The Apocalypse Read Online Free

opened his eyes and looked at his alarm clock. Illuminated in blue light was 1:24 . What was going on? He'd been dead asleep since long before eleven. "Whaddya want?"
    "Hurry." Despite his grogginess, Jake heard the nervous impatience in his mother's tone. He squinted at her and saw how pale her face was. Suddenly, Jake was fearful for what was happening.
    "What's wrong?" he demanded. "What happened?"
    Diane jerked back Jake's blankets, and a rush of cool air hit his bare chest. Since he was wearing only flannel pajama pants, Jake grabbed for a discarded t-shirt and pulled it on, still eyeing his mother warily. "There was a car accident," she informed him shortly. "Hannah's hurt badly. I need you to keep Isaac company while I run over to the hospital."
    Jake's first reaction was the desire to roll his eyes before crawling back into bed, but not even he was that heartless, not even when it came to Hannah Ayers. Besides, Isaac was his friend. He gave a brief nod and got out of bed. Diane disappeared instantly from his bedroom. Thoughtlessly, Jake retrieved socks from his top dresser drawer and headed downstairs, where he saw Isaac sitting on the couch.
    "Hey," Jake greeted semi-awkwardly, his tone still husky with sleep. Isaac's blue eyes were bright with alertness, and he was as colorless as Diane had been. Jake didn't like it at all.
    Isaac moved over on the couch, needlessly making more room for Jake to sit. "Hey," he answered lowly. Isaac swallowed audibly, and Jake could tell how scared he really was.
    The two guys sat in silence for roughly five minutes. Jake didn't know how to console Isaac, especially since he didn't know any details, and it didn't seem like Isaac was in the mood to talk anyway. He didn't really understand why Isaac wasn't going to the hospital also; if things were that bad, why wasn't Hannah's brother there? When Diane rushed into the room, Jake looked up and saw her hug Isaac tightly in a lengthy embrace. She stroked Isaac's blondish hair and murmured something that Jake didn't catch . Finally, she pulled back.
    "Jake, turn the heat up," Diane commanded as she pulled on her brown leather coat. "Make some coffee or something, and for God's sake show some manners." In a motherly gesture that was more Patricia-like, Diane kissed the top of Isaac's head and then moved toward the door. "Be good, boys. I'll call you if there's anything to tell."
    After Jake fiddled with the thermostat, he faced Isaac, who hadn't moved at all. "Do you want some hot chocolate or whatever?" The younger boy shook his head, and Jake shifted his weight. "Do you want to talk?"
    Isaac looked up, his forehead wrinkled in concern, and his eyes followed Jake's movement toward the nearby recliner. "Greg hit ice." Jake had never heard such fury from Isaac's mouth. Yet his voice was somehow quiet and matter-of-fact. "The bastard apparently tried to brake, and the car spun out of control. It's totaled."
    Jake nodded slowly, allowing his mind to process the information. He remembered the weather advisory and glanced outside through the glass of the front door. Nothing but whiteness. He briefly worried about his mom being out on the road too, but Jake let it go, reasoning that she'd be careful.
    "Dad called from the hospital around ten-thirty," Isaac went on. Jake remembered that Benjamin Ayers worked almost constantly as an emergency room surgeon. "The ambulance brought H-Hannah in then. Mom sent me over here and then left. I guess it's taken this long to stabilize Hannah."
    Although Jake didn't particularly care for Hannah, it upset him to hear Isaac talk. The kid was obviously distressed. "Do you know why my mom left?"
    "M-my mom was breaking down." Isaac's voice positively cracked with the admission, and he looked over at Jake worriedly, but Jake made sure his face didn't have any semblance of mocking. "Hannah's messed up bad."
    "Was anyone else in the car? What about Hudson?"
    Isaac's eyes hardened. "Greg's got a broken arm," he spat