by Byron Tucker
Ryan tried hiding his darkening mood as he mounted the steps leading out of the cellar, dreading having to inform the kids of the bleak future they faced. It needed to be done at some point. But there's no need to do it quite yet, is there?
He walked out to the kitchen. “You guys about done there? Time to hit the ol' Wal-Mart.”
“Eew,” Eliza said. “My mom would rather be caught dead than shop there.”
Ryan laughed. “Well, it's the best thing we've got up here. It's a hundred miles to the good stuff.”
“But what do we need to get at Wal-Mart?” Jimmy asked, wiping his hands with a dishtowel.
“Oh, just various things. We do need to hit the hardware store first to get plastic and HEPA filters, and a fan.”
Jimmy laughed. “I figured you'd have everything you need by now.”
He shrugged his shoulders, hoping he'd not have to explain what the materials would be for quite yet. “Well, there's always a few things you forget. And hopefully we'll beat the crowds, as I'm sure there will be a lot of panic buying today.” He waved them to the rear door. “Come on, the truck's in the back.”
As Ryan fired up the Ford F-250, Jimmy, sitting in the front passenger seat, leaned forward and turned on the radio. When it came to life, the steely voice of a news announcer filled the cab. “...As of six AM Eastern time, the President has declared a national State of Emergency, and all prices will be frozen at current levels. The Yellowstone –”
Annoyed, Ryan reached over and turned it off, giving Jimmy an unfriendly stare. “Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's impolite to turn on stuff in other people's vehicles without permission?”
Jimmy looked confused. “But I wanna know what's going on. We don't know anything, other than what we saw.”
“And that's plenty, believe me. Sorry for being touchy, but I just want us to have a few hours, just these few hours we have left to live a normal life, without being exposed to what's going on out there. Trust me, there will be plenty of time for the bad stuff later.”
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. “Just whatever you want to do, Uncle Ryan. I'm easy.”
Easing the truck down the hill to the road, Ryan looked up at the sky, which shaded from a milky white from the east to a deep charcoal gray to the west. While the big chunks had fallen some time ago, the ash from Yellowstone was pouring into the atmosphere unabated, spreading over the continent like a vast umbrella.
Let's not think about that right now, Ryan reminded himself, pulling out onto the gravel road leading away from his property. Focus, Ryan. Focus.
Chapter 11
Sam awoke to his wife cuddling up against him. Looking at her face, angelic as always, he said, “Good morning.”
She smiled and said, “Good morning to you too.” She reached out with her hand and began caressing Sam's short hair. “And guess what?”
“What?”
“Your brother has taken the kids shopping. I just got back from the house. Ryan left a note by the front door. There's nobody up here but us.”
It took a moment for him to grasp the implications of what his wife just told him. “Ah yes. We have a bit of privacy for once.”
Irene snuggled up even closer against his body. “Yes, we do.”
Some time later, after they had taken showers in the bathroom of the RV and gotten dressed, Sam realized it was nearly noon. However, the sky above was a white sheet, thickening to dark gray to the west, and it felt unnaturally chilly. But then again, this was the UP, where cool summer weather was common.
Sam poked around in front of the house while his wife made an attempt to call Eliza's doctor, curious as to why there were fresh cigarette butts on the ground, since Ryan had quit years ago. Moments later, he noticed Irene coming up to him, wearing a worried look on her face. “I can't get hold of the pediatrician. They always have somebody there to answer the phone, but I've tried three times and I keep getting voice mail. I even tried dialing his emergency number. Same thing, no answer.”
Sam hooked Irene's waist and pulled her against his body, still savoring the afterglow of their recent lovemaking. “Oh, I'm sure it's just really busy, people calling about the ash and everything. And I'm sure we'll not be stuck up here any longer than a month.”
Irene frowned, pulling away from him. “We'd better not be stuck up here a month. The kids have school...” Her voice trailed off into silence.
“Let's just hope for the best, okay? And besides, my brother, the ultimate prepper – what better place can we be at the moment?”
She laughed. “I hate to admit it, but perhaps your brother wasn't crazy after all. He must be psychic or something, to know this was going to happen.”
He smiled in return. “No, more like a stroke of random luck. The rest of us knew that the chances of Yellowstone were exceedingly small in any given year – ”
“But this was the year our ticket came up, huh?” Irene finished for him.
“Apparently so. But it still remains to be seen exactly how bad the effects will be. I bet we'll all be surprised at how quickly this country will be able to recover from this.”
“And other countries will be able to help us out, like with food and such?”
“I don't see why not. We've sure helped them plenty in the past.” He pointed to the area behind the house. “Come on, let's see what Ryan's got growing in his garden.”
He walked past tomato plants filled with large, ready-to-pick tomatoes. In addition, there were rows of bean plants, and some very healthy-looking spinach and cabbage. Sam heard his wife talking animatedly with a friend of hers back home on her phone, sounding more concerned by the second. A few moments later, she hung up the phone and rushed over to where he stood, her eyes scrunched up in the way when she was really worried about something.
“That was Alice. She says it's beyond crazy in Chicago. The stores are all mobbed, and businesses and government are shutting down to get ready for the ash fall. She thinks the doctor might have fled town, like a lot of other people are doing.”
Is it really that bad? “Damn, any idea of where these people are going? Florida? Hawaii?”
“Alice said she knows of someone who's taking his family to New Zealand.”
“That's insane. I think people are way over-reacting to this thing.”
Irene cocked her head to the side, frowning. “I don't know, it's looking really bad. They don't know when it's going to stop erupting, either. According to the news, it's blasting away non-stop, and they're certain it's going to cause a volcanic winter. Alice says that's why everybody is going around buying everything in sight.” She put her hand to her mouth. “Your mother. She must be terrified to death.”
He smiled to give her reassurance. “Oh, she'll be fine. As long as she's able to watch her soap operas and read her books, she'll be in good shape. And there's plenty of neighbors who'll be able to bring her food, if she's not able to get to the store later on.”
“But everything will be running out. What your brother's been saying all these years is true. There won't be enough food to go around.”
He let out a small sigh, stroking Irene's arm with his fingers. “I'm sure the government will figure out a way to get food to people, even if it's delivering MREs door-to-door or something. It's not like people are actually going to starve.”
Irene didn't seem to buy it. After looking around her for a few moments, she said, “The more I think about it, the more I realize that we're extremely lucky to be up here with your brother.”
Sam smiled at her. “I feel lucky just to be alive. Holy hell, if you think about what we went through –”
She reached out with her arms and hugged him. “Let's not think about that, darling. We just need to focus on what we need to do to get ready with whatever faces us. And one more thing.”
Sam pulled back enough to meet Irene's gaze. “Yes?”
“No matter how tough things look like they're going to be, let's be optimistic for the kids
, to the extent we can.”
“Well, it's probably too late for that now, as Ryan's probably been feeding them heavy doses of doomer talk all morning. But yes, I agree. We do need to keep an optimistic attitude, not just for them, but for us as well.”
Irene reached into her handbag and withdrew her phone. “I'm going to try the pediatrician again. He can't just not be available.”
* * *
Ryan pulled his covered pickup into the Hardee's parking lot near downtown Houghton, his niece and nephew giving him pleased looks as he turned off the motor and set the parking brake.
“So is this where we're doing lunch,” Jimmy said, more of a statement than a question.
“You know Mom would have a fit if she found out about this,” Eliza said.
He smiled, enjoying their company more than ever. “Consider this a special treat. There's no telling how much longer places like this will stay open.”
Jimmy laughed as they walked toward the two-story restaurant. “Well, the Wal-Mart won't stay open for long with it being cleaned out like that.”
“But at least we got some cool-weather clothes for you guys, plus that BMX bike you picked out.”
Jimmy flashed Ryan a worried look. “Mom's going to skin me alive when she finds out about that. Don't be surprised if she makes us return it.”
“We'll just hide it for now, okay? We'll just tell her about the clothes, and the other stuff we've gotten.”
Ryan thought about their trip through the chaotic Wal-Mart. Both Jimmy and Eliza had been reluctant to pick things out for themselves, even with a thousand in raw cash in their hands. But they sure heaped the cart full of stuff for their parents, like shaving stuff for Sam and lots of goodies for Irene. He never knew a pair of kids who were as appreciative of their parents as those two. Sam and Irene have no idea how lucky they are.
When they got inside the restaurant, a group of employees and customers were intensely focused on a TV suspended over one corner. It didn't take long to determine why. After thirty seconds of watching, he and the kids learned that the western United States had been hit with a high-altitude nuclear device, knocking out power and most electrical devices with a massive EMP pulse. He also learned that the missile had been launched by North Korea, and that a counterattack was imminent, most likely nuclear. The words Dusk to Dawn Curfew Begins Tonight Nationwide scrolled along the bottom of the screen.
Ryan looked Jimmy and Eliza, no longer feeling hungry. The look of worry and fear in their faces couldn't be mistaken. “I think we'd better go home, guys.”
They didn't object.
While they walked out to the truck, Jimmy glanced up at the western sky, which looked more ominous than ever. Staring at his uncle for a few moments, he said, “It really is the end of the world, isn't it?”
He nodded slowly, pressing his lips together in a thin line. “I'm afraid it is, Jimmy. First the supervolcano, and now this. Nuclear war.”
“So what will we do?” Eliza asked.
“We hunker down.” He pointed to the truck. “Get in. Your parents are probably getting worried about us anyhow.”
* * *
George Barnes stood up at the head of the table, looking at the faces of a dozen men. These Congressmen shared in his dream of a truly conservative America – a nation of God-fearing people who believed in old-fashioned values of family, hard work and back-to-basics education for their children. Terrible as this disaster was, not to mention the prospect of full-scale nuclear war, he knew this would shape up to be a pivotal moment in America's history, a chance to begin anew on a clean slate. But he couldn't accomplish this dream on his own, which was why he was having this “unauthorized” meeting in the first place.
Clearing his throat to gain the attention of his audience, he said, “Please allow me a moment to share with you what I've learned from the President. As of this evening, he will declare martial law nationwide, with military forces deployed around the nation's largest cities. A plan will be put into place to distribute food and other critical supplies to the National Guard contingents of each state, which should go a long ways in maintaining public order. However, what the President didn't tell me, but I've learned from other sources is that most of this country is going to starve by winter, due to the ash smothering the majority of crops in the country, not to mention the entire West Coast being put out of commission by the EMP attack.”
A collective gasp rippled around the room. A youngish man, a freshman Congressman from rural Georgia, raised his hand and said, “Well, it is my belief that the South will fare far better than the rest of the country. It goes without saying that the rural areas will fare better than the big cities.”
A pall of silence settled over the room before Barnes made his reply. “Yes, you are absolutely right. And this leads to why I've gathered you in this room in the first place. Since we're all from the South and share the common belief that the South represents the true spirit of this country, I want to inform you all that I will do everything in my power to ensure that we not only survive this terrible disaster, but that we come out stronger than ever – a nation built on conservative values, instead of the liberal morass we have sunk to today.”
A ripple of “Amens” went around the table, the dozen men nodding their heads in agreement.
Barnes paused for a few seconds. He knew he had to be extremely careful about this, lest people get the idea he was planning a coup. “I've also been made aware that Congress may be ordered to evacuate Washington within the next twenty-four hours. If this is indeed the case, I propose we keep in constant communication with each other and, should circumstances permit, make plans to convene in Atlanta.”
Barnes was met with several surprised stares. Holding out his hand to block the others from interrupting, he said, “I cannot say any more than I have, but it would behoove all of you to be prepared for the worst. And if the worst does happen, it will be we who have the ability to step up to the plate and carry this country through this terrible crisis.”
Much to his relief, the dozen men seemed to grasp the hidden meaning of his speech. If this country was on the verge of being destroyed, then it was himself and the twelve like-minded men sitting around this table who would mostly likely have the ability put the country back together again.
In the way he envisioned, of course.
Realizing there was no need to speak further, he panned his gaze around the room and said, “Meeting is adjourned. I will be keeping in touch with each of you as circumstances permit. Thank you.”
Barnes watched the men file silently out of the room, admiring the power of the unspoken word.
Jimmy's Journal Entry, August 3rd, 2019
So this is really it. The end of the world, I mean. Well, the world is still here, and so am I, obviously, but it's the end of society as we know it, according to my uncle anyways. He said that any chance we had of recovering from Yellowstone has been dashed to pieces by North Korea going nuclear on us, and us turning Pyongyang into a glass slab. Both Russia and China have declared war on us as well, and Israel is being attacked by like five different countries, so they'll probably be unleashing nukes all over the middle east in a couple of days. If that wasn't bad enough, they've got this martial law thing going for the whole country, and all money is frozen until further notice. All the banks are shut, and there's no way people can get money for who knows how long. That basically means everybody has to stay put, with just the military being able to move about. So it's a good thing that we were able to hit the stores right after we got here for stuff we needed for the family, because it's too late now.
So yeah, it's really, really bad. We probably don't even know how bad it's really going to be, but the idea of us being able to go back home and live a normal life anytime soon looks awfully dim right now. But the good thing is that we're in about the safest place in the whole United States, we've got enough food and supplies for all of us to last months and months, and with Uncle Ryan's genius at being able to fix u
p that air tent for Eliza for when the ash hits, she'll be okay too, we hope. Mom's really worried about getting medicine for her, but Uncle Ryan thinks he can persuade a pharmacist to sell us some out the “back door,” as he puts it. At least we have enough with us to last a month, so it's not desperation time yet.
When we had supper last night (venison, that Uncle Ryan shot himself, yummy,) he told us all the stuff that's going to have to be done to get ready for the ash fall, and later on, the cold. He's going to harvest the rest of the garden tomorrow, and when we're trapped inside due to the ash fall, he's gonna teach us how to can tomatoes and stuff. He says boredom is going to be a real problem, especially if we can't go outside. Well, maybe the ash won't make it this far. Let's hope.
Oh, I told Mom about the BMX bike, she's actually cool about it, says that the exercise of me riding it will be good for me, but it doesn't look like I'll be able to use it anytime soon. But yeah, it's gonna really suck if we can't go outside for a long time because of the ash. You know me, I'm a guy that needs to get out and run every now and then. Dad too, as he gets real restless if he's cooped up for too long. I just hope we all don't have to sleep in the house like Uncle Ryan is saying we might. He did say that he'd let my parents have his bed, which would leave a cot for Eliza in the air tent, the couch for him, and me on the floor, using cushions from the motorhome. So that'll work, I guess. But man, I'm sure missing home already. So is Eliza, I can tell. My parents too, for that matter.
But like I told Dad before we got here, we're a family of survivors, and no matter what happens, we'll get through it somehow. If we were able to escape the falling mountains and the tornado shock wave, we can certainly handle a bit of ash and some cold weather. It can't be that bad, right? It's not like we'll get armed gangs looting and killing way up here in the middle of nowhere, so we don't have to worry about that at least. And like Uncle Ryan keeps telling us, we'll take it day by day, and just do what needs to be done. One, keep ourselves alive, and two, make ourselves comfortable, to the extent we can manage. It sounds like a reasonable plan to me. In any case, we just have to hope for the best.