by Jeff Olah
“Dad really loved her; he told me that you guys are together because of her.”
“Yes, she was very special to him. Vera took care of him like a mother. She helped your dad find me when I needed him.”
“Did you love her too?”
“Very much.”
He hugged her and before running off to help his father, turned to her. “Mom, I love you.”
As he scooted away toward his father, she whispered, “I love you too, Benji.”
“Hey dad.”
“Hey kiddo, you here to help?”
“Yep, whadda ya want me to do? Can I use that tool? The one you make shapes with?”
“Sure, I left a section that’s all your own. You know, long before you were born, I made a swing for your mother and would watch her sit and enjoy it every single day. Even in the cold, she’d go out and swing until she was frozen. I think it reminded her of being a little girl.”
“What happened to it?”
“Just like everything else from before…it’s gone, but the world is a much better place now and your mother and I get to smile every single day. You are a big reason for that.”
“Are we ever going back there, to Halo?”
“Not again in our lifetime. Samuel and the others he works with say that we are good to live here on the beach for as long as we like.”
“What about those bad people who used to be here?”
“The Andros?”
“Yeah.”
“Well,” Rath said. “We haven’t seen them since we got back. Hopefully they’ve moved on.”
“Okay dad, can I go play with Evan?”
“Sure buddy, have fun.”
He watched his son run across the same beach he and Sarah had found one another on all those years before. Trotting off without a care in the world, his son would never fully understand what it took to get to this place in time. He’d never understand how the human race had dwindled to less than eighty-six souls before ascending back to the surface of the ocean and repopulating the place they had once lost.
Turning to face the blue water, he smiled as she approached. All grown up and as strong a woman as he’d ever seen, he was proud of the person she’d become and often thought of her as his own child.
“Hey Mr. Rath.”
“Hello young lady, I can’t imagine you’re that bored that my company seems worthwhile.”
Chloe knelt in the sand next to him, wrapped her arm around him, and hugged him tight. “Happy birthday, how you holding up?”
“I’m fine, can’t wait for the barbeque. You still coming tonight?”
“We’ll be there, mom just went to the cemetery; she likes to be there alone, you know.”
“Yeah, I know,” Rath said.
“Hey, I know this is hard for you. Her passing on the same day as your birthday. I’m sure the reminder every year is a bit of a downer. You know I’m here if you need to talk.”
“Thanks, although I think Sarah needed you for the final fitting. I sometimes think she’s more excited about this wedding than you are.”
She patted him on the back, complimented his woodworking abilities and started toward Sarah. A few steps in and she returned. Chloe took his hand and said, “After all these years, I still need your help.”
“Anything.”
“You mean more to me than just about any person in this world, you know that. I need you to be my hero one last time…will you walk me down the aisle next month and give me away to Logan?”
“I was hoping you’d ask, and I absolutely cannot wait sweetheart. Now go before I start to well up…and thank you.”
Chloe moved off and disappeared into the beach house with Sarah as he returned to the task of creating the last porch swing his wife would ever use. Benjamin Rath spent the remaining daylight sitting in the warm air and watching the younger children play in the shore break, calling to mind those he now cared for and so many others who’d already left this beach for a better place.
Just before sunset and as the group began to gather where the tide reached up and kissed the soft sand, Rath moved in behind Sarah. They leaned into one another along the railing of the raised deck, overlooking their new family and smiled. Sarah pointed to the piece of driftwood he’d spent the day with. “It’s coming together nicely, just like the last one you made me. You gonna let Benji help you again tomorrow?”
“Yeah, he asked me how we’ll know when it’s finished.”
She laughed and brushed his greying hair away from his face. “What did you tell him?”
“I said that when it’s as beautiful as his mother, then we’ve built something worth giving you.”
It took him eleven separate days outside in the scorching sun to secure the piece of wood suitable for his latest project, although it took him nearly thirty years to find her. She was still worth every second.
What Else?
THRESHOLD
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SNEAK PEEK of The Dead Years
1
No one knew how or where it all began. There were only rumors at first, spreading from one city to another. The infection took hold quickly. Many that became victims of the first wave were caught off guard by the unusual behavior of those infected. Millions perished with each day that passed and the number of survivors continued to dwindle as they desperately searched for places free of this hell.
The devastation was almost immediate. Law enforcement fell, utilities powered down and civilization was shattered within the first few weeks. With no structure left in the world, the few remaining sought to band together to fight and survive in this new existence.
They had no other choice…
Mason looked out over the floor in between sets and was somewhat caught off guard, and also a little amused as one of his favorite songs from high school started up through his headphones. He hadn’t heard this for quite some time and figured his phone must be cycling through the deep reaches of his enormous playlist.
Just as the chorus set in, the music muted, signaling a call was coming through. Mason pulled the phone from his pocket to check who was calling. “April,” he said aloud. He figured there must be something else she needed to harass him about and he wasn’t going to ruin another workout just to satisfy her need to belittle him. He hit decline and lay back on the floor for another set of crunches.
Mason ran through his next set like a man on fire and lost all focus on the world around him. He often used his outside frustrations to fuel his high intensity workouts in the gym. This proved to be an effective tool in that he was able to push off his problems and at the same time get into top shape. The downside to all this was that his workouts, coupled with the time spent training clients, fueled the fire that resulted in his and April’s separation three months ago.
Rolling forward and standing from his final set, Mason was surprised to see the weight room almost empty. He turned and noticed at least thirty people gathered outside the owner’s office and as he got closer, he saw there was at least half that amount inside the office.
They seemed to be intently debating something as others hurried out the front exits of the gym and were headed for their cars. Mason asked one of the female on-lookers what was happening and just as she began to answer, his phone started to buzz, indicating he was getting a text message.
Again it was April.
Looking back at the woman standing directly in front of him, now appearing irritated, Mason said, “I apologi
ze, what did you say?”
“The old folks home,” she said.
“Yes…” Mason followed.
“They’re killing each other… LOOK!”
Mason pushed his way through the diminishing crowd inside the office to get a glimpse of the television now directly in front of him.
The reporter standing in the hallway was in the middle of his report when he was overtaken by what appeared to be three individuals, all of whom were at least eighty years old.
Someone in the crowd said, “I am not sure what the hell they’re taking, but I want some. Damn, I have never seen people that age move so fast.”
The news station cut away just as the threesome overtook the reporter. The footage was disturbing in that it appeared as though they were not just attacking the reporter, but trying to devour him. The first crazed senior appeared to bite the reporter on the neck or face and just as they cut away it looked as though the others had the same intention.
The station went to a commercial and Tom the owner switched to another station covering a mysterious virus plaguing an emergency room with the same sort of crazy behavior; this time it wasn’t senior citizens. The cameraperson appeared to be running from the hospital and dropped the camera just as he was trapped on all sides by the angry horde.
Mason looked over at Tom and watched as the remaining members either headed toward the doors or to the locker room, fearing the unknown. Tom stared at the screen a minute longer watching as the cameraman was torn to shreds by nothing more than the hands and mouths of the rabid individuals.
“Tom!”
“Yeah, what?” Tom said as though coming out of a fog.
“What the hell is happening?”
“How on earth would I know? It’s on every damn station though… check it out.”
As Tom flipped from one station to the next, every station—even the local cable channels—had coverage of these bizarre events taking place. Some of the network channels had started to go dark and this appeared to concern Tom.
“Mason, I’m closing up for the day. I need to get home; my wife is probably flipping out. I’m surprised she hasn’t called yet. If you want to stay you can lock up, otherwise let’s go.”
“That’s fine,” Mason said. “I’m going to grab my bag and I’ll just be a few minutes behind you.”
Heading back toward the locker room, Mason turned and looked as Tom reached the front door.
“Tom, take care, I’ll call you later.”
Mason pulled the phone from his pocket and looked down remembering he had put April on ignore. “Great,” he said.
Opening April’s text, it read: Check the news, I am really scared – PLEASE CALL ME!!!
Mason sat in front of his locker and dialed April. Being the only remaining soul inside the gym felt a little creepy and not just because of the earlier images he had seen on the news. He always hated being here alone, especially when it was dead silent, and being here mid-afternoon with the place empty was just weird.
“Mason!” April answered on the forth ring.
“I’m just leaving the gym now,” Mason said.
“Where are you headed?”
“Home… why?”
“Can you come here?” April asked. “I’m really scared and I need you.”
“Where is Justin?” Mason asked.
“He’s in school; I just checked out the window and everything is quiet.”
Mason had never heard April this worried. He figured he would try to set her mind at ease. “I’m on my way to your place. Stay put and I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“I will,” April said, sounding a little less stressed.
“Mason?”
“Yeah?”
“I just spoke to my Dad.”
“Oh yeah, what did HE have to say about this?”
“He didn’t say very much, although he made me promise him that we would get out of the city. TODAY!”
2
April hung up the phone and walked to the oversized bay window in her master bedroom. The home she had purchased eight years ago with Mason was supposed to be her dream home. Instead, it now reminded her of how hard she had been on him and how much she had let her father influence those bad times.
Thinking back to the better memories they shared, she remembered that they had decided on this home in particular because it overlooked not only the elementary, but also the middle and high schools. She persuaded Mason that if they stuck to the budget she outlined, they could literally watch their son grow from kindergarten to high school. She was sure her being overprotective did nothing to help their marriage. Mason would constantly let her know she needed to “loosen the reigns,” especially since Justin was only a few months shy of his fourteenth birthday.
She desperately hoped Mason would arrive soon as she was freaked out after watching the news all day and talking to dear old dad.
“I guess we were spared,” April said aloud as she looked out the window surveying both campuses, half trying to convince herself that she had nothing to worry about. No frantic people running around; in fact, the area seemed overly calm.
April made her way downstairs and into the kitchen just as the phone rang. She was sure it was Mason with some sort of an update, although upon checking the caller ID she noticed the call was coming from Justin’s cell.
“Hello?” she quickly answered, trying to sounds as if she had not a care in the world.
“Mom, something weird is happening.”
“What’s going on?”
“All the teachers and staff were called to an emergency meeting and they haven’t been back to the classrooms. It’s been almost an hour now.”
“Where are you?” April said.
“I walked out into the gym because the rest of the school is too loud. The other students are kind of just running around the halls. Mom, some of my friends are saying that there is a war that was started.”
“Justin, I think they’re just trying to scare you.”
“Well, what IS going on? Why are all the teachers gone? Why haven’t they come back?”
“I’m sure it’s nothing. Just go back to cl…”
“Mom they’re coming back, I gotta go.”
April set the phone down and leaned back against the counter. She wanted Justin home and had to talk herself out of walking across the street to get him. She knew it would embarrass him and probably her as well.
April decided she would head back to the bedroom and sit at the window and watch, that way she could ease her mind and at the same time she would be ready to move if anything changed.
Even before she reached the window, April could see both parking lots start to fill with cars. Knowing there were no performances going on at the middle school today, she knew what was happening.
These parents were just as alarmed at the events of the day as she was; they were just less concerned with what the other parents thought of them.
“Screw it.” Deciding she didn’t care either, she dialed Mason again to let him know she was headed to the school to bring Justin home. She figured he could help her pack a few things and as soon as Mason arrived she would try to convince him that her father had some insight and they should heed his warning and head out of town.
Mason’s phone went to voicemail once again. April typically would have just hung up, although she wanted him to know where she was if he got here before she got back.
“Mason, it’s me, there is some weird stuff going on over at the school. I’m going over to bring Justin home. If you get here before I get back, the front door will be unlocked…Please hurry.”
Before heading out, April grabbed the television remote and powered it up. She promised herself earlier that she would not watch any more coverage; however, she wanted to be sure there wasn’t any new information.
Most of the network stations were now off the air. April flipped through the last of the local stations and came upon a disturbing feed that was playing on a loop showing a c
rowd of deranged people stampeding two middle aged women trying to get into the grocery store. She had to turn away and instantly hit the off button before she witnessed another second.
“What in the world is happening?”
3
April’s father was a great man, sometimes too great for Mason to even stomach. He knew April loved him, but he also knew their marriage would continue to be an uphill battle as long as her father continued to add fuel to the fire.
Putting that aside, Mason knew better than to doubt this man. He knew April’s father was some sort of military big shot; he just had no idea what kind. He figured it was better not to ask as it would have just led to some sort of discussion about why he couldn’t measure up… it always did.