Apocalypse:AsteroidA Story by Josiah Russell A story I wrote year ago, about an apocalypse caused by a quite enormous asteroid. It is done from three separate viewpoints, from different areas of the world. 4 Hours to Impact Of course the US saw it first, what with their fancy telescopes and whatnot. Naturally, out of paranoia, NASA had to trace the asteroid back to its source. They found that a collision almost one and a half years ago had knocked the asteroid 2 Pallas out of the asteroid belt, sending it at 200 kilometers per hour almost straight for Earth. “Almost” being the key word. Scientists predicted the path of the asteroid to scrape by Earth’s atmosphere with mere miles to spare. Nevertheless, as a precaution for the worst-case scenario, they had designed a rocket to propel the asteroid away from our planet, with a 92.8% chance of success. They weren’t great odds, but they were better than nothing. They told the people there was nothing to fear, so nothing was what they feared. The tension in the air was thicker than airport security, and the worried glances globewide showed how the people felt of the future. Eagan, Minnesota `As he walked to school on that chilly December day, the thoughts of 14-year-old Peyton Collins flicked from point to point, though they were constantly drawn to a single thought�"the asteroid. Looking up at the sky, he shivered at the sight of it, a second moon hanging in the sky, looming like impending doom. His mind had run through multiple outcomes, none of which seemed survivable, or plausible, for that matter. All he could do was hope for the best, a difficult task for one like him. His thoughts flicked again, this time to Christine, but he forced them back. An asteroid apocalypse was more important, and honestly preferable food for thought, compared to a girl he had no chance at. His mental wanderings were interrupted when one of his boots caught on the other, sending him face-first into the snowy lawn of the Richard’s house. He jumped up quickly, brushing snow off his jacket in fist-sized chunks and asserting his bassoon was intact. He was about to continue walking (and probably would have, if he hadn’t tried reading a road sign) when he realized he was missing his glasses. Spotting them, he ran to snatch up the black frames, only to come to a halt, having heard a hollow sound beneath his feet. He bent down to brush the snow away, his hazel eyes widening in surprise. He placed his glasses gingerly upon his nose, as if that would change what he was seeing. Kyoto, Japan Silently fuming, Yuki Yamakawa pushed her way through the mob surrounding Kansai International Airport. Hands of the protestors grabbed her, trying to drag her away from her flight, but she fought against them. Today, she was heading to America at last, and a bull elephant with must couldn’t keep her away from that airport. She frowned at the signs around her, bashing the airport for keeping business in a seemingly imminent doom. Ignorant baka, didn’t they listen? The meteorite wasn’t even going to enter the atmosphere, and still they pounced upon what they saw as a ticket to death. She was about to enter the building when someone cried, “Abunai!” She turned, only to find herself pushed to the ground as something wet whistled past with a splat. She jumped up, ninja style, ready to face her attacker. A tall man with short black hair stood in front of her, now backing away slowly. She relaxed, walked up, and offered her hand. Looking somewhat wary, he shook it. “My name is Takeshi Nakamura,” he announced. “And you?” “Yuki Yamakawa. What was it they threw at me?” Takeshi motioned to the rotting fish carcass that was now oozing down the door. Mindful of the corpse, he opened the door, and motioned for Yuki to hurry inside. After a minute, Yuki broke the silence. “Where are you headed? I’m going to America, to finally rejoin my family in California. It took a while, but I finally saved enough yen to go.” Takeshi looked shocked. “Boku mo! I decided I was tired of the crowded streets of Osaka, so I’m headed to Nevada. Viva Las Vegas!” Yuki giggled. “What’s your flight?” Takeshi checked his ticket. “257.” “Watashi mo! What an odd coincidence!” The two compared their tickets. Not only were they on the same flight, they sat right next to each other. After a few minutes of discussion, they walked into the terminal holding hands. Varna, Bulgaria Dimitar Yunakov frowned at his computer screen. How could he have gotten himself banned so quickly? He refreshed, as if that might make a difference, but no, he still held the hot pink title of Banned Member. It had to be a new record: shortest time to keep membership to a forum. He swore to himself, then logged out. How did this happen? He kicked a tattered book into a corner as he left his room. He tiptoed quickly down the hall, hoping to get to the door before�" “Dimitar! Where are you going?” He sighed and peeked into the living room. “I was wondering if I could go on a walk, mother. I figured I should get out a little. After all, today is my birthday.” His mother snorted. “Birthday. That makes twelve years of my personal hell.” She shook her head with exasperation. “Da. Go, but pick up some groceries while you’re at it.” Dimitar almost snapped, With what money?, but he stopped himself. This was his first chance to get out of the house in years, and he couldn’t give it up for the sake of a smart comment. He dashed out, barely pausing to shut the door. 3 Hours to Impact 2 Pallas was nearing the most crucial point of its course, the closest it would ever come to the atmosphere of the Earth, a mere mile from its gravitational pull. Even a small collision at the right angle could spell disaster.
Eagan, Minnesota Peyton sat through Japanese class as if his seat was burning, fidgeting anxiously. One foot tapped the ground relentlessly, keeping a steady rhythm as he glanced about nervously. A new plan was forming in his head, one that might actually work, but it all depended on what he had found. Something a few seats away caught his eye. Christine Matthews, sitting a few feet away was jotting down notes in a brightly-colored notebook. He shook his head, mentally hit himself, and put his thoughts back on track. Meanwhile, Christine had taken out her cell phone to read her friend’s newest text. She laughed quietly, and had begun typing a response when she heard someone clear their throat. Her head snapped up to see her sensei standing over her, hand outstretched and foot tapping impatiently. With a sigh, Christine set her phone gingerly into the open palm. “You can have it back after class,” the teacher stated blandly, and a few students giggled. The teacher shot a glare at the offenders, and they fell silent. After class, and after Christine had retrieved her beloved cellular device, Peyton ran up to her in the halls. “You’ll never guess what I found today on my way to school today,” he blurted awkwardly. Christine gave him a look that could freeze oxygen. “I’m not in the mood.” Christine whistled. “Being a bit dramatic over a cell phone, aren’t you?” When he didn’t receive an answer, he sighed and dropped the subject. “So, wanna hear what I found today?” “Not in the mood.” “But it’s�"” “NOT in the mood.” With a look of helplessness, Peyton walked on to English class. He passed a TV, taking a glance at the screen, then did a double take that would shame Bugs Bunny. He rushed back to the screen, then gave a strangled choke at what he saw. Varna, Bulgaria Dimitar sat in the local library, flipping through a book. He slapped it shut with exasperation. If he wanted propaganda, he’d buy a box of political posters. He rested his head in his hands, wondering how things had gone so wrong. For him, it had all started when his father had left for America, leaving him with his mother, who had gone mad with grief. While she had gone homicidal, though, he had matured from the situation, taking a cynical view to the world, and causing controversy as a general hobby. Now, the two of them lived in a dump of a house, 16000 leva in debt, and he didn’t see himself living past eighteen. They barely had the money for groceries. “Ah!” He’d completely forgotten the groceries! He ran out of the library so quickly he almost smacked into the door. He practically set a new land speed record on his way to the supermarket. As soon as he got in, he grabbed a jug of milk, a couple cartons of raspberries, and a pack of bologna. When he was finished, he dashed to the shortest checkout line. When he got to the cashier, he was panting like a dog on a hot day. “Dobre li si? Are you sick?” the cashier asked, concern written across her features. “Dobre sum,” he answered, winded. “Just a little out of breath.” The cashier rang up his meager supplies, and Dimitar handed over a few crumpled bills and headed home. He entered the house to find his mother on his computer, checking once again for e-mail from his father he knew would never come. “Zdravei, mother,” he greeted half-heartedly. She grunted and snatched the bag of food from his hands. “Where have you been?” she demanded, rustling through the sack of groceries. “You’ve been gone for almost two hours. ” “I was at the library,” he defended. “I needed a book to read.” “You haven’t run up any fines, have you? If you have, they’re coming out of your pocket.” “Ne,” he replied, wondering what was in his pockets that the library would actually take for payment. His mother turned away, satisfied. He sighed and walked into the living room. He turned on the TV, then started flicking through channels. When he got to an image of the president, he stopped, then turned the volume up until his mother shrieked at him to turn it down, trying to process what he was hearing. Flight 257, en route to California After a few issues with airport security (namely Yuki’s braces setting off the metal detector), Yuki and Takeshi were headed to America at last. When they were seated, a chipper flight attendant told them everything to do in case of emergency. After what was possibly the least intelligible lecture either of them had heard in a long time, they finally got in the air. A few minutes into the flight, Yuki clicked on the small TV above her head. Fifteen minutes of a soap opera worth about half of however cheap its budget was later, she looked out the window�"and gasped. All around, a vast blue blanket of ocean spread seemingly to infinity. At the horizon, the sea and sky blended almost seamlessly, and indeed, Yuki could hardly tell one from the other, until she looked upward. At first glance, it was almost exactly like the sky she had seen that morning, but she saw the difference. The meteor had slid across the sky like a cruel sun of stone, practically as large as the moon in her vision. She shivered, though she knew it would only grow smaller as it moved further away. Suddenly, the asteroid gave a visible jerk, though barely so, like a twitch. Yuki frowned and looked at Takeshi, but he was listening to his iPod, a mix of his favorite J-Pop. She glanced around, but everyone else was as apathetic as Takeshi, some even sleeping in their seats. She shrugged. Maybe it was nothing. After all, if anything was wrong, surely the captain would let them know. One minute later, the captain’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but we are to prepare for an emergency water landing. I’m receiving reports that the asteroid has been knocked into a collision course with Earth. Remember, above all, to stay calm.” Needless to say, the second the captain hung up, all hell broke loose. 2 hours to impact Yes, the asteroid 2 Pallas had indeed been knocked into the Earth’s gravitational pull, by a passing meteoroid. At the angle it struck, the stony behemoth was knocked into a tight descent towards the west side of the United States. On the surface, the US scientists prepared their rocket. It was the last hope for Earth. Varna, Bulgaria Dimitar ran into his room, pulling on his mother’s arm. She slapped his hands, ordering him away. “Mother,” he pleaded, “the asteroid�"” “The scientists said we don’t have to worry,” she snapped. “Stop worrying!” “The scientists were wrong, mother!” His mother scoffed. “Who am I going to believe? A group of scientists, who have spent their lives learning how to best provide for us, or my ignorant little b*****d of a son? Go!” With a helpless glare, Dimitar dashed out the door, anxious to spend his last hours out of the house. Eagan, Minnesota Peyton burst into his English class to find all eyes glued on the TV, watching the titanic space rock hurtling through their atmosphere. Peyton could tell they were waiting, waiting for NASA to launch its propulsion rocket, to push the monster out of sight. He quickly sat down, not even bothering to pull out his English materials. He glued his eyes to the screen, only taking a few seconds to glance at his fellow students’ reactions. It was a sad sight. The hope in their eyes was desperate; they were clutching at straws, and they knew it, yet they insisted on their delusion of security. Some had broken down altogether, sobbing into the shoulders of the nearest friend, who could only pat their backs with whatever compassion they could muster. Others were ignoring the TV altogether, preferring the bliss of their own little worlds to the pure hell of their futures. Wishing to do his part, Peyton walked over to the nearest friend he could find. With a start, he realized it was Christine. She was staring at the screen with disbelief, as if the ramblings of a paranoid had created a physical essence, and it was terrifying. Awkwardly, he patted her on the back. She shifted, but not uncomfortably, then turned, tears in her eyes. “You were right,” she said softly. “We’re down to our last chance.” “That’s the thing about being paranoid,” he grunted. “When you’re right, you never get the satisfaction.” Christine gave a weak smile, then leaned against him. Meanwhile, Peyton’s thoughts were running at hyper speed, running through his plan for the last time, pruning it to near perfection. Flight 257, en route to California The passengers all broke into an uproar, making last-minute wishes before they died, lamenting their unfinished lives, until a piercing whistle broke the silence. The flight attendant who had whistled then proceeded to instruct the passengers how to survive the landing, and assuring them that the rocket sent by the US would be the end of the matter. Frightened, and looking for a leader, the people listened, accepted the life jackets they were provided calmly, and waited. A half hour later, the rocket streaked past, and a hundred fifty eyes followed it until it stuck into the asteroid, pushing the space rock away from the Earth while the people cheered. Then, without ceremony, the rocket exploded, splitting the meteor into multiple pieces many kilometers wide, each heading for a different part of the world. 1 Hour to Impact The people of the world gave up hope there and then: the scientists, the Americans, the French, the Russians, even the Dutch. All tried to get done what little they could before their lives were crushed, though few would see their goals met. Eagan, Minnesota Peyton, along with the rest of his class, looked on in horror as NASA’s prevention plan went terribly wrong. Suddenly, alarms went off across the city, and everyone was running to fulfill their lives. Christine might have been one of them, if Peyton had not grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to face him before she went completely hysterical. “I have a plan!” he shouted over the pandemonium that surrounded them. “Try to get as many as you can to come with us!” Confused, Christine gave a short nod. Satisfied, Peyton went off to talk to a few others, convincing them to join his mad fight for survival. Varna, Bulgaria Dimitar was far from his house now, almost to the outskirts of Varna. He didn’t know where he was going, he just wanted out, out, out! He looked up, then stopped, confused. The asteroid now appeared to be in multiple pieces, one of which appeared to be coming almost directly for his beloved country. He fought with himself, knowing what he should do, but also what he had to do. Gritting his teeth, he ran back in the direction of his house. Flight 257, en route to California Yuki struggled to get free, with one thought on her mind, the one thing she had to do before she died. She struggled with her seat belt, hoping to get out before Takeshi was lost in the brouhaha of the cabin. She called out his name�"“Takeshi!” Suddenly, he was there. He watched her, fear in his eyes, as she struggled with her seatbelt and fought to come to him. He came to her, his face just inches from her own, and asked her, “What do you need?” Yuki smiled, grabbed his head, and kissed him full on the lips. 30 Minutes to Impact The fragments of 2 Pallas were mere minutes from the Earth, and already the smaller fragments had begun their assault, striking any foolish enough to be out and about on this doomsday. Flight 257, en route to California Takeshi smiled at Yuki, and kissed her back. Then, he sat down and buckled himself in next to her. “If today we must die,” he said, “then we shall do it together.” Yuki smiled, and the two locked hands for the final time, before a fragment of asteroid one kilometer across struck their plane. Varna, Bulgaria Dimitar slammed through the front door and dragged his mother from her chair. “Come on, mother,” he growled. “We’re leaving, whether you like it or not.” Looking visibly shaken, his mother followed without a quarrel. Dimitar led her through the door, pulling her out onto the street. They were a few blocks down the street when she finally spoke, and then, it was two words, so soft as to be nearly imperceptible: “They lied.” Dimitar glanced up, and she continued. “The scientists, the president, your father; all of them, liars.” Then, Mrs. Yunakov looked upon her son, and finally she saw him for who he was, and she collapsed in his arms, crying, great shaking sobs that shook her whole body, and all Dimitar could do was hold her, and cry in return, for this was the clearest she’d been in six years. Eagan, Minnesota Christine and Peyton rejoined, each with small collection of those who still had a spark of hope, those who wanted�"no, needed�" to survive: Ernie McCarty, Amanda Parson, Philbert Fleccs, and Ivan Hower. Peyton took one look, grunted, and said, “That should be enough.” After a few minutes of explaining, the group of six was off, heading to the abandoned Richard’s house through the rain of rock and fire. As they traveled, Ernie, the teenager closest to the back, was struck by a falling fragment, about a meter across, hitting him square in the chest. The group stopped, shocked. Philbert stepped over to check on his friend, only to jump back as another meteoroid hit the ground a foot from him. Recovering quickly, Peyton screamed, “Let’s move it!” The group ran, sprinting towards their one hope at salvation. Only two made it. 15 Minutes to Impact By now, anyone who hadn’t fulfilled their life’s wishes weren’t going to, as the fiery meteoroids were almost to the surface, though greatly slowed by the Earth’s atmosphere itself. Each impact would create a crater, averaging 175 kilometers across and tens of kilometers deep, and would send up plumes of smoke and ash large enough to block the sun. Varna, Bulgaria Mother and son hugged each other as Dimitar Yunakov and his mother watched the meteorite head towards their precious country of Bulgaria, and, in the last moments, the two felt their first true bond since the man who had been husband and father had left, so many years ago. As the stone neared the Earth, Mrs. Yunakov uttered a single phrase: “Ciao, dovijdane, Dimitar.” “Ciao, dovijdane.” Flight 257, in the Pacific Ocean Even with the man it belonged to lifeless, Yuki, in her last minutes, felt comfort in having Takeshi’s hand inside her own, and, as the water started to fill the cabin of the plane, she felt a tremendous feeling of happiness, the last thing she would ever feel. Eagan, Minnesota Christine Matthews and Peyton Collins stood in the yard of the empty Richard’s house, thinking of the friends they had lost on their way to get to this: the door to the bomb shelter Peyton had found that morning. Still shaken from watching chunks of asteroid crush the skeleton of classmates he had been with since day one, Peyton bent down to open the shelter, hauling the door up, then motioned for Christine to get inside quickly. When she stayed put, he walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder, trying to comfort her. Finally, she spoke. “Why do so many have to die?” she whispered. “Why?” Peyton squeezed her and said, “Well, it’s what we’ve heard from the day we were born. Things die because they must, and no amount of sorrow will change that.” He stood up. “However, realize also that the time for grief would most probably be after our lives are spared, so...” Visibly relieved, Christine crawled into the shelter. Peyton followed, but decided to take a peek at the asteroid as it hit the horizon with the impact of several atomic bombs. It was the last thing he’d ever see. Impact Eagan, Minnesota Peyton stumbled blindly into the main shelter as it started to shake, absorbing the force of an impact over 200 kilometers away. Christine got up from where she had curled up in a corner, going to assist him. “What’s wrong?” she breathed. Peyton grimaced. “I looked back, forgetting the flash of impact. I… I don’t think I’ll ever see again.” He felt around, then put an arm around her shoulder. “Let’s sit down.” And so Peyton and Christine, two teenagers bonded by trauma, sat down as if they’d been together for decades. Christine leaned forward, still confused and uncertain. “So this is it,” she said, turning to Peyton, though he couldn’t see her. “This is the end.” Peyton hugged her close. “No,” he whispered, almost as if to himself, “not the end. It was never meant to be the end. Rather, it is the opening to the next chapter; a new beginning.” © 2010 Josiah RussellAuthor's Note
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1 Review Added on October 27, 2010 Last Updated on October 27, 2010 |
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