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

Chapter 8

It took a bit to figure out how to drive the truck, but I got it working and continued making my way to Evansville.

Alone.

Nick, or his body really, was laying on the road behind me.

It didn't feel great having to kill another human, but I hadn't been left with much choice. Once he explained that they believed they were saving what remained of humanity by "selling a few off" to the Wasps, he attacked me. I really can't say if I even meant to kill him, or even just injure him. All I could say for sure was that I didn't want to die like that.

I took a deep breath and tried to block what I just did from my mind. I could deal with it later. Now was not the time to worry about it; I had to focus on the task ahead. I had to think of a possible way to convince everyone about to board that ship leaving Evansville to not do it.

"Yeah, that'll be easy," I muttered to myself with no confidence. What the hell was I supposed to say?

An hour or so later, I could see a Tower, the Evansville Tower, looming in the distance.

Knowing that I couldn't just drive a truck they probably knew up to the gate, I found a place to pull off the road and abandoned it. I dumped a container of water I found in the truck on my bloodied hands, and donned my backpack once again and continued the rest of the way on foot. I know I had to get there as quickly as possible, but there was also the issue of the murder I had committed. No one needed to know about that.

As I approached the city a short time later, I could see the security wall the Wasps erected. There had been a similar one around Indianapolis, meant to keep us in and unable to escape since they were not able to keep a close eye on all of us in the large area. Around the entrance to the city, there was paint both welcoming people to the city and wishing them a great journey to the stars.

I sighed at this particular message. Things had fallen so far from what I had hoped they'd be by the time I had made it to this point, and it hadn't even been a full week since I left Indianapolis with the hope of escaping this planet and the horrific memories haunting it.

One of the guards at the entrance looked in my direction with his gun raised. "Stop!"

I did as told and raised my hands. "I'm here to board the ship leaving the planet," I lied. God, the thing I had been so excited to do just hours ago was now a lie. It was not a great feeling.

"Oh," he lowered his gun, "come on in then." He nodded to the other guard beside him, who stood aside. "Welcome to Evansville," he said as I walked by.

"Um, thanks." I managed a smile as I made my way into the city.

I stopped and stared in awe when I made it through the wall. The city was vibrant and clean compared to everywhere else I had been and seen, there were many people wandering around, all of whom looked clean and happy and it felt like this place had been safe from the horrors of the last hundred years.

As breathing and rational thought escaped me, I heard a familiar voice calling my name. Still, I did not move until the voice was closer.

"Tiffany!"

I snapped out of my awe to look toward the voice, seeing one of my only friends, someone I was sure I never would again. "Whitney?"