see you this late on the weekends after you’ve done all your work at the garage. What in the world are you doing here at this time of day?”
Veronica chuckled. “I pulled an all-nighter and then still had to do all my work at the garage. I actually just woke up. I got myself a quick shower and decided I wanted to stop by here and grab something to eat because I was starving.”
“I understand that feeling. I’m glad we can get you taken care of.”
“Thank you.
“It’s no problem at all. I know how those all-nighters can get you. I’ve pulled plenty of them in my lifetime. Do you know?—”
Before her server could finish her sentence, Veronica’s phone chimed with another alert from the news.
“I’m really sorry about that. It’s been going off all day, and I woke up to about twenty or more of these notifications.
I probably could have slept through the rest of the night, but my damn phone kept going off with all these alerts from the news outlets in the area.
I’m really starting to feel like something big is about to happen. ”
“I think it’s just all a ploy to get us to worry about something else, and then they pull the wool over our eyes and do something we’re not paying attention to.”
She nodded. Handing Bertha a twenty-dollar bill, Veronica stood before thanking her one more time and heading for the door.
Though the meal had cost her less than half of that, Bertha’s company was always worth the large tip she left.
She was an incredible motherly figure to all of her customers, something Veronica could appreciate late at night when she missed her home and family.
Out on the empty streets, Veronica took a deep breath and enjoyed the silence all around her.
There was the ever-present low buzzing of electronics, the lights and air conditioners all around her, but it was a familiar and soothing sound.
Suddenly, the glowing of the streetlights and storefronts all around seemed to pale in comparison to the moonlight.
Seconds later, fear gripped her heart when she realized it wasn’t the glow of the moon now illuminating the landscape.
She shielded her eyes as she looked up, a blinding light approaching the metropolis several miles from their southern border.
A bright flash of light, nearly enough to sting her eyes, burst above them, and for a split second, Veronica wondered if she was dead.
As her vision returned, hazy at first, she kept her eyes turned to the sky and saw dozens more of the bright pods bursting in the distance all around her.
She was too stunned to move, her mouth hanging open as others emerged from shops and bars all around her.
Given it was a Friday night, people were out enjoying themselves and spending their paychecks.
As quickly as the light had illuminated the world around them, they were plunged into darkness once again.
The sound of screeching tires jerked her attention away from the skies, snapping her out of the daze as a car came barreling down the road without its headlights on.
It was obvious the driver was struggling for control.
Before she could react, Veronica watched as the vehicle plowed into a phone pole twenty yards from where she was standing.
A plume of smoke burst into the sky as a small fire flickered beneath the hood.
Without wasting a moment of time, Veronica rushed to where the accident had just occurred.
There was no telling who could be in the car and what kind of damage they had done to themselves.
As soon as she ran up on the site of the accident, she could see a young man behind the wheel, barely a teenager.
“Are you okay?” Veronica asked.
“I have no idea what happened. I was just driving along, and everything was working fine, but then out of nowhere, it seemed like it had lost power, and I couldn’t control what was going on with the car.”
“The only thing that matters right now is that you’re okay.”
“I’m a little freaked out by the whole thing, but overall, I think I’ll be fine. I just know my parents are going to kill me for totaling this thing.”
“You can worry about that later. I’m sure your parents are going to be more concerned with the fact that you were in an accident rather than what has happened to the car. You just hold on tight, and I’m going to call an ambulance for you right now.”
The boy couldn’t have been any older than Bryson.
Grabbing her phone from her pocket with trembling hands, Veronica cursed when she realized it was dead.
It was infuriating, given the situation and knowing she had just charged it.
Looking around, Veronica noticed for the first time it wasn’t only the vehicle that had lost power but everything around her.
The lights overhead no longer illuminated the space around them.
The diner behind her, along with the strip of bars and nightclubs, was all dark.
People were slowly starting to emerge onto the road, all looking just as dazed and concerned as she felt.
Whatever was going on, she had to focus on the most pressing problem.
The young man in front of her needed help.
If she couldn’t get a hold of emergency services, she would have to do what she could to get him out alive.
“I think I was having an adrenaline rush. Now that I’ve had a chance to calm down a little, this sort of feels like my legs are on fire.”
Veronica didn’t say anything and moved toward the front of the car, giving the vehicle a good look. Instantly, she could see flames rolling out from underneath the bottom of the vehicle. Moving quickly back over to where the young boy was still behind the wheel, she looked him dead in the eyes.
“It makes sense that you feel like your legs are getting hot because the car is actually on fire. We’re not going to be able to wait for the ambulance and rescue to get here. I need to get you out of this car now.”
“I don’t know how you’re going to do that,” he said. “I think I’m pinned.”
She quickly moved to the back of the vehicle, and since the trunk was popped open from the impact, she spotted a crowbar and grabbed it.
Using the tool she found, Veronica pushed it in between the door and the frame and started to pry as hard as she could.
The door finally broke free, and without hesitating, she quickly grabbed him under his arms from behind and pulled him out of the car.
Knowing that the fire could reach the gas tank at any moment, she continued to drag him across the ground until, out of nowhere, the car exploded and sent them both flying through the air.