Grabbing the snow pole Colin embarked up the ice tunnel staying left on the gravel laid for traction.
Before reaching the top, Colin placed on his sunglasses to battle the bright sun.
It felt warmer, and it was. Pushing forty, he knew it wouldn’t be too long, maybe a month, before the snow was melted all together.
Then the snow-slide ride would turn into a water slide.
“Dr. Reye!” He heard the call of his name as he emerged.
The workers who were actually scientists and not men who dug ditches were standing above a hole.
They’d made tons of progress.
Colin smiled as he reached the edge. “You can reach it.”
“Yeah!” The pilot shouted from below. “Now I can scan the sky if she starts.”
Just about ready to embark down the ladder, Colin stopped. He heard the beeping. Continuously. A jolt hit his stomach and he turned.
Closing in were the two Humvees.
“Dare-Dare,” he whispered. It had been a month, and Colin ran.
Filled with glee and enthusiasm, Colin didn't stop until he met up with the Humvees and they stopped.
His heart raced when Bret and Darius along with Andi stepped out.
“My God.” Colin rushed them.
“Turn right at the ocean,” Darius shook his head and embraced Colin. “Good to see you.”
Colin didn’t want to let go. But he did, embracing Bret then Andi before meeting the others.
So few people. And he knew they ran across no one on their journey.
Colin grinned ear to ear, a smile that was frozen by the emotions and the cold.
It didn’t matter that the world faced extinction, that it was frozen over, that very few were left.
What mattered to Colin was the very few left. He knew they were safe and that they would survive and thrive.
35. Defrost
Four Years Later…
A thousand years of ice. That’s what was predicted, and that was true. If a line was drawn center across the United States, chances were, without greenhouse resources, it would be like the North Pole. Uninhabitable.
Martin knew that.
When given the task to plan, he did just that.
The greenhouses in the dome city were flourishing. As soon as one month post-storm, people could venture outside for fresh air, but not for long.
But his plan would take certain conditions. And at three years post-storm, the conditions started to ripen.
It was time to implement.
Temperatures down south had stabilized.
Communication with the third world and countries below the equator were minimal. Hurricanes, volcanoes and tsunamis took their toll in the last hours of the Storm.
But in New Mexico and in parts of Texas it had leveled at sixty five. It was time to venture out and start planning.
Small farming towns were rebuilt, and preparations for new farmland were made.
The livestock that was moved in the GEP were being transported to the farms.
The dome city couldn’t exist anymore. They had close to a million people and they had to find them homes.
They had close to a year or more to do so.
According to Dr. Colin Reye, the discovery that the shifting weather was causing fast glacier movements and the face of the earth was going to geologically change, including the mountain that housed dome city.
That eventually would move and spread.
Colin made communications with Martin via continuous radio transmissions. They had been in communication since six months post The Storm.
He was finally going to meet him.
In the northwest part of Texas, a town would hold 30,000 people.
Crews were there finishing up. It was one of twenty sites they were preparing.
When he heard Dr. Reye had arrived, Martin anxiously stopped what he was doing to find him.
Colin was wearing a pair of tan pants and a golf shirt. He looked ready for spring.
“Dr. Reye.” Martin extended his hand.
“General Myers, it is a pleasure.” A firm happy grip from Colin, and he took off his sunglasses. “This is my grandson, Luke.”
Luke, a tall young man, greeted Martin.
“Pleasure,” Martin said.
“Luke has that data for you to look at. It’s quite captivating,” Colin said. “Disturbing but expected. It’s been his project. Not mine.”
“Then, Luke, I owe you our gratitude. You saved a million lives over your discovery.”
Humbled, Luke shook his head. “You would have signs, sir. But I have to thank my stepfather; he was the one that got me interested in this aspect. And I focused on it.”
Colin interjected. “Young Luke theorized it and he and my son, as you know, made several trips up here to measure.”
Martin nodded. “Speaking of which, where is Dr. Cobb? I was looking forward to meeting him.”
“Unfortunately he can’t make it. Fortunately it is for a good reason,” Colin explained. “His wife is giving birth as we speak.”
“Wonderful news.”
“Yes,” Colin smiled. “With all the children that they have I’m glad we’ve ventured out into the neighboring town.”
“How’s that working?”
“Good. The surviving locals were minimal. Not many survivors. So we’re adjusting. It looks as you are doing well.”
Martin exhaled. “On schedule. Thank God. It’s a new beginning. Everything seems so fresh. The air, the earth.”
“It does. It has to be a new beginning,” Colin spoke as he took it all in. “We’re all still stuck in the past. We have to look ahead or we’ll never move forward.”
“The world was going to pot when this happened,” Martin said. “Maybe this ice age was a fresh start we needed.”
After a short stare, Colin winked with a nod. “Maybe.”
EPILOGUE
Year 3325
Joshua wanted to extinguish the night light. Put out the flame for the evening. He was tired. His old hands ached from sculpting. But there was a buzz. News had spread throughout the village that the village journeymen that headed north, explorers had uncovered what they believed was the mythical city of Gep, buried in the northern mountain range. They sent back a messenger and would be back soon.
They found it. They found evidence.
Suddenly everyone was excited at this discovery. The ancient city that many believed was just a fable did exist.
Joshua didn’t buy it.
He was eighty-nine years old, his father had lived even longer, and so did his father; not once had anyone ever uncovered any indication of an ancient city, Nor of the advanced civilization that was said to exist thousands of years earlier.
Yet everyone searched. Everyone always searched. Someone always found something. A pot, a bowl, bones. But nothing ever was conclusive.
Ready to set on his bench, he heard the call of his name.
“Grandfather?”
Ah, Daniel. The worst of them all. The most anxious. Joshua headed to the other room to check on him. Daniel lay on his bed. A bed that was like a cot.
“Yes, what is it now?” Joshua asked as he knelt by the boy’s head.
“Have they returned? It’s been four days. I heard they were almost here.”
Joshua ran his hand over the six-year-old’s hair. “Daniel, it’s not true. Don’t get your hopes up. Since I was your age, I was hearing news of the lost city.”
“But they found it.”
“Everyone always finds it.”
His innocent eyes peered up. “You don’t think it’s real?”
“If an advanced civilization existed, surely we would have their means. If the myths of their destruction were true, would we not have found ruins somewhere?”
Daniel nodded.
“God has made us the way we are. We live peaceful and simply. How much more advanced, Daniel, can we get?”
“The stories say that had things that ran witho
ut fire.”
“Nonsense.”
“That they had ways to speak to people through the air.”
Joshua laughed. “And if that was possible, do you think we would have rid ourselves of that ability? No. Now . . . sleep , , , ,” He stopped and his head cocked at the sound of horses.
Daniel sprung up in bed. “They’re back.”
There was a commotion in the street.
‘Find the elder, find Elder Joshua!” someone shouted.
No sooner did Joshua hear that, a knock came at his door.
“Elder. Come quickly.”
Daniel scurried from the bed. Joshua would move as fast as he could
When he made it outside, a mob had gathered around the four returning journeymen.
“Clear way for the Elder!”
Donald broke free of the crowd. He bowed his head to Joshua.
Joshua felt the touch of his grandson holding his arm. “What is it?”
“We found it, elder. We found it. The ancient City of Gep. We found the sign, Monroe has it.”
Joshua cocked back. Yet he still didn’t believe.
“And . . . we found the bible. It was sealed in a bag in a case with other items. It is ancient as time. A bible that dictates exactly what happened. Written by a God. Fire. Disease. They had leaders and Gods. I had to know. I was very careful. I did not ruin it. I’ve read it on the journey back. Forgive me for doing so before you.” He said as he extended the thick red book, perfectly preserved, a hard cover engraved with gold lettering. “I am full of knowledge and await questions.”
“Forgiven.” With nervous old hands, Joshua took the book. It was in a sense fragile. He lost his breath. Frightened he lifted the pages, the multitudes of pages. Words filled each page. He had never seen anything like it. Their books were bound with wire, string. The covers for their books were leather and the words burned on them. Not etched in gold.
People cheered in the background. But Joshua focused on the book.
“Grandfather,” Daniel tugged his sleeve. “What is it? Is it really their bible?”
“I . . . I don’t know.” Joshua looked at Donald. “You say this outlines what happened to their world?”
“Yes, Elder, yes. It tells of disease and fire from the sky, the hand of God.”
“Grandfather? May I see?” Daniel asked.
Still shaking and stunned, Joshua lowered the book to Daniel. “It is documentation from an ancient civilization.”
Daniel gasped out as his tiny fingers traced the words. “What does this say, Grandfather?”
“Their bible and God’s name,” Joshua replied, and then read the title. “The Stand by Stephen King.”
Author’s Insanity
While creating this novel, the author had compiled many notes. She also created her own charts in regards to a lot of things you have read in this book. She just wanted to share some of these charts with you.
This is the chart on magnetic reversals
Darius blows up world
Torn Page 36