Final Days

by Jasper T. Scott

  The conversation went to a lull, and Kendra noted the reverend had a satisfied smirk across her face.

  “What was that booming sound?” Laurie asked.

  “Another tsunami?” Calista asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Kendra said, glancing toward the roof.

  Kendra hated turning her back to Jack while he was still armed, trying to act like the cock of the walk, but she was confident the mayor wasn’t going to shoot her. She’d seen his type many times in her career, and he was all about self-preservation through fear, rather than violence. Andrew had temporarily defused Pennycoat, but somewhere inside he was silently ticking away, ready to go off without notice.

  She grabbed her phone, hoping the government access was available, but nothing was working. No bars. No private bureau portals. Only the generic home screen wallpaper that had accompanied her phone two years ago when her deputy director had allocated the new devices. She switched to the satellite GPS and found it still worked, regardless of the crashed system. Either way, she had the coordinates saved in a screen shot, and was confident they’d be able to find Hound when they were out among the waves of the Pacific.

  Andrew was right behind her as she raced up the stairs. The teenager, Tony, grunted as he followed along. She pressed through, instantly feeling something was amiss. She walked to the edge of the building, her hands landing on the concrete ledge as she cautiously leaned over, trusting the structure’s integrity wasn’t compromised.

  “We have to go. It’s bad,” she said. A billboard for a real estate company floated by, showing a smiling middle-aged woman in a bad pantsuit. That world was long gone.

  Tony was beside her, Andrew behind them with his arms crossed. “This isn’t subsiding for a while. Maybe never, if the quakes keep coming.”

  Kendra pictured the computer-rendered videos she’d seen on the news sections of the coastline crumbling into the ocean. It could happen at any time, and she didn’t want to be around when it did.

  “You’re not going to blame me if I end up shooting that little man, are you?” Andrew asked her, breaking the tension. He picked up a radio, turning it on.

  She laughed, an alien sound in the thick air around them. “Tell you what, we’ll simultaneously shoot him on the count of three.”

  A voice emerged from the speaker in Andrew’s hands. “Listen to this,” he said, lifting the silver radio over his head, the old-fashioned antenna sticking high into the air.

  “It’s official. Mount Saint Helens has erupted. Word has arrived that Vesuvius is spilling lava, the worst yet to come from beneath the surface of the deadly Italian volcano. Word is there’s nothing natural about the disasters. Scientists from Sweden claim to have proof of robotic devices in the oceans.

  “Dozens of reports are filing in about other catastrophic events from around the world, in as many as eight countries, but we haven’t confirmed the facts. Yellowstone has begun to show signs of eruptions, and experts estimate it will fully blow by seven a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Ash plumes will spread as far as five hundred miles within a few hours. This is it, folks… kiss your loved ones tonight…” Andrew fiddled with it as the signal faded, and Kendra stood staring at him and the teenager, unsure what to say.

  “We have to go,” she said again.

  Andrew shook his head. “It’s going to be tight. You heard that. If St. Helens erupted, the ash will reach us. I need to ensure this is an option.” He nodded toward the helicopter.

  Hank appeared at the doorway, panting slightly as he walked over to them on the roof. He was favoring his left knee. “People are becoming restless, and I’m not confident I can handle it. Thought you’d want to know.”

  “How so?” Andrew asked.

  The Marine was probably thinking about the gun tucked away in his jeans. Kendra’s own Glock was strapped to her side in its holster, barely hidden by her navy blazer.

  “The reverend is talking about some safe zone she has in the mountains along the edge of Colorado. She seems to believe everyone would be okay there,” Hank said.

  “What’s Jack saying?” Kendra asked the older man.

  “Jack’s a fool. I’ve lived here most of my life, and I’ve never cast a ballot for that blowhard. When you leave, take me with you. I can help out.” Hank’s eyes were wide, but she trusted he meant what he said.

  “Me too. I’m good for it. Don’t make me go with them. Please,” Tony begged.

  “Where are your parents?” Andrew asked the boy.

  He shrugged. “Don’t know my dad, and Mom was out of town on a work trip when everything changed. Lost touch with her. I’m alone,” he admitted, his long brown hair falling over his eyes.

  “We’re going to bring you both with us, don’t worry,” Kendra said. “Let’s help Andrew clear the copter of unnecessary weight.”

  Andrew glanced to the door, and Kendra considered blocking it for the time being, but decided not to. They spent the next half hour removing the gurneys, supply bags, and even shelving units. Hank turned out to be useful with his hands, and he was on the floor, using a shiny socket set he’d found under the pilot’s seat to undo the shelves from the rear walls. Tony and Andrew hauled them out, tossing them to the roof with a clatter.

  Kendra stared into the helicopter, admiring the shell of the inside. It appeared they might be able to fit everyone in now, but the idea they might not make it far enough weighed on her mind.

  “The tank is full?” she asked Andrew for the third time, and he reached for her, squaring her shoulders toward him.

  “Kendra, it’s still loaded with fuel. Let me get it running. We’ll offer a spot to anyone willing to join us, but there will be no compromising. We’ll need Jack’s gun,” Andrew said as he slid into the pilot’s seat and fired up the engine. The copter’s rotors began swirling slowly, and there wasn’t much time left to stick around.

  She waved for Tony to join her, and unholstered her gun. “Tony, be careful. This might escalate quickly.”

  Hank stayed behind, leaning against the copter, and Kendra already saw changes as she made a final glance toward the dark sky. Ash was falling like little drops of snow; one landed on the tip of her nose, and she blew it off.

  She tugged the door and went first, her grip tight on the gun. She had no idea what the assembled group would say to them being forced to decide this minute, but she didn’t care. They had to leave.

  “…settled. We’ll leave at first light. Then we can see if the water level has lowered or not,” Reverend Shelley Morris said.

  “I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but we’re evacuating now. The helicopter is ready, and we only have one shot at this.” Kendra cringed at her use of the word as she glanced at Jack, who was still holding his gun.

  “We’ve decided that isn’t the best use of the helicopter,” the reverend said, her voice even and calm.

  Kendra couldn’t believe the nerve of this woman. Bert stood beside Shelley, and Kendra attempted to understand the group dynamic within the room. Quickly, she analyzed them. Laurie was injured, but she’d sided with the religious end-of-days talk earlier, so she was a wild card. Bert hadn’t said a peep either way. He seemed scared, in over his head, and caring for Diane was something he didn’t have any experience with.

  Calista was sitting wearily, eating a chocolate bar, eyes wide and red. Hank was upstairs with Andrew, and Jack was oddly quiet.

  “Is that so?” Kendra asked. “If anyone wants to accompany us, don’t hesitate.”

  She didn’t turn around this time, and felt the pressure of all eyes on her for a moment.

  The little girl started toward Kendra, and she reached a hand out, but Jack’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

  “Don’t move another inch,” Jack said. He didn’t lift his gun, but the implications were clear.

  Kendra’s training took over. She’d been in too many heated scenarios, had more than a dozen standoffs, and killing someone in the line of duty wasn’t new to her. This was her job. T
his was her life. She would protect these people, this little girl, from the elements and from themselves… at any cost.

  “The volcanoes have erupted. We heard it on the radio on the roof. Ash is already beginning to fall. We have to leave,” Kendra told them.

  “How can you be sure? More stories from the government lady. How do we know you’re even who you say you are? You’re in on this, aren’t you? Probably have your friends using scuba gear to loot our homes as we speak!” Jack began waving the gun dramatically, and Kendra took a deep breath. She pulled Diane behind her, and Tony stepped to her side.

  Bert finally spoke. “I think we should hear her out, Jack. You’re not making any sense.”

  “But understand this: In the last days terrible times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, abusive…” The reverend’s voice cut through the air, and Kendra felt assaulted by it.

  “Listen, feel free to have your religion, but no one is going to be able to help us in twenty-four hours. If you don’t believe me, go to the roof and see for yourself,” Kendra said. “But Jack, you need to give me your gun.”

  “I will do no such thing!” he shouted, and Kendra’s finger grew tighter on the trigger.

  Reverend Sally raised a hand, lowering the barrel of Jack’s gun. He stared at her incredulously. “Jack, it will be okay. Trust in God.” She smiled at him, and Kendra wondered if the woman was actually siding with her for the safety of everyone.

  Jack loosened his tie; his yellow shirt sported fresh sweat stains in the armpits, and his hair was dishevelled. He looked like a madman. He must have caught his reflection in the glass by the nurse’s station, because he stumbled away from it, dropping his gun to the floor.

  The reverend picked it up, handing it over to Kendra, handle first. She breathed a sigh of relief as she removed the magazine to check the chamber, finding a live round.

  “Let’s go to the roof and see what miracles are in store for us,” Shelley began when Andrew appeared at the doorway leading to the stairs.

  He glanced around, and Kendra noticed his gaze settle on Jack before meeting her stare. “We can’t leave. The ash is too thick. Hank and I have tarped her, and I think we’ll be safe to leave when the worst is over in the morning.”

  “What about Yellowstone?” Kendra asked.

  “There are a lot of what-ifs right now. If the radio was accurate, we’ll have about an hour window in the morning where we should have clear enough skies to leave,” Andrew said.

  Kendra didn’t mention that anything else could happen in the meantime, from earthquakes causing more tsunamis, to toxic fog, to a full-blown revolt in their disorganized group. She bit her tongue and forced a nod, hoping for a minute alone to speak with Andrew. She doubted either of them would be sleeping tonight.

  Thirty-One

  Andrew

  2 Days Left…

  Andrew sat at the bottom of the stairs to the roof, with the door propped open, his head leaning against the wall. The inside of the hospital was darker than any night he could remember. He could barely see his hands in front of his face, let alone see well enough to keep watch. If he weren’t sitting in the stairwell, he probably wouldn’t notice if someone tried to go up and reach the helicopter.

  The only thing he could distinguish in the low light was the faint gleam of metal railings from the rolling beds they’d pulled out of the patient rooms. Everyone was lying on their own cot, fast asleep, and more than one person was snoring. Andrew tried to guess who. His money was on Jack and Calista.

  Kendra’s cot was closest to him. She had finally stopped tossing and turning.

  Andrew felt his eyelids drooping and checked his watch. 4:32 a.m. He looked to the nearest window, but he couldn’t distinguish anything. The sky was probably still dark with ash, but it was impossible to confirm that without sticking his head outside. He’d have to go up to the roof.

  Andrew considered it. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes, and if that pipe organ orchestra was anything to go by, Jack wasn’t waking up any time soon.

  It was worth the risk. If the radio was right, then Yellowstone was due to erupt in just an hour and a half. They could miss their window if they waited any longer.

  Andrew thought about waking Kendra first, but he didn’t want to cut her sleep short for a false alarm. No point waking her if it’s still thick with ash out there, he thought.

  Andrew sprang lightly up the stairs to the roof, taking care not to make any noise. He reached the door at the top of the stairwell and eased it open. A blasting wind howled loudly into the stairwell.

  Muttering curses under his breath, Andrew slipped out and eased the door shut. The air rushing by his face was cool and clear, and only faintly acrid with fumes from Mount St. Helens. The sky was dark, but with clouds, not ash. No flakes fell on his face or clothes. Just to be sure, he paused for a minute with his hands and face turned up to the sky, waiting.

  Nothing. The air was clear. It was time to go. Andrew’s heart began pounding in his chest with anticipation. He turned around in time to hear another howl of wind—and the click of a revolver. He picked out the silvery gleam of the barrel and the eyes staring over it.

  “Seems like good weather for flyin’,” Jack said.

  Andrew’s hand drifted to the P320 tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

  “I wouldn’t do that.”

  “No? What do I have to lose? You, on the other hand... I can’t fly with a bullet in me.” Andrew’s hand twitched above the grip of his gun.

  “I flew crop dusters back in the day. I’m sure I can figure it out. Hand the gun over and we all get to see the promised land.”

  “Now you’re sounding like the reverend.”

  “It’s nothing personal, Andrew,” Reverend Morris put in.

  “Shelley?” Andrew asked, blinking rapidly against the night. He couldn’t see her.

  “Yes.”

  A sudden thought occurred to him. They wouldn’t both be up here pulling a coup without first neutralizing the other threat. “What did you do to Kendra?” he demanded.

  “Nothing that a bag of ice won’t fix. Bert is watching her,” Jack said.

  “So he chose a side,” Andrew said.

  “No one here wants to die,” the reverend said.

  “None of us has to!” Andrew thundered. He half turned and gestured to the sky. “It’s clear now! We can go!”

  “Which is why we’re all up here,” Jack said. “Ready the chopper.”

  Andrew hesitated, his eyes on the gleaming revolver in Jack’s hand. He thought about all the ways he could gain the upper hand, but they all ended with a good chance of him being shot. That meant he’d never get to see Val again, and everyone else would likely die in a fiery crash without him to pilot the helicopter.

  “Well? Hurry it up! Give me the gun. Nice and slow.”

  Andrew passed it over, grip first. Jack turned and handed the weapon to the reverend, and suddenly there were two guns aimed at Andrew’s chest. “I’m going to need help removing the tarp,” he said.

  “Hank!” Jack roared.

  “What?” another voice called back.

  “Get up here! Andrew needs a hand.”

  Jack gestured with his gun to the hulking shadow of the helicopter. Hank came running across the roof to join Andrew and help him undo their work from yesterday evening. “Changed your mind about coming with us, did you?” Andrew asked as they pull the tarp away. Piled ash rained all over them as they did so, leaving both of them coughing and spitting it out of their mouths.

  Hank spoke through a sigh that told Andrew he wasn’t a willing participant in this coup. “I just want to get out of here before it’s too late. I have a wife and kid to think about. They evacuated to Texas a few weeks ago.”

  “And you stayed?”

  “We were divorced. Lisa lives with her mother. I figured I could wait and see and go join them later, if need be.”

  “Looks like you
waited too long,” Andrew grunted as he heaved with Hank to pull the last part of the tarp off the side of the helicopter.

  “Yeah. Listen, I know Jack. He’s not going to shoot you if you do what he says.”

  “And if I don’t?” Andrew countered. He couldn’t see anything but the whites of Hank’s eyes. Hank hesitated, but Jack answered for him.

  “If you don’t, I’m gonna shoot you in the leg and see if that makes you more agreeable. Now hurry up and get the chopper ready!”

  Andrew turned to him with a scowl. “The more you talk, the longer it’s gonna take.”

  Transporting everyone safely to the mountains was definitely one better than drowning in the swirling black water when the next quake sent the whole coastline plunging into the ocean, but Andrew still held out a small hope of reaching Lewis Hound’s refuge. Jack and Reverend Shelley were both up here, and they’d left shaky Bert to watch over Kendra, probably with her own gun. She might be able to overpower him, or convince him to join their side. He had that little girl to think about. Did he really want to be caring for her in a frozen range of arid mountains?

  Andrew took that hope with him into the cockpit as he flicked the ignition and listened to the high-pitched whine of the rotors whirring to life. Come on, Kendra, this is your chance...

  * * *

  Kendra

  Kendra instantly felt something was off when she woke up. The clicking of the door caused her eyes to snap open, but she remained still, hoping no one noticed she was up. She listened for signs of movement, and heard Bert muttering under his breath.

  Diane was crying, and Kendra reached for her holster strapped to her chest. The Glock was missing. She sat up abruptly, rigid as a strung bow, and jumped to her feet. “What’s going on?” she asked, scanning the room.

  It was dark, and her eyes focused in on Bert holding her gun, aiming it three feet to her right. It was clear he hadn’t used a gun before, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous.