The Last Day On Earth (Book 1 of The Galaxy Series)

Chapter 3

Waking up to the loud ringing of the alarm clock wasn't exactly pleasant, but it was still better than the way the Wasps used to wake us in the morning: blaring what the elders called "tornado sirens" and threatening to demolish our houses if we did not emerge to do the daily work. A tiny bell ringing was a much welcome difference, and one I feel like I was only annoyed by as some deeply ingrained reaction from before the invasion.

I turned the alarm clock off and wrapped it in my old baby blanket. It was the only remnant I had of my mother from before the Wasps had her killed for what they called insubordination, and what the rest of us had called a broken leg. I replaced the blanket and clock in the bag; there was no time to dwell on that right now. There would be time, I knew, once I was off this forsaken planet.

Placing the bag on my back, I left the room and made my way downstairs. This time, Jamie was not at the counter, but a large man with an irritated look on his face. This was probably her friend that she said might be out here instead, Adrien.

I held the key out to him. "I assume I need to give this back." No, I really didn't know what else to say. I've never been in this situation before.

He looked up and took the key from my hand. "Room six?" He looked down at the ledger. "Tiffany Belmont?"

"Yeah." I waited, unsure if I needed to do anything else or if I could just leave.

Adrien looked at me, seeming to glare. "Are you the one who upset Jamie?"

"If I did, I didn't mean to."

He slammed a drawer shut. "Just leave. I don't need you around reminding more people about what they've lost." He pointed at the door.

I didn't want a fight; this wasn't time and fighting with other humans didn't really seem like a smart thing to do, considering. "Tell your wife that I am sorry," I told him when I was at the door. Looking back, he seemed more sad than irritated now, and just told me to leave again with less force.

Walking away from that place, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to them in the Outlier that I was going to pass through soon. The way Adrien talked about Jamie, it was like they were married at some point, more than just friends or companions that she referred to them as. It wasn't the first instance I had heard of a couple going separate ways after the Wasps left, but it was the first I had seen that seemed more complicated. Apparently it was true what some people said about humanity; we could be insanely complicated creatures.

Some miles down the former road, I passed an old sign that said "Merchant, this way", with an arrow pointing toward an old building. I didn't have the time or need to visit someone selling things. I looked a bit closer at the sign, though, and saw a name underneath the paint, "Oliver". Huh. Wonder why he posted his name like that. Seems weird to do that, but maybe that was a common practice before the invasion.

I would have to find out later, I decided, as I made a mental note to write that down in the notebook I kept in my backpack.

An hour or so later, I found myself staring at a sign in the Wasps' language that read, "Limestone Outlier #1". So this was the famous Outlier that all of the limestone in the country came from, huh? I bet, too, this is the Outlier than Jamie and Adrien came from! I should definitely explore it, even just a little bit.

I ducked through a hole in the fencing that had once kept the people living here in, and kept going.

There really wasn't much to see. Nothing was left except old equipment, shelters that were falling apart from the weather, a graveyard (a surprise, as we generally were not allowed funerals), and, of course, a huge pit in the ground. A quarry, I think is what I had heard once to describe it. Well, either way, it was blocking my otherwise easy path south. Time to go around.

Walking further into the Outlier revealed more than I could have thought possible.

Though there were no people around, as with the other Outlier I went through, there were plenty of buildings that people had never lived in. A quick investigation showed that these were filled to the brim with limestone, storing them before shipment to cities and maybe other Outliers. Further down, past where the road turned into a weird circle like the one surrounding the Indianapolis Tower, but smaller, was the end of the quarry.

And the beginning of a new Tower.

This place wasn't meant to be an Outlier for much longer, apparently.

A sign places in front of the incompleted structure stated that the Wasps had intended to make this place a true city so they could increase the population. This was, of course, to dig more limestone out more efficiently and with less loss of labor. Nothing that seemed too surprising. Though I had never heard of an Outlier becoming a city. That would have been a first!

Out of curiosity, I went up to the Tower door, which was easily four times my height, and placed my hand upon it to open it. Usually, Towers allowed humans inside to report things such as labor losses or gains, or to report an accident. The one time I got to go inside of one was to report that a friend of mine had attempted to escape the city. I felt bad about it, but had she escaped and the Wasps hadn't been notified, all of us in that house would have been killed.

The Indianapolis Tower had been made of the same polished limestone inside and out, seeming to glow with a feeling that I could only describe as dread. Everything dwarfed me, making me feel smaller and more insignificant to the Wasps than I already was. Then going up to the top to meet with the leader of our city... Even the thought now took my breath away in fear.

Of course, this door didn't open. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. None of the Towers had opened since the Wasps left Earth. It was worth a try though.

I continued on, trying to put the thought of the time I went into the Tower from my mind. Why had I wanted to go in another one? Maybe because I knew the Wasps were gone? Because I knew they couldn't hurt me or anybody else anymore?

Maybe because I needed to know for sure that I was truly safe after all these years...

I shrugged, adjusting my backpack and distracting my mind. Focus! I have to make it to Evansville! That is where I will finally escape this planet and all of the horrible memories attached to it!

Finally reaching the road south once again, I continued on, giving only passing glances to the few remaining buildings in the Outlier.

Before I left the area entirely, though, I saw an old sign--pre-invasion--that read, "Welcome to Bedford; limestone capital of the world".