by Akart, Bobby
One of the men was attempting to wrestle a woman’s wedding set off her finger, and when they wouldn’t come over her knuckle, he quickly produced a switchblade from his pocket, flipped open the blade, and cut off her ring finger before shoving the rings into his leather jacket.
“My god! Stop, puhleeze,” shouted one of the victims.
The four attackers were relentless, like a pack of wolves eating their prey. They were so intent on robbing these injured people that they didn’t see Chapman race past Isabella toward the man who’d cut off the woman’s finger.
Chapman lowered his head and lunged at the man’s back, striking him in the kidneys with the crown of his skull and knocking him to the ground in pain.
The man had lost his breath, and Chapman didn’t hesitate to take advantage of his brief incapacity. He began to throw punch after punch into the man’s stomach and throat until he was gasping for air.
“Look out!” warned Isabella.
The man’s friend stepped over bodies to come after Chapman. He threw himself across the last two moaning victims and landed on top of Chapman. They rolled down a slight incline until they reached the asphalt.
The two women turned their attention to Isabella, who had reinjured her leg.
“Oh, look at little Frenchie. She’s busted a wing. I think we should put her out of her misery.”
Isabella spied the switchblade on the ground near the man who was gasping for air in an effort to stay alive. His knife had been knocked out of his hands and stuck in the ground. Isabella quickly hopped over to the groaning attacker and picked up his knife.
“Come on! I am not afraid of you, putain!”
The two women, who’d succeeded in helping their boyfriends break out of the Gallia County Jail earlier that day, didn’t know Isabella had very rudely and impolitely referred to them as whores, but somehow they sensed what she called them was demeaning. They turned their insult into anger and came after her.
Isabella set her jaw and got a firm grip on the knife. She was patient, letting the women make the first move. With anger boiling inside her as hot as the flames soaring into the sky just a hundred feet away, she intended to stab them as many times as necessary, without hesitation.
The heavier set of the two women stumbled and fell, leaving her friend alone as she took on Isabella. While Chapman tumbled across the pavement, wrestling with the other man, Isabella steeled her nerves and deftly stepped out of the way as the first woman swung wildly at her head and missed. The momentum of the attempted punch pulled her off balance, so Isabella quickly thrust the knife in the woman’s side just beneath the rib cage. The woman twisted as she screamed in pain, but Isabella kept a firm grip on the knife, wrenching it clear of her attacker with a little extra turn of the wrist.
Seeing Isabella’s success in sticking her friend with the switchblade, the other woman backed off and began to run back toward their pickup truck, which was within a couple of car lengths of the flames.
“Come on Jenna, Troy. Let’s get out of here. I hear sirens.”
The fourth member of their criminal enterprise, Lawrence, had died from asphyxiation, not that his girlfriend cared. For her, it was all about self-preservation at that point.
Isabella turned on Jenna and threatened to stick her with the knife again. That was all it took for her to chase after her friend, crying from the pain and the blood streaming down her side.
Chapman was now beating the second man without mercy. He was crazed as he alternated beating the back of his head against the hot asphalt and punching him in the chest.
Isabella ran to his side and tried to stop the onslaught. “Chapman! Chapman! It is over. He is not conscious. Stop. Look. He is knocked out.”
Chapman stopped the pummeling and took a deep breath. He pushed the man’s battered chest hard one last time and triumphantly stood over the lifeless body. He turned to her and she immediately hugged him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes, and you, mon amour?”
Chapman nodded and then broke their embrace. The two of them turned in a circle, taking in a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of the disaster caused by the earthquake. A gust of hot wind blew across the service plaza, stoking the flames, causing them to dance higher into the air. Beyond the fire, and through the black smoke, he saw their motorcycle sitting alone just beyond the smoldering asphalt.
He reached for Isabella’s hand, who tossed the switchblade into the fire. Despite not having any blood on her hand, she felt compelled to wipe it off on her jeans. Mentally, she needed to cleanse her body of what had just happened, thanking God she didn’t kill anyone.
That would come later.
Chapter 47
The White House
Washington, DC
President Grant Houston began his Call to Action in a solemn manner befitting his mood. It was hard to be upbeat when he was about to ask the nation to willfully abandon all modern conveniences and help one another through these trying times.
“My fellow Americans, I find myself addressing the nation from the Oval Office for the first time and under the most dire of circumstances. As a nation, we are about to face one of the most difficult tasks in our history.
“I have instructed the Department of Energy, under the guidance of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and in cooperation with local electricity service providers around the nation, to begin systematically shutting down America’s power grid, one substation at a time. This will be a massive undertaking, the first of its kind on a nationwide scale, that will take the better part of twenty-four hours, but one that is absolutely necessary to preserve life as we’ve come to know it.
“For many years, there has been a heated debate in this country, and around the world, over the matter of climate change. During my brief time in office, I have pressed for legislation to curb man-made causes of the warming of our planet.
“However, in the last few days, I have learned, along with many in the scientific community, that there may be an alternative explanation for the warming of our planet, as well as the abnormal weather patterns we’ve been experiencing.
“Our planet is very much like an enormous rotating magnet. Deep within its core, molten iron rotates to generate a magnetic field that protects us and our electronics from the harmful effects of the Sun. The sun gives us life, but it can also cause us substantial harm. That’s why I’m speaking to you tonight.
“Earth is undergoing some extraordinary changes, the most significant of which involves the moving of its magnetic north and south poles. Now, many might think that this phenomenon is nothing more than looking at a compass in a different way. That’s the furthest thing from the truth. Many aspects of our life, from the use of GPS to animal behavior, relies upon the location of these magnetic poles.
“But there’s more. During the time the shift occurs, our magnetic field weakens. The solar matter that is ordinarily deflected by our protective field can now get through to the Earth’s surface. It can be damaging to our skin, and it can cause our sensitive electronics to cease to function. In addition, the powerful particles emitted from the Sun can destroy our critical infrastructure, namely, the electrical grid.
“There is an option. It’s an option that requires patience and sacrifice, understanding and harmony among us all. It’s an option that I successfully used in California as my state was besieged by wildfires in years past.
“It’s known as the black start plan, and here’s what it entails. In order to protect the power grid from being devastated by the enormous pulse of energy generated by the potential geomagnetic storm that threatens our planet, we can unplug, so to speak. What that means is that we can eliminate these geostorms from causing catastrophic failures of our electrical supply.
“However, in order to do that, and in the interest of public safety, we must necessarily take it down with the goal to restore the grid as soon as practicable. Once the threat of a geostorm and its massive pulse of energy from the S
un has passed, an assessment will be made, and we can consider reestablishing power to our homes and businesses in order to get on with our lives.
“Now, what does that mean in the short term? I’m calling my address a Call to Action. I’m asking the American people to come together as one this evening. I know that great hardship will come upon all of you in the short term, but it will ensure the viability of our nation if we can endure it together, in harmony, arm in arm with our neighbors.
“I ask you to share your resources with one another. There’s no need to hoard food or gasoline, as this temporary inconvenience will soon pass. Please, respect one another and the rule of law. As a nation, we can come together, set aside our differences, and agree not to take advantage of the weakest among us.”
President Houston’s words fell upon deaf ears.
Chapter 48
Northwest Ontario, Canada
Levi was emotionally and physically exhausted. Once he got settled into a semi-comfortable position draped over two branches midway up the pine tree, he barely went through the usual stages of sleep and passed out into a deep REM sleep.
Characterized by rapid eye movement and, at times, vivid dreams, REM was very different from stages one through four of the sleep process. Muscles became atonic, meaning without movement. Breathing was more erratic than the other stages, and the body’s heart rate increased dramatically.
During REM, as dreams consumed the mind and were oftentimes loosely based upon recent events in the person’s life, external stimuli such as sounds and movements were sometimes disregarded by the brain despite the fact they were real. Even upon awakening, during those initial moments, the brain tried to reconcile the dream together with the external stimuli in an effort to determine if the events were, in fact, real.
In Levi’s dream, he was holding onto a tree limb for dear life, grasping at the wet limbs to avoid falling as a large bear shook the tree in an attempt to dislodge him. As he slept, Levi’s body convulsed, trying to shake itself awake to face the threat, but physical exhaustion kept him in REM sleep.
That was until a fat glob of wet snow fell off the upper branches of the lofty pine and hit him square in the face. This rude awakening served two purposes. It confirmed to Levi’s brain that he was in danger of falling from the rapidly shaking pine tree. Only, it wasn’t a bear that caused the swaying.
It was an earthquake.
Levi panicked, dropping his rifle thirty feet to the snow-covered ground below, and he almost slipped from his perch. He slung his right arm over a branch and hung like a coat hanger on a rod until he was able to reach up with his left hand to get a firm grip. He eased his right hand to grab the branch, and soon he looked like a spread-eagled X swinging from the tree.
Levi glanced down and then expanded his perimeter surveillance to determine if there were any hungry critters waiting below. Satisfied that the wolves were gone and there wasn’t a bear trying to shake him loose, he held on until the tremor stopped.
Finally, the Earth rested and Levi was able to exhale and assess his situation. In his panicked state, he hadn’t noticed how the wilderness erupted in a clamor of animals howling, chirping, and growling as their lives were disrupted by the unusual seismic activity. Now their roar was deafening.
His arms began to tire, so he inched his way along the branch over to the trunk of the tree and shimmied to the ground, using branches and knots to position his feet. Less than a minute later, Levi was back on terra firma, gun in hand, his mind racing as he recalled the events of the night before. He glanced up the slight incline toward the rock outcropping that was initially seen as a safe haven from the attacking wolves but ended up presiding over Karl’s mutilation.
He hesitated at first. Then he summoned the will to approach his friend’s remains to pay his respects. As Levi approached, he began to see bits and pieces of Karl’s blood-soaked clothing, which were now frozen solid. There was very little left of his body, and the gruesome sight began to turn Levi’s stomach. However, it was not until he found the remains of Karl’s head that Levi emptied his stomach, retching over and over again until he convulsed.
It took him several minutes to get over the gruesome scene, and despite his well-intentioned plan to give Karl some type of proper burial, he couldn’t muster up the intestinal fortitude to do it. Besides, he rationalized, he wouldn’t be able to dig a grave deep enough to prevent the smaller mammals of the forest from digging up what was left of his friend.
Remarkably, Levi didn’t cry as he said goodbye to his buddy. Perhaps he was still in shock, or something had changed within him. It was almost as if he were a soldier at war, where death was expected and thus accepted. Levi knelt in a patch of snow without regard to the blood that was mixed with it. He said a brief prayer and began to stand, when something metallic caught his eye near Karl’s head. Levi bravely walked toward it, focusing on the shiny object and disregarding the gore.
It was Karl’s gold St. Christopher medal. It had been given to him by his mother, who was a devout Catholic. The medal, in honor of St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, depicted a man with a child over his shoulder and a staff in his hand. Levi carefully wiped the blood off the oval medallion and chain and respectfully slipped it into his pocket.
“I’ll give this to your mom, buddy. I’ll miss you and I’m sorry.”
Levi turned back down the hill to find Eddie, or what was left of his body. He carried some guilt with him as he went. All the guys wanted to make this trip, but they always looked to Levi to be their tour guide. He hunted more than the others and was more capable of dealing with the harsh conditions of the wilderness. He felt responsible for their safety, but he couldn’t protect them from everything.
And he couldn’t make them listen to his instructions. Eddie hadn’t packed appropriate clothing, as Levi had suggested, which complicated their survival following the plane crash. Karl bolted and ran when Levi told him to remain still. The inability to remain calm in the face of the threat cost both men their lives, and for some unexplained reason, Levi was spared as the wolves raced past him to kill Karl.
Now he was alone and he had to find a way to survive.
He came upon the spot in the clearing where Eddie had been slaughtered. His body was being picked over by birds, which Levi promptly shooed away. In recent years, he wasn’t as close to Eddie as he was to Karl, but he paid his respects just the same. Like Karl’s body, there was nothing left of Eddie to bury. After another few words to God to deliver his friend’s soul to Heaven, Levi gathered his thoughts.
First, he set about to gather their backpacks and weapons. He couldn’t carry everything, so he went through all of their belongings and determined what would be the most useful. Karl’s sleeping bag was a must, as was his extra ammunition. Socks, long johns, and gloves were also useful.
Once Levi was outfitted for the trek out of the forest, he studied the sky. Then he retrieved the compass from his pocket and recalled that the needle pointed in the wrong direction. One thing about a compass, he thought to himself, its operation was all relative. Much like a scale that might be off ten pounds, as long as it was consistent, a person could gauge whether they were losing or gaining weight. The compass worked in much the same way.
Rather than pointing north, it was now pointing east toward the rising sun. “That means if east is the new north, then on the compass, south is the new east, or somethin’ like that.”
Levi laughed at himself for talking out loud. Then he shrugged and answered himself. “So let’s head east, young man, even though that’s south, which is where I wanna go.”
Levi shook his head and grinned. He momentarily paused and then added, “I think I’m losin’ my shit.”
Chapter 49
Kristi Boone’s Residence
South Scoville Avenue
Oak Park, Illinois
The anarchists from the Animal Liberation Front scattered like cockroaches when the lights were turned on. They scrambled over fences
and through drainage culverts in an attempt to avoid the police descending upon Brookfield Zoo. When the dust settled, five zoo security personnel had been killed, two anarchists were discovered trampled in the pachyderm habitat, and Kristi’s assailant was treated for fifty rounds of birdshot embedded in his body.
It was nearly dawn when they gathered their personal effects from their respective offices and loaded them into Tommy’s car. Kristi, as was customary, rode with Uber to and from her home in nearby Oak Park. She rarely had a use for a car, as nearly every waking moment was spent at Brookfield.
As the two drove off, she looked back at the zoo, wondering if she’d ever return. Then she smiled as she admired the adorable young chimpanzee Tommy had found in the woods near the melee at Swan Lake. She was sleeping like a baby in the back seat, buckled up for safety, of course.
“Take a right on Harvard,” she said to Tommy, who was also quiet after the ordeal.
The two of them were assessing what had happened and what it meant for their futures and the lives of the animals they cared for. He drove slowly through the older neighborhood. At this hour there was no traffic.
“There’s the Montessori School you mentioned. Your street is Scoville, right?”
“Yes, in fact, next block, take a right. I’m the fourth house on the right.”
Tommy chuckled. He reached over and squeezed her hand. “It’s gonna be all right, right?”
“That’s a whole lotta right,” said Kristi with a laugh.
“Yup, nothing wrong with being right!”
They both started laughing, and the young chimp began to stir in the back seat. Kristi turned around to give her a look and raised her index finger to her lips. “Shhh. You’ll wake the baby.”
