Chapter One

We meet the story's main character and get a glimpse into what life is like after the end of the world

            When the world was set ablaze, no one knew what to do. Everything anyone had ever known disappeared in the blink of an eye. Entire cities were destroyed in seconds. It only took a few minutes for civilization to collapse. Suddenly, survivors found themselves bound by no laws; everyone was out for his or herself. That was exactly how Mia Tompkins wanted it.

            Growing up, Mia was in trouble with her hometown police force almost every week. She had done it all; shoplifting, joyriding and being a public pain in the a*s. She knew the name of every cop and was on a first name basis with them all. Mia spent most of her teenage years in and out of various juvenile institutions. It is there were she learned the most useful skills; these skills were what had saved her on countless occasions since everything went to hell.

            Mia was creeping up towards a gas station. It looked like it had already been hit by someone else. She pulled her pistol �" an old Colt .45 she had found �" and walked towards one of the busted out windows. The old paint scheme, an annoying yellow and orange, had been spray painted over. Most of the graffiti were places for families to meet up. Some were actually local gang signs and Mia was surprised that some of those idiots might have survived.

            A crash came from the building, freezing Mia in her approach. She forcefully slowed her breathing down and crept forward. She could hear voices coming from the store. A second voice joined the first, argumentative in tone. Mia reached the block portion of the store and slid against the wall as quietly as she could.

 

            It was his fault that he had knocked over a basket full of rotting food and he knew it. It would not be long before Jack ran into the room, gun out, and started yelling at him. David was a young kid, barely old enough to drive legally. He had been scraping out a meager existence hunting small game. He killed and ate any small animal he could find. At first, he tried not to kill any domesticated pets but his options ran out very quickly.

            David tried to look innocent when Jack  rounded the corner from the store’s stockroom. “It wasn’t my fault, I swear,” David began. “I didn’t see the damn basket.” Jack shook his head. “D****t, boy, I swear. I thought that someone jumped ya,” David held his hands up, suggesting that he was sorry. Jack began to turn to head back to the stockroom when the shot rang out.

 

            Mia watched the two men exchange words. She decided that they would be a problem if they were to stay alive. She took a steadying breath and stepped into view of the two men. She brought her pistol up and leveled it at the man who had appeared from around the corner. She exhaled and squeezed the trigger.

            The gun spit fire, propelling a slug at the man. The smell of gunpowder instantly filled Mia’s nostrils and the smoke obscured her vision. Before she confirmed if the man had been killed, she ducked down behind the counter.

 

            David jumped when he heard the gunshot. He dropped to the ground, covering his head. Next to him, he felt Jack drop to the ground as well. “S**t, man, we gotta get outta here,” he yelled. He waited for what seemed like an eternity for Jack’s response. When it didn’t come, he glanced from in between his arms.

            Jack lie next to him, motionless. His left eye was gone, replaced by a gaping hole. David could see Jack’s cheek bone, jagged and broken, protruding from under the skin. Blood had already began to pool around Jack’s head and was threatening to seep into David’s clothes.

            David could not die like this. He knew that Jack always carried a gun on him. He reached over cautiously, still in disbelief that Jack was dead. David’s hand reached to where he had always seen Jack holster his gun. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the fact he was touching a dead body.

 

            After a few seconds, Mia peeked her head back over the counter. She saw both of the men had fallen to the ground. She wondered if she had killed both them. She shook her head, disagreeing with herself. As much as she wished she could have, there was no way she had killed both with one shot. Mia knew she had aimed only at the second man so only he was dead. The pool of blood agreed with her.

            She quietly moved around the counter and saw the first man reaching to the second. At first, she thought that he was checking to see if he was alive. She quickly realized that he was going for the gun tucked into a shoulder holster. With astonishing speed, she was on the first man’s back, gun pushing against his head.

            “Don’t move, m**********r,” she growled, pressing the gun harder into his head. The man, although boy was a more appropriate term now that she was closer, quivered and froze his movements. “Don’t kill me,” he whined. “Shut up, b***h,” she growled again. Mia reached into the boy’s pockets, looking for any weapons. In his front pocket, she found a pocketknife.

            Mia stood up and reached over to the dead man, fishing around for his pistol. After a quick search, she found what she was looking for. The dead man, whoever he was, carried some serious firepower. She stared at her new acquisition, a silver .357 magnum. “Get up,” she said, rising off the poor boy. David was eager not to keep this mystery woman waiting. Mia looked the boy up and down, then took a breath. “Get outta here and don’t let me see you again,” she directed.

            David hung his head low, not wanting to be on his own. It was true that he was capable of surviving without any help but he longed for someone to talk to. “Please, let me follow you. I could help you out,” he began. Mia scoffed. “You’d only slow me down and get me killed,” she retorted. “But,” he began. Mia cut him off. “Beat it kid, or I will kill you.” The color in David’s face drained away as she threatened his life. Without hesitation, David ran out of the store.