SURVIVING ABE: A Climate-Fiction Novel

by O'Brien, J. Z.

  "You would think people would pull together in the middle of a natural disaster, is this when things start to get better or worse?" Tye asked.

  "In this county things are getting worse, as I imagine it is elsewhere; the power has been off more than 36 hours. This so-called Abe storm is affecting such a wide area that emergency resources are spread too thin to be of much help from Dallas eastward. We're battling ice here, to the north they're battling snow, and that's on top of days of flooding. Unless the static on the radios clears up and the power comes back on, it's not looking good for the next week or two."

  Jennifer came into the room with Leo after the adult conversation was over. He made a beeline to the platter of cookies to grab another and looked at Jennifer at the last second. "Just one more Leo. Grandma Reb has dinner for you coming later," she said.

  Melissa came to Jennifer's aid and took over with Leo. "What are we going to do? Is there a helicopter to take Sam to a hospital?" she asked Ben.

  "I want to go in the heli-o-copter," Leo said.

  "Sorry honey, but there is only room for Daddy, if we can get one. As soon as Daddy gets better he'll take you for a ride in the helicopter, I promise. We are going to get one, aren't we?"

  "Our local hospital is quickly becoming a morgue. With no power, low medicine/medical supplies, and a skeleton crew coming to work, only the severely sick and injured are showing up there to die. Sam is much better off right here, Melissa," Ben said.

  "I agree, we've treated our own ailing family around here for many years. We'll watch Sam, and if he takes a turn for the worse we can get a retired doctor that lives between here and town to look at him," Tye said.

  "If it's okay with you, Tye, I'd like to bring my fifth-wheel and family out here. We got flooded out of our home and we're parked at the Sheriff's Office, but the parking lot is beginning to flood. I'd like to move my family to a safer place; plus I could be here to help if that gang decides to retaliate," Ben said.

  "You and your family are welcome here, and I appreciate your help," Tye said.

  "Sure glad Sam told me where he was headed, I'll be back as soon as possible. There is one other deputy, Wes, with his family parked in that lot. If he hasn't found a place to go to, would you mind if I mentioned your place to him? We have our own RVs and supplies, we just need a dry place to set up a camp that's defendable."

  "I would never say no to the County's finest. Tell Deputy Wes he and his family are welcome to stay," Tye said.

  "Ben, you be careful. Sam got ambushed trying to get from here into town," Melissa said as the group walked Ben out to his vehicle. They watched his fishtailing vehicle as he tried to gain speed while driving away on the icy road.

  As silence descended on the group a cold north wind chilled the thin-blooded East Texans and chased everyone back into the house. Tye and Andy helped Sam move from the floor to the couch. Jennifer set up a small cot for Leo in the spare bedroom that he would share with his parents. Reb busily cleaned the area where Sam had rested, trying to erase anything that would remind Leo of the trauma his father had suffered. While that took place Melissa took Leo into the bedroom putting him down for a nap.

  Tye invited Andy to go with him to check on the livestock and availability of water. They took the chained up one-ton and went through the same gate Andy earlier had left open, then they crossed the open field toward a tree line. Tye turned to Andy, "Hope you don't get the wrong impression about us from all the trouble and cold weather. Around here it's just the opposite most of the time; normally it's too hot to get excited or cause trouble."

  "Your daughter thinks I brought trouble with me when I rode in."

  "She likes to stir the pot, just to see what she can scrape up. I'm used to it since her mother does the same thing—and passed it on to Jen."

  "Speaking of scraping up things, something just came to mind I think I should mention."

  "Shoot."

  "Being an outsider I defer to local knowledge, but I'm worried. If those two men that escaped are still around, we better make this a quick trip, they may want revenge."

  Tye thought for only a second before deciding. "We need to get back to the house in case you're right. I can see the cows from here and they look fine for the moment. Soon as Ben and the other Deputy arrive we'll move them up next to the house to ward off any two legged predators," he said as he turned the truck around.

  "There's one other thing,"

  "Jen?"

  "How did you know?"

  "You two are like watching what Reb calls a chick flick. What are you going to do about it?"

  "She told me her family's attitude toward me is very important to her."

  "Not as important as we'd like sometimes, but I think we have more immediate problems than figuring out how females think; look there, the shop is burning."

  "We need to be careful, it could be a diversion to draw us out," Andy said as they sped toward the farmhouse and outbuildings.

  "We won't be able to do much to put out the fire, so I'm heading for the house and praying we are in time," Tye said.

  Before Tye brought the one-ton to a stop Andy jumped out and ran for the house. He heard a female voice scream, "NO ANDY," as he neared the front porch. During his split second of hesitation at the words of warning a shadow moved into his peripheral vision. Icy-footing negated his evasive lunge, and he felt a blow to his neck and shoulder that knocked him reeling into the side of the house.

  One of the men he had handcuffed earlier came toward him with a shovel, winding up for another blow. The icy-footing came into play again when the attacker slipped with the effort he'd put into his swing. Andy pushed off the wall and launched himself under the shovel, taking the man to the ground and slamming his head on the ice. Andy got to his feet, grabbed the shovel, and swung to meet the man's oncoming rush, catching him full in the face. The man landed face down on the ice. Andy delivered another blow to the man's head; simultaneously hearing the sound of a gunshot, close enough for him to feel the percussion of it.

  He turned to see an axe skidding across the ice, away from the second man who was on the frozen ground a few feet away, his extremities jerking in the throes of death. Steam came from a bloody, hand-sized area of his chest—destroyed by buckshot.

  Looking up from what had been a person intent on his death, he saw Jennifer standing on the front step, pumping a fresh round into the chamber of her shotgun, as Tye arrived to stand beside her, likewise armed. The light from the burning shop reflecting off the armed father-daughter duo, standing their ground in front of the family homestead, made an image so dramatic Andy knew he would take it to his grave, which seemed to be getting closer by decades each day.

  Tye shouted to Reb and Melissa, when he saw tousle-headed Leo just inside the front door, warning the women not to come outside with the boy. He then turned to Andy and asked, "Are you hurt?"

  "My head's bleeding, but I'm okay otherwise. What can we do about your shop?"

  "Nothing, any effort would be but a symbolic gesture at this point. We'll have to let it burn out by itself."

  "With Leo here we need to do something with these bodies, put them in the shed maybe?" Jennifer asked.

  Neither Tye nor Andy could think of anything to say, so they turned to do as she suggested. Both of the attackers were dead, they hauled the bodies to the shed and closed the door.

  By the time they got back to the house Reb was finishing the preparations to treat Andy. Melissa and Reb cleaned the gash and shaved the hair around it, so the butterfly bandages would have a chance of holding it together. Then Tye daubed on cow dope, and Jennifer held Leo while they both peered at the operation with great interest.

  "Welcome to Tye's veterinary clinic where even the studs among us get treated like heifers," Sam said.

  "You mind your manners, Bub," Melissa told Sam.

  When Sam didn't have a ready reply Andy jumped in and asked Sam, "Maybe Ben was right, you sure your junk's intact?"

  Before Sam coul
d answer Andy yelped in pain, "That's not too tight is it?" Reb asked with a smile as she tied a bandage around his head.

  "Just right, Ma'am."

  "That's what I said," Sam finished for both of them, getting an approving smile from Reb and Melissa.

  ~~~

  Later that evening after the group had eaten supper and was gathered around the wood-burning stove, Tye said, "Andy, you were right-on with your concerns this afternoon, I'm glad we got back when we did."

  "Not sure why that popped into my head, either Texas has knocked some sense into me, or all those hours I spent gaming weren't a total waste of time," Andy answered. "It's a good thing Jennifer saw them and shouted a warning to me when I came up to the house."

  "It all happened so quickly. I looked out because I heard the one-ton coming way too fast; I thought someone was chasing you. Then I saw the fire and one of the men go around the corner of the house just as you were coming to the porch."

  "Not knowing what is going on out there is hard. I keep wanting to call somebody or turn on the TV to find out what's happening, but I can't," Reb said.

  "Maybe we can rig up some kind of a TV antenna tomorrow and try to get some news when we have the generator running," Andy said.

  "That's an idea, but for now what are we going to do to keep safe tonight; stand watch?" Tye asked.

  "Probably best if Melissa and Leo keep watch on Sam, but if the rest of us do two-hour watches, that will get us through what's left of tonight," Jennifer said. "Doesn't look like Ben is going to make it back here tonight. Hope everything's okay and that he'll get here in the morning."

  "Your mother and I will take the morning watches since our schedule is normally early to bed, early to rise. Wake me first when your watches are over." Tye stood up. "Come on Ma, it'll take both of us to keep warm."

  Jennifer watched her parents leave and then turned to Andy. "I'm not sure that was my Dad. First, Mom goes out early with him, and now she goes to bed early with him; something's going on with them. Did Dad say anything to you today?"

  "Like what?"

  "Like one of them being sick, or something. They're close, but like an old married couple. They're set in the habits that each of them has built over a lifetime. Mom stays up late and gets up late; Dad's just the opposite. Did he say anything, or act like he wasn't feeling well?"

  "He seemed fine to me."

  "It's you two that's the problem, they are just giving you lovebirds some room," Melissa said.

  Jennifer just looked at her best friend, speechless.

  "Close your mouth Jen," Melissa said laughing.

  "And consider looking outside since you're both on watch," Sam said joining the fray.

  "Sam, Dad was right about you getting back to your old self soon," Jennifer said.

  "Okay, I'm taking a walk around the house to see if anything is moving," Andy said while getting the AR out of the closet.

  Jen grabbed her shotgun and joined him, "Both armed, that's how we practice safe-dating in Texas."

  ~~~

  "How are you feeling about all that happened today, Jennifer?" Andy asked. They stood on the front porch watching the moon as it struggled to make its presence known through thick cloud cover. Everyone in the house had finally gone to sleep and it was well after midnight, but neither of them felt sleepy.

  "That man would've killed you if I hadn't stopped him. Then he would've tried to kill the rest of us, so I feel justified; but I wish none of this had happened. How are you doing?"

  "The same I guess. The way you looked in the firelight, pumping another round into the chamber, is an even more dramatic mental image than the one of you stopping Jeff." Andy paused. "I sure do like the way you handle a shotgun, and thanks for saving me again."

  "The way Dad tells it, you saved all our lives by thinking of the danger when you did. He thinks a lot of you, from what Mom told me. Come to think of it, she's the one that's been acting strange. Shifting to Dad's schedule and letting a big lump-headed man invade the sanctity of her kitchen. I have a question for you."

  "Shoot."

  "You've been hanging around Dad too much; you're starting to talk like him. Anyway, my question is; how are we going to know if anyone's sneaking up on us if you only look at me?"

  "I thought I would watch you standing watch."

  "Come on, Yank, let's do a perimeter check by walking around the house to see if the fire has attracted any unwanted visitors."

  Tess & Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD

  Freezing cold, shivering uncontrollably, Tess stood at Robin's helm in much the same condition as when Eric had dropped her off last night; maybe colder. The wind had abated some once the storm cell moved east, so she risked a quick trip below to turn on her sailing instruments and to grab a blanket to wrap up in.

  Back at the helm she mentally struggled to concentrate on the immediate issues, and put useless thoughts aside. Once she had Robin following the reciprocal of her incoming track up the river, she locked in the autopilot and reduced speed to minimum steerageway, and then dashed below deck into the cabin.

  After throwing on dry clothes she reached for her raingear before remembering she had taken it off in the water last night. She grabbed a men's XL, foul-weather jacket that a friend had forgotten aboard, it fit her like a kimono—perfect for the circumstances since it covered her legs too. She tried her VHF radio, but still found the airwaves filled with electronic noise. The HF radio might be functional, but she didn't have time to try it. She rushed back to the helm.

  About a day later than she had planned to leave, she was finally on her way. Although she had both anchors back aboard she had lost her dinghy and outboard motor. Those were items that she needed to deal with in Annapolis, her next intended port of call. Most important, she was alive and Robin was afloat—basically undamaged from the knockdown. Standing at the helm another thought crossed her mind, then shaking her head she disabled the autopilot and spun Robin around.

  That she disliked the arrogant bastard was one thing, leaving without checking on him was quite another. Already pissed at herself for turning around she gritted her teeth and gave Robin some throttle, if she was going to deal with the bastard she was going to be quick about it.

  As Eric's house came into view she saw near total devastation, only one corner of the house still stood. What she didn't see unnerved her more. She saw no emergency vehicle flashing lights, no running people, and no sign of Eric; just the eerie stillness of a lone disaster scene during a morning of chaos.

  Loss of the dingy now limited her choices of getting ashore, leaving the remnants of an old dock in front of Eric's property her only option. The water depth held steady at six feet as Robin coasted to the wooden structure, and then rapidly decreased, putting Robin aground three feet short of the landing. Tess took a mooring line with her as she leapt to the dock, looped it around a piling, and took off running for Eric's house.

  When Tess got close to the house she started shouting his name. Finally, a muffled response came from a pile of rubble and Tess called out, "Eric, it's me, Tess. Keep talking. I'm trying to locate you!"

  "I'm in the northwest corner bedroom, I think."

  Moving carefully through the rubble Tess worked toward Eric's voice, "Do you hear me?"

  "Yes! Yes! You are right above me!"

  "Are you under the bed?"

  "Yes!"

  "Figures," Tess muttered.

  "What?"

  "Figure you're injured?" Tess covered with guilty pleasure.

  "Oh. No, I don't think so."

  Tess started moving pieces of debris that had blown in with the walls and landed on top of the overturned bed. She moved lumber, bristled with nails, and large chunks of jagged masonry from the pile on the bed's underside. Through it all Eric gave encouragement as the weight that had slowly been crushing the life out of him diminished. The culmination of her efforts came when she used a length of 2x6-inch planking to pry the mattress up far enough to allow Eric to
crawl out.

  Tess gave him a quick once-over and checked for bleeding and other damage, as he stood in his boxers surveying the sodden mass of debris that had been his castle an hour earlier, "Guess hiding under the bed does have its merits, you look to be in one piece, unlike your house. I'm sorry."

  "One of what I truly believed would be my last thoughts was of you, Tess. Figuring that the tornado probably killed you too, I wondered if we would meet in some sort of waiting room, while our afterlife identities and accommodations were being readied," Eric said with a rueful smile.

  "Look, it's starting to rain again and Robin is the only dry spot in the area. That's where I'm headed, and you're welcome to come along." Tess took off toward the dock; Eric picked up some scattered belongings and followed her without a word.

  Once aboard, Tess gave Eric a towel and a blanket. They sat under the bimini in the cockpit, both in a mild state of shock. Tess watched a shivering Eric as he looked through the rain at the pile that used to be his house. She decided to give him a few moments before pressing him for a decision. Her desire to leave this side of the Chesapeake had only grown stronger with the morning's excitement.

  Eric turned toward her, "Tess, this is a bit awkward for me, considering how we got to this point. Earlier when death came to add me to its collection, I regretted my arrogance toward you, realizing you were the closest person that could conceivably come to help me, if you were still alive. I told myself if I had only been a little nicer—then assured myself I was about to get what I deserved, and should just prepare myself for it.

  I now know the face of death comes etched with only the truth of one's life, leaving no room for self-deception. Something changed inside me when I heard your voice, you came to help someone you disliked, and now you are sharing your boat with me without me even asking. I can't reconcile that and continue as if nothing happened."