by McNeil, Nick
Mrs. Jones continued to sob.
“She’s okay for right now,” Amelia assured her brother. “Go check on Mr. Patel.”
Levi kissed his mother on the forehead and sprinted toward Amar. He took two steps past Oliver’s corpse and halted. He turned and picked up the Glock 15 Oliver’s father had dropped, and continued his trek to Dinesh’s family.
“This is my father. What do we do?” Dinesh wept, his father lying in his lap. “What do we do, Levi? This is my father.”
Mrs. Patel pushed a few words out over her sobbing. “We need to go to a hospital!”
“We can’t,” Levi stated bluntly. “Hospitals have backup generators that last twenty-four to ninety-six hours tops. Western Washington I can guarantee is almost out of power. We would have to go to Seattle. Even if they release him tomorrow, Seattle is going to be a literal death trap by then. The rumors of this broadcast are sending folk mad.”
“What choice do we have?” Mrs. Patel lashed out. “He will die if we don’t get him medical attention. What’s the difference?”
“The difference is Mr. Patel dying versus your whole family being put in danger and Mr. Patel still potentially dying.” Levi didn’t want to be combative with a woman he respected, or to put someone down whose husband had just been shot. “If Mr. C can’t help, then Dinesh and I will take Mr. Patel to Seattle ourselves. You, my mother, Jay, and Amelia can hopefully stay with Mr. C for a couple of days, and then once Dinesh and I return, we can figure out where to go from there.”
“Levi is right. If we are going to do this, we need to be quick. We can’t take anyone who will slow us down.” Dinesh wiped his eyes and looked over at his younger brother, Jay, and his mother. “I can do this. We can do this.”
Mrs. Patel nodded in agreement and squeezed Jay closer to her.
Levi walked over to the bunker door and knocked. “Mr. C, it’s me, Levi Jones.” Levi wasn’t surprised when he heard no response. “Mr. Cheltenham, there is no way you aren’t listening right now. Nothing discreet just happened.” Levi thrashed on the bunker door with his boot. “Open the door. I know you’re down there. We need your help.”
The peephole slid open a quarter of the way. “How am I to assume things are safe above ground? A wise man doesn’t open his door to gunshots.”
“I promise there won’t be any more gunshots.” Levi peered to the side. “Um. The threat has been neutralized,” he said without confidence.
“Okay, Special Operative Jones.” Cheltenham opened the view door the rest of the way. “Who all are you trying to let in?”
“My mother, sister, Dinesh, his brother, mother, and wounded father,” Levi replied.
“Good lord almighty, Levi. Who didn’t you invite?” Mr. C snapped.
“I didn’t invite Dinesh. He came here on his own. I just wanted to see if you had some advice and any supplies to spare.” Levi started to fidget with his jacket zipper. Time was not a luxury Amar could enjoy. “Plans have changed though. We need to get Mr. Patel medical attention immediately.”
“Please tell me you aren’t going to Seattle.” A rare sense of worry peeked through Mr. C’s voice.
Levi sighed. “We are.”
The handwheel turned, and Mr. C opened the door to his bunker. “Get in.”
Levi turned around and signaled for everyone to come over.
“You’re a complete idiot, Levi. You know that, right?” Cheltenham groaned.
West Pines, Washington
7:20 a.m.
“Levi Jones, that is an awful plan,” Mrs. Jones said, wide eyed and with her jaw dropped.
Mr. Patel lay on one of the pullout bunks that were mounted on the wall, Mrs. Patel and Jay by his side. Amelia wandered around the room while Levi, Dinesh, Mrs. Jones, and Mr. C stood in a circle at the center of the six-container-wide bunker.
“As rarely as it occurs, I actually agree with Levi on this one.” Cheltenham sympathized. “But, if this ‘mission’ has to be done, this is the best way to do it.”
Amelia popped a bubble with her gum and proceeded to smack it loudly. “Count me in.”
“I am not letting my children risk their lives for someone else!” Mrs. Jones hesitantly looked at Dinesh. “Sorry, Dinesh.”
“I’m more competent than either of these two morons.” Amelia rolled up her sleeves and walked to the wall of guns that Cheltenham had collected. “I’ve always wanted to choose my own weapon before going on a suicide mission. They always do this in the movies.”
“Amelia, this isn’t a joke.” Mrs. Jones’ lips quivered and her hands shook.
Amelia grabbed an AR-15 rifle off the wall and looked down the sight.
“Don’t touch that!” Mr. Cheltenham barked. “I never said you could even borrow it.”
Amelia checked the magazine; it was full. She checked the safety, which was off. Amelia raised her eyebrows. “But you’re going to let us, right?” She aimed the gun directly at Mr. C. “Actually now that I am thinking about it, why don’t we just take you out and keep this place for ourselves?” The room fell silent.
Mr. C hesitated, but opened his mouth to speak—Amelia cut him off. “Ha! You should see your face right now,” she mocked, lowering the gun so it pointed toward the floor.
“I feel like I don’t even know my own children.” Mrs. Jones pressed her face into her hands.
“Do you even know how to use that thing?” Mr. Cheltenham countered.
“Our father first took us out shooting on our fifth birthday,” Levi explained. Amar crying in agony in the background was tough for Levi to drown out, but he put on a good act. “She actually had the best shot at the WJSC summer camp.”
“Washington Junior Shooters Club. Impressive,” Cheltenham mumbled to himself. “Look.” Mr. C spoke up. “Mrs. Patel, you and your son can stay here for forty-eight hours, maybe seventy-two if I am in a good mood.” He glanced at Levi’s mother. “You can stay as well, Mrs. Jones.” Cheltenham raised his chin and voice. “But after that, you are all out of here.” He pointed at the door. “Feeding three people for three days is nine days’ worth of supplies for me.”
“Thank you, thank you so much.” Mrs. Patel put her hands together.
“Amelia.” The moment Cheltenham made eye contact with Levi’s sister, he lost his confidence. “You can hold onto that. But I want it back when you return!”
“Whatever,” Amelia groaned. She rifled through a drawer mounted underneath, but on the same wall as the firearms, and pulled out a box. “I’m taking this ammunition as well.” She pulled out a box of 9mm cartridges. “These too.” She placed both boxes of ammunition into her backpack. Amelia went to zip it up but chose to search the drawer for any last items.
“Oh, just take whatever you want, why don’t you,” Mr. Cheltenham condemned.
Amelia shrugged. “Okay.” She took a box of 10mm cartridges and snagged a Smith and Wesson 610 revolver off the wall. “You don’t happen to have a speed loader in here, do you?”
Levi tried not to laugh but did a poor job of hiding his smile.
“What supplies do you guys have?” Mr. Cheltenham inquired.
“I actually made a list of everything my family brought along.” Levi reached into his back pocket and unfolded a piece of paper and read aloud, “Emergency water filter straw things, collapsible water bottle, two compact sleeping bags, gloves, hand warmers, matches as well as fire starter, flashlight and extra batteries for it, as well as our CB radio, compass, map of Washington.”
“You actually have a state map?” Mr. C interrupted.
“I had a weird phase where I wanted to be a trucker.” Levi blushed. He continued to list off his supplies, “Some bandages, gauze, antiseptic wipes, paracord, duct tape, cooking pot, a one-burner portable stove, insect repellent, toilet paper, and soap.”
“Okay, I have—” Dinesh rifled through his bag “—ibuprofen, gauze, sunscreen, medical gloves, forceps, safety pins, medical tape, sling, burn gel, antibiotic ointment, and duct tape.”
>
“Well, good god, why don’t we just do the operation here?” Mr. C joked.
“My mom likes to baby us a little.” Dinesh smiled.
“Not bad, gentlemen, not bad at all.” Cheltenham gave a big stretch. “If you needed to spend any time in the wilderness, you would be screwed on shelter. Aside from that, you could probably live a few days.”
“A few days.” Amelia burst out laughing. “I like my original plan of just taking this bunker.”
Mr. Cheltenham shook his head and tried not to look at Amelia. “When you return, I can lend you some basic supplies. I can lend you a tarp and a few spikes to help you pitch a tent. You’ll die overnight without a shelter in a storm.” Mr. C pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head once more. “Why do I get the feeling this is going to bite me in the ass?” He looked at the three young adults. “Well,” he shouted, “say your goodbyes and get the hell out of here.”
Seattle, Washington
8:00 a.m.
The automatic doors of Seattle Medical Center were either held open by bungie cords or broken off entirely. Beaten-up, blood-encrusted seats were filled by people with broken bones and gashes. Abraham sat on an end seat. He held a ticket with his name and a number in his hand. The man next to him had a metal shard sticking out of his leg. Abe did his best to drown out the man’s moaning, and he rocked back and forth in his chair. Abraham’s skin was a shade whiter than a ghost, and the deep cut on his forehead was still bleeding. It did not appear that anyone was there for a simple illness or a few scrapes. The coffee pots in the waiting room were empty, and the trash cans overflowing. Abraham listened for his name to be called, but with the combination of crying, arguing, and distressed, uneven breathing, he was not sure he would hear his name even if it were called.
West Pines, Washington
8:45 a.m.
Amelia slammed the driver door closed and adjusted the rearview mirror. Through the mirror she made eye contact with Dinesh, who was sitting in the middle of the back seat. “Aren’t you going to sit in the far back with your old man?”
“Oh, no, he’s fine. He’s taking a little nap right now.” Dinesh trembled.
Amelia chuckled. “Ya sure he’s napping?”
Dinesh looked back over his shoulder at his father, then forward again at Levi and Amelia. “To be honest, the blood was making me light-headed.”
“I have no clue how you’re going to make it through this.” Amelia started the car and backed out of the driveway.
“How are you two so oddly comfortable throughout all of this?” Dinesh waved the collar of his shirt to cool himself off. “Is it a weird twin thing? It’s definitely a weird twin thing.”
Levi and Amelia looked at each other. Amelia raised her eyebrows to Levi and gave a small shrug. Levi turned and looked at Dinesh. “In all honesty… we have been writing various types of post-apocalyptic fan fiction since we were in second grade.” Levi faced the road and leaned back in his seat. “A sick part of us has almost always fantasized about this day. We never actually wished it. We know the overall devastation just isn’t okay. The lives lost, people’s hard work destroyed. We aren’t anarchists; we understand structure.”
Amelia jumped in, “But at the same time, we have always wondered if we could do it.” She took her eyes off the road and smiled at Dinesh. “If the world hit reset, could we make it to the end?” Levi’s sister concentrated again on driving. “Whatever the end is.”
“You should have seen the stuff Amelia came up with in our stories.” Levi snickered. “I’m honestly just happy she’s on our side.”
“I can’t tell if you’re kidding or not.” Dinesh sank into his seat. Levi and Amelia didn’t respond. Sweat beads formed at Dinesh’s hairline, and a lump formed in his throat. “I have so many mixed feelings right now.”
Seattle, Washington
9:00 a.m.
Abraham Jones. A woman’s voice rang from across the hospital waiting room. The air felt humid; Abe almost missed the smell of filtered AC that normally bothered him when he visited the doctor’s. Last call for number 71, Abraham Jones. Abe heard his name, he’d been waiting hours, but for some reason he still felt it hard to get to his feet.
Abraham put his arm up for the nurse calling his name to see. “Here. Coming.” He stumbled across the waiting room, bumping into most of those who were not seated.
“What can I help you with, Mr. Jones?” the nurse asked. She gave off the presence of someone who was normally well kept, yet her hair was out of place, and purple bags rested under her eyes. “I sure hope you didn’t wait all this time for that papercut on your forehead. We are about to lose power in about six to eight hours. Unless you’re about to die, we can’t help you.”
“I was hoping I could get stitched up really fast and get out of here,” Abe replied. “I’m trying to get back to my family.”
The nurse looked Abe up and down, from head to toe. She looked over the chaotic waiting room and reached over to a service tray with various supplies on it. “Here, take this, it’s some skin glue and a disposable skin stapler. There is only one staple left, and there isn’t much glue in the bottle, but it should be enough to close the wound up.” She put her hands in her pockets and gave a small side smile. “It’s the most we can offer right now.”
“Thank you.” Abe reached for the supplies from the nurse. He couldn’t tell anymore if it was the injury or dehydration disrupting his coordination. “Any chance you could spare some antiseptic wipes and ibuprofen?”
“Here is a wipe, but I can’t spare any ibuprofen right now,” the nurse replied. “If you sit in that chair next to me, I can watch a little bit and make sure you don’t screw up too bad.”
“Appreciated.” Abraham laughed in his head but didn’t have the energy to show it. “But I should be fine.”
Edge of West Pines-Seattle, Washington
9:05 a.m.
“So how come you guys never really talk about your father?” Dinesh asked. “Sorry, my dad is just on my mind quite a bit right now.”
Amelia acted as though Dinesh never opened his mouth at all.
“He’s an asshole,” Levi stated bluntly. “He came and went a lot in our lives. Leaving for years at a time, never really explaining why or for how long.”
“Oh.” Dinesh was quiet.
“He taught me and Amelia a lot. He always wanted us to be strong and independent. Despite him being gone for major chunks at a time, Amelia and I always fell into this trap where we couldn’t stay mad at him. He taught us how to hunt, fish, shoot, play sports. I mean, he did a lot of the dad stuff; he just wasn’t there.” Levi looked out his window at the trees they passed by. Every now and then a few lined up just perfectly to where it almost looked like a row and he could see deep into the forest. “When we got older, we noticed the toll it took on our mother, and that is when we really distanced ourselves from him. That’s when he stopped coming around as much. We haven’t seen him now in eighteen months. Apparently he was supposed to visit this morning.”
“If I’m being honest.” Amelia spoke for the first time. “Finding out we were supposed to see him today may have been why I was almost okay with all this happening.”
“I’m weaker than her,” Levi quickly followed up. “I somehow miss the guy.”
“Are. You. Kidding me?” Amelia slammed her fist on the steering wheel. The first car they saw on the road heading toward Seattle was accompanied by a long row of automobiles stretched for miles. Half of the lanes used to go inbound were being used to go outbound. “The hospital is on this side of the city too; we just need to get in.”
“West Pines is going to have half the city of Seattle in it by tomorrow.” Levi clasped his hands over his head.
Dinesh checked on his father. “Is there another route we can take?” He unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed into the back. “Dad, we are at Seattle now. You just need to hold on a little longer.”
“Um, not really,” Amelia stressed. A truck on the shoul
der flew by the group. “Oh hell yeah.” Amelia immediately put the Jeep into four-wheel drive and drove onto the dirt and grass on the side of the road. A few cars followed; however, most stayed in line, honking their horns or waiting patiently. “This is an amazing idea.”
Levi held on tightly to the grab handle as Dinesh did his best to hold his father in place in the back of the SUV.
“Oh, come on, Levi. Don’t hold onto the bitch handle,” Amelia wailed.
“I’m a bitch, I don’t care.” Levi laughed.
Amelia halted the car at the intersection that led into the city. “I have a feeling no one is going to let us in.” She undid her seatbelt, cracked the door open, and stuck her body outside. “We aren’t getting in.” Amelia sat back in the car. “It’s gridlocked. And honestly, anyone who is part of this line isn’t going to be able to get into the city, or possibly out of this line. It’s only going to get longer too.”
“What if we parked the car somewhere and walked into the city?” Dinesh proclaimed.
Levi tapped his chin with his finger. “Given our options, that may sadly be one of the only choices we have.”
“No way,” Amelia declared. “I am not ditching this baby.” She hugged the dash of her car. “I can’t risk someone stealing or taking her.”
“What if we park it somewhere in the forest and use the tarp we have to cover it?” Dinesh sat up, starting to get a little excited. “It’s army green. No one glancing by will even notice it; they’d need to be looking.”
“Okay, settle down there, cowboy,” Amelia protested. “It’s not that good a plan.”
“But it’s the only one we really have,” Levi disputed.
