Maybe After Tomorrow (Hatchetfield)

Chapter 3

"Okay, everyone hurry up!" Professor Hidgens said, "We want to get out of here and back as early as possible. The later we're out, the more dangerous it becomes."
     Tom, Ted, Bill and Emma approached the front door, all wearing the same clothes. But they had all at least had the chance to fix their hair.
     "Okay. Let's go."
     "I'll see you guys later!" Becky said, a little too cheerily for everyone else's liking, before quickly kissing Tom's cheek, closing the door and sitting down to watch TV.
     But she paused it when she thought she heard a sound coming from upstairs. It was so quiet she could have imagined it, but, regardless, she went up to check.
     She quietly opened the door to Alice's room, quickly deducing that she was still out cold. Next, she went to Lex and Ethan's room, immediately rushing to the side of one of the beds. Lex seemed to be shaking slightly, but her eyes were still half-closed.
     "Lex!" Becky whispered, gently shaking her shoulder, "Wake up!"
     "Huh?" Lex rubbed her eye with her sleeve before looking up at Becky, "What's going on?"
     "Lex, you're awake."
     "Seems that way. Where am I, though? And who are-"
     Lex flinched when she heard something move on the bed next to hers and turned round to see Ethan rolling over and starting to open his eyes.
     "Ethan?"
     "Lex, where the hell are we?"
     "We're in Emma's old biology professor's - Actually, he was in your school a few years ago, Professor Hidgens. We're in his house," Becky said, "Everyone else is at the mall getting clothes and stuff. Do you guys want me to make you some breakfast?"
     "How long have we been asleep? And who is 'everyone'?" Ethan asked.
     "A week. And I'll explain everything else if you come down and get breakfast. You both like pancakes?"
     "Uh, sure. But, is my dad here?" Ethan asked.
     "Oh. I don't think so. I'm sorry, Ethan."
     "Oh god." Ethan sat up, letting his face fall into his hands.
     "Ethan..." Lex sat next to him, putting an arm around him and gently pushing his head onto her shoulder.
     Sensing that they might want some privacy, Becky walked to the door, "Come down in a few minutes. You've got to have something to eat."
     Lex nodded as Becky left but Ethan didn't even appear to notice that she had spoken.
     "Ethan," Lex mumbled, "I'm sure he's gonna be okay."
     "We had just started getting along. I can't lose him." Lex could tell he was fighting back tears.
     "You won't."
     "How do you know?"
     "I don't. But I'm choosing to believe the best until I have evidence to suggest I shouldn't."
     "I can't lose him," he repeated.
     "I know, I know."
     "Wait," He sat up, pulling away from Lex, "Where's Hannah?"
     Lex pointed to another bed across the room, "Still asleep."
     "Oh."
     "I hope she's up soon."
     "Yeah."
     There was a pause for about half a minute whilst the two tried to take in everything that had just happened before Lex stood up, extending a hand to Ethan.
     "Come on. We should really go and get something to eat."
     "I guess."
     Ethan took her hand and they walked into the kitchen, which was filled with the sweet smell of pancakes and the sound of them sizzling against the pan.
     "They smell really good," Lex said, smiling half-heartedly as they sat down.'
     "I guess Professor Hidgens wanted to have a good pancake recipe if he was to survive the apocalypse. But he somehow didn't think to get clothes."
     "He has his priorities straight," Ethan said, deadly serious. "But, how did we actually get here? And how were we out for a week?"
     Becky handed them each a plate and sat with one herself. "I'll explain as best I can."

"Whoa. Are you saying we all survived a meteor?" Lex asked.
     "Yep. And a supernatural-god-whatever-thing trying to take over the world."
     "Oh my god."
     "Yeah."
     Lex looked to Ethan, who still hadn't spoken. "Ethan, are you all right?"
     "You said everyone else was just out on the streets unconscious?"
     Becky nodded.
     "Oh god." His head slumped into one hand as he continued to eat with the other.
   "We're gonna find him. We're gonna find everyone. Don't worry," Becky said as Lex put her arm around him.
     "I'm trying."
     "And don't worry about Hannah. Professor Hidgens said that it most likely just affects kids differently and that's why she's taking longer to wake up. It's why you guys took longer than us."
     "I really hope she's up soon," Lex said, seeming slightly anxious, "I practically raised her. For our whole lives, we were all each other had. Well, until this one came along." She nodded her head at Ethan.
     Ethan smiled, "You had other friends before I came along."
     "It was never the same."
     Becky looked at the two, her heart breaking. All they really had was one another and Ethan had his dad. She couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he might lose him too.
     A long squeak as the door opened drew their eyes all toward the kitchen door as they waited to hear what had happened.
     "Uh, what's going on here?" Tom asked as he walked in.
     As Lex saw her old shop teacher, she wished she could crawl into one of the kitchen cupboards.
     "These two woke up about fifteen minutes ago," Becky said, standing up next to him.
     "What about Alice?"
     "Still nothing."
     "Bill's gonna be worried out of his mind."
     "Wait..." Lex stood up, "You're talking about Alice Woodward, right?"
     Tom nodded, "Yeah. You know her?"
     Lex went pale as she nodded, "Yeah. We used to be friends before she moved to Clivesdale."
     "What was that about the Devil's home when he comes to earth?" Bill asked, walking in.
     "Oh, nothing, um, just-"
     "Wait, if you two are awake..."
     "Alice is still asleep," Becky said, gently touching his arm.
     "Why?" Bill asked shakily.
     "We don't know yet. Where are the others?"
     "Just taking the bags upstairs. They'll be down in a minute."
     Professor Hidgens came in, "All of your clothes are in your rooms if you want to shower and get changed. Then we have a lot to tell you about today," He said to Becky, not noticing Lex and Ethan.
     "I sort of have a lot to tell you too," Becky said, gesturing to them.
     "Good. You two are up," He said, smiling at them.
     "Who are you?" Lex asked. She thought he looked familiar but she couldn't place him.
     "Professor Hidgens. This is my house."
     "Oh." Lex remembered. The old science teacher from her school.
     "But we can get properly acquainted later."

After everyone had changed into clothes they hadn't been in for over a week, they gathered in the living room which was, much like the kitchen, very spacious, definitely intended to hold a lot of people.
     "What's with all the theatrics? I thought you guys just went to buy clothes," Becky said, looking worriedly at Tom as his arm rested on the back of the couch, his hand on her shoulder.
     "What we found when we stepped outside was..." Professor Hidgens paused dramatically, "Deeply disturbing."
     "Disturbing how?" Ethan asked.
     Emma answered quickly and so quietly she could only just be heard, "They were all gone."