The Vanishing (The End of Time Chronicles Book 1)

by Heath Jannusch

  After he’d finished eating Lex laid down on the sleeping bag. It was going to be a long night and tomorrow didn’t seem to hold much promise. It was cold down in the cellar and Lex shivered as goose bumps ran down his spine. After a few minutes, his body heat warmed the sleeping bag and he drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning found Lex sprawled out on the cot, with his arm draped over the side, dangling in midair. Kassie stood up and after a good long stretch; began to lick Lex’s hand.

  “What’s the matter girl?” groaned Lex sleepily. “Do you have to go to the bathroom?”

  Kassie barked in response and Lex slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. He looked around and realized that last night hadn’t just been a bad dream; everything was as he remembered. Kassie began to wag her tail and whimper in anticipation, as Lex stood up and yawned.

  “Alright, alright,” said Lex, yawning again, “hang on just a minute girl.” He bent down and rolled up his sleeping bag, tying the string back around it. “Let’s go,” he said to Kassie, as he led the way up the stairs. Lex had barely begun to push the doors open when Kassie shoved passed him and darted out through the opening.

  Lex stepped up and out of the shelter, taking in his surroundings. He could see the blackened remnants of burned fields and some smaller fires that were still ablaze. He watched, as Kassie ran around sniffing the ground in search of an acceptable spot. After a moment, she found one, squatted and did her business.

  Lex realized that he too needed to go, although he was much less picky on the location. After he’d finished, he started walking toward the location where the house and his car had previously been. About half a mile away, he saw the remnants of a commercial airliner that had crashed during the power outage.

  Lex tried to power on his cell phone but nothing happened; it was fried just like everything else electrical. As he walked along, he inspected the ground, looking for anything that may be of use, but there was not much left. The whole area was littered with craters; some were smaller, about the size of a car, while others were large enough to hold an underground parking structure. After about ten minutes of searching, a glint caught the corner of Lex’s eye and he began walking in that direction. The sun appeared to be reflecting off of something half buried in the dirt.

  When Lex reached the object, he smiled and bent down to retrieve it. It was a pair of binoculars. After pulling it from the earth and shaking off the dirt, he wiped the lens clear on his pants and then held the spyglass up to his eyes. Slowly and meticulously, Lex began to scan the surrounding terrain in every direction.

  After a moment, he saw what looked like a house still standing in the distance, maybe four or five miles to the west. If the trees hadn’t burned to the ground, the house may never have been visible. Lex decided the house was his best option. After retrieving the supplies from the cellar, he set off toward the house.

  “Come on girl,” he called out to Kassie, as he swung the strap of the duffle bag over his left shoulder and tucked the sleeping bag under his left arm. Lex left his right arm free, just in case he needed it. He carried the Berretta in his belt, concealed by his jacket. He and the dog set out on foot together, walking away from the kind old couple’s farm and toward the neighboring one.

  It took a couple of hours for the two of them to reach the house that Lex had seen through the binoculars. As they drew near, he noticed that although the house still stood, it was destroyed beyond repair. The roof was gone and debris was scattered everywhere. The walls of the house were leaning to the side, like a stack of cards, and appeared as though they would come crumbling down, if the dog so much as peed on them.

  “Stay here,” said Lex, looking down at Kassie, who barked and immediately sat down in obedience. He left his sleeping bag there, next to the dog, and went into the house alone.

  The front door had been blown entirely off its hinges, leaving a wide open doorway. As Lex entered, he realized the inside of the house was just as damaged as the outside. The windows were shattered, with bits of broken glass scattered on the floor. The furniture was in pieces all over the place and one of the walls was missing entirely.

  In the living room, Lex found the remains of a middle aged woman. From the damage to her body, she appeared to have been lifted and repeatedly thrown up against the wall. Her face was cut up badly from shards of glass and her legs and arms were covered in bruises.

  Lex left the living room, not wanting to spend anymore time around a dead body, and headed into the kitchen. As he stepped over the broken furniture and debris, he scanned the room looking for any supplies that might come in handy. He found more canned food in the cupboard next to the stove, which he added to his duffle bag.

  Once he’d finished conducting a search of the first floor, he headed upstairs to explore the second level. Lex’s feet were beginning to hurt. The dress shoes that he wore, although fashionable, were not meant for long periods of walking. There were three bedrooms and one bathroom on the second floor of the house. One by one, he explored them all.

  In the bathroom, Lex found some soap, which he added to his duffle bag of plunder. Two of the bedrooms were bare of anything useful and one of them was missing an outer wall completely. In the third bedroom however, Lex found a closet that was still intact and full of clothes. He found several pairs of jeans and t-shirts that were his size, so he quickly changed out of his suit and put the extra clothes in the duffle bag.

  Lex had chosen a grey t-shirt, a tan, long sleeved button up shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans. He also pulled on a pair of brown hiking boots that he found under the broken bed. Lex completed the outfit with a dark brown jacket which was crumpled on the carpet in the hallway. He then concealed his gun in the pocket of his new jacket.

  He’d finished his search on the second floor and was headed down the staircase, when a man’s raspy voice stopped him dead in his tracks. “Don’t move a muscle boy, because I’d take pleasure in shooting you.”

  Lex immediately froze where he was standing. At the foot of the steps stood two men and both of them were armed. The older and smaller of the two men held a shotgun cradled in his arms; he was middle aged and bald and was also the man speaking.

  The younger man was taller and stronger and in his hands, he held a lever action Winchester rifle, aimed directly at Lex’s chest. Both men carried themselves like farmers and wore faded blue overalls with baseball caps.

  “Ya wanna tell us what you’re doing here in our house?” asked the older man.

  “Why of course,” answered Lex, with a pleasant smile on his face. “I took shelter from the storm last night at the O’Malley’s farm. This morning when I woke up the farm was gone and so were the O’Malley’s.” Lex decided not to mention the fact that they’d disappeared in a blinding light, right before his very eyes.

  “Like I’m supposed to believe that,” barked the old man. “If everything is gone then how’d you manage to survive? Answer me that boy!”

  “I was in their storm shelter when it happened,” explained Lex.

  “He could be telling the truth pa, or at least part of it,” said the younger man, speaking for the first time, “I recognized the O’Malley’s shepherd out front.”

  “We’ll see about that. Get down here,” ordered the older man. Lex did as told and slowly descended the stairs, with his hands held out where they could be seen clearly. The 9mm Berretta was in his coat pocket, but it was highly unlikely that he could move fast enough to get it out before they shot him. Lex did not like guns or use them often. In his line of work, if you had to use a gun, you weren’t any good.

  “Take it easy fella’s,” said Lex, as he reached the bottom of the steps. “I don’t mean you any harm.”

  “Put your bag on the ground and step back,” instructed the older man. Lex did as he was told, using slow and deliberate actions.

  “Watch him,” said the one called pa, as he bent down and opened the duffle bag. “Well, well, well,” he chuckled, and withdrew some of the garments
that Lex had just put into the bag. “Lookie here Malcolm, looks like he was stealing some of your clothes.”

  “Why that lying son of a bitch,” shouted Malcolm, as he chambered a round in the rifle.

  “Wait, don’t shoot him yet son, I still got some more questions. For starters,” the old man turned his attention back to Lex, “ya wanna explain this?” In his hand he held the opened briefcase with the mysterious neon blue vials.

  “I took that off of a guy who jumped me in an alley last night,” answered Lex, truthfully.

  “A likely story,” spat the old man, as he straightened back up to a standing position. “Go get your brother Malachi.” Malcolm turned without a word and left the house.

  “Listen,” began Lex, “I didn’t mean to invade your home or upset you in any way.”

  “Tell that to Roselyn lying dead over yonder,” hissed the old man.

  “But surely you realize that I had nothing to do with her death. I arrived after the storm and found her like that. You have to believe me; she was dead when I arrived.”

  “Why should I believe you? You stole belongings from our house with no regard for her demise, and that boy, well that’s just unforgivable. In fact, you steal a lot from what you just told me. Twice in twenty-four hours isn’t what I’d call trustworthy. You may not be to blame for her death, but someone has to pay for it, and you just happened to be doing the wrong thing, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.”

  “I can’t believe that you’d shoot me over some clothes. Your wife was killed in the storm and I just happened to be here. This is absolutely crazy.”

  “Oh I ain’t gonna shoot ya,” grinned the old man. “I’m gonna hang ya from that tree over yonder and make an example of ya.”

  “You’re gonna what?” Lex couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Listen buddy, this is murder and the cops will come looking. Do you want to go to jail?” Lex was bluffing, but he had to try something.

  “Gnaw, they only investigate murders, when there’s a body found. I ain’t got no intention of letting your body ever get found. I got me a nice little pig farm out back. Boy, do you have any idea how fast a pig can make a person’s body disappear? No, I don’t suppose you do,” he chuckled, when Lex didn’t answer, “but you’re surely gonna find out. In times like these, we need swift justice.”

  Just then, Malcolm returned with his older and much larger brother, Malachi. At their father’s command, they gagged and tied Lex, with his hands behind his back, and then led him outside to where Kassie still sat, dutifully waiting. Lex was led toward two Sand Sniper Dune Buggies, which were parked not ten feet from where the dog sat, and then forced down onto his knees. They tossed both his duffle bag and sleeping bag into the back seat of one of the black dune buggies and then began searching the area for anything that might be salvageable.

  Lex sat there helplessly watching, as he continuously tried to break free from his restraints, but the ropes were too tight. Then he remembered the fold-up knife that he’d found in the O’Malley’s storm shelter. He’d put the knife into the right pocket of his coat and it was still there, next to his 9mm Berretta. Thankfully, they had failed to search him.

  Lex leaned to the right, just enough so that the knife fell out of his open pocket. He quickly leaned over onto his side, and after groping around with his fingers, grabbed hold of the knife and sat back up. Wasting no time, he opened the blade and began cutting away at the rope that held him secure. It was hard to cut through the rope with his hands tied behind him and it took him a few minutes. In the process, he nicked himself on the wrists several times. When Lex finally sliced through the last shard of rope and regained his freedom, he felt the rush of sweet relief wash over him.

  At first he didn’t move, not wanting to draw the attention of the two brothers and their pa. He sat there for a moment, rubbing his wrists behind his back while trying to get the blood flowing through his hands again. Lex decided that the dune buggy, with his duffle bag in it, would be the best chance of escape. He was about to make his move when he saw the pa coming out of the house and walking toward him. He quickly grabbed the gun out of his pocket and hid it behind his back, not wanting the older man to realize that his hands were free. Lex remained still, with his head held low, as though he were sleeping.

  When the older man was only two feet away, he stopped and inspected Lex for a moment. Satisfied, he stepped over Lex’s outstretched legs and reached into the back of the dune buggy.

  Lex slowly pulled his feet up and climbed into a squatting position. The sons were still preoccupied with their search and hadn’t even noticed that their pa had emerged from the house. Lex slowly straightened up and stepped up behind the old man, placing the barrel of his gun tight against the man’s jugular.

  “Don’t move or make a sound,” Lex whispered into his ear. He reached around and took the shotgun from the older man and gently placed it in the dune buggy, with the rest of his gear. “Now, give me the keys to the dune buggy.”

  “I, I don’t have them,” stammered the older man. “My son’s each have one set of keys.”

  “You better hope they don’t mess this up old man, or you’ll be the first to die,” said Lex, positioning the older man between himself and the two brothers. “Oh fella’s,” Lex called out, with the muzzle of his gun held to the temple of their pa. Both brothers turned in unison and froze where they were standing.

  “Pa, are you all right?” asked Malcolm.

  “I’m fine boys, just do as he says.”

  “You heard your pa boy’s,” smiled Lex, “now I want you to both drop your guns right where you’re standing and walk toward me very slowly, with your hands held high. Don’t make any sudden moves or I’ll blow the old man’s brains all over the dune buggy.”

  The two men did as instructed and dropped their weapons to the ground. With hands held high, they walked toward Lex until he ordered, “Stop! Now get down on your knees both of you and put your hands behind your head. Where are the keys to the dune buggy?”

  “In our pockets,” answered Malachi.

  “Fine, here,” said Lex, handing the old man some of the rope that he’d been tied up with, “I want you to tie your boy’s hands behind their backs while I watch. If I’m not satisfied with how tight it is when you’re finished; then I’ll put a bullet in each of your knees,” bluffed Lex. “Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” grunted the old man, and he did as he was told.

  “Now, go over there and don’t move!” instructed Lex, as he searched their pockets for the keys, which he found and pocketed. Lex tied the older man’s hands behind his back and then forced all three men onto their stomachs. He retrieved their guns and added them to the dune buggy, along with all of the spare fuel.

  Then, after slashing all four tires on the extra dune buggy, Lex climbed into the one with his belongings, and whistled for Kassie to join him. She immediately jumped up onto the seat next to him and the two of them set off toward the west.

  Lex decided it was time to visit his mother in California, the only living relative that he had left. He was worried about her safety after that freakish bright light and the subsequent meteor shower. He knew something big was happening but he wasn’t sure what. Lex left behind the family of three very disturbed men, lying face down in the dirt, as he sped away, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

  Off the Reservation

  The Vanishing – Day 2

  Geneva, Switzerland

  It wasn’t until the following morning that the last explosions could be heard above the underground parking garage. After a few minutes of silence, Mason stood up slowly, half expecting the building to come crashing down on him. He looked down at Cleo, who was sitting on the floor, with her back to the support beam. Her legs were bent up in front of her, her arms folded over her knees, and her head was bent down, resting on her arms. Mason couldn’t believe it, but she was fast asleep and even snoring softly.

  “Cleo, wake up,” he said, gently. “I
think it’s over.”

  Cleo instantly lifted her head from her folded arms and rubbed her eyes with both hands. As she stretched, a yawn escaped from her mouth. She stood up next to Mason and looked around.

  “How long has it been?” she asked, as another yawn escaped.

  “I’m not really sure, it seems like hours have passed. I can’t believe that you were able to sleep through all of that,” teased Mason. “You must be one heck of a heavy sleeper. Come on, let’s go check it out.”

  The two of them slowly walked back toward the stairs and ascended them, filled with apprehension as to what they would find above. Mason was the first to reach the top of the steps. The warehouse that had sat on top of the parking garage was no longer there. It had been completely demolished, with the exception of one broken wall that still stood defiantly.

  There was rubble and broken glass scattered everywhere and it crunched under their boots, as they stepped out into the devastation. Cars, buses, trains, elevators, televisions, computers, phones…everything that used electricity or a motor had stopped working. Mason checked his cell phone and realized he wouldn’t be calling his wife any time soon.

  Most of the buildings that had previously surrounded the warehouse were completely gone. Many of the cars that had been abandoned in the streets were either gone or destroyed. It seemed as though almost everything that was not bolted down or underground, had blown away. The storm had left a scar that wouldn’t soon be forgotten, and the once beautiful and majestic city of Geneva, now lay in ruins. The two CIA agents stood there together, scanning their surroundings, before Mason turned and headed back down the stairs.

  Cleo followed him into the underground garage and began loading the sedan with their equipment, when suddenly they were startled by the sound of a phone ringing. Mason quickly popped the trunk. Reaching inside, he withdrew a satellite phone from within a small faraday cage which protected the equipment inside from an electro-magnetic pulse. Mason opened the phone.