Fragments Chapter 18 Page 17

The ladder he used to block the initial surge lies in the middle of the road, tangled with the limbs of fallen drones. At least some of the details seemed to line up, but the second ladder is gone.

He looks up to the roof and the little blood remaining in his skin drains away as his mind races: What if they were still up there? Starved to death as I lay in my bed contemplating life or playing with my toys?

But that would be impossible, it’s only been a few days. Right? Did I waste too much time? Their lives wasted by my procrastination and apathy.

Pulling the ladder free of the human debris he climbs up quickly to find the food wrappers and empty ice cream tubs. Relieved, he drops his tensed shoulders and looks