The Survivor Chronicles (Book 2): The Divide by Erica Stevens Page B
Authors: Erica Stevens
Tags: Fiction
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Xander helped to ease her through the window. She blinked against the sun as she scurried through the pile of bricks.
She turned back as a young girl emerged from the building. The girl held her hand up to the sun as she flinched away from it. Mary Ellen eased her away from the window and took the hand of a young Asian man that was emerging from the shadows. He recoiled as he threw his arm up to block the sun from his midnight eyes. His black hair stood up in styled spikes around his angular face.
"It will just take a little time," Mary Ellen assured him. She helped to ease two more people from the school before Bobby and then Xander emerged. "Are you ok?"
"Fine," Xander told her as he opened one eye a little, and then the other. "Bright light."
"I bet it is."
"What is that?" he demanded as he spotted the dark sky in the distance.
"I don't want to know," Bobby muttered.
"Riley," Xander breathed. Mary Ellen froze in her attempt to rise to her feet.
"Are they over there?" she demanded. "Are Riley and Al over there?"
Xander rubbed at his eyes before opening them again. His one hand was bloody and bruised, but he seemed otherwise unharmed by his time within the school. "It's a good possibility," Bobby answered.
She turned back to the sky that was now firing rapidly with lightning in vibrant, violent waves. Smoke was smoldering on the horizon as another clap of thunder shook the ground. "Oh," she breathed.
"It's just a thunderstorm," Bobby murmured.
"On steroids," Xander retorted. He shook his head as he leaned back on his heels. Though his face was streaked with dirt, his skin was ashen.
A loud gasp jerked Mary Ellen's head around as one of the young girls began to cry. The handsome middle aged man with brown eyes and a mustache moved forward to comfort her. "What caused all of this?" the young Asian man inquired.
"We don't know," Mary Ellen told him.
The other young girl began to cry as she wrapped her arms around her stomach and rocked forward. "We have to go," Xander said briskly. He placed his hand against the wall and used it to help him rise to his feet.
"Where?" the older man demanded. "Where do we go?"
Xander shook his head. "We're heading to Sturbridge, we can give you a ride into town if you'd like. I have to tell you though, it doesn't get better."
The man closed his eyes as the young girl in his arms began to sob even harder. "My parents," she moaned.
Mary Ellen looked away as she fought against the tears that burned her eyes. She could only hope that her daughter wasn't this frightened. That she was with someone who was helping to keep her safe, perhaps a camp counselor or maybe she had found police or military aid. Rochelle was strong and far more resilient than Mary Ellen had been at her age. She would be doing better than this young girl was.
"We have to go, now though," Xander urged. "We can't stay here; we don't know who else may have heard your call for help. We've already been here for far longer than I'd planned to be. If you're going to ride with us it has to be now."
Yesterday the words would have seemed callous, now they made a chill run down Mary Ellen's spine as she realized that he was right. She bent down and grasped hold of the other young woman's arm and helped her to her feet. "He's right, we have to move."
The girl blinked at her and nodded numbly. "Will you take me home?"
"We'll try," Mary Ellen promised her.
She helped the young girl over the rubble to the car. It was a larger Cadillac Sedan but she had no idea how they were going to fit everyone inside of it. Xander answered this question by opening the trunk. "It's not the best, and I'm sorry for it, but I'll drive slow," he told the guy with the mustache.
"It's better than being trapped in an audio room with no idea how we're going to get out." He thrust out his hand and Xander took hold of it. "I'm Peter, or as my students know me, Mr. Dade."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Peter, I'm Xander and this is Bobby and Mary
She turned back as a young girl emerged from the building. The girl held her hand up to the sun as she flinched away from it. Mary Ellen eased her away from the window and took the hand of a young Asian man that was emerging from the shadows. He recoiled as he threw his arm up to block the sun from his midnight eyes. His black hair stood up in styled spikes around his angular face.
"It will just take a little time," Mary Ellen assured him. She helped to ease two more people from the school before Bobby and then Xander emerged. "Are you ok?"
"Fine," Xander told her as he opened one eye a little, and then the other. "Bright light."
"I bet it is."
"What is that?" he demanded as he spotted the dark sky in the distance.
"I don't want to know," Bobby muttered.
"Riley," Xander breathed. Mary Ellen froze in her attempt to rise to her feet.
"Are they over there?" she demanded. "Are Riley and Al over there?"
Xander rubbed at his eyes before opening them again. His one hand was bloody and bruised, but he seemed otherwise unharmed by his time within the school. "It's a good possibility," Bobby answered.
She turned back to the sky that was now firing rapidly with lightning in vibrant, violent waves. Smoke was smoldering on the horizon as another clap of thunder shook the ground. "Oh," she breathed.
"It's just a thunderstorm," Bobby murmured.
"On steroids," Xander retorted. He shook his head as he leaned back on his heels. Though his face was streaked with dirt, his skin was ashen.
A loud gasp jerked Mary Ellen's head around as one of the young girls began to cry. The handsome middle aged man with brown eyes and a mustache moved forward to comfort her. "What caused all of this?" the young Asian man inquired.
"We don't know," Mary Ellen told him.
The other young girl began to cry as she wrapped her arms around her stomach and rocked forward. "We have to go," Xander said briskly. He placed his hand against the wall and used it to help him rise to his feet.
"Where?" the older man demanded. "Where do we go?"
Xander shook his head. "We're heading to Sturbridge, we can give you a ride into town if you'd like. I have to tell you though, it doesn't get better."
The man closed his eyes as the young girl in his arms began to sob even harder. "My parents," she moaned.
Mary Ellen looked away as she fought against the tears that burned her eyes. She could only hope that her daughter wasn't this frightened. That she was with someone who was helping to keep her safe, perhaps a camp counselor or maybe she had found police or military aid. Rochelle was strong and far more resilient than Mary Ellen had been at her age. She would be doing better than this young girl was.
"We have to go, now though," Xander urged. "We can't stay here; we don't know who else may have heard your call for help. We've already been here for far longer than I'd planned to be. If you're going to ride with us it has to be now."
Yesterday the words would have seemed callous, now they made a chill run down Mary Ellen's spine as she realized that he was right. She bent down and grasped hold of the other young woman's arm and helped her to her feet. "He's right, we have to move."
The girl blinked at her and nodded numbly. "Will you take me home?"
"We'll try," Mary Ellen promised her.
She helped the young girl over the rubble to the car. It was a larger Cadillac Sedan but she had no idea how they were going to fit everyone inside of it. Xander answered this question by opening the trunk. "It's not the best, and I'm sorry for it, but I'll drive slow," he told the guy with the mustache.
"It's better than being trapped in an audio room with no idea how we're going to get out." He thrust out his hand and Xander took hold of it. "I'm Peter, or as my students know me, Mr. Dade."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Peter, I'm Xander and this is Bobby and Mary
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