Chapter 1

“David, did you remember to pack the bologna and bread?” David was notorious for forgetting the necessities, yet Sarah knew he had surely remembered the fishing pole and an overstuffed tackle box that he had added to over the years. She was busy rolling up her sleeping bag, and wondering where she had put her favorite pair of thermal underwear, the ones that David hated since it was so hard to get them off.

“Yeah babe, AND the cheese!” Dave finished up in the bathroom, and slinked off to the kitchen to grab the food from the fridge, and slip them into the cooler before Sarah noticed. He hated it when she was right, which really was more often than not, so he did his best to ensure Sarah didn't get to gloat too often over her ability to know him better than he sometimes knew himself.

 

After he was done in the kitchen, David walked to the bedroom where Sarah was finishing the packing. He approached her from behind, and gave a warm embrace. “This'll be great hun. A whole week with just us and Tari. She doesn't seem to get as excited about these trips as she used to.”

“Well Dave, your little girl is starting to grow up. Her friends might not approve of her thinking fishing is as cool as she thought it was when she was 8.”

Dave made a fake sour face. “She'll always be my darling, maybe we can get her to enjoy this at least one last time. Maybe we should have tried for that boy after all.”

Sarah giggled, “Oh stop! Get your shit together, I still have to wake Tari up and get her moving. I swear that kid sleeps more than a dead man.”

“Yeah yeah, ok. I'll be in the garage, packing up the rest of the gear.” David gave her a quick peck on the cheek and sauntered away to the garage.

 

Sarah had finished rolling the sleeping bag, and tossed it on the bed with the rest of her clothes. She'd have to look for the thermals in a bit. She stepped out to Tari's room, and the door was still shut. With a few light raps on the door, Sarah tried to awaken her comatose daughter. “Tari? Honey it's time to get up! We gotta be on the road in an hour.”

She didn't hear an immediate reply, just some muffled sounds.

“Mmmmphmmm” “I'll be out in a minute mom.” Tari rolled over and looked at the clock. It's green glow read 9:47. I guess that's going to have to do it for my sleeping in today. She clambered out of bed, and threw on a pair of old jeans, she wasn't even sure if they were clean or not, mom was slacking on the laundry. She grabbed one of her favorite tops, a tangerine tank with a bear on it. She wasn't exactly sure why she liked it so much, it was horribly out of style, but that didn't seem to matter. Tari walked to her door and stepped out into the hallway. With a slight whine, Tari spoke to her mother “Mom, do we have to go? Kristen was going to have a slumber party tomorrow.”

“You know your dad lives for this trip sweetie. Let's just try and pretend you are going to have a good time, okay?”

“Whatever.” With a touch of teenage angst at the world, Tari headed for the fridge to see what she could grab to drink. She settled on some old apple cider that needed to be finished off.

David came into the kitchen with his family, already decked out in his fishing jacket. “You guys ready yet or what?” He was beaming, with the cliché fishing hat adorned with all types of fly fishing he hooks he would never use. Tari shot back a weak smile, she hated to disappoint her dad, she knew he just wanted her to be happy and spend some time together. “Are we going to the same spot as last year? That lake was pretty, had some nice cabins too.” Tari wasn't actually thinking of the cabins, she was thinking of the cute boy she had met last trip, the one that tried to kiss her.

“No, I picked a brand new spot this time, further up north.” Tari tried her best to not look disappointed she wouldn't rendezvous with what's-his-name. Sarah walked off, and gathered the rest of the camping supplies, and packed them into the jeep.

The three of them were out in the front porch, locking up and getting ready to pile in. From the distance, there was a strange noise. Not so much a noise, but a wave of pressure. It happened in an instant. There was nothing but intense heat that seemed to spawn from the bowels of the Earth itself. Sarah was mute with terror as she watched the skin blister and peel off her husband and daughter, powerless to do anything but stare with her mouth agape. Flames engulf their bodies, and David stares into Sarah's eyes with a look that begs to know why she could let this happen to them. She breaks free of her trance, and lunges forward to grab her family. As soon as she makes contact, they turn to ash, and float to the ground. She drops to her knees, and lets out an unholy wail.

 

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Darkness. Sarah sat up, coated in a film of salty sweat coming from every pore in her body. The familiar smell of stale air, evaporated gasoline and oil filled her nostrils. It was pitch black, still early in the morning. She fumbled around her makeshift bed of crumpled newspapers and blankets, and her fingers clasped her only real friend during the night, a trusty Maglite. She normally only used it during times of real need, but she convinced herself this was one of those times. With a small twist, a beam of light shone across the room, giving her a quick reprieve from the terror she had just endured.

 

The dream was recurring, not unfolding the same way every time, but usually ending with her being riddled with guilt. She knew it wasn't her fault that David was gone, but she blamed herself for not being able to protect Tari. She winced. Even the mere thought of the incident makes her body lock up, bearing a semblance to rigor mortis.

 

Still shaky, she got up from her bed and wiped the sweat from her brow. She had to urinate, and she sure didn't want to do it in her sleeping area. She had to be careful outside, it was a dangerous place. Even though the blast didn't happen like she dreamed it, it did occur, and it changed the world as she knew it in ways she could never fathom. Twisting the light back off, she crept outside her room and onto the concrete platform that used to hold all manner of vehicles as they gassed up for the journeys to any given destination. She could make out the outline of the largely broken BP sign in the near distance against the night sky. It was chilly tonight, she had to be quick. Padding around the perimeter of the abandoned building, she squatted and relieved herself. Jesus, what I wouldn't give for some real toilet paper right now, she mused as she wiped with part of her newspaper bedding.

 

She walked quietly back to the inside of the building where she had called home for the last few days. The incessant hunger pangs felt worse, but she resisted the urge to eat some of the scraps she had found in the vending machine. Sarah needed to conserve her strength. She was convinced Tari was still alive out there somewhere, and she needed to have all her wits and strength if she was to save her daughter. God help her soul. Sarah laid down and tried to catch a few more hours of dreamless sleep, her stomach growling at her like an angry lion.

 

Chapter 2

Fingers of sunlight clawed their way through the shards of glass in the east window. They stroked her face lightly, and gradually Sarah began to stir. Her surroundings looked no more comforting than they had last night under the glow of a fading Maglite. Slowly turning to the right, she sat up and tried to shake off the cobwebs of a restless sleep. Maybe I should invest in a better mattress, she joked to herself, slightly wincing as she finished her maneuver. She listened quietly for a few moments before getting to her feet and taking a few steps to the window. Peering outside carefully, she noticed nothing out of the ordinary. A neighborhood once alive with upper middle class Americans and all the happy motoring that came with them, could now be described as nothing more than a wasteland. The string of shops down from the gas station that once served up all manner of food and amenities, are now but ghostly shells, long since looted. Random debris litters the landscape all around her. Down on the corner of the intersection, an oak tree has fallen, blocking the road. Not that it matters. Who the fuck drives anymore besides the bastard Yellowcoats and richies from downtown?

 

She leaned over and grabbed her sparse belongings, all packed into a Hello Kitty backpack that was Tari's from school. It wasn't exactly the height of fashion, but these days beggars can't be choosers. She carefully rolled up the small blanket that served as a pillow on warm nights, a blanket when it was cold, and placed it inside the pack. A stomach rumble reminded her that she hadn't eaten in what seemed like ages. Opening up the small front flap of the pack she found her breakfast. An old Butterfinger and a bag of pretzels. Yummy. Eggs and bacon are overrated anyways, right? That's sooo 2010. She decided to save the Butterfinger for dessert, and cracked open the bag of pretzels. Unfolding a worn map, she rechecked her course. A red circle was drawn around the lower southwest end of Houston, with Gulfton in the center. I'm coming to get you sweetie. Her finger traced a line down route 1462 to a long winding river that snaked up to the outskirts of the city. Sarah figured this would be a better route than taking main roads, as well as ensuring a supply of fresh water, considering how many water pumps were working. She folded the map carefully back into a pouch in the backpack, popped a pretzel in her mouth, and headed for the door.

 

Stepping outside, she heard a soft rumble, the sound unmistakable as that of a distant vehicle approaching. Sarah knew better than to be seen by anyone still driving. Deciding to wait for the car to pass, she hoisted herself upon a crate that had fallen next to a window facing the road. It was here she noticed something that didn't catch her eye on the first scan. A small group of children were approaching the roadside, kicking around what looked like an old soccer ball. As they got closer, she could see there was 3 of them, the elder of the group was maybe 13, he had matted brown hair around his shoulders. The other two were likely the same age, maybe even brother and sister, they had similar features. The younger girl had on a pretty cornflower dress, the boy a standard pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. Sarah guessed them around nine. They were having a game of passing the ball back and forth, giggling as one of the young ones fell on his rear after missing a kick. The car was getting closer.

 

Sarah craned her neck to see out the window to the crest of the hill in the direction of the noise. A shiny black Humvee approached, it's powerful gas guzzling engine let no one mistake it's presence. What the hell is this? Sarah reflexively tensed up, people that were still driving shiny black beasts like that weren't anyone she wanted to draw attention from. The children looked up from the game, and gazed at the truck as it continued down the road. The ball had fallen idle, their faces were no longer smiling. Several years of hunger and strife has made these young children truly understand the line between the haves, and the have-nots. The elder one bent over, and picked up a small stone. Don't do it kid... Without hesitation, he hurled it in a graceful arc to the vehicle. -clink- It connected with the hood of the SUV and bounced harmlessly off. Sarah strained to see inside the Hummer, but all the windows were darkly tinted, and likely bulletproof as well. The vehicle didn't skip a beat, and plodded along the road until the fallen tree came into view. As they slowed down, the two younger kids followed the lead of the elder, and also started picking up rocks and hurling them at the car, now yelling some intelligible insults at the people inside. By now it had come to a halt in front of a tree blocking the road, with large buildings and obstructions on either side. Sarah thought back to the old clips of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict she would catch on TV. It was almost surreal how the images she saw mirrored this reality in a way she never thought possible here in her homeland. Her reverie was short lived however, she was snapped back to the present with a click from the passenger side door.

 

Out stepped a tall chiseled man, wearing slacks and a nice white dress shirt, with a holster and a large firearm on his hip. He glared at the children as he crossed the front of the vehicle, and spoke into his wristband. The children had thought better of throwing rocks, but were still standing ground, and throwing some insults towards these newcomers. He quickly surveyed the fallen trunk and walked to the other side to assess a way to get around. Seeing that they would need to backtrack, the man walked back to his side, keeping a keen eye on the children.

 

The next events were burned into Sarah's mind like so many others she had experienced over these past few years. The young girl of the group, wearing a grimace, hurled one more rock right at the man as he entered the vehicle. It smacked the back of his head square on. Whipping around in anger at the audacity of these punk kids, he released his glock from it's holster, and brandished it in the direction of the children. The older boy started to yell something that sounded like “run!”, but at the same moment the younger boy reached behind his back, and pulled out a firearm of his own! He looked like he could barely heft the weight, much less than aim it properly. Sarah's mouth sat agape in disbelief at what was unfolding, like a dream where you cannot scream.

 

The older boy reached to grab the gun before this kid could do anything stupid, but not before he had squeezed off 1 shot, ricocheting off the tempered glass of the Humvee. After that, chaos ensued. The passenger opened fire at his assailant, the first few shots hit directly on target, opening up the 9 year olds chest, spraying blood onto the girl, and knocking him down to the ground immediately. The driver leaped out and took a point position behind the vehicle, prepared for a frontal assault. The little girl screamed as she lunged on top of her brother, the blood pooling beneath them, and quickly becoming sopped up in her pale blue dress.

“COME ON!” The elder boy wailed, as he violently grabbed the girls arm, trying to drag her away as the man approached.

 

He wore a look of sheer calm, like he had just shot a chipmunk eating his tulip bulbs. The two children were frozen in fear as he walked to them, gun still drawn. He bent over and picked up the bloody gun, and put in into his pocket. Sarah couldn't hear what was being said, but he looked like he was interrogating these terrified children. After the man seemed satisfied with the conversation, he took several furtive glances around the area and walked back to the Hummer, with the driver still providing cover. He spoke again into his wrist, and rapped twice on the glass of the rear passenger compartment, and hopped back in. The driver followed suit, and they backed up and drove back the way they came.

 

As soon as the vehicle had gone over the hill, Sarah tore out after the group of kids. They both looked up and started to try and run, too scared to realize she wasn't wearing the same dapper clothes these last men were decked out in, and likely not with that group. She had her hands up as she crossed the street, and came face to face with the boy on the ground. Both the other kids were a mess of sobs. Sarah was a bit out of breath after the sprint.

“I'm not going to hurt you, I saw what happened.” Looking down, she could see the boy was clearly gone.

“What's his name?” she asked the surviving boy.

“I didn't even know he grabbed that gun from the house...” was all the boy managed to muster in response between heavy sobs.

“What's his name?” Sarah reiterated.

“Derrick.”

“What's yours?”

“Michael.”

“Listen Michael, do you know where Derrick's parents are?” Michael gave a slow affirming nod.

“I need you to go get them right now, and tell them what happened. Can you do that?”

Michael took a couple of steps back, and looked at the girl. “Marissa, we have to go.” There was no response at all from the fragile girl, she was now laying down next to the unmoving Derrick.

“Just go, I'll make sure she's ok.” He took a longer look at Sarah, as if to judge whether he should trust this stranger or not. He made his decision quickly, and looked at the girl.

“Marissa, don't go anywhere. I'm going to get your mom and dad.” He gave another look at Sarah and sprinted off to the west, toward a row of deserted homes.

 

Sarah caressed the poor girls head, and tried her best to calm her down. She reached over to Derrick's eyes, still frozen open in a look of fear, and closed the lids. Not being able to think of anything else to say, she just crouched beside her and offered comfort. She just watched her brother die. Like this world isn't fucked up enough for them. I could have done something, made a distraction, something....

 

After a few minutes had passed, Sarah's ears perked up, she heard some adult voices in the distance. They don't sound happy. Sarah could see in the distance Michael coming back from the row of houses, accompanied by 2 adult men, one of them carrying a large rifle in hand. Sarah took this as her cue that it might not be a good idea to stick around.

“It'll get better honey. I have to go.”

Sarah slung her pack back over her shoulder, her feet making sucking sounds in the blood underfoot as she turned and started to run.

More unintelligible yelling came from the direction of the adults, followed by the piercing sound of a bullet being shot in her direction. I shouldn't have even gotten up this morning.

Adrenaline coursing through her, Sarah tore off for the horizon, fortunately the direction she needed to be going was opposite of her misguided attackers. She made it to the rivers edge in a short time, fortunately they had stopped giving her chase. Maybe Michael was finally able to talk some sense into them. Damn I'm hungry.

She wondered who these men in the Hummer were, if they were headed to Houston as well. The road did connect with one of the main ways up into the city from the south. God help them if they had anything to do with my daughter.

She thought back to an old Stephen King book she had once read. A killer had cut out a man's tongue, and tacked on the wall above his head. This was to make room for the penis which was chopped off and stuffed in the mouth. That would be a good start.

She followed the river down for about ½ a mile, and found a good place to stop and set up camp, next to a burned out shell of a car that had careened off an overhead bridge. This should be good, far enough from the road, and decent cover. The next town isn't far, tomorrow I need to get armed.

Ironically, David had always tried to get her to let him buy and train her with a handgun, and she stoutly refused. Oh David, I wish you were here now. Sarah leaned against the rusted metal and let out an exhausted sigh. She tried desperately not to think about the loss of her husband, and the incident almost 2 weeks ago that left her without a daughter. There will be revenge.

Brian

9-23-08

 

I can't believe how crazy it's been this past few days. Who would have thought that another attack would really happen? In the biggest Christian church in the country, no less. It's almost sickening how the media is salivating over the coverage, it's all that has been on any channel 24/7. Apparently the biggest church can also afford the nicest CCTV parking lot cameras as well. Footage of the blast in practically high def from one of the roof mounted ones is burned into my retinas from the constant loops on TV.

Initial radiation tests have confirmed it was a small nuclear blast. No one really knows yet who is responsible, but people around here have already started hunting for rag heads, they make a great scapegoat for people in fear.

 

I don't know how much longer I'll have a job at this rate. I've come to believe that one's true nature really comes out in times of crisis. The day after the explosion, I'd never seen so many people clamor for food and supplies in my life. I mean it's a general store in a small town outside of Houston, we'd hardly see more than a few people in the store at once. That day was hardly normal. People were fighting over canned foods, bottled water, and other non-perishables, not to mention cigarettes and beer.

My fucking boss Harry still makes me man the store, even though there's not much left to sell anymore. I think he is just more worried about someone damaging the storefront or trying to rob the safe. He showed me where he kept the shotgun, and that I needed to use it if someone tried to rob us. Fuck that, I'm not trying to die for his old bald ass.

 

9-25-08

 

Today I caught a dude stealing some of the last of our baby formula. He thought he was slick by walking to the counter and paying for a pack of gum, but honestly, who goes into a store just for a pack of gum? When I confronted him, he practically broke down in tears. I immediately already felt sorry for the guy. He wasn't clean shaven, and was pretty bony lookin'. In between sobs he explained his situation, and that he didn't have any food for his kid. They were worried that by the time they got the next welfare check, there just wouldn't be any food left for the baby. He was pretty scared I was going to call the cops. I thought about it, and said what the hell, it's not my food anyways, right? Damn baldie for making me work that late anyway. I walked to the back of the store, and grabbed the rest of the formula, and handed it over, told him I didn't see a thing. They guy started trembling, this time with gratitude, he swore he would pay me back when his check came in. Whatever, go feed your kid.

 

9-26-08

 

Well the president has come out today and said they know who was behind the nuke on Lakewood Church. AMERICAN terrorists! Unbelievable. Like we don't have enough trouble with the towel heads already, now we have our own terrorists to deal with? They said a group called the “Liberators of Church and State” has claimed responsibility. Gas prices were already high after the blast, not an hour after Bush announced the findings they shot up another buck! Looks like I need to go pump up my flat tire on the bike and grease the chain, no way am I driving to work at this rate.

 

Speaking of work, Mr. Jewbag decided to do an inventory check today, not that it's hard, there's scant supplies left. He noticed the drawer was light compared to goods missing, and asked me what the discrepancy was. He might as well just come out and accused me of stealing. I didn't even bother to bring up the formula guy, I hated this job anyways. I don't know how I am going to tell mom, but I'll figure something out.