Mackenzie #607 When the Earth Quakes Another earthquake was coming; I could feel it.

I stood before the San Andreas Fault that stretches 810 miles through California. It threatened to force another explosion of the Earth upon us. My fiery red hair fluttered behind me in the fierce wind like the cape of a superhero. I could really use a super hero right now. It reminded me of the carefree days when I enjoyed going out to the movies with my friends, but then the earthquakes came and wiped out the entire human population. I miss those days, but they are gone. Now, its 2088, and I am one of the final two humans on Earth. The burning sun beat down on the isolated field as the large chunks of Earth roughly began to grind against each other. The ground rumbled beneath me. I knew I had to get back inside, but it was too late. All of a sudden, the ground movements violently knocked me into the concrete walls of the shelter. I was reminded of the 1952 Kern County earthquake that killed my parents. Pain surged through my head like the bright, quick flash of lightning. Everything faded to black. I woke up to the feeling of a cold wash rag against my forehead and noticed that I was back in the laboratory with Zeke, my partner. Are you okay? You need to be more careful next time. If something happens to one of us there will be no one left to stop the earthquakes and save the planet. We can do this, but we need each other, Carolyn. I know you miss your family. I do too, but we have to keep trying. Then out of nowhere, my iPhone 67 buzzed loudly, and a 3D iMessage illuminated the room in an eerie light. I know a way. Who is this? What are you talking about? I sent back. I know how to save the planet. Answer my question. Who are you and what do you want? My name is Lucie. I can help you.

Thats impossible. There are only two humans left on Earth, and the other one is standing right next to me. I know that. I am not human. What are you then? Im a ghost, and I terribly miss my life on earth, but I know that I can never come back. There is no way you know how to stop the earthquakes. But I do. Tell me then. Well, as you probably already know, the interior of the Earth is causing the movement of the tectonic plates, and this movement is causing the plates to collide in different ways. These collisions make the rock deform, and the rock stretches until energy is released. The source of the energy is the dead. No way! I know everything there is to know about earthquakes. I tell you the truth, but I must go, and I cannot speak to you any longer. You have to figure it out by yourself. Remember, the answers are all around you. You just have to look hard enough. I sat there, speechless, for a moment, processing what had just happened. How could this be true? I had spent most of my life studying and tearing through book after book for answers. Then, the answer came so easily. I carefully walked outside, making sure to walk around the piles of debris and jagged rock fragments. There shouldnt be another earthquake for a little while. I was safe. I found a spot that was badly damaged and pressed my ear against the ground. At first, I heard nothing, but then there was a faint thumping sound like hands and feet knocking on wood. Maybe, Lucie was right. The ghosts buried in their graves were pushing up against the ground with so much force that the tectonic plates were moving! I dashed back to the lab, and I nearly knocked over the bookshelf trying to get to my notebook. There it was written in my own handwriting- a metal substance that I learned about in college. It had the power to absorb ghostly energy. I knew exactly what to do.