by S A Ison
The stove top was propane and there was also a small wood stove in the corner of the cabin. They could easily cook on that as well. There was a small stack of dried sticks and small logs ready for use. Since leaving New Mexico, Blake had thought long and hard about what might happen in the world. When he had been forced retired, he had planned for this outcome. He had also spent quiet times here, fishing. Alice had thought him in D.C. Blake hadn’t wanted to frighten his wife, so had gone along quietly, over the years, planning for the inevitable.
Being an insider on the workings of weapons development was enlightening. Blake turned when he heard his wife. She came out on the porch, a cup of hot coffee in hand.
“How did you sleep?” He asked, she looked bad, her face bloated from crying.
“I guess I’ll do. I still can’t believe everything has ended. Are you sure James is safe?”
“He should be. The United States has always been a target on someone’s radar. It was only a matter of time.”
“My god, all of our friends. Do you think they have a place to go?”
“I don’t know. Probably not.” He said, taking another sip of coffee.
“Shouldn’t you have told them?” Her voice went a little high, accusation in it.
“Tell them what Alice? Any day we could be bombed? Nuked? Pandemic? Alice, it could have happened in ten years or thirty or never. When you talk about that kind of stuff, people get uncomfortable. They don’t want to listen and they look at you like you’re a raving lunatic. If they can’t figure it out by watching the news and world events, I’m not going to enlighten them.” He answered, a bit harshly and felt bad and seeing her blanch.
“I’m sorry dear. But really, what would you have me tell them? And, I couldn’t have brought them with us. There is little room here. And, we only have a finite amount of food, that will have to last us for years. We have fishing here and hunting. Also, people from the larger towns and cities may well be heading our way or in this general direction. When they run out of food, they are going to want to hunt or fish.”
“Will we at least help them? You know, if they come here?”
“No, and we may end up having to fight to keep what we have. Make no mistake Alice, they will kill us to attain what we have. Don’t start crying dear. It is just a hard fact and something you need to be aware of.”
“I don’t know if I want to live in this kind of world.” She sniffed.
“I can’t make you live. And I can’t make you want to live Alice. That is something you’ll have to work out for yourself.” He said, and turned and went back into the house. He was going fishing and he was starting to tire of her tears. He knew women were emotional creatures, but sometimes, he just wished they would buck up.
Alice stood frozen on the porch, she could say nothing, she was absolutely gob smacked. Where on earth had her husband gone, and who was this person who had taken his form. Blake had always been a man’s man, that was one of the things that she’d fallen in love with. But the cold and callous man who stood before her. She watched him as he walked out to a shed. There was a heavy chain and padlock on the building and Blake pulled out a set of keys and unlocked it. He’d said there was a larger one out back. She hadn’t looked.
She was still numb from their abrupt departure yesterday and the incredible story Blake had relayed. If she hadn’t seen all the dead cars in the road, she wouldn’t have believed it. Yet, her phone was dead, as was the power to their condo. The faces that watched them as they drove by, floated before her eyes, they were curious about their truck. Later, as they’d edged up the Florida roads, they began to change from curious to desperate. One man had dared to step in the road, to try and slow Blake down. Blake had stepped on the gas and barely missed the man as he jumped out of the way at the last moment. A deadly game of chicken.
And this place? It looked a little rough, but the furnishings inside were nice. It was a neat little cabin, with a small bathroom. There were two bedrooms, one with their bed and a white mosquito netting that flowed over it. The other bedroom had a bunkbed, small chest and closet. Blake had told her this was a hunting lodge and fishing camp.
Alice wiped at her face, the humidity becoming heavier. No more air conditioning. That was something she’d have to get used to. At least it was cooler. My god, it’s Thanksgiving! She thought with a start. She and Blake were supposed to have joined up with the Taylors’ at the country club. Sissy, poor Sissy, Alice swallowed at the thought of the large woman and no air conditioning.
Alice carried her weight in her hips, she had been slender, even after having James. But middle age had crept up on her. When she looked in the mirror, she saw a sad face looking back. Now, she was out in the swamp with a man she didn’t recognize anymore. She wiped at her eyes once more. Her eyes tracked her husband as he left the shed with a fishing pole in hand and a tackle box. She sighed, turning to go inside. She went to the pantry and opened the door. Blake had been busy this morning. There had been hot coffee on the stove and it looked like he filled the pantry.
She saw silver bags, with black marker labeling them. Beans, rice, flour, pasta and sugar sat on the first row. On the one hand, he’d been so matter of fact and cold. On the other, Blake had taken care to make the cabin comfortable, for her, she thought. Closing the pantry door, Alice walked out of the small kitchen. The living room had a comfortable looking couch, there was an easy chair and she smiled at that. Blake loved his easy chair. There was a bookshelf and she walked over, bending at the waist to read some of the titles. She was surprised that some of the books were hers. When had he done that? She’d not missed them at home. There was one book about botanical identifications for plants in Georgia. One was on first aid.
Whatever had happened, she was here and there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She needed to get her emotions under control. She knew her tears upset Blake. She just hoped that James was all right.
Ω
Lewis and Clark National Forest, MT
Yuma was behind Taya, and Julian was behind him. Ahead, in the lead, was Phoenix. They had eaten a breakfast of coffee, some kind of cake or bread with dried fruit in it and cut sausage. His arm still throbbed, but less so today, and he was grateful. When the sun had come up, they could see where the plane’s fuselage had fallen the rest of the way to the ground. Julian had been surprised, but he’d been asleep during the shifting last night. His heart squeezed when he said his final farewell to Chizu. He could not light incense or a candle to keep bad spirits away, but he did place a smoldering pine bough at the crash site before they left.
He had also placed six coins for the crossing of the Sanzu River and also several cookies and a piece of the fruited bread. He could only hope that the rescuers would retrieve her body and he could take it back to Osaka, for a proper burial. For now, this was the best he could do. He’d stood and chanted prayers for his wife and then had joined the others to prepare to leave.
Ahead, Taya stumbled and he reached for her. He understood her grief and walked beside her. She smiled up at him softly. Yuma nodded. She too had placed a smoldering pine bough for her parents. When he had explained about leaving the six coins and the sweets, she had done the same for her parents and she’d said a prayer for them as well. They shared this sorrow.
“How do you feel? Are you too cold, Taya san?” He asked solicitously.
“No, I’m fine. I’m not cold. I think I have four shirts on. Plus, walking is really helping me to keep warm. How is your arm? Does it hurt much?”
“No. Thank you. I took medicine after I ate this morning.” He wasn’t sure what else to say, so he dropped back behind. He wasn’t used to talking to westerners. His English was okay, he just felt odd using it all the time now. His mind thought in Japanese, but his words now were that of strangers. He and Chizu had been visiting in Orlando. Neither had understood just how massive the United States was. Yesterday they’d been in a very pleasant climate, by last night, he thought his bones might freeze to the gr
ound.
Yuma looked at the winter wonderland around him. Though cold, it was breathtakingly beautiful. He was under no illusions that it was a deadly beauty. The penetrating cold reminded him with each breath he took. In the luggage, the group had pulled out many articles of clothing. He was grateful for the boots he wore. He had on three pairs of socks, because the boots were big. He had bright green and pink leggings on, then a pair of jeans and then his own tailored trousers beneath all that. He sported his own cotton shirt, two t-shirts and a sweater. He also wore his coat and a knitted cap and a shirt wrapped around his neck and a warm jacket.
They all looked like something he would see on a comedy show. Each of them carried food in either a backpack, or pulled behind in one of the carry-on luggage. They carried the food and also extra socks and items to burn quickly, so they could start a fire easily. They had been walking for three hours now, Yuma thought. It would be his turn to go up front and be the snow plow, as they called it.
Yuma turned his head when he heard some animal howl and the tiny hairs rose around his body. He felt suddenly very small and very vulnerable out in this wilderness. He looked forward to getting to a hotel and calling home. He would speak with his mother. He would tell her of the crash and he would speak of his sorrow. For now, he would walk and be with these kind and brave people.
Phoenix pushed through the snow, there hadn’t been a big dump of snow last night, but there was already two feet of it on the ground. It came up past his shins and pushed hard, some of it packed down. He felt the heat of exertion radiated over his body. He looked back over his shoulder, and smiled at Lydia. Her cheeks were pink. She smiled back. Her face was bruised badly around her mouth and nose. He was sure it hurt, but she was a trooper.
Julian walked with his mouth open, looking up at all the massive snow-covered conifers. Being a Hawaiian boy, as Julian called it, Phoenix guessed he’d never seen anything like this forest. Taya hadn’t spoken much, but moved forward. She’d be coming up front soon, to take his place. He worried about her; she hadn’t eaten much breakfast. Ahead of him, Thor was loping through the snow with ease. The dog seemed at home here in the woods and snow and Phoenix wondered where the dog had originated from.
There were blue jays screaming around them, scolding. Apparently, the birds weren’t happy with their presence there, Phoenix grunted in amusement, he wasn’t happy with their presence there either.
FIVE
Chaparral, NM
Dr. Abellano was fuming. How dare those Neandertals leave without them. How dare they. Her stomach growled and she snarled, giving in and going to the refrigerator. There was food in there, but it was old and it was someone else’s. She looked at her watch, it was nearing six and still no one had come. She picked up a sandwich, and her lip curled. She took a bite and chewed the stale thing methodically. The lights flickered around her and she grimaced. She needed to locate a flashlight, in case the lights failed. She walked out into the corridor and made her way to the elevator. She chewed the sandwich as she went.
Hilleman was there with a desk; he had shoved it into the car of the elevator.
“You fool, what are you doing with that desk?”
“I’m getting out of here. I don’t think anyone is coming back for us and I’m going to try and climb my way up.” Hilleman said, looking over his shoulders. He had used some kind of electrical tape to tape his glasses to his head. He looked completely ridiculous. He had a bundle of wires in his hands and he was wrapping them around another length of wires that had been braided.
“You’re a fat little man, how on earth do you expect to climb up there? My god, you’ll plummet back to earth.”
Hilleman simply looked over the rim of his glasses at her and shrugged. Abellano noticed that there were several boxes stacked on the desk.
“Are those files? What on earth are you going to do with those? Take them with you?” She snorted.
“No, I’m using them as steps up into the opening of the elevator car.” He said, continuing to work with the wires.
“Well, if you don’t break your neck, make sure you send help. I can’t watch this.” She said and turned away. She was going to get something else to eat.
Dr. Jordan Hilleman watched the senior scientist walk away. He shook his head. No wonder they all left them behind. Abellano was a miserable bitch, and he and the techs, and other scientists were all microbes in her book. Beneath her and simply contemptuous beings. Jordan was under no illusions that the climb would be perilous and difficult. He was fifty-six and not in the best shape. However, he would use his mind to help him climb the cable. He had made a harness of sorts that he would sit in. He would attach the other woven cables to the elevator’s thick cable. He had made a length of woven cable and wires for his feet. That, he would attach to the main elevator cable.
Using his feet, he would push himself against the woven wires and pull his body up, letting the harness support his weight. It was rope walking, and it was the only way for him to escape. He didn’t have the equipment needed, but he could make ropes and knots and he thought it would work. He opened the desk drawer and pulled out a small LED flashlight. He clicked it on and then took the electrical tape and taped the flashlight to his head. He needed his hands free. It wasn’t perfect, but he could look up and see where he was going and how far to the top. He could see a thin shaft of light up topside, so he knew the elevator doors were open.
He had spent three hours weaving and securing wires and cables. He took a deep breath and got onto the desk, then he stacked the boxes. His heart was beating heavily in his chest. He reached down and picked up his backpack. He had water bottles inside. It added weight, but he knew he’d need the water once he left this place. He didn’t know what he would find outside, but he knew he wouldn’t find water. He climbed through the access hole in the top of the elevator car. He grunted, shifting his hips to get through. He clambered to his feet and laid out the woven and braided wires. He put his legs through the makeshift harness and secured it around his waist.
It took time, and his hands shook badly. He wiped at his forehead, knocking the flashlight askew. He cursed and stopped. He needed to get himself under control, or he’d never make it out of here. Dying with Abellano was not what he wanted, hell on earth for his last hours, hearing her strident voice. He shivered at the thought. Jordan carefully attached the length of woven ropes to the main cable of the elevator. He set the knots at chest high. He then attached the rest of the ropes and then he attached the rope to the harness which would hold his body, cradle it on the way up. He didn’t believe in god, but he said a prayer anyway.
Holding his breath, he pulled the ropes and used his feet to push himself up. He wanted to laugh with joy, it worked! He moved slowly up, and used his legs to move him up the elevator cable. His heart was slowing now and he looked up, the flashlight wavering a thin line above him. He looked down and he was now twenty feet from the elevator’s hatch. Jordan was methodical and moved in slow smooth motions.
He didn’t look down when he heard Abellano below him.
“I can’t believe you did it. You do have a working brain. When you get up there, make sure you send someone for me.” She called up. He didn’t answer her, he kept his eyes up and toward the opening.
“Dr. Hilleman, did you hear me. You are going to send someone back, right?”
A slow smile spread across Jordan’s face as he neared the top and Dr. Abellano’s voice was now a shrill harping, like the sound of a cat screeching. He pulled himself even with the elevator’s opening. With one foot still in the loop, he extended his other foot to terra firma. He swung his body awkwardly but grasped the sides of the open elevator doors and pulled himself into the lobby of the building. He carefully stepped out of the harness and let go of the ropes. He watched as they slid partly down the main cable but stopped. He leaned carefully into the void and looked down. He could just see Dr. Abellano waving her arms, her mouth open.
Dr. Jordan Hilleman turned an
d left the building, sparing no more thoughts for Dr. Abellano. If she were half as smart as she thought she was, she would have treated others better. It was roughly twenty miles to Fort Bliss. He’d have to walk in the dark, but that was okay with him. He turned off his flashlight to save the battery and took off on a brisk walk, pulling the tape off his glasses and whistling a happy tune.
Ω
Lewis and Clark National Forest, MT
Miles drove slowly the next morning, the snow wasn’t deep, but it could be slick beneath the treads of his tires. The chains were in the back, along with two five-gallon cans of gas. It was his habit to keep plenty of gas on hand. His infrequent trips to town didn’t mean he wasn’t prepared. From time to time, he stopped the jeep and stood on the door’s bottom edge and leaned against the open door. With binoculars in hand, he carefully searched the dense forest.
Plumes of breath wreathed his head. He squinted up at the brilliant azure sky. There were mare’s tail clouds skittered across the vast expanse. The cold bit into his nostrils and he flared them. Deep in the wood, he heard the reverberating sound of a woodpecker. The rat-tat tat echoed among the flocked evergreens.
His eye caught movement in the sky, it was a hawk, lazily circling around on the currents of air. A soft smile hovered on Mile’s lips. It never ceased to move him, the beautiful abundance of nature. Another movement caught his eye, Albert. The dog had jumped out of the jeep and was sniffing around, hiking his leg on every jut of root or plant.
Miles had been driving for a good four hours now. He’d found several likely roads and had driven in about twenty miles, but had found nothing. He had come across an abandoned car, but it had been covered with the snow. He didn’t think it was likely that it had been part of a rescue team. The wreckage could be anywhere, but it would be in this general area.
“I think we’ve gone as far as we should on this road.” He announced to Albert. The dog stopped in mid pee and looked at Miles.
