Strange Dayz

By Roy E. Bean, Jr

What would you do if the world as you knew it changed drastically? Could you survive? This is a story of survival and also a love story. Sometimes things get a little crazy. Maybe man has done one final thing that says it is time to start over. When the Happening takes place and leaves mostly teens and younger behind the world gets a fresh start. How will they survive and what will they do to cope with their new world?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roy E. Bean, Jr
• Release date: Nov 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781301652075

Roy E. Bean, Jr

Started writing at 16 years old. Didn't finish first book 'Strange Dayz' until I was 26. Served in the Army and went to college in the mean time. Graduated with a degree in Business. Worked in that capacity as a civilian. Joined the National Guard and rose to the rank of SGM. Retired after over twenty years of service. Served in Military Intelligence, Cavalry, Infantry and as a Chem Specialist.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Out of the blue, my pen popped out of my hand. I thought it was kind of weird, but it seemed like no one else had it happening to them so I didn't bother with it. At exactly nine o'clock it hit full intensity. I was standing at the pencil sharpener, with nothing else to do but sharpen my everlasting Bic pen, when it flew out of my hand and embedded itself in a guy’s neck. I looked and couldn't believe my eyes! I looked up from the kid, and saw pens and pencils flying all over the room. One of the kids jumped up from his seat to get out of the room. In doing so he hit the desk and made it start vibrating. The desk jumped and caught seven kids against the wall, crushing them all. With that, everyone in the classroom started screaming and trying to get to the door. I pushed the door open, and got out before the door closed crushing the person behind me, who was also trying to get out. I ran outside, down the walkway and just brushed against a trash barrel that was setting on the sidewalk. In doing so it fell down and started chasing me. I got to the end of the corridor where the poles to hold up the awning were and stood behind one of them. A second before the barrel hit the pole, I ran from it. As it hit, it wrapped itself around the pole making it vibrate. On the other side of the walk, I turned and saw the whole awning lift up into the air, and then come crashing down, crushing the few kids who had managed to get out of the rooms, but were still in the corridor. All I could hear were screams, and cries for help, but I knew I would not be able to get in to help them. Just then a girl, who had been hiding next to the wall, got up to run across the quad. She also brushed against a small trash barrel. The barrel immediately began chasing her. She tripped and fell, and the barrel caught and hit her. To her good fortune it was a new plastic one and just bounced over her and kept on rolling. I ran over to her, helped her up, and ran with her over to a nearby tree. We sat down, leaning our backs against the tree. From the apparent safety of the tree we watched in horror. The few kids that had managed to get out of the rooms had not done so without some sort of injury. Kids were running around with broken limbs, and things sticking out of their bodies. It seemed like everything was alive. Things were flying around, and moving in one way or another. All of the trash cans were rolling around. Each time one would hit something it would make it come to life and move, or simply break apart. The picnic tables in the lunch area got into the act and took flight, smashing into the building. They would hit with tremendous force, sometimes collapsing the building. Other times it would just awaken the building from its sleep to start its own rampage. The shattered tables and bits of building were filling the air with dust and debris. One car went flying over our heads and a minute later we heard an explosion. It sounded like a bomb and could be heard all over campus. Then we could smell burning gas and oil, and the stench of weeds and flesh as the fire touched anything near it. The smell became almost unbearable. One kid ran by us with a pointer sticking through him like a large arrow. He was yelling Repent, repent, God help me. I'm saved! And then he fell to the ground dead, but with a smile on his face as wide as the ocean, eyes open staring up into the heavens. Some of the kids were standing there staring at the sky, things sticking out of them. Others, with part of their body crushed, were setting, staring, asking Except me please, oh please do! One by one, after they would say it they would fall dead, smiling, staring gazing into, and past the sky. Many looked as though they were concrete statues, stiff, straight, dead. Then there were two more explosions, the stench of gas, and flesh filled the air once again. Blood covered the once green grass. Red was the dominate color, everything was covered with blood, gallons of blood. I could only imagine what a battle field would look like, and this seemed worse. The enemy was anything you took for granted, setting, standing, once quiet and firm was now wreaking havoc. Litter fell from the sky, only to have something else rise up. The buildings were all shaking, like a great earthquake, they came sown with a whoosh.

While this all happened around us, the tree had grown limbs around us. Before we realized what had happened we were trapped. But as I started to try to get up the tree said softly, Quiet, you'll be safe here and if there's anything you want to know just ask. I couldn't believe my ears, a tree talking! I sat there and looked at the girl to see her expression, and it was one of disbelief also. Being curious I asked what would happen to four kids I knew. The first one, Mark, he has been stabbed with a pencil. John was crushed against the desk by his chair. Mike got electrocuted and Dan also got crushed.

I asked, Can you also tell the future?

Sure, we plants know everything, yes everything, and anything. Why what do you want to know?

Well, like when is this going to stop, and how many will be killed?

The tree answered calmly, It will end exactly one hour after it started, at ten o'clock. And as to how many will be killed, as a result of this only ten thousand people will be left in the USA, and less in many other large countries. I'm glad you two made it over here, I haven't talked to anyone since, oh, around sixty one or two, when I talked to a blind pruner. Anyways, I heard he told someone about it and they sent him to a farm or something. But I'm glad you came over. You know I feel sorry for all those people in the hospitals, they will all die, but at least they won't have any more pain.

How many people will be left in the cities?

Oh, everyone in the bid cities like Los Angeles, and New York will die, and even in the smaller ones very few will survive. It's really sad you know, but it is partially mans fault, and it probably won't happen again for another six thousand years or so. Well anyways, back to the questions, one other boy is still alive here, and at the Junior High there are two girls and a boy.

What about our families? I asked.

Well your sisters will make it, as will one of her brothers, the good one. Your sister can have that mustang she wants now, as many as she wants! And after this ends the earth will swallow up the dead and a plant will grow where each one died. It will be like a grave yard, but much nicer, without all those cut stones everywhere. And if you and this girl want L.A. you can have it, or what is left of it.

John had taken his crew out to clear some brush, and make a fire break in the hills above Riverside. He started work at 0700 hours, and stopped for a break just before

0900. It was hot already, and the cool water out of the Otis cooler really hit the spot.

The men were lying around, not too concerned with thoughts you or I have on a normal day. They spent their off work time behind a fence, in a cell. These were the good criminals. They hadn't done anything to bad. Ya, one was a rapist, and one had murdered his wife, but they would be ok on a work crew. These were twelve wonderful specimens of humanity. John could sense that something was strange in the air, but he couldn't figure it out. They broke for twenty minutes, they had worked hard, and already had cleared quite a distance. John got up first and grabbed his pike. It flew out of his hand, just missing one of the crew. Tom thought he was being attacked, and swung his shovel up side Johns head with a crack. The last thought Captain John Harvey had was what had made his pick come alive. The other eleven stood in disbelief. Then more things came alive. They sat down and watched the show. Only Tom was struck down, and that was by his own shovel. His eyes rolled back and he gurgled a curse, and with that he died.

We sat there in a daze, the horror around us, but a feeling of peace being with the girl, protected by this tree. I thought to myself all the times I had talked to plants before because I had heard they understand, and if you talk nice they would grow better. If people really knew.... My mind began to wander and through it ran the life of the girl that was setting next to me: Born and raised in California, she had two brothers and a sister. Her father was a doper, which he had picked up from her older brother. They were both in jail. Her sister was following their footsteps and was now in juvie at the age of nine.

Her other brother was a quite, shy type. He paid for this by consistently getting beat up. He got turned on to martial arts to escape. One night five guys who had beaten him up many times before decided to have some fun one more time. He ended up killing two and putting the other three in the hospital. He had learned his lessons well, but couldn't control his rage once let loose. Her mom was a good woman, disgusted with her husband and son, but still loved them both, hoping that one day they would reform.

The girl seemed to have overcome these handicaps by living in her own world. She had beautiful blue eyes, and light brown hair. She had the cutest face I'd ever seen, and reminded me of the old song Raged. Even though she looked good she wasn't popular because her cloths weren't the latest style, but she wore them well. She was really beautiful to me, and I knew I would love her.

At that time the tree whispered into my mind, She will be your wife, treat her with care, just give her your love, that is all she wants. Then we were squeezed together. She looked at me and I could tell she was what I had been looking for, and wanted for a future wife. It looked as though the future was here. I knew she'd make a wonderful wife. As we looked into each others eyes it seemed that the tree had spoken to her also. Then after sitting there for a while looking at each other the tree broke the silence.

Well, only fifteen minutes to go. Oh, I was hoping that jet would stay up out of the atmosphere until it was over, now he will crash.

As he was saying it, we looked up and saw the jet coming straight down, and it looked as if he would land right near us. The noise was so unbearable that the tree made four more branches come out, which plugged our ears. We thanked him, but couldn't hear his reply. Then we saw the plane crash into the apartments next to the school. The whole area exploded into the sky, leveling the buildings. The debris made a dust cloud so dense, the sky turned dark.

The fire raged for ten more minutes and then at ten o'clock it stopped. Except for the smell, and the dust, everything was back to normal, if that is what you would call it. We stayed seated for five more minutes, and then the tree opened up his arms. Before we left he said, Don't gain to much power, it will ruin you. Stay the same as you are, if not you will regret it. Have a good life together and maybe sometime I'll see you again. Well, good bye, and good luck, I've got to stop talking. It's been nice talking to you.

Good-bye and thank you for keeping us safe. Is there anything we can do for you?

I can't talk much longer, but would you move that tree over to here? The little one that is in front of me. Our roots met, and I would like to get to know her better.

Her? Ya, that will be easy, I'll just go get a shovel and ....

No, I'll just ask the ground to open up, and you pick her up gently and put her in the hole right over here.

We looked and the ground opened up, and made a hole for the little tree. I picked it up and moved it to the hole. After I had placed it in the hole the ground closed around it.

Thank you, now you go tend to the people around here that I told you about. Good bye.

Bye, see ya soon. But the tree couldn't reply. I looked at the two trees and thought of their new life, and hopes the trees would be happy. Then I thought to myself how strange that sounded. We walked over to the classrooms. It was so difficult to move around because of all the debris. The bodies, the blood, it was all I could do to keep from throwing up. I held the girls hand and realized that I didn't even know her name.

My name is Steve, the tree told me all about you but I don't know your name!

My name is Ann, and I seem to know all about you also. I wish we would have been brought together under better circumstances. Thank you for helping me over to the tree. I guess this must have been all predestined. I wonder where the other person is that was supposed to be alive here?

We searched for fifteen minutes before we found him. He was next to a wall, holding a girl, stroking her hair. She had that faraway look in her eyes that told me she was dead. I shook his shoulder and he finally looked up and said She is my sister, she can't be gone, she can't.... His voice trailed off.

My name is Steve, and this is Ann. What is your name?

It took him a little while to understand what we were saying, but he finally answered, I'm Rick. Is any one else alive here?

"Well, you might think this sounds a little ridiculous, but a tree told us that you were the only other one here. The tree also told us that there are three kids alive over at the Jr. High. Let's see if we can get a car and go over there. With that he stood up slowly.

I have a car, we can use it. Ok?

We walked out to the parking lot carefully to not step on any loose debris or bodies. Even though most of the cars were damaged in one way or another, Rick's was still in one piece. We got in and started out to the Jr. High. It was slow going because of all the stuff laying in the streets. I realized that Ann and I would need a car also, but I was going to find a Jeep so we could go where ever we wanted to go easily. It took us nearly a half hour to go about three miles. When we got there, a boy was setting next to two girls trying to calm them. He looked up when we stopped and I realized it was a friend of mine from up the canyon. We got out and walked over to where they sat, and got up to greet us.

Hey, Rob, glad you make it!

Ya, this was really something, these two girls and I are the only ones around here left. It's pretty gruesome in there, bodies all over. How was it at the High School?

We are it, made a pretty big mess of the place there also.

"It started so suddenly, I just got out of my seat, ran out through the door to this place. Can't say exactly why, but anyways I sat down against this wall and waited. These two girls came out about a minute