the initial impacts died soon thereafter in the flash-fires, earthquakes and tsunamis caused by the impacts. Tsunamis and earthquakes ravaged the coastlines of every continent – washing sea waters inland for fifty miles. People living in the now new coastal cities moved closer inland in anticipation of more tsunamis, but those were the least of their worries. After the tsunamis came the collapse of technology and the riots; making the governmental evacuations a daunting task. Technology was no more as solar pulses from the approaching planet short circuited most items with a motherboard or hardware and those who remained had to rely on relics of the pre-modern world to communicate.
CHAPTER ONE Present day Though later than predicted, the rogue giant slowly approached earth and the effects became more drastic. Sweltering heat waves caused most people left behind to flee from the cities. Those who couldn’t afford the underground refuge constructed by government or didn’t want to leave the cities were the first to die due to the elements. The days were excruciatingly hot while the temperatures plummeted to below zero at night. When Planet X finally revealed itself from behind the night sky clouds like a demented dream, those brave enough to withstand the wintery nights ventured out with old Polaroid cameras and took the very first images of the monstrosity in all its intimidating grandeur, but the novelty soon wore off at it became an image everyone saw every day after that. Stephen was one of the brave ones who stayed behind the city – not that he wanted to, but rather because he couldn’t afford the underground sanctuary and did what he had to do to survive. Life wasn’t what we were used to – it was take what you needed and survival of the fittest . The city he lived in was mostly abandoned, but was home to about six or seven thousand other expats like himself trying to stay alive long enough to wave goodbye to the rogue planet. Stephen stood next to the rustic Land Rover with his one arm resting in the ajar door as he stared at the sunrise. He had about two hours before temperatures became unbearable and getting supplies became a daily scurry and was what kept them alive. The warm morning air was already causing him to break a sweat and he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he brought the Walkie-Talkie to his bearded mouth. “Sam… come in.” There was a moment of static before a voice responded over the handheld device from an era gone by. “Sam here.” “It’s gonna be a close one today.” Stephen said, “Summer is approaching and sunrise is earlier each day.” “I know.” “Are you ready?” “Ready as I’ll ever be in this nightmare we call life.” Stephen nodded, “Over and out.” He got back into the car, put it in gear and sped down the abandoned street like a bat out of hell; changing gears like a drag racer. Abandoned cars and crevices in the street left behind by the rolling earthquakes from long ago sped by as he cut through intersections that no longer caused traffic jams. Twelve city blocks later and he got to his destination; along with about fifty other cars that caused an instant traffic jam outside General Lee’s General Store – the only store for miles that still traded. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Stephen sighed as he geared down towards the traffic jam. The car that idled in front of him had a sticker in the rear window of a dead stick-figure family with the words, ‘ Planet X killed my stick family’ above it; making Stephen wonder whether it was just a smart joke or whether there were any truth to the sticker. He knew he couldn’t do anything except be patient, so he waited in the queue of cars until he could pull into a parking bay. As he switched off the engine, a woman and her daughter scurried pass hand-in-hand towards the store and it brought back memories of his own wife and daughter as they were hurried along by the