Last Moments - Cari Arthur (book club recommendations .txt) 📗

Prologue
It’s dark. It smells like death. My eyes flitter open and I see something in the distance; something awful. I am too weak to keep my eyes open for long. They drift shut and there is a muffled noise from behind me. I don’t know what it is and I cannot move my head out of the puddle it lay in to see. When I come back into consciousness for the second time in I don’t know how long, I try to push my body off the ground. Only one of my eyes will open. What the hell happened to me? Where am I? And who the hell is that? Everything slowly comes back to me. I pull my knees up to my chin and rock my body back and forth. My whole body is shaking as I realize what has happened to me and my best friend, who was somewhere behind me screaming. I had to do something. But everyone was gone.


A Day at the Beach
It is a beautiful summer day in Virginia Beach. The sand glistens as if diamonds have been cast in from the sea. The blue seawater is the perfect temperature and is filled with smiling people. Under the bright colored umbrellas sit lovers, friends, and families enjoying the sounds of the ocean. On the volleyball court there were two attractive men showing off their skills. Not too far from the volleyball courts sit two girls on a beach blanket talking and shyly smiling at the dashing volleyball players. Cassidy and Michaela were on vacation. They had been studying nursing and were ready for this break. Michaela’s parents had surprised them with a beach condo rental. It was time to take a breather and Cassidy and Michaela were looking forward to enjoying the beach all week. One of the volleyball players started to walk over to where Cassidy and Michaela were sitting. He has a smile that is slightly cocked to the left. He is obviously laying on all the charm. Cassidy slaps Michaela on the knee lightly to signal this new twist. Michaela turns just as he approaches them and confidently says “hello.” Cassidy has always envied Michaela for her easy confidence and beautiful smile.
“I am Michaela, what’s your name?” says Michaela in her best flirty voice. She is a dynamic red head with sparkling green eyes. Her green polka dot bikini compliments her perfect figure. Her attractive face and personality have always made her popular with the boys and it seemed to be working on this one.
“Hello Michaela, I’m Travis and this is my friend Brendan.” He gestures to his friend who walked up next to him.
“This is my friend Cassidy. We are here on vacation. Do you guys live around here?”
“Yeah, we do. We are always at the beach practicing volleyball. We play for our college team.”
“Oh wow, that’s awesome. We are nursing students but we are taking the summer off.”
“So, hey we noticed you sitting over here, and wanted to invite you to a party we are having later tonight. Would you be interested?” Say Brendan looking directly at Cassidy.
“We would love to, where it is going to be?” asks Michaela. Travis and Michaela talk about the directions to the party as Brendan and Cassidy exchange looks. Brendan is tall and slightly thinner than Travis, but there is something about his smile that suggests he is the funny one. Cassidy always appreciated a man with a sense of humor. That humor helped her overcome her shy personality. Cassidy was a beautiful girl but she didn’t realize it. Her dark blonde hair and green eyes were compelling. However, when it came to relationships she was self-conscious. At the beach she wore a black two piece that did not reveal too much skin. It’s not that she was trying to be modest; she just didn’t feel confident enough in her figure. She wasn’t like Michaela. Where Michaela had a perfect flat stomach, Cassidy had a rounder one. Cassidy was very attractive but she just didn’t think so herself. With the excitement off this adventure at the beach and the possibility of something happening with Brendan she made a vow to herself that this time would be different; this time she would be more carefree. This time she would embrace the adventure and have fun.
The party was just down the boardwalk. After a few fun games of volleyball with their new found friends, Cassidy and Michaela headed back to their condo to prepare for the party. It started at 9:00pm and they were planning to start walking down the boardwalk around 10:00pm. Michaela believed if you showed up to early it meant you were too eager, better let them anticipate their arrival.
Cassidy and Michaela had chosen similar sun dresses to wear. As they walked down the pier to the party they felt a little chill from the sea and huddled closer together. Footsteps sounded behind them and Cassidy began to feel a sense of dread. Maybe they should have left a little earlier. The footsteps started moving faster and faster. Cassidy turned around slightly to get a glimpse, which caused Michaela to stop walking. It was just a runner. He was dressed in green tights and his muscle shirt showed off his runner’s body.
“Man, I am freaking out here a little. I mean I thought there was someone following us. It is just that hunk, jogging” says Cassidy now appreciating the experienced runner’s backside.
“Em, em just look at that. I wonder if Travis …”
“Michaela is that all you think about” Cassidy interrupts with a smile.
“Of course darling, is it a sin to appreciate a well put together male body” Michaela shakes her head to move her long red curls to her back. The girls had started walking again and were approaching a parking lot. It was mostly deserted except for a few cars. The runner had gained speed and was further ahead. No one was out on the boardwalk. As they approached the parking lot Cassidy caught a glimpse of movement by a van parked near the walkway. She ignored her worried feelings because she had overreacted about the runner. Cassidy and Michaela kept walking hand in hand excited about the upcoming events. Each were thinking of the possibilities the night could hold when suddenly, from in front of the parked van emerged a large figure. He held something in his hand but neither girl could make it out. By the time they realized the very real threat, it was too late. The man was holding a taser. He swiftly used this weapon on both girls before they could even react. Cassidy and Michaela fell to the ground and the man with the taser quickly put them in the van and took off.


The Asteroid
“Good morning America” said the current T.V. personality on the local news in a somber tone. “Even though this may not be the best morning we have seen. As you all are aware of by now there is an extremely large asteroid making its way towards our beautiful planet. Scientists’ predict that it will strike in about two months. As you also know in the years leading up to this event our government and the governments of other countries have mastered life in space and have even found a planet that could support life. The planet that will serve as our new home is called Aurora. Currently a team of experts that consist of the best scientists, engineers, and political leaders are already on Aurora preparing for our arrival. In the weeks leading up to what will be the end of our current world, evacuation plans have been established and we will swiftly make our way to our new home.”
The mass panic that had spread through the world at the knowledge of the asteroid had died down a little. Of course the fact the government had decided to leave behind any and all prisoners, deterred people from going crazy. If you were sent to jail because you caused ciaos, stole, raided businesses or in any way took advantage of this situation, you were sent to prison. And, well if you were in prison for anything you were going to burn up with the world when the asteroid hit. On a better note the government had decided that two days before the asteroid would hit Earth, the jails would automatically open and release all the prisoners. They would all get to taste two days of freedom before destructions set it. Scientist believed that the asteroid would hit earth in the perfect spot causing the core energy to be exposed and the world would collapse upon itself. Not a pretty ending but it would be fast.
Because of the limited space available in the ships that would be taking everyone to their new home, other people were forced to stay behind. The elderly and terminally ill were not allowed to board. Families were torn, people were scared, and no one knew how to change the inevitable. The government made it hard to voice any differing opinions because if you spoke to loudly you were thrown in jail. No one wanted to be left on Earth so the hope of a revolutionary group to form was unlikely. You could become one of “The Left Behind” at the will of any political leader or police officer. Many innocent people where thrown in jail because of their contradictory views or some big wig didn’t like you. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t ethical, but it was happening.
“You should be aware of your evacuation plan by now, but if there is any confusion you may contact any of the listed places on our website” continued the newscaster. “Only take what has been deemed appropriate. Failure in following the guidelines, which are also on our website, may cause you to lose your place in our evacuation plan. In that case you will be moved to the end. Once everyone has boarded their evacuation ship and everyone who is able to leave is off the planet a ship and satellite will be left to orbit earth. We will be broadcasting the advancement of the asteroid and the point of impact. Each evacuation ship is equipped with means to witness this broadcasting. The people left behind will also have access to this information. We do this as a service to the people who are giving their lives so that this mission is successful,” he continues on to give more detail about what will happen in the next few days. People were saying their final goodbyes, wishing people well. Some ships had already started the flight to Aurora. It was getting closer and closer to the day when the Earth would be destroyed. And Cassidy and Michaela could only watch.


The Escape
The dungeon where Cassidy and Michaela were kept was dark. It seemed to be in a basement in an abandoned house. The limited contact that Cassidy and Michaela had with their captor was enough to reveal that he was a disturbed man in his twenties. He kept the girls locked up. He fed them one meal a day that usually consisted of some unidentifiable slop. Cassidy and Michaela had eaten it and even craved it on the days when he forgot to feed them. Water was scarce. They were going crazy from fear and malnutrition. Michaela, the usual strong one, was delirious and had lost all hope. These