everywhere. I keep my eyes on the ground as we pass the cars. I don’t want to see the passengers inside—or worse yet—no one inside.
Falk takes the side streets, looking for signs of life. There are none. Every time we pass another neighborhood, I keep thinking we’ll see someone this time, but we don’t. We only see more bodies—all men.
The empty cars in the street bother me the most. I can’t help but wonder who was in them. I also can’t stop myself from checking the back seats for child restraints. Every time I see one, I shudder.
Still no signs of women or children.
Falk leads me to a strip mall parking lot. One half of the mall is completely destroyed, right down to the ground. The only stores standing are a nail salon and a sandwich shop, and the windows are broken out of both of them. The bodies of two men hang out of the smashed building, their blank eyes staring at the sky.
“What’s going to happen to them all?” I ask.
“Cleaning up would be a big job,” Falk says. “In a couple of days, it’s going to be a lot worse.”
“Did you have to go there?”
“It’s true.” He shrugs as he climbs through the broken window of the sandwich shop, carefully avoiding the bodies. “Hopefully, someone will start organizing—putting things back together.”
“We haven’t seen anyone at all.” I follow him inside but don’t get past the entrance. There’s nothing but rubble inside.
“Maybe they’re in hiding.” He doesn’t sound convinced or convincing as he maneuvers around debris trying to get back behind the counter. Everything inside is smashed and useless, so we go back outside.
“Maybe we’re the only survivors.” I can only whisper the words, barely able to comprehend the thought.
I look up at Falk as his face tightens and his lips smash together. He looks like he’s about so say something right before he focuses in the distance.
“We’re not,” Falk says. “Look.”
I follow his nod with my gaze and see three men in dirty jeans and flannel shirts appear from around the corner of the strip mall. One of them points to us, and they all start heading in our direction, waving. As they approach, I can see they’re all in their early thirties, and their clothing is filthy.
Falk stands up straight and touches the gun at his hip briefly before letting his hand fall back to his side. He’s tense and alert, like he was when we first stepped out of the hotel.
“Don’t say anything.” Falk looks at me with those intense eyes as he speaks.
“Why not?”
“I’ll explain later.”
The three men stop as they get close to us, and Falk takes a step in front of me. I watch him closely as they interact.
“Hey there!” One of the men in the group moves ahead and addresses Falk. “What the fuck happened around here?”
“I was hoping you would know.” Falk takes a step forward and offers his hand. “Falk Eckhart. We haven’t seen anyone since it happened.”
“Beck,” the dark-haired man says. “Beck Majors.”
Beck is slightly taller than Falk with a more slender build. He’s got that rough-and-ready look I associate with old cigarette or whiskey commercials. He would have looked completely in place if he had ridden up on horseback. He points to the other two men as he introduces them.
“This is Caesar and Ryan Tucker.”
“My brother and I just came here for the weekend,” Caesar says. He’s a medium-sized, broad shouldered guy with a shaved head. “Beck had gone on about how we needed to visit, but I think we picked the wrong time.”
“Phones aren’t working at all,” Ryan says. He’s much smaller than his brother and obviously younger by several years, and they look nothing alike. He’s got a scruffy beard, round eyeglasses, and a beret on his head, giving him a hipster vibe. “I’ve got a short wave radio that isn’t picking up anything, either. I’m not so
Falk takes the side streets, looking for signs of life. There are none. Every time we pass another neighborhood, I keep thinking we’ll see someone this time, but we don’t. We only see more bodies—all men.
The empty cars in the street bother me the most. I can’t help but wonder who was in them. I also can’t stop myself from checking the back seats for child restraints. Every time I see one, I shudder.
Still no signs of women or children.
Falk leads me to a strip mall parking lot. One half of the mall is completely destroyed, right down to the ground. The only stores standing are a nail salon and a sandwich shop, and the windows are broken out of both of them. The bodies of two men hang out of the smashed building, their blank eyes staring at the sky.
“What’s going to happen to them all?” I ask.
“Cleaning up would be a big job,” Falk says. “In a couple of days, it’s going to be a lot worse.”
“Did you have to go there?”
“It’s true.” He shrugs as he climbs through the broken window of the sandwich shop, carefully avoiding the bodies. “Hopefully, someone will start organizing—putting things back together.”
“We haven’t seen anyone at all.” I follow him inside but don’t get past the entrance. There’s nothing but rubble inside.
“Maybe they’re in hiding.” He doesn’t sound convinced or convincing as he maneuvers around debris trying to get back behind the counter. Everything inside is smashed and useless, so we go back outside.
“Maybe we’re the only survivors.” I can only whisper the words, barely able to comprehend the thought.
I look up at Falk as his face tightens and his lips smash together. He looks like he’s about so say something right before he focuses in the distance.
“We’re not,” Falk says. “Look.”
I follow his nod with my gaze and see three men in dirty jeans and flannel shirts appear from around the corner of the strip mall. One of them points to us, and they all start heading in our direction, waving. As they approach, I can see they’re all in their early thirties, and their clothing is filthy.
Falk stands up straight and touches the gun at his hip briefly before letting his hand fall back to his side. He’s tense and alert, like he was when we first stepped out of the hotel.
“Don’t say anything.” Falk looks at me with those intense eyes as he speaks.
“Why not?”
“I’ll explain later.”
The three men stop as they get close to us, and Falk takes a step in front of me. I watch him closely as they interact.
“Hey there!” One of the men in the group moves ahead and addresses Falk. “What the fuck happened around here?”
“I was hoping you would know.” Falk takes a step forward and offers his hand. “Falk Eckhart. We haven’t seen anyone since it happened.”
“Beck,” the dark-haired man says. “Beck Majors.”
Beck is slightly taller than Falk with a more slender build. He’s got that rough-and-ready look I associate with old cigarette or whiskey commercials. He would have looked completely in place if he had ridden up on horseback. He points to the other two men as he introduces them.
“This is Caesar and Ryan Tucker.”
“My brother and I just came here for the weekend,” Caesar says. He’s a medium-sized, broad shouldered guy with a shaved head. “Beck had gone on about how we needed to visit, but I think we picked the wrong time.”
“Phones aren’t working at all,” Ryan says. He’s much smaller than his brother and obviously younger by several years, and they look nothing alike. He’s got a scruffy beard, round eyeglasses, and a beret on his head, giving him a hipster vibe. “I’ve got a short wave radio that isn’t picking up anything, either. I’m not so
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