A deafening bang took them all by surprise. The door and the two windows that looked out onto the street exploded inward at the same time. Shards of glass were propelled through the pub, and the exterior wall began to buckle inward. The force of the blast launched everyone away from the door and windows, and they tumbled across the floor in a tangle of arms and legs. Four people were blown backwards with the tables and chairs, and one man was thrown against the bar. With no windows to hold it back, the wind flooded the pub, causing a violent drop in temperature.

  They tried to pick themselves back up, dazed and disoriented. Several dogs ran into the pub looking for shelter. Adam stood up, his eyes glazed over. A stream of blood ran from his left temple to his neck, disappearing into his clothes. He stumbled forward a couple of steps and collapsed. Rose and two men ran to help him.

  Raven stood up, pulling himself off the body of an older person he remembered having seen across the pub from him just before the explosion. He was covered in glass but didn’t seem to be bleeding from anywhere.

  “People! We have to find a safe place,” shouted Raven. “This isn’t over yet.”

  No one seemed to have heard him. They were all still stunned. Several of them were covered in blood. Frank pulled himself to his feet behind the bar. His hair was disheveled and his glasses were hanging from one ear. One of the lenses was cracked. He tried to say something, but nothing came out. Raven hurried over to him, shoving aside the mangled chairs in his path.

  “Frank, we need to find cover.” Frank started at him with vacant eyes. Raven shook him and his glasses fell to the floor. “Is there a basement here?”

  Dazed, the bartender didn’t answer. Then Raven noticed his arm was slightly extended; he was pointing to where the door had been. Raven turned to look outside and saw complete chaos in the street. All sorts of objects were flying through the air like projectiles. In the building across from them, someone was hanging from a window, desperately fighting to keep from falling into the street. The storm’s fury was slamming his dangling legs against the front of the building.

  A beam of bluish-green light struck the sidewalk in front of the bar. They heard another thunderous boom followed by a round wave of the same color spreading out from the point of impact. Raven saw it coming in slow motion. The bluish-green circle was growing and was about to crash into the building across the street. The man that was hanging out the window fell to the ground and was buried by the part of the facade that gave way from the shockwave. An instant later the wave hit the pub. Since it was a bit farther away from the point of origin, the blast had lost some of its intensity but powerfully shook the pub once again. Everyone inside was blown against the bar.

  Raven felt the devastating force of the storm deep within himself. An extraordinarily intense sensation flooded his mind. It wasn’t clear to him how the blast could have happened so quickly without him sensing it more in advance, but it was too late to think about that. They had to find a place to take shelter—now.

  “Rose, is there some way to get to a garage or a basement?” shouted Raven as loudly as he could to be heard above the din that surrounded them.

  She looked at him, and made a face like she didn’t understand him.

  “Through the bathroom,” said a woman next to Raven as she pulled on his arm. Raven bent over and put his ear near her mouth. “The door to the bathroom also leads to the basement stairs.”

  “Good. We have to get down there. Tell everyone else and let’s hurry.”

  A lashing wind swept across the bar, from one end to the other. More explosions could be heard in the distance. Raven had no doubt that another explosion would send them flying. He took off running toward the bathroom, but the pool table was pinned to the wall, cutting off access. He leaned against it and pushed with all his might until he’d moved it away enough for them to get by. The door was partially unhinged and he was easily able to break it down with one quick kick. He went over to the steps and saw that nothing was blocking the stairs.

  He looked down and hesitated a moment. Several of the people were hurt and would need help getting down the stairs—the same people that had taken him for a crazy person or for a member of a band of thieves; the same people who hadn’t believed him and hadn’t trusted him when he was only trying to forewarn them. He had no reason to help them. They would have beaten him within an inch of his life and he knew it. He could just save himself . . .

  The storm hadn’t erased his rage.

  He got control of himself, turned around and went back into the pub.

  “Go downstairs,” he said to two men and a woman who were near him.

  He went back over to where Rose was trying in vain to revive Adam. He had fallen unconscious, or perhaps something worse. To his right, Frank was crawling on his hands and knees, feeling around for his glasses. Raven leaned over Adam and felt for his pulse; it was very weak.

  “I’ll take care of him. You help Frank. Get him to the stairs and tell him to forget about his glasses. We’re out of time.”

  Rose looked at him as if she didn’t recognize him. She was at the edge of panic. It took her a moment to react, but she nodded, glassy-eyed, got up and went over to Frank who had cut his hand on the shards of glass as he was feeling around blindly on the floor.

  Raven lifted Adam over his shoulder and began walking cautiously toward the bathroom, trying not to trip and fall. Halfway to the door the dogs passed by him running and barking. They seemed to sense that staying there wasn’t their best option. The cold inside the pub was almost too much to bear, and small clouds of vapor streamed from his mouth with each labored breath he took. He made it as far as the pool table and set Adam down on it so he could catch his breath.

  Rose and Frank were approaching him, holding on to one another. A wave of wind burst in from the side and almost knocked them over. They somehow managed to keep their balance after almost tripping face-first into the pool table. There was just one woman still in the pub and she was limping toward them, a piece of wood protruding from her calf.

  They saw the flash of another column of light off in the distance, with its corresponding explosion of sound and expansive shockwave.

  “We can’t stay here,” entreated Raven.

  They looked up, frightened by yet a new sound: a crack was splitting across the ceiling at lightning speed. Before anyone could react, a huge piece of the ceiling broke loose and fell in on them. In less than a minute, Raven had removed the rubble that had fallen on him and then moved the debris off Rose and Frank. The other woman was having great difficulty moving and was now bleeding from one shoulder. Adam was not moving. Raven checked him over and saw that his chest was still rising and falling.

  “We have to get to the basement before the whole thing comes down.”

  “Wouldn’t we be safer outside?” asked Rose, looking up.

  “No. The wind would drag us around like rag dolls until we smashed into a building,” warned Raven. “The basement will protect us. It’s our best bet. Try to bring Frank around and take him to the stairs.”

  Raven jumped over the rubble and went past Adam, who was still lying on the pool table. He knew he couldn’t save everyone. The upper floor would soon come crashing down on them. He made it to the woman who was still limping toward him, leaned over and, with one quick pull, removed the piece of wood sticking out of her leg. A stream of blood gushed from the wound. Raven steeled himself against the sight of the blood and the shriek that came out of her mouth. He lifted her over his shoulder and carried her. Carefully negotiating his way around the rubble and the wrecked furniture, he made it to the bathroom door and passed by Rose, who was pulling Frank along by his arm with all her might, trying to get him out of danger. Raven went down the stairs and made it to the open basement door. He set the woman down on the floor, leaning her against the wall, and ran back up the stairs.

  “I’ll get him,” he said to Rose who was still trying to drag Frank along. “You go down where you’ll be safe.”

  Another collapse of more of the ceiling convinced her to obey his instructions. She turned and disappeared down the stairs. Raven saw still more of the ceiling coming down. He grabbed Frank, took him down to the basement, put him next to the woman with the injured leg, and closed the door.

  The storm’s fury was now muffled by the thick walls. They were all there in the hallway, their minds going back over the details of the terrifying episode they’d just been through. Breathing rapidly, their eyes reflected the horror of their extraordinary near-death experience. They were covered in blood, their own and one another’s. They stayed silent for several minutes, barely moving except for putting pressure on any wounds that were bleeding.

  They were no longer hearing explosions, and the wind was howling less forcefully.

  “Adam’s not here,” said one of his friends softly. “We have to go look for him.”

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  “That’s not a good idea,” advised Raven. “The roof is weakening and it won’t be long before the whole ceiling comes down, if it hasn’t already.”

  “But he’ll die,” argued Adam’s friend, dismayed.

  “He’s already dead,” said Raven brusquely. “He was already unconscious when huge pieces of rubble fell on him.”

  “You can’t be sure of that,” insisted Adam’s friend. “We have to go help him.”

  “Fine. You know the way.” Raven pointed at the door to the stairs. “Good luck.”

  Adam’s friend didn’t move, but he shot a look of hatred at Raven.

  “You were with him. You could have saved him,” he accused.

  Raven felt the frustration stirring inside him. He was trying to keep someone from doing something stupid, and that’s how he thanked him? Sure, he could explain that there’d been many people who needed his help. He could also point out that, instead of staying down there to save himself, the guy could have gone back up for his friend . . . but he said nothing. There was no point.

  “You can blame me if you want. I really don’t care.”

  Raven stood up, irritated. He found an open door that led to another room. He went in and closed the door behind him. He wanted to be alone. It was a dark room with no ventilation that was apparently used as a repository for all kinds of junk. He sat down on the floor and tried to calm himself down.

  Outside, the storm continued battering the town. Raven didn’t need to see it; he felt it. The only thing he could do was wait. He would have given anything to lie down and sleep awhile but he knew it would be impossible to fall asleep on that floor. He would just have to face his own thoughts while the storm died down. He tried to prepare himself for the horrifying scene that would be waiting when they went outside. He’d seen it before, and it was horrendous.

  He’d been in there a long time when he heard voices on the other side of the door. He tried to block them out. None of this was his problem. All he wanted was to get out of there once the danger had passed. It wouldn’t be long, judging by the sounds he was hearing and by the ebbing of his feelings of agitation.

  When he came out of the room, everyone got quiet. Their expressions ranged from crazed to hateful to fearful. He saw not one friendly face. He walked through the hallway, intent on getting out of there.

  “How did you know that was going to happen?” asked Rose. “You warned me about the storm.”

  “And you didn’t believe me,” replied Raven unemotionally as he continued walking, looking straight ahead. Rose put her head down, disheartened. Adam’s friend stretched out his leg and placed it on the wall across from him, blocking Raven’s way.

  “No so fast. We want some answers. It’s very strange that we never had a storm like that until you showed up here.”

  “You seriously believe I could cause that?”

  “Maybe you didn’t cause it, but you have something to do with it,” he stubbornly contended. “I saw you move that pool table by yourself; it weighs too much for one person to move. We all had to drag ourselves along just to get down here, exhausted from fighting against the wind and trying to keep our balance. But you had enough strength to carry other people down. And it’s curious that the only person who died was the one who was about to pick a fight with you. And let’s not forget you knew this was going to happen.”

  “I tried to help you,” Raven said defensively. “You yourself admit how I cleared the way, carried some of you down here, and showed you the best place to take cover.”

  They all looked at one another, intensely following the discussion but with no inclination to intervene.

  “That’s a lie!” accused Frank. “If you had really wanted to help us, you would have warned us about the storm the minute you entered the pub. It would have given us time to prepare ourselves.”

  Raven remembered the moment when he’d gotten to the stairs the first time and had wondered whether he should go back to help them or not. He suddenly wished he had a time machine so he could go back to that moment and somehow block the door to the bar, leaving them all trapped.

  “And what good would that have done? You wouldn’t have believed me!” Raven shot back impatiently. He kicked aside the leg that was keeping him from getting through. “When I told Rose, she thought I was crazy. And you were going to attack me because you thought I was a thief. In spite of everything, I tried to protect you, and now you’re accusing me of causing your friend’s death.” Raven looked at all of them and raised his voice. “You all would have died if it hadn’t been for me! I’m fed up with you people. I hope this goddamn town rots with all of you in it.”

  He opened the door and went up the stairs without waiting for an answer. No one followed him. As soon as he got up to the pub he regretted having lost his temper with those poor, ignorant people. Down deep he was sorry for not having been able to save the man’s friend. Striking out at the guy was nothing more than a quick way to unburden himself. He shouldn’t have gotten so flustered.

  It crossed his mind to go back and apologize, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. They’d be better off without him. Seeing him would only serve to remind them again that Adam wasn’t ever coming back.

  He went out to the street after making his way through the debris and jumping out the windows of the pub. The spectacle before him was horrifying. Several buildings had crumbled to the ground, and the street was almost completely covered with rubble and glass. Evidence of everyday life—objects like books, combs, and lamps—was lying all over, as if it had rained down from the sky, and not always in one piece.

  Raven walked up to a hole in the ground that was emitting bluish-green smoke. The ground around the hole had turned black; he knew he was looking at a crater that had been formed by one of the explosions of light. He looked around and saw dozens of rows of the same color of smoke, presumably coming out of their respective craters.

  He started walking toward the edge of town. He jumped over a lamp post that had fallen and turned a corner, moving quickly. In his haste to get out of town, he stepped on a bloody hand. With a feeling of revulsion, he gazed at the rest of the body some ten feet away. It was ripped completely in half. He carefully avoided it and kept walking. A little farther along, dead bodies became a regular part of the landscape. Blood and carnage were everywhere.

  He picked up his pace. Survivors were beginning to come out of their shelters in search of their loved ones, and Raven had no intention of sticking around for the disheartening scene that was about to unfold. How could the world once again have generated something so destructive?

  His rage had disappeared completely now, but he almost longed for it; it would have helped keep his energy up as he walked among the ruins caused by the storm. He felt slightly relieved when he got to the edge of town and noticed that the columns of smoke were less frequent there. The storm apparently hadn’t been as cruel to this area.

  He went past the last building and followed the road toward the south. A little farther along was what appeared to be the last column of smoke. Raven approached it, and when he got near the crater he could make out a small figure moving on the other side of it. The smoke blurred his vision, keeping him from clearly seeing whatever it was. Probably just a dog or a cat.

  As he squinted his eyes to peer through the smoke, he made out what looked like boots lying at the edge the crater. Looking harder, he could now see legs. When the smoke cleared slightly, he saw that there was a woman lying on the ground—or he thought it was a woman, judging by the long hair. Someone was leaning over her body, trying to move her and crying uncontrollably. As he approached her, it struck him that her clothing was familiar to him.

  “Maya?” Raven asked, hoping he was mistaken.

  The little girl turned when she heard his voice. She stopped crying, and wiped her nose on her sleeve. Her eyes were red and her hair was a mess. Her pale face showed how terrified she was.

  “You can help my mom,” she said hopefully, between sniffles. “Please, she’s not moving and she’s going to freeze out here.”

  Raven leaned in beside Maya and put his fingers on the mother’s neck. Without even checking, he could sense that there was no life left in her body, but the look on the girl’s face expressed a hope that made it impossible for him to not at least try. He wanted so much to be wrong, but that was not the case. No trace of a pulse. But before he had even touched her, his uniquely singular and mysterious abilities of perception had allowed him to know instantly and beyond a shadow of a doubt that not a drop of life remained in the girl’s mother.

  He was now faced with a task that seemed impossible. He would have to tell Maya that her mother was dead, that no one could help her, and that from now on she would have to live in this dismal world without her. He tried to recall any words of consolation he may have offered someone in the past. After scouring uselessly through his limited memory, he was hit full-on with the certainty that he had never consoled a single soul. And he had never lost a loved one because he had never had one.

  He’d have to improvise.

  “Where is your father, Maya?” The temptation to put off having to tell her the truth was compelling.

  “He died. Two weeks ago. Some thieves came to rob the town and they killed him.”

  Raven wanted just once to have a little luck during a conversation with another human being. Just once. Even a tiny bit.

  “Do you have any other relatives in town?”

  “Just my uncle, but I don’t live with him. I live alone with Mom.”

  A macabre thought crossed Raven’s mind, causing an indescribable torture. It couldn’t be true. Destiny could not be so cruel as to have created such a horrible coincidence.

  “Is your uncle’s name Adam?” Raven remembered Adam having mentioned his brother’s death happened two weeks ago; he remembered how they mistook him for someone from the same band of thieves as the murderer.

  The only thing he could hope for now, the only thing he wanted, was for Maya’s answer not to confirm that he could have saved the only family member she had left if he hadn’t left him to die on a pool table. He shrunk back in fearful expectation as he waited for the response that was coming.

  “Yes, Adam. How did you know that? The same way you knew about the storm?” she asked, suddenly curious.

  Raven fell to his knees next to the small child, not knowing how to face the feeling of helplessness that was invading him. A tiny voice inside was telling him it wasn’t his fault, that he had only been trying to help, but the voice was weak; he couldn’t hear it over the thunderous noise of guilt resounding in his head.

  “You have to help my mom. She’s freezing,” the child reminded him.

  Raven hugged Maya, holding her against his chest. A knot had formed in his throat.

  “I can’t. I’m so sorry, little one.” He separated from the girl and held her in front of him with both hands. “Your mom is gone, Maya. She’s with your dad now.” A searing look of pain appeared on Maya’s face. She closed her eyes tightly and the tears began to flow. Raven waited, not knowing what to do. He’d have a better chance of deactivating a bomb—blindfolded—than coming up with a single utterance that would lessen this little girl’s pain. Maya threw herself into his arms and broke down, sobbing inconsolably.

  He held her for a time; for how long, he wasn’t sure. Little by little, Maya’s sobs subsided. Raven was surprised to realize that the embrace was also consoling him. In fact, it wasn’t clear to him which one of them was benefitting more from it.

  “What will happen to me now?” Maya asked, still in his arms.

  “I’ll take care of you,” Raven answered without hesitation. “We’ll go look for a better place together.”

  He couldn’t avoid it. He knew it was a mistake. He wasn’t the best person to take care of anyone, let alone a child, but he couldn’t send Maya back to a town littered with dead bodies where her entire family had perished. He resolved to take care of her until they made it to someplace safe where he could find someone better to raise her. It didn’t matter how long it would take to find that someone. He promised himself not to leave Maya until she was safe.

  In the midst of a sea of emotions, the child somehow managed to hold herself together, clinging to Raven’s offer. She pulled her face back from his chest and looked at him gratefully a few seconds before fainting in his arms.

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