by Roger Hayden
"Julie, close your eyes, baby," Samantha said squeezing her hand tightly.
"What's happening?" Julie cried.
"It will all be over soon, I promise, it will be over soon."
One last violent shock and the cave rattled the flashlight out, leaving them in the pitch black.
Outside the cavern and below the mountain, a wave of thermal nuclear vehemence eradicated the forest and everything in its path like a thousand degree tsunami of death. It passed through in the Rocky Mountains in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing but ash and ember in its wake. All was quiet and dead, though the mountains were still standing without rhyme or reason. It was a bit of the old world still remaining in the new.
The nuclear explosion spread in a vast circular radius from Texas, through New Mexico, Colorado, and part of Wyoming. The states above Texas: Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska were obliterated, along the surroundings states to the east: Louisiana, Arkansas, and Missouri. The culmination of the early nuclear strikes and the detonation of the megabomb had rendered America into something different, as planned. The surviving states and people would be among the residents of a once vibrant country reduced to a vast nuclear wasteland. For the survivors of the states hit--and there were many of them--they would face the unknown. They would be on an endless search for civilization, for some place that existed outside the darkened skies of a nuclear winter. Some would find home, some would find other states, but their own futures, and that of the nation's was a cataclysmic uncertainty. Could there be such a thing as a post-nuclear world? Could they live in a post-apocalyptic era where half of the nation's population was wiped out? Only time would tell.
Samantha and Julie were the very survivors faced with those types of questions. After the tremors ended, Samantha opened her eyes to only find more darkness. They would have to feel their way out. Miraculously, the cave did not fall in on itself, and Samantha hoped and prayed that no obstruction had fallen in the path.
"Is it over?" Julie asked.
"I think so, let's move," Samantha answered.
They crawled back the way they had come with Samantha feeling along the path before them. As the space got bigger and they had room to stand and walk, Samantha felt an uncomfortable heat radiating in the air. They reached a point where they could see light. Samantha pulled Julie along, eager to see what awaited them outside. Perhaps it was only a light earthquake and nothing more. Her paced quickened and she could see the opening of the cave leading right out of the mountain.
"Almost there," Samantha said.
They reached the end of the cave and were met with a fowl, almost toxic air. Samantha jumped back and hit the wall of the cave. Julie took a step back as well, holding a hand over her mouth.
"Julie, get back," Samantha ordered.
She took a few steps away from the opening of the cave and leaned against the wall with her mom. Samantha's mind raced. What had happened? She could smell the fire, the smoke, and the ash. Her worst horrors had been confirmed. The terrorists had detonated the bomb. And Oh my God, Paul! She had to get to Paul. Maybe he had survived as well. Maybe it wasn't that large of an explosion.
She told Julie to stay as she ventured forward to look out into what was left of the Rocky Mountains. The first thing she noticed was the color. Everything was gray and black, even the sky. It looked as if a forest fire had vanquished the entire landscape in a matter of seconds. There was so much smoke in the air, it was hard to breathe. Whatever radiation in the air that existed was invisible. Samantha was sure that from the moment they emerged from the cavern, radiation would envelop them. Her knees grew weak, and she started to shake uncontrollably. She leaned to the wall and fell, defeated and anguished. Julie rose from and put her arms around Samantha as her mother wailed in silent sobs that soon grew into full-fledged outbursts of pain and sorrow. Julie rubbed her back as Samantha dropped closer to the ground. Her tears dripped into a small puddle in the blackened dirt.
"It's okay," Samantha cried out, trying her best to console her own daughter.
With her arms around her, Julie tried to pull her mom back up before she hit the ground.
"Don't worry about me. We're alive...that's all that matters. We're alive," Samantha continued.
"I know, Mom," Julie said, too shocked for protest and too numb to feel anything. She did the only thing that she knew, at the time, she was capable of: show her mother love.
Samantha rose to her knees, put her arms around Julie, and squeezed. They held each other as smoke trails drifted by the opening of the cavern venturing upwards into the ashen sky.
Epilogue
New World
I don't even know if there's any point to writing you, Tommy, but maybe you got lucky like we did and survived. I used to write to my friend, Jessica, but I doubt that she's alive anymore. You know what's funny? I never sent Jessica the letters I wrote, but would get upset when she didn't write back. I must be losing my mind. Where do I start? Me and Paul found my mom, we ran here and there, then the police chased us, and me and my mom hid in a cave waiting for Paul to return. He never did though. We walked out of the cave and the entire forest was scorched. That's the word my mom used. She said, "scorched." The ground was hot like if you walked on a fire pit the day after. I didn't feel safe. Neither did my mom. She held a rag over her face and told me to do the same.
She said we needed protective clothing and that we would have to find a way. No one was around. Not a soul. There wasn't even an animal. A bird. A bug. A beetle. Nothing. By the time we got to the highway, my mom was in pain. Her sandals had worn out and she could barely walk anymore. She said she had bad cramps. I don't know. I felt really bad for her. We could see miles down the road where you could at least see part of the buildings of the city, but there was nothing but smoke. I mentioned the bunker at the airport which just made her more upset. She said we'd never make it on foot in our condition anyway. The best thing we could do, she said, was to go back into the mountains and rest until maybe it became easier to breath.
The next day we ventured out again after my mom wrapped her feet with what cloth we had left. We came to the last of our water. That was the biggest problem. She said we would have to find a creek somewhere or we would be in trouble. But wouldn't the water be contaminated? That's what I asked her. She said we would have to see, but if we didn't get any food or water soon we would be hurting. I started to wonder if it wasn't better just to be dead. I mean, what we were going through seemed actually worse. We couldn't go that far out because my mom was getting sick and she was very tired. One day while she slept I decided to go out and see how far I could go to find us supplies. Most of the forest was burnt down anyway, but at least there were trees in the mountains. I'm not much of a mountain climber. Maybe I'll have to learn.
So I was going up the mountain when I came across a group of people bundled up completely. They were even wearing gas masks. I screamed and ran, but they caught me. I thought I was going to die, but they took me to their place in the mountain and gave me food and water and new clothes. They're like some kind of survival people. "Preppers" they called themselves. They had a prepping community. I told them that we had kids at our school that we called "preppy," but I don't think they're the same thing. I couldn't wait for my mom to meet them. So we came and got my mom, and they helped her not be so sick again. The man and woman who run the place are named Jack and Cindy. They're nice, I think. But I don't really trust anyone anymore. I mean, I barely trusted you. We live with them now in some underground place. They said we're going up in a couple of days, once we get rest, and we're going to leave Colorado. They said we're going to find a place where there's still life. Hope to see you soon.
Samantha was badly dehydrated when Jack and his prepper group found her. There was no telling how much longer she would have lasted. They placed her on a stretcher and carried her to their underground bunker, further up the mountain. There were ten people in all, living within the tight confines. But they had food, water, clo
thing, medical supplies, and radiological test equipment, whereas Samantha and Julie had nothing. Samantha slipped into unconsciousness soon after being placed on the stretcher. When she awoke, the damp air and dimness of the cold surroundings seemed all too familiar. She had been in a place like this before. Had they taken her back? Was she in her own personal hell?
"You're safe now, Mom," Julie said, standing over her bed. "These people are here to help."
It wasn't Senator Bryant before her or any of his creeps. She might not have been in such a bad place after all. She tried to speak, but barely had any voice left.
"You were really dehydrated, your voice is going to probably be out for a little bit," Julie continued.
"Where are we?" Samantha whispered in a raspy, barely audible voice.
Suddenly Jack entered the picture, standing next to Julie. He was a large, burly man with a woodsman's dark beard and wild, expressive blue eyes. He wore a thick plaid jacket, blue jeans and hiking boots.
"You're in our underground hideout. Julie, here, brought us to you. Just in time too. You wouldn't have lasted another day," he said.
His wife, Cindy walked over to them and stood next to Jack. She was a lively middle-aged, fit woman, wearing several layers of clothing and thick plastic rain boots that went to her knees. She had a ski cap over her head, covering her thick blond hair.
"At least now we can actually get you a good pair of shoes," she said.
Samantha reached out for Julie who hugged her in return. After they finished, Jack addressed Samantha with complete focus.
"We don't want to put too much on you right now. You get some rest and get better. Just want you to know that we're headed west soon. We're going to try for California. At least we'll find the ocean. Can't stay here too much longer, supplies are running out. You're welcome to what we have as long as we have it. And you and your daughter are welcome to come with us too. In fact, I'd insist on it. Just think about it, relax, and get better," Jack said with a pat on her knee.
Samantha smiled and shut her eyes.
"Okay," she said. "I will."
Find out where this whole event started with episode 1 for FREE: http://amzn.to/1h9agfH