together and introduced you to one another.
“My parents used to shop here too, I think,” I told him. “I guess since we time jumped here that means your parents are close by.”
“Yeah,” Ash said, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden, “most likely.”
“You don’t sound too thrilled about seeing them.”
“It’s frustrating to be so close but not being able to say anything to them.”
“Have you tried?”
“I’m scared I might change the future if I say too much. And I know if I start talking to them, I’ll say more than I should,” Ash shrugged. “So I just try to keep my distance if I see them.”
The sound of a civil defense siren sounded in the distance. Another siren, closer to our location, joined in its warning cry.
“You need to get us out of here,” I told Ash.
Ash reached out to grab the arm I held Rose in again but was jostled away by a rush of terrified people exiting the grocery store. True panic had now set in among those around us. Everyone during this time knew a warning siren either meant a nuclear bomb was about to hit the city or Harvesters were invading. Rochester was never hit with a nuke in the past, so I knew it meant Harvesters were close and gathering humans up for their own nefarious purposes.
Ash tried to fight his way through the crowd back to us. He stumbled but was caught by a man who grabbed him by the arms before he had a chance to fall to the ground.
I watched as Ash lifted his gaze and met the eyes of the man who helped him.
“Sorry, son,” the man said and I instantly recognized his voice.
It was Ash’s father.
Ash stared at his dad, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
And then he vanished.
“What the hell?” Ash’s father said, but didn’t have time to ponder the strange occurrence for too long.
A line of Harvester trucks barreled into the parking lot followed by about ten black Harvester SUV s. Even this early in the war, Harvesters simply viewed humans as livestock to be gathered. The vehicles they used to transport people to breeding camps and harvesting facilities were once used to haul cattle to slaughter houses. In the end, that’s all humans were to Harvesters, meat to be butchered for their own survival.
I had no idea what to do. Ash was gone and I had no way of knowing if or when he would find his way back to us. I stood there holding a crying Rose against my shoulder trying to console her while scanning the area around us to find some means of escape.
The Harvesters exited the SUV s and covered the parking lot like locust, reaping humans quickly and tossing them inside the transport trailers like they were nothing more than rag dolls. I did the only thing I could think of and ran inside the store, hoping to find a way out the back.
I ran down an aisle marked as once having canned vegetables. The shelves were bare now from people grabbing what supplies they could in their futile hope they could remain free long enough to actually eat them. Many of those same people were outside now being gathered up by Harvesters and thrown into the silver trailers which would take them either to a breeding camp or a harvesting facility. Both options meant death. The only difference was timing.
When I reached the back of the store, I found it completely empty. It seemed strange that no one was trying to escape out the back like I was, but I didn't give it much thought. All I knew was that I needed to get Rose and me as far away from the culling as I could. I ran towards a door with a lit sign overhead marking it as an exit. Just as I was about to push the bar to open the door to the outside, I heard them. I closed my eyes and counted the number of heartbeats I could hear just on the other side of the door. It was one of the few times I was thankful for my enhanced Harvester hearing. I counted at least five people standing right outside the building.
“Get that truck to the harvesting facility,” I heard a man order gruffly. “The queen wants to
“My parents used to shop here too, I think,” I told him. “I guess since we time jumped here that means your parents are close by.”
“Yeah,” Ash said, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden, “most likely.”
“You don’t sound too thrilled about seeing them.”
“It’s frustrating to be so close but not being able to say anything to them.”
“Have you tried?”
“I’m scared I might change the future if I say too much. And I know if I start talking to them, I’ll say more than I should,” Ash shrugged. “So I just try to keep my distance if I see them.”
The sound of a civil defense siren sounded in the distance. Another siren, closer to our location, joined in its warning cry.
“You need to get us out of here,” I told Ash.
Ash reached out to grab the arm I held Rose in again but was jostled away by a rush of terrified people exiting the grocery store. True panic had now set in among those around us. Everyone during this time knew a warning siren either meant a nuclear bomb was about to hit the city or Harvesters were invading. Rochester was never hit with a nuke in the past, so I knew it meant Harvesters were close and gathering humans up for their own nefarious purposes.
Ash tried to fight his way through the crowd back to us. He stumbled but was caught by a man who grabbed him by the arms before he had a chance to fall to the ground.
I watched as Ash lifted his gaze and met the eyes of the man who helped him.
“Sorry, son,” the man said and I instantly recognized his voice.
It was Ash’s father.
Ash stared at his dad, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
And then he vanished.
“What the hell?” Ash’s father said, but didn’t have time to ponder the strange occurrence for too long.
A line of Harvester trucks barreled into the parking lot followed by about ten black Harvester SUV s. Even this early in the war, Harvesters simply viewed humans as livestock to be gathered. The vehicles they used to transport people to breeding camps and harvesting facilities were once used to haul cattle to slaughter houses. In the end, that’s all humans were to Harvesters, meat to be butchered for their own survival.
I had no idea what to do. Ash was gone and I had no way of knowing if or when he would find his way back to us. I stood there holding a crying Rose against my shoulder trying to console her while scanning the area around us to find some means of escape.
The Harvesters exited the SUV s and covered the parking lot like locust, reaping humans quickly and tossing them inside the transport trailers like they were nothing more than rag dolls. I did the only thing I could think of and ran inside the store, hoping to find a way out the back.
I ran down an aisle marked as once having canned vegetables. The shelves were bare now from people grabbing what supplies they could in their futile hope they could remain free long enough to actually eat them. Many of those same people were outside now being gathered up by Harvesters and thrown into the silver trailers which would take them either to a breeding camp or a harvesting facility. Both options meant death. The only difference was timing.
When I reached the back of the store, I found it completely empty. It seemed strange that no one was trying to escape out the back like I was, but I didn't give it much thought. All I knew was that I needed to get Rose and me as far away from the culling as I could. I ran towards a door with a lit sign overhead marking it as an exit. Just as I was about to push the bar to open the door to the outside, I heard them. I closed my eyes and counted the number of heartbeats I could hear just on the other side of the door. It was one of the few times I was thankful for my enhanced Harvester hearing. I counted at least five people standing right outside the building.
“Get that truck to the harvesting facility,” I heard a man order gruffly. “The queen wants to
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