“Bill, you’re breaking up. Just send a team down here and do your fucking job.”
“I am, I am, MJ. I got your location ------ tower ping. I’m --- a team your way. Stay--.” The phone cut off.
I grumbled then tried dialing him back, but the phone died. Sighing, I dropped the phone and stood up.
Suddenly, the ground rattled beneath my feet and I felt it in my chest along with a fear that made me swallow my breath. All around me buildings started to shake and fall apart, large chunks of brick smashed into the ground and exploded.
I turned and took off down the street with all the energy I had left. Leaping over fractured roads and piles of debris, I darted toward what I hoped was safety.
Blue signs that were still standing ahead directed me toward the Yonkers Police Department. If the building managed to stay standing, Bill would know to look for me there.
As I rounded the next block emergency sirens and alarms exploded from all around. The sharp shrills made me run faster, ignoring the pain in my legs and the buzzing sensation in my head. The fear of death was like fuel, coursing through my limbs, pushing my heart like a turbine.
I was running for my life, running from a city that was devouring itself. Another left turn brought the police station into view. I stopped short and gasped then covered my mouth.
“Jesus,” I grumbled.
The brown, two story brick building was now a pile of rubble with limbs sticking out like blades of dead grass. Smoke rose from the debris in dreary wafts, reaching for the sky that hid above a blanket of swirling darkness.
The two buildings on either side were still intact, standing like soldiers defending the grave of a fallen ally. They cast a bleak shadow over the broken facility and as the sky opened in a flurry of tears, I dropped to a knee in exhaustion.
“My God,” I said lowly.
Sniffling, I took a deep breath and wiped my face. My eyes teared and snot ran from my nose as the smoke grew thicker. Our time was running out and before long we wouldn’t be able to contain the damage.
“Is anyone alive!” I shouted as I stood up and moved closer to the smoldering pile.
Muffled groans and whimpers answered me back in a chorus of agony. I took another step closer, but the simmering asphalt scorched my bare foot and I winced.
“Shit!”
“Help me,” a voice croaked out of nowhere.
“Where are you?” I replied as I looked around the pile of broken concrete and glass.
I leaned in closer and started to walk the perimeter of the area. I knew there was nothing I could do to get them out, but I could at least point someone in the right direction.
“What the fuck are you doing lady?” a harsh voice suddenly blared from behind me.
I whirled around to find a man in a construction vest shouting and flailing his arms. I pointed toward the bodies stuck in the rubble and threw my hands into the air, the international symbol for “what do you think?”
“Help me!” I screeched just in case he hadn’t got the message.
He glared at me like I was crazy and started shouting again. Waving his hands, he stepped closer then started to jab his finger at me like he could shoot lasers from them.
“Get out of there! The fucking buildings are falling!” he finally screamed.
The road he was standing on warped and bubbled into the air like a roller coaster. He fell forward with a yelp then vanished behind a cloud of dust.
I looked to my side and stared up in time to see the brick façade plunging toward me. I shuffled backward just before it slammed into the ground. Bits of shrapnel sprayed into the air, slicing my arm as I used it to shield my face.
More grumbling, more clatter from the collapsing frames. A piercing, shrill rang in my ears that made my teeth hurt. Grimacing, I gripped the sides of my head as more chunks of the building peppered the floor around me like meteors. I jumped to the side then rolled and was showered in shards of glass for my troubles.
Scrambling, I lurched across the asphalt on all fours until I regained my footing. Metal beams chimed as they hit the street behind me. The earth shook, and I fell face first, sliding across the trembling ground.
It hurt like hell, but I needed to move. Jumping back up, I ran harder than I thought my legs would allow. I felt the air shifting as tons of brick slammed into the road. But my feet found a stable bottom and after a few more strides, I slowed and chanced a look over my shoulder.
The little tremor had passed, but the damage was done. The remains of the police station and any survivors were covered in a mountain of wreckage. Nothing was left of the two towers or the construction worker that had just saved my life.
I stared in awe, shocked that I’d survived any of it and terrified that it wasn’t over. Yonkers was ground zero and I ‘d be damned if I was gonna wait around for Bill’s team to show up.
A loud grumbling stirred me from my daze and I wheeled around. A white pickup truck was crawling over the broken streets like a tank. It was the most out of place thing I’d ever seen. It didn’t make sense, but at that time I wasn’t in a position to debate logic.
“Wait! Wait!” I shouted and ran after them.
The brake lights lit up and the truck skid to a stop. The rear window lowered and an older man with brown and gray hair stuck his head out.
“What are you doing out there?” he asked in a heavy British accent.
I swallowed and took a deep breath. “I need a ride,” I responded.
“To where?”
“Anywhere…just out of here.”
“We’re heading into New York. Get in.”
He opened the door and stepped out of the truck. There were three other guys inside and the space was cramped, but I’d make do.
“My name’s Oscar,” the man said and held out his hand. “I don’t know the rest of them, but they have wheels so I’m not complaining.”
He had a point, beggars certainly couldn’t be choosers. And all I wanted to do was get out of Yonkers before it finished imploding on itself.
“MJ,” I replied then stepped forward and shook his hand.
I climbed into the truck and nestled beside a chubby guy named Cecil. He wore a sweat-soaked t-shirt and a backwards baseball cap. He was friendly enough although he smelled like sautéed onions and kept dripping all over my arm.
Oscar squeezed in next to me and shut the door. As he did I felt the truck start to rattle from side to side. Chunks of black asphalt hopped into the air like popcorn kernels. The ground beneath us felt like it dropped and the truck skipped forward as the driver mashed the gas pedal.
“Hang on!” he shouted.
CHAPTER 5
RUNNING FOR MY LIFE
“Where you from, MJ?” Derrick asked.
It was his truck we were all huddled in. He was a nice man, well into his seventy’s, but scrappy and as ornery as a mule. His hair had nearly all fallen out except for a few silvery strands and he wore a red lumber jacket that was tattered and stained. His skin was leathery, like an old jacket that’d been left in the rain and each freckle on his face seemed to tell a story of a life spent living.
“I was born in Texas, but grew up in North Carolina. I live in Virginia now,” I responded.
“Virginia, huh? What brings you to New York?”
“Work,” I said in a nonchalant tone. “I was on my way home.” I did what I could to avoid giving too much information. The less they knew the easier it would be to contain.
“What about you?” I asked.
“Lived here my whole life. Never thought I’d see a day like this though.”
“Me neither,” Jimmy added. He was sitting next to Derrick in the front. He was a skinny guy, tall and lanky with stringy brown hair that fell over his eyes.
“I feel bad for the people with family. Soon as I find somewhere safe gonna see what I can do to help.”
“I think all of us should,” Oscar said.
I frowned and leaned back. I wanted to tell them t
hat nothing they did would matter, that the best thing they could do was go home and kiss their loved ones. But instead, I bit my lip and kept my mouth shut.
We’d been driving for thirty minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. Derrick managed to steer us clear of the destruction back in Yonkers and now we were praying that New York was in better condition.
“What do you think we’ll find in the city?” Derrick asked.
I sighed and looked around at the crumbling buildings and broken roads as they passed outside the window. I hoped the destruction hadn’t spread much further, but hope wasn’t going to be enough.
“A damn working phone,” Cecil blared.
“Doubtful mate,” Oscar replied.
“Why’s that?”
“No power. Hasn’t been any power any place we’ve passed.”
“I’m willing to bet we can find a cell phone somewhere. All those people in New York, definitely gonna be some phones there.”
Oscar nodded and turned back to the window. “I certainly hope you’re right,” he mumbled.
We rounded a long, sweeping corner then Derrick suddenly mashed on the brake pedal. A string of cars was stopped ahead of us, their tail lights beaming red. Somewhere near the front of the snaking line were several emergency vehicles and men in uniform directing traffic.
I smiled. It was civilization, it was life, it was control. Maybe I’d still be able to get a handle on all of it. Hopefully Bill’s team had made it in and were already limiting the information.
“Looks like they’re starting to sort it out,” Oscar said with a grin.
“Thank God,” Cecil grumbled. “Maybe the world’s not ending.”
We inched forward for the next hour. I fell asleep a few times, but every time I awoke, it looked like we were in the same place, a twisting snake of cars vanishing into the horizon. At least the road was still in one piece and we hadn’t experienced any more tremors.
I figured it was close to midday. The sun was hidden behind the swampy, gray clouds, but as my stomach growled, I was sure it had to be lunch time.
I should’ve been home already. Toby was probably losing his mind, but I knew the DOD would’ve covered by now. I couldn’t imagine what they would’ve told him though, but at least he didn’t know the truth.
He was supposed to pick me up from the airport. I tried to imagine how long he waited in the car before flipping out. Even with whatever they told him Toby would’ve started freaking out after a few hours. By now he was probably speaking to the president of the airline.
Grayson, on the other hand, was probably happy about the delay. For starters, it meant that I wasn’t in his class that day embarrassing him. He wouldn’t miss my presence until he had to eat spaghetti again for the fifth time that week.
A tap at the glass pulled me from my thoughts and I looked up. Derrick lowered the window and an exhausted looking officer leaned in. His face was drenched in sweat and his red hair was matted to his head. He had a look in his eyes like he’d seen the devil and his hands shook when he placed them on the door seal.
“Accident up ahead. Follow the flashers and we’ll get you around,” he said in a monotone voice.
“You know anything about what’s going on?” Derrick asked as everyone else echoed the same question. “We just left Yonkers, that place is a ghost town.”
The officer wiped his face and took a deep breath. I could see the crackled, red lines that laced his eyes and the traces of stress and worry running across his face like a river. He looked like he knew things, and how much worried me.
“Get far away,” he whispered in a raspy voice.
“What?” Derrick asked.
“Get out of the city. Get out of the state. Grab as much shit as you can and don’t look back.”
“What are you talking about? You…you guys are supposed to fix this.”
“This?” the officer said with a tremble in his voice. “No one knows what the hell this is. Trust me, just go.”
He stood up and waved us forward then headed to the next car. I ground my teeth and swallowed.
“I thought the police were supposed to make sure people didn’t panic,” I said.
“I’m sure it’s okay,” Oscar added without an ounce of conviction in his voice.
“Yeah…yeah. He was probably just overreacting.”
As the truck got rolling we all settled back into our seats and waged our own war of thoughts. The cabin was silent, except the hum from the tires and the buffeting of wind outside. The sky swam in colors of gray and blue, the sun peeking out then vanishing behind thick, raspy clusters.
“Damn, I could use a phone right now,” Jimmy said, breaking the silence. “Was supposed to meet up for lunch with this chick I met the other night. Was really looking forward to that.”
“A phone would be nice to have,” Derrick replied.
“How is it that none of you guys have a cell phone anyway?” I asked.
“Lost mine running for my life,” Cecil replied.
“Same here,” Oscar and Jimmy said in unison.
“Don’t look at me,” Derrick said. “This isn’t even my truck.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Cecil said. “Gotta be some pay phones in the city.”
“Guess we’ll find out.” Derrick pointed up ahead as the outline of lumbering buildings came into view.
“Finally,” Jimmy groaned.
Derrick whipped the truck to the right and I slid into Cecil. My face mashed into his grimy t-shirt before I could catch myself.
“Sorry…sorry,” Derrick apologized. “Damn cars parked in the road.
We swerved again and nearly crashed into a building. Straining, he swung the truck back onto the road. It shuddered and let out a gurgling hiss. Derrick let his foot off the gas and we coasted for a minute then I felt a sharp vibration and the engine clunked out.
“No, no, no,” Derrick snapped.
He vigorously pumped the gas and twisted the key again and again. Nothing happened and the car continued to roll for a football field or two before coming to a stop on the curb.
“This is as far as we go,” Derrick grumbled as he glanced into the backseat.
Ahead of us, cars were jam packed across the road like misaligned puzzled pieces. It was a wall of metal and glass, creating a maze through the chaotic city. New York hadn’t been spared.
We were at the intersection of Alan Street and First Avenue, but it was more of an impassable bridge than an intersection. Hundreds…thousands of people were aimlessly walking, like a slow stream of despondency headed off the edge of a cliff. Lemmings, without the energy to even be frantic, just trudging along, looking for a sign of hope.
Their complacency was better than the alternative. Confusion seemed to cull them and now we just needed a story to tell that would keep them calm.
“This is crazy,” Jimmy mumbled.
“What happened here?” Oscar asked to himself.
Swallowing, I exited the truck and balanced on wobbly legs. I took a deep breath then doubled over as the smell of burned bodies hit me like a bulldozer. Collapsing to the ground, I vomited some cheap airline food and tried to cough away the foul taste on my tongue.
“What the fuck is that smell?” Cecil asked and stepped out behind me. He looked down with a bizarre look then offered me his hand. “You okay?”
“Bodies…dead bodies,” I replied. Wiping my face, I stood up and shook my head from side to side.
It was a smell you didn’t forget. It stained your clothes, your skin, even your hair. Weeks of showering wouldn’t rid you of the putrid odor. It was like death tried to latch on to whatever it could, like a ghost, reminding you of the fractured life that once was.
“Jesus,” Jimmy continued. “It’s everywhere.”
There was a cloudy, brown haze to the air, a thin film that you could almost cup in your hands like soup. It gave the city an alien look but hid the real horror from sight. Everywhere I looked people were pushing through it, their tired, achi
ng faces searching for help. The bit of humanity that I hadn’t killed cried inside of me, but there was nothing I could do.
“We gotta get out of here,” Oscar grumbled with sadness in his voice.
We left the truck and joined the flow of residents as they trudged toward nowhere. There was solidarity in their hopelessness. They were all orphans, misplaced vagabonds searching for answers. It was sad, but I knew everyone couldn’t be saved. It wasn’t realistic.
The stench that hung in the air slowly dissipated and while the sun made casual appearances the temperature dipped lower and lower. I shivered and folded my arms across my chest. My riddled t-shirt was little help against the elements. My bare foot had gone numb and I wondered whether that was a good or bad thing, but I could ponder that at another time. For now, like the rest of them, I wanted to find a phone.
“Over there!” Cecil said with excitement in his voice.
He was pointing across the street near a storefront about one hundred yards away. I followed his finger, squinting to see whatever it was he saw. From my vantage point, it was just the tops of people’s heads.
“A phone,” he continued. “I think I see a pay phone! Come on.”
With a surge of energy, he rushed across the street and we followed. Weaving through the herd, we made our way to a small clothing shop with a payphone outside. It was one of the few left in the city.
Jimmy dove at it, nearly ripping the cord from the base. He placed the receiver to his ear and jabbed at a string of numbers with hope gleaming in his eyes.
We all watched him. At that moment, anything was possible. At that moment, we had a working phone and our loved ones were only numbers away. But that moment didn’t last very long.
“Damn it!” Jimmy snapped and slammed the phone down. “Damn it!”
I should’ve known better. If there was a working phone, every person in this city would’ve been trying to use it. It was a stupid idea to think that it was just sitting here, waiting for us.
I looked around at the towers of concrete, reaching for the sky like stretched fingers. I expected a helicopter to rip through the clouds and come pick me up, but that would’ve been too much. Protecting the mission was more important than rescuing me. I was gonna have to get myself back home.
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 37
