The Doomsday Chronicles (The Future Chronicles)

by Samuel Peralta

  Feb. 05 — World’s Largest Amateur Astronomer Group Claims NASA Withholding Information, Says Agrona Will Hit Earth!

  Sam continued to flip through the pages of the journal. Those last announcements had started protests across the world demanding the truth about what was going on. Of course, it didn’t help any when the president of the European Union said, “The truth is, Agrona will pass so close no one knows if it will impact Earth or not.” Shortly after that, the U.S. declared April 16th National Comet Watch Day, touting it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, which was probably why Mrs. Pennington kept saying it. But despite the government’s announcement, reports of rioting and looting came more and more in the news feeds.

  Mar. 14 — World Economic Productivity Drops Off As Hundreds Of Millions Stay Home Before Agrona Arrives

  Mar. 16 — President Declares Martial Law To Control Violence And Ensure Critical Services

  Mar. 19 — NASA Says Agrona’s Path Still Too Close To Call

  Mar. 27 — US Corporations Request Federal Aid To Stay Viable Until Comet Passes

  Apr. 01 — Rioting Subsides As US Government Agrees To Pay Nation’s Wages For Two Weeks Before Arrival Of Agrona

  Apr. 10 — Reports Indicate Civil Unrest And Crime Drop To Historic Lows - Is This the Calm Before The Storm?

  That was the last entry in his journal. Nothing in the last several days was new as far as he was concerned.

  He figured he should write something, so Mrs. Pennington didn’t count off for missing entries when he went back to school…if he did go back.

  What are my thoughts the night before? I don’t know. I guess in some ways I’m nervous. I mean, lots of people in the world are freaked out about the comet. Maybe I should be. But the teachers and my mom and dad say not to worry about it. Maybe those people who are worried don’t have parents to trust and protect them and that is why they’re so scared. I don’t know. I mean, what they say about the world ending sounds so unbelievable. Nothing like that has ever happened except with the dinosaurs and that was like a billion years ago. What are the chances of that happening again? Especially since Mr. Nathan says most of space is really, really empty. Even in the movies the good guys always save the Earth. And besides, I’m just a kid and kids don’t ever die like this… Either way, I know my mom is scared, although she tries to be brave.

  * * *

  The journal creaked, relieving the tension in its bindings as Sam closed it, through with his early-morning viewing. He felt better.

  Mrs. Pennington was right, I guess.

  Writing about it had helped him figure out some things. He probably wouldn’t have thought much about what his parents were feeling, or how stressed out they are, or how no matter what’s going on they always had time for him and his problems.

  A few evenings ago, he’d been on the back porch, mulling the day over.

  “Hey, buddy, what’s with the gloomy look?” Sam’s dad asked as he sat down next to him. The illumination from the kitchen window cast a pale light across the two. He had gone out there to be by himself and look up to the clear, star-filled night sky, searching for some answers.

  “It’s nothing, Dad.”

  “Hmm. Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, just some kids at school were giving me a hard time today. That’s all.”

  “I see. Do you need me to call anyone about it?”

  “No.”

  “So, is there anything else? I’ve noticed you’ve been a little down in the mouth for the last few days,” his dad prodded. Sam didn’t reply. He didn’t really want to talk about it.

  The weight of his dad’s arm gently laid across his shoulders.

  “Hey, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

  Tears welled up at his dad’s words, threatening to burst forth, which would be more embarrassing than the truth he held within.

  “Hey, buddy, it’s me. I have your back on whatever it is,” said his dad as he rubbed Sam’s back.

  He couldn’t hold it back any longer and high-pitched sobs escaped his attempts at control. Sam buried his face so that his father couldn’t see.

  I’m supposed to be stronger than this! I don’t want Dad to see me crying like a little kid! Dad never cries!

  “I failed my semester biology test…I…didn’t do…so great…on the homework either,” he said between sobs, “I…I might get a C in the class…for the semester. I’m sorry, Dad…I know you expect more…”

  “Hey, hey, hey! It’s okay, buddy. Calm down, and let’s talk about it. Now, you know you could have come and asked me for help. You know me or Mom will help you if you need it.”

  “I know,” said Sam between a sob. He swiped his burning eyes with frustration.

  “I…I just didn’t want you to think I was stupid…since you’re so smart and all.”

  “Oh, Sam…I, I didn’t just wake up this way. It took me over forty years to figure all this out. I bombed my fair share of tests over the years.”

  “Really?” he said, looking at his dad. His throat ached from the strain of trying not to cry, his eyes already swollen.

  “Sure! I’m actually surprised I made it through medical school!” His dad laughed, eliciting a small laugh in return from Sam.

  “That’s better. Next time, if you’re having problems, just ask. And don’t sweat the grades, just focus more on understanding the material. Okay?”

  “I…I was just trying to take care of my own problems, just like you do.”

  His dad smiled, making him feel better while threatening another emotional waterfall within.

  “I get it. With every one you have, you’ll get better and better at dealing with them. Just don’t forget to ask for help if you need it. Now, it’s getting late, so why don’t you go start getting ready for bed?”

  “Hey, Dad?”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m kind of…well, you know…about the comet.”

  His father took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, staring at the horizon where the phantom would soon rise.

  “Well, like my father always told me, ‘Son, you worry about those things you can change. And if you can’t do anything about it, then stop worrying. ‘Cause life is going to take care of itself, whether you worry or not.’”

  “Thanks, Dad.” The strong arms of his father wrapped around him just long enough to convey the unspoken words that pass between men.

  * * *

  Beep-beep…beep-beep…beep-beep.

  Sam turned over, his hand landing heavily on the alarm clock. Ugh, he was tired. These late nights were getting brutal. The morning light was already filling the room; he’d forgotten to close the curtains earlier.

  He shuffled to the window to take a look before getting dressed. The air was still cool and a few birds had begun to sing. The sun was close to rising on the other side of the house. Toward the west, the last hint of the white, fuzzy cloud dipped below the horizon. He got dressed and ready for school like always, although there would be no school because of the comet. Today was the day, National Comet Watch Day.

  Adults really don’t take us kids seriously if they think all this fools us. Heck, the news feeds had been flooded for months now about the end of the world. Sure, they tried to keep a lot of it from the kids, but they were hooked into the same news feeds.

  Besides, if it was really as bad as all those people out there were saying, the military would be doing something. Either setting up missiles or launching a rocket with astronauts. With all those nuclear bombs in the world, if there really were reasons to worry, then they’d be trying anything, right?. It had to be just a bunch of hype to get people to buy all of the survival stuff.

  Of course, if things don’t go very well and the comet hits the Earth, I guess lots of people will die.

  Maybe he’d never grow up and have a girlfriend, or kiss anyone, or get married. Then he’d never have time to get up the nerve and go with Ashley. Man, she was so beautiful!

  What if…heyyyy! What if she a
nd I were the last two people left and it was up to us to repopulate the planet? Sam was pretty sure he was cool with that! There were a few ways this could really work out in his favor.

  “Are you okay, Sam? What’s with that funny grin?”

  “Huh?” Where was he? In the kitchen. Right. He hadn’t paid any attention to where he was going while thinking about that stuff. The warmth of a blush washed over his face.

  “Oh, nothing, Mom. Just thinking about…a dream I had.” He couldn’t stop the big smile that came across his face. “It’s okay.”

  He walked over to her and gave her a hug. A smile returned to her eyes, just the way he liked it. He couldn’t bear to think of her like last night.

  His father was sitting at the table in his PJs, drinking coffee and reading his news feed. “Hey, Dad, aren’t you going to the clinic today?”

  Even though the President had given everybody a two-week vacation to watch the comet, Sam’s dad worked for the government and was considered essential personnel, which Sam was pretty sure meant he didn’t get the vacation because his father was too important to the President.

  He ran the medical clinic at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and he seemed to be pretty important, because whenever Sam went to work with him everyone always called him ‘Sir’ or ‘Doctor’ and asked if Dad brought his ‘little helper’ with him. That got old after the twentieth time. Sam wasn’t sure if he wanted to be a doctor when he grew up, but he definitely liked the way they treated his father.

  He began to answer when Sam interrupted.

  “Oh, Comet Watch Day, right?”

  His dad paused, instinctively glanced up at his wife through his eyebrows. “Uh, yep, that’s the reason,” he said. The lines on his brow softened a little, having been given a better answer than what he had weighing on his mind.

  Sam scanned them quickly. They both looked tired, but there was something more that had been taken.

  I know what we should do.

  “Cool! Well, let’s eat breakfast and have fun as a family today. What’s for breakfast, Mom?”

  “The usual suspects are on the counter, Pumpkin.”

  “Mom. I’m too old to be called Pumpkin. Anyway, when’s the comet swinging by?”

  “About lunchtime,” his parents replied in unison.

  “Awesome! So why don’t we go and have a picnic in the park? The weather is supposed to be fine and we can have fun, cook out, and watch it pass. It’ll be great!”

  His parents smiled slowly and agreed. It was the first smile that had ever left him feeling empty.

  * * *

  It was a sunny spring afternoon with a breeze that would have been chilly if it weren’t for the warmth of the sunshine. Hardly a cloud in the sky. Sam loved to feel the sun’s heat on his face and cold on the back of his neck. There were a few other families in the park. His dad started the grill and his mom set the picnic table and got the drinks and snacks out while they waited for the burgers to cook.

  His mom had brought every single type of junk food he loved: Cheetos, Ding Dongs, chili-flavored corn chips, and soda. Not a single healthy thing that was normally pushed onto his plate was anywhere to be seen. Any other day, it would have been a perfect day in the park.

  He went over to the playground area to see if there were any kids to hang out with. The equipment was empty, so he climbed up to the upper area and walked across a couple of the bridges connecting the different sections to see if there was anything interesting that he could add to his bug collection. After playing here for his whole life, he couldn’t remember one time it was this empty.

  It’s too quiet out here.

  It wasn’t just quiet but freaky quiet, like in the movies before the monster showed up. Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard any airplanes or helicopters fly over, couldn’t see any contrails in the sky. Maybe everyone was home for the comet-watching parties. He couldn’t hear the freeway, which was normally pretty loud. Heck, even the birds were quiet, except for one mockingbird that seemed a bit irritated about something. There was just the breeze through the spring leaves, which carried the last verse of “Rock-a-bye Baby.” Sam turned to see a lady singing to her baby wrapped in blankets. Her hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her face was red as if she had been crying. Yeah, it was weird.

  Not having any luck in finding anyone or anything interesting, he walked back to his parental units, pausing to watch a cloud of elm seeds flutter away when a gust of wind hit the tree. What started with millions of seedlings quickly dispersed, and then they were gone, leaving the tree naked and ready for new life.

  * * *

  His father was making some awesome smells at the grill and his mom was trying her best to make idle conversation, asking about what he’d been learning in school. Sam dug out the journal from his bag and gave her a brief history of his teacher’s ‘official’ reasons for having them make it and keep up with the comet events.

  “Well, that’s pretty cool!” said his mom. “Can I look at it?”

  “Sure. Well, all but the last page. I kinda wrote some personal stuff in there last night.”

  “Oh, okay.” She smiled knowingly. His dad returned to the table with the hot dogs and hamburger patties as Sam was explaining everything to his mother.

  “That’s pretty neat, Sam. Man, I can’t even remember the last time I wrote anything of length on paper,” said his dad. “It was ten, maybe fifteen years ago.”

  She slowly turned the pages. Her eyes scanned down each page of news clippings and studied his nightly drawings. She raised her eyebrows and nodded.

  “Sam, this is really good. You’ve done an excellent job of documenting Agrona’s approach. I love the detail. You know you would have—” She cleared her throat, “—could make a great astronomer one day.”

  His mom worked at NASA with his dad, but in the astronomy group. “You know, if you want, I can give you the daily distances from Earth for the last month or so to include with your drawings,” she offered.

  “That’d be cool, Mom! I don’t think anyone in my class would have that kind of information.” Sometimes he forgot all the cool stuff she did when she went to work. To him she was always just Mom.

  “Hey, as a matter of fact,” said his father, “I think I have Grandma and Grandpa’s journals in the attic at home. You know, they both liked to write, poetry mostly, but I’ll see if I can find them. Maybe we can read a little bit of their stuff tonight.”

  “Which reminds me, honey,” his mom interrupted. “Have you called your brother yet? If only… I mean, we should probably plan to go and visit him and the family this year. Vacation?”

  “Yeah, let’s do that,” said his dad. “It’ll be nice to get back east again. Maybe…when things get back to normal we can look at the flights.”

  His father kept checking the time over and over again, until finally he set out his electronic pad so he could see it with a glance. Another look between the folks. Either it was the building tension between them or the cool breeze, but the hair on Sam’s arms was beginning to stand up amidst goose bumps. There was no doubt they were saying things in silent parent-talk.

  “Look, Mom, Dad, I know what’s going on. You don’t have to dance around the fact that no one knows what’s going to happen today. I get it. I just thought we could have nice day in the park either way.”

  His mom, looking a bit embarrassed and confused as to how to reply, opened her mouth, but excited shouting in the distance broke the moment. Other people whom he hadn’t noticed arrive at the park were standing in the middle of the grassy area, pointing to the western horizon while others were running to see what was going on. Looking to his father for guidance, his dad’s expression and nod toward the group seemed to say it was okay to go check it out.

  “Be right back, Mom!” He jumped to his feet and ran toward the center of the clearing nearest them, where the trees to the west were lowest.

  It felt as if he could run faster than ever before, almost like how h
e always dreamed it would be like to have robot-assisted mech legs. The only sounds were the wind in his ears and the rapid pounding of his feet on the soft green grass. Looking to the right as he ran, he could see more around the tree canopy and what the others were pointing at. Sam slowed to a stop and he, too, raised his hand and pointed at the horizon. His father joined him, breathing heavily. His hands landed on Sam’s shoulders and squeezed a little too tightly.

  Rising in the distance was the ghostly visitor that had dominated their lives for the last several months. Low in the sky, the atmosphere magnified it, adding a new understanding of the terrible power of the comet. Massive jets of gas and dust erupted ahead of it in violent protest to the sun, which seared its face. It looked like a planet-sized icy rock slowly rotating forward, racing toward its fiery counterpoint.

  Wait a minute…!

  Broken from the spell of the cometary cloud that now filled a quarter of the space between the ground and the noon sun, he turned. His father stared, dumbstruck.

  “Dad! We made it! Right, Dad? The fact that it’s rising in the sky means it’s going by us! Right, Dad? That means we made it! It missed us!”

  His mom had joined them. She screamed with excitement, “Yes, it does! Yes, it does!” She wrapped herself around his father. “Oh my God, oh my God…Paul, we made it! We made it! Yes, we made it!”

  Tears flowed freely from both their eyes as they began to kiss each other in passionate ways that parents shouldn’t, and Sam had only seen it in the movies he wasn’t supposed to watch.

  Feeling way awkward and slightly grossed out, he turned back to watch the comet. It was hard to comprehend a thing that large suddenly filling the sky with perceivable motion. A rainbow band wrapped around the comet’s coma from the sunlight reflecting through its icy crystals, giving it a wholly unnatural aura. Without warning, a silent explosion in slow motion emanated from the craggy top of the comet, sending forth into space a noticeable piece of itself within its own cloud. Although it looked only like a pebble, it was likely as large as any of the skyscrapers in Los Angeles. Each new jet that erupted sent a wave of icy gas slowly rippling behind it and below the horizon.