Tsunami
W. R. Benton
ISBN 978-1-944476-89-2
Published by Loose Cannon Enterprises
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the authors and/or the publisher. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Cover image by: Eanechiporenko from Pixabay, used by permission
Author photos Copyright ©2008 Melanie D. Calvert-Benton
Copyright ©2019 by W. R. Benton, All Rights Reserved
Edited by Bobbie La Cour and Daniel Williams
This book was produced and printed in the USA
Books by W. R. Benton
W. R. Benton is a master story teller with over 60 books, eBooks and audio books to his credit, and his mountain man book, Nate Grisham set in 1820-1840, is soon to be a feature motion picture. Benton is known for his action and adventure, along with great character development that makes many readers feel as if they are actually a part of the book. He tells of the kind of bad guys you love to hate, with good guys you root for from the very beginning.
His Southern humor book, Bubba's Dawg Might Be a Redneck will also be a feature movie. This last movie is to be released, sometime in 2020.
Explore more than 60 W. R. Benton books, visit http://www.amazon.com/author/wrbenton/
Dedication
To all First Responders and active duty military, I personally know you job is difficult at times.
To Vickie Benton, my sister. I love you, sis.
Contents
A Word from the Author
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
About the Author
A Word From the Author
Tsunami is a book of action and adventure written around a simple act of God; an emergency based on a very realistic and possible disaster. One day, I'm absolutely sure, a large asteroid will strike the earth and it will be drastically changed in a matter of a few short minutes. A huge asteroid has struck the earth before and scientist think the disaster resulted in the death of almost all the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. It's very possible dust covered the earth for months, blocking the sun and the moon, and making the air dirty for years. Many dinosaurs were plant eaters and if the plants died, the big animals would have died. Just those two alone could have caused most of the big beasts to die of starvation or breathing problems. If it strikes hard enough and it's big enough, the loss of life and possible changes in the weather, along with the triggering of massive earthquakes, will be extensive. If it strikes on land, can you imagine the dust and debris that will fill the air? Or if it hits in the water, the massive tsunami it will cause? Additionally, I can see NASA thinking the best way to take the asteroid out would be an atomic bomb, miles before it gets into the earths gravitational pull. What if the big bomb did no noticeable damage?
But, I think for an asteroid as big as Texas moving toward earth at almost supersonic speeds, its pure size and chemical make up could resist even a nuke. The damage that an asteroid of this size would kill millions and within just a few minutes. What the Tsunami does not wash away and kill, the earth could very well open up and swallow those lucky enough to have ran outdoors, seconds before their building collapsed on them. I can imagine earthquakes of such strength they will be the most powerful and destructive force in the history of the world.
My characters are all normal everyday people, with no super skills or hidden talents. None of them are doctors, prior special operations sergeants, or nurses, and have little medical training except for basic first aid. None are martial arts experts or registered operating room nurses. My characters get wounded and they die, usually fighting to protect what little they have, and those they love. But, when the Lord of a small town decides he want's our heroes women and food, the survivors know they are in for a rough time, with bitter fighting when the two groups meet. And they meet often.
The forming of groups for survival is very basic and something that will happen when people are placed apocalyptic situations. By joining a group, they are better protected and food is shared, plus all of them are out attempting to finding things to eat. Twenty folks looking will have better luck than a single man searching. The groups form for survival and no other reason.
I hope you enjoy, Tsunami, a tall tail of adventure and excitement. So, pull up a chair get your favorite drink, get comfortable, and read, Tsunami, by WR. Benton.
WR Benton
25 September 2019
Jackson, Mississippi
Chapter 1
Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
0600 Hours, 11 June 2020
Senior Master Sergeant Daniel Wolf had been home from work just long enough to shower and then eat supper. His wife, June, and two kids, Dave and Carol, were glad to see him and he'd been deployed six months, as an active duty military member, to an undisclosed location. He had been unable to share where he'd been or even why he was sent there. No one knew now and the mission was still classified Top Secret. He felt sorry for his wife, June, because she had to trust him enough to not question his trip. He hadn't even been able to tell her where he was going when he left. Being the spouse of an active military member was a rough job and it took a lot of trust from the couple to make a relationship last. More than one man in the past had claimed he was deploying, so he could have some time with a girlfriend he kept on the side. Sergeant Wolf was not like that, but he'd seen it happen before.
The television was on and a newscaster was saying, “We interrupt your regularly televised viewing for this important news announcement. The latest word from the White House, is this asteroid, roughly the same size as the state of Texas, is heading straight for the United States. President Thomas is sending a crew up into space to plant an atomic bomb on the asteroid. His idea is to blast the thing to pieces before it can strike the earth. The process of selecting the crew to do the job is being done as I speak. This is Mary W. Martin of WXXZ, Dallas, and now back to you John.”
“Thank you, Mary. The asteroid is predicted to strike earth as soon as the day after tomorrow and it may very well hit near California, in the ocean. According to our scientists the impact site will be 10 miles off the coast of California, with a margin of error of 10%. Authorities are predicting a huge tsunami that could end the world as we know it to be. Scientist are claiming most of the world will be greatly affected and it is to be as strong as the asteroid that struck the world and spelled death for the dinosaurs. As we cover the news this evening at six, all Californians are being evacuated to the mid-west. The entire state population is being removed.
Some experts are saying this asteroid could mean the death of every person on earth, but others are not so gloomy and predict much less loss of life around the world. Especially along the coasts, and for people within 200 miles of the coastline. The resulting tsunami could kill well over fifteen million people, in the US alone. I have with me, Doctor James E. Wilson, from the South Western University of Mississippi. Doctor, what do you think will happen if the full size
asteroid strikes ten mile from the state of California?”
An old man with a grossly outdated and well worn suit, thin face, wire rimmed glasses perched low on his nose, and thin hair, said, “First the asteroid is the size of Texas and that is large. If the asteroid hits ten miles from the California coast, a large portion will not land in the water. Just the shock waves from an asteroid of that size striking the United States will cause significant damage and kill millions. Then those people on the coast will be facing horrible tsunamis with walls of water hundreds, if not thousands, of feet high and it will destroy everyone and everything for a good two hundred miles or more inland.”
The newsman then said, “Then there will be other issues, like dust and damage done to homes hundreds of miles away.”
Doctor Wilson said, “Yes, but the water will only cause part of the damage. When the plates under us move from the impact of the asteroid it will result in earthquakes, millions may die. This movement of the plates is expected by my team of experts. They are warning us of multiple earthquakes, around the 9.5 range, and we've never experienced movement like that before. Many on the coast will die within the first hour following the impact of the asteroid.
The newscaster said, “Thank you for coming in today, Doctor Wilson. Please, stay with WXXY and we'll send you breaking news updates as we receive them. We recommend you download our WXXY news app, so you'll get all the breaking news stories when they happen. This John Webb, now back to our regularly scheduled programs.”
Dan walked to the television and turned it off. This whole tsumami situation was starting to get out of hand and the media was going bonkers over a hunk of rock that could kill us all. No, I don't think the TV news teams are helping the situation at all. I know older people are in a panic mode and some our young folks have already committed suicide. The news should just report the news and keep the so called experts out of their reporting, he thought as he looked at the members of his family and morbidly wondered how many of them will still be alive a year from now.
What are we to do, Dan? June asked, her eyes full of fear.
“I'm scared too, dad. How can we survive an asteroid striking us?” Carol asked.
“I've been thinking on that and I believe we can survive, but the world will never be the same after the asteroid strikes. I need to go in to my job, fill out a leave request, and then we'll go visit grandma for a couple of weeks. Then again, they may not allow me to leave with this emergency going on.”
June said, “Honey, there is nothing you can do about the asteroid, not a thing. Surely someone in charge will know you can do nothing.”
“They may want men and women with rank to remain behind to maintain order and keep everything from going chaotic. I've already been told that we will evacuate the base and that's happening right now. But they'll hand select some of the senior NCO's to stay behind and keep things in order.”
“Do you think they can blow it up?” Dave asked.
“Well, we have the knowledge to blow it up, and I'm sure a suitcase nuke will do the job, so yes I think they can. I have heard, from the news of course, that this thing is almost solid steel or like a cast iron skillet. If for some reason they miss or can't do the job, we need to be away from here because we're right on the beach.”
“I don't want to leave Biloxi, or Mississippi dad. All my friends are here.” Carol said.
“You're bein' stupid, Carol, the whole world might die and you're worried about not being with friends? Just be glad dad is brave and smart enough to try to get us to a place where we might be able to survive. Girls are so dumb at times.” Dave said and I saw anger in his eyes.
“That's enough.” Dan said. Like most brothers and sisters, they fought at times, but in the future the fighting would have to stop, especially if we wanted to survive.
Dave is 16 and more of a man than a kid. He is a carbon copy of me and he has a healthy sense of humor, as I do. He's 5 feet and 9 inches tall, maybe 160 pounds, good health and dental hygiene. His blonde hair is worn trimmed and neatly combed. Unlike many kids today, he is fully able to survive on his own. Dan had taught him that much in their years of hunting together.
Carol is a beautiful 18 year old with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She is usually quiet, but this asteroid has her terrified and rightly so. For some reason, she seems to think Keesler Air Force Base will always be here.
June said, “Turn the TV back on, Dan and let's hear the latest news. While we listen for updates, I will gather some things we'll need. I need you to unlock the RV so we can load it with what we need. If there is something that all of you need, best place it on the table now, but it had better be important.”
Dan turned the TV on and said, “Don't take the file cabinets, but get our important papers file and bring it along. It has our marriage license, tax filings, vehicle titles, and birth certificates of all of us, along with social security cards. Be sure to bring the whole file and place it inside a big zip-lock bag so we know it will remain dry. Those are things we may need later. Take just enough meat from the freezer for 5 days of eating. It will take us a day or two to get to Missouri and I think there is a good chance our power may go out after the rock hits us. We can keep the meat good, as we eat it, by using the RV freezer. We both know that freezer won't keep anything cold for an unlimited time.”
“You do that while I get a leave form signed off on.”
I was still in my uniform and grabbed my hat off the hook by the door as I left the house and drove to the base.
One could tell the base was gearing up for the possible evacuation and crimes that would occur if the asteroid struck near them or a Tsunami hit. All were carrying rifles, wearing helmets, and had pistols at their sides. I noticed they also wore flak jackets, and when he stopped at the gate, the security policeman checked his vehicle registration form, military ID, and his civilian drivers license.
“Where are you headed Sergeant?”
“I'm Senior Master Sergeant Daniel Wolf. I work at headquarters and am responsible for manning of the industrial and occupational safety career fields, Air Force wide. I'm headed there on business. I'm off today and need go get some paperwork signed. I just got back from a deployment.”
“I was there with you. You can proceed, but remember, things are messed up here right now, because of the asteroid. We will eventually have to evacuate the whole base with just a few moments notice and I think those who remain behind are dead meat.” He handed Wolf's papers back.
As Sergeant Wolf drove to his office in the Headquarters building, he began to think, I can always take my RV and go to the Missouri Ozark Mountains to live. I grew up there and still have family in the area. I'd take out about three thousand dollars in cash, from my credit cards, and leave the balance in my checking account. Better yet, I'll max out all my credit cards, because if that asteroid hits earth, I'll never have to pay it back anyway. I figured gas for a the RV will cost me a good $100 and then I need food before the asteroid strikes. I don't think it will miss us, as many optimists think, and I wanted to be prepared. Once the asteroid hits, I'll play hell getting anyone to sell me anything. I'd use my checks for the food purchase and I'll hit a wholesale food shop with a warehouse full of supplies, gear, and foods, so I can buy in bulk. I'll visit one of those “Cost Less” Warehouse Stores. I'll buy anything with protein and I'll need to clean out the vitamin section too, especially prenatal vitamins.
He wasn't in the building very long. He filled out a leave request, his boss the Colonel reluctantly signed it and he was out the door. Everyone was glued to the news on TV and most never noticed him entering or leaving. The Colonel he worked for must have known what he was planning, because he said, “If the Tail Blazer Space Shuttle fails to blow up the asteroid and a Tsunami is scheduled to hit us, then I want you back here, got that? I may even call you back early if I have the time. I figure they're going to evacuate us inland if the asteroid doesn't get blown up or it's trajectory towards earth doesn't change. I already
have all the dependents that live on the base out of here. I sent them to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.”
“Yes, sir. I will be visiting my family in Missouri, sir. You have the number for my cell on the leave request, Colonel.”
Lowing his tone, Colonel Blake said, “Dan, I suspect we'll be sent to Missouri too and if the asteroid strikes, you hunker down in Missouri and once the smoke clears, meet me on the army post, if possible.
“Why are you speaking so low?”
“I'm not really supposed to tell you to leave and take care of your family. The Air Force want's all our attention to be on the asteroid. I agree in part, but I've already let three people leave because they have families and I don't need them here.”
“Who did you release?”
“Staff Sergeant Thomas, Airmen Clark, and Technical Sergeant Patton. I don't need them here and they have families to care for. I also released all the junior grade officers from Major on down, so I now have a lean crew with me. My whole crew is me and Major Light. The two of us can handle this place.” Looking at his watch the Colonel then said, “Go Sergeant Wolf and get to Missouri. Take care of that beautiful family you have.”
As he drove home he debated on pulling one of his SUVs behind the RV. He had everything needed to tow one, and had done it before, but he was under a lot of stress now. One mistake or bad calculation his family of four could end up dead.
Sergeant Wolf walked into the house and was immediately swamped with everyone talking at once.
“Dad, we're all goin' to be killed.” Dave said.
“We need to move out of here and quickly.” June said and I could see the fear in her wet eyes. She'd obviously been crying and I'm sure she was as concerned about our family as I was.
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