Guess it was bound to happen. Been hearing news reports from world-renowned scientists discussing the possibility sometime in the next 10-20 years.
The mere thought of a meteor striking somewhere on Earth is terrifying. If it struck in the middle of a metropolitan city, the ramifications of such an event would be cataclysmic: significant loss of life/death, disruption of communications devices/power, massive damage to buildings, roads, surrounding suburbs, things too terrible to comprehend.
If it struck just off the coast of our nation, tidal waves would ensue, swamping all in its path and spreading to devastate other nations.
Didn't think about this until last week while flipping through the channels; came across an astrologer warning that a possible meteor would strike sometime next week in the heart of the American Plains states: Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas.Possibly South Dakota.
One week warning.
Evangelists on tv told people to pray, politicians and other notable government officials cursed the meteor, saying it would overshadow their agenda, that it would take attention away from them, take away the needed funds from the war, the war, the war.
Besides, they didn't believe in science.
Talk show hosts were soon talking about the looming catastrophe. Hospitals recorded an increasing number of heart attacks, panic attacks, any number of stress-related events.
Suicides rose dramatically. All over the Net, people discussed the possible meteor strike, making plans to evacuate, all wanting information about it, hoping, praying that it would somehow change course.
At school, which had just started back for us, the thoughts of upcoming homework assignments and tests, the latest boy/girl crushes/breakups, tete a tetes, the latest in fahion/entertainment/movies/music, the upcoming football season were driven from our minds; the only thing people could focus on was that damn meteor approaching earth.
You could see it, too, in the distance, a huge, glowing fireball that did not seem to be moving. It was terrifying, all woundering if this would be the night that it hit.
*End of Part One*
