This situation disturbed me. I considered what it might mean. What if instead of an electric storm, some other, more monumental natural event had occurred that brought down our plane? The lightning might have been a result, not the originating factor. And then whatever it was also hit a bigger station in these parts and then spread? Were substations connected? I thought I’d read somewhere that they were, but I didn’t know exactly how. What if this had been caused by a…meteor or a comet or something? I glanced up. Because the sky was still off and it had been since we’d crashed, streaky and strange-colored which had to mean something. Or was this targeted? Some type of bomb or attack? Jesus, for all I knew, we were at war right now.

Maybe we’d emerge somewhere and immediately be drafted. At least then I’d have some direction.

Stop. Stop being dramatic and full of self-pity.

The truth was accidents happened all the time that sparked localized catastrophes. My mind was spinning, attempting to work through what I knew so far. But at this point, I could only guess.

“What are you thinking?” Emily asked, coming up beside me.

My guard went up, slamming into place. “What do you care what I’m thinking?” I blurted as though she’d read my secret, pitiful thoughts about the backward direction of my life.

Her head turned toward me as she blinked, and I was pretty sure I saw hurt mixed in with the confusion in her expression. But then she pulled her shoulders back and held her head higher. “I was only asking if you had any ideas about what might have happened to this place,” she said. “I’m standing here too, Tuck, among the ashes. The least you can do is talk to me.” Her voice shook on the final few words, and she whipped her head forward again so I could only see her profile.