Escape to Canamith

by Richard Friedman

  Morales put his arms around Dr. Goldman and continued to cry. Massey tried to help.

  “Look, there was nothing you could have done… just the two of you against all those people.”

  “We’re here figuring out what’s wrong with nature? We should be figuring out what’s wrong with man,” Dr. Goldman sighed.

  “I have caused my wife irreparable harm! What kind of man leaves his woman alone in this situation? What was I thinking?”

  “Come on, Bob, don’t be that hard on yourself. You had no idea that would happen. Your neighbors should be the ones you can count on during an emergency. This is the place you wanted to be a few days ago. What happened was terrible, but when we’re done here, I promise one more thing to you—”

  Morales cut him off. “Done here? I am done. I’m not staying in this place another minute! I’m going home where I belong. I suggest you do the same before something happens to your family. We never asked if Drake’s family was in trouble. We’re getting a crash course in what man is capable of doing to his fellow man. My wife said that when the crowd left our house they went next door to Mr. Wheeler’s house and broke down the door when he didn’t answer the doorbell. He’s 91 years old and deaf in both ears. My wife said she heard screaming. She heard a man wailing and then nothing but the sound of things being tossed and toppled in the house. She thinks Mr. Wheeler is dead.”

  Massey was quiet. Thinking. “Bob’s right, Emily,” he said at last. “Maybe we should go home. I can’t go back to my room. I refuse to talk about what happened to me in there.”

  Morales and Goldman looked at their boss, waiting.

  “We need to figure out a way to get to our homes without getting ourselves killed. We might be safer in the long run staying here,” said Massey.

  Morales shook his head.

  “I think our survival is in the hands of the military. I’m going to tell General Taft that I want an escort back to my house. That’s the least he can do when I tell him what happened.”

  The guard broke the news to the trio. “Apparently General Taft has left the building and nobody is telling us where he went. I think we’re all on our own.”

  “That’s just typical. They drag our sorry asses here and when it gets tough, they disappear.”

  “Let’s try to find a ride or appropriate a car. We’ll meet in the lobby in five minutes.”

  Massey nodded, “That’s a good idea. I’ll go with you, Emily. I’ve got my bags. Bob, five minutes. Not a minute longer. Are you going to be all right?”

  Morales gathered his composure. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

  Four minutes later, Doctors Goldman, Massey and Morales met in the hotel lobby.

  Each of them had one small suitcase and their computer case. With Taft’s exit, the meeting had broken down into chaos. It was every man for himself as scientists rushed through the lobby grabbing military people by the arm and demanding safe passage back to their respective cities- without success. The camaraderie that Taft worked so hard to forge had dissolved with his departure. The food supply may not have been scarce in the hotel, but morale was scarce and the three doctors formed a new, smaller circle of trust.

  “My cousin owns a farmhouse no more than fifty miles from here,” offered Goldman.

  “Fifty miles? It might as well be five hundred miles!” exclaimed Dr. Morales.

  “If you have a better idea I’m listening,” Goldman replied.

  “Hopefully we can find a ride along the way,” Massey added.

  “I’m leaving right now!” Goldman declared. “There’s bound to be food and water at the farmhouse. It’s off the beaten track and tucked away from the road. It’s difficult to find unless you know where to look. I think we’d be safe staying there.”

  Morales fell to his knees. “I’ve got to get to my home!”

  Massey looked at Goldman and then at Morales.

  “I’m going to the farmhouse with Dr. Goldman. Robert, I think it makes sense for now. We’ll do everything in our power to get you home as soon as we can. Isn’t that right, Emily?”

  “Of course we will.”

  “I’ll come with you, Morales said. “I suppose we’re safer together than alone.”

  Sirens wailed as the trio left the hotel and headed west toward Goldman’s farmhouse. The famed ABC team was now defeated and in full retreat.

  CANAMITH COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT

  Update #850

  Like the image that first showed up on the big screen long ago, Rex Templeton returned to the big screen.

  “Dear Friends,

  As the video feeds from around the world begin to fail, we will be unable to see all that is happening to the world.

  “We expect information to trickle in for the next six months. After that, without proper maintenance, the satellites won’t be able to transmit data, and we’ll be blind to the current conditions.

  “As you can see from the images on the screen right now, it’s a sad state of affairs for mankind. The Sanderell that I know is gone. The restaurant near the spot where my dear Sara was killed years ago is on fire. It’s hard to see the charred remains now because smoke has filled most of the sky.

  “There will be people fleeing the city and some of them may try to find sanctuary with us. Of course, they won’t be able to get in. Nobody will.

  I have instructed our operators to turn off the cameras that surround Canamith. There’s no point in witnessing people die in a violent way. I’ve seen it once, and that was more than enough.”

  CHAPTER 37

  The sunshine came through the windows of Kate’s guest bedroom and woke Lila from her sleep.

  She knew that a prompt start to the day would be prudent. She lay on her side, staring at the child she and J.J. cherished and wondered how a few key decisions in her life had brought Sophie into this world.

  What if she had stayed in Canamith and married within the village? She turned over and fell back into a state of semi- consciousness, thinking about her life back in Canamith. It was easy to second-guess the choices she made back then. It’s simple to look back and wonder how one choice leads to another, and then another. Lila refused to allow herself to play to the “what if ” game.

  Her alarm clock buzzed, startling her from thought. Lila gave J.J. a strong push in the middle of his back. “J.J., wake up. Let’s go. Get out of bed. We’ve got to leave as soon as possible. Is Kate coming with us?”

  “You know the answer to that.”

  “I guess so, but will she drive us anyway?”

  “She will be happy to drive you anywhere as long as you don’t talk to her and promise not to return.”

  “That’s harsh. But I understand. Please wake up Sophie and get packed.”

  Eighteen minutes later Kate pulled the old six-cylinder beater out of the garage. The car was seldom used these days. Kate was out of work and only used the car at night for her part-time job at the community center where she checked ID cards. People weren’t venturing out much and the director of the center told her that her services weren’t needed at the moment. It was a long fall for the former director of sales for a large pharmaceutical company.

  Mathis and J.J. stood and watched the women organize how the luggage would best fit in the trunk of the car. To the surprise of nobody, they argued about the best location for each piece.

  “Stubborn, huh?” asked Mathis. “Which one?”

  “Both.”

  They laughed.

  “That’s one thing we have in common…stubborn sisters,” said Mathis.

  Kate honked the horn, which sounded like a dying bird, an ironic sound for the times, and the men got in the car and they eased down the driveway.

  When the vehicle reached the city limits, Kate abruptly stopped the car.

  “Ride’s over. Everybody out.” Her bitter tone betrayed her feelings—which she’d done little to mask. She had been distrusting of Lila right from the beginning of her relationship with J.J. years ago and this entire episode
wasn’t helping. This whole “walking into the mountains” didn’t work for her and the sixty-five minute trip to get to this point was filled with awkward silence.

  Kate got out of the car and gave Sophie a big hug and a kiss.

  “Won’t you reconsider?” asked J.J.

  “Not a chance little brother. You take good care of that little girl, okay?”

  “Deal.”

  J.J. wrapped Kate in his arms and whispered to her, “Be careful, sis. I love you.”

  “Kate, thanks for the—”

  Kate raised her right hand and gave Lila the palm of her hand to look at.

  She jumped back in the car, and headed back towards home.

  Mathis stated the obvious. “I guess she’s not too happy with us.”

  “That woman doesn’t like me,” said Lila.

  “I like you, mommy,” said Sophie, her voice filled with the excitement of starting a new day.

  “Let’s get going. We’ve got no time to spare,” said Mathis.

  CHAPTER 38

  Fresh dents accented the guardrails as a monument to the new dangers that drivers faced as they raced down the road. Several lost control due to excessive speed, others to the hooligans that enjoyed shooting cars as they whizzed by. Others, like Jesse Presser, claimed that he was attacked by a swarm of bees that came in through an open window. His arms flailing to keep the flying attackers away, he lost control of the car and crashed his vehicle 600 feet from where J.J., Lila, Mathis and Sophie now stood.

  Jesse survived his eighty-mile per hour contest with the metal rail. Michael Knapp wasn’t as lucky. There was no evidence why his car traveled off the road and crashed headfirst into the rails, but when police found his body, they noticed he’d been stung hundreds of times all over his face, neck, and hands. Police assumed that he had been a victim of a swarm of bees and lost control of the vehicle.

  The first hour of their walk to Canamith was eerily quiet. An occasional bird flew by, but no other humans were taking this trip.

  Lila winced once or twice as the pain in her head returned. Rubbing the base of her neck, she hurried to catch up to J.J. and Sophie, who were holding hands as they walked ahead. Mathis patrolled fifteen feet ahead, checking for possible danger.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Mathis, staring at his sister.

  “Oh, nothing, I’ll be fine.”

  “It’s her daily headache,” said J.J. “I’ve been trying to get her to the doctor, but your sister is stubborn.”

  “I certainly remember that.”

  “Wait up, guys, I’ll be right there.” Lila quickened her pace to make up the distance. As she closed the gap, the unmistakable sound of a gunshot rang out. J.J. scooped up his daughter and covered her with his hands and body, protecting her as best he could. Sophie started to scream, forcing J.J. to cover the young girl’s cries and muffle the sound as best he could.

  “Hit the ground!” Mathis shouted at Lila, but she was already there, huddled next to her husband.

  A loud motorcycle tore down the road and six more shots rang out. The lone rider was firing shots indiscriminately into the air. The sound of his bike faded as he sped down the road. J.J. released Sophie. “It’s okay baby, he’s gone.” Sophie jumped into Lila’s arms and cried.

  “This was a great idea, yeah, just great. Crazy people driving down the road shooting at us. It must be our camouflage that’s helping so much,” J.J. snarled.

  “Keep moving. The sooner we get there, the better. He wasn’t shooting at us.” Mathis ignored J.J.’s sarcasm.

  They encountered no other dangers as they reached the outskirts of Canamith. It was like the animals in the area were giving this desperate group a slight head start before pouncing on them. A small sign indicating they were crossing the county line wasn’t the only clue they needed. The foreboding mountains near Canamith stood ever closer.

  Sophie started favoring her injured leg, developing a slight limp. J.J. whisked her up and plopped her on his shoulders as he headed uphill, destination known, but unsure of much else.

  “It’ll take us an hour from here. J.J., do you want to rest?” asked Mathis.

  “I’m afraid if I rest, my legs won’t recover.” Sweat ran down his forehead and stained the front of his shirt.

  A small narrow path led from the entrance of Canamith and ran all the way up the hilly terrain until they reached the town. Lila paused at the base of the path and took J.J.’s arm. “This is strange for me, you have no idea. I hiked this entire area as a kid. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.”

  “Remember, this was your idea, not mine.”

  J.J. trudged up the last part of the hill until the ground mercifully flattened out and he placed Sophie back on her own two feet. He twisted his shoulders from side to side, an attempt to relax the muscles that had worked overtime keeping Sophie firmly in place. They kept walking until they reached the outskirts of the Village.

  “Where are the people?” asked J.J.

  “This isn’t good,” Mathis grumbled.

  J.J. shot him a glare. “What’s wrong?”

  Mathis hesitated, but Lila said it out loud.

  “We’re too late. They’ve closed the tunnel doors.”

  “What are you saying? Where’s the door? Use your phone!” said J.J.

  “Phones won’t penetrate rock. Not a chance.” Mathis replied. “The silence doesn’t prove we’re too late.”

  “Are you serious?”

  J.J. fumed while they continued following Mathis.

  The group reached the center of town. It was deserted. Small cottages that once were filled with the sound of laughing children and fathers telling stories about the huge fish that they caught years ago were silent. The village market was closed. Everything was sealed tight.

  Three large carts were parked in front of the general store. Stacks of hand-made rugs reached six feet toward the sky. The only sounds coming from the store was the light pinging of the sign, hitting the window that still read, Open.

  “It sure doesn’t look open to me. It’s empty,” J.J. said, exasperated. “Where is everybody? Helloooooo.”

  “J.J., be quiet! We don’t want to scare anyone. They have no idea who we are and they might start shooting at us,” said Lila.

  “Lila, it’s empty. Who’s gonna shoot us? There’s nobody here.”

  A flock of chickens walked by, searching for food at every step.

  “Those are Bill Johnson’s. I recognize the cockerels. He wouldn’t have left them loose like that unless…follow me to the tunnel’s entrance,” Mathis said stoically.

  He stopped a short time later in front of a large flat section of the mountain.

  “We’re here,” he announced, glumly.

  J.J. looked around and didn’t see anything.

  “What do you mean ‘We’re here’? We’re nowhere! Is this your idea of a joke?”

  “I wish it was. Look closely. Stand right where you’re at,” said Mathis.

  The door wasn’t visible to the untrained eye. Mathis knew this location from years of training. The entrance appeared to be nothing more than a huge stone that was part of the mountainside.

  A series of fossilized imprints on the rock was a possible clue that this rock was different from the other huge stone boulders that made up the outer walls of the mountain that protected the citizens of Canamith.

  “Open the door, Mathis. Come on, open it,” pleaded J.J.

  “It won’t work, you see—”

  “Just try it!” shouted J.J.

  “J.J., I knew the drill. Make it back to the village in time, or else. The residents of the Canamith had thought of every safety option. The mechanism self-destructed after the doors were sealed from within.”

  J.J. went right up to the door, saw the finger tipped imprints on the stone and pressed it firmly before Mathis could stop him.

  “Don’t bother.”

  “What? I just stuck my fingers in there. Maybe someone will let us in? It’s a do
orbell, right? Did I forget to say the magic word? What are you so afraid of anyway?” J.J. sensed success, “See, I told you, we had to try. I hear noises.”

  “It won’t help,” Mathis sighed.

  The buzzing continued for sixty seconds. A small mist of steam was jettisoned from the stone that J.J. touched. When the buzzing stopped and the steam cleared away, J.J. viewed the door with astonishment.

  “What the—”

  “You people have absolutely no patience,” Mathis stated.

  “What do you mean ‘you people?’”

  “Look at the door.”

  J.J. eyed the spot he had touched a moment or two ago and it was gone. Left in its place was a sticky, brown substance that J.J. was afraid to touch. Heat emanated from the door and Lila barked orders at her husband.

  “Don’t touch it, it’s hot.”

  “Gee, thanks. I couldn’t have figured that out on my own.”

  “You did touch the door,” she countered.

  J.J. filled with rage. He turned away from them and walked alongside the door until it met the side of the mountain that the door had been built into. He clenched his fist and raised his hand as if he was going to strike the stone with his hand, at the last possible second J.J. heard Sophie shout.

  “No, Daddy, no!”

  He stopped short of smashing his hand into the stone and saving himself the embarrassment and pain of breaking his fingers, wrist, or both.

  CHAPTER 39

  Mathis knew what lay in front of them if the door was locked. “Forget the door, guys. It’s locked and it’s staying locked. The door wasn’t supposed to be locked this early. My timing was planned to the hour. Something must have gone wrong. I don’t understand. I was so careful. We should have had two more hours! We’ve been preparing that door for years. Nobody is getting into the village this way,” he declared.

  Lila concurred with her younger brother. It had taken a long time, but they finally found common ground. “It’s true, J.J. Everyone knew once that door was sealed nobody was getting in. Tons of explosives wouldn’t get through the rock that protects the integrity of the door. It wasn’t built for the neighborhood children to sneak in,” said Lila.