by Scott Todd
"Well unless something very big and bad had just happened," he continued. "So as a precaution I picked up Terry, and managed to make it up here, fearing the worst- that we might get hit with a mega tsunami. Marty was just about always watching seismometers too- and I used to tell him he was nuts, to let it go and live a little."
He paused again, his mind racing- and I knew there were about to be one million questions coming my way. He was going to want to know all about my computer setup, my programs, and every bit of information he could get- to help him piece it all together.
But before either of us could continue, Jan interrupted. "Shh everyone, quiet. What is THAT? Listen! I think it's something in the woods."
And no sooner had she said it, Ben had his flashlight on a huge black bear staring at us from about twenty feet away- apparently just as startled by us as we were by it.
There was just no time. No time for anything. Several shrieking screams later and a whirlwind of feet dashing to the car was all that was heard at that moment, before I could even draw my gun. Faced with the prospect of firing a .38 at a bear that big, I didn't stick around either to find out.
We all made it back to my car and slammed the doors shut. But we had no idea where the bear was, or just how dangerously hungry it was either. And the back of my car was full of food.
Chapter 7: We the Hunted
Jan had flown into the front passenger seat, and Ben and Terry heaped into the back. I kept thinking to myself "Well what the hell do we do now?" I had no idea what that bear was going to do, and I doubted my car could hold up to huge, prying claws and gnashing teeth.
By now it was near pitch black. I started to turn on my headlights to try and see, but quickly realized that I better not. Any energy in the car battery could turn out to be crucial in our desperate situation. And I was not about to waste it. Not even to see a gnarly bear about to attack us.
"If I could make it to our car," Ben suggested- heart and breath pounding, "I do have a rifle."
Terry looked at him, still terrified and surprised. "YOU have a GUN?" she questioned, almost in shock.
"Well it's a high powered hunting rifle. I had it hidden in case of an emergency, and managed to put it in the car before I picked you up, along with a few other things. But I couldn't get much with so little time," Ben said, a little more calmly. "And I'd say this is an emergency."
Terry gave him one of those "I'm going to damn well talk to you about this later" looks, as I saw her face in the rear view mirror, just barely, by the reflection of Ben's flashlight. He kept shining it around outside through the tinted glass, to see if the bear was anywhere close.
The enormity and increasing bleakness of the circumstances were taking its toll on all of us, and I knew if we panicked someone might do something really stupid. "Just WAIT," I said desperately. "No one do anything yet! Let's think about this for a minute. A wrong move could be fatal. Let's just all CALM DOWN first, ok? For the moment I think we're safe..."
Silence ensued for a minute as they realized that wasn't such a bad idea. The panic was hard to contain, but our panting slowly subsided.
"What if we drove back down the hill and over to your car to get the rifle," I suggested. "If we both fire at once, we might possibly kill it. But is killing it the right thing to do at this time? That bear might keep us alive for a while longer- but with no refrigeration, or any amount of salt to speak of, preserving the meat is a real issue. It might be better to let it live.
"But then again- it might kill one of us unexpectedly. On the other hand, if nothing else happens, we may never see it again- because there are still thousands of acres all around the mountain above the water- so maybe we should take the opportunity. And what about the gas, and the battery? Is that the best use of those resources to drive the car down the hill?"
"I think..." began Ben. But that was all he got out of his mouth. The car lurched forward and upward from a loud blow from behind. As Ben whipped around to shine the light out the rear window, Terry let out a deafening scream, as if she had just seen the devil.
"SCREW those resources!" I shouted- and cranked up the car. I put it in gear, and floored it forward- turning back down the hill towards the parking lot. It was only a few hundred yards, and Ben motioned me towards what looked like to be an expensive SUV. "That one, that one!" he pointed.
Looking out desperately for the bear with his flashlight, he quickly jumped in his car, and then out he emerged with one mean looking rifle with a scope on it. No sooner had I made the hazy assessment by my car lights, a loud shot rang out, then another, and then another. Somehow he had managed to shine the light on the beast, which had already made its way down the hill after us, and shoot it. We heard the thud of the bear as it hit the ground. For the moment the bear scare was over.
"I think I got it," he said, still somewhat panicked. "But... But we better get back up the hill- I still don't know that this is over yet. I am going to drive my car up there too."
And with that he climbed into his car and we both drove the cars back up the hill, as far as we could, passing a large dark heap sprawled out alongside the path, lit only for a moment by the headlights.
Smaller tremors had not stopped, and were almost continuous during all of the bear drama, making it truly a scene from the apocalypse. I didn't know how much more we could take, and Ben's uncertainty was making it even worse. After all, he was the expert, and even he couldn't tell us what had happened- or what to expect next.
We shut the cars off near the top, and Ben got out. He checked around the area with his flashlight and rifle, looking for more bears. He came back with an "all clear."
The rest of us got out in the darkness, illuminated only slightly by dim, reflected moonlight. It kept trying to break through the highest clouds. We gathered at up the deck.
"Looks like it's going to be a long night," Jan lamented. "Yeah," concurred Terry. "We don't even have a place to sleep, or any sleeping bags, or nothing," she complained.
"We can sleep in the cars," Ben said. They are both SUV's and the rear seats fold..."
Disaster just seemed to have a way of cutting Ben off, cause as he tried to finish his sentence, another distinct roar arose in the distance, similar to before, but even more intense. It was coming, AGAIN.
Chapter 8: Fear Redelivered
"Quick, into the cars," he yelled, and we all dove headfirst into the cars- Terry and Ben into theirs, and Jan and I into mine. Jan rolled down her window to listen, increasing the noise... But quickly rolled it right back up again. There was no need to try and hear it. It was there, and getting louder. The car started shaking, as before, but this time there was no question it was more intense. Something big was happening again, and was scaring the living crap out of every one of us.
As it increased even more into the deafening roar we had known, Jan's terrified eyes begged for physical comfort, and hers eyes weren't the only ones. We reacquired a death embrace, holding on to each other for dear life.
The car bounced up and down very violently, but this time we were both away from the sides of the car. I was holding onto the steering wheel with one arm, and trying to hold her with the other. It continued on for several minutes, and I was really afraid that one of us was going to have a heart attack. When it finally started to subside, I rolled down my window a bit, expecting to hear water. But I didn't.
With the ground still shaking some, but much less, and most of the noise gone, I heard a car door slam. Then Ben was standing outside my window, tapping on it with the flashlight.
"If that was anything like what we had before, that might have just been another P-wave," he said frantically.
He might as well of punched me in the face. He was right. "Oh mother of God no" I thought. If that was the P-wave, then as before, the S-waves were also on their way.
"But that P-wave was about as big as the S-waves from the last big one that brought the water!" I exclaimed. "I know, I know!" he retorted in earnest. "The S-waves from P-waves
that big could very well kill us, and they'll be here any minute. If you have any pillows or blankets, or anything that can cushion hard impacts, you'd better get them now. RIGHT now!" He said, and took off back to his car.
Jan- hearing the conversation- dove into back seat, frantically looking, and emerged with one pillow, a blanket, and my jacket- all things I had packed. But she had missed the sleeping bag and the small tent, which was in a box under some other stuff, all rolled up.
I dove into the back myself and dug them out. "Quick, get on the back seat and curl up into a ball!" I screamed. I packed her in with the blanket, pillow and sleeping bag, trying to cushion her from the impact of the doors and seats. Then I grabbed the jacket and tent, and whatever else I could find, including some loaves of bread, and tried best I could to pack myself in up in the front passenger seat. I even pulled out headrests from the front seats and gave one to her and held the other up against my legs.
Yeah we were desperate. But what else could we do? The smaller trees at the top of the mountain could still kill us with earth waves that big coming in. A landslide was also a big possibility, and better to be in a car for that. Maybe it didn't matter. There are some things you just can't live through.
As we waited for what seemed like forever, I briefly thought of Terry and Ben, and could only imagine the terror they were going through themselves. This was horrible. And now I was just wanting it to be over. "Enough," I thought, I just want to..."
I couldn't finish the thought before it was silenced by a massive roaring of the earth. Then I was slammed so hard against the roof, all I remember was a brief bit of pain and then incoming blackness. But as total blackness set in I had a distant sensation of rolling over and over...
I have no idea how long I was out. But now I was waking to a faint, weak voice. "Brian? Brian? Are you there Brian? Speak to me! PLEASE? BRIAN!?"
As I came to slowly, I realized that I was upside down, but I could not see anything. It was still pitch black. And I could barely move. It seemed I was trapped, any which way I tried to move. As I tried to feel around with one hand that was slightly free, it became quickly clear that the car had been crushed all around us. I tried to talk, and could barely manage a "Yes." I was hurting all over, and knew I had taken a bad beating.
"Oh thank God you're alive." I recognized Jan's voice. "I'm trapped, and can barely move, but I think I'm...Owww...!" she yelled, startling me wider awake. "My leg! I guess I'm not so OK," she said in pain. "I can't get my leg free."
"I can barely move myself," I mustered with everything I had. "I'm trapped too. And hurting pretty bad. I can't tell if anything's broken yet."
But no sooner had I said it than there was a tap on the door from the outside, and I thought I saw the reflection of a light. "Hang on, hang on!" I heard Ben say. "I'm coming."
And with that I felt him yank on the passenger door several times. When it finally opened, all he had to do was pull on me lightly and I came tumbling out, as if just freed from the clutches of death. I felt around on my body, checking the inventory, and although I had several lumps I seemed to be able to move freely now.
Chapter 9: Not Without Me
"We have to get Jan out," I said, now fully awake, and grasping the situation. We grabbed the rear door and both pulled hard, and with metal creaking, it finally gave way and opened. It turned out the bent door had trapped her leg, and she had ended up in a strange position with all the tumbling. We carefully tugged on her, and managed to get her out in one piece. She came tumbling out much like I did, but I wasn't the one with the shirt that wouldn't stay buttoned on.
Jan's damn shirt was getting both of us in trouble, because now Ben was looking at her bare breasts too. Her shirt just couldn't hack the tumbling. And he definitely stared, transfixed, with the flashlight right on them. And I thought I was bad!
"Ah, Ben?" I asked. "BEN!" I gave him a nudge. "Yeah...YES!" he exclaimed, turning quickly away.
"You sure you're ok?" he said to Jan, somewhat embarrassed.
Jan wasn't too upset at Ben's staring this time. She had hurt her leg, but it didn't seem too awful bad. She limped around a bit, and then finally buttoned back up her shirt. Ben briefly shined the light up to her face for an answer.
Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, she just sighed and said "Yeah I think I'm ok... Men!"
Ben shined his light on the car, illuminating both it and the surroundings. My car had rolled down the hill, been nearly crushed, and had been stopped by a smaller tree- which was leaning over, threatening to fall.
"The same thing just about happened to us," Ben said, still breathing heavily. "And Terry's up there- a little banged up but still with us. Our car held up pretty well, considering..."
I quickly put my arm around Jan to help her walk with her limp, and said "We better get back up there fast. We could get more water." As if reading my mind, Ben nodded and we made our way slowly back up to the top.
Ben parted company and went after Terry on the way. The moon emerged a little more from the clouds, increasing the illumination a bit. I could barely make out that there was some serious devastation in the trees and cracks in the ground. The circular observation deck's roof and part of the walls had collapsed. Some of the hill had also collapsed in landslides from the massive quakes.
"It's a miracle we're still alive," Ben reflected as he nursed Terry up the hill and they collapsed next to us on the remainder of the deck.
"I just hope a wave doesn't reach us this time if another one comes. Considering how far we are from whatever is happening in the Pacific, and judging from the time difference between the P-waves and S-waves, there is no question that was the biggest earthquake ever witnessed. In fact, the first one was too, but that last one was bigger. I'd say the water is probably coming again. But it may be worse."
Both Terry and Jan looked up with a blank stare that reflected that they just didn't care anymore. The fear was just gone. Exhaustion and stress had left blank human beings, just ready for the final end. And I felt the same. Ben seemed to be the only one with any human left in him. He was still trying to figure it out. Trying to make some sense of it all. Trying to live. And that was despite a big nasty knot on his head and bloody hands. He had disconnected from the pain.
"Where are those darn pills," I asked Jan. She felt around for a minute, and miraculously produced them. I downed four of them this time, not caring a minute, and she parted out four to each. "Might as well," she said weakly.
I wondered if the pills would start to work before the water came. It was a frivolous thought, but I had to think something. It just didn't matter. I just didn't care. I was over this, and wanted out- for good. I reached down for my gun, but it wasn't there. It must have come loose in the car. Crap!
"Can I borrow your light a minute?" I said to Ben. "I've got to get something." Ben handed it over, and I got up.
"Oh no you don't, not without me," Jan said terminally. She knew exactly what I was up to. Ben looked puzzled as Jan and I limped back down the hill towards the car. On the way, Jan seemed to get a second wind and started limping less, trying harder on her own.
"Thanks for trying so hard and for saving my life," she said, "But I've had enough of this too. Shoot me first, please."
"I was just going to get it in case the water gets so close that it is certain we are going to..." I started saying.
"Oh," she said, stopping and surprised. "Well if you're sticking around, I might stick around too then. I don't know for what, but we could try to..."
And then it started, interrupting her and cutting her off. Way off in the distance, but it was the horrifying sound we heard before.
"We've only got MINUTES," I said urgently, running to the car and frantically searching through the hole I was pulled from. The flashlight was starting to dim, but at last I found it.
"Come on," I said, and helped her back up the hill, to the increasing roar in the distance. "If it gets too close, I'm doing it," I said, "But you'll have to do i
t yourself. Sorry."
She just looked at me, a little perturbed, but with a slightly different demeanor. I also took a mental note of the way she was hugging me going back up that hill. It was different than before. Maybe she had forgiven me. It made me want to live a little more. Maybe I would wait until that water was all the way up my nostrils...
Chapter 10: Wave Bullets
I didn't have to wait long to find out if it was going to be death by bullet or wave. The ground shook more and more, but differently from when the earthquake waves were striking. It was a low, steady rumble, ever increasing in strength, in combination with that huge sound- the sound of an enormous amount of water, crashing and breaking upon land. It was distant, yet approaching, and it seemed to be coming from a different direction this time.
Another piece of the deck fell off and landed right next to me, but I didn't care. "Just get this over with," was all I could think. I don't know who was holding on tighter, Jan or me.