He looked around the small room and found another chair for himself. Grief was a process that didn’t wrap up when the person was pronounced dead.
There was no time frame that was acceptable.
He knew eventually, and not long from that time, they’d leave the room and face moving forward.
The first initial threat, the eruptions were over.
That was done.
Other natural phenomenon were occurring, none that were a threat to where they were.
The hardest part for everyone was still ahead.
That was moving on. Gene was confident that as hard as it was to believe at that moment, he knew eventually, Owen and Gabe, like everyone else that survived, would move forward. They would just do so in a different and seemingly empty world.
TWENTY-TWO – FAR FROM OVER
Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Support
Owen closed the back hatch to the truck, while Gary double checked the cords that secured his father’s casket. The air force had given them one. His father always wanted to be cremated but since that wasn’t an option, they decided to take him back home to Roselawn Cemetery and bury him next to his parents.
It wouldn’t end there. They had to find their mother, and Gabe wanted to locate Shawna.
Fort Collins was a two hour drive, it would still be morning when they got there.
“Go on,” Gary told him. “I have the tarp. Check in with Gabe and we’ll head out.”
“Thank you.” Owen looked around. It was hard to believe they were still inside and underground. There were trucks and jeeps parked about, even a small plane.
Leaving Gary to place the tarp on, Owen walked over to where Gabe and Delaney finished loading the second truck.
Standing nearby were the Colonel and Gene.
Owen gave a swat to Gabe’s back. “Almost ready?”
“Yeah, we just loaded all the tools in.”
Owen looked over at Delaney. “Thank you for coming with us.”
“I want to help and wouldn’t want it any other way,” Delaney replied.
“Gabe, we haven’t talked about it,” Owen said. “What next, I mean are we coming back here? We staying there, going somewhere else?”
“This is going to take us all of today,” Gabe replied. “I’d like to come back, but …” he shifted his eyes to Delaney. “I made a promise.”
“Cleveland?” Owen asked.
“Yes,” Delaney answered. “My brother is already headed there for me. I’m going to meet him.”
“Hey,” Gabe said. “We already took one plane. I know Mr. Stewart’s plane is in Fort Collins. We can take that, fuel up along the way. Then like I said, come back or go wherever Uncle Gene is.”
“Actually,” the Colonel approached with Gene. “We would love to have you here. We need to have search and rescue and can use some pilots.”
Gabe laughed. “Dude, this is the air force here. You need pilots?”
“Did you …” Gene spoke up. “Did you just call this man, ‘Dude’?”
“I did.”
“It’s fine,” The colonel stifled a smile and waved out his hand. “We don’t have as many pilots as you would think here. I know you’re dealing with the loss of your father, and I am sorry for that. Just give it some thought. We need rescue teams. There’s a lot of area out there that needs covered, areas where we don’t know whether anyone is alive or not. For a while, East of the Mississippi is a no fly zone.”
“Wait.” Owen rushed forward. “What do you mean it’s a no fly zone?”
Gene explained. “The oceans rising have created massive storm surges. It’s bad. At least from satellite images.”
Owen looked at Delaney then back to Gene. “Her brother is going to try to get to Cleveland to find her family.”
“The brother in Clarksville?” Gene asked. “I know the town is hunkering down. You may want to try to give your brother a call before the lines go down. And they will.”
“Thank you, I will.” Delaney stepped away.
Gabe exhaled heavily. “So there is no way to get her to Cleveland to find and bury her family?”
“Not safely,” Gene answered.
“Even our most experienced pilots,” the Colonel added. “Would be grounded from flying over there.”
“For how long?” Gabe asked.
Gene shrugged. “We don’t know. Days or weeks. It’s hard to tell. It’s all unpredictable now.”
Gabe looked defeated as he faced his brother. “I promised her.”
“We all did,” Owen replied. “And we’ll keep that promise. Just not today or tomorrow.” He saw Delaney approached the truck again. “Did you get in touch with him?”
“No.” Delaney shook her head. “I’ll keep trying though. I wasn’t even able to get through.”
“The storms may have hit,” Gene said. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“Yep.” Delaney nodded. “Well, we better get going. Long day ahead of us.” She didn’t seem upset, but it was obviously a front as she walked to the front of the truck and got in the passenger side.
“I feel bad,” Gabe said.
“Don’t,” Gene told him. “There is nothing you can do. Let’s go bury your father.”
Like Gabe, Owen too, felt bad for Delaney. They were leaving to bury their family to have resolve, until Delaney made it to Cleveland over twelve hundred miles away, she wouldn’t have that resolution.
Chances were she would never get that. All she had to give indication of her family’s fate was an app on a phone, and it wouldn’t be long before she wouldn’t have that either.
For the time being they had to get moving.
Owen and Gabe would put their family to rest, but the impact of the sudden global tragedy would stay with them for the rest of their lives.
How could it not?
<><><><>
Fort Collins, CO
It was strange and empty going home, Gabe knew it would be. The first place they went was to the cemetery, finding an area where they could bury their dad. Gene, Delaney and Gary stayed behind to start digging while Owen and Gabe sought out their mother.
They found her at home, in bed. She had died in her sleep, curled on her hand tucked under her face. Her fiancé’s side of the bed was messed, but he wasn’t there. He probably had gone to work.
Even though he expected to find his mother, it didn’t make it any less heartbreaking.
Shawna on the other hand, Gabe didn’t find. He went back to his apartment, she wasn’t there. The car wasn’t in the lot either. He had a feeling that would be the case. They had argued when he left for the airport, she wanted to go to her friend’s house and party.
It was five thirty in the morning, but not something unusual for her.
The only consolation Gabe had was that Shawna probably drank until obliterated and then passed out just as the event hit. She, like his mother never felt a thing.
He didn’t know what friend she went to and Gabe, feeling slightly guilty, didn’t search. He focused with his brother on burying their parents.
It was bittersweet, but a chance to say goodbye.
It took most of the day and they finished just before evening. They headed to Tom’s apartment.
Gabe feared it would feel strange and sad, but it was oddly comforting. His father had lived in that apartment since his parent’s divorced.
It was a second home.
He opened the door, the power was still on and it had only been a few days since they had been there and it didn’t have that ‘away on vacation’ smell.
It smelled clean and fresh and was, as always, impeccably tidy.
Gabe knew his father cleaned before he left.
“He was running the vacuum when I got here that morning,” Owen said. “I told him the neighbors were gonna get mad. He said he wanted to come home to a clean house.” He paused and lifted a set of keys. “My car. You know we can take it back to Colorado Springs instead of those trucks. I have a full tank. Be a lot
more comfortable.”
Gene shook his head. “I’m pretty sure the Air Force wants their trucks back.”
“Too bad.” Owen set down the keys. “I love that car. I might take it though. Follow you.”
“Why not?” Gene told him.
Gabe walked to the small kitchen. “Dad has food. Anyone hungry?”
“You know what.” Delaney rushed to him. “Let me make something. I’ll cook.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Gabe said.
“I want to.”
“Okay. Okay, that would be cool.” Gabe stepped back. “Gene, Gary, make yourself at home.”
He couldn’t believe he was taking command of his father’s place, but then again, that’s what his father would do.
Gabe then made his way to his father’s bedroom. He knew what he wanted to get from there.
The bed was made, an empty laundry basket set on top. Seeing his father’s room, just broke his heart all over again especially when he looked at his father’s dresser and the pictures there.
So many pictures on a dust free surface. All of him and Owen, spanning their entire lives. Pictures with the three of them.
Gabe lifted a framed photo of him, Owen and their dad, it was a camping trip. They were teenagers. Owen stood close to their father, while Gabe just looked disgusted.
“Uncle Gene took that,” Owen said, entering the room.
“Why was I so upset in this?” Gabe asked.
“Don’t you remember?”
“I was mad at Dad?”
“No. Uncle Gene. He used to annoy you all the time. Pick on things you like just to get a rise out of you. Dad would tell you to not listen.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Gabe said. “Still. I was such a shit to him.”
“Who? Dad?”
“Yep.”
“No. Well, not always, you were you.”
“Exactly.” Gabe set down the frame. “I put him through a lot these last couple years.”
“And you were making up for it. He knew it. He was proud.”
“Was he?”
“Yeah, bro, he was. He went from calling me constantly worried about you to bragging. Have to tell you …” Owen lifted another picture. “I got sick of hearing about you.”
“I can’t believe he’s gone.”
“Me either.”
“What are we gonna do?” Gabe asked.
“We’re gonna do everything we can to keep making him proud. To keep him alive somehow, by doing what Uncle Gene said. Making it mean something. Do what Dad would do.”
“Oh, Christ,” Gabe sadly chuckled. “He’d be the first to volunteer to be on search and rescue.”
“Yes, he would, and he’d make us do it even if we didn’t want to. I have to tell you …” Owen said. “When you flew the plane, and did the fueling stuff, he was chest out, peacock proud.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he was. I know … we lost him. But I am so glad we were together. We didn’t want to do a Vegas vacation. But we agreed and I am glad we did. We were together, as a family when the world fell apart.”
Gabe lifted another picture. “Can you imagine if we had gone away with Uncle Gene and he was left there?”
“Dad was strong. He would have handled it. He would have searched for us. High and low.”
Gabe nearly dropped the picture when the light knock on the door arch rang out.
“Sorry,” Delaney said softly. “You were talking and I … I just wanted to let you know I was making those steaks your dad had if that’s okay. Figured we can use some protein.”
“Yeah,” Gabe nodded. “Absolutely.”
“And … I heard you guys. Your father loved you both very much,” Delaney said. “On the plane, he changed his shirt because he didn’t want you guys to worry. He just loved you that much. And you were right. If he had been in that plane without you, he would have searched for you and nothing would have stopped him.”
Gabe breathed deeply through his nostrils. “Yeah, he would have. That’s the kind of man he was.”
“No, Gabe,” Delaney said. “That’s just being a parent. I’ll leave you two be and call you for dinner.”
When she walked away from the door, something about what she said stayed with Gabe. It left an essence lingering in the air.
And he knew. Gabe didn’t recognize what it was at that moment, nor did he think about it over dinner. That strange feeling returned as they settled for the night and reminisced about their dad.
Something was off.
When Owen woke him that next morning.
The news didn’t surprise him.
Because a part of Gabe knew it was going to happen.
“She did it again,” Owen said with a hint of anger. “She did it again, only this time she took my car.”
“Delaney is gone?”
“Yep.”
Gabe didn’t have his wits about him, but he also didn’t jump out of bed. He slowly took in the news, made his way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.
Gary handed him a sheet of paper. “I don’t know when she left, I was the first to pass out. But she left a note. She can’t be that far. At most a couple hours.”
Gabe glanced down to the note. It was simple and not long. She started by apologizing.
‘I am sorry. Please don’t be angry. I need to do this. I need to find my children, my family. No matter what their fate. I need to find them. My brother left for Cleveland and I wasn’t able to stop him. He’s all I have left. I pray you find peace. I have to find mine -Delaney.’
Gary pulled out a map and placed it on the kitchen table. “She’s probably on this highway here. We have a good distance between us, but is it enough distance before the storm.”
“What if one of us take the truck,” Owen suggested. “Gabe, can you get Mr. Stewart’s plane?”
“Good idea,” Gary said. “Look by air?”
“Sorry,” Gene raised his hands. “We can’t do this. You all chased after her once and it cost us Tom. I can’t… I can’t let you boys go after her again.”
Gabe set down the note and the bottle of water. “We’re not.”
“What?” Owen asked shocked. “We have to.”
“And do what?” Gabe repeated. “Tell her to come back? Bring her back? Force her?”
“Try to talk sense into her,” Gary stated.
“Can we?” Gabe asked.
“Our father …”
“Would have done the same thing,” Gabe cut him off. “He would have looked for me and you, dead or alive. Not one of us has kids. Not one of us knows what she is going through.”
“We talked last night,” Owen said. “We said we’d do what Dad would do. He would chase her.”
“And Dad would let her go.”
“No he wouldn’t.”
“Yes,” Gabe argued. “He would. He didn’t make the decision to chase after her in Vegas. We all did. He went to look for her because we … you and me, Owen, went to look for her. He went where his kids were. That’s what she is doing.”
“He’s right,” Gary said. “Not that I knew your father.”
“I did,” Gene stated. “And I can say he’s right. But the storms, the floods, it could be a death wish.”
“And who is to say that’s not what she wants,” Gabe said.
“So we just let her go?” Owen asked.
Gabe nodded sadly. “As hard as it is, we just have to hope for the best and let her go. This is what she wanted. She wished us peace while she found her own. In fact, I envy her. She found her journey in this screwed up world. Now, it’s up to us …” Gabe said. “To find ours.”
TWENTY-THREE – TRAVEL ON
Cleveland, OH
EIGHT WEEKS LATER
Gabe’s boot sank in the thick mud that was at least eight inches deep. When it did, he hit a board, causing it to flip upward, with it a small wrestling action figure.
“Whoa, what is this?” Gabe reached down for it and lifted it
.
He cleared the dirt from the figure and stared at it wondering if it perhaps belonged to one of Delaney’s children.
He wouldn’t know.
Gabe had made a promise to get Delaney back to Cleveland, and for as much as he put on the cool front that he was unphased by her leaving, Gabe wasn’t.
It bothered him.
She had helped those on Flight 3430 and his father.
He hated making the decision to let her go, but it was the only one, at the time, he could make.
She left her bag behind in Colorado Springs and in it was her driver’s license with an address. When he discovered that, he took it as a sign. One he held on to.
He vowed to keep his promise to find her family, but there was nothing he could do for the longest time. The storms were horrible. Once the satellite images showed the skies had cleared, Gabe signed up for search and rescue on the East side of the Mississippi.
It wasn’t going to be easy.
Not like with the west.
For nearly two months, Gabe and his brother worked as a team, scouring the west portion of the country for towns and villages that remained unscathed, not hit by the eruptions.
Billings, Colorado Springs and other areas were being cleared and deemed rebuilding areas.
Bringing those who lived, together, made things easier. Many times Gabe and Owen would spot survivors, sometimes alone, sometimes in groups. If they wanted to join the rebuilding, fine, if not, Gabe and Owen moved on.
No sweat off their back.
Gabe waited patiently for the okay to go east.
When the time came, he thought he was ready.
He wasn’t.
He heard about what happened, but to see it was a different story.
Two hundred miles inland of the east coast everything was gone. Every major city that he knew of on the east coast, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, not only washed away, but was buried beneath the new coastal seaboard.
The waters receded, but not enough.
They had never heard from Gainesville, not a word or peep.
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