by CW Johnson
Book Three
Chapter Seven
~~~
“Hello in the camp!”
“What do you want?”
“United States Marines. May we approach?”
Eric Wheeler peeked up over the rock. “Let me see you!” he yelled into the woods.
An olive drab Marine stepped out from behind a bush. He had a red cross on his helmet.
Eric stood. “Boy, are we glad to see you guys!”
Two more Marines stepped from behind the bush and all three made their way into camp.
“Boy, am I glad to see you,” Eric repeated, pushing his hand out. “We’ve been watching your helicopters fly over for days. We were hoping you’d come.”
“I’m Lieutenant Brent Wiens,” one of the Marines said, taking Eric’s hand. “Everything ok here?”
“We could sure use some food…other than that we’re ok.”
“Who all is in your camp?”
“Just me, my wife and three kids…daughters.”
Stacey and the girls timidly stepped out from behind the rock.
“Just the one family then?” the Lieutenant asked as the girls moved up towards him.
“Yeah, just us…you don’t have any spare food?”
“Yes we do,” the Lieutenant said. He nodded towards another Marine who quickly moved off into the brush and turned his attention back to Eric. “We’re gonna be picking folks up on the beach day after tomorrow at noon. What’s your name?”
“Wheeler,” Eric said, “Eric Wheeler.”
“Wife and…three kids…daughters,” the Lieutenant repeated, writing the info down on a large notebook. “You’ll need to be in the Hampton Beach area at noon sharp, day after tomorrow.”
“Where is that?” Eric said. “We’re new around here.”
“Straight east, follow the river, you can’t miss it. But if you’re not there, we’ll leave without you.”
“I understand,” Eric said, nodding his head, “we’ll be there.”
The Marine returned carrying a large cardboard box. “You ever had an MRE?” the Lieutenant said as the Marine approached.
Eric stared at the box. “No, I don’t think so.”
Lieutenant Wiens opened the box and pulled out a brown metallic looking package. The word “Meal” was emblazoned on the front in bold letters along with a black moon-shaped crescent.
“What is it, Daddy?” Sadie said, looking up from between her father’s legs.
The Lieutenant grinned down at the child. “It’s an MRE; stands for meals ready to eat.”
The family gathered around as the lieutenant went down on one knee, pulled the package open with his teeth and dropped several more packages out of the original. He made a move to throw the outer package away but pulled it back. “How does Beefsteak with Mushrooms sound?”
Eric looked at his wife and back at the Lieutenant. “Uh…sounds…wonderful.”
The Lieutenant grinned, pushed the smaller package into a larger one and reached for his canteen. He poured a tiny bit of water into the outer package and leaned it against a rock. “This’ll take about a minute,” he said, smiling. He reached to pat Sadie’s head but she ducked away behind her father’s leg. The Lieutenant laughed and looked back at the Marine who had just returned. “Go get another one,” he said. “This is a pretty big family.”
The Marine smiled and left the camp.
“Oh good…it looks ready,” he said as he reached and pulled the small package out of the larger one. Miraculously, the package came out steaming hot. Kiara and Ally’s jaws dropped.
“It’s a chemical reaction,” the Lieutenant said. “Sweet huh… no fire needed.” He bit the corner off the package and tore it open. The smell of steaming hot Beefsteak with Mushrooms drew the family forward. The Lieutenant reached into another package, pulled out a plastic spoon and handed it to Sadie.
The thick, hardy odor drove away all inhibitions. She moved from behind her father’s legs and reached for the spoon. “Careful with this, honey,” the Lieutenant said. “It’s hot.”
Stacey reached down and held the package for her daughter as Sadie pushed the spoon deep into the steaming food. She quickly pulled it out and proceeded to push it into her mouth.
“Wait,” her mother said, pulling the spoon away to test on her own lips. “It’s still hot sweetie,” she said, blowing on the steamy food.
Ally and Kiara stood by impatiently, their mouths watering.
Finally, following a quick blessing and considerable prodding, Stacey returned the spoon to her child, who immediately pushed it into her mouth. “Mmm,” she moaned, her wide eyes glistening. “Mmm, it’s yummy!”
A chorus arouse from the two other Wheeler children.
“I want some!”
“Sadie…let me have some!”
“Can I have some?”
“Can I have just one taste?”
“Sadie let us have some!”
The lieutenant laughed. “Look, there’s a lot more, twelve in each box.” He reached in the box and began pulling them out one by one. “See, we have…Pork Rib—”
“That’s what I want!” Kiara yelled.
“Beef Ravioli—”
“I want that one,” Ally squealed.
“Country Captain Chicken—”
“No, I mean I want that one!” Kiara hollered.
“Chicken Breast—”
“Ooo that one, that one!” Ally yelled.
Sadie appeared to be much too busy with her mouthwatering Beefsteak with Mushrooms to have a care.
“Thank you,” Stacey Wheeler said, tears in her eyes. “You don’t know how hungry we’ve been.”
The Lieutenant smiled. “You won’t be hungry anymore. We’re gonna’ get you folks out of here.”
“Can’t tell you how much we appreciate this,” Eric Wheeler said, reaching for the Lieutenant’s hand. The Marine returned with the other box of MREs and dropped them on the ground.
“You folks have a big hot meal tonight,” the Lieutenant said. “We’ll see you day after tomorrow on the beach.”
~~~
All freeways and interstate highways had long since been rendered impassable by the hordes of people struggling to make it out of the major cities. Todd found a set of railroad tracks and pointed the Humvee west-northwest. He wasn’t sure the trains had stopped running so he tried to steer clear of the tracks themselves. He found that, for the most part, the track bed was wide enough to easily make room for both railroad tracks and Humvee.
He was able to push the vehicle upwards of forty miles an hour and remain relatively comfortable. The ride was rough and Todd worried about Maria in her advanced stage of pregnancy, but she seemed to be managing.
Todd kept one eye on the onboard compass. He had no way of knowing which direction the tracks would lead. If they made any deviation from northwest, he’d have to leave the tracks and move out overland.
Maria had managed to find a vehicle owner manual under the seat. “It says here this high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle is a one and a quarter ton truck…is that big?”
“What did they call it?” Todd said.
“A high mobility multi-purpose wheeled vehicle.”
They both looked at each other as if on cue. “Hum veeeee,” they said in unison.
“I think a ton and a quarter is pretty big,” Todd said. “It feels big.”
“It says here, the vehicle’s top speed is sixty-five," Maria said. "It says it’ll go faster but you won’t like it.”
“No, it doesn’t say that, does it?”
Maria pushed the owner’s manual in front of his face. “That’s what it says, right here.”
She continued silently reading the manual for a time and then pulled a map out from under the seat. “The first major town we should see is Clarksville.”
“I’m not sure these tracks will go there,” Todd said. “We’ll stop when we see a town and check it out.”
Maria nodded and went ba
ck to reading the map. “Andrew Jackson lived in Nashville…did you know that? Wasn’t he the President once?”
“Yeah,” Todd said, “the Hermitage.”
Maria looked up. “What?”
“The Hermitage…that was his house.”
“Hmm,” Maria mumbled, looking back at the map. She scanned it for a time and pushed it back under the seat. She milled about momentarily and came back up.
“Did you say Clarksville?” Todd said.
“Yeah.”
Todd pointed at a sign just off the tracks. “There it is.”
“That’s funny,” Maria said. “Why would they have a sign next to the railroad tracks?”
“Maybe a passenger train passed this way.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right…we should try this.”
“Huh?” Todd said, watching the dirt-covered track bed pass by beneath them. They were making a little better time now.
“When the baby is finally born we should try this,” Maria said, pushing something in front of Todd’s face.
“Maria, that’s a porn magazine. Where did you find that?”
“Todd, you’re blushing!”
“Put that away! Where did you find that?”
“Todd, we’re married. Why are you blushing?”
“Please, Maria…put that dang thing back where you found it.”
“You are so cute when you blush.” She pushed it back in front of his face.
“Mariaaa!” Todd yelped.
Maria squealed with laughter and shoved the magazine back under the seat. She rearranged a few things and curled up under his right arm. “I think I feel sexy,” she said.
Dust and gravel spewed in all directions as the Humvee skated to a stop on the gravel-covered track bed. Todd turned and gently wrapped his arms around her.
“Not now, stallion,” Maria said, her hand pushing on his forehead. “I meant after the baby’s born.”
“Oh,” Todd said.
He slowly moved back and silently sat behind the wheel. After some time, he re-started the Humvee and resumed driving northwest on the track bed.
Maria pushed herself back under his arm. “Are you mad at me?”
“No.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not”
“You’re pouting.”
“No I’m not.”
"Yes you are."
They rode silently over the track bed for a time.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Maria said softly, breaking the silence. “I just wanted you to know how differently I felt about things now. I think falling in love with you has really changed me…I just wanted you to know that.”
“Ok,” Todd said quietly. “But, can I see the magazine again?”
“SHUDDUP!” Maria squealed, slugging him in the chest.
~~~
“Why are you sitting here in the dark, old-timer? You should be in bed.”
The President of the United States looked up to see his wife’s form silhouetted against the brightness of the open door. He looked back into the darkness. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Well, it’s a wonder,” his wife said moving forwards to switch on an antique lamp. The light revealed a weatherworn grey haired senior citizen slumped in a luxurious high-backed couch. She went to him and sat down at his side. “Any particular reason?”
The president looked up at her with raised brows.
“Well…ok,” she recanted, “silly question.”
He looked back at the floor. They sat together in silence for a time.
“Tomorrow,” the President said after a long sigh, “the Congress will convene for the very last time.”
The President’s wife gently patted him on the shoulder.
“The first and last item of business,” he continued softly, “will be to dissolve and disenfranchise the government of The United States of America.”
He glanced at his wife and back at the floor. “That damn European Union! Those were the only terms they would accept. How can they be so damn calculating at a time like this? How can they so brazenly close their borders to the very people who supported, sacrificed and died for them? If it weren’t for the United States, there wouldn’t be a European Union. It would be the European Third Reich!”
The President’s wife sat silently patting him. “You have to listen to your advisors on this one Chet,” she said, breaking the silence. “It isn’t the E.U. doing these things to us. They didn’t cause our trouble, the asteroid did. Honey…in a little less than a week, the United States of America will no longer exist. How could we hope to carry on a…transient government?”
She stopped patting his shoulder and looked at him. “Look at it this way, dear. Imagine things were reversed, the asteroid was gonna hit…oh say…Germany….Would you have let that government transport the bulk of their citizenry into the borders of the United States and then allow them a separate government? Of course not…It would still be the United States of America. The E.U. will be making a lot of concessions for us.”
The President looked up at the first lady. “The E.U. will be absorbing the greatest military power the world has ever known!”
“A lot of good it will do them,” she said quickly, “hunkered down in a hundred year nuclear winter.”
~~~
Todd and Maria had been traveling nonstop for two days. Exhaustion finally overtook them and they pulled off the track bed just west of Jefferson City, Missouri. Earlier that morning, they spotted a small caravan of off-road vehicles heading east near Poplar Bluff, just west of the Missouri line. They were traveling overland a few miles north of the track bed. The couple hadn’t seen any signs of life since then. They knew as they neared Omaha, the population would drop to nil. They followed a dirt path till they came upon a wide clearing near a slow moving irrigation ditch. In the trailer they found a pup tent and two military style mummy bags. Within moments, a rock-rimmed fire popped and crackled beneath an old, gigantic cottonwood tree.
It seemed as though Brother Michael had thought of everything. Whatever they needed, they had. Todd had even found an M-16 automatic rifle and a crate of ammo. Boxes of military food rations labeled MREs filled the back compartment of the Humvee and lined the walls of the trailer.
“He set us up for months,” Todd said.
They were sitting against a rock in front of the fire, cuddled together in a military mummy bag made for one. “I wonder why he sent so much food when we only have a few more days till the—” He stopped mid-sentence.
Maria glanced up at him. “It’s ok.”
“I can’t believe I just said that.”
“It’s ok,” Maria repeated, cuddling up to him. “I’m not worried.”
Todd looked up into the crystal clear stars. “It’s damn purty. Reminds me of home in Oklahoma.”
They sat together listening to the sounds of the fire, feeling the soothing warmth against their faces. After a time Maria lay her head back on his chest and sighed.
“Why not?” Todd said.
She looked up at him. “Why not what?”
“Why aren’t you worried?”
“I don’t know.”
“You were…worried…remember?”
“I know, but that was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before I met Brother Michael.”
Todd fell silent for a time. “Because of Brother Michael you aren’t worried anymore?” he said finally.
Maria pulled away and looked into the fire. “He made me believe that nothing will stand in the way of this little baby being born.”
“He’s not worried about the asteroid?”
Maria looked back at him and shrugged. “He doesn’t know anything about the asteroid. He says the Father hasn’t revealed anything about the asteroid to him yet.”
“And you’re not worried about that?”
“You have to know Brother Michael to understand. He makes you believe.”
“Tell me about this g
uy,” Todd said. “Who is he?”
“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” Maria said softly. “He’s not like any man I’ve ever met before.” She quickly glanced up at him and pulled away. “Not like that, my love; not like you.”
Todd sat silently staring into the fire. After a time he asked, “Different in what way?”
Maria smiled and shook her head. “Where should I start? When I first met him…he was such a…wimp.”
“That guy…a wimp?”
“It was just an act. He was there because he knew I would need him.”
“How did he know that?”
She shook her head again and looked up at him. “He said he was the champion of the only begotten son of the Father.”
Todd sat pondering her words for a time. “The baby,” he said finally, “Is that who he’s talking about?”
“Yeah…That’s what he said.”
“So, he’s some kind of preacher?”
“More than that,” Maria said, looking back into the fire. “Imagine…you went to church and heard a preacher giving a sermon about the fires of hell. Then imagine fire coming down from heaven and burning everybody in the front row up…he’s that kind of preacher. With him there is no…faith. He just tells it the way it is and makes it happen. He’s not just convincing, he leaves absolutely no room for doubt." She shuffled her position within the sleeping bag and continued. "I never told you because it’s just too horrible but there were these three men…They came to the hospital to get me. He killed them with his…mind.”
“He did what? Who did he kill?”
“No, you don’t understand,” Maria said. “They were gonna take our baby out of me. They had me tied down, and they were gonna take our baby out.”
Todd leaned forward. “Oh my God…Maria.”
“I really thought I was going to die,” she said softly.
Todd pulled her in and held her. Maria laid her face on his chest.
“After he killed them,” she continued, “he took their car and airplane. He convinced the Colonel at the army base he was a secret agent or something. They helped him…they gave him anything he wanted. We were in Australia and he told me he thought you were still alive…He told me I could come back for you and that the baby would be born in Omaha, Nebraska, just like I knew he would.” She sat back and looked into the fire.
“How was he able to do all this?” Todd said.
“He said it was the Father…the Father gave him the power.”
“Did he mean God?”
