The Girl From Above [Ground: Zero, Book 1]

27: Everybody Died, The End

Ryan exhaled and opened her eyes.

It was a misty afternoon. The sun rose high in the sky, painting the world in a golden glow. The smell of fresh pine welcomed her, and trees of green blanketed her surroundings.

A carpet of stray pine cones and pine needles sprawled beneath her feet. She kicked and smiled.

Brick buildings spread in messy rows, their signs covered in dirt and grime from years of continuous abuse, bruised by graffiti and stains from the local troubled kids.

Novis. Her home. The strange little mountain town that wasn't even on the map, of course, it wasn't exactly a place meant for tourism. Visitors only came if they were looking to get away from something.  Nobody came to Novis on purpose, more often than not they stumbled in with nothing but their wallet and a hunger for whisky.

She ran to the edge of the town, her feet kicking up dust as she raced towards two buildings in the distance.

Only a single paved road ran through the empty lot of buildings, the rest of the town covered in uneven dirt roads. She used to joke with her aunt that they lived in a real life cowboy town, but her aunt never seemed to appreciate the comparison. Small white butterflies danced along the dandelions that stuck at the edge of the road, racing along with Ryan.

The pile of brick and wood that called itself a library stood before her. A tiny building in comparison to the rest of the town, it sat like a stout old woman who remained entitled to her younger years, despite her failing body.

The small window cracked and held together by duct tape. Blinds stuck hanging halfway down over a broken "OPEN" sign that hung by a single thread, giving a small peak to the worn old books and dinosaur-age computers inside.

Ryan took a step forward. The door was wide open, as if someone expected her arrival. Good. It meant less trouble for the door.

She loved that door. So busted and squat that it bordered on being a fire hazard. Even Ryan, who was pretty short had to squeeze herself through. It squeaked in protest every time it opened, and greeted her like an old friend every day as she escaped to her haven of books.

She sniffed the air, expecting to be graced with the smell of cheap coffee. A common smell that carried from the general store all throughout the town. Her aunt hated it, but she couldn't help but smile at the smell each morning.

Instead, smoke tickled her nose.

The smell of smoke was common for Novis, what with the failing machines and old trucks that littered the town. Yet, after spending nearly her whole life in the town, she came to distinguish that not all smoke was the same. The smell of a broken down car was different than a burning building, or what she smelled now: burning hair.

Everything would be alright. She had to tell herself everything would be alright. Even if things were never were, she had to keep hoping.

She shut her eyes and shook her head, and when she opened them, chaos greeted her like an old enemy.

It was like she stepped into the core of a dying sun. Heat knocked her back. Flames scorched every inch of the ground, licking the once peaceful town. Orange and yellow light dancing across every corner and brick.

Buildings collapsed onto themselves, sending explosions of ash and soot through the air. Dust clouded her vision. The remains of her library nothing but rubble.

Blood-curdling screams rang through the air. Through the dust she could sense movement, the panic that came from everything crumbling apart. A town nobody knew being wiped off the map it was never on.