all god's orphans

Grey awoke in the passenger seat of the SUV, his back and hips shrieking. Kite lay in the back seat. She smiled at him as he stirred. They had not moved since yesterday. Millie had fallen asleep and they simply stayed put. The sun was not yet above the horizon but the sky was already clear and bright. Millie sat in the driver’s seat, her head against the cool of the window trying to clear the dull roaring ache of her skull. She could see Grey waking up out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t turn to face him as she typed.

“It’s the end of the world.” Her face was stone but when she finally looked at him, Grey could detect the faint trace of tears turning her eyes shiny. “I never thought this would happen. I never thought my parents were right. I still don’t know if they are.”

“What happened, Millie?” He asked. “Why do you remember when none of us can?” She closed her eyes.

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “That paper you found yesterday. That was what they told us. One day, it was all over the news. An asteroid had been detected heading towards Earth. It was going to hit in three days and destroy the world. Billions were going to die. People went crazy. It’s strange the kind of crazy that happens to some people. My parents seemed happier than I’d ever seen them. They were convinced that Jesus was coming back.” She shifted so she could see them both.

“Who is Jesus?” Asked Kite.

“It’s not important.” Replied Millie. “It only matters that some people thought the end of the world was the best thing that could ever happen. How fucked up is that?” Kite and Grey had no response. They couldn’t understand why someone would celebrate death. “My parents went that kind of crazy, but to be honest, they were sort of already there. I was never allowed to date boys or sleep over at my friend’s houses. They kept me out of school and taught me at home so I wouldn’t fall prey to the great Satan.”

“Who?” Asked Grey prompting a smile from Millie.

“I really envy you two sometimes.” The smile faded quickly. “Satan is the bad guy. Jesus is the good guy, I guess. Not really, though. It’s not important. The only time I really got to get out was when I went to my cousin’s house. She was a year older than me and that’s where I learned about computers and stuff. My parents would never have allowed that if they had found out. The night the asteroid was supposed to hit, they went to a prayer meeting at the church. They tried to make me go but we got in a huge fight and I told them to fuck off. I honestly thought my mom was going to slap the shit out of me, but I guess she figured Jesus was coming and he could set me straight so they left me at home.” She stopped for a moment, the memories threatening to overwhelm her. “I went to my room and sat by myself. I thought I wanted to be alone. I waited up as long as I could and then eventually I fell asleep. When I woke up the next day, nothing had changed. Or at least it didn’t seem like it had. I turned on the TV but there was nothing. I went into town to try and find answers, but everybody was just walking around like they had lost their mind. I found a store with Internet, but there was nothing. My parents didn’t know who I was. I couldn’t communicate with them. They couldn’t read or use sign language.” Kite reached out and put a reassuring hand on Millie’s knee. The contact brought back memories of her attackers and she flinched without thinking.

“I’m sorry.” Said Kite, though she didn’t quite understand what she had done wrong.

“It’s okay.” Replied Millie with a faint smile. “I know what you meant. I spent that day trying to get people to talk but no one would. Or couldn’t. I looked for my parents again but they were nowhere.” She paused again, remembering the isolation of that day. “The whole time I thought I just wanted to be alone but that day I realized that I never wanted to be alone again. When the Army came a few weeks later, they said I could come with them. I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy, but at least they seemed to have their shit together. They still knew their names, unlike everyone else I had found. So I went with them and started fixing their electronics. Most of them wouldn’t know how to change the batteries in a remote control. Fucking Luddites.” She turned her eyes fully on Grey. “You don’t remember anything, do you?” Grey felt suddenly ashamed.

“No.” He began and wanted to say something else. “I tried…I can’t…”

“It’s okay.” Millie assured him. “It’s not your fault. That letter they found at your house. It had a code on it. Do you remember anything at all?” Grey shook his head. She had expected this. “There may still be a chance to find safety. If we can get you to one of the places on that letter and show it to them, I think they will let you in. They would have to. It’s our only chance.”

“Where is the letter?” He asked as her eyes sank to the floor.

“The general has it.” She turned her gaze back out to the horizon. “God only knows what he’s planning to do with it but I doubt it’s good news.”

“How do we find him?” Asked Kite, but Millie wasn’t looking at her. Grey tapped Millie on the arm to get her attention.

“Do you know how to find him?” He asked.

“No.” Answered Millie. “We will have to find one of his camps. Maybe then we’ll have a shot.”

“How do we do that?”

“Keep an eye out for increased activity.” She said. “His camps attract people like flies to dogshit.”

“What kind of increased activity?”

“Caravans of big, stupid SUVs like this one.” Grey and Kit exchanged a glance. Millie could see something in their eyes. “What?” She asked.