Read From the Indie Side for Free Online Page A

she looked back, he’d
already popped his thumb back in, turning his face away to stay
clear of her eyes.
    Can’t hurt him now , she thought sadly.
Her little brother had no idea what was on the other side of the
garage door. None of them did. He had no idea that somewhere
between here and the shopping mall, they might all be dead.
    “Emily,” her mother interrupted. “Does your
phone work?” Until Justin’s suggestion, the thought hadn’t occurred
to her to check for a signal.
    “Four bars,” she said, relieved. “I’ve got
four solid bars and a full battery, too.”
    She jumped almost clear out of her seat when
the garage door behind them began rolling up, clanking metal on
metal.
    “Power isn’t out for good yet,” her mother
said. It had been flickering on and off like a failing fluorescent
bulb while they hustled Justin out to the car. “Won’t be long
though.”
    Emily stretched to look outside. Gray mist
fell into the opening of the garage, but stayed at the entrance.
They were safe. But for how long? The mist was white, pure white,
mottled with streams of dark patches. She could see nothing beyond
it. Another bang hollered from inside the home, and she imagined a
wall or ceiling collapsing.
    Emily dropped back down to her seat and bit
nervously on her fingers. She had her bad habits too. She glanced
over to Justin, who seemed intent on his thumb-sucking, yet
oblivious to what was going on.
    The mall was a good idea—a great idea. But
how were they going to find it?
    “Mom… how are we going to drive through
this?” she asked, and watched her mother slump against the steering
wheel.
    “Dad’s driving,” Justin answered. “He said he
had to go to work—remember?” Her mother bolted up and jabbed a
finger at the car’s dash.
    “The GPS,” she answered. “Has to be. It’ll be
our eyes.”
    “Can it get a signal through this stuff?”
    “Works when there’s a rainstorm, right?”
    “Yeah… yeah, it does,” Emily answered,
knowing it didn’t matter. The GPS had to be their eyes. They
didn’t have a choice. They didn’t have anything else.
    “What is that?” her mother asked. Emily
followed her mother’s gaze as a cloud of chalky debris fell onto
the windshield. Ticking sounds tapped against the roof of the car
like heavy rain, and for a brief moment, she thought the gray mist
had come inside to take them. But the dust was too heavy, and had
already started to leave a thin coat on the hood. The wall in front
of them moved, bulging outward as if taking a dying breath. Large
cracks sprayed from the center, spidering in every direction. The
ceiling…
    “Mom, we have to move. NOW!”
    “What is it?”
    “Hit the gas, Mom!” Emily screamed, realizing
the house was caving in on them. “Go, Mom! Go!”
    If they didn’t move now, they’d be trapped
beneath the rubble. A blast shook the car, splintering the wood
that held their house together. Emily felt the bite of tears as
their home died around them, collapsing. Chunks of ceiling and wood
crashed on top of the car. The loud thud jarred them, startling
Justin. Emily turned in time to see his eyes narrow as his face
cramped with fright.
    “What’s happening?” he cried.
    “It’s okay, Justin, we’re leaving!” her
mother answered, but she seemed stuck, fumbling with the shifter as
more debris fell on top of them. Another explosion thundered from
somewhere high above them, and Emily thought of the rafters and the
roof, like her father had said. Wood tore like paper, throwing
bombs of insulation and drywall all around them. The ruckus grew,
becoming louder, and sounded like a thousand campfires hissing and
popping as they burned through acres of forest.
    “My house,” her mother cried, and Emily felt
her mother’s anguish, but now wasn’t the time to mourn. Emily sat
high on her seat, begging that they get out of the garage. She
grabbed the car’s shifter, pressing the button and throwing them
into reverse. The car sped