Apocalyptia (Apocalyptia #1)

Chapter 12

Every day after the night in the motel, things went like clockwork. Paul drove the car as far as it would take them until it ran out of gas, then they would sleep in it before switching cars and continuing their drive. Crystal wasn't sure if he actually knew where he was going, but she found herself trusting him more in more. It probably helped that he made it a point to sleep close to her every night. He didn't always touch her, but he would always be close enough that he was impossible to ignore.

Crystal couldn't say that she minded, though. It was nice to have his warmth during the night and be able to listen to him breathe. It made her feel like she wasn't alone, which she too often felt as they traveled from state to state, farther and farther away from her home, his home, and all of the memories. The bad and the good memories trailed behind them in the form of fumes from the exhaust pipe, but the weight of those past emotions still weighed heavily on her mind. No matter how far they ran or drove, Crystal knew she would never be able to leave those feelings behind, but she wasn't sure if Paul knew that. He was determined to run, and they were running fast.

Crystal wasn't sure how many days it took them, but she determined it had to be at least four to five days from how many cars they went through. At least seven cars and one truck, which was the last vehicle to take them all the way to New York. She wasn't sure, but Paul seemed to be very proud of that fact. Paul was definitely a pick-up truck kind of guy. Regardless, his pride deflated the moment they saw New York. Buildings toppled, whole streets completely blocked and destroyed by debris and meteorites, and there was no guarantee on the death toll as most of those whom Crystal assumed had died were under the rubble.

She had thought it was bad in Alabama, but New York was a skeleton — a skeleton of broken buildings and like a frozen moment in time.

"I've never seen New York before. Guess I never will."

Crystal was surprised Paul spoke, but his words rang true, and she didn't need to respond for him to know she felt the same. She had only ever seen the bustling and busy city in books and on TV, but what she saw was far from the image that had been created for her, and it only got worse as they drove deeper into the city. Eventually, the roads were completely impossible to navigate in a vehicle. Paul was hesitant to leave the truck, but he did end up leaving it, though he made sure to take one last look at it before they dove into the dead city.

Paul spared no time in finding the direction of the docks, as his goal had always been to find a boat and leave America as quick as he could. Crystal didn't tell him that she was pretty sure it would be near-impossible to find a boat still docked, and what would be docked, she had no doubt it would be in shambles. Knowing Paul though, he probably already had a backup plan, and if he didn't, it wouldn't take him long to come up with one.

Along the way, they passed some of the smaller shops. Little shops that were pressed in between the larger skyscrapers and buildings. Some were more intact than others, mainly due to the large structures around them taking the brunt of the chaos, but others weren't so lucky.

One of the buildings caught her eye, and — despite Paul's need for speed — she stopped in the middle of the street and studied the storefront, or what was left of it. Half of the sign was still on the ground and could be read as being "Lily's," but the rest of the words were probably hidden the ashes. What had Lily served in her little shop? She could picture a young girl selling pastries and cakes, but the image reminded her more of Alabama with its small town bakeries than a bustling part of a city as big as New York.

The thought left her aching and sore, more emotionally than physically, but it didn't stop her from further exploring. Something begged to be found amongst the pile, but Crystal was also tired of following Paul all of the time. She wanted to do something for herself, so she climbed into the broken windows, the only side that still looked like something reminiscent of a store. The other side was caved in and made a bit of a hutch for the side Crystal climbed into. The lack of proper lighting and windows made it almost impossible to see, but Crystal could make out the outline of a bar or long shelf. While walking closer toward the back, her foot crunched something metallic.