That was weird, she’d just hoped she had a backpack to put this book into. Terry turned around and carefully picked it from the rubble. She put it in the backpack without looking at it and zipped the backpack closed.
“Where you headed?” She didn’t sense anything foul about his character.
“To find my mom.” She put the bag over her shoulders.
“Where does she live?”
Terry explained which suburb she lived in, across town.
“Well, if we head directly through downtown, it will be more dangerous.”
“Why?”
“Bigger buildings, more damage. More death. If we skirt around to the left a little bit, I think we can avoid some of that.”
That sounded reasonable. “Okay.”
She started down the pile to the left.
“Hey, don’t you want to know my name?” She really didn’t want to know his name, but he told her anyway. “Call me David.”
“Okay, David.”
“What’s your name?”
“Look, David, I’m sure you’re a nice guy. Thank you for the bag and advice. But I really don’t want to give my name away right now.” He wasn’t a paying customer, so why should she? “Don’t you have somewhere you need to go?”
“No, not right now. I was in town on business when the earthquake struck. My home is a long way from here. I figure if I hooked up with someone, we could pick our way out of this mess together and then I could be on my way.”
Together, right. “Okay, I could use a hand. Come on, David.” She waved the flashlight in the direction she was headed.
* * *
They picked their way down the mound and she found another hill of debris to climb. Terry sighed. Thankfully her friend-in-tow didn’t comment. “Keep aiming left for a while?”
“I think that’d be the wisest choice.”
Terry got out her phone, input her mom’s address and it showed her the route to take. Stored maps were eating away at her memory, which made her mad, but now she was glad they were there because she still didn’t have any cell service. The route indicated that she should go one block north and two blocks west, and then the route continued off the screen.
She showed her phone to David. “Hard to tell where roads are anymore.”
“You’ll make it to your mom’s, I have faith.”
Even though the map showed a more direct route, she decided to follow David’s advice. “Come on, we haven’t much time.”
“”Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.’”
“Wait, what does that mean?” Terry stopped and looked at David.
“Time is running short. We have to keep moving.”
He was a most unusual man. Full of confidence, but didn’t seem like he was presumptuous. “Okay.” Terry picked her way up another mound, her light going out before her. “One hill at a time.” She sighed.
Chapter 3
She lost track of time, so she took out her phone and checked. The battery was down another two percent. Off in the distance, she heard another voice crying out.
“Sounds like a person in need.” David spoke up. He’d been quiet for the last hour or two, so his voice startled her. She’d almost forgotten he was there.
“Yes, another person in need. We’re all in need. Only the strong survive.”
“Where would you be if I hadn’t helped you?”
She cursed to herself, he was right. “Okay, we’ll help free the person, but I want to keep going forward. So we will be quick.”
David didn’t say anything and fell in behind her.
Terry picked her way around and through the fallen buildings. Each step was slow and agonizing, not just because of her knee and now her ankle, but also because of the unsure footing. She wasn’t going to get anywhere at this rate.
It took them nearly five minutes to find the person. Time enough to make a mocha. She heard the person but didn’t see them. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Here, I’ll pull up on this block, you pry with your broom handle.” David bent over and started to heave at the concrete slab.
Terry began to cough. She brought her sleeve up to her arm.
“It’s the dust. We’ll find you something to cover your mouth here shortly. First, let’s help this guy out.”
Terry nodded, put the handle under the slab that David pried on, and leveraged it upwards. With both of their efforts, it slid off and then down the rubble pile. She played her flashlight around and still didn’t see the guy.
“Help me.” He called out. “I can see your light. I’m scared.”
She wanted to cry out, “We’re all scared,” but she didn’t.
David bent down and pulled up a piece of rebar. Then he pried at another slab. “You going to just stand there and watch?”
What kind of jerk is he? I have to be going. Finally she bent down and started tossing smaller pieces of detritus off to the side.
After a few minutes of work she saw a hand poking through. David reached down and grabbed it and then said something reassuring. Terry was overwhelmed by the mess of debris that surrounded the guy. He was very lucky to be alive.
David stood up. “We have to be careful, but fast.”
Yeah, I don’t want to fall in too.
David knelt down and began pulling more pieces away. Finally, they saw the man’s head. His face was caked with dust and he had a little bit of dried blood on his forehead. “Okay, I’m going to ask you a few questions before we remove you.”
Weakly the man affirmed that he heard.
“Where are you hurt? Do your legs feel pinched?”
The man explained his bodily ailments.
Oh, hurry up! Terry stood there impatiently.
“Terry, grab his hand. I’ll take his other. On three.” Terry grabbed his hand. “One, two, three. Heave!”
The man came free from the rubble after a minute of struggle. Terry almost fell off the pile of rubble. She sat down on a smooth chunk and nursed her knee. She breathed the silty air in heaves.
“Thank you, sir. Thank you so much!” The man wouldn’t quit thanking David and Terry. She just waved him away.
“Do you know where there might be a convenience story nearby?” David asked the man. He pointed.
“Okay, I’m going to see if I can find some bottled water. I’ll be right back.”
The man turned to Terry and thanked her some more. She was becoming annoyed with the man. “You’re welcome.”
“What’s your name?”
“I’d rather not say.” She forced a weak smile.
“Peter.” He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you. You have family?”
“Yes, my mom.”
“Where does she live?”
Terry told him.
“My wife and two daughters live in that direction. I want to go find them. Mind if I tag along?”
Yes, I do mind. She picked up another stray. What am I, a humane shelter? “Um, okay.”
* * *
David returned after a few minutes and placed his bag on the ground. He passed out bottled water from the bag, extra batteries, and gave Peter a flashlight. “Here you go Terry.”
She put the batteries and extra water in her bag then drank about half a bottle right away. Terry didn’t realize that her throat was so dry. David and Peter exchanged pertinent information, where they were headed and whatnot. Terry sat there and drifted away to think about her mom.
“Think you can walk, Peter?”
Peter stood up. “I’m good.”
“Terry?” David extended a hand down towards her. She snapped out of it, rejected his hand, and helped herself up. She drug out her phone, checked the GPS route and showed it to David.
“Maybe if we go over another block or two, then we can head directly towards her house. Peter, where does your family live?” David handed him the phone.
Terry got her hackles up. That’s my phone. However, she didn’
t say anything and just stared at them hard. Peter showed them where he lived and Terry pointed to where her mom lived. They were four blocks apart. What a small world. She’d never met the guy even though she spent every Sunday at her mom’s. Peter handed her back the phone. She used the compass to get their bearings, turned off her phone, and off she went.
* * *
They finished ascending the mound. Peter and David stayed back and chatted while Terry led the way. She started down the pile and noticed that it had a steep drop. So, she stopped.
“Terry, what’s going on?” David asked.
“Looks like this building tore out below ground.” She panned her light down and could see several stories of structure below ground.
David and Peter carefully flanked her and looked down. “Whoa.” Peter said. “Looks like we’ll have to go around.”
“And add more time to finding my mom.” Terry said it bitterly.
“Come now, Terry, we’ll find your mom.” Peter tried to sound chipper. He led off to the left around the big chasm. Terry fell in behind while David followed. It took them fifteen minutes to cross around to the other side, then Terry took the lead again. The buildings fell in such a haphazard way she couldn’t imagine what kind of mess she’d see next.
Terry looked over at Peter and noticed he had an old-school watch. “What time you got?”
“Five P.M.”
“Night will be falling soon.” David commented. “We need to find shelter and find you some more clothes. It’s going to be a long, cold night.”
“I’d rather keep going.” Terry tried to sound very pointed in that fact. Whether or not she did, David didn’t seem to respond.
“Peter, could you go look over there for some shelter?” David pointed in the direction that Terry had planned to travel anyway. “I’m going to go find us some clothes. There has to be a clothing store around here somewhere.”
“Okay,” Peter motioned Terry forward and fell in behind. David walked off in a different direction.
“Who died and made him boss?” Terry chipped in bitterly.
“No one. He just gave some sound advice. We can barely see now and we can’t make headway. I really want to go see my family too, but what good can I be to them if I’m dead? Besides, some of this…stuff might clear by morning.”
Terry continued to move forward without acknowledging him. She didn’t want to admit it, but finding shelter for the night might be a good idea.
* * *
Twenty minutes later, they found a spot where a building had toppled over, but the lower story and part of two walls remained. Peter looked around, searching.
“What are you looking for?”
“A pipe or something. I’m gonna whack the outside wall once to see how sound it is. No point sleeping here if it collapses on us in the middle of the night and sends us to our eternal rest.”
Terry laughed, eternal rest. “Nothing becomes of us after we die anyway. So, enjoy it while you can. YOLO!”
Peter appeared to not hear her or he ignored her. She didn’t care. He picked a pipe up and went around the building whacking at the walls. The pipe made eerie sounds that ricocheted off of all the surrounding debris and destruction.
He came around and pointed inside and bowed. “After you ma’am.”
“Please, I can take care of myself.” Terry went in first because she saw there’d be no arguing with the man. Inside, she found a corner to relax in. There weren’t any nearby busted-out windows to let any breeze in, and the spot looked solid enough. Her head still pounded from earlier, but it had subsided some. She sat down, opened her bag, and drank more water.
Peter sat down beside her, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again.
Good boy.
* * *
David came in a few moments later wearing some new clothes that were for winter. He removed his bag and handed her some sweat pants that were too large and an oversized winter coat. He passed Peter some extra clothing as well. After everyone dressed he passed out protein bars and chocolate.
“Don’t eat the chocolate right now. Wait until just before going to sleep. It’ll help keep you warm overnight.” David suggested.
Terry had never heard of doing such a thing. Then again, she felt totally out of her element, but she wanted to seem like she was in control. She always was in control. Had to be. She placed her backpack under her head and curled up in the fetal position. She ate her chocolate and ignored the men.
Sleep overtook her graciously.
Chapter 4
The next morning, she actually saw sunlight. Well, sunlight filtered through the dark loess that drifted through the sky. It was more of an eerie, reddish light which was only one-third as bright as it should have been. She looked around and saw David sitting there, his back turned to them. He was so helpful and kind, no matter how bitter she was with him. Usually, men took the hint when she snapped at them with sarcasm, but he responded with more kindness.
She stood up and walked over to him. “You okay?” She found that she might actually care for the man.
David responded, “Yes, I’m quite well. How’d you sleep?”
“Not too bad, considering.” She sat down next to him. “How big do you think the earthquake was?”
“I’m not certain, but yesterday I found an old radio and was about ready to start it up.” He pulled a small radio from his bag, it was about the size of her cellphone but three times as thick.
“Wow, that’s old school. Mom used to have one like that. She quit using it because most of the radio stations quit broadcasting.”
He turned the knob which clicked and then kept turning the knob until they heard static. David extended the antenna all the way out and then started to turn the tuning knob. All they heard was static. He slowly turned the knob and they heard something broadcasting. He adjusted the knob and tweaked in the radio station.
“Attention, Attention. By order of the President Apophis, a worldwide curfew is in effect. No one is to be out and about between the hours of 10 P.M. and 7 A.M. This is the Emergency Alert System reporting. Anyone found looting will be shot on sight.”
David looked at her and raised his eyebrows.
“But how can we survive?” Terry picked up a small jagged concrete chunk and tossed it. The report continued:
“At approximately 1400 GMT a level 9.6 earthquake struck the whole world. All fault lines were affected, many volcanoes erupted.”
“Wait a minute, the whole earth quaked?” Terry couldn’t believe what she had heard. Her eyes went wide and she felt like she was on the verge of tears. She hoped to find Mom, get her car, and get out of the city – for good.
“Yes, the whole earth quaked.”
“Oh my, how will that affect everyone?”
“Food shortages and water shortages. All commerce will halt.”
Terry sat there amazed.
David continued. “Last night the moon was blood-red because of all the dust cast up into the atmosphere.”
“Blood-red? Oh my.”
Peter began to stir. Terry watched him sit up, he looked terrible – covered in silt. Terry assumed she must have looked the same and loosed her ponytail and shook out her long hair. A dust cloud emerged from her. She coughed and then put her hair back up in a ponytail.
“Is that a radio I hear?” Peter asked and they briefed him.
* * *
“I wonder why there aren’t many fires.” Terry spoke out loud as they continued their journey.
Peter responded. “Perhaps, because the earthquake was world-wide, the natural gas pipelines burst near the well. I'd bet that they are afire.”
Terry listened as tears formed, but she fought them back. She couldn’t allow herself to break, she had to be strong.
She had resigned to following Peter. He seemed to have a better nose for direction. Terry had to take her phone out every half-hour to check the compass. She also noted that her phone was down to fifty percent cha
rge so she just shut it off.
David continued to follow from behind. “That’d be a good guess. The only fires we would see around here would be at gas stations or rubble that caught fire early on. I would hazard to say that all of the gas stations exploded.”
“So, Peter, where are you going to take your family when you find them?” Terry sounded genuinely curious.
“That all depends on many factors, but I was thinking my grandparent’s place. I go hunting out at their woods during deer season. I’m hoping we can live off the land for a while – at least until the world recovers from this earthquake.” His voice took on a reminiscent tone. “They have this old orange shag carpet I used to sleep on as a kid. When you came inside, you had to take your shoes off or Grandma would give you this long stare.” He stopped for a moment and tried to duplicate that stare on Terry.
She laughed. “My mom gives those kind of stares too. Especially when I slid down the bannister.” Her gaze reflected inward. “But, that was before the quake and before my dad left.”
Peter rounded a jutted corner and grunted. The sound didn’t register with Terry and she followed him.
“You there, hands up!” A man leveled a pistol at Peter. The guy looked just as ragged as any one of them. He looked desperate too. He wore no mask, no hat on his head, and just this wild look in his eyes. He wore a pro-football team jacket and jeans.
Fear struck Terry, one that only seconded the fear she felt the day before. She stuck her hands up. Peter spoke calmly. “Hello, friend. What can I do to help you? There’s no need for this, our whole world is turned upside down. Is there some way we can help you? Lose a loved one?”
“They’re all dead! All of them. I don’t care. Drop that pipe!”
Peter had carried that small piece of pipe with him since last evening, he dropped it and put his hands up. “Mister, please, we just want to see our families.”
“Shut up! You,” he pointed at Terry. “Give me that bag!”
She began to tremble, too many words floated through her mind at the same time. Her jaw locked shut and she passed him the bag. He jerked it from her hands and she covered her mouth with them. Tears began to form, but she couldn’t allow that, so she clamped down emotionally.
“Okay mister, that’s all we got. Really, do we want to steal from each other? We need to help one another.”