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of them and, even if I had been able to help, there would not have been much point. I knew that none of us would suffer for long.

Both Sam and I were crying. I had not noticed when the tears had first began to run down my face and I could not stop them, no matter how hard I tried or how brave I pretended to be. I prayed that we would be able to soon find somewhere where we could hide from whatever was going to come next but I knew that even the strongest of shelters would offer little protection from what I expected would soon strike the planet. Every little wind that blew, the slightest breeze which came off the churning sea or the faintest whisper of movement in the night air sent us into a blind panic, fearing that the deadly light and heat were about to return and that the end was at hand.

We eventually reached the end of the beach and stood at the foot of the cliff. Thankfully, it was nowhere near as steep and impassable as it had at first appeared and Samantha quickly began to climb up its jagged face. A narrow path wound and twisted its way through the sharp, sandy rocks and dry, burnt vegetation towards the highest point.

With no thought of the possible consequences and with little consideration for our safety, we clambered up the steep hillside, hoping desperately that we would reach the summit before another deadly energy pulse struck.

Chapter Thirty-Five

For a few short minutes which felt like long, slow hours of effort, Samantha and I clambered up the steep hillside with desperation and fear driving us ever forward. The ground around our feet was littered with the remains of brittle, coarse vegetation and the dehydrated plants flickered with dancing orange flames, burning fiercely and lighting our way along the precarious route.

The pathway traversed its way across the face of the hill rather than driving its way straight up the steep face. Although this would have been a welcome benefit to the climbing tourists who normally walked along the beach and scaled the cliff, tonight it was nothing more than just another hindrance put there to further complicate what remained of our already complex lives. It was too dangerous to leave the path in the low light and so we had no alternative but to follow the winding route. It took twice as long as it need have but we eventually stumbled breathlessly onto the top of the hill and could look down onto the burning world around us.

I stood on the flat top of the cliff, sucking in deep breaths of the hot, dry night air and holding Samantha close to me. Below us the sea appeared deceptively normal save for the hot, hissing mist which hung over its writhing surface, and the colour of the horizon had returned to its normal dark purple hue. The sky was clear and still and millions of stars looked down on us. It was strangely ironic to see them looking so peaceful and unaffected in the dark sky and it was difficult to believe that it was our own star which was killing our planet. I wondered if the earth looked any different tonight from a million miles away.

I turned my head to look inland and, for as far as I could see, the surface of the planet seemed to be alight. Thick smoke palled into the dirty sky above towns and villages and the heavens were turned a deep, ruddy brown colour as the light from thousands of uncontrolled fires flickered and danced. Fields of starved grass and dried crops had been turned into raging, unchecked infernos and the cities were lit not by electric light, but by the dying flames of the crumbling buildings within them.

Samantha looked at me and I stared back into her clear, deep blue eyes. Her skin was blackened with smoke and dirt and the tears which rolled down her pretty face carved clean lines down her cheeks. I was exhausted and found it difficult to think of anything to say.

'That might have been it,' she whispered hopefully.

I smiled and held her close. I knew that there would be more to come and I felt sure that Sam also knew that our ordeal was far from over. Despite the fact that there was little time remaining, I could not stop my mind from wandering and I still could not help but be