Until The End

by Brown, Derek

  “No, Alex!” Alex slowly placed his hand down on the bark and then quickly pulled his hand away as Michael yelled but it was too late. Alex had already touched the tree and as his hand pulled away the entire truck of the tree began to vibrate. We could hear a humming noise in the water, as the tree began to split down the middle the sound was deafening. It was almost as if watching in slow motion as Lt. Michael rushed to grab Alex out of the way as the tree broke apart. A branch crashed down and cut Lt. Michael’s leg as he pulled Alex back and they turned together frantically swimming towards us, as the first tree broke apart and pieces of the trunk came down and crashed into another tree next to it. Then it was as if a row of dominos went off as the trees began collapsing in an avalanche. We all turned and began swimming as fast as we could move towards the exit but the green almost powdery material filled our visions.

  “Oh God, I didn’t mean to do anything wrong, I just wanted to see what it felt like, I am so sorry.” Alex came over the Bluetooth microphones in a rush. “Guys I don’t feel so good, I have a really bad headache.” He grasped his head with his hands as Lt. Michael was dragging him ahead of me. I was starting to panic as I ran face first into a wall that I didn’t see until I ran into it. The impacted jarred me and I felt light headed myself. Then I felt an arm reach out and guide me back onto the path. It was Anthony; I don’t think I had ever been so happy to see him. The water became so cloudy I could barely see my hand as I put it up in front of my face. Then Lt. Michael came over the microphone.

  “Everyone move southwest towards the exit, careful to avoid the drilling machine, move to right of it as you come in contact. Be carefully everyone. Move slowly.” He sounded as if he was in a panic. Then all of a sudden he let out a cry of pain. “Agh! Get going now!” I could tell by his voice that he was in pain over the radio. I didn’t have time to think about it as I quickly moved towards the exit. It was if we were escaping from the depths of hell as we made the trek back to the spot where we first had entered the water. Once we got around the machine the water began to clear up and we all meet up. Then as a group we quickly moved towards the entrance. As we emerged from the water we were greeted by a military hazmat unit covered in head to toe in plastic. There were doctors present, there were guards present with M-14s, and the Captain that had sent us down there was present as well. They all had Haz-mat protective equipment on and we were subjective to the strictest de-contamination ritual I have ever seen, it all happened so fast. We were forced to drop our equipment in buckets filled with a cleaning solution and we all were forced to get naked and throw our clothes in a mobile fire pit. Then we were forced in a showering room where we were showered with several cleaning agents from the smell of them. Then we were given fresh Army uniforms and we were brought into a room with a Television screen in the center of the room facing chairs for each of us. I noticed that Lt. Michael was guarding his arm and he had a dry bandage on it. Alex’s hand was covered in a bandage as well. The Captain told us to sit down and be quiet, no one spoke anyways, everything was happening so fast. As we sat there quietly the TV came on and a Five Star US Army General came on:

  “Gentleman I am coming to you from the pentagon, I wanted to first and foremost thank each and every one of you for your service to the country today. Next I wanted to let you know that you all be given a monetary reward for your help today. You all are going to rest today and then go home tomorrow. I did also want to remind you all of the non-disclosure that you all signed and if you break it you will be committing an act of Treason. That means you tell no one what happened down there. Thank you and good luck to you all in the future.”

  With that the screen turned off and then the Captain came back in and gave each of us an envelope with a check in it. He let us know that a hotel room was waiting for with our personal gear already placed there for the night. He then dismissed all of us except for Lt. Michael who he asked to stay and chat privately. Anthony and I went back to our room barely speaking about the whole ordeal. I fell into an exhausted sleep and was snoozing before my head hit the pillow, I don’t remember ever being that tired before.

  January 06, 2014

  We awoke the next morning to discover the entire military presence had withdrawn from Settle. Taxis were awaiting our arrival downstairs to shuttle us to the airport, so that we could be begin our trek home to our families. Anthony and I were quiet that morning, I think each of us lost in our own thoughts. While we were waiting to board our plane we saw a News special alert on the television it said that the unknown object that had halted the progress of the drilling machine had been identified as a large steel pipe by the US Navy divers Captain Hugo and Colonel Russell. Anthony and I both looked at each other sharply and thought what bullshit without even saying a word. However we were both under contract not to say anything at all and there were too many people around us for us to talk. While on the plane I looked out the window and watched the clouds drift by my thoughts drifted to my brother Jason. Funny as we grew up we were always at each other’s side no matter what we were doing. We thought so much alike it was crazy but what was most funny was that he was more the wild crazy type when we were younger. I was the quiet reserved type now in the future we are opposites I am the wilder one while he is the minivan driving dad now. Not only has that changed but our views and opinions have vastly changed with the distance that we have spent apart now in our adult lives. It saddens me to think about how far apart we have grown. We still talk and keep in touch but things are different and I fear they will never be the same again. I guess growth is good but it doesn’t mean that I can’t wish to keep some things the same. As we landed at the airport our wives were waiting for us patiently; it was so wonderful to see my wife again after being away from her. I was ready to get back to my normal life which after this trip I was excited to begin anew with a fresh perspective.

  January 08, 2014

  Although they said it was treason, I just had to in my marriage we don’t hide things from each other. My wife and I have a very open and honest relationship; I have never met anyone who I could be so honest with. Of course I told my wife about the entire trip, being completely open with everything that had happened. We also discussed the fact that it was now being covered up with a story about a steel pipeline. It took some time but I was slowly but surely getting back into the groove of things back at home. I was working almost constantly between working as a nurse at the jail and at the restaurant. It was really hard figuring out how to balance a home life and a work life. And on top of that having school two days a week it was taking its toll on me. I was having to learn to go without sleep and still manage to function in high stress situations. I had to remind myself daily that there was an end goal here and I had to stay the course. If I were to falter and drop the ball all my hard work up to this point would be for nothing. I cannot allow that to happen so I stick my nose to the grindstone and I push forward. One step at a time, one day at a time, one class at time. I cannot let myself buckle under the stress although it threatens to overwhelm every breath I take. I will not fail, I cannot fail. I just feel weighed down right now. However I know if I continue to push through this then I will be successful and it all be worth it in the end.

  January 12, 2014

  I turned on the television and first thing I saw was news of flash flooding in South AmErika, today millions have died. It happened last night and relief efforts were already being organized. The news stations were showing non-stop coverage of faces of the men, women, and children affected by this horrible disaster. The region was badly damaged and mud-slides were being reported across the countries of Peru and Brazil. The death toll was steadily rising and the United Red Cross was organizing relief efforts. I couldn’t believe this it was such a horrible disaster it reminded me of when Hurricane Katrina hit the southern United States. Also on the news today was news that Tornados were raging out of control down tornado alley in the central United States. Thunder storms were dropping several inches of rain down the east
coast of the United States. Wildfires were raging across Australia out of control. The weather across the globe was wild and chaotic. The death toll due to weather related causes was on the rise and anytime you turned on the television it was just more of the same. What is going in the world it’s almost as if the world has gone mad.

  January 21, 2014

  With all the bad stuff on the news recently we needed a break from all the madness and chaos. My wife and I decided to take a mini vacation to the beach today it was about a two and a half hour drive there. It was a good break with her and I both working so much it was well deserved and a much needed break. We just had such a great time, I really need to stop working so much but it is hard I just want to get caught up on my bills. I am also going to be finishing my last class for the RN program this semester and I can’t wait to start the RN program. Microbiology is a really interesting subject and getting to study bacteria and how some of the mirco-organisms attack the human cells while others protect us and keep us safe. I feel that given more time this is a subject that would really like to study further.

  January 26, 2014

  I am so tired I have been up working 26 hours straight and I don’t know how I am functioning right now. My eye lids keep falling down and covering my eyes for some unknown reason. Lol. Agh, I just want to be off work, my diet has gone to shit, I am barely eating but on a side note I am losing the extra weight I had. I am still fitting in a at least three miles a day of running and one day at the gym not nearly what I should be doing but I am pushing myself to make it through this. I know there is a light at the end of the tunnel, there is an end game, I just have to focus. I feel like I am being tested but I do not know for what yet.

  February 1, 2014

  Today I am going to start to show my beautiful and wonder wife just wonderful she is. I am going to be giving her a present every day until Valentine’s Day, she just has always been there to support me and I really just want to show her how much she means to me. My first gift to her is a day at the gun range where I am going to be showing her how to properly shoot a gun. She has been asking to learn and I thought this was just going to be a great gift.

  February 7, 2014

  We got to go the gun range today and we got to figure a few different pistols. My wife had such a blast and she was a really good shot once she got the hang of it. We also got to spend some time with Anthony and Danielle and it is really nice to see how well they are doing to know how far they have come together is just awesome. I also got to give Scarlett another gift today and it was Archery lessons, so we are going to be doing that soon. I really am trying to focus on outdoor stuff and things we can do together. My daughter came this weekend and it was so much fun. Anytime she comes we all just have so much fun together, Emma has a laugh that is just infectious. She loves to laugh and smile and will go out of her way to put on a special show for anyone who is down. She will sing and dance until she giggles which will just cause you to giggle yourself no matter your mood. I love these times with her they are so special to me and mean so much to me. It’s funny sometimes when you are in a moment you just don’t realize how important that moment is. One of my fondest memories of Emma was a night when after I had put her to bed and my wife had gone to bed I stayed up to play Batman it had just come out on Xbox 360 and I was so excited to play it. Well while I was playing it Emma just gets up and walks out of her room with her pillow and blanket and comes over to the couch. She doesn’t say a word she puts the pillow on my lap and cuddles up on my lap. Then she turns around looks at me and puts a finger to my lip as if to tell me not to say anything then she leans up and kisses me on the cheek and promptly went to sleep on my lap. That moment has stuck with me and will be a defining moment of my relationship with my daughter forever. It is such a special memory to me, and I will never forget it.

  February 8, 2014

  I got into RN school today I received my acceptance letter and I could not be happier. My wife and I have been working so hard and to know that is paying off by me getting into RN is just a feeling I can’t explain. It of course was with the condition that I pass my last class Microbiology but I will pass the class. It was such welcomed news in a world filled with negative news. Today two officers died in a car crash, what was crazy was that I had known the officers from when they came into the jail to drop off inmates. It is such sad situation and it is just becoming more difficult to stay positive with all the negatives of the world. When I told Emma I got into RN school she started dancing and telling me how proud she was of me. My five year daughter was telling me how proud of me she was, it brought tears to my eyes. I just grabbed her and told her how proud of her I was. She is such an amazing soul who is always smiling and happy no matter what is going around her. Emma reminds me each and every day to maintain a positive attitude and that all things are possible.

  February 13, 2014

  Today my wife gets her final gift; we are going camping together on an adventure hike where we will have to carry our equipment over a 20 mile course through the Sierra Foothills. I just felt like it was time to start pushing ourselves we always say we want to do these outdoor things and well stuff comes up. But no more we gotta stop the excuses and start living our lives or it is going to pass us by. So I am pushing us now to do the unfamiliar and to experience new and difficult things. I will write again it is supposed to be a three day course so it will be a couple days.

  February 20, 2014

  We got back from the hike and started in on the normal day to day life. Today I saw a News story on the Television and it was crazy. It said that a prior military man had suffered an episode of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome while being seen at a local Hospital in Lake Tahoe due to a high fever, abnormal rashes, and extreme headaches. After being admitted to the ER and being seen he had freaked out and attacked medical personal. It was being hailed as one of the worst staff injuries ever to occur in the Tahoe area. He had broken one Nurse’s arm and then while being sedated had bitten a 68 year doctor on the forearm breaking the skin. But all of that was not what stopped me dead in my tracks and gave me goose bumps from my feet all the way up the curve of my back. It was like it happened in slow motion the News’s Anchor a middle aged Hispanic woman said the man’s name was Lt. Michael Clay and they showed his picture and several clips of people expressing their disbelieve at what had occurred. They were going on about how nice he had been and how he was always there to lend a helping hand. Then the picture came up of Lt. Michael Clay and I felt the color drain from my face, it was the same Lt. Michael who had been our team leader on the mission under Seattle. I told my wife about the situation and I remembered the letter he had asked me to deliver. It was after much discussion that it was decided that we should take a trip to Lake Tahoe. Something was amiss with this situation; neither my wife nor I felt right after hearing the news. And besides we both needed a vacation, with me still working crazy hours, we really needed some time to get away together. We both liked a good mystery and this seemed as if this was shaping up to be quite the mystery.

  February 21, 2014

  So last night as were packing to leave when a news flash came on stating that Russian had ended the national days of mourning and that Wupan’s successor was going to be named. My wife and I saw the news and we sat down to watch him give his speech. “Citizens of the world my name is Valka and I am now the President of Russia. I first want to let the great people of Russia know that the Orange Flag traitors will be brought to swift justice. Even now my personal police force is flushing them out and we will stop at nothing to find those responsible for the death of Wupan. There will be no peace for them; there will be no mercy in how they are dealt with. We will search for them to the ends of the Earth and we will find them.” The news anchor interrupted the speech with breaking news. “Folks this just in images from Ukraine, if you have small children please cover their eyes, what you are about to see is graphic.” They showed images of hundreds of bodies littering the streets, buildings were bei
ng set on fire, it was not a search for justice it was a massacre by Vakla’s personal police force. The news anchor came back on stating that “UN officials are declaring a world emergency in Ukraine but Russia has closed the borders and no longer is bowing to the guidance of UN officials. We will keep you posted of this developing story and what it means to those of us in the United States.” We were both speechless and I remember we just held each other for a few moments. It was unnerving to see that amount of senseless destruction and death it was just mind-numbing. Both my wife and I had trouble sleeping that night. We got ready to leave early the next morning and got into my truck and drove out to Lake Tahoe and it has turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. On the rode we slowly pushed the deadly images that we had seen earlier that day out of our heads and thoughts. After six hours of driving we reached our destination. It was so quiet and relaxing at the hotel and our room sat overlooking the lake. My wife and I just relaxed completely enjoying the company of one another looking out over the lake. It was as if we were the only two human beings enjoying that view. I held her close and she held me and we clung to each other, holding on tightly. Both of us trying to ignore the evils of the world that we had seen recently.