by David Nadas
get out and the bridges and tunnels are closed. They're calling the people ‘Twigs.’
They all had been so preoccupied by the President's speech that they forgot about checking social media. Most of the adults in the room took out their smartphones. Jen continued to read out more tweets until Cindi reached over and shut off her daughter's iPad. "I don't think you should be reading that, Jen."
"But Mom!”, she protested. "I'm the one who thought of checking!"
"I know, but I don't want you to read those." Cindi looked to Ed for support.
"Yes, your mother is right. Time to get ready for bed, kiddo."
"But Mom! I'm not tired."
"Do as your father says. I’ll come up and tuck you in."
Sulking, Jen got up from the couch and started to walk away. Her mother garnered her attention with a commanding cough. Jen hunched her shoulders and returned to give everyone a kiss and hug before heading upstairs, Oscar at her heels.
"Nice breeding." Matt said, elbowing Cindi.
"Who do you think taught me?" Cindi confessed, focusing her attention on Laurie.
"No! Don't stack the dishes!" Ed chimed in.
"Mable, Mable, get your elbows off the table.” Dan added.
"Would someone pass me a serviette please," Cindi rounded out the jabs in a haughty accent, everyone laughing but Laurie.
"Sure. Pick on poor Laurie. You can laugh all you want." She reached for the stem of her wine glass and tapped the base three times on the coffee table.
Matt immediately knew she needed a refill and left for the kitchen, returning with her chardonnay.
Everyone watched this unfold and almost simultaneously, tapped their glasses or bottles three times on the table. Their laughter stopped abruptly when an emergency crawl and series of beeps came from the TV. The President was speaking before he and his family boarded his helicopter, Marine One.
"My fellow Americans. Citizens of the world. Five minutes ago, the Chinese launched three intercontinental ballistic missiles at our International Space Station, claiming that the release of this bio-contagion was orchestrated by the United States and Russia. Our attempts to persuade them to the contrary fell upon deaf ears. Both the U.S. and Russia were unsuccessful at intercepting one of the three missiles. All aboard the Space Station, including three Russians, two Americans and one Japanese have been killed. Russia, in retaliation, has threatened China with a counterattack by launching tactical nuclear warheads at Beijing and Shanghai. If China exhibits any further aggression, Russia and the United States will have no choice but to retaliate, with extreme prejudice. I promise you, there will be accountability for this atrocity, but our primary focus at this time is to deal with this contagion. As President of the United States, I speak the truth to the world that this was not a military operation of any kind. The attack on the International Space Station is unforgivable. Invaluable resources and innocent lives were lost. This was the act of a paranoid and cowardly government."
As the President was speaking, an aide leaned into his ear and whispered. There was a look of shock on the President’s face and the TV went dark.
Asha, who had been half listening while focusing on her tablet, spoke up.
"They discovered something at the declination. Well, not exactly. More like what is not there. I am seeing posts from my astronomer circles on g+. They have been focusing their telescopes on the area of the sky where the Twigs have been aligned. Multiple posts are coming in. They can no longer see stars that should be there, just emptiness."
Dan got up off the floor and squeezed between Cindi and Asha, leaning in to see her screen. Matt stood, and picking up some empty plates from the coffee table, signaled for Laurie, with the jerk of his head, to join him in the kitchen.
“Laurie. We are in deep shit here. I'm glad we're pretty isolated, but things are going to get bad in a hurry. I’m sorry I mocked all those people on doomsday preppers and thought your dad was crazy with all..." And then he stopped himself.
"What about Bill?" she asked. "What does my father have to do with preppers?"
"Nothing. It was a joke we had between us. I'll tell you later. I can’t believe this is really happening. First thing in the morning, I will head out with Dan and Ed to pick up some supplies, but I have a feeling we are going to be affected even around here.”
“I wonder what’s going on at The Point?” Laurie asked. “I can’t imagine the help sticking around for all those guests. I wonder if anyone will stay there?”
“Good point, no pun intended.” Said Matt. Laurie was shaking her head at his ill-timed sense of humor, but was grateful he still had one to keep her calm. “We're OK on the water." He continued. “The lake will dry out before our well does. Food could be a problem. We don’t have much in the house. I think you and the girls should do a little fishing tomorrow. Take the boat to the end of Fish Creek. I had good luck there with brookies, although I have never tried this time of year. We can freeze or dry them.”
"I'm scared, Matt."
"Me too. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise." They stood in the kitchen, looking at each other.
“Come on, let’s go see what's going on.” Matt said and led his wife back to the family room.
“Looks like all hell is breaking loose.” Dan said, leaning in close to Asha. “There are Twigs being reported all over New York, New Jersey and up and down the coast. Washington looks like a war zone. It’s chaos. The military has a lock down on anyone coming in or out of the Metro area. They have already turned back dozens of ferries and Otters in New York Harbor with water cannons and the Coast Guard rammed one of the Otters, capsizing it. People are in the water and the military is throwing life vests out and telling them to swim back to shore. People are tweeting images of Twigs holding onto almost every light pole as well as a few bronze monuments near Columbus Circle. It's happening fast.”
“Hey, all." Matt spoke up. “It’s been a long day and we’ll need to be up early in the morning. Dan, Ed, we’ll head out at daybreak to pick up what we can. The girls will try their luck at fishing. Take the shortwaves with you in case the cell towers go out. Try and get some sleep, everyone. We’ll see you in the morning.” On their way out, Laurie turned to Asha and Dan.
"Asha, there is a room upstairs at the end of the hall for you. “Dan, you have your usual room, off the kitchen. Good night, all."
“Yes, it's getting late.” Cindi added. Ed turned to her asking,
“You’re not going to make me hug everyone, are you?”, everyone getting in a final laugh at Laurie's expense.
Dan and Asha remained downstairs in the family room continuing to monitor the posts on twitter and g+. Nothing was good news and all of it was the worst-case zombie apocalypse, without the flesh-eating part.
It was still dark when Matt awoke; he was lying on his back and gazing upward. “How long have you been awake?” Matt asked, not having to look over toward Laurie.
“I never really got to sleep. I heard every chime from the clock downstairs,” she replied, sounding very much awake. “I can’t believe this is really happening. I thought I would just go to sleep and when I woke up, everything would be as it was.”
“Yeah. Hard to believe what has happened in the last twenty-four hours. Especially being up here. Seems like a movie we all found ourselves in. So surreal.”
They were both lying in the stillness with enough starlight filtering through the window to cast a faint glow around them. The heat from the fireplace downstairs had made its way up and felt good. Laurie rolled over and straddled Matt, the sheets slipping down along her back, the ambient light enough that he could see her above him. She was wearing an old muscle tee; one of his that she had cut into a tank top that hung low and offered plenty. Neither was wearing anything else. Matt reached up under her top and she began to move. He peeled up the shirt and lifted it above her breasts.
"So perfect they could fit into a ma
rtini glass." He said, leaning up on his arms. She looked beautiful and he wanted to remember this moment forever. For however long forever was going to be.
Matt had finished making coffee when Laurie entered the kitchen, her hair slick after a shower. She stood on her toes to kiss him, then holding him tight, pressed her cheek against his chest.
"Have you checked the news?" She asked, both anxious and reluctant to hear of civilization’s further decline.
"No. Not yet."
"I'll go turn on the television and see if it’s working." Laurie offered, and walked through the dining room, opening the French doors into the family room. The embers glowed in the fireplace and it felt warm and cozy. Laurie was about to flip the lights on when she noticed Dan on the couch. He had pulled the ottoman up for his feet and was asleep, his head leaning back on the cushions and Asha, lying on her side, her head in his lap on a pillow. Dan had found a quilt from the chest and had tucked it in around her. They looked peaceful, and not wanting to disturb them, she quietly closed the doors and retreated to the kitchen.
"Anything on?" Matt asked.
"Don't know. Dan and Asha are asleep in there. They never made it to their rooms."
"They are sleeping together? Got to hand it to him."
"Pig." Laurie said, slapping him on the arm. "Dan is sitting there on the couch, in his clothes and Asha is sleeping with her head in his lap, clothes