Bobby Akart - Desolation

Everyone raised their drinks as Erin lifted hers.

“To TEOTWAWKI—the end of the world as we know it!”

Glasses clinked, and drinks were swigged.

Then Erin bowed her head slightly and looked toward Lacey. She raised her glass again. “To those who were loved and lost.”

Lacey smiled and raised her glass. She fought back tears and smiled before proposing a toast of her own. “To all of us as we find the strength to move forward as a family.”

“Cheers!” several of the group said loudly.

The toasting session managed to empty several glasses, so Erin busily refilled the drinks. Hank, Jessica and Erin enjoyed a scotch. Mike commandeered his own bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Peter sipped rum, and Lacey was the sole wine drinker.

Once settled in with a second round, the conversation turned from Jimmy’s medical condition to what was happening outside the Keys.

Mike turned to Lacey. “You guys had one helluva road trip. I’m sure you’d like to put most of it out of your mind.”

She grimaced and sipped her wine. “You know, it was an odd mix of unfettered violence and people coming together to help. You had some people who’d give you the shirt off their backs, and then there were others who’d take your shirt, after killing you, of course. It’s amazing how broad the spectrum was.”

“I experienced the same thing,” added Peter. “During my trip, I had a lot of time to soak in what was happening around me, and I tried to make sense of it all. I can’t tell you how many times I was surprised by people’s kindness only to see the dark side of humanity show itself moments later. People became violent because they were frightened and others simply because they were evil opportunists.”

Lacey turned to her uncle, whom she adored. “Uncle Mike, other than this serial killer you guys have mentioned in passing, what’s it been like in the Keys? Has there been violence and looting?”

Mike glanced at Jessica and then responded, “Fortunately, so far the spikes in crime have related mostly to B & Es. As the crisis started to unfold, the store shelves were emptied by panicked shoppers.”

“I have to say, we were part of that,” interrupted Hank.

“Yeah, and within the MCSO, some people looked at it as hoarding while others considered it self-preservation. Those of us who reacted quickly to the first signs of trouble are better prepared than others.”

“There has been violence, so let’s not sugarcoat it, though,” interjected Jessica. “In addition to Patrick almost killing my husband and Phoebe, we had gas thieves shooting at us and a well-armed group try to breach our gate. Their bloodstains are still on the bridge.”

Mike continued. “These incidents were becoming more frequent, although the hurricane seemed to give us a break from the violent encounters. However, those who had very little to begin with lost everything during the storm. People who relied upon fishing lost their boats. Others who were days away from starvation also lost the roofs over their heads.”

“And thanks to Lindsey, anyone who wanted to leave the Keys and stay with relatives are stuck here because the bridges have disappeared,” said Hank. He was about to rise out of his chair to get a refill; however, Erin quickly moved across the room to take his glass. The two shared a long, loving look when they were close to one another, something that did not go unnoticed by Mike and Jessica.

After pouring Hank another drink, Erin took her seat on a bar stool and refilled her glass. As she did, Jessica asked, “Erin, what can you tell us about the bigger picture? What’s going on elsewhere?”

She took a deep breath before responding, “First, let me commend both Peter and Lacey for what they accomplished. The levels of violence are much higher outside the Keys. The reports out of Miami, like America’s other highly populated cities, are shocking. There are armed gangs forming to establish territories. They work in large packs to loot and rob people. Home invasions are too numerous to count.”

“Sounds like lawlessness,” said Hank.

“It is, in part because there aren’t enough law enforcement officers to control it and also because many have quit to protect their own families.”

Mike and Jessica glanced at each other. They’d unofficially done the same thing.

“I read the martial law declaration signed by the president,” said Hank. “Obviously, he has the military at his disposal to help, right?”

Erin nodded. “The Army has just over eight hundred thousand active-duty soldiers and National Guardsmen. With the three hundred thousand reservists who have been called up, the Army provides the vast majority of the president’s manpower to gain control of the streets.

“As odd as this may seem under the circumstances, America is extremely vulnerable to foreign invasion at this moment. To be sure, all major powers in the northern hemisphere, namely China and Russia, are going through the same thing we are. That said, their populations are used to a different standard of living, or lifestyle, than we are. They’re also used to living under an oppressive government. Rather than using their military resources to fight rioters or quell uprisings, they could turn their sights on us while our armed forces are preoccupied.”

“Who shot at us to begin with?” asked Lacey.

“North Korea,” replied Erin.

Peter, who was very knowledgeable in foreign affairs, returned to the subject of an invasion. “If the nuclear powers wanted to finish us off, they could’ve easily done so. We most likely exhausted our nuclear defense arsenal against the North Koreans, am I right?”

“Yes,” replied Erin. “Both Moscow and Beijing know this. That said, destroying the rest of America wouldn’t do them any good. China, especially, needs America with a vibrant economy to survive. If anything, they need us to get back on our feet quickly. That doesn’t mean, however, they wouldn’t seize the opportunity to acquire key strategic assets while we’re defenseless.”

“Are you thinking they might seize territories in the Far East?” asked Peter.

“Certainly. Taiwan is a given. They might make a move on American Samoa and Guam. The Northern Mariana Islands are also targets. For Russia, they’d love to invade Alaska. It would be a perfect fit as they expand their presence in the Arctic. Plus, control of the vast petroleum potential in ANWR would change the balance of power in the fossil-fuel industry.” The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was an oil-rich area that was constantly a football in Washington between those who want to drill for oil and those who don’t.

“We had to reroute our trip home because Texas closed its borders,” said Lacey. “How can they do that?”

“The same way Lindsey did it, I suppose,” said Mike with a hint of snark. “Did they blow up their bridges, too?”

Erin shook her head as she drank. “No, but they certainly blocked them all. Their actions came as a result of the huge number of American refugees fleeing for Mexico. When the Mexican government had had enough of our people infiltrating their country on the way to lower latitudes, they deployed their army coupled with assistance from the drug cartels to close their borders. The Texas governor was facing a humanitarian crisis as millions of people, not knowing that Mexico had shut down access, would be accumulating in his state.”

Lacey shared what she and Tucker had observed. “We saw military trucks, even tanks, headed west on Interstate 40 toward the Panhandle. Did they invade Texas?”

Erin sighed. “I wasn’t privy to all of the details, but I did hear the whispers in the corridors of Mount Weather. Let’s just say it was in the works.”

“Were they going to do the same here?” asked Peter before adding, “I saw them staging in Homestead at the Speedway.”