Black Box 86ed

by Kjelland, Andrew

  Roger gathers the guns and ammo, he hands us each an extra magazine giving me the extra walkie talkie. “I feel better now that we got something to protect ourselves with. But we should be getting to sleep. I don’t know about you but I plan on waking up with the sun and getting outta the city before noon.”

  Grace yawns in agreement. Taking our new toys we walk back to the couches.

  “Dibs!” I yell as I sit down.

  “What? No way, I get the couch, she says as she tries to push me to the ground.

  “Fuck you,” I retort pushing her off.

  “O you asshole,” she laughs as I lay down.

  “Well we’ll just share it,” she says as she jumps over me.

  I turn to my back. She adjusts resting her head on my chest. Warmth, like I just at a bow of chicken noodle soup fills my stomach. Even after everything that’s happened I now know that it was unmistakably worth it. All the people I’ve seen die today have not died in vein because Grace’s head is resting on my chest. I pull my arm around her.

  Staring out the window, the entire Chicago skyline dark almost completely void of light. Save for the random interjected flashes of grenades and gun barrels a few blocks away. The building rumbling and shaking softly almost lulling me to sleep. Like sleeping through a thunderstorm. I close my eyes hoping I drank enough champagne and smoked enough weed to let me fall asleep.

  CHAPTER…

  HMPH… My eyes snap open as I’m jolted awake. It’s still completely dark out, like someone threw the switch to the entire Chicago skyline. Righting myself on the couch I look down for Grace but she’s gone. Huh, looking to the other couch it’s empty too. Where the hell did they go? I stand trying to shake the cobwebs from my head. Walking to the glass wall something catches my eye. Hundreds of little bursts of light coming directly from the street below. Cupping my hands to the cool glass I look down.

  It’s all out war. Militia and military exchanging gun fire. The light from the mussels of assault rifles and what I can only assume to be grenades illuminate small sections of the street. It’s almost, kind of beautiful. Tiny little sparks of whites, yellows, and reds scattering throughout the darkness.

  A noise resonates from down the street, a car horn blaring. I watch as the headlights veer around the corner turning onto my street. It’s a dark colored truck, I hear the engine roaring between burst of the horn as it races towards the military. BEEP, BEEEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEEEP, BOOM.

  A sudden very bright light bursting out from the truck about half a block to the north. The shockwaves expanding out tearing everything apart. First hitting the illegally parked cars, the tickets sitting on the windshields blown off, immediately followed by the actual windows being blown out. The first floor windows of the next building down shattering onto the sidewalk. I watch as the tremor flows up the floors and down the block towards me. Catching my building about a third of the way up. The glass almost immediately rumbling against my forehead as I stare, unable to look away, as row after row of windows transform into tiny little shards of glass scattering out into the air. The rumbling underneath my forehead spreads, sinking into the floor. I feel it growing beneath my feet.

  A sudden noise from behind me. I turn to the unmistakable sound of someone flicking a lighter. It’s Grace, not two feet behind me. Calmly she stands, lighting a cigarette in her mouth.

  “Hey get down”, I cry out and wrap her in my arms trying to shield her from the inevitable explosion of glass.

  Closing my eyes bracing. The sound of breaking windows coming from maybe ten stories below. I count as it hits each floor, in almost immediate secession.

  Crash nine, Crash eight.

  “What’s wrong Willie?” Grace asks not quite as concerned as she should be right now.

  Crash seven.

  “I don’t want to lose you,” I whisper back.

  Crash six. The wave of energy slows as it reaches each floor.

  “Why?”

  Crash five

  “Because you’re all that’s left.”

  Craasshh, four.

  “O, don’t be silly, Willy” she laughs into my shirt.

  Pulling her tighter we stand waiting, Grace slowly taking small shallow puffs off her cigarette.

  Crash three.

  Just two floors down, the windows now standing their ground for a second longer the next floor resisting even more. Fighting even harder, weakening the brute force pounding them from the outside.

  Finally giving way they fall to the ground all the same. Gripping Grace even harder we stand in silence. It starts; our floors glass slowly cracking and splintering, the wave of energy from the other side weakening. The silence broken by the sound of wind whipping through the cracks, finally giving way to large burst as each window bows to the outside force, shattering into tiny little shards of death sized pieces.

  A bitter, cold wind flows into the apartment whipping around us. Why is it so cold, shouldn’t it be... Another loud crash rumbles from the street below. Grace letting go she walks to the window. Shivering, I fold my arms and join her in looking over the edge.

  The street, it’s splitting, like a fault line it travels from where the bomb went off all the way down the block and out of sight. The buildings on the opposing side bending and swaying with the reverberations. Looking back down, the street now splitting completely in half. Grace and I stare as it breaks. The other half of the world begins to slowly float away.

  The freezing wind whipping at my face, my eyes blurring as we watch the once solid, resilient skyscrapers collapse under their own weight. Each one crumbling floor by floor into the empty gap between worlds. The other side floating farther and farther away. I look down into empty black space, the earth now completely torn apart. The other side drifting, its runny egg yolk core slowly leaking into the cold nothingness.

  Grace slides in front of me blocking my view.

  “We need to get out of here,” I plead as I grab for her hand.

  Saying nothing as she takes a step back towards the edge.

  “Hey, hey what are you doing?!”

  She just smiles taking another step, half her foot hanging over the edge.

  “Grace, Grace quit it, you’ll die if you.”

  With one last drag off her cigarette she slowly leans back falling over the edge, pulling me with her.

  A cold I have never felt before wraps us as we slowly fall into the empty abyss of space. Past broken cement, street signs, and abandoned cars. The men once fighting for their country on the street below, now fighting the cold for the lives. Passing more than a few, I look to a man shivering as he floats by and off into the darkness. Grace pulls me closer to her. She’s warm I think as I hold her.

  “Why’d you do that?” I ask. “Why did you jump?”

  “Ha, it’s not falling if you never land,” she smiles back.

  Passing comets and meteors, a satellite flies by no longer tethered to earth. I look out into the cold, dark emptiness. The stars and light that once came with them gone from the sky. I look out into pitch darkness, once filled with the colors of planets and moons now just dark balls of dirt. They have no direction, no path to follow. Nothing to keep them safe and warm. Nothing to show them where to go, to take them and almost magically keep them.

  My knuckles turning white as I try to pull Grace closer to me.

  “We’ll die Grace, we’re going to freeze to death.”

  Taking another puff off her nearly gone cigarette. “The sun always thinks it’s cold outside.” She smiles as she softly blows the ash off the tip of the cigarette and buries it into my chest.

  CHAPTER…

  “Will, hey Will, wake up.”

  “What?” I'm shaken awake by Grace. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “You were talking in your sleep, you woke me up jerk. She whispers”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “Its ok you just seemed distressed, like it was a nightmare. I probably sa
ved you dreaming self.” She smiles

  It’s weird, I feel like I’ve just experience the most tragic thing in my life but when I saw Grace, it just… melted. I just feel so... so cared for, so loved.

  “What where you dreaming about?” She asks.

  I try desperately to remember what I can only assume was a tragic nightmare. I dig and dig into my brain but it feels like trying to scoop out ice cream that’s just way too frozen.

  “No idea, I can never remember them.”

  “Well from how you sounded it’s probably a good thing anyways,” she smiles at me.

  “Did I really sound that bad?”

  “Well I wouldn’t say you were experiencing the end of the world or anything. It’s like you just got told you had to do a double shift or something like that.”

  “Ha, that’s still pretty bad.”

  “Well at least I’m here to help.” She adjusts herself sinking deeper into me. Filling every open space like puzzle pieces we fit together, not a centimeter of open air between us. Then something catches her eye.

  “What?” I ask

  “Look, down the street.”

  Following her gaze I look to about three men huddled in front a skyscraper at the end of the block. They look like ants from all the way up here.

  “What do you think they are doing?”

  “I don’t know, it’s hard to tell.”

  “You don’t think they’re going around searching for people do you?”

  “No, they look more like they’re homeless than anything. They are probably just taking advantage of some free super nice digs.”

  “I guess.” She trails off, obviously a little scared and uncomfortable.

  “Here, just think in an hour or two we’re gona look around and see what’s going down there. We’ll find the best way out and before you know it boom, the Chicago skyline will be in our rear view mirror. And I will have successfully escape yet another attempt of you trying to get me to go on that God forsaken farris wheel”.

  “Ohohoho you have won this time young grass hoper,” she laughs, the warmth of her breath soaking into my shirt.

  CHAPTER…

  I feel the sun burning through my eyelids. I squint out my left eye to it reflecting off the skyline to me. The building rumbles.

  “HEY, Get the fuck up!”

  “What, what’s wrong?” I yell.

  “Look down at the street,” Roger barrels at me.

  I jump off the couch pressing my head against the window I look to the street below. It's an all out battle, the rebels pushing the army down the street to the right.

  “Holy hell, this is not good,” Over cries.

  “What do we do we're trapped!” Grace exclaims.

  My head still pressed to the window I can feel the gunfire vibrating the glass.

  “They're surrounded, I mean me n Grace saw some guys go into the building behind them earlier,” I tell them.

  “Which one? I don't see anyone shooting from behind them.” Over says.

  “I don't know their where definitely people in that building,” I say pointing to the end of the block. Suddenly fire and smoke explode out of the base sending shock waves up through the entire building.

  “O my God!” Over exclaims.

  We all watch stunned as the high rise, all sixty floors slowly start to crumble under its own weight. Looking to the street we watch in horror as all the men in military uniforms run for their lives. Sprinting into the oncoming gunfire, nowhere else to go. Rubble spewing out of the base of the building and through the lower windows as the building slowly tips towards the street. A thunderous sound as the men below scramble to get out of the way all while they are torn up by the enemy they are running to. The building in full freefall crashing down eclipsing about two hundred men as they run for their lives. A deafening boom followed by an earthquake of concrete and paperwork. Ash and rubble fly into the air blocking the street from view. Waiting for the dust to settle the gunfire has ceased, as we hear boisterous cheers coming from the street below.

  “I don't believe it! Did they really just use an entire building as a weapon?” Roger asks in disbelief.

  “We need to get out of here!” Grace cries her voice cracks in terror.

  “Yes, we need to move it now,” I agree.

  “Where do we go? The militia is still outside and who knows what’s going on around the other streets. We won't make it two blocks before we get caught up in it.” Over interjects

  “Ya but it's either that or wait till the floor comes out from under us,” Roger remarks.

  “Get your things now, we’re leaving,” I tell Grace.

  “Wait now hold on a minute we need to think this through,” Roger tries to say but I cut him off.

  “I can't risk just sitting here waiting to die. We are going to go if you want to you are more than welcome to come with.”

  “Where are you going to go?” Over asks the fear in his voice very clear.

  “North, we are going to go north. If the militia attacked Union Station first that means they probably came through either the south or west so all we have to do is get ahead of them and we will be out of the line of fire.”

  “Ya but if you head north you'll be going more into the city!”

  “I know but I don't think we have much of a choice.” I retort.

  “Grab your bag and let’s go,” I order to Grace. She quickly races to the corner grabbing her purse.

  “Wait, wait we'll come with,” Over exhales. Roger quickly gives him a condemned look. “I have no clue what to do, this seems like the best plan we have.”

  “Jesus alright,” he concedes.

  Reaching into my pockets I take out my menthols and pull one out. Leaning over I pick up the handgun off the end table. I quickly chamber a bullet. “Everyone make sure you’re locked and loaded before we go. I would be surprised if we don't end up using them.” I say staring down towards the street the dust only half settled.

  “Do you really think we can get out of here?” Grace asks fumbling with her purse.

  “I know we will, without a doubt. You will be just fine I’ll make sure of it.”

  She squeezed me as if this will be the last time she will ever hug me.

  “Ok.”

  “Alright we're ready,” Roger tells us as him and Over walk up.

  “Ok let’s go before the military send reinforcements... or worse.” Over leads us out the door into the dim hallway. Lights flicker as we make our way down to the elevator. Over holding it open for us we run in. The light flickers above us as the doors close.

  “Wait, wait why the hell are we taking the elevator?” Grace points out.

  “Uh I didn’t really put much thought into it,” Over shrugs.

  “It’ll be a hella lot quicker,” Roger says pressing the first floor button as the soft music from the speaker’s serenades us. The elevator doors slowly close and we begin our decent. The light flickers blackening out the small room and bringing it back to life in an instant.

  “O god we’re gona get trapped. This was stupid,” Grace cries.

  “We won't don't worry.”

  A soft rumbling enters the elevator; we all feel it at once making me seasick. Roger clearing his throat probably to take any fear from his voice. The elevator shakes wildly this time. The light going out completely.

  “What was that?” Over yells.

  “I don't know but it was dam close.” We stand in silence the slightest bit of light coming through the doors. The sound of metal and concrete bending and breaking faintly flows through the doors, as the elevator comes to a complete stop.

  “O god is it us? Are they knocking us over?” Grace cries.

  “Crowbar!” Roger Orders to Over.

  He rummages through his bag producing the crowbar we found last night. The squeals of metal bending as the entire elevator trembles. It feels like what I can only assume what the titanic felt like ri
ght before it broke in half.

  Roger struggles with the door, bringing it to a few inches enough for Over and I to get our hands in and pry it open. “Come on,” I shout to Grace, she jumps through followed by Roger then Over, and me.

  “I think we're on the second floor,” Roger tells us.

  Looking out the line of windows I can see the gaping hole in the line of buildings where the tower fell. The skyscraper to the immediate left shifting its weight it appears to come to a stop, at least for now. The bulk of its weight resting on the skyscraper next to it. Hundreds of papers still floating through the air.

  “O thank god I thought for sure it was us going down.” Grace sighs.

  “What now?” Over asks looking out the window. “There has to be a hundred guys out there still and all of them have assault rifles.”

  “Get to the ground floor and we'll check the other side then” Roger orders.

  Running to the stairs we sprint to the ground level. Making our way to the other end of the building we stop at the double doors. The fear of what’s on the other side sending a wave of shuffling feet and nearly pissed pants through the group.

  “I'll go” I offer as I walk through the first set of doors. The street looks to be deserted; I press my head against the glass looking up and down the street. I turn waving them on. I slowly open the door.

  “There,” Roger says pointing to a parking garage.

  Running through and down three deserted blocks we come to a clearing, and the end of downtown. It's more or less residential from here on, so no more buildings can fall on us at least. We take off down the street, crossing yard after yard for a few more blocks.

  “Wait look,” Grace tells us. The parking lot is near full of cars but not a single person to be seen. “Why did they leave their cars?” She asks.

  We walk slowly through the parking lot nearly filled with empty cars. Doors still open, walking past one with a quiet beeping alerting the missing driver they left their keys in the ignition.

  “What the hell this couldn't of happened more than a day ago,” Over says.

  We continue to walk into the park the trees giving shade to this eerie sight. I look down; a diaper bag sitting all alone on a park bench. Bottles of formula and baby wipes still inside. A shoe for a toddler sits on the ground, still tied but missing its owner.