Origins

“It did for them,” I said. “But maybe Harland is a trained pilot. None of us could ever fly this thing.”

It was too bad. Taking this plane would cut an enormous amount of time on our journey. We might even make it to Bunker One tonight, if only we had someone who knew how to fly.

I turned my attention back to the screen. Most of the numbering was gray. Bunkers 23, 40, 76, 88, 108, 114 had red lettering. I guessed that the gray meant that the bunker was no longer operational. At the time 40 had fallen, which must have not been too long ago, there were still six bunkers left. The only ones unaccounted for were 76 and 88. They were both located on the West Coast — one near San Francisco, and the other near Portland. Not far enough for the Blights to have reached them. I wondered if they were still operating.

My attention homed in on Bunker One. There it was, right there…Cheyenne, Colorado. According to the map, we were at the halfway point.

I touched the red dot of Bunker One. The screen responded, and flashed.

“Location selected,” came a female voice from the dash. “Initiating launch sequence.”

“Oh, shit,” I said.

I searched the screen madly for some way to abort it. But the screen had faded, and I could feel the plane thrum as the engines roared to life.

Samuel burst into the cockpit.

“Alex, what the hell is going on?”

I turned around. “I…I don’t know. I just pressed it, and it looks as if it’s going to take off.”

Samuel scanned the screen. It had come back on, showing the map again. On top of the screen, it read, “autopilot engaged.”

“Autopilot,” Samuel said. “They weren’t flying it at all. The plane’s computer was doing that.”

“Is that where they’re going?” I asked. “Bunker One?”

Everyone else ran into the cockpit.

“Alex, what the hell did you do?” Makara asked.

“I don’t know, I…”

“Wait,” Lisa said. “This might be our way out. We have no other chance with those monsters out there.”

“Shit, the hangar doors!” Samuel said. “They’re still closed. We can’t leave if someone doesn’t open them…”

“Whoever does that might die,” Makara said. “They wouldn’t be able to get back on the plane.”

The plane started moving.

“Well,” Samuel said. “We’re screwed.”

The plane wheeled toward the doors and stopped before them. Slowly, they rolled back on their own.

“They’re opening!” Samuel said.

“Must have been programmed into the hangar somehow,” I said.

As soon as the doors opened even a crack, the monsters started pouring into the hangar. They could do nothing to us as the plane wheeled forward, crushing them beneath the front wheels.

“We can’t take off as long as any of them are blocking the runway,” Samuel said.

The plane’s landing lights flashed on, revealing a sea of crawlers, their white glowing eyes staring back at us from the darkness. They pushed toward the plane as if of one mind.

“We’re not going to make it,” Makara said.

As soon as she said that, the plane stopped. In the back, I could hear something moving.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“Obstruction noted,” the voice said. “Engaging in vertical launch mode.”

We all fell to the ground as the floor lifted up from under us.

“Find a chair and strap in,” Samuel said. “We’re taking off!”

I found the seat behind the copilot’s chair, and strapped myself in. As everyone else found seats, the plane paused, levitating in midair. The thrusters turned again and engaged. We surged forward, the acceleration pushing me back into my seat.

We arced upward, toward the night sky, leaving the Great Blight under us. I looked out the window to see the dark world fall away.

I could only hope there was a runway to land on when we got there.

Chapter 18

We had been on the plane an hour. I headed to the back, out of the cockpit and into the cargo area. I found a seat where I could get a moment of peace before the plane descended.

Next to me was a circular window, and I could not stop looking out of it. For the first time in my life, I saw the moon and stars. They sparkled, countless, dotting the midnight sky. I never imagined there would be so many. Though beautiful, they made me feel sad, in a way. We had lost so much because of Ragnarok. It would take decades for the fallout to dissipate enough for them to be seen again from the surface. How many generations would that take? Would there even be another generation to watch them?

“You look quite pensive.”

I nearly jumped out of my seat. It was Anna.

“You snuck up on me.”

She sat next to me. My heart raced as I felt her shoulder touch mine.

“Sorry if that was weird, earlier,” she said.

It took me a moment to realize she was talking about holding my hand.

“No, it wasn’t weird at all. I guess I just didn’t realize…”

I trailed off, and looked into her eyes. She wanted me to go on, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I didn’t want to assume too much.

“I almost wish we didn’t have to go back down,” Anna said. “The stars are better company than those monsters.”

Anna seemed distant, for some reason.

“You alright?” I asked.

She sighed. “I don’t know. Guess we’ll find out here in a few, right?”

I smiled. “Guess so.”

She smiled, too. I felt a moment of tension, of expectation. I really wanted to hold her at that moment.

“Anna, I just wanted to say…it wasn’t weird at all. In fact, I….”

She waited for me to finish. Why were these things always so hard?

“I’m glad you decided to stay,” I said. “Because…”

Anna smiled. She touched my face with her right hand, and I was glad for the darkness, because it felt like my face was on fire from blushing. That was when I wrapped my arms around her. She leaned into me, the warmth of her body nestling into mine. My heart raced; I couldn’t believe it was happening, that this beautiful girl might actually like me.

She leaned her head against my shoulder and closed her eyes. She seemed content to just be held.

I held each of her hands with my own, and rested my head on top of hers. As I felt myself dozing off, I felt happy and peaceful for the first time in a while. I just hoped we survived whatever it was that waited down there, because I didn’t want this to be the last time I held her.

* * *

My stomach suddenly lifted as the plane descended, rousing me from sleep. Bleary-eyed, I saw Anna next to me also getting up.

“Already?” she asked.

“We should probably go back up front,” I said.

We both stood, but Anna did not take her eyes off me. She stared into me, as if searching for something. I brushed a strand of her hair from over her eye. I grabbed her hands, and was about to lean in and kiss her…

Some turbulence rocked the plane, sending us both to the floor. The plane rocked for the next few seconds