I groaned as I struggled to wake up, the morning sun glaring in through the window and making it difficult to see clearly. Still half asleep, I reached out blindly, searching for my phone amidst the tangled mess of blankets. Finally locating it, I squinted at the time display. Saturday, 9:30 am. I yawned and thought to myself how glad I was the first day of college fell on a Friday. We were supposed to meet at Bea's bookstore around 2 pm, I sat an alarm and fell asleep, getting some extra hours.
Waking up, I once again looked for my phone and checked the time. It read 1:27 pm. Scrambling out of bed, I hastily grabbed a pair of blue jeans, a red flannel shirt, and a surfing Godzilla tee, muttering to myself, "This will have to do for today."
After a rushed tooth-brushing session and a quick spritz of cologne, I checked my phone to find it bombarded with four calls from Jon and messages from the newly formed group chat.
Jon: Did I get the right numbers for everyone?
Gannon: 👍
Bea: yeahh
Bea: is everyone still good to meet at 2?
Jon: Yes
Gannon: 👍
Bea: is Mars not coming?
Jon: He slept in, he'll probably reply when he's up. He shouldn't be long tho.
Bea: okk, see you guys then!
Gannon: 👍
Quickly replying, "I just woke up, I'm on the way.," I shook off any remaining sleepiness before preparing to drive.
Grabbing a slice of bread to toast on the go, I realized I would have to skip breakfast yet again. Hastily snatching my keys and backpack, I rushed out the door, nearly leaving my toast behind in the process. Devouring it as I hurried to my car, I wiped crumbs from my face and checked the time - 1:45 pm . With a sigh of relief, I started the car and sped off, hoping to arrive on time.
As I pulled into the long gravel parking lot, I was met with three other cars. Rushing out of my car and towards the store I was met with the slightly overgrown exterior of a one story brick building, wrapped in ivy and adorned with a vintage dark green sign that read "Adams Archives". A smaller sign on the glass door reading "closed." As I stepped inside, the scent of old books mingled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, creating a relaxing cafe-like atmosphere. I looked around and noticed Jon and Gannon sitting at a wooden table with their laptops out, while Bea was over at a coffee machine making two coffees.
Walking over to the table I greeted Jon and Gannon, and sat down. Bea, finishing their coffees walked over and greeted me with a warm smile, her black hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. She handed them their coffees and walked next to me. "Welcome to Adams Archives," she said, her eyes twinkling with enthusiasm. "I hope you're ready for a journey through the ages."
I laughed and exchanged puzzled glances with Jon. He noticed my confusion to her greeting and inserted, "Don't worry, she greeted us the same way. Then asked if we wanted coffee." He chuckled and Gannon nodded in agreement. Remembering the origin of the library and the name of Bea's bookstore I remarked, "Adams Archives? That's a fitting name" impressed by the size. Bea questioned, "Would you like any coffee? We have creamer and sugar."
Jon interjected before I could reply, "She won't let you make your own, I know how you are and I asked as well. She shut me down and said she wants to give us an amazing experience."
She replied with a smile, "This is called setting a nice atmosphere, I do this for all the customers. I want a feeling of inclusion and welcoming here, that's why we even have a kids zone with bean bags and coloring pages. I enjoy this job and I always try my best."
I laughed, "Well, I respect the commitment, could you please bring me a coffee and a couple sugar packets?"
Bea nodded, walking over to the coffee machine and returning with my requested items. After thanking her she inquired, "Do you guys want a tour?" All of us agreed while sipping on our coffee. She walked over and grabbed her own coffee before leading us further into the store. Bea began her enthusiastic tour. "This place is more than just a bookstore; it's a treasure trove of history and knowledge, we have books and records of the town dating back to the 1900's."
As we followed Bea through the aisles, she pointed out different sections and highlighted some of the unique features of Adams Archives. "Over here, we have our fiction section," she explained, gesturing to a row of shelves filled with novels of every genre. She began to point as various places of the store and their corresponding signs. "Over there are the maps, geography and language books."
Finally arriving at a row labeled graphic novels, Jon began to walk over and inspect the various books. Jon's eyes sparkled with excitement as he perused the shelves, his fingers trailing over the spines of the books. "This is amazing," he exclaimed. "I could spend hours here."
Bea chuckled. "Feel free to stay as long as you like. Let me show you two more things."
Leading us to the back of the store, Bea opened a door and pointed to a fenced area enclosed by a tall black spiky fence. "This is our outdoor reading area," she said, her voice tinged with pride. "It's the perfect spot to escape into a book and enjoy the fresh air."
We stepped outside, breathing in deeply as the crisp cool air filled our lungs. The fenced-in area was surrounded by ivy-covered walls, creating a sense of privacy and tranquility. Various patches of flowers, tables and chairs were scattered around, inviting us to sit and relax amidst the beauty of nature.
As we made our way back inside, Bea turned and took us down a flight of stairs to a spacious basement. The air growing cooler as we descended, and the faint scent of old paper and dust filling my nostrils. Rows upon rows of shelves stretched out before us, each packed with books, boxes and trinkets of all shapes and sizes.
"This is our basement storage area," Bea explained. "We keep overflow inventory down here, as well as some special collections and what my grandfather owned."
As we made our way back upstairs, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sheer abundance of books contained within, easily reaching over a thousand. After the tour, we found ourselves sitting back at a table in one of the cozy nooks, we began to debate what exactly our subject should be. Armed with books from the science section, we delved into research, discussing and debating numerous celestial bodies and events before finally deciding on one.
"This book has some great information about asteroids," I said, flipping through the pages showing them photos. "Did you know that most people don't know the difference between asteroids, meteors and meteorites? Why don't we just do that?"
"Is there a difference? I don't know that much about anything space related. " Gannon inquired. I nodded, replying, "Asteroids, meteors, and meteorites are all celestial objects found in space, but they have distinct characteristics. Asteroids are the rocky bodies that orbit the Sun and are typically found in the asteroid belt. What most people call shooting stars, are smaller chunks and debris that enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up, producing bright streaks of light. Meteorites are the remnants of asteroids that survive the journey through Earth's atmosphere and land on the surface. They can vary in size from tiny rocks to large boulders and are composed of rock, metal, or a combination of both."
Gannon looked over to Jon and laughed, "You really weren't kidding when you said he'd be a huge help on this project, he explained that really well."
"Thanks, I don't wanna do all the work though." I said chuckling, while raising my hands and backing away. "I'm actually getting a little hungry, I kind of skipped breakfast. Would you guys mind if i went and got food? I don't mind getting something for everyone. I'll be quick." Jon spoke up and agreed. "I don't mind, I'm a bit hungry myself but what are you thinking?"
"I'm fine with literally anything, what are you guys thinking?" I said while looking over to Bea and Gannon, not giving them time to deny. I had heard their stomachs rumble during our tour. They waited a second before both saying "Takeout?", they looked at each other and chuckled. With Jon and I agreeing, I got their orders and grabbed my keys and backpack, checking the time. 3:35.
After finally managing to get the four bags of food in my car, I shut my door and started my car. I turned on the radio, tuning it to the news channel. I was met with static. Stopping at red light, I was cut off by someone and began to tune to other channels, all of which being with terrible music and talks shows. Attempting the news once more, I was still met with static.
I flipped to the station for Oakridge, the next town over. It wasn't always the best channel and was often full of static but I turned it nonetheless, looking for somewhere broadcasting the weather forecast. I was met with a shouting news anchor from their news station. "We've just received word that thirteen convicts are on the loose. They were freed when their transport bus driver unfortunately entered cardiac arrest and crashed. One of those convicts is none other than Patrick Reyce, who made national headlines after suffering from a psychotic break and murdering seven of his associates during a public outing."
I remembered hearing about that event, it was all over social media and every news outlet. It was truly terrible, the families of the victims were attempting to get him the death penalty, one of the parents even tried to murder him while his trial was being broadcasted live on television. They were rumors saying he had a psychotic break from being laced with a new street drug and other rumors saying far worse, which seems to be how usual internets rumors go.
Why is our news the only one that's out? They usually come on at 4.
Looking at the cars clock, it reading 4:03 pm. Just then my phone lit up with an alert, the words "Presidential Alert" flashing on the screen, instantly commanding my attention. With a sense of apprehension, I tapped on the notification, the message unfolding before me.
"This is a Presidential Alert," the message began, its tone serious and urgent. "Attention all citizens: A meteor shower of unprecedented scale has been detected and is set to occur within the next hour. While the majority of the meteors are expected to burn up upon entry into the Earth's atmosphere, there is a risk of some larger fragments reaching the ground, posing a potential threat to public safety. All citizens are advised to exercise caution and avoid outdoor activities during this time. Seek shelter indoors and stay away from windows until further notice."
The words sent a chill down my spine as I absorbed the gravity of the situation. The light turned green and I began to wait for the truck in front of me to move, the same one who had cut me off moments before. I had to make it back to see if the others got the same message. The truck stood idle, its engine running with the man inside not moving. With my anxiety rising I started to reverse and make my way around him. As I drove by, I looked at the man wearing an old worn-down black hat, he seemed to be around fifty, having slight gray hairs and wrinkles. His face was stuck looking up, his eyes being pure white.
I began to speed up, creeped out by the man and the impending danger of a meteor shower. Looking through the rearview mirror, I watched the truck fade away in the distance, the man still looking up. Being caught at yet another red light, I looked once again, not seeing the truck. I nervously exhaled and grabbed my phone to call Jon, halting at what I saw in my darkened reflection. My hair had changed. My previously dark brown hair now sported a small white streak above my left eye. Extremely perplexed I looked around the streets, to see various people standing motionless, looking up to the sky, their eyes all white. The bystanders, now all sporting white streaks in their hair, began to scurry past the motionless people out of fear or come closer to question the people out of concern. The light turned green but I continued to sit there out of confusion, my eyes locking on a couple.
A man was questioning his wife, her figure stiff and motionless, gazing up at the sky, he began to shake her while saying her name. After the fourth shake, she seemed to be knocked out of her trance, turning and looking at her husband, he called her name again but the woman had no reaction and just stared at him. A shriek echoed from the building behind him, causing him to turn around in an attempt to locate the noise. While his back was turned, the woman's body suddenly contorted, jerking backwards in an unnatural and unsettling manner, as if pulled by invisible strings. She regained her posture, now moving towards her husband, with each step, she struggled to keep her balance, her movements jerky and uncoordinated, as if she was fighting against her own body. With a sudden burst of energy she lurched towards him, grabbing his neck and forehead. The man still confused, questioningly called her name, only to look over as she sank her teeth into his shoulder and began to claw at his face. He screamed in agony as blood started to squirt from his wound, trying to push his wife away to no avail. As bystanders rushed to help the man, they arrived too late, his body going limp surrounded by a pool of blood. The woman stood up still chewing the chunks of her husband in her mouth, and began to limp towards the others, blood covering the lower half of her face and leaving a trail down her once blue dress. Dozens of screams began to reverberate from the town in every direction.
Holy shit.