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With every trip I make to the car, I also grab some form of a snack whether it’s cereal or some crackers. I think the only reason I’m eating is because of sheer boredom. At this rate I’m going to run out of food by the end of the week.

When five o’clock rolls around I try to think of something productive to do for the next few hours before the sun goes down. Nothing comes to mind so I go to the car and grab one of the books I picked up at the department store. I read for about twenty minutes but find it hard to concentrate. My head is swirling with thoughts about what I should do next.

As boring as these last few hours have been, I think it’s helped me make my decision about what to do tomorrow. I can’t imagine sitting around all day with nothing to do, so I’m definitely leaving here. I don’t know what’s in store for me hundreds of miles away but it has to be better than this.

I grab my map and start planning my new trip. Since it’s fall in Ohio and getting colder by the day, it’s a no-brainer to go somewhere warm. The first ideas that come to mind are Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Florida; Alabama; and Los Angeles.

I’ve been to Myrtle Beach a million times for family vacations and seem to know my way around there.

Florida is about a fifteen-hour drive, but is due South and the weather is perfect year-round. Alabama also has nice weather, and to get to it from Ohio you only have to take one highway for about ninety percent of the trip. With no GPS, that’s a strong selling point.

Then there’s LA. It’s very far from Ohio, Two or three days of driving, but it has the best weather I’ve ever experienced — seventies and sunny every day.

I can’t go wrong with any location, and each place is just a final destination point in case the entire planet has disappeared. The thought makes me laugh; there’s no way that could be true. I won’t be far into my drive before I run into someone who can explain what’s going on. At the very least, I can ask for a phone so I can call Abby to make sure she’s all right.

Oh Abby, how I miss her. I wonder where she is and worry if she’s found somewhere safe to be. I know she’s probably scared to death and I ask God, if he does exist, to keep Abby safe.

I decide to sleep on my decision. When I wake up, I’m sure my subconscious will have analyzed all the options and have a final decision ready for me.

In the meantime, I pick up my book, which is about time travel, and begin reading again until the sun goes down. Time travel seems to be an interesting topic to read right now. What I wouldn’t give to travel through time in this very moment. I’d rather be in any other point in my life than this.

I could continue reading with the flashlight, but instead I think about how strange these past couple of days have been. How strange it was to see that black car and the cat.

I have a good feeling tomorrow will be the end of all this craziness. I’ll make my journey into the unknown and find a town filled with people who know what’s going on.

Tomorrow all my anxiety will end — I hope.

Chapter 10

When I wake up I see the rising sun, which means I must have slept well. During this time of year I’m usually up a couple hours before sunrise.

During the night, my subconscious must have been hard at work, because I remember images of Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, and California on my mind.

Just as I’d hoped, I now know where I’m going to go. I wish I could say that I have total confidence in my decision, but I don’t. I keep telling myself it doesn’t matter because, wherever I go, I’ll only get halfway before I start seeing people.

I laugh when I think about my decision to go to Mobile, Alabama. Seriously, of all the places I could go I decide on Ala-freakin’-bama. The decision makes sense for me, though, because it’s warm and incredibly easy to get to. The drive there stays on one highway almost the entire way, so I can’t get lost. It will also be easy to take an exit and explore towns whenever I see fit.

I’ve made the drive before with Abby for a Caribbean cruise that we both enjoyed. I loved that it was cheap, and she liked meeting new people. If we ever won the lottery, I think we would just take cruises every week. They’re about as cheap as living in a house and the food is amazing.

Going to Mobile allows me to get over eight hundred miles away from home as fast as possible. If I can’t find someone after driving that far, then I’ll know something is really messed up.

I eat breakfast and think about anything else I might need on the trip. One thing I’d absolutely love to do is take a shower. I feel disgusting and am starting to smell. Not only does the smell bother me, but I also just don’t feel well. Deodorant only helps so much.

If I happen to make it all the way to Alabama today, the first thing I’m going to do is find water to take a bath, even if it means going in the ocean. I grab a few bars of soap, shampoo, and all of the other toiletries I’ll need.

I’ve been brushing my teeth on a regular basis using some bottled water in the sink. I’m still surprised every time I use the toilet and it works. I keep waiting for a huge explosion to happen when I push down on the flusher but it never does. If I get to the point where I have to do my business outside, I don’t think I’ll mind. As long as I have toilet paper, I can squat down.

My time travel book makes me wish I could go back a few thousand years to see how people survived without all of life’s current necessities. I wouldn’t mind going a few thousand years into the future too, just to see what that’s like, but that’s a whole other topic I won’t get into.

I load the car up with last-minute items I’ve thought of and consider taking my golf clubs with me. If I’m going to be in warm weather I might as well enjoy it. I settle for a pair of swimming trunks instead, which should more than keep me occupied when I get there.

When all is said and done my car is packed with stuff. The trunk, backseat, and now front passenger seat don’t have one inch of space left. I couldn’t fit my golf clubs even if I wanted to. I can’t think of anything essential I’m forgetting, and anxiety starts to build inside me. The fear of the unknown is a scary thing.

I back the car out of the garage and take one last look at my house. I smile when I think of all the great memories in here. As I drive off, I wonder when I’ll make it back here.

Making my way through this empty town is starting to feel normal. It still has that polished look to it like everything is as it should be, but I know inside the shop doors is nothing but emptiness.

When I looked at the map earlier, I wrote down some directions I think will get me there in the most optimal way possible. I tried the GPS, hoping it would work, but there’s no signal. Maybe my luck will change when I get a couple hundred miles out.

A rush of excitement builds in me when I reach the highway. I can almost imagine the cars passing by. Do I honk at the first one I see and try to get them to pull over? I laugh at how crazy I’d think someone was if they did that to me. Imagine someone driving up next to you honking and signaling for you to get off the road. I’d be reaching for my phone to call the police.

If I do see cars soon, I decide it would be best if I pulled into a rest stop to strike up a conversation there. It would be a strange conversation, no doubt. I’d have to work this into the conversation… “Yeah, everyone has disappeared within forty-five miles of my house and I’m trying to find any form of civilization.”