Hb

By Cyd Webster

HB! HomeBoy... Androids! Replace men? How in the world can this happen?

Its a story about a scholarly young woman who invests her energy toward finding a solution to answer the problem of women who are unable to find a suitable mate in the traditional sense, leading to traditional family life.

The story takes place in a time where the legacy of war and devastation, economic turmoil and social decline, has led to a diminishing population of men.

The main character, Annelle Carter is a scholarly, leader who takes an idea, seizes opportunities and brings it to fruition, but not without controversy. Throughout the story, we can see many attitudes and opinions displayed by the characters, Annelles friends and adversaries. HB is a story that is just one possible outcome of the many, on how our future plays out.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 5, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452052113

Cyd Webster

About the Author Cyd Webster hopes to inspire dialogue among readers in regard to being aware of what is going on in our environment, including scientifically, politically, economically, religiously. To remain blissfully ignorant of all the machinations that are happening around us has proven time and time again, to be detrimental. By the time most people receive a ‘wake up’ call to crucial issues, the damage is already done. It’s a lot harder to turn a ship around once it has sailed way into its course. Cyd Webster was born in East Orange, NJ, and lived in Orange, NJ most of her life. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and attended graduate school at Montclair State University. She is an Information Technology professional for over 26 years, but has always dreamed of being a writer. HB is her second published work. Her first published book Struck by Lightning and Other Bolts of Reality is a collection of short stories, and is still available for order. More information is available at www.cydwebster.com.

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© 2010 Cyd Webster. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 9/27/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4520-5211-3 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4520-5210-6 (sc)

Printed in the United States of America

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Acknowledgements

i

Cataclysm

ii

iii

1

Café Latte

2

Serenity Deceived

3

Date Plan

4

Ted

5

The Getaway

6

Illusion Confusion

7

Restoreth My Soul

8

Lying Eyes

9

The Spark Faux Life

10

Earth has no sorrow…

Acknowledgements

I am so very blessed to have such wonderful people in my life. First I have to thank George Ward Beacham III who has been so supportive of my efforts since we first met, and he continues to motivate me to stay on course even when being bombarded by all kinds of adversity. He has led me right into Bethany Baptist Church in Lindenwold, NJ where I am experiencing an exciting and enlightening atmosphere under the auspices of Bishop David G. Evans. I look forward to services there on Sundays and his words of wisdom with motivating steps toward creating goals and building vision. Thanks to Lisa Reed, George’s sister who has been a voice of sanity for me and I am so glad she has been so patient in listening to me agonize over finishing this book. I would also like to thank Shirley Hendricks again, for being an encouraging voice and being so excited about my writing, as well as Doreen Adams who is also very supportive and a real motivator in my circle of friends. They truly help me have the courage and confidence I need to keep going. And to my friend who is more like a brother, Stan Dabney II (Artie), I have to also thank for always staying in touch and for the encouragement. There are so many more including Sharon Jones, my sisters Maria and Carla, and my brothers Lee, Moriyah, and Aric who are always in my corner. I am so very fortunate to have you all in my life.

‘Happiness is a choice!’

www.cydwebster.com

i

Cataclysm

There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. (Holy Bible, Revelation 6:12-14)[1]

Scientists had predicted for many, many years, that the explosions from one of the asteroids that they were tracking would expel meteorites that would be large and dense enough to eventually penetrate the earth’s atmosphere. It happens every now and then, that meteors and debris from collisions in space get pulled into the earth’s atmosphere. But what they were predicting, and waiting for, was ‘the big one’… the one that would bring with it, destruction and devastation of the magnitude that could only be compared to massive nuclear war. Those predictions were usually met with skepticism from colleagues and lay people alike. No one wanted to truly believe there was a real threat such as what was periodically publicized as an ominous prediction. Some scientists were also skeptical about publicizing this event as a threat, because the laws of probability left them with theories that clouded their predictions due to the realm of misunderstood time in relation to our perception of it. But when a satellite was destroyed by a meteorite after an explosion of a huge asteroid that had been orbiting the sun, the fears were heightened by those who already believed in the danger of a huge, massive asteroid shooting down through the earth’s atmosphere, and reaching earth with a violent impact. The asteroid they were tracking was estimated to be about fifty-nine square miles, which is nearly the size of Staten Island. It was on a collision course with another asteroid that was half the size of that big one they were tracking. The expectation of some scientists was that such a collision would send huge pieces of meteorites from that fifty-nine square mile of asteroid sailing toward earth, causing a real good chance for one of those huge pieces to get through the atmosphere. Usually, meteorites from asteroids would explode when punching through the earth’s atmosphere during their decent, and burn up before reaching Earth. But the prediction was that when it is large enough, and in such a trajectory that it is aimed at Earth, there is a strong possibility that it can punch through the atmosphere remaining intact, and gravity will take over, pulling it toward earth with great force.

And so it happened, on a day in the year of 2011, that was wrought with rain and storms in places that have not experienced that kind of weather in many years during the season... a day when the air felt strangely humid in places that used to be arid, and dry where humidity was common. And over the desert where rain was falling, it suddenly became still when the rain stopped. And when the rain stopped, there was an eerie silence due to the atmospheric pressure that became like a vacuum as the clouds were sucked upward toward the impending strike of the huge, massive, dense chunk of asteroid that was one half mile wide. It sped toward earth at thirty-thousand miles per hour, causing shifts in barometric pressure around the earth, which led to incredulous response from the earth in the form of traumatic weather all around the planet. The meteorite from the asteroid that the scientists were tracking, managed to burst forth from the darkness, bringing unimaginable light into the sky as it ripped through the earth’s atmosphere with violent speed and turbulence that was an experience completely unknown to man. No one was prepared for the traumatic and colossal chain of turbulent events that ensued. Hurricane force winds at over one-thousand miles per hour, wiped landscapes clean, while fires roared through cities and forests, miles away from the epicenter of the blast.

Although ideas were documented to try and prevent such a catastrophe, politics prevented the ideas from ever coming to fruition. The expense of creating mechanisms of a disaster plan based on theories could not be justified by the scientists and those who believed it could truly happen. The scientific community was unable to illustrate a vehicle of profit that would justify funding any plans to prevent such a supernatural catastrophe. Their hypothesis and theories fell short on the ears of politicians who might have been able to champion the cause to taxpayers. Private funding was even less likely without some possibility of a profit in the plan.

ii

"7:187 (Asad) THEY WILL ASK thee [O Prophet] about the Last Hour: When will it come to pass? Say: Verily, knowledge thereof rests with my Sustainer alone. None but He will reveal it in its time. Heavily will it weigh on the heavens and the earth; [and] it will not fall upon you otherwise than of a sudden. They will ask thee - as if thou couldst gain insight into this [mystery] by dint of persistent inquiry! Say: Knowledge thereof rests with my Sustainer alone; but [of this] most people are unaware. ( Holy Quran sura 7:187) [2]

The tremendous event happened at a time when it could have easily been misconstrued as preempted war against nations. The meteorite hit earth outside of Az Zalaf, Syria and its effect swept outward with a force that was at least five million times greater than the bomb at Hiroshima, obliterating most of Syria, Palestine, Israel, and Jordan. The impact caused strong lightning to explode up from the ground, and fires roared across deserts and into cities that were in a one-hundred mile radius, with hundreds of thousands of people extinguished in an instant. The air was so full of soot, ash and airborne particles that no living thing could be sustained in some surrounding areas. And those who were further away from the epicenter of the blast, in the periphery of the multitude of explosions and the mushroom cloud that plumed far upward into the sky, felt earthquakes that shook the ground with such magnitude, that buildings fell in places that were developed while underdeveloped villages to the east and south on the African continent were obliterated. Water sources were swallowed up into the ground, and people and animals alike, were wreaking havoc amongst each other while frantically experiencing the chaos of confusion in their need to try and survive. And then farther away, into the Mediterranean area windows burst out of homes and buildings and those left standing experienced tremendous damage to foundations with everything inside being shaken down, spilling contents from every cabinet, and shelf in homes for hundreds of miles from the epicenter of the original blast. Even further away, rain followed by powerful thunder shook every structure that was still standing with vibration, some so powerful that it was hard to distinguish it from earthquake. The Mediterranean and surrounding seas were erupting with huge tidal waves that washed up on surrounding shores and demolished shore towns and flooded cities. Tsunamis swept away entire islands and coastal cities as the devastation emanated outward from the impact point. The effects rippled through the region affecting countries in Europe and the Middle East. Storms continued as people who were far enough away from the original blast, were experiencing hurricane force winds and tornadoes and then darkness, as power utilities were disrupted. And the storms continued for what seemed like a very long time, longer than any usual tornado or hurricane would last. Hours later after the original blast, some survivors experienced rumbling thunder that seemed to become further away in distance, but then followed by powerful BOOMING blasts of thunder, which let people know that it was still not safe to venture out. Lightning lit up the sky continuously with unusual brightness and intensity. Strong wind howled as rain dumped from the sky. People around the world, had no idea that the horrific events they were experiencing, ended up being a worldwide calamity. It was such an ironic geographic area that was struck by the meteorite and pummeled out of existence, that it played right into the conspiracy theories that were quickly expressed all over the world as soon as communication was achieved. And it didn’t take long before the British decided that it had to be Iran who sent a nuclear warhead to extinguish Israel. They quickly responded by sending nuclear warheads to Iran, which in turn caused Pakistan to send one to Britain, which caused the United States to send nuclear bombs to Pakistan, but not before one landed just short of the U.S. border, into the Atlantic Ocean, causing shoreline devastation on the east coast.

iii

2 Daniel said: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. 3 Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea." (Holy Bible, Daniel 7:2-3)[3]

For three days, the earth had experienced what some would call Armageddon, others referred to it as the end of days, as the fire of earth’s destruction had arrived. Those who have committed their lives to eschatology in many religions, were feeling confirmed in their beliefs and predictions as the world as everyone knew it, became consumed in fire in so many places, and in such huge areas.

In the U.S. beyond the north eastern shore, people were experiencing tremendous storms, floods, and earthquake activity. The storms continued all night, and into the next day. No one seemed to be sure what time it was because the mushroom clouds that burst forth from the nuclear blast, which landed about one-hundred-fifty miles off the north eastern shore had such powerful magnitude that it had caused the sky to remain dark for days. Huge tidal waves washed ashore, demolishing the coasts from Rhode Island, down to Maryland. Going inward from the shore, were great floods and earthquake activity that caused buildings to crumble. No one seemed to realize that many places were about to experience an impact winter except for those who concluded that nuclear bombs had been dropped. And after thirty six hours passed since the initial blasts occurred finally, the rumbling began to subside. It could still be heard faintly, and more distant for many people in the periphery, but it had slowed down enough, to give some people who survived the catastrophe, courage to come out from the cover of their safe place, and peek out to see what had happened.

It could not be understood by anyone at first, what set off the chain of events that left such a trail of catastrophic devastation. No one could fathom the magnitude of damage that had occurred, because for a while, all modes of communication… internet, TV, phones… were not functioning for most people. Further inland, away from the shore, sirens could be heard as emergency workers emerged and were able to man their vehicles and begin their protocol of rescue and recovery. Slowly, towns began to come alive and people emerged with shock and disbelief as to what had happened, and yet it was not readily known what had actually happened, nor was it known how much of the world had been affected.

And as people emerged, and towns began to gather themselves, as the politicians began to appear, as well as some others who assumed the position as leaders, did the speculations, conspiracy theories, wild conclusions and fantastic stories begin.

1

Café Latte

Annelle sat in the coffee shop and gazed out the window, observing people as they walked up and down the street on the sidewalks, watching them cross the street back and forth, inside and outside of the crosswalk, between parked cars, swiping cards in parking meters… and she began to wonder just how many of the men out there were HBs. She thought she had become proficient at spotting them, but she was blown away when her best friend, Janice revealed that Ronald was an HB. Annelle was almost traumatized when she learned that Ronald was an HB, the common reference for HomeBoys, the actual name for the androids that she was responsible for creating. She had made sure that she was always able to detect them, but already the newest model had become undetectable, even to her.

They have really gotten good at this now, she thought as she sipped her latte. Janice’s HB, Ronald, really shook her up and she couldn’t help feeling insulted and like an outsider already, even though technically she was an outsider at this point.

Here it is, 2021 and I’m sitting here, staring out the window and trying to identify HBs as if it’s some kind of contest or something, she pondered as she watched men walk past the coffee shop window. She was unable to prevent the feeling of anxiety about the fact that she just wasn’t sure anymore. The older models were easy for her to detect but Ronald really put her in an insecure, uneasy, place. He was just so natural looking and acting, she mumbled to herself. She let out a sigh as she placed her elbow onto the table to rest her head in her hand and continued to gaze out the window. She thought about how HBs were supposed to be that way... undetectable by most people. But the very idea made her shudder as she thought about how she, herself, had made the mental leap that she criticized so many other women for, and actually fell in love with her last HB, Ted. Her emotional attachment to Ted felt like an endless, nagging guilt trip that she couldn’t shake as she sat there gazing out the window, having a conversation in her head. She was the type of person who would ‘never say never’, yet she never thought she’d ever become attached to Ted the way she did, and it made her feel like a hypocrite. The more realistic HBs were taking the company in a direction that made even Annelle, very uncomfortable. She was more than uncomfortable about them… she was disturbed.

She still could not have imagined that she would end up sitting in the coffee shop every day lately, sipping latte instead of being at work. Annelle had been the top Project Manager Executive of development who pushed the idea to make HBs’ more life-like as time went on in their development. Now, as she sat in the coffee shop, she felt conflicted about whether it was a good idea to go as far as they did with them. Her regrets were fleeting as she thought about the benefits of taking this route with HB development. After all, sales went through the roof once they became so ‘life-like’ and her popularity was that of a rock star among many women. Her stock options along with her salary package made her a fortune.

So here she sat, in her usual coffee shop spot, as her mind wandered down the road from whence she came, to where she ended up...

How unpredictable is life? Questions swirled around in her head as she continued to gaze out the window, and as uncomfortable as she was about the HBs’ evolution, she was more uncomfortable about where she was at in the particular moment in that coffee shop. She was completely confused with her existence there. She wasn’t feeling like she had fallen, like she had hit ‘rock bottom’ or anything like that. And then she wondered if she should be feeling like that, and if so, why wasn’t she. She was on top of the world a few months ago, and now, here she sat feeling like her brain was on spin cycle, wondering how she got there.

After Annelle graduated from college with a degree in Micro biophysics, she went straight on to Graduate School and then pursued her doctorate with a dynamic and astounding paper she wrote on Creationism and Ethics, which included the development of androids with the emphasis of their development on human companionship and more specifically, creating male androids for women. Her paper caused such a controversy amongst her peers and even outside of the discipline amongst religious factions and many others. There were many people who couldn’t understand her motivation for having such an idea as creating men for women, even though the shortage of male companionship for woman was undeniable and clearly apparent, especially for women over forty. But Annelle had noticed the trend of so many single women at an early age and decided that something should be done about it. There was so much talk about reasons for the shortage but no one seemed to have any real solutions. From wars, to disease, to egos and testosterone, men seemed to diminish while women flourished. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars dragged on for years with many, many lives lost and out of those who lived through it, many were mentally and physically damaged when they returned home. Many unsuccessfully tried to fit back into the lives they left. And then there were wars in Sudan, Honduras and a few other places around the world that continued to contribute to the diminished numbers of available men. Women were in the Armed Forces too, but still a minority among the ranks. And those men who remained in the states, struggled among each other with violence, gang wars, poor education, dependency, especially in the urban areas and where jobs were scarce. On top of that, many of the single women were having children, and raising them on their own. This trend created an increase in poverty for so many children who were in turn, ostracized by so many due to their dependency on the state. Annelle’s paper described the need, and a solution that included built-in home making and child care help with the android.

Annelle was only twenty-two years old when she achieved her doctorate in 2009, and she was considered a prodigy by most of her peers, who held her at high esteem. There were a few others who had amazing contempt and envy for her bold ideas and courage to put them in writing and publish them. It was impossible for her to have predicted at the time she wrote and published her thesis, that her idea would become such a tremendous hit on the market with huge popularity after the nuclear event of 2011.

NiBiodymics Industries had a research team that was heavily interested in Annelle’s ideas and they sought after her employ, which she was very happy and excited about. The CEO of NiBiodymics had gotten wind of her thesis from his partner who worked as a professor in the Micro biophysics department at The Ohio State University in Columbus, which is where she graduated from. Annelle was friends with the professor and he told her that he would put a word in for her at NiBiodymics. She was elated that the company was interested in her idea. She felt very fortunate that she would be able to bring her ideas to fruition with the powerful backing of a profitable and respectable company that was unafraid of blazing new trails. Other companies had interviewed Annelle and were not motivated to take on such an endeavor and cited moral and ethical reasons as to why they thought such an effort would not be a sound investment. But NiBiodymics was a new and upcoming company that was known for its trailblazing projects. The founder had a keen sense of fulfilling a need that would prove to make his company the leader in bio-development and evolution. Annelle’s paper hit the nail on the head for Walter, CEO and founder of NiBiodymics. She joined the company almost four months after she received her doctorate degree, and had negotiated a great starting salary of $132K, stock options as well as the patent in her name, for the android. She really felt fortunate and hit the ground running as soon as she got there. The company was located in Toledo, Ohio, so she was familiar with the area somewhat and although her parents thought she might come back to New Jersey once she was finished in college, they were excited for her finding a new job so quickly. The fact that NiBiodymics was already working on an android with other intentions made it easy for them to change gears once Annelle came on board, with her new direction. They quickly mapped out business requirements, master plans and strategy documentation, and got a project team in place.. No one could predict that a nuclear event would happen so short a time after she began working on development of the prototype. Being that the company’s location was so inland in the U.S., they were able to really push the need once all the dust settled in regard to production of HBs. Walter felt like it was an act of God that would provide such a silver lining in his favor from the most tremendous and catastrophic of events known to man.

2

Serenity Deceived

When the ship landed, Annelle kept rubbing her eyes because it looked something like the Earth she had left, but the beautiful landscape was oddly askew. Beautiful velvety, orange rolling hills and the trees were filled with purple leaves. The sky had a peculiar hue like a very light peach and the suns were totally white. There were two of them!

One of the ship stewards finally came on the loud speaker. The ship has landed and we would like to ask that you please remain seated with your seatbelts fastened until the Captain has brought the ship to a full stop. Thank you

And then the Captain came on the speaker to give some information about the atmosphere they would be experiencing when they leave the ship. This is your Captain speaking. The weather is quite different from what you remember...

Annelle thought about what she remembered and it was vague. She struggled to regain her consciousness as the ship rolled to a stop at the gate of the airport. And then she began to slowly understand that she was on an airplane, not a spaceship. Her disoriented state and confusion was shared by many others on the airplane as the environment was nothing that anyone had ever experienced.

There is a perpetual dampness that is cool but very comfortable. The moist air might be difficult to breathe at first, but once you get into the acclimation lounge, you will be instructed on how to acquire the methods to deal with it and learn how to breathe comfortably. Once the ship comes to a stop, please be sure to gather all of your belongings from the overhead compartments and someone will be at the end of the Jetway to greet you.

After the three days of catastrophic events that happened around the world, people in the U.S. were frantic and mostly in shock. People who were far enough inland from the north eastern shore who have survived were instructed to go to their nearest rescue stations where they were supplied with oxygen, respirators and face mask filters. They were instructed to use them continuously while outside, and sparingly while indoors since supplies were limited. There was much chaos as people tried to make sense of what was happening, and seek help as things began to settle down. In some places, people wandered the streets in a daze after surviving floods, choking from the air that was thick with smoke from fires, soot, and debris as they struggled to find shelter. Days later, as more organization ensued, were plans being made to get those people who survived that were closest to where the bomb exploded, into centers that were being managed by the CDC (Center for Disease Control) under the umbrella of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Once people were processed and then segregated into groups by determining who would be viable versus those who’s illness, or radiation levels were too high to sustain living beyond a year according to guidelines, the healthy people were sent to another location where they would find out that they would be transferred to new, safe locations for living.

Annelle was in Toledo, Ohio, when the nuclear event occurred, —hundreds of miles from the East Coast, which had been devastated by the blast. It started out as a regular, mundane day and Annelle had been reading some articles on one of her favorite websites when she noticed the Emergency Broadcast on TV. At first, she, like many people was annoyed when she heard the piercing sound that alerted folks that the Emergency Broadcast System was about to test their signal. Only this time, it wasn’t a test. After initially ignoring the broadcast, she realized that something serious was going on and the regularly scheduled program she usually had on as background noise while she did other things, didn’t come back on. Annelle sat down and listened to the emergent tone in the broadcast that instructed her to pack a small bag of essentials and go to the nearest shelter.

What nearest shelter? What? she exclaimed out loud as if expecting the TV announcer to answer her question. She then changed the channel a few times only to find the same information being reported. Finally, she reached a network that went further into explaining more about the emergency.

… the blast has completely wiped out hundreds of thousands of people for hundreds of miles, and its effect will soon surround the globe as it had tremendous intensity that was estimated to equal twenty nuclear bombs.

Annelle sat frozen, not believing what her ears were hearing. Nuclear blasts? Who? Why? She was literally talking out loud to herself as she remained flabbergasted at hearing the kind of news she never thought she’d ever live to experience. She listened more as the reporter continued…

…asteroid had been tracked for some time, but theories had fallen on deaf ears.

Asteroid? No! I’m dreaming. Still speaking out loud in her state of disbelief and shock, she picked up the phone and pressed the button for her mother and father. Damn busy signal! she said as she pressed the button to end the call. Then she tried her friend Janice but again, she heard that fast busy signal, which indicated that there was no transmission. Annelle decided that she had better do as she was instructed and get some things together while she could, and get to the shelter. But then, she stood straight up and realized she didn’t know where her nearest shelter is.

Beginning to feel panicked, she tried to use her phone again and realized that she might have better luck with her land line. Thank God I decided to keep my land line she thought, feeling glad about her decision to not cancel that service. She was trying to get her internet to connect as she picked up the handset for her land line. She had a dial tone and decided to call the police station, rather than 911 like she impulsively wanted to do. Miraculously, someone answered.

Toledo PD.

Hello, I’m calling to find out where the nearest shelter is for my location.

What’s your address ma’am?

212 Montague Rd.

Hold on please… OK, your shelter is at the Arlington Elementary School, which is…

I know where it is. Thanks

Annelle hung up the phone, raced into her room and began to pack a bag with essentials like underwear, deodorant, tampons, shower gel, lotion, toothpaste, toothbrush, a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, a long tee shirt she figured she could sleep in, a pair of socks, and then stood in the middle of the floor at the end of her bed and seemed to draw a blank as to what her next move should be. She stood there for about twenty seconds, and then went back to her dresser drawer as she then decided to put a few more pairs of underwear in her bag and then decided that it wouldn’t hurt to throw in a pair of shorts and a sweater. Then she sat down and began to think that she had overdone it.

How long will we be in that shelter?, she asked herself as she thought about removing some of the clothes she packed, but then Hurricane Katrina popped into her mind. That thought caused her to move out of her bedroom and into her utility room to grab a flashlight, hand sanitizer, and some moist tissue wipes, and then into her kitchen for a couple bottles of water. She zipped her huge backpack and then headed for the door, after making one more detour to the kitchen to grab some fiber packed granola bars. As she approached her car she remembered that she left her laptop. She looked down the street and saw people loading up their cars and began to feel nervous as she hastened back into her house to grab her laptop. She left her front door open while pushing and shoving her laptop into her backpack, slung her purse over her shoulder and turned back to her door and was startled when she saw someone standing there.

Hey Annelle… I just wanted to make sure that you got the message about going to a shelter.

Yes, and thanks for looking out for me. I’m on my way there now. Are you guys all going over to Arlington School?

Yeah... I hear its already pretty crowded though so we’d better hurry up and get there before they close that one and then we’ll be hunting for another.

Annelle’s neighbor walked Annelle to her car and then asked if he could help her with her bag.

Well you could have while I was still in the house, but never mind now she laughed.

I’m sorry. My nerves are bad. My wife told me to get over here to make sure you’re on your way to the shelter and she’s finishing up with packing a bag for us. We’ll see you there.

The brief interaction with her neighbor seemed to heighten Annelle’s nervousness too. She began to move with urgency, throwing her bag into the trunk of her car and then racing around to the door and jumping in and then fumbled with the keys and dropped them on the floor.

OK she said sharply. She took a deep breath, sat back and whispered in exasperation… Pull yourself together girl! And with that moment of regaining control, she reached down and grabbed her keys off the floor, calmly this time, started the car and drove off toward Arlington School. She had only driven two blocks before running into traffic. The school was only a half mile away, and she saw that some people decided to walk, leaving their cars parked in lots or on the street. Annelle decided that it probably would be faster to do that too, so she turned her car around and decided to park it back in her driveway. As she pulled back in, her neighbors were about to pull out.

Hey! What are you doing?

The traffic is at a standstill down there toward the school. I’m gonna walk.

Wait up, we’ll walk with you.

As they approached the school, there were many people waiting and wandering outside, some smoking cigarettes, others sitting in the grass, people just generally milling around like they were waiting for someone to tell them what their next move should be. Annelle pushed herself inside and began asking people if they knew who was in charge, and no one seemed to know. She managed to make her way into the auditorium and a man was on stage with a microphone.

People… People… Please take a seat if you’re planning to stay here and listen to the latest reports we’re receiving. We need you to sit down and be quiet so that everyone who wants to know what’s going on can hear.

Annelle took a seat and sat her backpack in the seat next to her. She didn’t know many people in her neighborhood because most people stayed to themselves. She did recognize a couple of people who attended the gym she belonged to and waved at them. The man on stage continued to try and get people to settle down and then a man and woman decided that they wanted to sit on the other side of Annelle, causing her to have to stand up to let them into the row for the seats next to her. She gave up her backpack’s seat and put it in her lap. The man seemed to be trying to calm the woman that was with him, down and when Annelle looked at her, her face and eyes were swollen as if she had been crying.

Are you OK? Annelle asked as she adjusted herself, placing her huge backpack on the floor in the aisle.

We’re OK. My wife is just worried because she has family in Israel.

Oh wow! What have you heard? I haven’t really heard any details about what has happened, only that a huge meteorite fell somewhere in the Middle East.

Yeah? Well now they’re saying that it might have been a nuclear warhead his wife said and then she burst into tears. Just as Annelle’s mouth fell open to respond, the man on stage finally began to talk.

OK, we don’t have a lot of details yet but we were told that a meteorite has hit earth in the desert of Syria. It was so large, that it wiped out hundreds of thousands of people, and completely destroyed Israel, Palestine, Jordan and most of Syria. Its effects were that of about fifty nuclear bombs and it’s after affects are still to come.

Just then, a man in the audience yelled what the hell we doing in this school if that blast happened all the way on the other side of earth?

And at that point, all the lights went out and there was no power in the school. People began shouting and screaming and the man on stage lost all control. Annelle and the couple next to her decided to stay put because of the chaos around them. Other people joined the man who was speaking on stage and then he began to try and yell over the loudness of the room to ask everyone to sit down and stay calm. After about five minutes, the Exit lights over the doors came on and a small light on the stage illuminated, as well as the microphone, indicating that a generator has kicked in.

Folks! Please! Sit down!

People actually began to find a seat as everyone was eager to hear what had happened. Most people in the auditorium had already heard about the meteorite that fell in the Middle East, but could not understand why they were told to evacuate their homes.

People, please! I need you to listen so that we can get organized and provide a safe environment for all of us. Many of you have heard about the asteroid that has exploded, sending a huge meteorite down through our atmosphere, and landing in the Middle East, destroying Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine. Its effects are that of a huge nuclear bomb and it is expected to send radioactive debris around the globe.

It was clear that the speaker had no real details as to what was going on, but he did set some logistics for where people should go to sleep and the provisions that were being delivered to the school. Some people began to cry out loud and Annelle decided to get up and go to her designated classroom, which was determined by the street she lived on, find a cot and lay down on it. As soon as she sat down on a cot, she realized that she might want to keep her bottled water and use theirs first. She looked around the room and didn’t see her neighbors there yet, and then asked someone she had not ever seen before on her street if she knew where the food and water was being given out.

Out to the hallway, make a left and then see the Office. That’s where they are keeping it.

Annelle was annoyed that she had to go back out into that hallway since she had found a cot to sleep on because she knew once she stepped away from it, someone would claim it. She thought about leaving her belongings on the cot, but then decided that it wouldn’t be a good idea. As she was standing there perplexed about her dilemma, the woman who claimed the cot next to hers noticed and understood.

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