{"id":105,"date":"2011-04-15T00:10:11","date_gmt":"2011-04-15T04:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=105"},"modified":"2011-04-15T00:10:11","modified_gmt":"2011-04-15T04:10:11","slug":"day-zero-chapter-1-03","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/?p=105","title":{"rendered":"Day Zero – Chapter 1 – 03"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t like this at all.<\/em>\u00a0 Kellin frowned darkly to herself, standing near the rim of the ravine\u2014a few feet back, in case the ground decided to move again.\u00a0 She had come back to the edge with Drew after the earthquake stopped, to look down at the ravine, at the creek.\u00a0 Something had stirred in the last hour, and was still stirring now.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Three dozen of them\u2014no, forty of them now.\u00a0 Survivors from the campus.\u00a0 Eight had already left despite urgings to stay put.\u00a0 Kellin already knew they\u2019d never see those eight again.\u00a0 She could feel it.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a good feeling, either, especially because she knew they wouldn\u2019t be the last to slip away, never to be seen again.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She exhaled through her teeth, watching the not-quite-imaginary ripples down near the creek that ran along the bottom of the ravine.\u00a0 They quavered and swirled, twisting back on each other, moreso than she was used to seeing them do.\u00a0 They wove themselves into knots that she could feel tightening, the lines suddenly changing, the fabric warping.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She glanced toward Drew.\u00a0 \u201cYou can feel it, too, can\u2019t you?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The tall man grimaced, following her gaze.\u00a0 \u201cFor the first time, I can see<\/em> it,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 He\u2019d never been able to see these things before, only in snatches and snippets, fleeting glimpses, but he\u2019d always been able to feel it.\u00a0 He looked at her for a moment.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do we do<\/em>, Kellin?\u00a0 You understand this more than the rest of us.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She snorted softly.\u00a0 \u201cRory understands, too.\u00a0 His understanding is just unique.\u201d\u00a0 She crouched, hugging her knees and staring down.\u00a0 The ground trembled a moment, then stilled.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s bad, Drew,\u201d she mumbled.\u00a0 \u201cThe whole\u2026everything\u2019s destabilizing.\u00a0 The lines\u2026\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cShifting erratically.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She nodded.\u00a0 \u201cAnd faster than they should.\u00a0 Something hitting the river itself shouldn\u2019t do this, either, not like this.\u00a0 Destabilize it, yes, but it doesn\u2019t just feel like it\u2019s the lines through here.\u00a0 It feels like the entire fabric is being twisted.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAnd torn.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cAnd torn,\u201d she echoed, swallowing.\u00a0 And the others can\u2019t grasp this yet.\u00a0 They will soon, but not yet.\u00a0 But they\u2019ll ask.\u00a0 They\u2019ll ask <\/em>me, as if I have the answers to all of their questions.\u00a0 What do I tell them?<\/em>\u00a0 She exhaled quietly.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not good.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut it\u2019s\u2026the beginning, you said?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kellin blinked.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think he heard me say it.<\/em>\u00a0 She licked her lips almost nervously.\u00a0 The words had slipped out when she had felt Jacqueline\u2019s question, thought so strongly that it was audible to anyone even remotely sensitive.\u00a0 It was<\/em> a beginning, though Kellin herself wasn\u2019t sure of what\u2014but something different.\u00a0 A new world, maybe?\u00a0 A new age?\u00a0 Probably.\u00a0 She shook her head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cOf something.\u00a0 Not an end.\u00a0 Well. \u00a0An end and a beginning at the same time.\u00a0 Something different.\u00a0 It\u2019s\u2026it\u2019s changing.\u00a0 I\u2019m not really sure that it\u2019s\u2026well.\u00a0 That it\u2019s an awful thing.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHope you\u2019re right,\u201d Drew mumbled, staring at the tortured lines below that he could feel but couldn\u2019t see.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSo do I.\u201d\u00a0 She smiled ruefully, watching the rippling and swirling below.\u00a0 \u201cHas anyone found Marin yet?\u201d\u00a0 Marin\u2019ll be able to help.\u00a0 She can help me figure out what to say.\u00a0 How to explain it all, when they ask us.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Silence met her question.\u00a0 She looked up at Drew quizzically, brow furrowing at his frown.\u00a0<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWhat is it?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMarin went to work.\u00a0 Got called in last-minute.\u201d\u00a0 Drew scratched his head.\u00a0 \u201cNot sure if she was off yet when this started.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Damn.<\/em>\u00a0 Kellin swallowed rising bile.\u00a0 \u201cHope she made it back.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sure Matt does, too.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kellin winced.\u00a0 \u201cYeah.\u201d\u00a0 Matt was Marin\u2019s younger brother, less than two years younger than his sister.\u00a0 They\u2019d been raised by their aunt after their parents had died while they were in high school; cancer took her two years before.\u00a0 Marin was all Matt had left these days.\u00a0 He\u2019d transferred to the university a year ago, while his sister was finishing up her degree, after breaking up with his fianc\u00e9.\u00a0 That had been for the best, Marin had said repeatedly in the wake of the incident.\u00a0 Kellin crouched and drew in the dust with a fingertip near her feet.\u00a0 \u201cIf this is what it might be\u2026we need her, Drew.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPreaching to the choir, Kellin.\u00a0 I realize we\u2019ll need her.\u201d\u00a0 He glanced back over his shoulder.\u00a0 Rory was on his way toward them from the knot of people, which seemed to have decreased by a couple more bodies.\u00a0 \u201cThis is going to be long-term.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cChoir.\u201d\u00a0 Kellin sighed.\u00a0 \u201cYou and I\u2014and Rory, too, I\u2019m thinking\u2014know it\u2019s going to be long-term.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t isolated.\u00a0 Have you<\/em> seen the meteorites stop coming down?\u00a0 I haven\u2019t.\u00a0 Sky looks like it\u2019s getting worse.\u201d\u00a0 She didn\u2019t mention the strange wind, or the dark clouds they\u2019d been watching rising in the west.\u00a0 She didn\u2019t need<\/em> to mention the continuing ground tremors, or the feeling of the very fabric of the world, of its power-lines, twisting back on itself, unraveling.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe drew the short straw,\u201d Rory announced as he joined them.\u00a0 He grinned at Kellin\u2019s quizzical look.\u00a0 \u201cThey want us to hike out to M-45, see what we can see.\u00a0 Count cars in the parking lots on that end of campus.\u201d\u00a0 The grin faded.\u00a0 \u201cFigure out how many people we should be looking for.\u00a0 How many bodies we might be finding before this is over.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kellin winced.\u00a0 Of course there\u2019ll be dead.\u00a0 I just\u2026wish there wouldn\u2019t be.<\/em>\u00a0 She slowly straightened, crouching again as a ground tremor stole her balance momentarily.\u00a0 The sound of breaking glass echoed off the trees and the ruined buildings.\u00a0 Not good.\u00a0 These buildings aren\u2019t designed for seismic stability.<\/em>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She made it all the way upright on the second try.\u00a0 Chewing on the inside of her lip, she chafed her hands over bare arms.\u00a0 \u201cSomeone else checking the dorms?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cTala volunteered.\u00a0 She and some of the other anthro students, plus Leah and Jacqueline.\u201d\u00a0 Leah Vandenburg was in the nursing program\u2014Jacqueline had met her in one of their freshman chemistry classes and they\u2019d been friends since.\u00a0 Rory frowned at her.\u00a0 \u201cAre you cold, Kel?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 She grimaced.\u00a0 \u201cA little.\u00a0 Wind\u2019s chilly.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt is,\u201d Drew admitted, eying Rory.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rory just shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cCould be this is making the weather turn?\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cPray it doesn\u2019t,\u201d Kellin mumbled.\u00a0 \u201cIf it does, things are going to get very messy very quickly, I think.\u201d
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll find a way to make it work.\u201d\u00a0 The optimism in Rory\u2019s voice was unusual, to say the least. \u00a0Normally, the criminal justice student was the most pessimistic of the bunch\u2014something in the midst of this insanity must have put him in a good mood.
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The bleaker the straits, the more perky he gets, I guess.\u00a0 Maybe it\u2019s the challenge.\u00a0 Or adrenaline.<\/em>\u00a0 Kellin sighed again.\u00a0 I hope I don\u2019t hate what we\u2019re going to see when he finally comes down from this high.<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cRight.\u00a0 I\u2019m thinking we\u2019d probably be better off going the long way around rather than trying Little Mac.\u00a0 Let\u2019s go.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I don\u2019t like this at all.\u00a0 Kellin frowned darkly to herself, standing near the rim of the ravine\u2014a few feet back, in case the ground decided to move again.\u00a0 She had come back to the edge with Drew after … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-chapter-01","category-day-zero"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1EBlN-1H","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/awakenings.embklitzke.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}