G Hopf - The End

“I heard what he whispered to you, so while you were gone I fished it out for you. Jimmy loved to hide things but I always knew about them,” she opened the box and held the lantern above the opened box so Gordon could see its contents. Peering in, he saw several tall bottles and two smaller boxes.

“What is it?” Gordon asked.

“Go ahead,” she said motioning to the box.

Gordon reached in and pulled out a bottle of Macallan 30-year-old single malt scotch.

“The other two are the same; the two small boxes are little humidors with Cuban cigars. He knew you’d appreciate this, but wanted to surprise you once we arrived in Idaho. Now that won’t happen,” Simone said, then put the cover back on the box.

“Simone, I am so sorry. I wish I could have made it here quicker—”

“Don’t say any more; you did what you could. It’s just fate. First Mason, now Jimmy; we weren’t meant to survive this for whatever reason. God knows I can’t figure it out, but there’s a reason; it’s either that or we’re just unlucky,” Simone said with a slight smile.

“We don’t have a lot of time, so let’s get you home.”

“Gordon, I’m not going with you. I’m staying here with my family.”

“That’s crazy. You have to come with us.”

Simone placed her hand on Gordon’s arm and said calmly, “Gordon, everything you need from us as far as food and supplies is here in the garage. I took anything you could use and put it out here. There will be no need to go into the house, do you understand?”

“This is crazy talk Simone, you’re coming with us; I promised Jimmy.”

She grabbed his hand and looked at him deeply, “Gordon, I have lost everything. My life has lost all meaning. What is there to live for? My life was them.”

Gordon pleaded, “Please don’t do this! This is not what Jimmy would want.”

“Gordon, go. Please go. And when you return, don’t come inside the house, do you understand?”

“Just wait, let me get Samantha; let me have her talk to you.”

“I’ve made up my mind; I am very clear about this. Please kiss Samantha and the kids for me,” Simone said. Letting go of Gordon’s arm, she turned and walked inside. He could hear the dead bolt lock behind her after she closed the door.

He was in total shock. He couldn’t move. He stood frozen, staring at the door. Knowing how influential Samantha was, he quickly left to go get her. Simone looked determined but Samantha could help. The sound of the single gunshot stopped him in his tracks. He knew what she had done and wished it could have gone differently. In one night, two of his closest friends were dead, his son had shot someone and their life in Rancho Valentino was over for good.

USS Makin Island off the coast of Southern California

When the door to the brig opened, Gunny was the last person Sebastian thought he’d see.

“Corporal Van Zandt, stand up! You’re coming with me, shitbird,” Gunny said in his scratchy voice.

Sebastian didn’t hesitate; he stood up and followed the Gunny. As they were walking, Sebastian noticed how empty the passageways were. Many questions came to mind at first but he thought it not worth it to ask. One passageway after another was devoid of life. He wasn’t sure where Gunny was taking him, and the further they walked the more concerned he got. After 10 minutes of walking, they finally made it to their destination. Gunny opened the hatch and motioned for Sebastian to exit.

Stopping before he crossed the threshold, he turned to Gunny, “Gunny, if you’re taking me out here to kill me, just let me know. I hate surprises.”

“No one is going to kill you, now get your dumb ass out here.”

Sebastian took the Gunny for a man of his word and stepped out onto the deck. The sun was attempting to make an appearance, but the clouds and fog were keeping its rays at bay. Looking around, he tried to get a fix on where the ship was, but the fog was too thick.

“Where are we?” Sebastian asked.

“Corporal Van Zandt, I like you. I have known you for over a year and I have seen a squared-away Marine. You’re a damn good sniper and a good NCO; but you let your emotions get the better of you. Do you know what I am saying?”

Sebastian tried to answer, but Gunny continued to talk.

“Van Zandt, I understand your dilemma. I know you look at all the bullshit and wonder what it’s all for. Well, I can say that there’s a lot of bullshit in the Marine Corps. I’ve seen it, but in the end we are an institution of men who come together because we have common values. Now the world has dealt us, meaning the United States, a shit sandwich. Listen, son, the U.S. is fucked, period. I don’t know how it survives this; but just because our country falls doesn’t mean we have to. I know you don’t like the colonel, but he has given us all a chance to make it through this. Now, you could have been a piece in this survival puzzle but no, you had to open your mouth and get stupid, now look at ya, corporal. In a nutshell, you’re going to get what you wanted. We are leaving San Diego in a week. Once the last of our men is done gathering their family members, we will dump the garbage, meaning you, on the beach. You will be given a weapon, a few magazines, a few MREs and some water. Then you’re on your own. What you don’t know is this; you will have two total shit storms to deal with on your hunt for your brother. First, the nuclear reactors at San Onofre have melted down. Second, there is some renegade Mexican militia conquering parts of San Diego. Now, if you manage to make it to your brother’s place, you might find him already dead or gone. You’ll not only have to deal with two fucked-up situations, but you’ll have a million starving San Diegans trying to kill you for a scrap of food. The moral of the story, Van Zandt, is that you should keep your mouth shut. Your chance of survival out there on your own is not high, but let this be a lesson to you.”

Sebastian’s mind just went blank listening to the Gunny bloviate. He thought many times that the Gunny liked to hear himself talk. He wondered if now might be a good time to be honest with him and tell him to fuck himself. He decided against being honest. If he wanted to get some kind of advantage from the Gunny, then he should take his advice and keep his mouth shut.

“Thank you for the words of advice, Gunny.”

“You’re welcome, corporal, now let’s get your ass back down below.”

“One second, why did you take me up here?”

“I thought I’d show you something but the fog isn’t cooperating.”

“What’s out there?”

“San Diego, San Diego is right there,” Gunny said, pointing over the railing into the fog.

Sebastian leaned forward in hopes of getting a glimpse, but nothing.

“Let’s go,” Gunny ordered.

Sebastian kept staring, hoping to see something.

“Let’s go, corporal,” Gunny said sounding impatient.

Giving up, Sebastian turned and started to walk back to the hatch. Right before he stepped in he saw something out of the corner of his right eye. He stopped and looked; a break in the fog exposed the hidden city behind it. He kept staring until a landmark that was unmistakable appeared; the Hyatt Towers stood darkened in the distance. The fog continued to clear and more of the city became visible. Sebastian could make out the outline of the buildings but not a single light was visible. The city was completely dark.

“We made it, we’re in San Diego!” Sebastian exclaimed.

“That’s correct, corporal, that’s San Diego; we made it home.”

Sebastian stood looking at the skyline of the darkened city. His journey had taken thousands of miles and had forever changed his position within the Marine Corps. When the ships pulled away in a few days, he would no longer be a Marine, he would be a survivor left alone to fend for himself in this new wilderness.