This Is How We End It

Chapter Fifty

It was a rush of things. Scattered completely, everywhere. Information was going around like crazy, but of course, nobody ever really knew what was going on. It was just rumors. Rumors on top of bullshit that the military seemed to be giving out. It was late, and the highway was backed up for miles. It'd been like this for hours. Ever since Shane came to the hospital for them... it was a mess. Highway hadn't moved a single inch in hours.

Mikaela was beyond hungry, as food wasn't really something that Shane grabbed. Only thing she had, was from hours ago. A small doughnut that Ethan had brought her. She was thankful for that, now. She placed a card down, face down, in the center.

"Three jacks." She called out, rearranging her deck some.

Nick looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah? Bullshit."

Mikaela gritted her teeth, picking up the card, before growling some. "Ugh." She sighed, putting the cards back into her deck.

Anthony put down a couple cards, before looking up at the sky. "Two... uh, fours."

Adam eyed him, before looking back down at his deck. He didn't have any fours, so Anthony could've been telling the truth. Nick did the same, as well as Ethan. Mikaela had one four, but that was it. Ethan had the other. Nobody called bullshit, and let him pass.

Suddenly, Shane stepped out of the Jeep. He looked up at the sky, seeing helicopters flying around Atlanta. Lori was restless, sitting next to her new friend, Carol, watching the kids play. Ed was sitting in their cherrokee, smoking a cigarette.

"I'm gonna go up the road a ways. See what's up there." Shane said, before looking down to the children. "Anyone wanna come with? Gotta have someone stay here, though."

Ethan looked down. "I'll stay. I don't wanna see what's 'causin this kinda mess..."

Lori nodded, looking down. "Alright. Anyone else wanna stay?"

Everyone else shook their heads. They all got up, and began to follow Shane, who had began walking up the highway, by the guardrail. Ethan went and sat in the car, shutting the door, and listening to the scanner, which was just static. It was nothing.

Walking up the road, Adam looked around at other people. He could see all different kinds of things. Some people had set up small camps, as the wait was unbearable. Anthony glared at everyone, as overpopulation was always a big problem, in his mind. And look where it's fucking gotten them. 

That's when planes flew above. What looked to be military planes, flew over the skies, rather low, and headed for the city. Atlanta wasn't too far; just over the ridge. They were close to the evacuation center and CDC, but not close enough to be safe.

"C'mon, we'll cut through the forest." Shane shouted, and the commotion on the highway was heating up. Fights and brawls began to break out, as people were colliding. 

The small group made their way to the clearing, before seeing the Atlanta skyline. It was bright, and full of light. The military planes flew to it, dropping something. That's when the streets lit up, building collapsing in the wake of the impact. Atlanta had just been bombed.

Shane threw his arms up, in disbelief. "They're droppin' napalm in the streets.." He mumbled out.

Mikaela was in Lori's arms, crying. All hope was lost, and they'd never be safe. Everything was gone.

Mikaela sat up in bed, looking around. She was feeling queezy again, unknown why she was. Anxiety, maybe? She looked around the room for Andrea, or Ariel. Nobody. The apartment was empty.