“God, please help me.”
He then opened his eyes as he could hear what sounded like explosions off at a distance. The roar and the violence continued, so he closed his eyes again and wondered if it was the end of his life. It seemed as though it was never going to quit. In his mind, the quake had been going on for several minutes, but in reality, it had only been forty-five seconds.
Suddenly, as though someone had shut off a switch, the quake just stopped and he felt as though he had gone deaf as it was so silent. Then slowly he started hearing the rush of the river down below and sounds of trees smashing against one another as though there was a giant flood below him. He opened his eyes, and he didn’t recognize the area that he knew so well.
The river had engulfed the entire peninsula. If someone looked at it for the first time, they would never know it had been there. He looked up the river to the north, and all the buildings that lined the river were no longer there.
It wasn’t just the peninsula that was taken. In 45 short seconds, an earthquake which registered 9.2 on the Richter scale rerouted the river in several locations between St. Louis and Memphis. The earthquake epicenter was three miles to the east of New Madrid. A wave of sorts did run up and down the seismic zone and the quake caused two separate tsunamis, one 10 foot wave that went south on the river all the way to Memphis, Tennesee, wiping out the low lying area on the west side of the city. The other headed north eventually dying out but not before it did severe damage to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The damage from the river tsunamis was extensive but nothing compared to the damage caused by the quake itself. From St. Louis to Memphis, buildings had collapsed. Even though many buildings had already burnt due to the earlier riots, the earthquake caused new fires to erupt and spread.
The quake could be felt as far west as Kansas, as far north as Chicago. To the south, as far as the Arkansas/Louisiana state line and to the east as far as Kentucky and Indiana.
New Madrid itself had been flattened for the most part, along with the multiple towns within the area. The death toll was unknown but easily in the thousands. The cities and town within the New Madrid seismic zone had been warned for years to build with high earthquake zone specifications, but no laws had been passed and most didn’t follow the recommendations to save on building costs. To many, even with all the warnings and the history of the New Madrid Fault Line, they looked at it as almost a folk tale. That lack of preparation probably cost thousands of lives.
Johnny, finally coming back to reality suddenly thought about his family and took off in a full run towards his home. As he approached the peak of the hill that he had to run over to see his home, he quit breathing for a moment, in fear of what he’d find. When he looked down, the first thing that he noticed was the large barn that had been around for 100-years; but now it was a pile of rubble.
He then looked at the house which was partially collapsed. He stopped when he saw his home and stared at the damage and then after several moments he screamed “Mom!”
As he ran down the hill, suddenly he saw his mother, brother, and sister standing outside the home. When his mother saw him, she raised her arms in tears saying, “Thank you, Lord.”
Pine City, Missouri
The remaining residents of Pine City had decided to continue with community meals, so they took advantage of the lunch meal to discuss whether they wanted to be included in our community. The first question from Bill Wensley, who was elected as one of the town's leaders, asked if we were going to provide all of their meals. Mo told them no. We’d assist in helping them hunt, fish and harvest their own meals and we would help out the elderly and disabled. He also told them we’d provide medical support and patrol the town but they would have to all take shifts on the roadblocks for the town.
Santiago had been talking to some of the individual families to see where everyone really stood because he knew too many times people are intimidated by peer pressure. Most were for it, but he was a bit concerned, as one of the families had the attitude that they shouldn’t have to work for their food. He almost became angry when he heard that. With all the hell going on around us, some still think that they’re owed everything. He tried explaining that they had to contribute just like everyone else but it just seemed to bounce off of deaf ears. Finally, Santiago said flat out that if they wanted help, they were going to have to contribute. If not, they had that right, but they would go without. They didn’t like that a bit.
Mike kept a watchful eye out for any security concerns but at the same time surveyed the best area to place the roadblocks that would be needed. For the meantime, he knew we would have to use some of the town vehicles to block the three locations.
Mo finally suggested that they talk it over and then have a vote and he and the guys would step outside to take a look around so that they could talk freely among themselves.
The three walked out to where Mike was and immediately Santiago spoke up.
“I know I’m the new guy, and I don’t know how much you guys want to hear my opinion, but we may have a problem with a couple of them.”
“Well, first of all, you’re now a part of us, so your opinion is just as important as everyone else. Now, what are you concerned about?” Mo asked.
Santiago smiled as it felt good to be trusted that quickly. “The Holbert family doesn’t like the idea that they have to contribute. For some reason, they think that should be their choice.”
Mike said, “Yeah, they have a choice. Contribute and eat or don’t and they won’t.”
Santiago chuckled, “That’s exactly what I told them.”
“Is there anything wrong with these people? I mean are they elderly, disabled or something?” Mo questioned.
“No, just lazy by what I could tell.”
“To hell with em! They can starve then,” Mike said.
Just about that time, Wit and Brandy came walking up as they had been checking on an elderly couple.
“How're your patients?” Mo asked.
“Well, the lady has a case of walking pneumonia. I gave her some antibiotics, but we’re going to have to keep an eye on her. The husband is doing fine, except for worry.” Brandy said.
“We’ve got to find a doctor or a medical clinic. There has to be one someplace.” Wit insisted.
“Vince is planning on flying over all the towns around here and he said he was going to look for one that looks like it's open,” Mo advised.
Wit said with frustration in his voice, “Well, I hope he finds one. We need IVs, and at this rate, we’re going to run out of antibiotics.”
“What’s happening in there?” Brandy asked.
“Well, it’s going well, but we may have a troublemaker,” Mo said disgustedly.
“How’s that?”
“Someone that thinks they’re owed the food and shouldn’t have to do any work,” Mike said.
Wit, with anger, asked, “What the hell’s wrong with people? Don’t they know that’s what caused most of our problems in this country? Everyone wants something for nothing. They can go to hell.”
“What are you going to do?” Brandy asked.
Mo rubbed the side of his face out of frustration, “Man, oh man, oh man. Normally you would say that whatever they vote is what everyone will do, but we’re talking about Pine City. Part of our mission is to make sure that there aren’t any remnants of Orville left here.”
“Well, wait and see what they say.” Brandy suggested.
After thinking a few moments, Mo asked, “Mike, what are you going to need if this goes ok?”
“Not much for now. We’ll have to use some of their vehicles and cut some trees. It will be a lot of work, but if the town’s people help, it shouldn’t take too long.”
“Well, as soon as they vote, we’ll…….” Suddenly they could hear yelling coming from the meeting that the town was having. Then, as they started moving towards the old store where the meeting was being held, they heard a gunshot.
“Mike, you and Wit; back door. W
e’ll take the front.” Mo ordered.
As they entered the front door with their various guns in the ready position, they spotted Holbert standing with a pistol in his hand, moving it back and forth and telling the townspeople not to try anything. When he looked up and saw Mo, he started turning the handgun towards him but Wit who had just come in from the back, immediately butt-stroked Holbert in the back of the head. Holbert’s wife screamed and started to reach for her husband's gun when Mike shoved the lady away from the handgun and aimed his .308 right at the woman’s face.
“Don’t even think about it.”
Brandy, seeing Bill laying on the floor, ran over to him and as she looked him over, she reached down and felt for a pulse, but there was none. She turned him over to begin CPR when she saw that the gunshot was right in the center of his chest. There was no hope. She looked up at Mo and shook her head, no.
After making sure everything was secure Mo asked, “What the hell happened?”
Joey Witherspoon spoke up, “We had voted to join up with you and Bill was saying how we all had to contribute. Holbert and his wife stated that they weren’t going to, that you guys were all murderers and because of that, you owed us food and protection. Sarah Holbert then started saying that we should take the opportunity to take your food and keep it for ourselves. When Bill told them to shut up, and no one wanted to hear that kind of talk, it really got heated and Holbert pulled out a gun and shot him….”
Joey’s wife, Elma, spoke up, “You need to tell him all of it, Joey.”
Joey then acted ashamed and looked down to the ground, “Holbert was one of Lebowski’s good friends and assistants. When Lebowski was run out of town, he and his family left also but he came back a couple of days later, begging us to let him back in for his children’s sake. He said he was scared of Lebowski and that’s the only reason he helped him. We felt sorry for the kids, so most of us agreed to let him come back.”
Holbert's wife, who was trying to help her husband, screamed out, “You promised not to tell anyone, you son of a bitch!”
Wit told her to shut up, and she glared at him with hate but quit talking.
Mo felt like just putting a bullet into Holbert’s head, but due to the fact that Pine City is just coming into the fold and that he has a wife and kids, such a rash decision shouldn’t be taken.
****
Mia had finished a complete pre-flight and especially checked for water in the gas tank, as over time, water condensation could build up. It happens in all gas tanks but it can cause serious problems in a plane, especially in the winter but that’s a check that all pilots make if they know what they’re doing no matter what time of year it is.
Tag and I had been out checking the dirt runway that we had built and also checked for any growth at the end of the field. As we came back on the tractor, I could see Mia was just finishing up, so I shut down the tractor and walked over to her and I could see the happiness on her face as she started her plane and the engine hummed smoothly.
I opened the door and asked, “I don’t see any reason to put this off any longer. Do you feel like making a flight?”
She grabbed me on both sides of the face and gave me a quick kiss. “You bet!”
I laughed, “You better be careful, Kim may get jealous.”
“Yeah,… right.” She said with a laugh.
“Let me go tell Kim and then we’ll go check things out.”
When I walked in the house, before I could say a word, Kim stated, “Don’t tell me. I already know. You’re going up aren’t you?”
I smiled, “Why would you say that?”
“I knew when you told her to check out her plane that you would.”
“I really didn’t have it planned, but I can’t think of a better time.”
She walked over and said, “Just be careful,” and gave me a kiss and then looked up stating, “I’m coming out there.”
I smiled from ear-to-ear, “Ok. I’ll have Tag take you out on the tractor.”
Tag fired the tractor back up, and Kim climbed onto the fender. I untied the tie downs and then climbed into the right seat of the plane and told Mia, “Let’s go.”
“Kim didn’t have a problem with it?”
“Well, let me just put it this way. She knew before I did that we were going.”
Mia laughed and accelerated the plane's engine enough just to be able to make a 180-degree turn. As we taxied the plane towards the runway, I could see that Mia was a little anxious as it had been a while since she did a short field takeoff and it was always from a paved runway, so I decided to break the tension.
“You know, we’re going to be alone, this would be a perfect time for you to join the mile high club.”
Mia turned with shocked look, and then she laughed and shook her head, “You know, you’re just a dirty old man.”
“I hope you’re not just figuring that out?”
“Oh no, I have known that for a long time……, Wait a minute! You said I would have the chance to join the club, not we. You probably already have.”
I just smiled but didn’t say a word.
“You have, haven’t you?”
I just shrugged my shoulders.
“Surely it was in the bathroom of an airliner, wasn’t it?”
Again, I shrugged my shoulders so she just laughed and shook her head.
“No. It was in a Cherokee Arrow, and I was the pilot.”
That made her actually stop the plane and look at me with amazement as she knew the Cherokee Arrow was only a four-seater.
“How in the heck were you able to do that?”
I laughed, “Very carefully.”
“You’re a dirty old man…. Wait a minute. It’s been years since you flew a plane; you were a dirty young man too.”
We both laughed until we stopped at the east end of the runway.
She checked the ailerons and the rudder of the plane and then checked the mag system. I reminded her of everything to expect and to use 10% flaps. I also reminded her to get the front wheel off the ground as quickly as possible and to remember VX speed. Normally Mia, out of pride, would say that she knew but this time she was listening, and I could tell she was running everything through her head.
She was just running up the engine with the brakes applied when a call came over the radio. It was Mo.
“Vince, are you there?”
I honestly felt like telling Mia to go ahead and take off but after sitting for a moment, I grabbed for my radio and Mia immediately lowered the plane’s engine to an idle, and we both looked at each other with a disappointed look.
“Go ahead,” I said, with disgust.
Mo obviously picking up on my tone said, “Sorry Vince but we have a problem.”
“Can’t you handle it?”
“There’s been a shooting. None of us were involved, but the victim is dead…. from one of Lebowski’s people.”
“Son of a bitch!” I yelled, startling Mia a bit.
I opened the door and gave a sign to Tag to head back to the house and then I shut the door.
After thinking for a few moments, I said, “Sorry Mia. It looks like we have more bullshit to handle.” I got on the radio and told Mo we were on the airstrip, but we’d be back in a short and told him to send the jeep for me.
As we taxied towards the house, my anger and outrage grew, and the peace and happiness I was feeling was taken over by disgust.
“Lebowski again. It may not be him but someone that represents his evil. I just can’t get that son of a bitch out of our lives. Why God, WHY?” I thought to myself.
Suddenly, through my anger-induced rage that was building inside of me, I heard Mia’s voice.
“It just never stops, does it?”
“What? I’m sorry, what did you say?”
“It just never stops, does it? It’s just a constant flow of evil people that just keeps coming out of the woodwork.”
I was surprised to hear that from Mia. I don’t know why because Mia i
s very intelligent and always reasons most things out for herself. But hearing this from her just struck me for some reason.
I chuckled sarcastically, “No Mia, it doesn’t and to be honest, it’s just going to keep getting worse.”
Always in the past, I tried to be uplifting to Mia and the ladies, but I was finding it was harder and harder to do. I’d say things to the guys, as we’ve been to hell and back together, but I’ve always tried to protect the ladies from the darkest side of things….. But nowadays, it’s almost impossible.
“Vince, not now but later I’d like to ask you some questions.”
“About what?”
“Oh, philosophy, I guess you could say. Kim and I’ve talked a lot, and she told me how much you’ve studied and stuff. I’d just like to know the real reason why everything is happening. I’ve heard both of you say that in your opinion this is all the beginning of the Tribulation but, to be honest, I don’t know that much about it. Can you tell me sometime?”
I looked at her, and I could tell that this was a very sincere request, but I was still reluctant. Then I thought about what Kim said about if people ask, to tell them what I know.
“Yeah, we can do that. Mia, I can tell you what I know but don’t follow my example. I’ve never lived the kind of life that I knew that I should, and that’s why I know I’ll someday I’ll have a lot to answer for.”
“What do you mean by that?”
I grabbed her hand and held it and looked at her for a moment, “Mia, you first of all need to decide if you want to know.” She looked at me very puzzled, so I continued, “Remember, God holds us accountable for what we know. He isn’t some tyrant that’s going to say, “Well, you didn’t obey me, so you’re going to hell. I know you were never taught my word, but it doesn’t matter. You are going to hell.”
She laughed, “Well, I hope not.”
“You’d be surprised how many people think that way. What I’m saying, with knowledge, comes responsibility. The more you understand, the more God is going to hold you accountable for that knowledge. What I’m saying about myself, is yes, I’ve done a lot of studying, and I still chose not to act on that knowledge and someday, I’m sure, I’ll pay the price for that.
Into the Apocalypse Page 18