Richard Stephenson - Collapse

“Yeah, thank God for that. I wonder if we’ll see the sun today.”

Kathy shook her head. “I doubt it. Probably have storm clouds for a week.”

“Well, we need to try and get some sleep. This is going to be a very long day.”

“I doubt we’ll be able to get much sleep.”

“Well, then we need to at least lie down and rest.”

Max walked around the locker rooms and checked on everyone. He told the civilians to try to get some sleep. Max took three pain pills to help with his throbbing hip and knee. He knew the idea of falling asleep was a joke, but he relaxed his body as much as he could and thought about dealing with the disaster happening all around him. He wondered how much of his town was left. Max thought about what his first move should be when they left the gym. Should he split up his deputies into search and rescue teams or should they all stick together? What about the civilians currently in the command post? Who would watch over them and keep them safe? What if they wanted to wander out into harm’s way and risk injury? Max never dreamed of needing boats to get around his town; he didn’t really think the water would get much higher than knee deep. The fact that water was coming inside the gymnasium meant that the water level was much higher than he anticipated. He would have to figure something out. Improvisation and resourcefulness were always his strong suits.

Max checked his watch to find it was approaching 8 am. The wind had finally slacked off enough that Max felt they could operate safely. It was still pouring outside, but it was time for them to get out there and do the job the taxpayers expected them to do. Max gathered everyone in the boys’ locker room. Once they were settled, he spoke.

“OK, everybody, listen up. We’ve got some planning to do. Need to figure some things out before we get started. I need all the officers to switch their radios from A mode over to B mode.” Their radios had two modes: A mode sent their radio traffic to the police station over a repeater and broadcasted it over a range of fifteen miles. When the radio was in B mode, the range was limited to the antenna on the radio itself, essentially making them walkie-talkies. In B mode, two radios could communicate a few miles at best.

“Since Elizabeth is in no condition to move, she will remain here at the command post with Dr. Stone and coordinate our movements. For the civilians in the room, I hope you won’t object to staying here at the command post for the time being. I have no intention of detaining you against your will; however, I cannot allow you to leave here until we have surveyed the area. This is strictly for your safety. I hope you understand that. Do any of you have any prior military training or experience with emergency services?”

“Chief, I’d like to volunteer to help out. I was a firefighter for twenty-five years,” a man in his late fifties stepped forward, “name’s Rudy. My wife Trudy will help the doc out anyway she can.”

“Rudy -n- Trudy. Trust me, we know our names rhyme,” Rudy aid, winking to everyone in the room.

“Rudy, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Very grateful for your help,” Max addressed the room, “anyone else?”

No one else spoke up. The only other men in the room were Elizabeth’s fan who had enjoyed seeing her bra and a quiet man who clearly didn’t want to leave his wife and small children behind.

“OK, for the rest of you who are staying here, I’d ask that you help out in whatever way you can. The first thing we’re gonna do is head to the police station to survey the damage. Kathy, when you left the station did you secure the armory?”

“Sure did, Chief.”

“OK, hopefully it managed to stay intact. Once we’re at the station, we’ll plan our next move. Let’s get moving. Hopefully we can drive the entire way there. If not, we walk.”

Max turned to Elizabeth, “Sergeant, be prepared to receive civilians. If we come across anyone who needs help, we’ll be sending them here.”

“Yes sir, Chief.”

“Doc, you think you can handle running a makeshift ER?”

“I think I can manage.” Dr. Stone gave Max a wink.

“Okay, we’re leaving the sedan here. Take everything useful out of it and move it to one of the trucks.”

Rudy spoke up. “Chief, that’s my truck over there. Looks like she survived the storm. I got a tool box full of tools and some towing chains that might come in handy.”

“That’s outstanding, Rudy. The sedan we’re leaving behind is Officer Miller’s. He can ride with you.”

“Okay, let’s load up. The police station is only a few miles down the road. We’re going to take it slow. I’ll take the lead. Listen to your radio. If you see anyone in trouble call out over the radio to stop.”

The four vehicles lined up in a convoy and pulled away from the high school. Only a few inches of water covered the roads, thanks to the drainage ditches on either side. They made slow progress, surveying the damage to their town. A half a mile down the road on the left was a subdivision. When they were in front of the main entrance to the subdivision, the chief stopped and looked down the road. The majority of the houses were missing their roof. The drainage system in the subdivision was not exactly up to standard, so the streets and front yards were completely underwater. Water was up to the windows on the first floor of the houses. Max knew this subdivision was one of the lucky ones that had a higher elevation than most of the town. If things were this bad here, a good portion of the town would either be completely submerged or have only rooftops sticking out above the water line, like lonely beacons signaling the bleak wreckage of ordinary life.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. They didn’t come across anyone who was stranded or needed assistance. At one point, the water was deep enough to come to the bottom of the car doors. Once they got to the police station, they pulled into the parking lot and got out of their vehicles.

“Well now, shit.” Max put his hands on his hips and looked at what used to be his police station. The front half of the building had collapsed down on itself. The hallway that branched off the lobby and went to the right towards his office was completely gone. The only thing left standing was the center of the police station that housed the armory, a holding tank, and two jail cells. The center portion of the police station was made of concrete reinforced with steel rebar.

“OK, we’re going to have to get around to the back somehow. Don’t try to enter any portion of the station, no matter how safe it looks. We don’t want anyone to get hurt or trapped under anything,” said Max.

As they carefully moved forward in single file, Deputy Miller suddenly stopped.

“Miller, what is it?” asked Max.

“I hear voices; someone’s back there.”

“Find out who it is!”

Miller shook his head. “They’re trying to break into the armory. They’re yelling at someone to open it for them.”

Max looked worried. “Stay there and keep quiet, everyone.” Max walked up to the front of the line and stood next to Deputy Miller. He could hear people talking over each other.

“Hey man, think about your wife and kids. Just open it up and we’ll be on our way. Your family will be safe.”

“How do I know you’ll let them go?”

Max turned to Deputy Miller. “They’ve got Charlie opening the armory for them. Sounds like they got his wife and kids hostage.”

“What are we gonna do, Chief?”

“Shit, we’re too late. The armory is open.” Max pulled out his sidearm and turned to his deputies, who drew their weapons and waited for the chief to make his move.

“This is the police! Stop what you’re doing and put your hands up! Let the officer go and no one will get hurt!”