Day 1.
The Business District of Burg.
Sometime just after the Supernova.

A woman by the name of Mrs. Tebbins was in the Banking District of Burg when the Supernova took place. And while she herself was not of much interest to our story, she was witness to something that later turned out to be of much importance.

She was outside when it hapenned. The bright burst of light, the wind, the terrific force. Garbage and remains of some buildings lay scattered everywhere. But Mrs. Tebbins, aside from a few tears on her navy blue jacket and dark striped pants, was unharmed. The event itself, of course, had left her quite shaken. But being the kind, compassionate woman she was, her first concern was for the safety of those around her. Running along the street, she checked on people inside buildings or lying on the street, and she went to see if anyone was hurt, and made sure everyone was alive.

She was almost to the end of the road by now. Everyone in this area seemed alright. Some scartches and bruises, but nothing more than that.

That's when she heard it. A child crying. And yelling for help.

It was coming from around the street corner. Mrs. Tebbins ran as quickly as she could. When she saw the building from where the sound was coming, she momentarily stopped in surprise. There was wisps of what looked like dark colored air seeping out of the building's windows. The building was on fire? She didn't see flames anywhere. Perhaps it was coming from a fire deeper within the building, out of sight. In any case, she could judge from the cries that a child was trapped in there and was in need of help.

Mrs. Tebbins rushed into the building. Following the cries, she tried to find where the child was. Finally she found her -- a little girl with black hair, dressed in old, tattered, grey clothing. She was clutching what looked like a very old, worn teddy bear, into which she hid her face.

There didn't seem to be any flames around. Just those strange, wispy dark curls in the air, which Mrs. Tebbins assumed must be smoke. It made it very difficult to breathe.

Wondering why the child just sat there crying, she asked, "Little girl, are you alright?" The child went on weeping without acknowledging her. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

The child cried harder.

"Little girl, what's wrong?"

"I can still see it," the child murmured.

Mrs. Tebbins looked at her oddly. "See what?"

"What hapenned. It happens... in my head. What I saw."

The woman wondered if maybe the disaster had brought back some horrible memory for the child, and that was why she was crying. "Everything's alright, little girl. You'll see. Perhaps you'll feel better if you talk about it." She paused to cough. The air was getting tighter and tighter, making it very difficult to breathe. "What did you see, child?"

"There was a woman... She had been so kind to me, but..."

"Go on." Strangely, she felt a bit dizzy. And lighter than usual.

"But something happenned..." she began to cry harder.

Mrs. Tebbins felt more and more odd. At first she thought it was from the lack of air, but... this felt different. She felt... it was difficult to explain... She felt almost transparent. What was going on?

Trying to refocus on the child, she said, "Please. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."

The little girl turned to her at last; her strange, black eyes almost looking straight through her. "She tried so hard to help me... I can still see her... Her lovely brown hair... her navy blue jacket... striped pants... but it's harder to see now. So long ago."

The woman looked down at her own clothing, and swallowed hard. "This woman... what hapenned to her?"

The child smiled sadly. "She died."

All in one moment, Mrs. Tebbins was gone. Just a wisp of dark air curling in the breeze.

The little girl buried her head in the teddy bear once more. "I don't understand why. They all wanted to help me..."

~Riella

-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
Supernova

Laramie never heard the end of Liam's sentence. Suddenly, it was as if all the light and pure, burning energy of the sun gathered itself together, before crashing over them in a suffocating wave. The force of it knocked her nearly to her knees, the breath pulled from her lungs. Laramie tried to see, to focus on what was happening, but the world had become a haze of pinwheeling colors.

In the confusion, she suddenly felt Liam's hand wrap around hers, pulling her away from a falling tree branch and out into the open. They ran blindly, one thought echoing incoherently in Laramie's mind. This...this can't be happening.

It wasn't until Liam jerked to a stop and frowned down at their joined hands that Laramie realized the strange, shivering feeling in her arm. She pulled her hand away and held it up in front of her. The dark pink nail polish she had been wearing this morning was gone. Her palm was thicker than she remembered. The knuckles were wider. And when had her fingers gotten so big?

She glanced helplessly over at Liam, who was staring at his own hand, a look of panic frozen on his face. His hand looked oddly small and slender compared to his wrist. Laramie's jaw dropped as she saw spots of deep pink on the ends of his nails. She stared, eyes wide and horrified, at Liam. "What did you do? You...you...you have my hand!"

-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
During the Supernova

As Lewis pressed himself down underneath the desk, hoping for the insanity to stop, he heard a voice and his heart almost stopped. Connor. "Connor!" He yelled over the noise, "Get somewhere safe!" It would kill him if Connor was hurt in looking for him.

And then, as suddenly as it had all begun, the quaking of the earth and the noise slowed to a rumble and then stopped. Lewis stayed under the desk, breathing hard, waiting. Then he couldn't wait any longer. He kicked the chair out from under the desk, crawled out with surprising agility, and raced over to the door, where Connor still stood. "Are you alright?" He asked urgently, taking his son by the shoulders.

-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
During the Supernova

"Yes, Dad, I'm fine," Connor said, feeling foolish now for having freaked out when it was obvious that his father was not injured. He shrugged his father's hands off of his shoulders, not about to be mollycoddled when he was perfectly fine.

"Is it the supernova?" he asked, moving past his father to the window, staring off at the sky turning different colors of gold and orange and red. He couldn't look at it for long, of course, and he turned his gaze away.

"We should go back to the house," he said, not sure how far the earthquake had reached. "Make sure everything is prepared." He glanced down at his tingling fingers, clenching his hands slowly into fists and then flexing them. He didn't notice the shards of glass beneath his feet rattling slightly as he did so. He stepped up to his father and then passed him into the corridor.

P.S."Brooklyn!"

Several Miles West of Abyssal - Day 1 - Pre-Supernova - 11 AM

In the sky, there are no limits. There is no one telling you what to do. Freedom in the truest sense of the word... That's why Cameron was drawn to be a fighter pilot, and every time he strapped into his seat he felt the same rush as he felt the first time... Until that first radio call come in.

"Birdseye, Birdseye, this is ShadowTech. Do you have a visual on us? Over," Dustin called over his radio. He was having a rough time even getting the words out. Whoever decided to give Jared the wheel was an idiot, he thought. The adrenalin junky never knew just when to hit the brake. In fact, Jared never seemed to use the brake at all.

"This is Birdseye, y'all stick out like a sore thumb down there, I repeat, and I have a visual, over," Cameron said, keying off his mike. Down at ground level Dustin gave Commander Bell a thumbs-up "This is ShadowTech Requesting you perform forward recon, over"

"I read you loud and clear Tech, moving forward." And with that Cameron hit the afterburners, shooting forward and ahead of the three all-terrain vehicles.

Commander Adrian Bell grimaced as the wind whipped sand into his face. He pulled the radio mike toward him, steering around a rock as he did so. "ShadowDoc, ShadowDoc, this is ShadowRinger. Please route visual comm from Birdseye to ShadowRinger and ShadowTech. Over."

Communications and Medical Sergeant Wang Mei Ho pulled the laptop from the dashboard to her lap. "ShadowRinger, this is ShadowDoc. Routing visual as requested." A live video stream from a camera mounted to the bottom of Cameron's plane appeared on Bell's and Dustin's laptops.

Sergant Luke Granger Grinned at the Medic. "Looks like it'll be a long, hot day today!" he shouted over the engine. Mei Ho nodded, checking network settings on the laptop and making sure all the radios were properly hooked up, though she had done that just before leaving camp about half an hour ago.

"Long and hot!" she agreed.

Luke reached over to tap a button on the console of the vehicle, where the onboard GPS was keeping track of their position and routing it back to central command. The three vehicles appeared as blinking dots superimposed on the map, and ahead, 'Birdseye' as he flew recon. Their objective was a few more miles in the distance, hidden in the mining town of Abyssal.

He activated his radio, "Birdseye, this is ShadowAce, I need to know if there are any raised positions around the town that I could use for high-ground... let me know what you see."

Captain Farr put the bird into a spiral, allowing him to peer straight to the ground while looking out the side window, after several loops he pulled out and keyed his radio “This is Birdseye, calling ShadowAce, I report two large sand dunes the could provide significant cover, other that my friend, you are on your own my friend, over”

“I wouldn’t worry to much about high ground, Luke. You and you’re little peashooter couldn’t hit the wide side of the Hexagon!” Jared teased over the radio “Cut the chatter, boys” Commander Bell said, cutting into a would-be argument.

A co-production of Won, Sonny, 12 and me

-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
During the Supernova

Lewis' eyes flicked to the window as well to see the bright, strange colors lighting up the sky. "Yes, it's the supernova. A day early." He stared at the reflections of the light into the room for a moment, lost in thought, and then shook himself. "I've got to get my notes; they'll have information we need."

He crunched through the glass on the floor, grabbed several papers and folders scattered here and there across the desk, then came back to the door. With one last look around the room, he walked out into the corridor.

It was as silent as a tomb. Outside, all was chaos, but here...A thought occurred to Lewis and he smiled wanly. "I wonder what the government is going to do with all this."

Supernova
— Day 1 —
Brink City, Erbaine

The coral-colored nail polish was exactly what Madison Mary-Alice Wentworth needed to complete her outfit for the banquet. Her departure date from Brink City was tomorrow at 4:33 PM. For the past two weeks she had visited every store in the city, except for the shady, rundown ones. The charges to her father’s credit card amounted to $3,468. The amount would have been much higher if her father hadn’t told her to be a little frugal with her spending.

She handed the nail polish to Tripp Currington, a young man with dark hair, who served as her personal bodyguard. According to most of the public, however, they were an item. There had been several magazines that pictured them both holding hands and rumors about the President’s daughter had spread across the country, but they were gossip and nothing more.

“You wouldn’t mind paying for that, would you?” Madison asked, winking, before she spun on her heels and looked at a display advertising a new fragrance. She sniffed it, made a face and put it back on the shelf as she waited for Tripp.

Tripp finished paying for the polish, ignoring the smirk on the cashier’s face. He took the small paper bag, along with the many bags he already held, and turned toward Madison, “Let’s go get some lunch.”

They walked to the elevator, but Tripp had to keep stopping to wait for Madison, who was observing every cosmetic she went by. “Ooh, look at this one!” She held up the light pink eyeshadow and Tripp rolled his eyes, pointing toward the elevator.

Madison scowled, flipping her red hair behind her shoulder, adjusting her small, pink purse. They walked to the elevator and Tripp pushed the button. With a ding, the doors slid open and Madison walked in, followed by Tripp. The doors closed, but the elevator didn’t move.

Madison stood, swaying on her high-heels and staring at the steel doors.

Tripp glanced at the buttons and then at Madison. “Do you mind pushing the button?”

“Ew... Do you have any idea how many people have touched those buttons with their grimy fingers?” Madison said, making no move to touch the white, numbered buttons. She glanced at him, flashing him a sweet smile.

Tripp shook his head, and pushed the button. The elevator whirred softly as it descended. “Where do you want to eat?”

“Somewhere that I will be treated like a queen...” Madison said, searching through her purse, probably looking for a compact mirror.

Tripp nodded. “I knew you would-“ His words were cut off as the elevator came to a grinding halt and the lights flickered off. In his shock, he dropped the shopping bags to steady himself on the wall of the elevator.

In the darkness, he heard Madison gasp and he felt the impact of her hitting the wall. They both stayed silent for a few seconds, but then Madison started to panic.

-Day 1-
Evening
The convent in Arida

Allee inhaled deeply, rubbing at her arms to warm them up. The convent was chilly, and the events of today still had her on edge. "What do you think happened today?" She asked quietly, walking into the room she'd share with Xandria. She put her messenger bag in a corner, doing a mental checklist to make sure she had everything. Camera. Notebook. Phone. Pencil. Unfortunately, she had no extra clothes, but hopefully she could snag some from Xandria since they were about the same size.

"I hope Laney's all right," she whispered, sitting down cross-legged on the floor. "I'm scared. Xandria... I never thought I'd live to see the end of the world. Is that what this is?"

***
-Day 1-
Capitol University
Judicia, Erbaine
The Supernova

((OOC: Liam looks a lot like this picture right about now. ))

Liam wanted to scream. Or run away. Or break down in a fit of panic. Because whatever had just happened, it was bad. Very bad.

"What did I do? I didn't do anything." He turned his hand, a look of shock painted clearly across his face. "What did you do?" He was incredulous as he studied the dark pink nail polish on his nails. "This is not my hand. I would never wear nail polish." He held both his hands up next to Laramie's hands. The sight that met him was wrong. So very wrong. His hand was hers, and her hand was his? It didn't make any sense.

He studied his hand, then looked up at her, a mix of questioning and fear in his blue eyes. "Laramie... what is going on?"

--Day 1--
Burg

Doctors swarmed around Kyle like bees, and every one of them were asking questions.

"Where does it hurt, what level is the pain, how many fingers am i holding up, what is your name....Who authorized the use of these bandages?! They're completely wrong!"

He wished they would go "attend" to someone else, he was not in much pain, and by looking at the state of Burg, he was not the only one who was in need of medical attention.

Suddenly the examining came to a halt, a doctor with an astonished look on his face looked up and spoke.

"Son, you have no burns on you...."

Kyle was taken by this, "What are you talking about? Of course I do! Look at my arms and face!"

The doctor shook his head, "These are just cuts from the fallen debris."

Kyle sat silent for a moment, then he remembered what happened with his hands, and how he escaped from beneath the metal beams by "controlling" the fire, but his thoughts were interrupted. A fireman came and tapped the doctor on the shoulder.

"Sorry doctor, but we've gotta get moving, another mass of radiation is coming our way, and we've been here to long already."

The doctor walked away, barking orders to the others saying, "Pack it up, we're getting out of here!"

Kyle felt a hand on his shoulder, a nurse was behind him,

"Mr. Brooks, you have been released from our care. Normally we would keep you for a few days, but unfortunately with the incident there are, how do i put this...more significant injuries than your own. So you have to go on your way. I'm so sorry."

Kyle nodded a thank you, but he was unattentive. His mind was still on what happened in the burning shop. He glanced down at his hands, they were glowing red. Out of instinct he started rubbing his palm, perhaps the glowing would stop. But instead, a small fireball appeared in his hand.

He lept back in surprise, then he realized his hand was on fire. He tried to shake it off, but the flames got bigger, he shook more vigorously but they grew larger and larger, till finally...poof, they went out.

Kyle swallowed, and thrust out his hands again to make sure it was over, nothing came. He was slightly disappointed it didn't come, yet glad at the same time. But curiosity took over him.

He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then took out a lighter from his back pocket, he was about to light it, then stopped.

This is crazy, There's no way I can shoot fire, I'm just hallucinating. he thought, shifting the lighter to its original place.

Then he quickly took it out again, clicked it on and thrust his hand in front of it. A huge jet of flame shot from the tip of the lighter. He held it and waved it around for awhile then clicked the lighter off. He blinked in amazement.

This was the start of something very big for Kyle Brooks.

Day 1-Arida-de Mon Castle Grounds

"Eh?" one of the men turned toward Christopher. "Lady de Mon is opening up her lands to shelter the people from around here whose houses were destroyed. Whoever built these projects sure was dumb. Any solid building could have survived that, but not those run down places. Most of them were already falling down before this thing happened. Look, buddy, do you need a place to stay, or do you happen to have a good way of corralling people, or are ya just here to gawk? I got work to do."

Day 1-Arida-Convent

Xandria sighed and put the lantern she held on the floor by Allee and the stack of blankets down on her dresser. Surprisingly, the mirror only had one large crack running through it, and an initiate had already found the time to sweep up the broken glass. The swimmer said nothing until she had shaken out one of the blankets and sat down next to Allee, wrapping the blanket around both of them.

"I'm sure Laney's fine. She's got to be. I...I don't think this is the end of the world," she said softly, tugging at the blanket to make sure it covered her toes. "I mean, I'd think that it would be, like, total destitution if it was the end of the world. I mean, think of it. What went wrong? All the lights burned out. We're back to using candles. Most of the windows shattered. People lived for centuries without glass. The worst damage that happen was that the overhang down by the pool caved in. Its scary, but nobody died. We just have a lot of little kids that need to be taken care of until we find their parents."

Xandria stopped talking. In her heart, she was afraid it was the end of the world. They were, after all, in a convent. Didn't God show mercy on his people? What if the rest of the town was totally destroyed, and they were just the lucky few? Xandria shuddered, and did her best not to think of it.

"Besides," she began again, taking Allee's hand in hers, and smiled sadly. "if it is the end of the world, that means heaven is that much closer."

— Day 1 —
Parksville, Erbaine
Palisade National Park

The numb shock overriding Terra's mind was broken by the sound of screaming birds. She glanced up, just in time to see them swarm by overhead over the treetrops, birds of all kinds flying directly for the Palisades at top speed.

That's not normal.

A half a minute later, thirty deer came racing out of the underbrush by the river, wide eyed and bleating. They ignored the girl by the riverbank completely as they leapt directly into the churning water. Terra scrambled to her feet, watching them thrash through the current in surprise. She had never seen a deer try to ford this part of the river before, and that was exactly what they were doing. They seemed to be panicked.

They're running from something.

She darted to the nearest tree and began to climb, for protection and for perspective, hauling herself higher until she was perched on the highest branch, her head and shoulders emerging from the top of the tree. What she expected to see was a bear, or a rogue pack of wolves. What she saw instead was smoke rising into the western sky from the little mountain town that had been her substitute home for the past ten years.

She jumped down from the tree, leaping from limb to limb, and hit the ground running.

Something is very wrong.

Terra was fast—not the fastest, but she knew how to pace herself to full advantage, and could get through the trees and underbrush quicker than anyone she knew. She used her hands almost as much as her feet, pulling herself past trees and vines, climbing up on rock formations and jumping off without a second thought. It was wild, rolling country, these foothills of the Palisades, but Terra knew them like the back of her hand—they had been her backyard for the past ten years. With every stride the smell of smoke grew stronger.

Halfway back to the compound, she ran into a campground clearing where there was family's campsite. A man and a woman who looked to be in their early thirties, their young, wide-eyed daughter, and a friendly little Welsh corgi dog who barked a greeting at her.

"Fire—in Parksville—" She gasped out as she raced by at full tilt. "Watch the woods—stay safe—"

She had already disappeared into the woods again before they could respond. All she could think about was Lui and Uncle Matthew and Aunt Isabella, and if they were in danger. They were all she had left.

Maybe they didn't understand her, maybe no one did, but they were still her family.

And there was Fred. He was something of a genius, and Terra probably would never have graduated at all had it not been for the tutoring of the sweet, geeky junior. . . and he was one of the only people outside of her family that she thought might actually be a true friend.

And then there was Loretta, too, the girl who volunteered at the wolf rehabilitation facility, someone Terra had always meant to get to know better, but so shy and always so wrapped up in her work with the animals. . . .

Did she ever tell Uncle Matthew and Aunt Isabella and Lui how much she loved them, how much she appreciated all they had done for her? Had she ever told Fred how grateful she was for his help this year. . . and that he had been the first person at Parksville High to be friendly towards the sad, silent girl with the mysterious past? Why hadn't she tried harder to befriend Loretta, to break down the barriers of the girl's shyness and Terra's own reluctance to reach out?

The thought that all of them might be caught up in a forest fire was terrifying, and all these things pounded through Terra's mind at the speed of her sprinting feet.

She only had a handful of people she was close to. . . the world she had built for herself was so small. It could all be gone at any moment.

I can't lose everyone again, she thought, her eyes prickling from smoke and weakening floodgates of emotion. I just can't.

"Lui!" She cried with all the breath she could muster as she came out on the dirt road, seeing her cousin's orange jeep through the haze a hundred yards in the distance. She had run for seven miles, and yet it seemed like mere moments.

She ran to the beat-up all-terrain vehicle, gasping for breath in the acrid air and impossibly grateful that she had worn her running shoes instead of hiking boots today.

Supernova
— Day 1 —
Parksville, Erbaine

It took a few seconds for Lui's brain to figure out that someone was calling her. She turned in the direction and her eyes widened when she saw Terra, looking exhausted and slightly beat up.

"Terra!" She stood to her feet, pushing herself up with her hands. Sharp pain exploded in her wrist and she remembered the bite. She grimaced as she walked toward her cousin. Her head pounded, but she ignored the pain for awhile. "Are you okay?"

— Day 1 —
Parksville, Erbaine
Palisade National Park

"I'm fine," Terra said hastily with a wave of her hand. "Had a. . . swim in the river, I guess you could say. Are you all right? Where are Uncle Mathew and Aunt Isabella? What's happening? I've been deep in the woods all day, I saw the smoke coming from Parksville and I have no idea what's going on—"

She stopped and swallowed, trying to quell the note of panic that was worming its way into her voice. That was when she caught a glimpse of Lui's arm. Terra was not one for blood, and it took everything she had not to lose it.

"Oh my gosh, what happened?"

Supernova
— Day 1 —
Parksville, Erbaine

"I don't know what's going on either..." Lui said, glancing up. She removed the blue plaid button-down shirt she had over a black tank top and wrapped her wrist up in it, hoping to stop the bleeding. "I'm fine," she said, clenching her jaw against the pain. "Tundra spooked, that's all..." Lui motioned to the wolf.

"I was just on my way to work when I saw the tree...It was on fire..." Lui waved her uninjured hand toward the downed tree. "And then suddenly it wasn't." She laughed, rubbing her forehead. "Sounds crazy, I know..."

"I need to check on my parents and the wolves and I need to do something with my hand. Whatever happened--is happening--can't be good." Lui climbed into the Jeep and turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened. She tried again and was met with the same result. Growling, she hit the steering wheel and said, "Jeep's dead..."

Getting back out, she whistled to Tundra and waited as the wolf jumped out. "Looks like we'll be walking..." she said to Terra.

-Day 1-
Burg, Boriel

Sarah Jordan walked down the busy streets of Burg, humming quietly to herself. It was her day off from the music shop and she was in the mood to explore. She knew if Alan found out where she had been today, he would probably give her his patented lecture on why nice young girls shouldn't go where bad young men like him hang out. Sarah had pointed out a few times that she did carry a taser, she was actually not really what anyone would consider a young girl anymore, and she had in fact put a 6'5'', 250 pound stalker in the hospital during her touring days, but Alan lived with the perpetual belief that she needed him to protect her constantly. It was annoying, but also kind of cute.

She wasn't sure exactly when the humming turned into a new song, but transform it did and Sarah found herself leaning on a street sign, busily scribbling lyrics in a tattered notebook she kept for occasions such as this.

"Hmm, I wonder if zombies are played out now? Wouldn't want to write a song abut a dead fad," Sarah mused and looked up as the color of the sky seemed to change. "Weird. Never saw the sky look like that before."

-----

Alan Kyle strolled across a skybridge, casually lifting a wallet out of a purse dangling from a stroller. The presumed owner was too busy taking pictures of the city below to notice Alan's theft. The child sitting in the stroller glanced up at Alan with the world-weary expression of a seventy year old.

"I know, kid. The parents, they suck," Alan commented. He glanced back at the oblivious mother and tossed the kid a candy bar before proceeding on his way, riffling through the wallet.

"Hmm, not much cash. Credit card looks like a boring low-limiter. Not even a shiny finish. Horrible ID picture. Never knew they made glasses in that dreadful color. The phone numbers for five different guys each labeled with "Hawt!! guy from bar!!" Good grief, does she even own a cell phone? Oh, tickets from one of the last Stroppy Homicidal Mermaid concerts? At least she has decent taste in music."

Alan came to a halt and stared out at the sky just as noon struck. He saw the bright light in the sky and then saw the wave of energy coursing through the city. Windows began to explode in the skyscrapers as the energy passed them. Thanking whatever deity might be listening for the lucky decision to wear a leather jacket that day, Alan fell to his knees with his back to the oncoming wave and his arms wrapped around his head.

There was one seemingly eternal second of silence and then the windows in the skybridge exploded, sending deadly shards of glass spinning into the hapless victims. Alan yelped in pain as the glass sliced into his jacket, but the leather was thick enough to shield him from all but a few minor cuts. As he climbed to his feet, he saw that the others were not so fortunate. Some were only mildly wounded, but more than a few were clearly not going to survive, the glass having slashed into arteries and other rather important bits.

Alan wasn't heartless, but any sympathy or help he could offer the victims was derailed as he realized there was something ... different about him. It felt like his skin was on fire. And then he stared in shock as a lock pick materialized in the air below his right hand and clattered to the floor. After a second, a small screwdriver appeared from the empty air.

"What the heck?" Alan muttered and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He had to get out of here before the police and the paramedics came. Whatever that explosion was, it had done something weird to him. He hurried toward the exit, doing his best to avoid looking at the people around him. And then the child in the stroller popped into his mind.

Meanwhile, down in the street someone had developed magnetic powers. Not realizing what was happening, they managed to completely rip away the supports on one end of the bridge just as Alan picked the little girl up out of her stroller. The mother who had been enthusiastically taking photos was clearly dead, shards of glass having sliced into the back of her skull.

"I wonder if she got a picture of that," Alan muttered as he hurried to get off of the bridge. The little girl didn't make a sound, just buried her face in his neck and trembled. And that's when the bridge collapsed.

-----

Sarah shivered and pulled her jacket more snugly around her as the sky lit up with a strange new light. And then the energy coursed across the city. Sarah cringed as a few windows around her shattered, but this section of town was mostly left unharmed.

"Okay, this is way too weird for me. I am going home and making some tea and watching a movie. No more walks," Sarah said to herself and began to quickly hurry back home.

-----

As the bridge tore away from the building it was connected to, Alan began to run toward the other entrance. He was closer to it than the one that was about to become an entrance to the street below, but the bridge was falling too quickly and the floor was becoming a vertical wall.

"Hang on tight, kid!" he said to the little girl and then threw himself out the window. Part of the bridge's safety features were smooth metal railings just outside of the windows. It was one of these that Alan grabbed and slid down toward the ground, kicking his feet into the side of the bridge to slow his descent. With this technique he safely made it to the ground, which was now littered with wreckage from the bridge smashing into the street as well as the corpses of those who had been inside the bridge or been unfortunate enough to be beneath it when it fell.

"This is bad. This is really bad. I need to find Sarah."