Trial by Fire

"Okay, Mr. Thayer,"

They spotted Coach Lockett standing with the Stockton Coach near the finish line.

"How did he do?" Lockett asked.

"Didn't have my best throw in the disk, 152'. I got third, but I won shot."

"Great job," Lockett gave Lanston a high-five.

"You got the sign out sheet?" Reagan asked.

"I sure do." Lockett looked in his folder then said, "I already gave it to Kalen. She's under the bleachers over there."

"Okay, thanks Coach, See you tomorrow," Reagan said.

They located Kalen and walked to the car.

"You should call Mom and tell her how you did as soon as we get a signal," Reagan said.

"She's probably already called ten times and wondered why I didn't answer," Lanston said.

"Well, since you're her favorite person in the whole world, why wouldn't she?" Reagan said.

It was a running joke in the family; especially between the two boys. Lanston's older brother, Mason, was a college junior at Missouri Central, and they loved to needle each other about which one was the favorite child.

Mason was the polar opposite of Lanston. They were similar in size, with Lanston being an inch or so taller and Mason 20 pounds heavier, but there the similarities ended. Bright red hair and fair skin marked Mason as an unmistakable ginger. He was somewhat awkward and slow afoot, but his strength was a thing of legend. A surprisingly quick first step led to success on the offensive line and Mason was a competent center on the football team. Few people could line up opposite him and stand up for a second against his drive block.

Lanston enjoyed a good ginger joke and was quite fond of informing his brother that it was because Mason had no soul that their Mother favored Lanston. Sara, their mother, was highly offended at this conversation, which, of course, endlessly entertained the two boys who used it at every opportunity.

The forty-mile trip to Lamar, Missouri, their home, was passed with conversation about the meet, what had happened at school that day, an argument about the top five rock bands of all time and commentary on life.

Twenty miles east of Lamar, Reagan began to notice a vibration in the steering of the Suburban. It got progressively worse and he told Lanston, "I think one of our tires is going flat. Look for a place to pull off."

They had been driving through a large conservation area and quickly came to a parking lot for hunters and pulled in. They both got out and began to walk around the vehicle, checking the tires.

"They all look good," Lanston said. Then he stopped, "Dad, it's not the car. The ground is shaking." Reagan noticed it too.

"Could it be an earthquake?" Lanston asked.

"I don't know," Reagan said, "I haven't heard of an earthquake in Missouri since the big one down at New Madrid in the 1800's, but I guess it's possible. They keep predicting it's is going to slip again, but you know the doom and gloom crowd."

Reagan noticed a peculiar glow in the sky to the west. "I wonder if a storm's coming," he said.

The shaking got worse and suddenly Reagan became alarmed. Across the fields they could see for miles and a huge cloud of dust, towering miles into the sky, had engulfed the few trees across an ancient fence line a mile away.

"Get in the car Lanston; right now," Reagan said.

"What's wrong?" Lanston asked.

"I don't know, just get in now;" Reagan's voice rose to a near shout.

Lanston ran for the door. Reagan never raised his voice unless it was something important. It was a rule he lived by and Lanston knew it well. "Never shout unless the house is on fire." That was something he had heard all his life.

He had barely gotten his feet in when a violent gust of wind slammed the door shut. Reagan had fallen into the back seat because it was closer. Wind and sound hammered the Suburban like a freight train and the back glass shattered as the heavy SUV shuddered and swayed under the impact. Debris and dust filled the air as the two huddled in the seats with their arms over their heads.

"Pull your hoody over your head," Reagan shouted over the howling of the wind. "Breathe through the cloth."

Lanston didn't need to be told twice. For three minutes the fury raged and then it was gone.

"What was that?" Lanston shouted as soon as he got his breath.

"I don't know," Reagan said. "I think someone must have dropped a nuclear weapon or something out west. If it was, we've got problems. I doubt the car will run. That was probably the shockwave and the EMP will have fried our electronics. That's probably why we lost cell service. See if the car will start."

Lanston scooted over under the wheel, brushing the glass and debris off the seat. Crossing his fingers, he turned the key and they both breathed as the engine came to life.

"Drive son," Reagan said as he climbed over into the passenger seat. "We've got to get home quick. Mom and Mason are probably okay but they'll be worried sick about us."

In Lamar, Sara had just got home from the clinic. As the office manager at the only walk in clinic in town, it had been a long day. She made a cup of tea and turned on the TV. There was nothing but static. Cable must be out, she thought. Just then, there was a rumble outside and she could hear the heavy bass beat of Led Zeppelin. Mason was home and the deep throb of a big V8 stopped as he turned off the key of the bright orange GTO.

"Hi baby," she called as she heard him come in the kitchen door.

"Hey, Mom," the thump of his backpack hit the floor.

He fell into the recliner and picked up the controller of his X Box.

"So, how was school," she asked as the console was booting up.

"Great," he said. "I think I aced the quiz in my education class."

The words, "Unable to log into X box Live," appeared on the screen.

"Is something wrong with the internet?" he asked.

"I think the cable is off," Sara said. "There's nothing on TV either."

"Hey, did you hear that big explosion about five o'clock?" Mason asked.

"Yes I did," Sara said. "Somebody said they thought the power substation blew up. We didn't have any power till I left. Power went off all over town."

"That can't be right," Mason said. "I heard it in my car, over the radio, 50 miles away from here and we've got power here. When will Dad and Lanston get home?"

"I don't really know," Sara said. "I don't know how much of the meet they will stay and watch. If they leave after the field events, they should be home in an hour or so."

Sara felt something odd. She looked down at the table where her cup of tea was sitting by her feet she had propped up on a pillow on the table. The tea was rippling like someone had thrown something in it. She glanced over at Mason. He was testing the Internet connection. The rippling grew more pronounced until the tea was slopping over the edge of the cup. She picked it up just as the house rocked and the windows on the west side of the house exploded in.

The power went off as Mason sprang up and grabbed a lamp that was falling off its table. The sound of dishes breaking came from the kitchen as doors on cabinets opened and shut and things fell out.

Mason ran to the kitchen door with the lamp raised like a club and looked in. Dust and debris filled the kitchen. Mother and son stood gaping at the sight.

"What happened," Sara cried.

Mason had no idea. A maelstrom was raging outside and he slammed the kitchen door shut.

Mason was a voracious reader. Planning for emergency events was something he, his dad and his brother had joked about for years. "What will we do in the zombie apocalypse?" was a topic that had provided hours of entertainment. That information stood him in good stead. He had helped clean up after a couple of tornados that hit towns in Missouri and had some practical experience as well.

"Mom, get all the containers you can find and fill them up with water," he said. "I don't know what just happened, but everyone in town is going to be in the same shape we are. No power, no water, and I don't know how long it will last," he said. "See what we have to eat that doesn't have to be cooked and as soon as we get the stove cleaned up, see if it works."

Mason went to a cabinet and rummaged around. He came up with flashlights, extra batteries and candles. He noticed ammunition for guns stored in the same cabinet and got that out too.

As the ground quit shaking and as soon as he could see clearly he went to the garage and got out all their camping equipment, tents, lanterns, stoves, propane tanks, coolers, tools and everything he could think of that might be useful.

People were all out in their yards and on porches looking around and talking about what had happened. Jackson, their next-door neighbor, an older gentleman who had a big cut on his arm where he had been hit by some flying glass, was out in the yard.

"Hey, Mr. Jackson," Mason called. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just got cut up a little," Jackson called as he walked over. "What you doing with all that stuff?"

"Just getting prepared," Mason said. "Don't know how long the power is going to be off. Could be a while. You got any idea what happened?"

"No," Jackson said. "As soon as I get a minute I'll get on the ham radio and see if anyone knows anything."

"How are you going to do it?" Mason asked. "The electricity is off and your radio won't work."

"I can run it on batteries," Jackson said.

"Hey, do it and let me know what you find out," Mason said.

Jackson walked back to his house and Mason carried all the equipment to the back deck and went to check on his mother's progress.

Sara was sitting in a chair in the dining room when Mason came in. She was crying.

"Mom, what's wrong?" He went over and stood by her.

"I'm just worried about your dad and Lanston," she sobbed.

"Mom, I'm sure they're okay." Mason hugged his mother. "If anyone is okay those guys are. Dad is the most resourceful guy I know and Lanston is an iron man. Don't worry, they'll be home soon and we need to do everything we can while we're waiting. Did the stove work?"

"No," Sara said. "I've got every jug and pan I could find full of water and I ran the sinks and tub full too."

"Good job," Mason said. "Let's see about getting these windows covered up and getting the place cleaned up a little."

Someone was knocking at the back door. It was a firefighter. "Is everyone all right?" he asked.

"Yes, we're all fine," Sara said. "What happened?"

"We don't know yet," the firefighter said. "We're just trying to make sure people that are hurt get medical treatment."

"Well, thanks," Mason said. "We're okay."

The firefighter left and Jackson came over. "I've been talking on the radio," he said. "Seems like there was something bad happened out in Kansas or Colorado. People are saying it was a bomb or something. Doesn't make any sense. There aren't any bombs that big. It would have to be a whole lot of bombs. Maybe a war is starting and the Russians are bombing us. But, that doesn't make any sense either. The ham radio wouldn't work either if that was happening. Somebody said the volcano at Yellowstone blew. That seems more likely, but it's too far away for this. It's got to be something big though. We may be in for some trouble."

Mason felt fear knotting up inside him. Wheels hitting the gravel made him turn around and he saw the familiar sight of the black Suburban turning into the driveway. Relief was like a mountain lifting off his shoulders. Dad and Lanston were home.

Sara came running out of the house and Mason ran to the car. He embraced his father and brother and they all talked at once.

"Okay, okay, we're all okay," Reagan said as he disentangled himself from arms. "Let's get inside and talk."

Mrs. Jackson came hurrying across the back yard. "I just heard an announcement over the emergency channel," She said. "They said a big volcano erupted in Colorado and they're evacuating everyone in Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Wyoming and Utah and Arizona."

"That doesn't make any sense," Reagan said. "There aren't any volcanoes in Colorado."

"Yes there is, Dad," Mason said. "Have you ever heard of La Garita? It's the biggest volcano ever. It blew up way back when and killed almost everything in America, but it's been extinct for millions of years."

Reagan's brow furrowed. "If it's something like that we're in a lot of trouble guys. Jackson, get back on your radio and see if you can confirm what's happening. We need to start getting ready to do something. If it's anything like that we've got a matter of days before it gets really bad. We need to get prepared. You know that zombie apocalypse? This is going to be worse. I don't know how bad, but this is going to get rough. It's going to be winter for years. People are going to starve, government is going to break down and we'll have to fight to survive. We need a plan."

Chapter Four

Jason Kilwreath was two miles East of Emporia Kansas when the shockwave caught up with him. He survived, but his Jeep Cherokee didn't. The shockwave had lifted the rear wheels off the ground and he lost control of the vehicle. The airbag had deployed and it beat the hell out of him. He felt like he had been hit by a freight train. Luckily, he didn't hit anything other than the ditch but it was a deep ditch and he was stuck.

He collected his gear and walked back up the bank to Interstate 35. It was a mess. Wrecked and destroyed cars lined both sides of the road. Injured and dead people lay moaning or quiet. He noticed a medical supply truck that had rear-ended a mini-van in the northbound lane. It didn't appear too badly damaged, but the driver was had a bad head injury and he was dead.

Swallowing his nausea, he pulled the driver out and got in. "Sorry buddy, but I need this worse than you do," he spoke to the body. The truck started and Jason backed away from the van. He drove down the highway, carefully picking his way between the wreckage. The truck had plenty of fuel, but Jason stopped by the first semi he saw. He searched the back of the truck and found some surgical tubing. He siphoned off diesel fuel and topped off his tanks. There were several large glass bottles in the truck and he filled those as well.

He poked around in the cab of the semi and was satisfied to find a .357 revolver, a box of shells and a club the driver had used to check his tires. People were wandering the highway and several times they tried to flag him down. He felt terrible about not stopping, but he knew what was coming. The rules of polite civilization were over. They just didn't know it yet. He knew, and he hardened his conscience. If they didn't get out of his way, he would run them over. Jason was on a mission and intended to survive. His parents lived in Jefferson City, Missouri and he intended to pick them up.

Jason knew what La Garita's eruption meant. The world, as most American citizens knew it, was coming to an end. The North American continent was no longer inhabitable and only the strong and the swift would escape. He intended to be one of them.

Jason feared Kansas City. The people would be in a panic. As food and water supplies depleted, starving mobs would be roaming the streets. His route needed to avoid Kansas City at all costs. U. S. 54 went though no major cities and so he needed to swing south to catch it. That would take him through to Columbia, where he lived. He could pick up his stuff, swing back to the highway and head into Jefferson City to find his parents. Then he would head east to St. Louis, pick up a boat on the Mississippi River, and make his way south. It would be quite a trip, but he was out of any good options. He put the truck in gear and headed south.

****

Dinner, at the Thayer residence, was a somber affair. The Thayer's now knew the truth. The Jackson's had confirmed the bad news. La Garita was a seething hell, and hell was expanding its borders.

"Reagan, what are we going to do?" Sara asked. "How bad is it?"

"I can't tell you how bad it is." Reagan said. "No one has ever been through something like this. We always thought this could happen in something like a worldwide nuclear war, but this may be worse. I can tell you that it's going to get ugly. People are going to be starving and desperate. We are going to have to do things that we are going to hate. We can't care about that. I have only got you, Mason and Lanston. Everyone else is going to have to take care of themselves, and God help them if they get in our way."

Mason was not at all pleased by his father's statement. "What about Kierra?" he said. "We can't just leave her by herself."

"Of course not," Sara said. "You know we have to take care of her too, Reagan."

"Sorry son, I wasn't thinking," Reagan said. "Go get her now and bring her here. Your girlfriend is part of our family too. I just wasn't thinking very well."

Mason left and Reagan began to go over plans with Lanston and Sara. "We can't stay here," he said. "Missouri is going to be like Alaska for the foreseeable future. People live in Alaska, but they can import stuff from here and they have electricity. This will be like being stranded at the North Pole. We won't be able to grow anything, we won't have fuel and ash is going to make this a desert. We have to go south. Any ideas?"

"How about Florida or Texas," Lanston asked?

"That might work," Reagan said, "But everyone else is going to have that same idea. Everyone from the North is going to try to get south and that is the easiest place to go. They will be overrun with people and its going to be dog eat dog."

"We could go to Mexico," Sara said.

"That's better," Reagan replied. "The problem is, they've got situations in Mexico already. Poverty and crime are already problems there and it's only going to get worse as refugees flood south. It's not far enough south unless we go way down. I'm thinking South America. If we're lucky and smart, we get there and get away from people and we'll be way better off than we would be any place else."

"So, how do we get there," Lanston asked. "Drive?"

"No, we float," Reagan said. "In a matter of days the roads are going to be impassable. Desperate people are going to be roaming around looking for something to eat or drink and we would be in constant danger."

"Float, how?" Sara asked. "You mean take one of our boats, or the canoes?"

"No," Reagan said. "That won't work. They aren't big enough. We are going to need a lot of stuff, equipment, supplies, tools, stuff like that and our boats aren't big enough. We might take the Jon boat but we need something bigger."

"How will we get a bigger boat?" Sara asked.

"Take it," Reagan said.

"Take it? You mean steal it?" Lanston said.

"I mean take it," Reagan said. "It is likely that there will be abandoned boats, or boats whose owner has died or we might have to take it from someone. The question is, who do you care most about? Is it us, or them? That's what it's going to come down to. I don't want to take things that don't belong to us but I'm not going to let anything or anyone keep us from making it. I just don't care. We're going to have to make some hard choices. I'm willing to be the one that makes them. Are you going to help?"

"Sure, Dad, I'll do whatever it takes," Lanston said.

"Me too," Sara said. "What do you want to do?"

The answer was deferred as Mason arrived with Kierra. Kierra looked a little shaken up. Her red hair was in disarray and she had a cut on her ankle, but she was okay.

After bringing Mason up to speed, Reagan outlined his plan. "We have a 30/30, two .22 rifles and a pistol and two, 12 gage shotguns," he said. That's a good start, but we need more. Here's what I plan to do. There's a National Guard armory just outside town. There aren't more than two or three people there. If we wait very long, that's going to change. They might call out the guard as soon as they have radio. If that happens, it's too late. We've got to move now. I say we load up the Suburban, take everything we think we can use, and hit the armory. We take out the people there, pick up everything we think we can use. Then, we hit Wal-Mart. We pick up everything we think we can use there. We head down US 60 to Cairo, IL and find a boat. We don't want to get anywhere near St. Louis and that's the best route south. We take the boat down to the gulf and south as far as we can. Then we head inland and find a place to ride it out. In ten or twenty years, this all goes away and we can do whatever we want. What do you think?"