Mercy (The Last Army Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

to have to be patient just a little longer. Everything’s going to be fine.” He smiled without enthusiasm before resuming his name taking.
    “Do you know what’s wrong with the phones? I really have to call my parents,” Amy said when Mr. Jenkins approached her clique. She gripped her cellphone like it was the soap at a prison shower.
    “Well, I’m not a science teacher, but I guess it must be some sort of solar EMP.” Mr. Jenkins gazed at the solar eclipse.
    I nodded in silent agreement. If a nuclear bomb could trigger an EMP, then the sun—basically an enormous nuclear reactor—could trigger one as well, only on a much larger scale.
    Principal Wong had organized some of the staff into a search team, but they returned to the parking lot with nothing but scrapes on their hands from stirring the unyielding wreckage. A ring of students formed around them asking for their missing friends. The improvised rescuers shook their heads and sent them away with nothing but empty promises before gathering with the rest of the staff to decide on their next step.
    Amy and her friends swapped the batteries on their brand-new iPhones with each other in a futile attempt to make one of them work again. Only the girl I’d rescued from under the bookshelf didn’t participate in the experiment but instead hugged herself and whimpered. Occasionally she’d gaze at Amy—her savior—and thank her once more for saving her life.
    “Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Amy patted her friend’s hand like a queen showing favor upon one of her subjects. Her gesture brought a wide smile on her friend’s face, reflecting a devotion bordering on religious.
    Amy noticed me staring at their little scene and frowned ever so slightly before looking away.
    Bitch.
    The school staff finally ended their meeting, and the principal climbed on top of a white delivery van parked near the center of the lot to address the few hundred students assembled there. He struggled a little during the climb, but his height and relative youth allowed him to pull the stunt without losing too much face. After straightening his striped blue tie and brushing off his white shirt, Mr. Wong waved his hands to get everyone’s attention.
    I turned toward Karla, who was hugging her legs with her face buried between her knees. Looking around, I found most of the students in a similar state of despair, completely oblivious to the world. Only a handful of them caught sight of Mr. Wong and slowly made their way to the white van without bothering to alert their distraught classmates.
    “I have an announcement to make, so I’ll need you to gather round!” the principal yelled, but most of the students were too immersed in praying and anxious chatter to notice. Our teachers had to go to each cluster of distressed high schoolers and shepherd them toward the principal’s improvised stage.
    “Hey, snap out of it, Lala. I think we’re finally getting out of here,” I said as I shook Karla’s shoulders.
    She lifted her face. When I caught sight of her puffy, bloodshot eyes, I felt a slight sting of guilt for being so rough with her. Still, she wiped her face with steady hands and managed to get up from the floor by herself. Her hand felt cold as I pulled her through the crowd gathered by the principal, though.
    “I need you to be silent for just a moment and listen. Please,” Mr. Wong said. “I know you’re all scared, but we’ve got to do our best to stay calm. Many of you have voiced your desire to leave, but it’s just not safe for all us to move from here yet. The emergency services are having trouble reaching us, but I assure you that help is on the way.”
    I squeezed my fists as he climbed down from the van. I realized proper emergency procedure in case of apocalypse probably wasn’t part of the teacher’s manual, but their shoulder shrug of a plan seemed like having us bury our heads in the sand. The principal must’ve been more afraid of