Winter Fall

by Byron Tucker

  He glanced at the clock display on the console, which read 4:32. With luck, he would make it to Calumet by daybreak, and he could just pull into a parking lot and wait for a more decent hour before going up to the house, which in truth was little more than a rustic cabin. Due to being able to fill up in western Minnesota as well as traveling at much slower speeds, averaging about fifty throughout the night, he still had a quarter tank of gas left, eliminating the need for an additional fuel stop.

  If only I can stay awake. It would be tragically ironic to make it through the sheer terror they had experienced in the past day and a half only to wreck this thing a few miles from their destination. However, the excitement of the journey finally coming to an end brought him back to full wakefulness, and by the time he passed through the tiny village of Twin Lakes, he felt newly energized, pushing the motorhome up to sixty just because he could. Faint tendrils of dawn became visible in the eastern sky, streaks of faint purple and orange. He tried looking for evidence of the eruption in the western sky, but all he could see was dark cloud, like an approaching storm front. He had to resist the temptation to turn on the radio to see what was going on with that thing, if it was still erupting, or if it'd stopped, but he thought better of it, not wishing to disturb his family. He would get his sleep later; they needed to be getting their sleep now.

  Just as he began the long descent into the town of Houghton, with the growing twilight on the cusp between night and day, his phone rang. He snatched it up and answered it before it had a chance to wake Irene and the kids.

  “Where are you, Sam?” Ryan said over the phone.

  “Well, I'm two minutes from the bridge.”

  “In Houghton?”

  “You bet.” He glanced at Irene beginning to stir in the passenger seat. “I decided to keep pushing through the night.”

  “Good for you, that thing is still spewing like crazy. They're expecting ash fall all the way to the East Coast. How is Eliza doing?”

  “Her asthma, you mean?”

  “Yes, are her symptoms getting worse?”

  “Well, she had a panic-induced attack yesterday, but that's certainly understandable. She's been sleeping all night as far as I can tell.”

  “Good, as we'll need to make sure she doesn't get exposed to volcanic ash. That stuff is deadly for asthma sufferers.”

  Damn, I don't need to be hearing that. “Well, we'll just have to keep her indoors, I suppose.”

  “Yes, we might have to rig up some sort of positive pressure apparatus, since my house isn't exactly airtight. But we should have another day, maybe two before the ash starts to fall over here, so we have a bit of time to prepare. Do you recall how to get to my place? Turn off at 6th Street in Calumet and go straight until it turns into a dirt road, and about two hundred yards beyond that, you'll see my mailbox.”

  “So you want us to come right up to the house?”

  “By all means, yes. You'll need to park the motorhome close enough to the house for me to run electric out to it. I figure the three of you can sleep in it, while Eliza stays in the cabin with me, at least through the ash fall.”

  “And how long do you expect that to last?”

  A lengthy silence developed. “I honestly have no idea. There's no telling how long this thing is going to keep erupting. Possibly for weeks. There's no question that we're going to get ash fall. Not as bad as places to the west of us, but the vast majority of the country is going to be seeing ash fall to some extent.”

  Sam suddenly thought of his elderly mother, in that big house all alone. “Have you called Mom?”

  “Yes, I got hold of her last night, actually. She's doing fine, and says there's enough food to last at least a week. She was quite relieved to hear that you're okay, although I didn't tell her any details of what you went though.”

  “Good, since there's no need to stress her out more than we need to. So you think she'll be okay sheltering in place, then?”

  Ryan's answer was a bit more curt than Sam would have liked. “Yes, she'll be fine. I'd better let Shelly out for her morning duty. Don't bother to stop anywhere. Come straight to the house, okay? We've got a full day of preps ahead.”

  Preps? I need some goddammed sleep. “Yeah, I'll do that. We'll see you in a little bit. Bye.”

  He set the phone down carefully in the console, easing the motorhome down to twenty-five, approaching the blocky-looking drawbridge that served as the sole link to the rest of the Keweenaw.

  Once he began crossing the bridge itself, Irene came to full wakefulness and asked, “Where are we?”

  He turned to look at her, smiling. “Fifteen minutes away. We just came through Houghton.”

  Irene turned her head and shouted, “Okay kids. Time to get up and get dressed. We're almost at Uncle Ryan's house.”

  * * *

  Although he'd already had two so far, Ryan fired up another Winston and took a deep drag, pacing back and forth in front of his house as he waited for his brother's arrival. He glanced up at the sky, it looked to be a fairly nice day shaping up with some morning sun at least, and no sign of ash fall yet, which was a big relief. So much to do and so little time in which to do it.

  The priority task at the moment was constructing a positive pressure chamber for Eliza, since he didn't see how she would survive the ash fall otherwise. It would actually be best if they all could stay in a structure like that, but it just wouldn't work for all of them. Everyone else would just have to stick with masks, religiously. If there was anything resembling a free pass with this thing, it was having one more day without worry of ash fall. However, most likely starting the day after, all bets were off.

  Ryan took another drag as Shelly nosed around her feet, already sensing the big change that was about to come. Instead of just him and her, it would be three adults and two kids, sharing a 900-square foot residence and a motorhome, for goodness knows how long.

  Let's not go there, buddy, he thought, sucking in another drag of smoke. Family obligations came first. However, he could not deny the difficulty facing not only him and his brother and his family, but practically everyone in the Northern Hemisphere. Yellowstone was a real game-changer. There was just no denying this fact. He just needed to focus on the here and now, like making the tent for Eliza and getting the family involved in preps while they still had time.

  Shelly began barking, ran out a few yards and barked some more. Ryan flicked the cigarette butt away into the tall, dewy grass and looked down the hill, where his driveway connected with the road. Sure enough, the ridiculous-looking motorhome was making a slow turn onto the driveway, the boxy chassis rocking from one side to the other as it trundled up the not-so-smooth track toward the house. A warm glow began to suffuse Ryan's body as the bus groaned up the hill. Sam had made it. He'd been put through hell and then some, but here he was, the motorhome looking a bit worse for wear, but otherwise totally fine. He couldn't recall a time when he felt more proud of his little brother.

  He stood in front of the side passenger door, waiting for the family to exit. The passenger door swung open, and Eliza popped out, squealing, “Uncle Ryan!” She raced toward him, allowing herself to be swept off her feet as he picked her up and kissed her on the forehead a couple of times.

  He set her back down again and looked at her figure. “My gosh, you've gotten to be such a big girl!”

  Turning back around, he saw Jimmy standing close by, arms outstretched for a hug. They embraced tightly and then Sam stepped forward and he embraced his brother, for much longer than he had with Jimmy. Struggling to hold back tears, he said, “Sam, I'm so proud of you, for getting your family out of there against all possible odds.”

  Sam chuckled, releasing his hold on his brother. “So you're not going to hold it against me for foolishly going out to Yellowstone in the first place?”

  “Hell no. I'm jealous that you actually got to see the damn thing.”

  Irene, standing next to her husband, said, “Well, I'd been more than happy to t
rade places with you. That's something I really don't want to have to experience again.”

  Ryan reached forward and gave her a brief hug, trying not to think of their strained relationship. “The important thing is that you guys are here, safe and sound. Let's go on in and have some breakfast, shall we?”

  “Awesome,” Jimmy exclaimed. “I'm famished.”

  “So am I,” Eliza echoed.

  Pointing to the kids, Ryan faced Sam and said, “I bet your kids are real eating machines, huh?”

  “Oh yeah. It's a struggle keeping them fed, that's for sure.”

  “Well, no worries about that, as I've got plenty of food here.”

  Ryan led the family into his modest residence, constructed of insulated CBS block cladded with wood siding. The house consisted of basically four square rooms, the kitchen / dining area, the living room and his bedroom, plus the bathroom. It was perfect for a single person, or perhaps a very close couple, but for a family of four plus himself and the dog, the house seemed very small and cramped. The motorhome they'd brought with them was going to be a real godsend – at least until it became too cold to sleep in it. We'll worry about that when we need to worry about it.

  Jimmy looked around the kitchen, with its piles of recently-bought groceries arrayed on the counter and stove, he said, “Man, you've got enough food here to feed an army.”

  Ryan laughed. “I knew you guys would need a lot of food, so I raided a few supermarkets yesterday.”

  Irene came up to him and said, “How is it here, the panic? When we stopped in Billing, everyone was going nuts buying everything in sight.”

  Ryan frowned, figuring the unfortunate town didn't even exist anymore, not that close to Yellowstone. “Well, there's been some panic buying around here, but this is the UP. People are used to long stretches of bad weather and the like. And besides, we just don't have the population here like in the bigger towns and cities. But yes, the shelves were getting pretty bare in spots at some of the stores last night. But we'll be going into town today for another run, pick up what we can while there's still time.”

  Irene looked at him questioningly. “What do you mean, while there's still time?”

  Ryan pointed a single finger upward. “The ash fall. It'll start as early as tomorrow, and it could go on for weeks.”

  “But won't that stuff be like snow, and we can just scrape it out of the way?

  Ryan shook his head. “The thicker, heavier stuff, yes. But this far out, we'll mainly be affected by very fine ash, which isn't good for the lungs at all. All of us will need to stay indoors as much as possible, and masks will be needed whenever we do go outside. That's why it's critical we get that bubble constructed for Eliza as quickly as possible. I'll need to get a fan, plastic, preferably the clear kind, and some HEPA filters. I figure we could set it up right over there in the living room.”

  Irene frowned as she glanced over at her daughter, poking around the house with her brother. “Well, thankfully we've got her meds and the nebulizer machine.”

  Ryan held up his finger. “That's another thing we need to take care of today. We need to get at least a three months' supply of whatever medicines your child needs. You need to get hold of her pediatrician, and get her scripts called in to one of the pharmacies in town. You do have his or her number, right?”

  Irene patted her handbag. “Yes, I do. But we have over a month's worth with us. You don't think we'll be holed up here for longer than that, do you?”

  “There's no telling how long you'll be here. So you need to call her pediatrician and get that done today. I suggest that both of you use your ATM cards to withdraw cash while you still can, as you'll likely not be able to get to your funds after this weekend.”

  Sam stepped over to where they stood. “That's crazy talk, Ryan. Of course we'll have access to our funds. The bank I work for is one of the most solid in the entire country.”

  Ryan shook his head slowly. “At this very moment, there's a worldwide rout of the U.S. Dollar. I'd not be surprised to see the entire US banking system frozen solid by the end of the day. So whatever cash you'd like get your hands on, you'll need to do it today.”

  Sam pointed a finger toward the front door. “Well, before I do anything, I'm going back to the motorhome to catch me some shut-eye. I haven't a drop of sleep in about thirty hours.”

  He would have liked to object, but there was no mistaking that his brother desperately needed some shut-eye. “Okay, you go do that, while I whip up breakfast for Irene and the kids.”

  Irene watched her husband go out the front door and then said, “I think I'll go with him, as he could use the company. The past two days have been really hard on him.”

  Ryan glanced over at the kids, obviously impatient for a bite to eat and looked back at her again. “Feel free to join him, while I feed the kids some breakfast.”

  Once Irene had left the house, Ryan walked over to the kitchen, inviting the kids to join him, their jaws agape at the large quantity of food piled up on the counters. Clapping his hands together, he said, “We've got a long day ahead, so we'll need a big breakfast for energy. How does bacon, sausage, pancakes and a mess of eggs sound to you?”

  “Awesome.” Jimmy exclaimed. “I love a good breakfast.”

  “Me too,” Eliza added.

  “Well, let's get busy. I'll need to get some of this put away before we can begin. We'll make this a joint effort.”

  A half hour later, they sat around the small dining table, barely large enough to accommodate the three of them, with the kids scarfing down food like no tomorrow. Despite his desire not to dwell on it, Ryan realized that the days of being able to eat unlimited amounts of food – meats, vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy – were at an end. In a matter of days, the ash would cover the majority of North America, wiping out this year's crop. The ash would knock out power too, crippling the supply network. The ongoing economic panic sure wouldn't help, either. He thought about Europe, and how they would fare. With luck, they'd be able to get their summer crops in before the big freeze hit, but the following year, all bets would be off, as it would be too cold to grow much of anything in the entire Northern Hemisphere. Then those countries would starve as well. As for the Southern Hemisphere, there was no telling how they would manage, especially with being cut off from the rest of the world. They sure won't be in a position to help us.

  Ryan concentrated on his eating, not wishing to allow the thoughts of impending doom get in the way of what needed to be done to protect his brother's family. He felt a burst of pity for his niece and nephew, cheerfully eating their hearty breakfast. They'd not be going back to school again, Jimmy wouldn't be able to run track, or try out for the baseball team again in the spring. They'd not be able to go out to the movies, or the mall, or fast food places, or whatever teenagers did these days. For them, this was going to be a very difficult process, and he knew he'd have to break it to them slowly. Sam and Irene as well. With little doubt they were still in denial. The pair going off to bed as if they were finished with Yellowstone for good was a big clue that they didn't fully grasp the sheer magnitude of what had taken place.

  Ryan cleared his throat and said, “Hey, once we finish and get cleaned up here, how about we hop in the truck and head to town for supplies?”

  “What about Mom and Dad?” Eliza asked with her mouth full of egg.

  “If they're sleeping, we'll let them sleep. I'll leave a note for them, and for your mom to help herself in the garden.”

  “Yeah, Dad will probably be zonked out all day,” Jimmy said. “With us nearly getting killed twice and then driving all night to get to your place and all of that, he's exhausted. I offered to help drive, but he wouldn't let me.”

  Ryan smiled, patting his nephew on the shoulder. “Your dad is a good man. I can't begin to tell you how relieved I am about you guys being able to make it out of there in time.”

  Jimmy's eyes lit up. “Oh man, just wait until you see the footage I shot when it first went off.
You can see mountains flying through the sky and everything.”

  Ryan held up his left hand. “We'll do that later, when there's time. Now, we need to get going on those supplies.”

  Once breakfast was done, he asked the kids if they'd do the dishes, and they cheerfully complied. Both Sam and Irene deserved heaps of credit for raising such fine, responsible children. Or it could be that they were just eager to please their uncle. Either way, the thought of spending a good part of the day with the kids grew more appealing by the second.

  He stepped outside to have a cigarette, hearing no sound whatsoever coming from inside the motorhome, signaling that Sam and Irene were probably fast asleep. Hoping they'd not mind, he wrote a note about taking the kids into town for a few hours, and for Irene to focus on getting those scripts for Eliza so they could go to the pharmacy later in the day, as well as getting some cash for themselves.

  “Speaking of cash,” he muttered to himself as he pinned the note next to the front door. With the kids still occupied with the dishes, paying no attention to what he was doing, he slipped down the stairs to the cellar, making a beeline for the wall safe he had down there. He twirled the combination and opened it, his nose filled with the smell of freshly-minted cash. Using the flashlight on his keyring, he looked over the contents, mainly stacks of $100 bills, but also plenty of fifties and twenties, even a bunch of fives and tens. All in all, he had about eighty grand in there, give or take, as he'd been draining his various checking and savings accounts for the past couple of weeks. With this much currency on hand, it was probably pointless to push Sam and Irene to obtain some of their own, but...

  Letting out a sigh, he withdrew two stacks of twenties, specifically for Eliza and Jimmy, and a couple of thousand in c-notes for himself. He knew it'd be better for the kids to get things that they wanted for themselves, considering this was probably the last opportunity for them to do so for a very long time. If ever.