Awake (3 page)

Kevin slowly recovered from the pain, but
his tongue was still numb. “Oh, coffee. Well, I couldn’t really
taste much of anything except…pain. What’d you put in it?”

“Um…nothing. My mom always drinks it like
that.”

Kevin lifted up the mug, looking at it. “She
drinks it
black
?”

“It’s more effective that way. You already
missed a day of sleep. You should drink it all.”

Kevin groaned, “I suppose.” Then he looked
at Andrew and grinned mischievously. “I drink half, you drink
half.”

Andrew frowned. “You’re the one driving. You
need it most.”

Kevin said, “That’s true, but I’m not doing
this alone. You agreed to come along. I don’t want you falling
asleep on me. We both have to stay awake for as long as we
can.”

Andrew reluctantly nodded. After Kevin drank
half the mug, he passed it to Andrew. Andrew hesitated. His eyes
closed, he slowly downed the coffee, grimacing the entire time. It
was the bitterest thing he had ever tasted. He couldn’t comprehend
how his mom could drink it so easily every morning. Maybe it was
something she had to get used to.

Once they were done with the mug, it was
time to begin. Andrew set the GPS to direct them to Korgen. Kevin
turned on the ignition and checked the fuel gauge. The gas tank was
almost full.

Kevin mumbled, “So the first thing is to
check mirrors…which I did. Now I have to back up…so I should put it
in reverse.” He examined the gearshift on his right side and moved
the lever down. “Now…time to GO!” One hand on the wheel, he
excitedly slammed his foot on the gas. There was a loud whir and
squeal as the car backed out the driveway in a matter of
seconds.

Andrew screamed. Looking ahead as everything
zoomed out, Kevin was shaken speechless and he quickly hit the
brakes. The sharp stop of momentum jolted them in their seats,
smashing the back of their heads against the headrest. The tires
shrieked as the vehicle came to a sudden, vicious halt. Gulping
air, they exchanged frightful glances. Kevin looked through the
back window. They were only a few inches away from plowing into the
neighbor’s garage door.

Terrified, Andrew said, “Are you sure you
know how to drive?”

Sweat streaming down his cheeks, Kevin
chuckled nervously, “Of course. I just got a little carried away.”
Kevin glanced into his rear-view mirror. The animals were no longer
in the backseat. “The dog and cat! They’re gone!”

Andrew loosened the buckle, shifted around and
peered into the back of the car. Curled up on the floor, Genesis
was whimpering like a pup. Her back arched and her puffed up tail
frozen in place, Luna was firmly attached to the back of the
driver’s seat by way of her claws, looking like she was defying
gravity.

Andrew said, “They just decided to get into
a safer position.”

Much to everyone’s relief, Kevin was able to
drive moderately well. He learned quickly. But he seemed to have a
bad habit—if you could call it that—of wanting to hit things. There
were a few near-death incidents, but everyone was okay for the most
part. The sides of the car were banged up, but he hadn’t made any
direct collisions.

While staring out the side window, Andrew
tried to keep his cool. It was unsettling to see no one on the
roads, especially so late into the morning. Going down an empty
highway that was usually jammed with traffic didn’t just feel
strange—it also felt really scary.

When they reached Korgen, Andrew noticed the
city streets packed with parked cars along the side. It was
widespread, just as Genesis had said. Aside from the noises of
their car engine and tires, the city was silent. There were no
planes or blimps in the sky, no honking of horns and no bustling
crowds of pedestrians. Andrew looked to the distant factories,
seeing no sign of smoke from their stacks.

Andrew could feel the despair and fear
clawing at his chest once again. This was real. After seeing no one
for miles, he thought it might as well be the end of the world. The
only hope for mankind’s survival rested upon two teens, a dog and a
cat. He would’ve never guessed. There was no hope. They were all
doomed.

Andrew saw someone walking along the
sidewalk. “Look, there’s somebody over there!”

Kevin parked the car and ran out. Andrew
tagged along. To their utter astonishment, it was their classmate,
Katie Evans. She was wandering the streets by herself.

“Oh great,” she said to them, “You guys
again.”

“Never expected to see you here,” said
Kevin.

“Likewise,” said Katie, attempting to go
around them.

“Wait!” shouted Kevin.

Annoyed, Katie stopped and looked at them,
glaring. “What do you want?”

Kevin said, “You’ve found out about the
sleeping thing too, right? We should stick together and solve this
problem.”

Katie had a serious look on her face before
she began a mocking laughter. “Are you guys stupid? I thought you
were idiots, but I never thought you’d be brain dead.”

Kevin scowled. “What’s stupid?”

“Everything,” she said, laughing. “It’s like
you guys are playing a little kid’s game. You want to save the
world? Give it up. Life ain’t that easy. It’s just not that simple.
There’s nothing you can do about it. Just forget it and enjoy life
while you can.”

“But don’t you want to save your family and
friends?”

Katie grinned. “No. Who needs such worthless
crap?”

Kevin was stunned by her reply. “You don’t
mean that.”

Katie laughed. “Of course I do! This is the
best thing that’s happened to me! I’m glad this whole world is
screwed up. Everyone’s better off dead. And it’s especially great
that all the adults are dead. They’re all just selfish scum.” Katie
walked up to a car that was parked by the curb. “And now look at
them. They got what they deserved.” She kicked the car with all her
might, leaving a slight dent and shoe mark. “See that? This
car…they probably treasure it more than their kids. But now,
they’re all so pathetic. Sleeping to death.” She kicked the car
again. “Ha! This is great! No one can stop me. There’s no lame
adult telling me what to do with my life.” She smiled and then
proceeded to kick over a metal trashcan. “I can do anything!” The
trashcan was empty. She picked it up. “Anything at all.” Then she
tossed it into the window of a store and the broken glass
scattered. “All the work they did was for nothing! If they’re dead,
what good is all this junk?”

Kevin grabbed her arm. “Stop that!”

She glared at him. “You think they care? No
one will arrest me. No one will press charges. Why? Because they’re
all dead.”

Kevin screamed at her face, “They’re not
dead! They’re still breathing! And as long as I’m still breathing,
I’ll do all I can—” Katie punched him across the cheek. He fell to
the ground, his lip bleeding.

Taken aback, Kevin touched his lip and gazed
at his bloodstained fingers. “Ouch…”

Katie sneered, “If you care so much, go do
all you can. Go waste your time. But I’ll tell you right now…you
can’t even save yourself.” Walking away, she told him, “Oh, and if
you ever touch me again…a bloody lip will be the least of your
worries.” Then she turned away and jeered, “What a wimp. So
pathetic.”

Kevin got back up and was about to charge at
her. “WHY YOU—”

Fearing what might happen, Andrew held Kevin
back. “Just forget about it! It’s okay!”

Kevin struggled a bit and then pushed Andrew
aside, exhaling bitterly. “Yeah, you’re right. Can’t let her get to
me. It’ll just waste my energy. Let’s go look around. Maybe we’ll
find someone with some actual common sense.”

They returned to the car and continued to
scour the streets for people. Kevin found a police precinct not too
far down the block. He parked in the middle of the road, and then
he left the rear windows open, making it easier for Genesis and
Luna to hop in and out of the car. He also left the doors unlocked;
he thought no one was around to steal the car anyway.

As they walked into the building, Genesis
said, “Will we find help here?”

Kevin replied confidently, “Whenever a great
crisis arrives, the first stop should always be the police
station!”

“Really?”

“I sure hope so. I’m banking on the fact
that some officers have night shifts.”

There was an officer sitting behind the
front counter. He was fair-skinned, fit and clean-shaven. He seemed
to be really busy. Phone held up to his ear, the officer was
working at the computer with one hand and flipping through sheets
of paper with the other, searching frantically for something. He
was too engrossed in his work to notice that the boys had entered
the room.

“Excuse me,” said Kevin, approaching
him.

Startled, the officer jumped out of his seat
and nearly dropped the phone and papers. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t
sneak up on me like that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?
Seriously, what’s with kids nowadays? No respect for
authority.”

Kevin said, “Sorry about that, but we’ve got
a problem—”

“A problem?” As if he wanted to get things
off his chest, the officer blurted out, “You’re darn right we’ve
got a problem! It’s not just any problem…it’s a MAJOR problem! No
one’s been coming in since six o’clock last night. All over the
country it’s the same thing.” He gestured down the hall. “There’re
even a few guys sleeping on their desks. Nothing I do can wake them
up. I’m the only one left.” The officer tried to hide his worry by
forcing a grin, but Kevin could see that the man was deeply
concerned over the matter.

“So you don’t know what’s wrong?” asked
Kevin.

The officer sunk into his chair. “We’re
still trying to figure that out. At first we thought it was just
coincidence—like a few isolated cases of a strange coma. But by the
time we realized it was widespread, it was too late. I’m trying to
maintain contact with whoever I can get a hold of: police
departments, fire departments, hospitals…but some of them aren’t
even responding anymore.”

“There’s no government plan for something
like this?”

“A contingency plan for widespread coma? I’m
sorry, kid, but it’s not like we know the source of this problem.
There’s nothing we can do. We do have some kind of plan, but it’s
really more of a desperate maneuver. Some emergency personnel are
currently taking the leaders of the country to a secret facility
where they’ll be cared for while still unconscious. We’re also
trying to pool together any remaining research teams in hopes
they’ll discover a way of solving this gigantic mess.” The officer
stared at the kids for a moment, deep in thought. After a short
silence he said, “You know what? I’m going to take you kids there.
I don’t think this problem is going to resolve itself and it isn’t
safe for you kids to stay here.”

“There?” Andrew sounded confused.

The policeman explained, “All the survivors
are gathering in several locations: New York City, Los Angeles,
Houston and Chicago. We’re closest to Houston, so we’ll go there
and meet—” A thick hardcover book fell on the officer’s head in
mid-sentence. Having taken a blow to the head, the policeman
wobbled, and then fainted on his desk. The boys gaped at him.

“That was rather anticlimactic,” Andrew
remarked.

Kevin looked up at the ceiling above the
officer’s head. A ceiling panel had been moved out of place. Kevin
frowned. “I doubt he’ll wake up now. I’ve never heard of books
falling out of ceilings.” Kevin pondered over the situation. “Must
be a book sniper.”

Raising a brow, Andrew repeated, “A book
sniper?”

His face darkening, Kevin turned to Andrew
and said in a low growl, “A man who lurks in the shadows…waiting
for the right moment to strike…then—BAM—when you least expect it,
you get knocked out by a five-inch thick dictionary.”

Andrew said stoically with a hint of
sarcasm, “Sounds absolutely terrifying.”

“You bet.”

Genesis ignored them and barked, “There’s
something up there, Luna. Chase it down.”

“I know, I know. I was just about to do
that. Don’t be giving me orders, mutt!” Luna jumped up onto the
counter and licked her lips. “I smell a rat.”

Luna leapt into the gap between the ceiling
panels. As she disappeared from their sight, Kevin heard a loud
caterwaul followed by some bangs and thumps. It sounded like a
major scuffle was going on overhead. The ceiling boards began to
shake and crack, causing some dust to fall. The commotion above
moved around in circles. One of the ceiling panels gave way and
Luna landed safely on her feet. She had a small gray rat in her
mouth.

The rat squeaked, “Please spare me! I didn’t
mean any harm!”

Luna snickered and tossed the rat at the
wall. The rat fearfully huddled in the corner. Luna swaggered
toward it. Then the cat extended her claws and held them up to
rat’s throat. Gleaming in the light, her claws looked razor sharp,
like tiny daggers.

Luna began interrogating the culprit. “Where
did you come from? Who do you work for? How long have you been
monitoring us? Why are you trying to stop us?”

“Wha-what?” Blood draining from his face,
the rat said, “This is all one big mistake! I don’t work for
anyone, honest! I’m not trying to stop you from doing
anything!”

Luna said icily, “Then why’d you knock out
the policeman? What is your objective?”

“Look, Miss, I’m just a hungry rat trying to
get in the fridge. He was the only guy left in this place. What was
I supposed to do? Take my chances? He’d be sure to come after me
with a gun. I swear, I didn’t mean any harm!”

Luna’s green eyes narrowed, appearing almost
fiendish. “Well,
Mister
rat. We have a predicament. You
completely messed up our plans.” She examined her claws, licking
each one carefully. “Now tell me, rat, how can you make up for the
damage you’ve done?”