that for a little longer there will be plenty of
places for the slugs to loot, cars...stores. Tomorrow, we will start
making some plans. With Lee and I in the house, I feel pretty good
about tonight. Let's all try to get some rest.” Jack patted Lee
on the back, “Go ahead, get some sleep. See ya in the morning.”
Beth
put out the lantern, left the dishes for morning. Once again, she and
Jack went to sleep with fingers entwined. There would be a fresh
plan. She knew that it would not get rid of the rock of worry that
laid in the bottom of her stomach, about the rest of the family. It
would keep her moving, though.
Chapter
Three
OFF
BASE
JASON and DIANNE,
It
was early morning, Jason stood under
the sprawling old live oak trees in his back field. The fire of a
cigarette glowed in
his hand. He was not at all sure what he should be doing. Something
had most
certainly gone wacko. It was the start of the weekend and he was off
duty. About three months earlier, he and Dianne bought this great
little place and moved off base. It lay twenty
five miles plus, from the central Texas military complex that had been
his home base for about four of the eight years he had been
in the Army, just a little farther from
Dianne's job in town. It was just
the two of them at home now and they loved this
place, even though it was quite isolated. Three acres, a remodeled
house and about ten miles to a town with basic necessities. The roads
that lead to the place from the nearest highway, were gravel, narrow
and thickly overhung with tree limbs.
Dianne
walked up
behind him, encircled his
waist,“What cha' think, Babe?” He exhaled some
smoke, snuffed the
cigarette out and pulled her
around. She was so much shorter than him, he placed his
chin on the top of her head and smelled her
soft black
hair. “Maybe your
crazy momma is smarter than we think ” .
He had always,
just mostly laughed off his mother-in-law's talk of end-of-the-world,
apocalyptic events. He had seen
plenty of bad things and didn't kid himself about the
craziness of the world. Yet, he had been
busy being a good soldier, busy being a husband, busy trying to mesh
together “his” kids and “her” kids. When he
was state-side, he was just damned glad to be in the United States of
America, no time to fret over the complicated state of affairs or
things that might happen.
“ Well,
we don't really know what has happened, do we?” said Dianne
as she moved back
and looked up
at her tall lean husband.
“ Did
you get in touch with the kids?” he asked.
Dianne replied,
“ Of
course, not. The phone won't work, not even the cell.”
“ Right,
and neither your car or my truck will start. Look over there, it's
that car that goes by here ten times a day. It's stopped right there
at the corner. Something big is wrong, this is not just a typical
power outage,” said Jason
“ What
do you think we should do?” said Dianne.
“ I
don't know yet. I feel like I should be on the base. I am trying to
think this through,” he said.
“ Jason...the
base! How would you get there? Anyway, I don't want you to leave. You
know I never complain, even when you are deployed. But, this has me
spooked.”'
Jason
smiled at her, “You think I haven't hiked a lot further than
twenty five miles with a heavy pack on my back? Hey, where's that
battery radio that your mother gave us for Christmas?”
“ I'll
go look for it, come on in,” she pulls on his hand.
The
coffee had just
finished brewing when the power had gone off. Of course, it was cold,
so Dianne put it
in a sauce pan and warmed it
on the gas stove. She didn't drink coffee, Jason drank several
cups in the morning. She poured herself
a glass of Dr. Pepper and took the
coffee to the table, where Jason was already sitting. They heard the
gate clanging around and someone shouting, “Yoo-hoo,
Dianne...Jack? Are you there?” They had purposely started locking
the gate when they realized what a pestering busy body, the neighbor
Mrs.
places for the slugs to loot, cars...stores. Tomorrow, we will start
making some plans. With Lee and I in the house, I feel pretty good
about tonight. Let's all try to get some rest.” Jack patted Lee
on the back, “Go ahead, get some sleep. See ya in the morning.”
Beth
put out the lantern, left the dishes for morning. Once again, she and
Jack went to sleep with fingers entwined. There would be a fresh
plan. She knew that it would not get rid of the rock of worry that
laid in the bottom of her stomach, about the rest of the family. It
would keep her moving, though.
Chapter
Three
OFF
BASE
JASON and DIANNE,
It
was early morning, Jason stood under
the sprawling old live oak trees in his back field. The fire of a
cigarette glowed in
his hand. He was not at all sure what he should be doing. Something
had most
certainly gone wacko. It was the start of the weekend and he was off
duty. About three months earlier, he and Dianne bought this great
little place and moved off base. It lay twenty
five miles plus, from the central Texas military complex that had been
his home base for about four of the eight years he had been
in the Army, just a little farther from
Dianne's job in town. It was just
the two of them at home now and they loved this
place, even though it was quite isolated. Three acres, a remodeled
house and about ten miles to a town with basic necessities. The roads
that lead to the place from the nearest highway, were gravel, narrow
and thickly overhung with tree limbs.
Dianne
walked up
behind him, encircled his
waist,“What cha' think, Babe?” He exhaled some
smoke, snuffed the
cigarette out and pulled her
around. She was so much shorter than him, he placed his
chin on the top of her head and smelled her
soft black
hair. “Maybe your
crazy momma is smarter than we think ” .
He had always,
just mostly laughed off his mother-in-law's talk of end-of-the-world,
apocalyptic events. He had seen
plenty of bad things and didn't kid himself about the
craziness of the world. Yet, he had been
busy being a good soldier, busy being a husband, busy trying to mesh
together “his” kids and “her” kids. When he
was state-side, he was just damned glad to be in the United States of
America, no time to fret over the complicated state of affairs or
things that might happen.
“ Well,
we don't really know what has happened, do we?” said Dianne
as she moved back
and looked up
at her tall lean husband.
“ Did
you get in touch with the kids?” he asked.
Dianne replied,
“ Of
course, not. The phone won't work, not even the cell.”
“ Right,
and neither your car or my truck will start. Look over there, it's
that car that goes by here ten times a day. It's stopped right there
at the corner. Something big is wrong, this is not just a typical
power outage,” said Jason
“ What
do you think we should do?” said Dianne.
“ I
don't know yet. I feel like I should be on the base. I am trying to
think this through,” he said.
“ Jason...the
base! How would you get there? Anyway, I don't want you to leave. You
know I never complain, even when you are deployed. But, this has me
spooked.”'
Jason
smiled at her, “You think I haven't hiked a lot further than
twenty five miles with a heavy pack on my back? Hey, where's that
battery radio that your mother gave us for Christmas?”
“ I'll
go look for it, come on in,” she pulls on his hand.
The
coffee had just
finished brewing when the power had gone off. Of course, it was cold,
so Dianne put it
in a sauce pan and warmed it
on the gas stove. She didn't drink coffee, Jason drank several
cups in the morning. She poured herself
a glass of Dr. Pepper and took the
coffee to the table, where Jason was already sitting. They heard the
gate clanging around and someone shouting, “Yoo-hoo,
Dianne...Jack? Are you there?” They had purposely started locking
the gate when they realized what a pestering busy body, the neighbor
Mrs.
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