CHAPTER THREE (THE RESCUE )

Ben was on his way to rescue his family before the doom descends. He was driving at a very high speed, so he could get to his kids and wife on time. He tried reaching them through the phone to inform them of the situation at hand, but non of them was answering their calls. He grew worried, afraid of the unknown. Gradually, the cloud began to accumulate up in the sky, the day started to metamorphosed into night, the temperatures began to drop exponentially within a split of seconds and everywhere started getting cold and freezing. Ben suspended calling his family and decided to call Tommy instead at the agency. "Hey Tommy, it's me Ben, didn't Chris calculated the polar vortex to be here in hours? It's definitely here already, hope you can see what's happening from your ends?". "Yes we are experiencing the same situation here too, " Tommy responded. "Have you gotten to Helen and the kids?" Tommy asked. "No, still on my way, " Ben responded and got off the phone. He was confused already, what to do next or how to do it. The condition is already progressing faster than anticipated. Except something drastic is done and fast, the end of the World is upon us already, these were Ben's thoughts. The people on the streets began to experience the extremely cold temperatures aching their skins, but were unaware of why that was happening and what's really coming. Places began to freeze up, but People on the streets still thought it wasn't a thing of worry, not till they witnessed the first ice blast, hit a biker while going on his bike. Seeing him froze instantly, regardless of the motion and speed sent a dangerous atremble down their spines." The Ice blast travels at a mere speed of hundred miles an hour, and it explodes like a bomb on impact, but instead of burning, it freezes whatever it touches. " Anyone or anything hit by the ice blast, freezes on impact immediately. These became an eye opener for the people on the streets and the entire populace to what was about to become of them, should they continue the neglect. Then everyone turned their shoes on, running helter-skelter, hoping to be saved from the mystery attack. It took just two minutes for anyone hit by the blast to go into hypothermia and subsequently die within ten minutes. These led to commotions everywhere, People started running for their lives. The roads are becoming slippery and congested from people embarking on emergency evacuations. Moving cars and vehicles began to slide into one another as accidents began to accumulate from the slippery roads. Some vehicles even began to slide off the bridges into the oceans and ditches. Ben ran into the jam packed road and took a different turn with less vehicles. He was driving at very high speed in order to get to his family before it's too late. Fortunately, the route he took led him straight to Helen's office. Getting there, he discovered the place was already getting dangerously low in temperature which could support the ice blasts. He alighted from the car and ran inside her office. He found her lying on the couch shivering uncontrollably. "Hey honey, I've been trying to reach you for long, why aren't you picking up?" Ben asked. " I was busy attending to a patient then and I have been meaning to call you back, but it's not going through, " Helen responded. " We need to leave here now and fast, " He said. " Did you hear from the kids?" he added. "No i haven't, " "Is there something wrong or happening?" She responded. "We need to get to their school now," Ben said. "Honey, what's happening?" She asked. "Does it have to do with these cold temperatures?" she asked. Ben nodded affirmatively. "was the call from your office this morning related to too?" she added." Yes it was, and things are about to get much worse, " he answered. We need to leave now. Helen sensed the anxiety and the urgency with which his husband responds, She realized herself that things aren't right, and for her husband to be this scared, then God save them all. She tried getting her bag from her office, then the lights began to fluctuate. An extremely cold wind blew through the window into the office. Brenda her colleague at the office was trying to shot the windows, but was rendered motionless halfway to the window, she was already down with cold. Ben called on Helen to be fast with the bag, but she was struggling to move. She managed to get out, when she noticed Brenda lying on the ground by entrance. " Brenda, Brend, Brenda, "She shouted repeatedly , but Brenda could barely move. Helen was about approaching her, when suddenly the ice blast hit Brenda and froze her immediately. Helen was at first speechless and shocked with what just happened, then suddenly regained her voice. She shouted on the top of her voice, her eyes wide opened like she had seen a spirit, but what she saw was more scarier and deadlier than a spirit. Ben rushed to Helen's rescue, but also shocked to see what had become of her. He pulled his wife away to sit down when another ice blast struck the exact place Ben pulled her from. Brenda already frozen on the floor. Helen busted into tears seeing what had become of her friend and colleague. She went out of the office with Ben into the street where his car was parked. The sky already darkened, making a clear drive a thing of worry. Ben and Helen could hear loudly the ice blast roaring in the sky as if the sky was going to fell off. Deaths here and there on the streets either through exponential fall in body temperature or the ice blasts that hit without contemplation. Nightmare accumulated the minds of everyone, even without sleeping. The sky shined the darkness with lightnings as the two exchanges pleasantries owing to the woes that just befell mankind. Ben got into the car with Helen and turned the ignition, but the car couldn't start. He turned and turned the ignition, but still wouldn't start, he checked the battery and discovered that the battery connector had frozen. He quickly get a tool from the car and broke off the ice. The condition is getting more dangerous and urgent. Ice blast has started to descend but not without a twister. Ben returned into the car quickly seeing what was coming. He turned the ignition again, but this time the car started and they moved. The ice blasts wouldn't stop, it kept on flying around, while the twister clears it path. It was as if the ice blast had a score to settle with Ben, as it kept chasing the car they drove in. Ben increased the acceleration of the car, this time running hundred miles an hour, just to escape the blasts. It became impossible when the ice blast hits the road ahead of them, it became laden with ice. Ben was still driving at very high speed unaware of what lies ahead, he ran into the ice laden section of the road and the tires slipped and car lost its grip on the road. The twister took over and blew the car into the bush. Ben lost control of the starring and their car could only just dance to the twister by tumbling down the sloppy bush. The car came to a sudden stop, as it hit a ditch. Ben and Helen was hit in the face by the emerging airbag and they both lose consciousness immediately.They hit their heads severally but luckily for them, they wore their seat belts.