chapter 1.
The news flashed onto the television screen as I clicked the “ON” button. Turning the volume down a bit, I looked back to the coffee maker, listening to the sound of coffee dripping into the pot. The vacuum was running, the whirring sound not quite reaching my ears. The water from my shower slowly cascaded down my face and neck, dampening my soft, black bathrobe. A sigh escaped my lips as I got up on my tip-toes to grab a coffee mug.
The rising sun shone brightly through the slightly open curtains. A beep indicated my drink was finished. Steam rose from the coffee pot as it emptied halfway into my mug. The warmth bled through the porcelain and heated my hands. As I took a much needed sip of the hot drink, my body was consumed by the comforting feeling it created within me.
I felt myself relaxing and releasing the tension pent up inside, but all of a sudden, the TV caught my attention. “We interrupt this broadcast for a very important announcement.” There was a pause. “Get away from all forms of electricity, AI, and electronic devices. All of these sorts of devices are going haywire and turning agai—“ The audio cut out and the news reporter was replaced with an image of the president on the floor; his body was drenched in blood, his white hair mow stained red. He’d been mangled and was barely recognizable, but I could tell. I felt in my gut that something was wrong. My hand gripped the handle of the mug so it didn’t slip. What’s going on?
