Watching the End of the World – 16

���That���s a machine gun,��� Caleb said. Nate began backing away. This wasn���t right at all.

The men jumped out of the truck, shouting something angrily in a foreign language and gesturing at them.

���What are they saying?��� Tamara asked, moving in close to Caleb.

���I don���t think we���re supposed to be here,��� Jenna said. They were all backing up now, except for Santiago, who stood facing the men with his arms hanging at his sides. He looked somehow like a man preparing for a gunfight.

Then one of the men pulled a pistol from a holster and raised it. The other one followed and they began shooting.

���They���re shooting at us!��� Jordynn cried.

Pandemonium broke out. Some of the contestants simply froze. Others ran toward the jet or simply away from the gunfire. Over the sound of the gunfire came Akila���s voice, yelling, ���Over here! Come on!���

Akila had reached the warehouse and was standing in the open doorway, waving to them. Nate started to run, saw Omisha standing there motionless still, and grabbed her arm. Bullets spattered around them. ���Come on!���

At first Omisha just stared at him as if she had no idea who he was. Then Nate began to drag her and suddenly she came to life and started to run.

They reached the shelter of the warehouse and ran inside. Akila slammed and locked the door while the rest stared at each other in stunned disbelief.

���Why did they do that?��� Jordynn asked in a small voice. ���What���s going on?���

No one answered. What was there to say? What had started as a normal enough day, filled with anticipation and excitement, had turned into a nightmare.

Akila went to the small window and looked out. ���They���re leaving.���

Others crowded around the window. The men seemed to be arguing as they went back to the pickup and got in. The vehicle sprayed dirt as it spun in a tight circle and headed back the way it came.

���Somebody doesn���t want us here,��� Akila said quietly.

���No shit,��� Tony said.

���Are they going to come back?��� Tamara asked. She had a tight grip on Caleb���s arm.

���What do you think?��� Akila said. There were a couple of light switches by the door and she turned them on. Rows of overhead fluorescent lights buzzed and came to life.

One end of the warehouse was mostly filled with stacks of boxes and crates on wooden pallets. Along one wall was a row of cabinets and metal lockers. The other end of the warehouse had been framed in and walled off. There was a door in the center of the wall.

���What the hell?��� Caleb asked.

Akila walked over to the nearest crate, which was sitting on the floor, its lid partway off. She pushed the lid back and looked in. ���I think I know why they were shooting at us.���

Excerpt from��Watching the End of the World