by A. L. Jambor
Jason closed up his house by moving all the frozen, refrigerated, and dog food to Justin's. After he activated the storm shutters, he shut down the power. He then did the same at Mark's house. Mindy and Mark had harvested the vegetables and were bringing them over to the Carson’s. They then got their clothes, toothbrushes and pillows and brought them over. The last thing Mark brought in was his laptop computer.
Jason showed Mark and Mindy the second floor of the Carson house. He led Mindy to Caitlyn's room and Mark to Justin's room. Jason would sleep in David and Janice Carson's room. Once they each set up their new quarters, they met in the kitchen to have some lunch before heading up to Command Central.
Mindy was beginning to warm up to Jason. She even smiled at him sometimes. She was given the task of taking care of the dogs for the duration of the storm. Jason would cook and Mark would clean up. Jason threw a couple of frozen pizzas in the oven and pulled out some paper plates. When the pizzas were done, he cut them and placed them in the center of the table.
“Grab what you want,” he told the two hungry kids, who proceeded to grab two slices each. The kids ate like starving dogs with a meaty bone. They surprised Jason with their appetites.
“Slow down, there's plenty. If you want, I can throw another one in the oven.” At this rate, the kids would eat Jason out of house and home. “So, where were you guys? I went over to Mark's house, but it was empty.”
Mark and Mindy looked at each other. They weren’t sure how to answer Jason's question. They knew where they had been, but they didn't know how to explain Jacob Wilmer's underground city full of kids.
“Come on, it can't be a secret. Mindy, how long were you guys here when we found each other?”
“We came the day before.” She kept her eyes on her pizza.
“Okay, but where did you come from?” Jason couldn’t figure out why they were having such a hard time telling him. Then Mark decided to come clean.
“I was taken from my house last week. These four guys came and took me to this place in Palm Harbor. It was some kind of....well, it was...”
“It was an underground city,” Mindy said. She was looking right into Jason's eyes. “The people were scientists and they couldn't leave the city unless they put on these suits. They gave us food and there were these little houses to sleep in.” That was the most she had said in front of Jason, who was momentarily tongue-tied.
“They took me too, out of my Grammy's house. They also took Baby Girl and brought her with me. They had a big field for growing crops and a room for animals, but they all died except the chickens. Calvin drove us here because he thought we should be able to live where we wanted to and I have to find my parents.”
“Wow! That's the most I've ever heard you say,” Jason said. “Tell me more about this place. Did you see where it was, when Calvin was it, when he drove you here?” Jason didn’t really believe the story, but he didn’t want to insult Mindy or stop her talking.
“I know where it is. I took a walk outside one day and found the entrance. It's off 19 in Palm Harbor. I remember a sign that said 'Palm Harbor 2' at the end of the dirt road. I didn't go to the highway, but I think I could find it again if I had to.”
“Did you live with your Grammy, Mindy?” Jason asked between bites.
“No, I was staying with her while my parents...” Mindy stopped. She pulled the brochure out of her pocket and handed it to Jason.
“Where did they go?” Mark asked.
“That hotel; it’s far away. I think they took a plane.”
“This is in Las Vegas.” Jason was wiping the last of the pizza from his face. He opened the brochure and saw the phone numbers written in big numbers.
“When they come back, they won’t be able to find me,” Mindy said. She looked as though she might cry. “I want to go home and wait there.”
The boys didn’t know what to say. They both knew her parents were most likely dead, but she seemed so sad they didn’t want to make it worse.
“What if we go there every day to see if they came back?” Mark asked. “And come back here at night?”
“You would go with me?” Mindy said quietly.
“Of course I would, I said I would, didn’t I?”
“Hold on a minute. Right now you can't go anywhere, not until the storm is over. But listen to this. When it's over, we can go in my mom's car. We may have to steal gas along the way, but we can all go together. We'll even take the dogs.” Jason was looking at Mindy.
“Please, can't we go tonight? It's not that far from here if we go in the car. Please Jason, take me over there tonight.”
Now that she liked him, Jason was reluctant to say no. Instead, he took her upstairs to show her the weather map, which now showed the huge hurricane floating over Puerto Rico headed for Key West. The thing was out of control and Jason believed it would be here in a matter of hours.
“Do you really want to risk getting caught outside in that? Mindy, please, don't make me have to say no. I really don't want to be the bad guy, but we can't risk all our lives for something…something that will be there in a few days. I promise you, as soon as this storm passes, we'll go to your house.”
Jason had knelt down to be eye-level with Mindy. She had her sad face on and it almost got to him, but not quite. Jason would have to make sure the locks were secure so keep these kids inside for their own good until the storm passed. The dogs would have to go to the basement to do their thing. Jason had brought some sand in for them.
“Okay. I'll wait.”
Mindy went over to Ricky's window seat and sat down facing the window. She stared out at the ocean, keeping her back to the boys. Jason went back to the weather map and tried to imagine the size of the hurricane. He decided it was time to close the last shutter, causing Mindy to get up and go to her room.
“Can you hook my computer up to the modem now?” Mark was asking.
“Sure, kid. Give me a minute to close up the house.”
Jason walked downstairs to the second level. He could hear Mindy talking to Baby Girl. He stood quietly listening for a few minutes before going to the next floor.
“Just think, Baby Girl, we can go to my house soon. I bet my parents will be there waiting for me. Aren't you excited? Your eyes look excited. Baby Girl, I can't wait to see my mom and dad again.”
Jason felt the full weight of the responsibility he had taken on. How could he tell this sweet little girl that her parents were dead no matter how hard she willed them to be alive? He decided to take the coward's way out and go along with whatever Mindy wanted to believe. It would make his life easier in the long run, and would keep Mindy happy.
Jason took the stairs in his usual manner and made sure all the shutters were tight and in place. He checked the concrete wall, and it was also ready. He then closed the shutters on the first story and went up to check the upper floors. When he was sure everything was secure, he rejoined Mark in Command Central.
The barrel of wind and water was wielding its way across Florida, headed to the West Coast and would most likely reach the Tampa Bay area.
He could hear the wind picking up, and the rain had started. He imagined what the streets would look like after the storm had passed. He hoped he could get the car out in a few days because he promised Mindy he would. No matter what, he would get her to her house; even if they had to wade to a dry street and steal a car, Mindy would go home.
Chapter 43
Jason had fallen asleep in front of the monitors again. Mark was also asleep on a window seat, his laptop on the floor next to him. Mindy climbed up the stairs. She peeked into Command Central and saw the boys were asleep. She then tiptoed down the back stairs to the kitchen.
The hurricane shutters were closed on all the windows and the sliding glass doors. She went into the living room and checked the front door. Jason had bolted it shut and Mindy could not budge the lock. Baby Girl had woken up and followed her downstairs.
“You can't go with me this time, Baby Girl.” Mindy whispered. The li
ttle dog sat down and stared up at her. “I have to go by myself. I don't want you to get hurt.” Baby Girl stood and wagged her tail. “No, you have to stay.” Baby Girl barked. “Shhh!”
Mindy stopped and listened to see if the boys had heard the bark. She didn't hear anything overhead so she continued to try and open the bolt. She felt it give a little. She walked over and grabbed the dog stairs. She propped them up against the door. She had a better handle on the bolt now and was able to turn it completely around. She got off the stairs and moved them out of the way.
Mindy opened the lock on the doorknob. She opened the door a crack. The wind was blowing and it was starting to rain. She opened it a little more. There were no streetlights and it was pitch black out there. Baby Girl barked again.
“Please shut up,” she whispered to Baby Girl. Mindy bent over and pet the little dog. “I have to find them, Baby. I just have to.” Then the door slammed shut and Jason was standing over her.
“There is no way in hell I am going to let you out of this house. What is wrong with you?” Jason was furious. He thought they might try to get out, but the reality of it really pissed him off. This kid would be lost in no time between the dark and the storm. “Why would you think of doing something so stupid?”
Tears welled up in Mindy's eyes. She was upset at being yelled at and at being caught.
“I was going to stay on the road. I would be okay.”
“Stupid, you’re really stupid. There's no way you could stay on the road. The wind would knock your bike right over. You could be hurt and alone, and I wouldn't be able to find you.”
Jason was so mad he was shaking. Mindy was scared he might hit her. When he grabbed for her she tried to pull away until she realized he was trying to hug her. She fought him a little, but then let him hug her.
“Mindy, please, I can't stand anyone else dying. Please don't do that again.”
Mark had heard the noise and come downstairs. He saw Jason hugging Mindy and picked up Ricky's bowl and threw it at them.
“WHAT'S GOING ON?” Mark was very mad. He didn't like them hugging like that. Mindy was his friend, not Jason's.
Jason looked up, surprised by Mark’s outburst.
“Mindy was trying to leave. I stopped her.” He took his arms off Mindy. “I think we should all go to bed now.”
Jason walked up the stairs, leaving Mark and Mindy in the kitchen. Mindy walked over to Mark.
“I think we should see if he has any chocolate,” she said.
Mark turned off his mad face and calmed down. Mindy took the dog stairs and put them next to the cabinets. She climbed onto the counter top and began to look through the cabinets.
In the middle cabinet, she found a box of chocolate bars with “David’s” written on it. She grabbed two and threw one to Mark, who caught it first try. Mindy then jumped off the countertop and sat at the table. Mark joined her and they both ate the chocolate.
“Do you like Jason?” he asked her.
Mindy thought for a moment. “He has a nice dog.” She said. “I like his dog.”
“Yeah, but do you 'like' him?” Mark had an anxious look on his face. He had found a friend, the first one he had ever had, and jealousy was something new to him.
“I think you’re my best friend right now. Jason isn’t my friend yet, but maybe later.”
That seemed to appease Mark. He looked relieved to know he was her best friend. He chose to ignore the fact that she had said “right now.”
*****
By morning the wind was howling and the rain fell in sheets hard against the walls and shutters. Jason woke up and heard the kids laughing. They were in Command Central. Jason took the stairs two at a time and peeked in the door. They were sitting in front of Mark's laptop playing a game.
Jason went to the kitchen and pulled some waffles and sausages out of the freezer. Everything was still cold. If the storm lasted much longer, he would have to direct the power to the freezers until the sun came out again. He put the waffles in the toaster and threw the sausage in a pan. He then went to look out the front door to see what was going on outside.
The street was flooded with about six inches of water. Jason knew from living at the beach most of his life that the storm surge following the hurricane would be worse than the hurricane itself. He hoped the Carson house would be high enough to withstand it. If not, he would be stuffing two kids and two dogs in an SUV and heading for the hills.
In the meantime, he would track this thing on the satellite. He just hoped the wind wouldn’t knock the satellite over. He went into the garage and checked the gas in the SUV. It had a half tank. He decided to put some food and water in the back just in case they had to leave in a hurry.
When the food was ready, he called the kids to the table. The kids scrambled down the stairs together, almost knocking each other over. “Was I such a pain in the ass?” Jason thought as they raced each other to the table and sat down. They were giggling and out of breath. Jason put the food on the table and the kids grabbed it fast. Jason put his hand on top of the waffles.
“ENOUGH!” he yelled. “Slow down and take one piece at a time.”
They both looked at him then at each other and laughed. He sounded just like their mothers. Their laughter incensed Jason more.
“What's so funny, huh? You think it's easy taking care of you guys? I cooked all morning....” Then he realized that he sounded just like his mother. He had turned into his mother! He appreciated her more in that moment than he ever had before. Then he smiled. “Yeah, okay, just slow down.”
They each slowly took a waffle and a sausage, but they couldn't stop giggling. Maybe it was just the stress relief they needed. It had been a long time since they laughed like that. Suddenly, there was a loud CRACK.
Jason bolted from the table and ran up the stairs. He looked at the anchors for the satellite dish. They were intact. He then went into Command Central and climbed the ladder to look at the dish. The dish was fine, but the stupid tree Mr. Carson had planted had broken in half and landed on the roof.
Jason climbed down and looked at the screens. They were going in and out intermittently from the rain, but they were all right. The weather monitor showed the storm passing through and heading out to sea. Now Jason would have to watch for the storm surge. When the wind died down, he would open the shutters.
He ran back to the kitchen to finish eating. The kids had left him one sausage. He threw another waffle in the toaster. He gave the kids some orange juice to keep them there so he wouldn’t have to eat alone.
“What was your Grammy like, Mindy?” He asked.
“She was nice. I liked her. She was like Mr. Carson. She thought something bad was going to happen so she dug a hole in the shed and put guns and food down there. She had a friend teach me how to shoot. He gave me a little gun that fit my hand.”
Mark looked impressed.
“Did you ever shoot anything?” he asked her.
“Just a rat I thought would hurt Baby Girl.” Mindy looked down at her plate. She didn't like thinking about the rat.
“Was it a big rat?” Jason asked.
Mindy nodded her head. “Like a cat.”
“Whoa, that's a big rat. You had to be very brave.” Mindy looked up and smiled at Jason.
“I'd like to blow off a rat's head,” Mark was saying. “See the head fly off and the guts fly all over. My mom didn't believe in guns. And if she saw me eat this meat, she would slap me silly.”
Mark was laughing again, which made Jason and Mindy laugh too.
“Why was that rat still alive?” Mark asked.
“It must have been in a storm drain or something. It had to have been underground when it happened,” Jason said.
“What was it, Jason?” Mindy said.
“I don’t know,” Jason answered.
For a while they were quiet. Then they began telling their stories one at a time; Mark and how he took his parents out to sea, Mindy and how her Grammy left and never came back,
Jason and how he cleaned the beach and streets by taking bodies out to sea in the 20-foot boat.
“Is the boat safe out there?” Mindy asked.
“I took it to the other side of the street to the canal, away from the ocean. I tied it behind a neighbor's house.”
“I didn't know what happened,” Mindy said. “When Grammy didn't come back, I waited a long time. I had to take Baby Girl outside and then I saw the man across the street on the porch, but he never moved or waved back at me. All the other people left because of the hurricane. They had to leave because it was mobile homes.
“Grammy went out to get water and batteries. We were gonna go to my house when she got back. After a couple of days I looked across the street and the man was still there. When I walked outside, the smell was really bad. I stayed inside for a while and only took Baby Girl out sometimes. After a while the smell got better, but the man looked real bad. I just didn't look at him anymore.”
“I was afraid at night,” Mark said as he looked at Jason. “When I saw somebody was moving the bodies I got scared. I...I didn't know it was you.”
“I wonder why we never saw each other?” Jason asked.
“Because I would stay at home. I locked the doors and kept the windows shut.”
“Sorry kid. I didn't know you were there. If I had, I would have helped you. I thought I heard a truck one morning, but I had just woken up and thought it was a dream.”
They sat quietly around the table. In that hour of conversation, they had found a common bond that would hold them together from now on. They were more than friends; they were brothers and sister in the trenches, akin to soldiers in war. All their inhibitions were gone, their masks stripped away.
Jason took Mindy's hand and Mindy took Mark's as they sat together thinking of how much they had changed in just a few weeks. Then they cleared off the table and headed for Command Central.
Chapter 44
The storm had passed and the water was rising. Jason took out the stick David Carson had made to measure the water height. The water measured just under four feet high. It looked like the worst had passed, and Jason decided to ride it out. If the water rose above the dock, then he would take the kids away.
