A Sneak-Peek at Book Two: Reboot

Annie didn’t remember how she had made her way back to the electronics shop, but apparently, she had—since she woke up here. She looked at her backpack and decided to take out the cereal and what was left of her milk for breakfast. The milk was warm but tasted okay.

She slowly ate, the thought repeating over and over in her mind: she was all alone. All alone. Alone. Alone. Was she the last person in the world? No—there were still those evil people who had attacked and killed the others.

As she unwrapped a candy bar, she glanced at the shelf full of music drives. Spotting her favorite singer, she reached for the disc-cett, slid it into her eX-drive, and let the music play. To her surprise, tears streamed down her cheeks. She wiped them furiously with her sleeve, sniffed, and looked down at the floor, noticing candy wrappers scattered around. Her mom would have been so disappointed to see her sitting here, eating junk food. Her mother had worked so hard to prepare healthy, nourishing meals. The disease was enough of a struggle to cope with—she could at least make sure that every bite Annie ate was the best she could give her.

Annie stood, gathered her things, and repacked her backpack. Then she walked out of the shop and into the street.

She paused in the middle of the road, trying to figure out her next move. One thing was certain—she couldn’t give up. Her parents had never given up on her, and she wasn’t going to quit now. She would keep going until she found someone who could help… or until whatever had caused all this tragedy finally caught up with her.

She wished she had thought to locate her hospital when she was up on the third floor of the police station. Now, the thought of climbing all those stairs again was daunting. She would need all her energy just to get there. The hospital was across Brookline, and while the drive had seemed short, walking the distance would be the greatest challenge she had ever faced.

She started down the street, glancing into shop windows as she passed but always listening. At one store, a sign advertised: Stock Up Now—Camping Supplies Sale! In the window sat several hiking backpacks on wheels—sulkies. Annie froze. That was exactly what she needed.

She went inside and found the aisle of hiking packs. Several models were marked down. In the dim light filtering through the windows, she made a mental note to grab a flashlight the next time she passed an electronics shop.

She chose a model with two large wheels for stability. Remembering her physics lessons, she knew that bigger wheels meant more mechanical advantage—less work to pull the load. She transferred her small but growing collection of supplies into the sulky and noticed a special weatherproof pocket with a transparent window, perfect for her solar charger. Now she could charge extra batteries while walking.

She considered placing her mobile unit in the sulky too, but decided against it. The idea of not carrying it on her body made her uneasy. She was used to its weight anyway. Still, the relief of having most of the load off her back was immediate—walking felt easier.

She wondered how much she could load into the sulky before it became too heavy to pull. For now, she knew she had room for clean clothes. Then she began to plan ahead: she would need an umbrella, a coat, a sleeping bag, and extra food. There were so many things she could add.

For the first time in a long while, Annie felt a spark of hope. She was proud of herself for making this improvement. She realized she was past the stage of giving up.

She had a plan now. She was going to find help.

She was going to live.