No Road Out

by M. J. Konkel

  “I wonder if my insurance covers this,” muttered Joe to himself as he carefully inched his way up and around to the foot of the bridge. He stopped to rest for a minute as his arms were shaking and he was breathing heavily, partly from the exertion and partly from the adrenaline rush. He felt deflated. What happened to their town? Is Karen all right? Where was she? He could still see his shotgun, wedged halfway into a storm drain. He also could see the tip of dinosaur's tail still on the bridge – the beast was that big. The very tip was also wedged in the storm drain by his gun. He carefully climbed down to his gun by holding onto the railing and slid it out.

  “That’s for my truck,” he shouted as he gave the tail a kick. Back up at the foot of the bridge, he picked up one of the white balls lying beside the road. It was an ice ball bigger than a tennis ball and had at least been partly melted. Joe noted that some must have hit the road, but they were all melted by then. He laid his gun down and retrieved a couple of rocks, as big as he could lift, and brought them up to the road to make a barrier across it. Then he started walking back towards Brown's Station, taking to the ditch side that ran between the highway and the railroad tracks that paralleled the Mississippi River. He thought that he should stay out of sight of the hill side with its thick woods as much as he could. Who knew what else must in there. He glanced back north along the railroad tracks. The railroad bridge ended partway over the Root River just like the highway bridge. He realized that he would have to be more careful – a lot more careful. His kids might not have a mother anymore and he sure didn't want them to be without a father too.

  Chapter 8

  Joe walked until he came across a house about a half-mile back down the road, a small country bungalow with faded yellow aluminum siding set on the narrow plot of land between the highway and a strip of woods that paralleled the ridge. Three pink plastic flamingos and a large plastic Santa were stuck in the front lawn. Christmas lights were still strung on the bushes in front of the windows. Joe trotted across the road, and reaching the front door, he banged his fist hard on it. After banging a second time, a short elderly woman poked her head with its gray curly hair through the curtains of the window next to the door. A few seconds later she opened the door.

  “Thank God that you have come. I hope that gun of yours is loaded?”

  “Yes ma'am, it is. See, there are...”

  “Come in, come in,” she said, then glided to a chair and wriggled into it. “Oh, you wouldn't believe what happened. My husband, Charlie, was on the side cleaning the garden out. Working out there is his way of getting away from me you see. Anyway, out of nowhere this dragon comes along and snatches him up and swallows him right up. It didn't breathe any fire, but I'm sure it was a dragon that I saw. It must have been taller than our house. Charlie was a rather cranky old fart, but he was my husband after all. He couldn't have tasted very good though. He was such an ornery thing you know, and old and tough too. But can you believe it, I saw a dragon? I know that they are supposed to be just in fairy tale books. But I saw it with my own two eyes.”

  “I don't think ...”

  “It left after that. Scampered back into the woods back there.” She waved a withered hand vaguely towards the back. “Probably got a case of heartburn with old Charlie.”

  “Heartburn? No ma'am, I think ...”

  “I know what you're thinking. Stella took too many nips this morning. But on Charlie's soul I swear I have not had any since last night. Not that it's a problem 'cause this old girl can ...”

  “Do you have a car?” Joe interjected.

  “Why, yes I do. But I don't drive anymore. Charlie always drove me when I had to go somewhere.” She let out a sigh. “Who is going to drive me now? I guess Charlie did have his uses. But he was such an ornery old man. Did you know Charlie?”

  “No, ...”

  “Well that's OK. You probably wouldn't have liked him anyway. Ah, poor Charlie, eaten by a dragon. Do you drive? I do need my medicines today. I had a dizzy spell this morning, but I'm better now. I just don't breathe as much, and I feel better.”

  “Yes ma'am, I drive.” He wondered about the breathing part. He noticed that he seemed to be taking relatively shallow breaths too. He didn't have time to dwell on it though.

  “Good! Then it's settled. You can drive me up to La Crosse to the drugstore up there.”

  “The bridge is out just up the road, ma'am. That's why I came to your house. I lost my truck over the Root River Bridge. The bridge ...”

  “Oh. Well I am sure that you could find another way up there. I do need my meds, you know. Did you get your deer yet?”

  “What?”

  “Your gun. You are out deer hunting, aren't you?”

  “No. This is for the ...ah ... dragons. As I said, I lost my ...”

  “You’ve seen him too?”

  “I've seen several today. Three of them attacked me and my boys this morning. I shot one of them and the others ran off.”

  “You have kids? That is nice. I have two. Of course, they are grown up now. I hardly ever see them anymore. Jane, she's my oldest. She lives down in St. Louis. She's a teacher. Jack, he's my youngest. He's a dentist. He lives up in the Cities. I have five grandchildren too. Jane has two and Jack has three.”

  “Where are your keys, Ma'am?”

  “Over on that hook by the door. Jane's husband Johnny is a sweetie. He always tells me I'm gorgeous. He sells cars. My Jack married a witch though. She may be a college professor, but she is a witch I tell you. They're here no more than ten minutes and she has some excuse why they have to go. Always like that. Why once ...”

  “I am sorry to interrupt, but do you have a suitcase that you can put your belongings into?”

  “Are we going on a trip? I've always wanted to go to Disneyland. You know once Charlie took me to ...”

  “We are going to Brown's Station to stay for a while.”

  “That isn't much of a trip. Are you sure we couldn't go to Disneyland?”

  “I am afraid not. But you can’t stay here – it isn't safe. There are too many ... ah, dragons running around here. It will be safer in Brown's Station. The supermarket there has a small pharmacy and you should be able to get your medicine there.”

  “You've seen them too, huh? I wonder if they can fly. You know now that I think about it, that one in our back yard didn't have wings that I recall. How many do you suppose there are?”

  “I don't know, but lots.”

  “Where do you suppose they came from?”

  For the first time since Joe entered, there was silence. After a moment, Joe answered, “Ma'am, I think that we have somehow gone back in time to when dinosaurs still lived. That animal that you thought was a dragon was actually a dinosaur. The area here around Brown's Station has been transported back in time somehow.”

  The lady's jaw dropped. “That's impossible. You're pulling my leg now.”

  “I wish I were. I am as serious as I can be. Besides is that any harder to believe than that you saw a dragon?”

  “Oh! My God! How could that happen? No! You are pulling my leg.”

  “No, ma'am, I am not pulling your leg and I have no idea how this happened. I'll help you get your things together.”

  “All I really need is to get my meds. Maybe, we could just go get them and you could drive me back here.”

  “Ma'am, you saw one of them yourself and saw what it did to your husband. Who knows what else might be out there in the woods now. It just is not safe here anymore. You would be better off staying in Brown's Station.”

  “All right. If you think that’s best, then I'll go. What should I pack? Uh, what did you say your name is?”

  “Joe Spechright. I am ... was a teacher down at the high school. I can help you pack.”

  “I'm Stella. Do you think that we could pack my comforter? I get cold without it.”

  “Sure.”

  “And my pillow? I can’t sleep on a strange pillow. I just lie awake all night without it.”

&n
bsp; “Of course.”

  How ‘bout my flamingos? The ones out front on the lawn. They are so darling!”

  “Definitely not!”

  Stella insisted on getting everything that they could possibly get into the 20-year old Cadillac – she couldn't bear to part with anything and though Joe felt like screaming, he bit his lip instead. After that they had a quick bite to eat – sandwiches and ice cream that was softening. Joe pointed out that the electricity wasn't coming back on and all the food was going to spoil anyway so they should enjoy it while they still could. Afterward, they squeezed into the car and started toward Brown's Station.

  Not very far down the road, Joe pulled into the driveway leading to the next house along the highway

  “I have to warn these people,” he told Stella. He grabbed his shotgun that was stuck between them. He wasn't going to take any more chances than necessary. Suddenly, Stella started crying. Joe didn’t know what to do. After a minute he just put his hand on her shoulder. Nothing was said. After a few minutes, she wiped her face on the back of one of her long sleeves and waived him away with the other hand.

  Joe got out and went up to the door. “Hello in there!” he shouted, rapping his knuckles hard on the door to the country bungalow. No one answered, but he heard movement inside. “Look, I know someone is in there. I need to talk to you.”

  “Get out of here. We’ve already called the cops,” a male voice yelled.

  “You could not have called anyone. All the phones, even cell phones are out. Electricity is out. Have you tried a portable TV or radio? You'll get nothing but static if you do. Listen to me, please. Something strange has happened. Get all your things together and get into your car and drive into Brown's Station. Do not go north. The bridge over the Root River is out up that way. If you have a gun, load it and keep it close to you. If you don't have a gun, keep a sharp eye out. There are some strange animals roaming around out here that are extremely dangerous. Extremely! Please go down to Brown's Station and take refuge there.”

  He left hoping that they would listen to him. He stopped and gave some version of the same message to each house down the road. Some people came to the door and greeted him. Some carried weapons themselves. Some knew him from the high school. Others spoke to him from behind closed doors. Stella grew irritated with all the stops, but Joe continued stopping until he got to the city limits by which time Stella was softly snoring. She had long since fallen asleep.

  Chapter 9

  Joe drove to his house first, but there was no sign that the house had been visited by anyone. He left the note that he should have left earlier. He then drove to the supermarket, but it was dark and locked up, so he couldn’t get Stella her pills after all. She would have to wait until the morning. He apologized to Stella, saying it was his fault for taking so long to get to town. She seemed very quiet and subdued as put her up in the only motel that was in town. Ron Lasgaard, being his usual sweet self at check-in desk, demanded payment before giving her a room. Joe ended up leaving his credit card number which could be wrung up after phone service was back up. Joe doubted that would happen anytime soon, if ever.

  He left her car at the motel since it was only a ten-minute walk from there. By the time he got to his parent's house, it was evening, and the sun was starting to set. The kids were very excited to see him, and Joe was amazed at how well they seemed to be coping with the situation. Joe was very grateful that the kids could stay with Grandma and Grandpa.

  “Where is Mommy?” the boys asked.

  “Mommy is stuck up in La Crosse.”

  “Is she sick?” asked Robbie.

  “No, she is all right. But the road is blocked between here and there, so she can't come home right now,” Joe told them.

  “When will she be home?” asked James.

  “I do not know for sure. But your mom is OK. I am sure of that. But now it is time for you two to get some sleep.” Joe tucked them in, giving each a kiss on the forehead and letting them drift off to sleep.

  He wished he really was more confident about Karen's safety. He was also uncomfortable about not telling the kids the whole truth, but he also didn’t want them to worry – at least not until he was sure. He made up his mind that he would have to tell them by the end of the next day that they were separated from Mom and they may not be able to see her again. He prayed that she really was safe. He was a teacher, but he didn't know how to explain to five and six-year-old kids the situation that they were in and that they were now separated in time from their mother who wasn't even born yet. Maybe, he thought, he needed to come to grips with their situation first and then he could explain it to them. Yet there still was a possibility that Karen was out there, and he needed to check that out first. He knew that he was grabbing at straws when what he needed was a rope, but he was not going to quit on Karen if there was even the slightest chance.

  The kids had already been fed and were in pajamas when he arrived. His old pajamas. He couldn’t believe his mom had kept them stored away somewhere. Joe went down the stairs and grabbed leftovers from plates on the kitchen counter from the dinner that his Dad had grilled and ate while discussing the day with his parents.

  “Thanks for putting the kids up for the night.”

  “That's what grandparents are for,” his mom answered.

  Joe dug into the food. The chicken tasted good, but was a bit tough.

  “I've heard that all of the roads out of the town go nowhere – just dead ends,” commented his dad.

  “I wouldn't say go nowhere, but rather into the past” Joe commented taking another bite. “It looks like our town got sent back millions of years into the past. It isn't just the dinosaurs. The vegetation has all changed too and there aren't any other towns. At least not that I could tell.”

  “That’s crazy! How could such a thing happen?” asked his dad.

  “I have no idea,” answered Joe, shaking his head before taking another bite.

  “Have you told the kids about Karen being lost?” his mom asked.

  “No. Not yet. I was hoping that Karen would have returned by the time that I got back. Unless I find her tomorrow, though, I will have to tell them.”

  “I am so sorry,” his mom consoled. “We love her too.”

  “I haven't given up on finding her yet. That weird storm could have sent other pockets of our world here as well. Maybe, La Crosse or part of it came with us and there are people up there, including Karen, wondering if they are alone. I know it is a long shot, but if there is a chance... I can't get there by road, but maybe I can by boat. I will walk there if I have to.”

  “That deputy, Comlin, came by just before you came back,” informed his dad. “He said that there was going to be meeting tomorrow morning down in the high school gym.”

  “A meeting? What's it about?”