The Survivor Chronicles: Book 1, The Upheaval by Erica Stevens
Authors: Erica Stevens
Tags: Suspense, Death, adventure, Horror, Mystery, Action, SciFi, Chaos, Animals, Apocalyptic, natural disaster, Unexplained Phenomena, survivors, lava, tsunami, earthquake
Ads: Link
retrieved her pillowcase. She couldn’t see the end of it, she was half certain that it went on forever, that a gigantic trench had just been slashed into the surface of the land, forever altering its geography. She didn’t plan to find out where the end was; she was certain there was no pot of gold waiting for them there. The fire station was further away, but hopefully it would still be attainable.
“I think the fire station’s probably the better option,” she finally said.
“That’s what I thought too.”
They moved away from the hole, heading back the way they had come. They encountered few people, and although Mary Ellen thought she should warn them that there was nowhere to go in that direction, she was too tired to speak. She simply didn’t have the energy to interact with anyone right now. She could barely keep her hand on Rita’s arm as she pulled the unresponsive woman with them. Al remained alert, his eyes bouncing over everyone and everything.
Mary Ellen didn’t know what they would do if the way to the fire station was also blocked. She was so focused on her own thoughts that at first she didn’t register the strange new noise that was growing steadily louder. She lifted her head, frowning as she stopped in the middle of the street.
“Is… is that a train?” she inquired in disbelief.
It seemed like the most illogical thing in the world for someone to be running a train right now; there was no way to know what condition the tracks would be in.
Al shook his head. “I have no idea what that is.”
Over the increasing sound of the train, the screams began.
CHAPTER 9
Riley
Foxboro, Mass.
Riley stumbled as Xander seized hold of her arm and jerked her back. Her head spun, she didn’t know which way to go as everything fell apart around them. Screams pierced through the air and echoed jarringly in her head. Her ears were ringing, but she didn’t know if that was from the incessant, high-pitched screams, or the grotesque upheaval of the ground as it splintered and broke apart around her.
Dirt flew into the air, and she wouldn’t have been at all astonished to see a very big worm come bursting out of the ground, Tremors-style, to eat them. In fact, she found she would almost welcome it; at least that would explain some of what was going on. But no worm burst free as dirt and rocks pelted her.
Xander tugged her backwards. Clutching at the ground, he strained to pull her upward as the ground began to tilt precariously beneath her feet. Her fingers clawed at the grass as she struggled up the hill, a hill that had not been there just seconds before.
“Don’t look back!” Xander ordered.
Of course, once he said it she had to look back. A scream rose in her throat and strangled there. Her heart pounded so rapidly she felt it in the tips of her fingers. Her eyes bulged as she stared at the gaping hole that hadn’t been there before, a hole that didn’t seem to have a bottom.
And they seemed to be tilting toward it.
Adrenaline surged through her and caused her to lurch awkwardly forward. She was at Xander’s side now; he was no longer pulling her forward. She dropped to the ground and tore at it in a frenzied attempt to escape her backslide into the yawning abyss at her heels.
One of her fingernails broke, her newly raw, brutalized skin started to bleed. She winced, but didn’t hesitate as she fought for her life. Xander gave one mighty heave and snagged hold of a tree root that had been exposed by the shifting earth. He glanced back at her, his hand stretching out as he strained to hold the root as he grasped for her. She lurched forward, catching hold of his hand as the ground slipped out from under her toes.
She felt as if she were falling for a minute, as if the world had vanished from beneath her. Then Xander was pulling her upward, dragging her over top of the hill and back toward solid
“I think the fire station’s probably the better option,” she finally said.
“That’s what I thought too.”
They moved away from the hole, heading back the way they had come. They encountered few people, and although Mary Ellen thought she should warn them that there was nowhere to go in that direction, she was too tired to speak. She simply didn’t have the energy to interact with anyone right now. She could barely keep her hand on Rita’s arm as she pulled the unresponsive woman with them. Al remained alert, his eyes bouncing over everyone and everything.
Mary Ellen didn’t know what they would do if the way to the fire station was also blocked. She was so focused on her own thoughts that at first she didn’t register the strange new noise that was growing steadily louder. She lifted her head, frowning as she stopped in the middle of the street.
“Is… is that a train?” she inquired in disbelief.
It seemed like the most illogical thing in the world for someone to be running a train right now; there was no way to know what condition the tracks would be in.
Al shook his head. “I have no idea what that is.”
Over the increasing sound of the train, the screams began.
CHAPTER 9
Riley
Foxboro, Mass.
Riley stumbled as Xander seized hold of her arm and jerked her back. Her head spun, she didn’t know which way to go as everything fell apart around them. Screams pierced through the air and echoed jarringly in her head. Her ears were ringing, but she didn’t know if that was from the incessant, high-pitched screams, or the grotesque upheaval of the ground as it splintered and broke apart around her.
Dirt flew into the air, and she wouldn’t have been at all astonished to see a very big worm come bursting out of the ground, Tremors-style, to eat them. In fact, she found she would almost welcome it; at least that would explain some of what was going on. But no worm burst free as dirt and rocks pelted her.
Xander tugged her backwards. Clutching at the ground, he strained to pull her upward as the ground began to tilt precariously beneath her feet. Her fingers clawed at the grass as she struggled up the hill, a hill that had not been there just seconds before.
“Don’t look back!” Xander ordered.
Of course, once he said it she had to look back. A scream rose in her throat and strangled there. Her heart pounded so rapidly she felt it in the tips of her fingers. Her eyes bulged as she stared at the gaping hole that hadn’t been there before, a hole that didn’t seem to have a bottom.
And they seemed to be tilting toward it.
Adrenaline surged through her and caused her to lurch awkwardly forward. She was at Xander’s side now; he was no longer pulling her forward. She dropped to the ground and tore at it in a frenzied attempt to escape her backslide into the yawning abyss at her heels.
One of her fingernails broke, her newly raw, brutalized skin started to bleed. She winced, but didn’t hesitate as she fought for her life. Xander gave one mighty heave and snagged hold of a tree root that had been exposed by the shifting earth. He glanced back at her, his hand stretching out as he strained to hold the root as he grasped for her. She lurched forward, catching hold of his hand as the ground slipped out from under her toes.
She felt as if she were falling for a minute, as if the world had vanished from beneath her. Then Xander was pulling her upward, dragging her over top of the hill and back toward solid
Similar Books
