Unknown (Unknown Series Book 1) by Wendy Higgins Page B

together.
    “My phone’s not working,” I said. “I need to get to the hospital.”
    Dad checked his phone too, and shook his head. “I should go see if the blast was anywhere near my office.”
    “Mind if I go with you?” Rylen asked him.
    “Not at all, son.”
    Another tremor shook us, but it only lasted a few seconds. A splitting crack wrenched through the air outside, and I held my breath as Mom and Abuela screamed. Whoosh-crash . Crunching metal and broken glass. We ran for the door, and spilled onto the porch to take in the sight. One of the old, taller pine trees next to our house had fallen right into our driveway, and right onto—
    “My car!” I shrieked. It wasn’t a nice car by any means, but that thing was my lifeline, and the front end was completely crushed.
    “I’ll run you by the hospital,” Dad said. “Come on.” He gave Rylen a wave toward his car.
    Livia took Rylen’s hand. “You leave?” She glanced over at me. I turned away and walked to Dad.
    “Mrs. Tate,” Rylen said. “Do you mind if Livia stays here with you while I’m gone? She might be more comfortable here than with my dad.”
    “Not at all,” Mom said. Rylen kissed Livia on her forehead at her hairline and jogged over to Dad and I at the garage door.
    Mom came over and gave Dad a kiss good-bye.
    “You should be able to go back in the house now,” Dad told her. “But listen. You might want to run to the store before things get too crazy. See if you can buy some bottled water and non-perishables. Who knows how long it’ll be before the power comes back on.”
    Mom nodded and reached for me. I hugged her tight, then looked over at my smooshed car under the giant tree. It didn’t leave a ton of room for them to get their cars out of the garage. Dad and Rylen pulled the garage door open by hand.
    “Think he can make it out?” I asked Mom.
    Mom nodded gravely. “He’ll just have to drive through the yard.” The thought saddened me since my parents worked hard to keep the yard looking nice, a constant battle with water restrictions in the area.
    I kissed Abuela and Grandpa.
    A few minutes later, Dad pulled his oversized utility vehicle out of the garage, narrowly missing the tree, and making tire tracks in the lawn. Rylen jumped in the back and I took the front. Dad peeled off down the road. We were silent, but their faces were as tense as I felt. Dad flipped to the AM station.
    More bombings were announced. So many cities. I covered my mouth in horror as the announcer rattled them off: “Dallas, Seattle, San Francisco, St. Louis . . .” He went on and on. “But the blast in Washington D.C. is feared to be worse than the others. Specialists are testing the area for nuclear activity. At this time, I can neither confirm nor deny that there are no survivors from the Global Summit that took place . . .”
    “They’re all dead,” Dad murmured. “Every last one of our leaders.”
    Dear God . . . we were a nation without a leader. Except—
    “Senator Navis!” I said. “He wasn’t there!”
    Dad’s face lit up. “That’s right. All be damned, our own senator.”
    “If he wasn’t near Vegas,” Rylen said from the back seat. I peered over my shoulder to see him lounged, arms crossed, legs splayed, no seatbelt.
    “Buckle up, Ry,” I told him.
    His eyebrows came together like he hadn’t heard me right—like I was crazy for worrying about his safety inside the car with everything going on in the world.
    “Please,” I said none-too-gently.
    Rylen must have seen something in my eyes, the knowledge I held from things I could never unsee with my job, because he nodded and grabbed the seatbelt, clicking it securely and giving me a softer look. So handsome. I swallowed hard and turned to face forward, pressing my head back hard against the headrest. I could not think things like that anymore. I had to stop.
    When we got close to the hospital, I motioned for Dad to go around back where the ambulances loaded. My