10:01 pm I pop open my trunk and throw my iced-over snowboard in with my jacket and pants. As I slam the trunk shut the mountain goes dark. A chill whizz up my spine, while the cold air tickles my sweat-covered skin.
"Guess err not blow'n snow t'night," I reassure myself.
10:17 pm As I pull off a dirt road and on to a service road, I notice the Seven-Eleven is dark. Pulling onto the highway a car zips past at a blistering speed. I spin the tuning nob on my radio trying to land on 98.5, but as the numbers change the sound does not. The static sound fills the car and lingers in my head.
11:04 pm Pulling into my driveway my headlights are the only thing illuminating the dark neighborhood. Entering the house I reach for the light switch. After slapping the wall a few times my finger finds it, but the room stays dark. I slip my phone out of my pocket and turn on its flashlight. The light runs across the walls and floor, leaving long dark shadows. As I stumble across the room my toe drills an empty food bowl, launching across the room.
"MOTHER FFFFFFFF," I burst out in brief pain. "MICKEY! MICKEY! DID THEY FORGET TO FEED YOU?" I call out.
I take another step.
"MEEEOOOW!" a cat spirts out.
"Shit, sorry mick-mac," I softly state.
After feeding Mickey my phone dies while climbing the stairs to my room. As I reach the door my foot slides across a cold wet spot on the carpet. Bending over to see what it was my nostrils flare to twice there size and my through turns.
"Damn-it Mickey," I cough out.
Deciding to clean it tomorrow I open the door and walk in, dragging my damp foot, the darkness blinds me. Waving my hands around at knee height I find my bed. I lie down almost immediately falling to sleep.
6:46 am My sore eyes slowly widen as panic builds in my bones. Swiftly scrambling for my phone I fall out of bed. I race downstairs stepping back in the pee. As my eyes reach the clock in the kitchen my panic immediately vanishes.
"Shit, though I woke up late for a second there," I say calming myself.
I get ready for school as normal. Before I leave I notice that my parent room is still dark.
8:15 am Pulling into the parking lot I'm the only car there. Doubt swam through my mind as a look at my car radio. It reads "Mon 8:15" so I shuffle my hands over my pockets looking for my phone. Abruptly stopping as I realize I left it plugged in at the house. I pull my car into spot 185 and just wait.
8:21 am Suddenly a truck I recognize comes barreling into the parking lot. Locking up its wheels as it comes to an abrupt stop in the middle of three spots. AJ's dad Moore steps out and hustles over to my car. I start to roll my window down,
"Adam, have you seen AJ?" Moore asks out of breath.
"No, I'm the onl-" I answer before getting cut off.
"Why are you here?" Moore asks starting to catch his breath.
"I thought we had school today," I reply hoping for an answer myself.
"No, everything is shut down," Moore replies, "The power grid collapsed yesterday," he continued
Goosebumps crept up from the skin on my toes to the scalp on my head, while my bones turned colder than ice leaving my spin numb.