The Luminosity Series (Book 1): Luminosity

by J. M. Bambenek

  “No. They can’t trap us here like this!”

  He plowed his foot onto the gas pedal as he turned the key again. This time, the engine growled to life, the sound of its purr vibrating beneath the tires, echoing through the walls. I exhaled in relief, but we weren’t free yet.

  “Hang onto something!” he yelled above its roar as he put the car in reverse. I gripped the seat as we plummeted backward, the tires squealing as we crashed through the door. Evan grabbed the shifter, putting it in drive. He gunned the engine, rocketing us forward through the street as pieces of the door flew back at the guards shooting at us.

  After hurtling through the unguarded chain-link barriers, we followed the gravel road that ran parallel to the highway. It’d lead to the cellar.

  Once we were far enough away, I turned the dials of the radio, my hands shaking in terror. Soon, a man’s voice broke through the airwaves as we drove away from the sirens.

  “We are urging citizens to evacuate to the nearest underground location until further notice.”

  Static sounded again as Evan searched for another a.m. station, the airwaves crackling as they always did. Then, just like the night of my crash, the siren to the emergency alert signal screamed through the speakers. It broke up, turning to static before returning in waves. I hadn’t heard that piercing sound since. Closing my eyes, I reflected on that night again—the moment right before everything fell apart. This too would be another signal of collapse.

  By now, my breathing had intensified when the reflection of my mother and sister hit me. Questions poured into my head. Where were they? Were they okay? Did she get to Andrea in time?

  Evan fidgeted, desperate to understand the words struggling to emerge from the static. His behavior made my anxiety worse. Then, without expecting it, a red and orange light gleamed from the north. Another loud rumble, and the bright light streaked from far across the horizon. It grew brighter, igniting the tips of trees before crashing into the earth in a fiery explosion. A missile.

  I held my forehead in a panic, unable to think. Evan shook his head, fighting to snap himself out of the nightmare we were living. We drove for a few minutes as the road roared beneath us, but the rumbling subsided as fast as it arrived. I latched onto the overhead handle, glancing at him in terror, his eyes in tears as he white-knuckled the wheel.

  “What about the others?” I panicked.

  “I don’t know, Aubrey. I don’t know.”

  25 PREMONITION

  The ground pulsed as we raced up the driveway, my mother’s house now partially ablaze. A blustery wind howled through the trees as the sky gleamed a sinister shade of crimson from distant fires. My eyes flinched when he saw the panic ascending on my face, knowing our town was beyond repair. Once we slowed down enough, I hurled myself from the car, my feet losing their grip on the loose gravel beneath them, sending me down. Before Evan realized what happened, I launched myself forward again, the headlights beaming a path through the smoky dust.

  “Aubrey, wait!” He slammed on the brakes, my lungs aching as I gagged from the dense plume of smoke gusting toward us.

  The burning trees suggested a missile struck near the house. With the gusty winds to carry their flaming embers, the fire spread with ease. A screeching snap from the top of the roof jolted us into awareness. As if we needed another indication of the peril we were in.

  When I reached the porch, my fingers stumbled to find the right key. With the engine still roaring, Evan rushed after me in terror. Seconds later, he was dragging me backward, the burden of fear weighing heavily on us both as I squirmed from his grip.

  “Aubrey, no! You can’t go in there!” Evan grasped hold of me.

  “I have to see if she left anything behind that could lead me to my father!” I said, the tears a familiar addition to my unsteady voice. His confusion allowed me the chance to push past his grip, and in choosing the correct key, the front door flung open.

  Upon first glimpse, the house was unrecognizable. Furniture, shattered lamps and glass were dispersed across the uneven floorboards, smoke pouring from the upstairs window. Fearful of the destruction I’d soon discover, I took a few steps forward. The scent of the burning house was familiar to me now, my mother’s voice resounding in my memory again, shifting me back to my surrendered past.

  “Aubrey, please. We have to go away for a while.”

  “But I don’t want to leave without dad!”

  “We have to, sweetheart.”

  “How come I can’t say goodbye?”

  “Because we’re playing hide and seek. You like that game.”

  “Can Evan play?”

  “No, Aubrey… he has to stay here.”

  I drowned in the past repeatedly, deaf to the present and blind to the future. Evan marched up to me, bringing both hands to my shoulders to jolt me out of my trance. He repeated my name, and when my focus returned, the sense of urgency in his eyes reminded me this was real. This was happening, now, and I had no choice but to take part.

  “Hey! We have to get down into the cellar, okay?” He was petrified by my lack of concentration. I hadn’t seen that look since the night he helped me escape my burning vehicle. Impatient to my unresponsiveness, he panicked. “Aubrey, there’s no time for this!” he pressed. I blinked hard, trying to focus again.

  “I won’t be long, I swear…” I said while I snapped myself out of it. He lowered his shoulders in pity, signaling he understood why it was so important to me.

  As I made my way toward the staircase, Evan dashed into the kitchen, stumbling through broken plates and silverware that had crashed out of the cupboards. Rushing through the other rooms, he scoured for anything useful to us. After I reached the top of the stairs, I plummeted into my mother’s bedroom, the house groaning at the swinging of the door. My chest was heavy as the stale smoke filled my lungs at a speed that would surely suffocate me if I didn’t get out in time.

  Without another second of hesitation, I approached the top drawer of my mother’s dresser. Inside was the leather-bound diary—a written account of my family’s dark past. Clutching it in my hand, I had every intention of decoding it before the end.

  I raced into my room, dragging the large backpack of supplies out of my closet. Grateful for having the urgency to pack a bug-out bag beforehand, I picked it up and turned to leave. But before I reached the doorway, the sight of memories on the floor crippled me. All the pictures I had taken before the announcement had fallen over, spreading out amongst my feet. Photos of my mother, Andrea and I. Images, flashbacks of Janelle, Evan and I—smiling, hopeful, and normal, the old life, the past haunting me as my surroundings blurred.

  Desperate shouts came from Evan as he rushed up the stairs. My pulse banged throughout my body, the blood rushing from my head to my heart, wanting to explode. He stood in the doorway, horror-stricken as the flames unleashed from my mother’s window. Panicked, he propelled himself through the emptiness ahead of me in the seconds leading to my breakdown. That was when the house grumbled again, unable to withstand the pressure from the heat much longer. There wasn’t much time before it too would crumble to pieces.

  “You can’t do this right now, Aubrey. Come on,” he warned. His eyes circled above as the collapsing roof snapped, the breakage spreading out like veins across the ceiling. My coughing intensified as he picked up the backpack next to me. “Aubrey, get up! Now!” The walls rumbled again. Fire from the roof stretched into my room, the tips of flames reaching out like claws. My bed had already gone up in flames. He lifted me up with him as I attempted to snatch up the pictures.

  “No! Wait!” I screamed as I fought his grip around my waist, my fingers scratching through the smoke.

  “This whole house is about to go!” he yelled. I winced in tears as I accepted this would be the last time I’d see this place—and the memories.

  Pulling me alongside him, he led us out the door, my feet stumbling on the rate of his speed. After we got outside, the cracking of the siding forced me to spin aro
und. The roof released, marking the beginning to the cave in.

  We bolted to the car, grabbing things from the backseat as the ground continued to shake beneath us. The siren blared through the speakers, unforgiving to the fuzziness before. Images from my nightmares flooded my mind as the house slowly weakened and gave way. I crouched down in distress, ignoring Evan’s shouts, my heart erupting as it fell apart. Knowing I couldn’t afford to waste another second, I choked on the tears as I entered the garage. Through the window, the northern lights appeared over the horizon again, now stronger and brighter than before. In shades of green, the lights gleamed through the smoke like a toxic cloud come to smother the world.

  Evan caught up, carrying our bags as I unlocked the cellar door. Using his flashlight, he lit up the darkness, guiding me down the narrow cement stairway descending underground. After struggling to shut the doors above us, the relief on his face was clear.

  “Your mother was smart to have this,” Evan said as the sounds from outside diminished to a muffled rumble.

  “She knew we’d need to hide again one day,” I said.

  Seconds later, the tears caught back up to me. As he regained his breath, he held out his arms, still trembling from the adrenaline. I embraced him, grateful that I wasn’t alone. And as I closed my eyes, he refused to let go. “I don’t—I don’t think I’m cut out for this,” I said, the closeness of the walls enhancing my nausea.

  “Hey... Look at me. We’re safe down here,” he said, the strain of shouting and smoke inhalation lingered in his voice as he put his hands on both sides of my shivering face to calm me, the glow of his flashlight illuminating the surrounding walls. I kept my eyes on our feet, struggling to keep a steady stance. “Look.” He nodded, shining the light along the cellar walls. I stared at him as he waited for me to look behind him. After noticing the stack of supplies lined up on a shelf ahead, I gasped silently. In front of us was row upon row of canned and packaged goods—meats, rice, beans, even chocolate. Below it were several large canisters of water. On the opposite angle were medical supplies, pain relievers and first aid kits. And on the far side, a rack of guns, knives, rope, and lighters lined the wall. Overwhelmed, I put one hand over my mouth as I cried in relief, still shaken, but bursting with gratitude for my mother’s antics.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  I coughed from the dust as we sorted through the supplies. The cellar gave off a musty, mildew-like smell, making my nausea worse. Iron lanterns lined the walls, just like in the old cabin we visited past the border. Without a flashlight or candle, nothing else was visible. I breathed the heat from my breath into my hands, rubbing them together to try to warm them. The snap of a match echoed in the dark as he lit the lanterns, the flickering of light becoming a lullaby, numbing us both into exhaustion. I was hungry, but hesitant to consume anything.

  Sitting on the small cot tucked away in the corner, dread filled me as I observed our surroundings. With only a few blankets to sleep with, and a bucket divided by a single wall for restroom purposes, the filth of our confinement sickened me.

  “We should eat something. Keep our strength up,” Evan said, grabbing two tin cans from the shelf. “Here.”

  Upon closer viewing, a full container of old generic spaghetti noodles with tomato sauce came into view as he reached out to give it to me. After he opened it, the sour smell repelled me as I cringed at the thought of eating it.

  “What? I figured after living off of these things for so long, you’d grow to like this stuff again.” He smirked at me as I shook my head.

  “You’re wrong.” I raised a brow at him. He snickered at me to lighten the mood.

  My stomach churned after consuming the cold, acidy slop. Now, time was impossible to tell as my exhaustion took hold within the darkness.

  “You should rest.” He nodded toward the cot. I gave in to his stubbornness, too tired to argue about it. Evan pulled out a pillow from one of the shelves. After leaning back, I lifted my head to prop the pillow, my eyelids now heavy with sleep.

  “Thanks…”

  “Anything to help…” He sat on the floor beside me, leaning himself up against the wall. Particles of dust fell from the ceiling, disintegrating into the stale air we breathed. And within seconds, we fell asleep, ignoring the distant explosions from above.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  I woke with no hint of how much time had passed. My eyes adjusted to the candle flickering on the tiny stone table, the acid sloshing in the pit of my stomach as Evan remained passed out beside me. Rising from the cot, I interrupted the eerie silence. Now, it was quiet above ground. Evan lifted his head up, still blinking as he pulled himself out of sleep. I rushed to the bucket in the far corner, stumbling onto my knees on the cold, dirty floor. Unable to hold it back, I vomited into it, the burning in my throat forcing me into spasms of coughing afterward. And before I knew it, Evan was leaning beside me.

  “Here... drink some water...” he said, handing me a gallon jug before turning around. I tilted it against my face with weak arms, losing control under its weight. The liquid rushed down my neck before I regained my grip on it. He pulled it away, allowing me to breathe again before reaching his hand out to help me off the floor. I coughed as he held me steady, my hair dripping wet on the bottoms, my clothes soaked. As he walked me back to the cot, I felt guilty for needing his aid again.

  “Why don’t you take the cot this time?” I winced, unable to find my strained voice.

  “No. You need it more than I do...” he said, looking at me in pity as I shivered from the cool, damp air.

  The light from the candle faded, barely lighting up the side of his face. Before I could say anything, he shifted toward the large backpack on the other end of the floor, grabbing inside the bag as my coughs bounced off the stone walls.

  “Here, you’ll be warmer in this.” He tossed me one of his sweatshirts.

  I paused after he turned his back to me. In that second my eyelids flinched in defeat. I was flattered by how he always seemed to want to help, but I hated feeling so incapable around him.

  After ridding myself of the damp shirt, I lifted the sweatshirt over my head, guiding my arms through the sleeves. For a moment I was blind until his shadow once again flickered on the wall next to me. As he twisted back around, the warmth of his sweater encompassed me.

  “Thanks.” I inhaled deeply before his guilt made it impossible to look away.

  My heart raced as I cleared the tangled strands of hair obscuring my vision, unable to breathe when his eyes wandered over me. After too quick a smile, he let out a breath as his expression recoiled.

  “I’ll try the radio again later. For now, just try to rest,” he mumbled before pulling his painful glance away from me again. By the time he finished speaking, a sense of unease came over him. But there was more than worry behind his eyes.

  “Hey…” I stopped him. He jerked his head back at me, studying my expression, waiting for me to speak.

  “Yeah?” he asked, blinking hard.

  “Thank you for being here, Ev…” I breathed out a sigh. He faked a quick smile again as I rose from the cot, aiming a painful glance at the wall. But the ache still lingered afterward. He focused his vision to my feet as I approached him. “You okay?” I asked in a concerned whisper.

  “I’m fine…” He winced. I grabbed his arm as he tried to turn away again. This time, his eyes were clouded with guilt.

  “No you’re not,” I said, shaking my head, refusing to let him pretend again. Evan disguised his tears with anger, struggling to appear stronger than he felt.

  “Listen, Aubrey,” he sighed. “If we make it out of this, you’re going to have to accept that we’re probably going to be separated.” His voice shook when he spoke. What he was trying to tell me was vague and unclear, as it always was before dropping a bomb of bad news.

  “Why? What are you saying?” I asked, looking to him dreadfully as I caught my breath.

  “I’ve been meaning to tell you… I didn’t qualify into the c
olony selection. I’m sorry, Aubs…” he said, his eyes now bigger, wider, and wetter with the onset of emotion. And within those exchanged glances, I fell apart again.

  My eyelids fluttered as the dizziness took me. He kept me on my feet, my hands shaking as I raised them to my forehead.

  “Aubrey… It’s okay,” he said, blinking hard. I glared at him in disbelief. Out of control now, I pushed myself away, clenching my fists as the agony rose in my chest.

  “No. This isn’t okay.”

  “Please don’t do this.” He was unsurprised by my reaction.

  “Don’t do what?” I huffed, my eyelids flickering under the pressure..

  “Don’t be upset…”

  “It’s not you I’m upset with, Evan,” I panicked.

  “There was always a good probability this would happen anyway,” he said.

  “I don’t care,” I choked. “There has to be a place we can go…”

  “But there isn’t, Aubrey...” Evan raised his voice.

  “I can withdraw myself from the qualification.” My breathing picked up speed.

  “And throw away your one chance at survival?” he asked, shaking his head in a grimace.

  “It’s too late for me anyway, Evan. I wouldn’t make it long down there before they figured out who I was. Someone knows our family is still alive. It’d be a trap, just like this place,” I said.

  “But you can’t just give up your chance on account of your suspicions, Aubrey,” Evan said in anger. Tears formed in my eyes.

  “Someone is trying to lure me in. Why else would I find that compass? And why would Aubrey Ellis qualify into a colony if she was dead, or—or related to Andrew?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. It could’ve been a glitch like your mother said,” Evan sighed, scratching the back of his neck.

  “After those people came after us? No. I won’t believe that,” I said.

  “Listen, if Aubrey Adams doesn’t at least try to get into a colony, all of this would have been a waste of time,” he said.