Kingdom Come Read Online Free Page A

was something different about his eyes. They looked older, in a way. They looked like they held stories, stories that were buried deep down and haunted him.
    “How long is this supposed to last?” Danny asked after a long silence. The contempt his voice once held was gone. Now, he sounded scared. Paranoid. “A day? A week?”
    “As long as it wants to last,” Dr. Fowler replied.
    I narrowed my eyes, having had enough of his sudden short answers. When I opened my mouth to tell him just that, he spoke again.
    “While each soldier is given at least twenty-four hours to do as he pleases, each phase lasts one week. So, in theory, this particular storm can continue as long as it wishes until the next scroll is broken. Then, a new form of destruction commences.”
    Soldiers of the apocalypse. Ancient scrolls in the hands of some guy barely older than me. And the world crashing down around us. The doctor should have a mental evaluation of his own.
    Danny scoffed. “How do we even know—”
    “Can we please tone down the hostility in here?” Haven drew her knees to her chest. She was huddled in a corner, looking like a frightened puppy. “Can’t we just do like he said and rest? I’m exhausted, Danny. You’re tired and crankier than usual, and it’s not even night yet. And I don’t know about you, but my brain needs time to process all of this without a bunch of yelling.”
    The room became silent again at her request, and while I craved more answers, she was right. It wouldn’t do much good to keep probing someone who obviously didn’t want to elaborate; though for what reason, I had no idea. I could only hope we’d either get out of this room soon, or that he’d tell us more of what he knew.
    “So.” Ethan’s low voice interrupted me from my thoughts, and I turned to look at him. His lips turned up into a tiny smile. “I’m guessing you remember me?”
    His question confused me, and then I remembered admitting to “kind of” knowing him just a few minutes earlier. I managed a smile and nodded. It would have been hard to forget him. He was the only kid in our class who came to school with fresh bruises every day, yet acted as if nothing was out of sorts.
    “And I guess that means you remember me?” I asked.
    “Well, it’s only been a few months since I last saw you. I think I’d be a little insulted if you forgot about me that quickly. I’m sure the feeling’s mutual.”
    I laughed lightly, which he returned with a smile so warm it darn near melted me on the spot. Just like that, it almost felt as if we were the only ones left in the room. However, a loud hacking cough from Nate reminded me that wasn’t the case. I shivered from the mental image of what just happened, of how he was almost another victim of whatever was going on. Just like Dr. Tyler . . . I forced her blood-streaked face from my memory. I had no idea exactly what was taking place above our room. All I knew was that the wind still howled loud enough to be heard through the cement walls surrounding us.
    “Junior year feels like ages ago,” I said. “But you’re right—it’s only been a few months since then. You left in . . . what was it? April?”
    The breath-taking smile wavered. He cleared his throat while repositioning himself, crossing his legs out in front of him. “Yeah,” he said under his breath. “April.”
    Realizing he didn’t want to elaborate, I lowered my voice and asked, “What do you think?” I nodded toward Dr. Fowler. “About what he said, I mean. You think there’s any truth to it?”
    The tension lifted with the topic change. With a glance in the doctor’s direction, Ethan shrugged. “He really seems to believe it,” he said. “But I don’t know. I mean, this is all pretty far-fetched. Honestly, I think he may have read one too many fantasy books. Come on—he tells us the world’s ending, then just says ‘go to sleep’? Who does that?”
    I snorted. He had a point. But when I looked at the