"This is it."
We approached the garage, and noticing how sturdy it was, Maria exclaimed, "How are we going to get to the car?"
Jacopo and Max tried lifting it up manually but in all obviousness, it wasn't budging one inch. Alan gestured towards a door set into the garage, "We can try picking the key-whole here. Does anyone have a pin or paperclip or something?"
My short hair and I couldn't help, but Cornelia pulled a hairpin out of her neatly made plait and gave it to Jacopo, who within seconds had effectively unlocked and opened the garage door. Well damn, that was fast. He went inside and manually opened the garage door with the emergency keys.
***
While Max and Alan were busy hot-wiring the car, Cornelia, Maria, Jacopo and I sat in the front driveway, replenishing our energy with water and cereal bars. Reaching in to grab a granola bar, I took out one of our water purification tablets that was blocking my access and set it next to me.
"How long have we been outside?" someone asked.
Without looking up, I answered, "Approximately two hours I think."
"Two hours? We should radio the base and tell them we're okay. They probably want to know that it's getting hot enough to melt metal," proposed Cornelia.
"Good plan!" Maria reached into her backpack and turned the radio on. "Hello, this is unit one. Do you copy?" She repeated it a couple times more before a static voice replied "I copy. This is Sara."
"All six of us are safe. We all have our supplies and we are still full of energy."
"That's great to hear! I'm so relieved."
"We did notice that metal cars and signposts have melted."
"I'll report that to the science team. Stay safe out there. I'll let your parents know you are safe."
"Thank you, goodbye. Out."
"Goodbye! Out."
The static cut off and Maria put the radio back in the bag. "I'm glad it works here. I don't know if the range will work once we hit Germany."
"Will it work in Sweden? And Denmark?"
"Normally it should work."
The sound of an engine revving cut off our conversation and we all turned our heads towards the garage where the "massive" black Volvo was rolling towards us.
"Get in!" yelled Alan, and I hurriedly grabbed my bag, reaching for the tablet I had left out, only to feel plain grass.
"It's gone!"
"What is gone?"
"The tablet! I had left one here."
We all looked around and no one could find it.
"Maybe someone put in in their bags? Or you did?"
"Maybe..." I said, but I remembered leaving it there, and no one was near me on that side.
"Well one tablet can't hold us back too long, we need to get going."
"We all scrambled into the car, Maria and Jacopo in the boot seats and Cornelia and I in the middle row."
Unknown pov:
"I see them, they are entering a black Volvo."
"Damn it agent Phoenix, you need to stop them."
"Don't worry, I have a plan."
"Well hurry up and do it then. Report back to our base within the next 12 hours."
"I stole a purifier tablet so I'm set for another day."
"Then in the next 24 hours! Or else..."
"Fine. Out."
"Out."
***
-Back to normal pov-
Most of us dozed off to sleep, but I couldn't find rest. I tried every position, and eventually gave up, looking out at the burnt landscape instead. Next to me, I heard Cornelia shifting too.
"Can you not sleep either?" I asked.
"Nah, never been the one to fall asleep in cars no matter how hard I try."
"Same here, even driving through the night for ten hours straight I could never sleep. My dad always kept the AC on really cold and played hard rock music so he could stay awake."
"Wow that does make it just a little bit harder to fall asleep then." We both laughed.
"Well there's no cold AC or hard rock playing right now." chuckled Alan from the steering wheel.
"Well no but there is an apocalyptic crisis going on outside in the world you see."
"No really? I hadn't noticed!"
The car ride continued on with us bouncing sarcastic remark after sarcastic remark until we had all laughed away our nerves, and eventually, fallen asleep, right as we crossed the border for Sweden.
"Welcome to Sweden! Land of the Kanelbullar," muttered Alan, softly under his breath, as we all snored lightly in the back of the car.
YOU ARE READING
Earth's Revolution
Adventure"My eyes flashed open and I jolted upright. Where was I? Around me I could see trees and rocks but I didn't recognise any of it. I got up, slowly, taking in my surroundings. I was alone in what appeared to be the middle of a forest. Suddenly I hear...
