The Days After (Far View)

by J. Richardson

  The Days After

  Far View

  by

  J. Richardson

  COPYWRIGHT

  All Rights Reserved

  Copyright © 2014 by J. Richardson

  The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  Under the Green Plateau

  CHAPTER TWO

  A Spring Fever

  CHAPTER THREE

  Outside

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Rolling on the River

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Lakeside

  CHAPTER SIX

  Nothing is Forever

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Big City Lights

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The Far Horizon

  CHAPTER ONE

  Under the Green Plateau

  Sideways layers of crystal snow and ice pellets swirled across clear glass panels in the grid work, high above his head. From a railed walkway twenty feet below a lean man with boot clad feet, dressed in jeans and a heavy sweatshirt observed nature's impressive wintry show. Dark brown hair streaked with gray at the temples framed a strong jawed face, a visage that had very few of the spidery lines that most fifty plus year old faces own. Will couldn't hear the howl of the blizzard, only white silence. His blue gray eyes lowered from the overhead brightness and traveled down the rough rock wall to the ground three stories below. Voices and laughter drifted up to him as several of the citizens worked the winter crops. He whistled, the sound echoed off the walls of the cavernous open space. A face he knew and loved turned upward, a hand sent him a wave. He saw the flounce of silver white hair pulled back in a high ponytail as the woman turned back to her work. Even from his high perch, he knew a smile had flashed across Maggie's pretty face. His own mouth curled up at the vision.

  Along the walkway with the heavy metal mesh floor, his steps made an audible clang and he thought of when they first arrived at Far View City. The large green garden was only the beginning of things that would amaze him. The bunker was actually a small city carved into the heart of a towering plateau in the Four Corners area of America, the unique location that touches the borders of the states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona. Over a half mile square and three stories tall, the refuge towered higher in the area where the sky dome stretched.

  The guide had shown them around the facilities and when they paused above the football field sized garden, already green with crops, Will said, “Wait a minute, how can anything grow in here? This place is in solid rock.”

  The guide explained that the fertile garden was actually a ten foot deep hole in the rock filled with soil. Tiny tunnels drilled out all around the perimeters provided drainage, the glass dome let in sunlight and some sections could be opened when it rained. Will would learn over time that like everything in the Far View City, this very important necessity for survival had been well thought out and executed.

  Maggie met him at the bottom of the stairs, slipped her hand in his, “Let's get some lunch. Did you have a good class this morning?”

  As the two moved towards the cafeteria on the second floor he answered yes and said, “Well, you know Hon, archeology isn't the most popular subject with pre-teens but I actually had about eight kids in the morning class.”

  His hand slipped from hers, his arm went around her waist and he pulled her in close. After all these years, he still loved the feel of her softly curved body. Even though the work of survival in this high haven, with the addition of lots of natural food kept most of the inhabitants slim, Maggie just wasn't naturally a thin person. Her head that rose a bit above his shoulder, early on lost all of it's dark brown color, a family genetic occurrence. Will thought that it was prettier above her blue green eyes than the darker color ever was. Only a few smile lines crinkled at the corner of those eyes and near her beautiful smile. She stepped in front of him and they turned into the noisy dining area, she pushed up the sleeves of her sweatshirt, began to check out what was on the buffet line today. He thought how he loved her even more than when he first met her, over fifteen years ago now, before the catastrophic event fell on the world.

  ***

  The computer screen glared on the small desk and he pecked away, made notes as he researched. He could've used a touch screen, he preferred the keyboard that at least resembled the typewriter he learned to type on. He had a love/hate relationship with the latest and greatest technology. On one hand, he loved the endless supply of information over the world wide internet. On the other, he detested people who walked and drove around in a cell phone gadget stupor, they talked, texted, emailed, engaged in out loud private conversations that people would've never even talked about in mixed company a few years ago.

  Like most rather spoiled Americans, if something new benefited his projects and life, “Hey, that's amazing, that's great.” If it was obnoxious to him, stepped on his big toes, “What a crock! What are they thinking?”

  The Senator would make a speech later this week on the failure of the solar company. Will needed to provide more information to support the argument against additional funding. Will's boss, who worked for the number one aide of the Senator passed on the job to him. In other words, Will was the staff of the staff's staff. He laughed to himself, he didn't give a rat's ass. Who would turn down a chance to work in the White House, in America's capitol? By the age of 40 his education and deep interest in archeology and anthropology had taken him to many remote areas of the world and kept him single. He had a great love and respect for his aging and very conservative father. When his dad asked him to please help with the political campaign of an old friend, he didn't refuse. He didn't agree with all of his father's long held beliefs, far from it, but he had became more acutely aware that he wouldn't have him in his life indefinitely. The friend of his father won his bid for Senator and in an unpredictable twist, Will was offered a job in Washington, D.C. He would just be a general flunky, compiling figures, facts and statistics...oh well, why not?

  The very day that he arrived at the D.C. office, Maggie flashed him her lovely smile and he was smitten. He had never been in love, no time for it. Now he walked past her desk to give his boss the research information. She looked up and gave him a wink just as everything went instantly black and silent. “Hell” and “Dam-mit!” erupted from the desks and cubicles. Everyone just stood and waited for the generators to kick in....they did, the lights dim but on. Will continued the few steps, the papers extended he stood in the door of his boss's office.

  An undefinable look was on the boss's face, a nervous hand rubbed across the man's face and he said, “Will, it's a code, ah-ah-h...a code..?”

  Will looked at him and around the office, totally baffled, “A code what, Bob?”

  The man stood, plopped a briefcase on top of the desk and started to open drawers and stuff things in the case. “An evacuation, just as we were briefed on. Please tell everyone to get ready to leave.”

  “A bomb threat? Is that what it is?” said Will, already a step back.

  Bob sighed and straightened his back, “No, no. It's a disaster evacuation. Hustle Will...go and get everyone moving. The Secret Service will be here shortly.” The man continued his agitated rummage of his desk drawers.

  With the strange feeling of a bad movie scene Will moved back into the office area and announced loudly, “Everyone, you need to prepare to evacuate now. It's not a bomb, it's a code four.”

  The lights flickered a time or two and his eyes met Maggie's, fear lived there. She sat down, opened the bottom drawer of her desk and took ou
t a pair of tennis shoes. The high heels slipped off her feet, she quickly put on and laced up the walking shoes. Will would never see her wear the heels again. She lifted a small bag with some basic cosmetics, a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts from the drawer, replaced the bag with the heels. There was noisy confusion in the office, several employees tried to reach someone on their cell phone.

  “Quiet please.” Two men in suits appeared at the office entrance, “Stay calm and follow. Move, move quickly...let's go.” A panicky crush followed, Will reached across several people and found Maggie's up-stretched hand. They were herded through the long hallways, others joined as they moved along. They moved deeper into the bowels of the Whitehouse, flashlights came on and the Secret Service men, accompanied by some military personnel urged them on and downward.

  The couple made no attempt at conversation, Maggie's hand locked in his, they squeezed in with the mass of people being hustled along. In the nearly two years they worked in the Whitehouse, they never walked in these areas or even knew they existed. Swept along in the crowd they moved through a long dark tunnel and then several feet of walkway completely covered above head in plastic, the outside light hazily visible. At the top of the steps, a soldier directed them to the left. They obviously had boarded a train, the windows locked down and heavily tinted.

  Will slid into a seat and pulled Maggie down beside him. His heart thumped in his ears like a drum, occasional car horns honked and shouts, a scream or two floated in above the low hum of fear that filled up the train car. The windows were so dark he could only make out faint figures and movement outside. He felt the tremble of her shoulder next to his, his thumb pushed away the tear that slipped from the corner of her eye, “We'll be okay. I promise,” he said as her head dropped against his shoulder and her eyes squeezed shut.

  It was just words, he and Maggie both knew it. He was 42 years old, it was the year 2015 and there was no promise of “okay” in their future. He thought of his father, very ill as of the last two months or so. There was a good chance that he had seen him for the last time. Maggie was married once but she had no children. Her parents had both passed away and one sister lived somewhere in the West, he couldn't remember exactly where. He laced his fingers in hers and just held on.

  In less than a half an hour they felt the train chug, chug, faster and faster forward. Hours passed, they had practically no vision from the windows but the shadows of chaos continued. For the first few hours the train rolled through town after town and the roar of a populace in panic could be heard. As they moved farther westward the towns were sparser and it grew quieter.

  Once exhaustion had settled in and the passengers of the train had somewhat calmed, an all business type speech was broadcast over static filled speakers. “Our fellow citizens. It has been determined that a EMP was detonated at high altitudes somewhere over the Central Americas. There is a possibility that it was a natural occurrence such as a solar flare but our government currently believes it to be a man made purposeful event. We do not know yet how widespread or world wide the resulting damages are. All power grids are down, all computerized devices are disabled, most autos non functional and of course, communications are non existent at this time. You have all been briefed as to the long term effects of such a disaster. We will proceed to a predetermined safe haven. From your records, your families that reside in Washington are being searched for and will follow on later transports to the secure location. ETA is 16 hours from now. Under your seats are packages with water and food. We recommend that you get some rest and may God Bless America.”

  Through the last few hours Maggie had said very little to Will. She was actually so frightened that she felt she could barely breathe. The train car filled with a constant buzz. It quietened just a bit as the riders looked for the food and water under their seats. Bent over, a swipe of her arm located two sealed bags and she raised up, put them onto their laps. She opened the large foil type bag and for the first time since the lights went out, she laughed. The sound had an edge of hysteria but it felt good to laugh out loud.

  Will couldn't help but smile, “What the hell's so funny, girl? I certainly missed something.”

  She peered down into the bag. There was a chemical suit, some aspirin and a package labeled potassium chloride tablets...like they would survive a nuclear attack, she thought. That was amusing but what really set off her giggles was the packages beside the two bottles of water, military K-rations. Maggie had inherited her mother's ability to gain weight from merely a sniff of rich foods. When she was a girl it was often called pleasingly plump but the world changed as she grew up. If you weren't thin as a broomstick, model skinny, you were F-A-T. All those delicious and wonderful foods that her mother and her grandmother prepared and served with such love were now forbidden to touch her lips. She remembered the first time she read in a magazine that some celebrity waif wore a size two. A size two! Surely that was a typo, they must've left off a number. There was no such thing as a size two...was there?

  So, her life became a constant battle with her weight. I might not be a naturally tall and lean person, but I'll be damned if I'm going to be F-A-T. She held the package of K-ration up in front of Will's face and her laughter started anew. After all these years, all that work and depriving myself, no problem now. The world is frickin' ending and we're all going to be bone thin, concentration camp thin.

  Finally, she began to catch her breath, amusement tilted the corners of her mouth. She felt Will's lips on hers and when she opened her eyes, the clamor had subsided and the occupants of the train car stared at her like she had suddenly grown horns and a tail. It took all of her control to not burst out in laughter again.

  In the early morning Maggie was awakened by one of her co-workers who cried and pleaded with the uniformed man at the door of their train car. “Please, just stop and let me look for my family. I know we're nearing my hometown, I saw the large billboard advertising it as we passed. I am begging you, please.”

  The soldier nodded in the negative, “I'm sorry mam, the train will not stop until we've reached our destination. No one exits or boards this train, no stops.” She pleaded and he remained adamant, told her to please return to her seat.

  Maggie had to pee anyway, what the hell? Up the aisle she swayed with the rocking motion of the barreling machine, paused beside the soldier and the woman. She gave the stern young man her best smile and asked where the restroom was. He directed her to go through the small passageway between cars and to the end of the next car. With an attempt to not look at the pain on the face of her acquaintance she said to the soldier, “Thanks. Listen sir, don't you think we could just stop for a few minutes in the town?”

  The young man's stony expression seemed to crack for just a fleeting moment, “It's not up to me, mam. I have no say, I only follow orders. I couldn't stop this train if I wanted to.” His face hardened again, “The train will make no stops.”

  Maggie's shoulder painfully made contact with the doorway as the three of them were jerked to the side. The train had slowed down but steadily progressed. Maggie really had to go now. She regretfully looked at the stricken face of the woman and said, “I'm sorry, Ann.” Two steps through the passageway, she noticed the window in the door was not as dark and in the early light, she caught a quick vision of pandemonium as the train moved through the town. She hustled through the next car and found the facilities. There wasn't a sink with water, just a dispenser of antibacterial goo and no mirror. No matter, she had no desire to see how horrid she must look. Balancing her way back towards her car, she paused as a high pitched scream echoed above the engines.

  A wave of fear rolled over the passengers, some stood, they murmured and tried to see out of the darkened windows. She hurried on towards her car. In the passageway, she ran right up against the soldier. A sick pallor shaded his face, his back against the wall of the compact space, his hand was on the handle of the outside door of the passageway. Her questioning eyes went from the door to the soldier
and back to the door. Oh, my god, Ann must have jumped from the train.

  ***

  After lunch they walked back down to the lower level. The storm still raged across the sky dome panels. They parted for the afternoon, she to work the crops and he to his small office area in their living quarters on the third level. It was a pleasant enough space; the couple's bedroom, a bath adjoining another small bedroom that was meant for children but acted as his office. He desperately missed a window. Would Spring ever come? He itched to be outside, digging around in the buried treasures of history that surrounded their haven.

  Past the bed covered with colorful wool blankets and the two comfortable upholstered chairs and through the bath, he entered his cluttered space. A long counter top spanned one side of the room, shelves stacked and crowded with books, specimens and clusters of minutia that his mind and excavations created lined every square inch of available wall space. Will folded himself into a chair, pulled a shard of pottery over under the microscope and studied it. The small but powerful scope had traveled all over the world with him. When the event happened it was in the bottom drawer of his Washington DC desk. Even though he wouldn't have turned down the opportunity to work in DC, he missed the work that was his passion. Sometimes he would bring a stone or a leaf or some oddity in and peer intently through the scope at it, during a lunch or coffee break.

  “Oh-my-god, what a nerd you are!” Maggie would chide him. However, when they were alone, away from the office, she would listen patiently to his stories of his life's work. She had no interest in ancient things but she was very interested in the man. And when the train delivered them to their far destination, when Will had discovered where they actually were, their true location and his eyes had literally been on fire with excitement, she had marveled, “You weird dirt digger. You didn't escape disaster, you've actually died and gone to heaven.”