The BlackWolf Effect (Book IV)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX - Chaos

Across the country, all Hell had broken loose. In New York City, and all along the eastern seaboard, the light from the sun had been completely blocked out by thick, black clouds. People who were unfortunate enough to be outside at the beginning of the attack never saw it coming. They were killed by an invisible force and were left where they had fallen. Screams filled the air as people realized what was happening. Thanks to the high ranking members of Haven, the leaders of the country had been able to warn the public about the possibility of an attack. The local authorities had instructed them on an evacuation plan but it was impossible to run away from something you couldn't see.

As instructed, many people tried to run into the closest building they could. Those that were on the bottom floor of apartment buildings found themselves trapped by falling bodies coming from the upper floor balconies and landing on the sidewalk outside. 

Then the whole eastern seaboard lost electrical power, cutting power to warning systems so the alarms never sounded, and the cities went dark. Doors opened, windows were smashed and the citizens were left helpless as they tried to escape an enemy they could not see. They ran back out into the streets, hurrying in every direction. Children were separated from their parents in the chaos and rescued by caring strangers. Corpses rained down from the skyscrapers and landed on cars, sidewalks, and even people who were running below. Nowhere seemed safe. People who were close by the September 11th Memorial were led by a short man in an old suit and fedora hat.

"The church!" cried the man in the crowd. "Get into the church!"

The massive crowd pulled together and headed toward St. Paul's chapel in droves. They did their best to ignore the screaming and the bodies hitting the ground behind them. Once they crossed the threshold of the church, they noticed that they were not being followed. They hollered through the windows and doors for others to take refuge with them.

Three of Lord Frost's soldiers had been in New York City at his request. They were prepared and placed in strategic areas of the city. They began aiding in the evacuation while fending off the invisible forces as much as possible. From Maine to Florida, others were taking the same approach at the instruction from well placed Haven Soldiers. They gathered together as many people as possible and led them into the closest church they could find. They expected resources to be stretched thin but they found that the church leaders were well prepared with enough non-perishable food to feed them for just over two weeks, water for half a month, diapers and formula for several dozen babies, batteries, radios, blankets, and even children's books and toys.

Fourteen hundred miles away, the sky was raining fire. Despite Lord Frost's efforts, the small population of dragons had refused allegiance and sided with Dracula, who had offered not only gold, but vengeance on humans for slaughtering them centuries ago, and they were now setting fire to the drought-stricken prairie states. Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska were all vanishing in a violent blaze. The blue skies vanished behind clouds of unbreathable thick black smoke.

Crops were incinerated, thousands of homes destroyed almost immediately, and the people were left on their own to defend themselves. Several hundred people were burned alive as the dragons sent down fireball after fireball. Many people took shelter in backyard swimming pools, or in tornado shelters underground if they made it. Then the sixty-five foot long dragons swerved gracefully through the sky, occasionally diving towards the ground, releasing a fire blast with the force of one hundred pounds of dynamite. Craters littered the landscape, each one with pieces of homes, cars, and bodies, scattered around the crater floor.

Just like in New York City, the only buildings that were impervious to attack were the churches and cathedrals. People flooded inside with their children and pets, praying for rescue as pastors and priests brought them water and comforted the children. While they knew that they were safe while inside the sanctuaries, it was hard to ignore the sound of screams and cries outside as others tried and failed to get to safety. Children wept in fear as parents attempted to cover their ears and soothe them.