John O'Brien - Chaos

Looking out of the peephole, I see only the clear, starlit night. It is amazing just how much light reaches the earth and lights it up from stars millions of light years away. Many of them probably no longer in existence but their light still comes to rest on us. Mind boggling sometimes. The end of the gravel driveway and small rock wall across from me are lit up by these far away stars. I see a corner of the screen leaning outward to the right. Nothing is moving. I pull the door slightly, testing its integrity. There is only a little give. I thank whoever it was in the night that screamed, drawing that thing away from us, and send my prayers their way asking the spirits to help them as they did us.

I walk back to the group. “Is everything okay, Dad?” Nicole asks from the shadows.

“Yeah, babe, I think so. For now at least.”

I head into the bathroom to relieve my bladder brought on by my over-worked glandular system making a mental note to flush come morning. We drag our sleeping bags to where we were sitting, draw them over our legs for warmth, turn out our lights, and wait.

An hour passes before everyone settles back into their bags to try to get some sleep while I keep watch. Judging from the rustling of the bags, not much rest is actually getting done. I am exhausted from the day and night and want to drift off. Luckily, my mind is still keyed up and going a mile a minute, so I don’t quite head off into dreamland. The only indication that morning has arrived is the sound of birds greeting the dawn outside.

I walk to the back door peeling the blanket back a bit to ensure that the day has indeed come to us. The light of the coming dawn shows through the crack between the blanket and the door’s window. “Up and at ‘em,” I call out but am met only with groans and the motion of teens rolling over in their bags. Well, apparently they did drift off at some point .

“Come on everyone, get up, we have a busy day,” I call out heading outside to start the generator.

I am greeted by the morning sun ; just rising over the mountains to the east and peeking its way through the trees. The world spins around as it has in the past and will continue to do so regardless of what happens to the life inhabiting this rock flying through space. The day is beginning to warm up. The screen door hangs outward and to the side, held on only by the bottom hinge. Broken glass lies on the deck in front. I look at the jamb and find it has come marginally loose but held up amazingly well considering how hard the front door had been hit. The cans lay twisted on the deck with the strings still attached.

After heading back in to check that everyone is up, I tell them to roll up their bags before heading over to my place to gather my stuff together. Arriving at the front door, I take out my gun and throw the door open. Light reaches inside through the door turning the darkness into a lighter gray. No movement. I reach in to the right of the door and flick on the lights. It is only a large single room so I can see at once if there is anything inside. It is just as I left it the day prior. I switch into a flight suit and gather clothes, toiletries, and such putting them into my olive drab duffle bag, heading back to Mom’s house once I have finished. I also put my abalone shell, cedar, wooden matches, and my black and red paint into a red bag to take along.

“What’s that for? Cool factor?” Robert asks as I walk back in referring to my flight suit.

“Nah, lots of convenient pockets, and, if there are any military personnel left, I may be able to bluff my way through.”

“Can I wear one?”

“No. Although we may be able to pass you off, the chances are slim. Not with them both having the same name tag. Besides, I only have one flight cap.”

We grab a quick breakfast and throw our gear into the vehicles. I grab a ladder from outside and bring it in to provide an access to the attic for Mom to use as a last bastion of refuge. I also store some candles, food, water, matches, flashlight, and batteries so she will have items already there in case she has to move fast. She is still adamant about staying.

“If you have to use that, bring the ladder up after you and shut the access hatch. You may be able to get down during the day but be very careful about that as it’ll be dark inside the house at all times. You may have to stay up there for a few days. Don’t forget to bring your gun and ammo if you have any more,” I tell her standing at the foot of the ladder. “We’ll be back in a few days. You can set the cans up on the deck steps each night to give you some warning.”

The water has had a chance to heat up by this point so we all bathe. With the last of the gear loaded, and feeling a little refreshed, we head to the vehicles. Robert and Michelle will be in the Honda; Nicole, with Bri on her lap, will ride with me in the Jeep. Robert, Nicole, and Bri all give Mom a hug before I step up to give her one. “I love you Mom,” I tell her with our arms wrapped around each other. “I am so thankful for you. You be careful.”

“I love you too!” She says and I leave her embrace with tears welling up in my eyes.

“Stay right behind me,” I tell Robert as he opens the driver’s door. “If you need to stop or pull over, flash your lights or pull up beside me and let me know.”

“Okay, Dad.”

“If I pull over, pull over with me but keep a little distance. I’ll wave you closer if I need to. I’m planning on stopping at Kennedy Creek for a little bit and then the Fred Meyer in Tumwater before we head up north.”

He gives me an odd look and a nod before picking up the keys and climbing into the car. The sun hasn’t yet cleared the top of the trees as we pull out of the driveway and begin our journey. I look into the rearview mirror and see Mom waving to us from her position on the front porch. We turn out of the driveway and she disappears from sight. I feel an immense sadness fill my heart. “Be safe,” I say under my breath.

We head down the road and onto the highway. I glance over at the gas station as we pass. Everything still looks as it did yesterday; the white truck still parked as it was before. The roads are quiet. Passing by the casino once again, I notice oddly that there are significantly more cars parked there than there were at any of the stores or any other places we have been. Funny , I think shaking my head, how people would still flock there despite all that was going on. Perhaps a little indication about human nature .

Further down the road, I make the turn toward Kennedy creek. We have spent a lot of time here in the past, whether hiking up the creek, mountain biking in the hills and woods, or just climbing around. We park the vehicles and climb out.

“Are we going to your place?” Nicole asks stretching her legs.

“Yeah, babe.”

“Can I go with you?” She asks.

“Sure, hon, I would love to have you with.”

“Are you guys coming with?” I address the rest of our little group. “Or do you want to wait here?”

“How long will you be?” Robert asks.

“Not long. Under an hour.”

“I’ll stay here with Michelle,” Robert pipes up.

“No offense, Dad, but I really don’t want to walk that far,” Bri comments.

“Okay guys. Watch out for others and honk the horns if you see anything,” I say as Nicole and I begin to head up the dirt road.

We all have our own special place in these hills. For Robert and me, we have our mountain which we have dubbed Mt.Robdad. We have spent the better part of summer days riding our mountain bikes up there; prowling around the ridge lines and exploring various trails. It takes us around two hours of hard riding to get up there. We also hike the creek for miles under the hot sun. Sometimes I’ve taken Bri to the creek down a little lower on hot summer days. There are several pools there where we play in the water all day long. But Nicole, I take her to my special place in the woods.