300 Miles

by P. A. Glaspy

  "Aw, man, it's gonna take forever to get food in here," Cameron whined. "Maybe we should go somewhere else."

  "Where? It's Friday night, Cam. Every place is going to be like this." Carly was checking her email as she spoke.

  "Doesn't anybody cook at home anymore? Don't these people have kitchens?" Cameron crossed his arms and glared at the line in front of him.

  "We have a kitchen and we are here with 'these people'. Complaining isn't going to make the line any shorter." Carly considered what he had said. "Come to think of it, we haven't cooked at home all week. We've had take-out or delivery every night. How did that happen?"

  Cameron shrugged. "One of those weeks, I guess. You're tired after working all day and don't feel like cooking when you get home. I get it. It's cool, Mom."

  Carly gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm going to the grocery store tomorrow and I will be buying stuff to cook at home. It's better for you, and I think I'm gaining weight anyway."

  Cameron leaned back and looked at Carly's butt. "Yeah, you might be getting a little rounder back there. Not that it's any of my business."

  Carly smacked him on the arm. "No, it isn't, buster. Move along, nothing to see here."

  Cameron chuckled and moved forward a few steps. "When is Pap coming to get us?"

  "Early. If you don't pack tonight, you'll have to get up and do it in the morning. He said he'd be here by nine."

  Cameron started counting on his fingers. "Hmm. He'll be here at nine, I need five minutes to sh– er, brush, shower, and shave ... five minutes to pack ... yeah, get me up at eight forty-five, Mom. Plenty of time."

  Carly raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. If you don't pack tonight, you're getting up at seven."

  "What? I might as well be getting up to go to school! Gah!" He threw his head back and moaned.

  Carly giggled. "You're so pitiful. Go on, we're almost there."

  The restaurant was packed, so they ordered their food to go. They took it home, put on comfy clothes, and settled in front of the TV with a movie on demand. When it was done, Cameron went up to pack for his trip while Carly sat down with her phone to make a grocery list. She was shocked when she realized earlier that she had not cooked one meal all week. Everything they had eaten was either grab-and-go, microwaved snacks, or already prepared, as she had recalled earlier. She felt bad when she realized she hadn't dirtied one pot or pan all week. I'm going to start doing more home-cooked meals, she thought. Maybe do a pot roast in the crockpot on Saturday, or a chicken, then we could eat it for a couple of days. Well, I could eat it, maybe Will, since the boys won’t be here. All this eating out is definitely making my ass fat. She added many fresh vegetables and meats to her list, planning to fill the crisper in her fridge and the meat drawer in her freezer the next day.

  Aaron came in looking tired and smelling of marinara sauce. He plopped down on the couch and leaned his head back against it, closing his eyes. "Man, what a night. I'm looking forward to being off next week but kinda gonna hate missing out on the pay. I'm saving for a car of some kind, some day."

  Carly looked at her oldest son with a smile. "I know, honey, but Pap was adamant about both of you being there for the week. He has ... um ... activities planned for you guys."

  Aaron tipped his head up and looked at his mother sideways. "Do tell. What kind of activities, besides target practice?"

  Carly closed her lips into a thin line and pretended she was turning a key in a lock. "Nope, can't tell ya, I promised under penalty of death. You'll find out soon enough."

  Aaron chuckled as he slowly stood up. He leaned over and kissed Carly on the forehead. "Okay, sneaky mom, I'm going to get a shower and get packed. I'll see you in the morning. Oh, by the way, did you notice they put the brine on the streets? We may get some nasty weather after all."

  "Yes, I saw. I still say we won't get anything, maybe a little sleet." She reached up and placed a hand on the side of his face, then went back to her list. "Night, honey. Sweet dreams. I'll get you guys up about eight."

  Aaron gave her a thumbs up and went upstairs. Carly turned off the lights, locked the door, and went to her room to spend some time with her tablet and her Kindle before bed.

  ~~~~~

  At the twenty-four-hours-to-launch mark, the control room was buzzing with muted voices and nervous energy. The Chairman was in and out between his office and the outer area, barking at anyone who was unfortunate enough to catch his eye. Most of them avoided him at all costs. If he started toward a work station, there was something on that engineer's screen that suddenly needed his immediate attention. Having run out of people to berate, the Chairman went back into his office and slammed the door. He glared at the members of his senior staff in attendance.

  "Are we ready? Is everything set to launch? Are all checklists complete?" He rattled the questions off impatiently, arms crossed, and waited for a response. He didn't wait long.

  "Except for the final pre-launch checklist, Excellency. Everything else is completed," replied his chief engineer. "We are on schedule to launch in twenty–" he paused, checking his watch. "–three hours and forty-five minutes."

  "Good, good. Now leave me, all of you. I must rest. I don't want to miss one minute of the show tomorrow."

  They all bowed as one, then turned to leave. Just as the closest man reached for the doorknob, the Chairman addressed them again.

  "The rest of you should get some sleep as well. Tomorrow is a big day, perhaps the biggest day of your lives. We are changing the world, comrades. There will be power shifts, financial twists, and we will finally be hailed as a super power. The one that took down America!"

  Chapter 7

  Saturday, December 19th

  The alarm clock beside her bed went off at seven-thirty. Carly needed a few minutes alone with her coffee before she got the boys up and ready for their grandfather to pick them up. She got up and went to the bathroom, then headed to the kitchen for some caffeine. As she walked into the dining room, she saw she wasn't going to get that alone time. They were both up, dressed, and eating instant oatmeal. She smelled coffee and saw that one of them had popped a pod in the single-serve coffee maker and had it waiting for her. She shuffled over, took the cup in both hands, and inhaled deeply. Leaning against the counter, she closed her eyes and murmured, "Thank you, sweet boy, whichever of you it was who prepared this cup of heaven for your dear mother."

  Cameron grinned. "Me! It was me, your baby boy, your favorite son. Your–"

  Aaron smacked him on the back of the head. "Quit trying to suck up. It's not gonna get you any more presents, you know."

  Cameron rubbed the back of his head. He scowled at his brother and replied, "I've got a better chance of it than someone who smacks their brother in the head for no reason."

  Carly shook her head. "This is why I like my time alone with my coffee. It's quiet. The coffee doesn't argue; it just glides smoothly down my throat, infusing itself in my brain. It is non-confrontational. It's just ... coffee and me." She closed her eyes and took another sip as her sons snickered. They grabbed their bowls and took them to the sink. At the sound of them hitting the sink, Carly opened one eye and stared at them. "I know you aren't about to leave those bowls unrinsed so that the oatmeal turns to concrete that I will have to get out later while you're enjoying yourselves with Pap. That's not what you were about to do, right?"

  Cameron's eyes got wide. "N-no, ma'am, just setting it down so I can run water in it, and rinse it out, then I’ll be putting it right in the dishwasher." He quickly turned the water on and ran it into the bowl. Aaron picked his own back up and grinned at Carly. "Just waiting my turn, Mom."

  She headed to the dining table. "That's what I thought. Are you guys ready? Got all your stuff? Toothbrushes, socks, underwear?"

  Aaron replied, "I'm good."

  "Me too," Cameron added, as he placed his bowl and spoon in the dishwasher.

  Carly noticed how dark it was looking out into the back yard. "Hmm. Looks like we might hav
e a storm coming." She set her cup down on the table and went to the living room. Grabbing the remote, she flipped to a local station. The first one she landed on had a weather map on the screen. She turned the volume up.

  "A winter storm watch is in effect for all of West Tennessee until Monday morning. Periods of freezing rain, sleet, and snow may be seen in the viewing area. Little to no accumulation is expected, but it could make for some hazardous driving late tonight and early tomorrow morning. Rain will begin this afternoon and continue throughout the evening, changing over to freezing rain and sleet late tonight. Frozen precipitation should start after midnight and last until morning. Lows are expected to be in the mid-twenties, and it doesn't look like it's going to get above freezing until Monday morning. If you're going to church in the morning you should check the road conditions before you leave. We're definitely looking at our first cold snap, folks."

  Aaron and Cameron had joined her in the living room. She turned to them and said, "Grab hats, scarves, and gloves, guys, and your warmest coats. Better safe than sorry. Oh, and insulated boots. I know you're going to be outside."

  "You've got it, Mom. We better get upstairs and get our bags. Pap will be here any time. C'mon, Cam." Aaron headed for the stairs, his brother following. Carly went back to the kitchen for another cup of coffee. She didn't get her first cup to herself, but she would have quite a few solitary moments in the next week. She was kind of looking forward to it.

  Elliott knocked on the door at exactly nine o'clock. Apparently, the rain had started early, and he was shaking out his umbrella on the wide front porch when Carly opened the door. A blast of cold air hit her, catching her by surprise. She hadn't realized how much the temperature had dropped overnight.

  "My goodness, it's getting cold! Come in, and hurry!" she said as he walked through the door. They embraced in a long hug, then pulled away. Elliott took his coat off and hung it on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs. "Would you like a cup of coffee, Elliott? Do you have time?" She then yelled up the stairwell, "Boys! Pap's here!"

  "Honey, there's always time for coffee," he replied with a wink. She laughed and hooked her arm through his. As they walked to the kitchen together, they could hear the boys coming down the stairs. Dropping their bags by the front door, they rushed in to see their grandfather, wrapping him a strong hug.

  "There's my boys! Ow, careful, I'm an old man; you might break me. You fellas are getting strong!"

  Cameron pulled back and looked at his grandfather with a smile. "I'll never be as strong as you, Pap. All that farm living, huh?"

  Elliott returned the smile. "You'll be strong as me and more someday, Cam. Let me just sit with your mom for a minute and drink this coffee and we'll get on the road. It's nuts out there already."

  Carly handed him the steaming cup. "Really? Are the roads getting bad? I didn't think it was supposed to happen until late tonight. Even then, they aren't talking like it's going to amount to anything."

  He took a sip and replied, "No, it ain't the roads. It's all the crazy people trying to get to the store to buy all the bread, milk, and toilet paper up because the weatherman said the S word. The Kroger parking lot was full, and the line for gas was out into the road. Insane, I tell ya. They've only been talking about it for days. Why didn't they go when they said it in the first place? I just don't understand why people in Tennessee lose their minds if they hear the word snow."

  Aaron asked, "Did you already go get that stuff, Pap? Running out of toilet paper is kind of a big deal." He laughed as he took a drink of the orange juice bottle he had pulled from the fridge.

  Their grandfather chuckled. "Have you ever run out of toilet paper at my house? I've got it stashed everywhere. I make my own bread, get milk from my goat, Flossy, eggs from my girls ... I reckon I'm always ready for a snowstorm."

  Carly had a concerned look on her face, which Aaron noticed. "What's wrong, Mom? You look worried about something."

  "Well, I was planning to go the grocery store myself this morning, to restock our normal stuff and get some things for cooking here at home. We ate out all last week, and I don't like doing that, not every night anyway. I'm wondering now if I should just wait until the insanity is over."

  "Well, we really are out of bread, Mom. And peanut butter and jelly. Oh, and eggs," Cameron said, "and I really think we are about out of toilet paper, since it's the topic of discussion."

  Carly sighed. "Well, I guess I'll be braving the insanity then. You guys take your bags out to Pap's truck. We need to talk for a minute."

  The boys went over and hugged her. She hugged them back with her standard, "I love you. Be good. Call me in a couple of days."

  They replied almost in unison, "Love you, too, Mom! Bye!" then hurried out the door with their bags over their arms and coats over their heads. When they got outside, Carly turned to Elliott. "Elliott, I don't know if you remember my brother, Will, having ... premonitions, I guess is the best term ... about the future."

  Elliott nodded. "Sure, I remember. As I recall they're pretty accurate, too. Has he had another one?"

  Carly's brow furrowed as she said, "Yes, a few, and it's rather strange and obscure. He said he sees everybody–not just a single person like in the past, but everybody in the vision, including people he doesn't know–fighting each other, sick, dirty, starving, and everything is dark. I don't know what it means, but he's had more than one, that I know of, about the same thing this past week. With no more information than that, I don't know what we can do to prepare for it–whatever it is–but we can at least try to keep our eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. I just wanted you to know. Will is coming home this weekend. He's actually leaving about eight or nine, our time, tonight, so if he doesn't stop he'll be here before dawn. He's staying through New Year’s Day. He doesn't usually stay that long on the holidays, but he said this one is really strong, and he feels like he needs to be home."

  "When I was a boy, my granny had visions. The sight, they called it back then. Almost every one of them came true. She predicted my granddaddy's death; me being a boy, and my twin not living; World War Two, and the Korean and Nam wars. She didn't know what country, just saw our boys fighting foreigners with slanted eyes in different places. I don't discount gifts like that, although them that get 'em don't usually consider it a gift," Elliott replied earnestly. "If anything happens, you get your folks and your brother and get out to my farm. Take the back roads out through Arlington. We can live out there, all of us, for quite a while if we have to. I've got seeds put back for the gardens, there's my meat rabbits, plus wild game on and around the place. It'd be tight living quarters, but I reckon if everything went to hell, we wouldn't be too picky, now would we?"

  Carly laughed nervously. "Oh, I don't think anything could happen that would make us have to leave our homes, sweetie. It could just be that this winter storm is going to knock some power lines down or something. Thank you for the offer, Elliott, but I doubt it will be anything that drastic."

  Elliott stood up and walked to the sink with his coffee cup. He turned back to her with a solemn expression. "I hope you're right, darlin'. But keep your eyes open and your door locked, especially since you're going to be here alone. Maybe I shouldn't take the boys after all..."

  Carly had followed him to the kitchen to deposit her own cup. She figured she'd best get a move on if she wanted to actually get anything at the store. She shook her head at him. "No, no, I'm sure it will all be fine. Will is coming here first, so he'll be with me. Really, you guys go have fun and try not to worry about any of this silliness." She reached out and hugged him. He hugged her back, holding on for a moment longer.

  He stepped back and looked her in the eye. "If anything feels wrong, trust your gut and get the hell out. Okay?"

  She smiled and nodded back. "I will. I promise. Now get going. You've got some grandsons chomping at the bit to get out to your house."

  He kissed her cheek then patted the spot with his calloused hand. "Love you, Ca
rly girl. Call me if you need anything." He headed for the front door.

  "I love you, too, Elliott. I won't need anything, but I'll call if I do. Have fun!"

  He waved over his shoulder and shut the door behind him. Carly was considering having another cup of coffee anyway when she heard from the porch, "Come lock this door!" She laughed, walked over, and turned the deadbolt. She replied loudly, "Yes, sir! Done, sir!" She peeked out the front window and watched as they left. With a sigh, she changed her mind again about the coffee and headed to her bedroom to get dressed to go to the store. "Well, this is just going to suck big time," she said out loud to her now empty house, "so I might as well get it over with."

  The grocery store was insane. There were no parking spaces. Cars were pulled up onto the median strips, in the steakhouse parking lot next door, and a couple were arguing with a tow truck driver who had loaded their car up because they had parked illegally in the fire zone. People were lined up to get grocery carts because there were none. Some people were following others who were leaving out into the parking lot to get their cart when they were finished loading their cars. Some were even nice enough to help them load their cars, so they could get their hands on the carts faster. The drizzly rain just made it all more miserable.

  Carly lucked out and got a parking space at the very end of the lot. As she was making the long walk to the doors beneath her umbrella, she wished she had chosen the flat fleece-lined boots she had pulled out of her closet first over the chunky-heeled ones she decided to wear. Stylish yes, but not really the boots you want to be wearing when you’re on your feet on concrete for a few hours. And it was looking like that was how this trip was going to go. She found an abandoned cart in the grass strip. Thinking it was her lucky day, she grabbed it by the handle to pull it toward her … but it didn't budge. Looking down, she found one of the front wheels turned in at an odd angle. The cart had apparently been hit by a car and was no longer functional. Dejectedly, she headed for the store.