by Mark Goodwin
“Sure.” Everett handed the chisel to Elijah and the hammer to Kevin.
Elijah left to sharpen the chisel. Everett and the others waited for him to return. Courtney hobbled into the cave entrance area. “Sounds like you guys are working hard.”
Everett nodded. “We’ve got to split up that big rock.”
Courtney flipped one of the empty buckets and took a seat. “That’s how they used to quarry stone. They’d turn the chisel slightly with each strike until it drilled out a hole then place a wedge between two slips of metal called feathers.”
Everett listened closely. “Go on.”
“That’s all I know about it.” She shrugged.
Desperate for information, Everett asked, “How many holes? How deep? How far apart? Anything else you can remember will help.”
She looked up at the rock. “You’d have to have a wedge and two feathers for each hole. We don’t have any, so it doesn’t matter.”
Everett strained to think what he could use for a wedge. “What about an ax head?”
Courtney glanced up at him. “Maybe.”
Everett looked at Kevin. “What could we use for the feathers? Some kind of shim.”
Sarah interjected. “We could use the punches in our gun maintenance kit.”
“We’ll probably ruin the punches.” Kevin looked up at Everett. “Of course, we won’t need them much if we don’t get out of here.”
“Exactly,” Everett replied.
Elijah returned with the chisel and a round sharpening stone. “Try this. I’ll sharpen it every half hour or so. It’s easier to keep the edge than to put a new one on it.”
Courtney looked at his whet rock. “It looks like a hockey puck.”
“That’s what it’s called, the Puck. It’s a rougher grit than the stone I use for my knife. The Puck is specifically made for tools; axes, machetes, chisels, that sort of thing.” Elijah passed the sharpening tool to Courtney to inspect.
“Here we go.” Kevin put Elijah’s reading glasses on and began swinging the hammer against the chisel, turning it slightly with each blow, as Courtney had suggested.
“I’ll get the ax and see what I can find to use for shims.” Sarah left the work area.
Everett watched Kevin from behind. “It does seem to be moving faster since Elijah sharpened it.”
TINK! TINK! TINK! Kevin continued for fifteen minutes then paused to inspect the progress.
Everett took the tools from him. “Take a break. I’ll work on it for a while.”
Courtney pointed to the opening. “You should begin making another hole. You’ll have to make a long slit, big enough for the ax head.”
Everett nodded. He took the glasses from Kevin and positioned the chisel next to the existing hole. TINK! TINK! TINK!
Sarah returned with the ax. “I can take a few swings. You guys are going to be sore if we don’t split the work up between everyone.”
Everett handed her the tools and the glasses. “Okay, thanks. Start a new one right about here.” He pointed to a spot beside the existing holes.
As Sarah began pounding away at the rock, Everett inspected the ax. “I doubt we can salvage the handle. I guess we’ll just cut it off and make a new one. What do you guys think?”
Elijah nodded. “If we can pry the metal wedges out of the top of the ax handle, perhaps we can save it. Wood being the scarce commodity that it is, fashioning a new handle will be a challenge.”
Everett looked closely at the thin steel wedges inserted in the top of the handle. “I suppose we could pick them out with a screwdriver and some needle nose pliers. It’s going to be a big project.”
Courtney held out her hand. “Then let me take charge of that one. I’m feeling pretty useless as it is.”
Everett passed the ax to her. “Thanks. I’ll get you some tools.” He made his way up the ladder into the storage area. Everett shined his flashlight into the toolbox and selected various sized screwdrivers and a pair of needle nose pliers. He scratched through the box picking out a set of Allen wrenches. “Maybe we can use these for shims. We’ll need more than a couple of punches to shim an ax head.”
Twenty minutes later, Everett returned to the work area and handed the tools to Courtney. “Take a break, Kevin. I’ll give it a few whacks.”
Elijah intercepted the chisel. “Let me put a quick edge on it. Let’s make the most of your strength.”
The hours passed, and the team continued their effort at splitting the boulder. Elijah stood up. “I vote that we break for lunch. We’ve got plenty of leftover goat and perhaps a few latkes.”
Everett nodded. “That sounds fantastic. Let me know when it’s ready. I’m going to keep working for a while longer.”
“Yeah, I’ll stay with Everett,” Kevin said.
Elijah stood up. “Fine. Sarah, will you help me with the meal?”
“Sure. You guys don’t’ wear yourselves out.” She waved as she walked away.
Everett asked Courtney, “How are you doing with the handle?”
She didn’t look up from her project. “I’ve got a hold of the first wedge. It seems like it’s getting loose. I’ll get it, eventually.”
“I’m sure you will. But, can I borrow it for a second? I need to see where we need to work on the hole.” Everett held out his hand.
She looked up and passed him the ax. “Here you go.”
Kevin held the handle so Everett could place the ax head against the slit they’d carved. “Looks like it needs to be wider.”
“And deeper.” Everett passed the ax back to Courtney.
The two men continued beating the chisel against the rock for the next forty minutes.
Sarah walked into the work area. “The food is ready. You guys come eat. You’ll have more energy after lunch.”
Everett nodded and placed the tools atop one of the buckets as he followed Sarah. He felt tired, and they still had a lot of work to do. “Courtney, can you walk by yourself or do you need a hand?”
“I can hobble. I’m fine.”
Everett insisted and helped her back to the cathedral.
Elijah brought plates around to everyone and asked God to bless the food.
“This is delicious, Elijah.” Everett devoured his meal. He’d built up quite an appetite working on the boulder all morning.
“Fantastic, as usual.” Sarah took another bite.
Courtney finished chewing. “Can we listen to the radio? It might help us to feel a little less claustrophobic.”
“I’m not sure if the antenna was cut by the slab when it fell, but I’ll try.” Everett placed his plate on the ground and pointed at Danger who was already eyeballing the remainder of his meal. “Don’t even think about it.” Everett found the radio and switched it on. “It sounds like we have a signal. It’s staticky, but it’s something.”
The reporter was difficult to make out through the static. “The Global Republic is urging all survivors not to drink surface water. The comet contained a very high percentage of arsenic and radium. Arsenic was one of the primary elements making up Wormwood. When the planet collided with the debris field, the meteorites, which fell to earth, rained the poisonous matter across the lakes, ponds, and streams all across North and South America. The Atlantic Ocean has also been heavily polluted by the fallout of the comet.
“We are unable to provide an estimate of how long the effects of the contamination will last, but GREMA Director Vivian Brown issued a statement early this morning urging all Global Republic citizens to locate underground streams and deep wells for drinking and bathing. Her statement said that arsenic can be absorbed through the skin as well as through the digestive system. Due to the extremely high levels of arsenic contained in surface water, drinking or bathing may result in vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, and even death.
“If you think you have arsenic poisoning already, the best course of action is to locate a clean water source and drink lots of fluids. Dehydration from arsenic poisoning is likely to be one of the
main causes for loss of life in this disaster.
“Besides the loss of human life, this event is going to be a very long, drawn out ecological disaster which will kill off plant, animal, and insect life from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to the west coasts of North and South America.
“Those who are able to locate water and survive the direct effects of Wormwood should ration food as strictly as possible. It could be years before healthy crops can be produced again in North America. GREMA said that it is unlikely that any plant life will grow in the six month period following the impact. Crops produced in the following year may contain high levels of arsenic and will not be safe for human consumption. Some foods retain arsenic more readily than others, with rice being the worst offender. This is particularly bad news as rice production has been the primary source of nutrition for Central and South America since the global economy melted down more than three years ago.
“For those of you who are just tuning in, New Atlantis has been totally devastated by the bombardment of the meteorites. His Majesty and all top-level officials were in Jerusalem for the dedication of the Temple at the time the earth collided with the debris field. The eastern hemisphere saw minimal effects from the meteorites, so they were all unharmed by the event.
Global Republic advisors and those who run day-to-day operations in the capitol sheltered in subterranean bunkers far below the surface of New Atlantis, so citizens can breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that we have the leadership we’ll need to rebuild.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Oh, well! That’s a relief. I wouldn’t have been able to stand it if the antichrist had been hurt.”
The staticky transmission continued. “Very large meteorites, many the size of cars and some larger than a house fell in and around the New Atlantis metropolitan area. The new Ministry of Religion Building was completely destroyed. The old US Treasury Building was demolished as well as the Federal Reserve and the Lincoln Memorial.
“The Global Republic General Assembly Building was damaged to such a degree that it has been deemed unsafe for occupancy necessitating the Global Republic Government to relocate for the time being. The Global Republic Palace built on the site of the old US White House was also destroyed.
“His Most Prepotent Majesty Angelo Luz and his top advisors will be setting up temporary offices in Jerusalem since the largest Global Republic Consulate in the eastern hemisphere is in that city.
“Unfortunately, the widespread destruction of the capitol city will greatly hinder the GR’s ability to provide disaster aid in the Americas. Those requiring assistance from the government should expect a longer response time than originally estimated.”
“You don’t say!” Everett said sarcastically.
“Then I guess Luz isn’t going to come dig us out.” Kevin looked at Everett with a silly grin.
“I guess we better get back to work then,” Everett said.
“Five more minutes. I’d like to enjoy my treat.” Kevin took a bite from his last latke.
Everett finished his plate. “Elijah and Sarah, what a great meal. Thank you, both. I was running on empty.”
“Thank you for trying to get us out of here. I’ll have to admit; it’s making me more than a little antsy to think about being trapped in here.” Sarah took his plate.
“We’re going to get out. Don’t fret about that.” Everett gave another of his reaffirming nods, even though his own confidence was beginning to crack.
“That rock ain’t gonna split itself.” Kevin stood up and stretched. “Thanks for lunch.”
Everett led the way back to the work area and took the first round of working the chisel and hammer. Courtney joined the two men and resumed her task of extracting the metal wedges from the top of the ax handle. Once the dishes were cleaned up, Elijah and Sarah came back to the work area. Sarah entered the rotation of pounding on the boulder and Elijah maintained the edge on the chisel.
The team continued working in unison for the next six hours. Courtney was able to extract the wedges, and with a little help from Everett and Kevin, she got the ax head off of the handle. The chisel team cut a slit that was long enough and deep enough to wedge the ax head into it.
Everett shimmed the ax head into the channel using the Allen wrenches and the steel punches. “This job will take some serious pounding if we’re gonna split that rock. I’ve been swinging that hammer all day. I don’t think I have it in me to keep going.”
Kevin shook his head. “Let’s call it a day and start fresh in the morning.”
“Sounds good to me.” Sarah rubbed her shoulder. “I couldn’t take one more swing.”
“I’ll make dinner and then we can all get a good night’s sleep.” Elijah left to the cathedral.
After dinner, the team settled into their respective sleeping bags. No one had the energy for cards, and the amount of static on the radio made listening to it just plain painful.
Even with the apprehension of being trapped in the cave, Everett slept better than the prior night. The lack of the booming assault from meteorites created an atmosphere which was much more soothing and conducive to slumber.
He awoke at five o’clock. Everett prayed silently, asking, begging God to grant him success with splitting the boulder and digging out of the cave. Everett made his coffee as quietly as possible. He ate a granola bar which was well past its expiration date. It still tasted okay, but it had crumbled apart and was closer to cereal in texture than a bar. “Most folks on the planet would kill for a crumbly granola bar. I’ve got to be grateful for what I have,” he whispered to himself.
He didn’t want to wake everyone up with the noise of banging on the rock, but he couldn’t stand the apprehension much longer. “If we’re stuck, I want to know. If we’re buried alive, I’ll find a way to be okay with it. But the uncertainty is driving me crazy.”
He took his coffee, his flashlight, and his Bible and headed to the work area.
As Everett passed Kevin, he heard a faint voice. “Time to go to work, boss?”
Everett smiled and looked down. In a whisper, he said, “No hurry.” He continued toward the cave entrance and took a seat on one of the buckets. Using another bucket for a table, he placed his metal canteen cup of coffee upon it. Everett read through the Psalms seeking peace and comfort. He’d admitted to God that he was nervous and afraid that they might never get out of the cave, but in front of Courtney and the others, he maintained a confident and stalwart demeanor.
Twenty minutes later, Kevin arrived, also sipping his coffee.
Everett folded his Bible. “Is everyone else up?”
“They will be once we start banging on that rock.”
Everett gave a lopsided grin. “That’s what I was trying to avoid.”
“Elijah and Courtney were both awake. And I’m guessing Sarah is awake also, she just doesn’t want to get out of the warm sleeping bag.”
“I’m anxious to get started.” Everett glanced up at the ax head wedged in the slit of the stone.
“I’m feeling good, rested.” Kevin stretched. “Ready to go.”
“Yeah, me too. I was beat last night.” Everett stood up and grabbed the hammer. Once again, his body had to get the feel for swinging a hammer upside down. He took a few practice swings, building up to increasingly harder strikes against the ax head. After ten good wallops, Everett was back in the zone. Swinging the hammer with his back tilted slightly. TINK! TINK! TINK! He continued in his rhythm for fifteen minutes.
“My turn.” Kevin held out his hand until Everett passed him the hammer. He too needed a few warm up swings but soon stepped into his flow.
The two men traded off every few minutes. The rest of the group gradually joined them, one by one.
Sarah worked into the rotation, striking the boulder with all of her might.
Three hours passed, and Everett could feel himself wearing down already. “I’ll be ready to take a break soon.”
“Then lunch will be ready when you are.” Elijah
stood up and excused himself.
Everett was determined to crack the boulder before lunch. A day and a half had been invested in this project, and he wanted it to be over with. Everett slowed his swings, driving the hammer with all of his strength. TINK! TINK! TINK! Everett heard a slight change in the ring of the hammer against the ax head. This fueled his ambition, and he swung with every bit of strength he had. TONK! TUNK! CRACK!
“Get back!” Kevin pulled Everett away from the stone with both arms. The boulder split, dropping the ax head and shims to the ground.
Courtney and Sarah both stepped out of the way of the falling debris.
Everett dropped the hammer and turned to watch the boulder in the gap between the ceiling and the slab. The two halves dropped roughly two inches and slid into each other, but moved no further.
Kevin stepped forward with a shovel and struck the two pieces of the rock. Nothing happened.
Everett walked up to the boulder and pushed on each side with his hands. “It won’t budge.” He bent down to retrieve his hammer. He pounded on the individual chunks of rock, but nothing changed. His face lost every trace of hope, and he swallowed the knot in his throat.
No one said a word. They all knew the meaning of what had just happened. The ominous event and what it portended needed no exposition.
Courtney walked to Everett and put her arms around him. “Let’s leave it alone for now. We’ll have something to eat and come back to the drawing board after lunch.”
Everett exhaled deeply. “You and Sarah go give Elijah a hand. Kevin and I will be along in a while.”
“Okay, but don’t be long.” She kissed him. “You did a good job. We all did. We’ll come up with something. We’ll get out of here.”
“Thanks.” Everett put on his brave face as she walked away.
Once the girls were gone, Kevin turned to Everett. “We should start rationing the flashlights. Those batteries from the solar array are over four years old. I’m guessing the longest they’ll hold a charge is about six weeks. Once they’re dead, we’ll have no more light.”