June 1

There was an earthquake today. We were all lounging in the house: me at the table trying not to die of boredom, May on the couch eating some canned something, Mira sitting in the backyard watching the solar panels and sunbathing.

There was a slight tremor, almost unnoticeable. "Did you feel that?" I asked May.

She rolled her head towards me. "You're hallucinating."

I went outside to Mira. "Did you feel that?"

"No. It was probably the wind or something."

"Okay. Whatever you guys say," I replied and went back to staring at the ceiling from the table. I wasn't really convinced, but I thought that maybe I was imagining things because I was so bored.

But then the ground began to shake real hard. The dishes in the dish rack clattered and some cans we dumped in our recycling bin began rolling around crazily. "Earthquake," I shouted at Mira and May.

After those words left my mouth, it's funny that no one moved— not even me. I know California is supposed to be the center of earthquakes in America, but most of us have never experienced a serious earthquake. Sure, there are a couple of smaller tremors, but never at this scale.

The only thing that brought us out of our paralysis was when a dish clattered to the edge of the counter, falling and shattering into a million little pieces.

"Go under the table!" Mira yelled and we dove under it. Me, Mira, and May cramped under the dining table as the world fell apart around us. I could feel my heart fluttering, rising up to my throat and trying to escape as I hung on to the table leg for my life. Mira placed her hands on the underside of the table to hold it up just in case it collapsed on us while May gazed at the cans rolling across the floor with a small smile, for some reason.

The tremors stopped after a minute, but the house was a mess. Can piles toppled over in the pantry and broken dishes lay scattered across the floor. Luckily, Mira had put all the jars in the back of the pantry, so none of them broke apart. Otherwise, that'd have been a big mess.

"I wonder what caused the earthquake," I said.

"Maybe it's the big one," Mira suggested.

"Or maybe earthquakes just happen," May said.

"I think it might be something to do with the Moon," I said. "You know, like how the tides and everything is getting messed up."

"Neal," Mira said. "You can't blame everything on the Moon."

"Yeah," I said. "I guess."

Mira and May swept up all the glass shards on the floor and piled them into a plastic bag. I re-stacked the cans in the pantry. Mira helped put together a collection of cans, bottled water, and some flashlights and batteries as a small earthquake kit, just in case the big one came. I guess the earthquake gave us something to do on this pretty boring day. I wish I had the internet.

June 4

The tremors continued today, but no one frantically dived underneath tables. The dishes clattered and the house trembled like a train was passing by, but it only lasted a couple of seconds. I guess everyone has gotten used to this new normal. I think I'm getting closer there.

It turns out that my theory about the moon affecting the earthquakes was correct. On the radio, I heard that scientists were talking about how the Moon was pulling on the crust of Earth, so there is going to be heightened tectonic activity. Already, in Hawaii, the volcano on the big island is erupting more often and spewing out tons of lava. It'd be pretty cool to watch.

I left a note for Mira and May to tell them that I was going to the library. I knew that Mira took the first bicycle to the post office. She's worried about her boyfriend in college. I think she's hoping for some letter or note, but with all the oil drilling platforms being destroyed, I don't think the mailing system is working fully because of the gasoline shortages, but I think the government will figure out a solution. May was napping in her room. To give her credit, with nothing to do, summer is a great way to catch up on missed sleep.

Getting some fresh air felt good. Being cramped inside with two other people was pretty crappy. I pedaled towards the library to check out some books. Even though I read a lot, I almost never go to the city's library. My school's library usually had interesting books to read. But with nothing to do at home and school being out, I thought it was a good time to make a change.

Turned out that the city library had power, which was a bit weird since libraries don't seem to be as important as other utilities like mail. But there were tons of people congregating around the entrance, cooling themselves off as the AC blasted every time someone walked through the door. I parked my back in a crowded bike rack and went inside. There was a notice placed on the wall:

Library Losing Power 6/19.

A line of people snaked around the walls of the library, wrapping around some empty bookshelves. I went to check out what everyone was waiting for. There were two computers in the corner of the library, both ancient dinosaurs of a machine. An armed guard stood in the front of the line, directing people forwards, telling them that they've got five minutes at most to use those computers before they have to leave.

I peered over and saw the screens. There were endless blocks of text. Some people were smiling, others were sobbing, some were just tapping their fingers against their thighs, trying to conceal their shaking knees. I think I know what they're looking at. It must be the list of the dead and the missing.

I turned away and checked out some books, a couple of dystopian fiction novels and some coming-of-age stories. The librarians were worried about the online databases breaking due to power shortages, so we wrote down our names and the books we checked out. I realized that I could just lie about my name and get away with it, but I followed the honor system. Plus, it wasn't like anyone else was checking out books.

I left the library quickly. Even with all the AC there, I guess everything felt too sad to stay. I biked the other way home, passing by city hall. There was a long line of people snaking around the main building. I was going to ask some random person about what's going on, but my crippling shyness struck me, so I stood there and watched the people.

Most people were leaving with a medium sized bag of food. I guess this was the summer food giveaway. I reached into my pocket for my phone to call for Mira and May to come and line up with me, but then realized that it wouldn't really be useful. This is why we need the internet.

I raced home, but Mira wasn't there. May was sitting on the couch, laying around. "We're going to the city hall," I said. "There's some food drive there. We have to go quickly before the line gets longer."

"We've already got enough food here to last forever. Plus, I don't want to wait in line for hours."

"Do you want Mom and Dad to get mad at us?" I asked and she didn't respond. "C'mon let's go then."

"Fine. You're so annoying," she said.

"How are we going to tell Mira about it? She isn't even home yet."

"I don't know. Just leave her a note or something on the door."

"How are we even going to get there?"

"We'll bike."

"Hello," she said. "Earth to Neal. We've only got one bike."

"I'll take a scooter."

"Do whatever," she said, leaving the house. "C'mon, you said you wanted to go, so let's go."

We went to the city hall. The line was even longer than before, and the crowd was getting rowdy. The sun was beating down on all of us, scorching the ground. I wished that I could teleport to the air-conditioned library.

"Hey guys," Mira said and both May and I snapped our heads back. "I saw your note."

Mira arrived about twenty minutes after we got in line. "How did you find out about this?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Went to the library and then passed by and noticed this."

"I passed by the library on the way here. There seems to be a lot of people there. Do you know what's happening?"

"Well..." I said, but I was cut off by an announcement.

Someone had gotten a megaphone and was speaking into it. "Sorry, we don't have any more food. Please come back next Saturday for the next food giveaway."

There was a lot of shouting following this announcement. "We'll starve to death... I have two children at home... Surely you can spare some extra."

People broke out of the line, forming a mob in front of the steps to the building. The woman with the megaphone turned towards them. "Again, we are out of food. Please come back next week."

"Disassemble yourselves and go home," she said.

"We have first amendment rights," a man shouted back.

Someone threw a rock at her, and she ducked as it sailed over her head. "First amendment rights do not protect violent assemblies. This is my final warning. Disassemble and leave immediately or I will call the cops."

But no one listened to her. I guess everyone was too scared about starving or too angry about not getting enough food. It's been three weeks since the grocery stores have closed. Some people must've not been as prepared as us. A chant began to form in the crowd. "We want food! We want food! We want food!"

Someone threw some glass and it shattered, and the mob began to surge in all directions.

"C'mon let's get out of here," Mira said.

We snuck through the crowd of people and grabbed our bikes and scooters. We could hear the faint sirens of the police cars in the background as we navigated our way out of the parking lot and onto the main road. I turned back after what felt like a minute.

Police were making some announcements, but it was too hard to hear what they were saying over the cries of the people, who adopted a new chant. "Murderers! Murderers! Murderers!"

But after a couple of minutes, even their shouts faded away to the background, leaving no other sounds but the waves crashing and the soft rustle of the trees.

"Mira?" I said.

"Yeah."

"So about the library..."

"Oh, yeah. What's going on there?"

I paused and took a deep breath. "Nothing much. I guess everyone's too bored without the internet, so they're finally reading."

It was a flimsy lie. I was going to tell Mira about it. But I decided not to. It was better for her not to know. And I guess I don't want everything to change if I make this choice.

June 5

Mom and Dad exploded on us today for yesterday. "Why did you take them to city hall yesterday, Mira? We heard that there was a riot there. A riot. You could've gotten Neal or May hurt!" Dad yelled.

"Well, I'm sorry for looking out for our family," Mira yelled back. "Didn't you want to conserve our food if things get worse!"

"Well, someone could've gotten hurt, and god knows what we have done then."

"We got out before anything went wrong," she said. "And literally no one got hurt, so I'm not sure why you're making such a big deal out of this."

"Go to your room Mira," he shouted.

She laughed bitterly. "What do you think I am? Five or something? I'm twenty years old, not some little kid."

"You're in my house. You follow my rules."

"It's not like it's all your house. Mom pays for it too, maybe we should ask her about it."

I closed my eyes. The only thing worse than the sounds of people fighting are dishes breaking. "Can you guys stop it!" I yelled. "It wasn't Mira's idea to go there. It was mine, okay! So can you guys just stop shouting at each other and get together and start figuring out whatever issues that you guys have."

They both looked stunned. I walked upstairs and closed the door to my room and began writing in this journal. I looked out of the window. The moon was smack-dab in the middle of the sky, crowding out all the stars. I could still hear the echoes of shouting from downstairs.

If there was a shooting star, I'd wish on it to stop all this fighting. Why can't Mira and Dad just get along?

June 7

Charles came to my house today. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I got bored and there's nothing really to do. Do you want to go out somewhere?"

"Yes," I said. It was a good way to escape the stifling atmosphere at home, especially considering what happened a couple of days ago. Everything is just so awkward between everyone. Dad and Mira are still glaring at each other while Mom tries to play the peacemaker.

"Mira. May," I yelled into the house. "I'm going out with Charles."

"Don't die," May said. There wasn't any response from Mira, probably because she was in her room or in the garden fixing up the plants or something.

We walked down the cracked sidewalks, brushing past overgrown stalks of grass and bristly bushes. No one wants to waste gasoline to fuel up the lawnmowers and chainsaws because gas prices are up to fifteen dollars a gallon. Mom and Dad's workplaces are both shutting down by the end of the week because no one can afford to keep their place running on backup generators, though I'm pretty sure that they really weren't doing much at work anyways. Their companies said that they'll be rehiring when everything goes back to normal, but I don't think everything will ever be the same again.

"Did you feel the earthquake a few days ago?" I asked.

"Yeah. Turns out that earthquakes actually happen in California."

"They said it's because of the Moon."

"Everyone says that everything is because of the Moon."

"The tides were because of the Moon."

"Let's not talk about the Moon anymore. Talk about anything else."

"I wish that I could go to the beach."

"The beach? I thought you didn't like beaches. On our field trip, you literally just sat in the sand and did nothing."

"So?" I said, shrugging. "Doesn't mean I have to go into the water to enjoy the beach."

"And plus," I added. "We can't even go to the beach since it's underwater. And you know why? Because of the Moon and our conversation is back about the Moon again."

"We can go."

"Go where? The beach?"

"Yeah," he said. "Follow me."

We weaved through the suburban sprawl and large oak trees. There were people with RV's out and other people were tying boxes to the tops of their rusting cars. I wanted to stop to see, but if I did then Charles would disappear.

"This is a terrible idea," I said as we reached the caution tape. "Let's do something that doesn't involve me dying."

"No one's going to die," he said, stepping under the yellow tape. "It's becoming low tide right now."

"Don't you care about your future!" I shouted.

He turned back towards me. "I'll care when we actually have a future if things ever get better. But for now, we should live our best lives possible. And that means breaking some rules."

"Dying isn't living our best lives. Dying is the end of our lives."

"We aren't going to die," he said, walking backwards, facing towards me. "Are you coming or not?"

Mom and Dad would kill me if they ever found out. "You're a terrible friend," I said.

"Is that a yes?"

"Whatever."

I walked down the asphalt road and into the tidal zone. The dead looking grass was still damp and there were small salty puddles forming on empty patches of dirt. Skeleton trees lined the avenue, stripped bare of leaves and rotting planks and small items were scattered everywhere.

"Geez," he said. "The tide really ruined everything."

"Yeah," I replied. "I don't know how they're ever going to rebuild."

He pointed upwards. A very faint outline of the moon graced the sky. "Bad moon," he said.

I laughed and we walked down the avenues to the beach. I could hear the waves pounding the shoreline. With all this erosion, will there even be a beach? A seagull squawked and swooped to the ground, picking up something between its beak.

"What's the bird holding?" he asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care to find out. What if it's some child's finger or something."

"Well, I want to know."

He picked up a stone. "Don't bully the seagull," I said. "That's, like, animal abuse."

"Don't act so high and mighty. You probably broke the law by crossing the tape."

"We broke the law— not me only."

"Doesn't make you any less guilty," he said, kicking a piece of gravel.

The lawns and bushes were a mess. There were bits and pieces of kelp strewn on decks and porches with chipped shells and broken glass strewn on the asphalt. The road was dark, and the walls of the houses were water stained a deeper hue and the smell of salty air permeated through the air along with the smell of rot.

"The air stinks," I said. "Maybe we should turn back."

"C'mon. We're right next to the beach."

"Who cares," I said. "Remember, lots of people died over here. What if we see a body?"

"We're not going to see anything," he said. "Just trust me."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm heading back."

"Chicken."

"I'm not falling for your peer pressure."

"Coward."

"What did you say? I can't hear you," I said and muffled my ears.

I walked back down the moist roads. My stomach was churning, and I felt a bit nauseous, like there was a rat rolling in my stomach. I barely got fifty steps before I heard my name being called. "Neal!"

"What do you want, Charles?"

"Just come here."

"What is it?"

"Just come," he said, and I ran towards him.

"What do you want?" I said.

"It's a..." he said, and I saw it.

There was a body, bloating and muddied by the rolling waves. There were chunks of skin missing and scratching and bruising on their skin. But the worst thing was the smell, a strong, pungent odor of rotting carcasses with a sickly-sweet undertone. The nausea climbed up my throat, scratching and stinging me, but I forced it down. But Charles couldn't.

He vomited into a patch of brownish grass, spitting out bile. "Let's get out of here," I said. "Let's go."

He just nodded and we walked away from the rotting body. We didn't talk much after, only looking at each other, our glances conveying everything we needed to say. The most we said was a simple goodbye when we separated.

"How was your day with Charles?" Mira asked.

"Fine."

"Where'd you guys go?"

"Just around town," I said and pushed around some of my food.

Mira's eyebrows furrowed. "Is everything alright? Did you guys get into a fight or something?"

I plastered a smile on my face. "Everything's fine."

I'm such a liar.

June 8

I had a strange dream last night. I was trapped in a foggy labyrinth, but not the ones with squiggly lines and pathways— every time I ran, I moved nowhere. My feet sank into the damp sand, leaving deep indents in the tan beach, as the rumbling of the waves grew louder.

I looked down and seafoam curled around my ankles, and I tried running away from the waves, but there was no escape. It was a never-ending maze of mist and grey. When I realized this, that's when I saw it, the body from yesterday, on the sand as shallow water lapped around it.

I went closer to it (I'm not even sure why my dream self thought it was a good idea). The harsh rumbling of the ocean seemed to fade away into the background. Deep crimson tendrils surrounded the body like a halo as bits and pieces of torn kelp peppered the body. I could hear a soft sound coming from the body.

I kneeled down and placed my ear against its mouth. There was a gurgling sound coming from the body, an endless bubbling.

There was a loud cough, spewing water onto my ear. I leapt backwards, falling with my back on the sand as the shallow waves swept me up, covering my whole body. There was nothing but dark blue in my vision.

June 10

No nightmare last night. I'm worried about tonight.

Mom and Dad are officially jobless right now. They're calling it their early retirement to spend more time with their kids. May says Mom and Dad have to keep working, so she can buy clothes from expensive brands. I want them at work to have some free time. "Neal, you need to find some summer job," Dad said. "Colleges are looking for people who spend their summers productively."

"Same with you, May," he said. "You better get working."

"It's not like I can do anything," she said. "I'm literally fourteen. Don't you have to be like sixteen to get an actual job."

"Just find something," he said.

"Yeah, whatever," she said.

"Sure," I said.

"Neal," he said. "I really mean it. College is coming soon—"

"College is literally in two years," I said. "Not like there is any college to go to. Didn't you hear, the world's ending."

"The world is going to get better."

"No, Dad," I said. "After what you saw that night, you actually think everything's going to be alright."

"Yes, I do."

"You're delusional. Like, actually delusional."

"Don't talk to me like that. Show a bit more respect!"

"Yeah, I'll totally look for a job, alright," I said and headed to my room.

"You better or you'll be in big trouble."

"Yeah, whatever. It's not like you can take my internet away cause guess what, we don't have power and we'll probably never get it back."

The power then flickered on. "Power!" May shouted. "Took the world long enough."

Everyone moved into action, and no one kept on bickering. Mom and Mira tossed the dirty clothes hanging in the laundry basket into the washer, May turned on the vacuum cleaner to start cleaning up the dirty floor, and Dad went out to check if the power was on for the whole neighborhood.

I opened up one of the cabinets and found one of those old ice dishes. I poured some water from the sink into the ice cube mold, though there was a small spill, and dumped it in the freezer. Then I tried the TV, but nothing. I logged onto my computer and tried the internet. Nothing. I guess the internet servers ran out of power and just died.

The power faded away a couple of hours later. May poured some of the powdered lemonade mixture into a pitcher and added water. I took out the ice cubes and dumped them into everyone's glasses. They were half-frozen only, but it'll be a nice reprieve against the heat.

I miss the AC.

June 11

We went together to the food handout drive near city hall. There were armed police officers standing around and guarding the line. After what happened last week, I guess the city invested more in armed protection. We had to bring our proof of residence form too because people from other towns might start coming to our town to take our food.

"Remember to stick together," Mom said. "If anything starts to go bad, we're going to leave immediately, so I need everyone to stay close to each other."

"Where has Dad gone to?" I asked.

"He went to the post office to send a letter to Auntie," Mira said.

"But there's no gasoline or anything. How is that supposed to work?"

"Just let your father do what he believes is best," Mom said. "Having some hope will be good for him."

I didn't think my aunt and her family are in any danger. They live around Central Texas, which is far away from water. I wondered if they still have power since Texas is full of oil drills and refineries. I wished the internet still worked, so I could look that up.

"What about Grandma and Grandpa?" I asked.

"Their senior shelter has backup generators and free food, and the government is keeping a close eye on them, so they're all set," Mom said.

"Why can't we all just live there?" I asked.

"Because it's for old people, dummy," May said.

"I'm old," I said. "Older than you."

May stayed silent. "Yeah," I said. "That's what I thought. No response."

"Hey," Mira said. "I'm older than both of you guys. I should get first priority in the senior center."

"Shh," I said. "I'm going to pretend that you don't exist."

"Okay," Mira said. "I'm a ghost now."

We all laughed and then focused back onto waiting in the line.

The sun was climbing up the sky and scorching us with its rays. It was probably over ninety degrees. Most of the time, the weather in early June is mildly warm, but this time around, I could feel the pre-summer heat roasting me alive. This is why we need to stop climate change (and yes, I know the difference between climate and weather).

There were people passing out small paper cups of water. "It's so hot," Mira said.

"Suck it up," I said. "Isn't that what you tell everyone?"

"Yeah, whatever," she replied.

"Why don't you and May go sit in the shade," Mira said. "Mom and I will wait in line."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Go for it," she said. "I don't want my little brother to die from heatstroke."

I felt bad, but it was hot, so I took her offer. May and I sat under one of those redwood trees that dot the park near the city hall. Wasps flitted across rusting fields of grass, and the line stretched out for longer and longer.

"I'm bored," I said.

"Aren't we all?" she said. "My brain is literally going to explode because it's so hot right now."

"How close are we even to getting the food?"

"We're over here," she said and pointed to the middle of the line. "And that's where you actually get your food." She pointed far away from where Mom and Mira were standing.

"So we're going to be stuck here for the rest of the day," I said.

"Basically."

I sighed. "We should do something."

"What?"

"Anything," I said. "I don't know."

"There's literally nothing to do."

"Is this what the apocalypse is going to be like?"

"I guess so."

We sat in the shade for the rest of the afternoon, watching people trickling into the building and walking out with some bags of food. After what felt like forever, Mira finally called us to wait in line since they were almost at the front. When we entered, there was a metal detector and armed guards doing pat-downs. I'm not sure how they're powering the metal detectors. Solar panels perhaps?

We had to submit all our paperwork for review. Dad wasn't here with us, and Mom wanted us to get a bag of food for him, so it took a lot longer. Finally, after waiting at the desk forever, we got a bag of food and were escorted out of the building. As soon as we left, May opened her bag to see what she got.

"Spam?" she said. "That's disgusting. What if I was a vegetarian?"

"May. Close your bag. We don't want to attract any attention," Mira said.

"Yes mother," May said sarcastically. "Anything else you want me to do."

"Show a little more respect for your older sister," Mom said.

"Okay," May said. "Whatever you say."

"Do we actually have to eat the spam though?" I asked.

"Yes," Mom replied. "We're going to eat everything."

"But I just hate the idea of eating canned meat."

"We're just going to have to deal with it," Mira said.

"But the world's not actually going to end," May said. "Everything will get back to normal."

"We have to be prepared," Mom and Mira said at the same time and they smiled at each other.

I don't know why, but this made me feel good because even when the world is decaying around up, washing into the ocean, Mom and Mira are talking to each other more. I wish that Dad would just get along.

Dad met us at home and asked how everything went, and we told him that nothing special or particularly exciting happened and that we were going next week to grab our food. May and I grabbed out the canned foods from our bags. My bag had mixed vegetables, beets, and carrots. Gross.

May and Mira had better luck with their canned foods. They got canned corn and string beans (but still got gross stuff like tuna and spam). I asked if I could trade my can of pineapple for their string beans and corn, but Dad broke up our bartering and said that we were going to share everything and told me to put our canned goods into our pantry. The joys of communism...

This was the first time I looked into the pantry since the day after. It was fuller than I expected. The shelves were bursting with cans and with the plants in the garden and solar panels, I think we're prepared for anything.