by Bruno Miller
Vince let out a deep breath, followed by a cough. “That was close,” he said. “We’re going to find another way.”
Mary shook her head and squeezed his arm again, only softer this time. The look in her eyes said it all. She was as scared as he was, something neither would admit to the other. What had he gotten them into?
Chapter Fifteen
Vince cranked the wheel hard and got them turned around as quickly as he could. Mary hung on to Nugget to keep her from sliding off the seat as Vince whipped the old wagon around. Afraid that the other burning houses would soon fall as well, he was determined to drive as fast as he could and get them out of there. At least they hadn’t blown a tire, something he worried about since the start. With all the loose debris and hot embers on the road, it was a legitimate concern. If they were trapped in this neighborhood and its narrow streets, they would be done for. With no one to put these fires out or at least control them, all the houses would come down eventually; it was just a matter of time. With small yards and streets that barely had enough room for two cars to pass at the same time, they could easily get trapped. If the fire didn’t get them, the smoke surely would.
“Be careful!” Mary gripped the door handle with one hand and Nugget with the other.
“I’m trying, but we’ve got to get out of here.” Vince steered the car around two abandoned vehicles on the road and took the next turn onto Lewis Avenue. If they could get to the end of this street, they would hit North Main and be in the clear.
Despite the smoke and poor visibility, Vince pushed well beyond his comfort level of speed for the conditions. He knew it wasn’t safe, but there was no alternative. This was an older section of town, and some of the houses were a hundred years old or more. The old structures were going up like matchsticks in a bonfire.
“Vince!” Mary pointed to an old two-story home ahead on the right side of the street.
“I see it.” Vince glanced at the house but quickly turned his attention back to the road. The house leaned toward the road at a precarious angle and threatened to topple any second. Vince hugged the left side of the road as far as he dared without getting too close to the houses on the other side. Against his better judgment, he sped up even more. At this point, he was driving from memory as he followed the curve in the road. The bright orange needle on the speedometer climbed well past a safe speed for the roads in this neighborhood, even under good circumstances.
He gripped the wheel firmly and leaned over it as he scanned the road ahead. He couldn’t see more than twenty yards or so through the smoke. Operating on pure instinct now, he half-braced himself for impact with an abandoned car or pile of burning rubble. The heat from the fires was a constant reminder of the penalty they would pay if he made the wrong move. This wasn’t what he had in mind when he set out to save Mary. The rescue had turned into a nightmare drive-thru hell.
Vince prayed the tires would hold up under the strain and the heat. For the speed he was driving, it took far too long to reach the end of the street. He heard an explosion behind him and flinched.
“What was that? More bombs?” Mary asked.
“It could have been a car or a natural gas tank. Most of these houses have gas tanks outside.” He hadn’t thought of that until now. The houses around here used natural gas as a primary heating fuel. Some had underground tanks, but a lot of them had smaller above-ground tanks. They might as well be time bombs placed randomly around the neighborhood. Some years back, he saw something on the news about a house in Indianapolis that had been blown to splinters by a faulty gas tank. The explosion had done damage to homes as far away as a block and a half down the street. Even if only three or four of the homes on a street had gas tanks, it would be enough to level the whole block.
Finally, he saw the end of the street approaching. He slowed the car and prepared for a sharp left turn onto North Main. At least the road was wider here and gave him more room to maneuver around any obstacles.
As Vince made the turn and Nugget slid across the slick vinyl seat into Mary, once again another explosion sounded, this time closer. Vince felt the bass of the shockwave in his chest and noticed a fireball rising into the sky off to their left.
“Whoa!” Mary flinched as she hung on to Nugget. For a brief moment, the burst of flames illuminated the sky through the dense smoke-filled air, then subsided and disappeared behind a row of burning buildings. Another good reason to get somewhere safe and wait this out—not that they needed another reason. Somehow, it was getting worse by the minute.
Any survivors would have to make do wherever they were. There was nothing Vince and Mary could do for anyone now, at least not without running the risk of becoming victims of the fires as well. He hated to even think about it, but the phrase crept into his mind before he could stop it. It truly was every man for himself now, whether they liked it or not.
His priority was getting back to the north end of town and finding Cy and the rest of them. If the others weren’t back yet, he would drop Mary off and head back out to look for them. That was the only thing worth risking his life for now, but he wouldn’t put her at risk again.
They would have to make do with the supplies they had and what they could scavenge when the fires died down. He had a lot of useful things at his house, but he didn’t want to get his hopes up. The chances of his house surviving were slim to none. He put the thought out of his mind and concentrated on the road ahead. There was plenty of time to think about that later. Right now, he needed to get them back safe and sound or none of it would matter.
Chapter Sixteen
Vince continued to make his way north on Main Street, dodging burning wrecks and newly fallen buildings that had collapsed and scattered debris onto the road. They were lucky enough to avoid any more close calls—at least nothing like what they experienced in the residential neighborhood they managed to escape minutes earlier.
After what seemed like an eternity, through drifting smoke Vince caught sight of the motel ahead.
“I see the motel!”
Not only did he see the motel, but he also saw the old Toyota pickup that Cy and Reese were driving. He also spotted Jim’s Jeep in the parking lot. Jim worked nights at the motel and manned the front desk in case there were any late-night travelers who needed to check in. The van that Fred and Hannah had been using, however, was absent from the parking lot, and that gave him cause for concern. He hoped they were okay and wondered if maybe they had tried to go back to their house in Quincy, although he doubted they would try to drive that far in a van with a bad transmission or without their daughter, Reese. Hopefully they hadn’t broken down somewhere out there in this chaos. Getting stranded in one of the tighter residential sections in the middle of town would be a death sentence.
As he pulled into the motel parking lot, Vince couldn’t help but feel more than a little guilty about sending them out in the poorly running van. He glanced over at his garage, just to verify that it was still there. Fortunately, it sat alone on a large lot, far enough away from the many burning buildings that it wasn’t at risk from the fire jumping between structures. That was probably the only reason the motel had survived as well. Being surrounded by the asphalt parking lot saved it from the spreading fires.
Vince parked next to the pickup truck and turned the wagon off. He let out a deep sigh and looked over at Mary.
“You did good,” Mary said, flashing a slight smile. “We made it.” Nugget sat up high and looked around, clearly relieved to be out of the thick smoke. The air was still heavy with ash and drifting particles, but it was nowhere near as bad as when they were in the thick of it.
“Dad!” Cy called out. He and Reese made their way out of the closest motel room and headed toward them.
“Have you seen my parents?” Reese asked.
“No, I haven’t.” Vince made eye contact with Reese as he got out of the car, the feeling of guilt washing over him once more. She wore a look of concern, and rightfully so.
Cy shook hi
s head. “We found a few people and managed to save some supplies from the drug store before it went up. We tried to go back out but we didn’t get far. The smoke was too thick and a lot of places are starting to come down. It’s bad out there.”
“You did the right thing,” Vince said.
Mary put her hand on Reese’s shoulder. “I’m sure your parents are all right, honey. They probably decided to hunker down somewhere safe and wait it out. The smoke is just too thick to drive through right now.”
Reese had a faraway look in her eyes as she glanced back toward town. “I hope you’re right.”
Just then Buster came tearing out of the motel room, barking and snorting at the new dog. Buster circled Nugget a few times before stopping to get a good sniff of the newcomer. Nugget responded with a few playful barks, then gave Buster a good going-over with her nose. Both dogs’ tails wagged as they went around in circles, and Vince was glad to see they were getting along.
They all started for the motel room, where the others were hiding out from the smoke-filled air. When they entered the room, Jim was sitting in a chair next to the window and looking out toward town. Tom and Beverly were sitting with their son, Ryan, on the bed. He was off the oxygen now and sleeping peacefully. Tom carefully got off the bed so as to not wake their son and came over to greet Vince and Mary.
“Major, it’s so good to see you guys,” Tom said in a hushed voice.
“Glad to see you made it,” Vince replied.
“All thanks to your son and Reese.” Tom looked at the kids and smiled before glancing back at his sleeping son. Beverly got up carefully and joined them near the door.
“Did you find anyone else?” she asked.
Mary shook her head. “No, we were lucky to make it back ourselves. You can’t see twenty feet in front your face out there.”
Jim stood up from his chair at the window and joined them. “Is there anything left of the town? What are we going to do?” he asked.
“Let’s go next door and talk.” Vince looked over at the young boy on the bed as he turned restlessly onto his side. They made their way out of the cramped room and went next door. Buster and Nugget led the way and investigated the piles of supplies from the pharmacy, which were scattered around the room.
“Wow, you guys did pretty good.” Vince patted Cy on the back as he looked at Reese.
“Thanks. We got lucky. I still need to organize it and take inventory of what we have exactly. We were in a hurry, and toward the end, I was grabbing anything I could get my hands on.” Reese looked at the hastily formed piles of medical supplies.
“Well you did good. Better than us,” Mary added.
“I’m afraid there isn’t much left in town, and by the time the fire runs its course, I don’t know that there will be anything left standing. Mary’s house survived, so there must be others, but for right now, we need to assume that this is all we have,” Vince cautioned.
“I have a lot of canned goods in my basement, enough to last us all a couple months if we’re careful,” Mary offered.
“Thanks, Mary. We’re going to need everything we can get our hands on. I have a lot of canned goods in my basement, not to mention a case of MREs I use for hunting trips. Of course, I have no idea if I still have a house.” Vince’s gut wrenched at the thought.
“Well, I know we lost everything.” Beverly’s eyes teared up as she spoke. Tom put his arm around her and pulled her close.
“You can all stay here as long as you want,” Jim said.
“Thanks, Jim,” Vince said. “We’re going to need to stay put for a while. It’s just not safe out there right now. There’s bound to be more survivors and they’re going to need our help when things settle down.” Vince was about to suggest they all find a spot in the adjacent motel rooms and get some rest while they waited out the fire, but the sound of grinding metal outside interrupted him.
“What’s that?” Cy asked as they filed out the door to see what was making the noise. It was coming from the direction of town, and it was getting closer by the second. Slowly but surely, the shape of a van emerged from the smoke. The van wasn’t going very fast and the front left wheel was missing the tire, causing the rim to make a horrible noise against the road surface and occasionally throwing a spark or two as it ground into the asphalt.
“It’s my parents. They made it!” Reese blurted out.
The van limped into the parking lot and came to a sudden halt a few feet from the entrance. Coughing, Fred jumped out of the driver’s side and ran around to open the passenger door.
“Help me!” he yelled as he struggled to pull Hannah out of the seat, her limp body awkwardly held in place with the seat belt. Reese was the first to run toward them, and the others followed close behind.
When Vince reached the van, he noticed the extent of the damage to the vehicle. Nearly all the paint on the left side had been blistered off by the heat and was still smoking. Cy and Tom took over pulling Hannah out of the seat since Fred, unable to continue supporting her weight, doubled over in a fit of coughing. They carried her to the motel while Vince helped Fred stay on his feet and follow them to the room. He glanced back at the battered and smoking van. How would he face Reese if her mother didn’t make it? How would he face any of them? This was his fault. He never should have sent them out there in the first place.
Chapter Seventeen
“Take her to 102!” Reese shouted as she ran ahead to the room and opened the door. She dug through the pile of supplies until she found an oxygen tank and a mask. By the time Cy and Tom came through the door with Hannah and laid her on the nearest bed, she was ready with the mask.
“Don’t lay her flat. Keep her on her side,” Reese barked as she placed two pillows behind her mother to prevent her from rolling over onto her back. She secured the mask around her head and positioned it over her nose and mouth. Reese noticed the soot and knew right away that her mother was dealing with smoke inhalation. She hoped it wasn’t bad enough to cause swelling and close off the airways; otherwise, her mother would have to be intubated. That was something she had never done. Intubation was the process of forcing a tube down the victim’s throat in order to bypass any swelling caused by the inhalation of carcinogens and particles in the smoke. If the respiratory distress was bad enough, there was also a danger of the victim breathing in the contents of their own stomach or mucus caused by the irritation of the airways.
The condensation that began to accumulate in the clear plastic mask was a welcome sight and gave Reese a small measure of relief. There wasn’t much else they could do for her other than let her rest and keep her on oxygen.
“I think she’s going to be okay.” Reese looked at her dad, who hovered over top of her and kept a watchful eye on his wife as she lay there motionless. Reese felt his hand on her shoulder until he launched into another fit of uncontrollable coughing.
“We need to get you on a tank too. There should still be plenty left in the room next door,” she suggested.
“I’ll get it. I want to check on Ryan anyway.” Hannah headed over to the room next door. Reese looked around the room and decided to speak up for the safety of everyone.
“I don’t think any of us need to be exposed to any more smoke today. There’s no telling what kinds of things are burning out there and what we’re breathing in.”
Vince nodded. “She’s right. We all need to stay put until things die down. We need to conserve the oxygen tanks we have. There’s going to be survivors that will need medical attention and all the resources we have. Driving around out there now is pointless. We’re just putting ourselves at risk for nothing if we go back out there. Why don’t we let the Morgans have this room? Tom, you and your wife can stay in 101 with your boy. Cy, Mary, and I can crash next door for the time being. That okay with you, Jim?” Vince asked.
“Sure, yeah. I’ll go grab the keys.”
“Good, it’s settled then. We’re all in agreement to wait it out here?” Vince asked. Everyone in the roo
m signaled their agreement.
Reese was glad everyone agreed to stay put for the time being. She already felt the pressure of being the only one with any medical training, and these weren’t cats and dogs; these were people who were counting on her. The last thing she wanted was more patients. She was already in way over her head, and by the looks of the others, it wouldn’t take much more exposure to smoke and airborne particles to push them over the edge of needing medical attention.
She looked at the mess of supplies around the room. She would have her hands full for a while sorting through what they managed to save. She needed to take inventory and keep track of what they had, and she knew she needed to do it now.
Once the fires died out, there would be plenty of people in need of help, and like it or not, that responsibility would largely fall on her shoulders. She fought off the urge to panic. She wasn’t trained for this. With any luck, there would be other survivors who had first aid skills. She couldn’t do this on her own, but the reality was that she might have to. She wasn’t prepared to have people’s lives in her hands. All her training was geared toward animals, and while there were some similarities, a human being was a whole other thing entirely.
Her dad cleared a spot on the bed and put his hand on her shoulder. Was her uneasiness that obvious?
