Jacqueline Druga - Then Came War

Liquid sanitizer was plentiful for some reason and Judith took advantage of that.

She was seeing much better, more shapes and sizes and even managed to step over Foster as he lay on the floor on his stomach going through his knapsack. Just the day before, she had stepped on him twice.

He was supposed to be writing in his journal. Judith had him writing to keep up his penmanship and literary skills. She made him read and then write a paragraph. All while she cleaned around him, stepping over him as she did.

“April 25.” Foster lifted the ticket to the train. “I forgot I had this in the front pocket of my book bag.”

“You’re supposed to be working,” she said. “You promised. You can go help the men, but first you study.”

“I know. I was pausing to go through my book bag and found it.”

“Found what?”

“My train ticket,” Foster said. “The date is on there. The day it all happened was April 25.”

“Oh, wow. Angeline just said this morning it was May 10. That’s over two weeks. My poor daughter is probably worried sick.”

“Do you think she thinks you were killed?” Foster asked.

“That’s a hell of thing to say.”

“Do you though?”

“Does she have me written off?” Judith shrugged. “Probably does. I would.” At that second, she hunched down and let out a scream. There was an explosion of some sort. It didn’t sound like it was so much above them, but nearby, near enough and big enough to cause dust to fall.

Foster’s whole body tensed. The gunfire was muffled by the walls of the bunker and only heard when they got close to the garages. It was something they could ignore.

But the random explosions were scary; there was no getting used to them.

There was another one and then they stopped. Judith felt her way to the cot and sat down. “I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to those.”

“Maybe it’s not a bad thing,” Foster said. “Maybe it means things will be over soon.”

“Let’s hope, Jimmy, because I’m running out of things to clean in here.” She tried to joke, making light of the situation. After all, they were stuck below. Because of the war raging above them, no one had left the bunker for days.

Cabin fever was starting to kick in a bit for everyone and Judith exhibited hers in the form of cleaning.

Standing, she grabbed the liquid sanitizer and the rag. She squeezed the sanitizer into the cloth using her thumb to feel and judge the amount. Feeling her way, Judith walked toward the door. Maybe the doorknob needed cleaned again. Just as she did that, two more rapid explosions rang out.

For a moment, Judith didn’t move. She couldn’t.

Every day there were more explosions. Every day they were closer. Judith wanted to believe that was a good thing, but something inside of her was just plain scared to death that it meant things were not going well.

To make matters worse, they were sheltered not only by the walls of the bunker, but from the world as well. There was no news, no radio.

There was no means of knowing who was exploding what.

All the way around, they were in the dark.

“There!” Ben peered through the binoculars and then lowered them and pointed, handing them to Rick as they stood on the roof of a town building.

“I don’t see it.”

“Look for the trail of smoke.”

“Got it.” Rick gave the binoculars back to Ben.

“Do you know where that is?”

“I know the vicinity.”

“Let’s go.” Ben raced to the ladder at the edge of the roof and quickly climbed down.

He wasn’t even supposed to be in town, much less standing roof watch, but he had abandoned his plans for Canada when the fighting grew worse and closer

The war used to be far in the distance. If everyone was very quiet, they could hear far off gunshots popping here and there.

Now, it was close. It came from all angles.

Early morning the sky was lit up as jets engaged in battle. Somewhere to the northwest, the enemy fired antiaircraft missiles at the American and British planes.

They had seen one go down.

It was an American jet. Ben and Rick wouldn’t have cared had it been a Ranuelan plane, but it was American and they had to find the pilot. Ben swore he saw him eject.

They moved with urgency, fearing the Occupiers would get to him first. Ben and Rick rushed from the roof top of Jerry’s Hardware, called for replacements and hopped in the pickup.

They would have gone on horseback, but decided to take the truck in case the pilot was injured.

It was the first US plane they had seen go down all morning.

Another explosion sent Tyler scurrying to Harry’s side, cuddling next to him for support.

He was scared.

The days of living a quiet existence were over.

Until everything calmed down outside, everyone was moved to the basement of the school.

It happened so fast.

One day they were fine. They saw the planes, but it remained quiet. Then suddenly the war wasn’t just west of them, it was at their door.

They didn’t even have time to relocate or move the children.

Where would they go?

Harry told Tyler that the gunfire wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, that it was all part of the war. The farther east the fighting moved meant the farther the United States was pushing the enemy out of the country.

“Could we die, Harry?” Tyler asked.

Harry didn’t want to answer that question, but he did. And he did so honestly. “We could But we’re gonna try not to. We’re underground in case they bomb us.”

“I heard George saying that the Utah guy said the enemy is storming towns and just shooting people and taking only a few prisoners.”

Harry nodded. “That’s what they’re saying. But I can guarantee you, if they try to storm this town, they’ll have a hell of a fight on their hands, that’s for sure. None of us, Tyler, none of us are going down without a fight.”

She screamed in pain and there was nothing anyone in the bunker could do to help her.

Her labor was intense and Judith could hear her crying.

The bunker was all that small, but it wasn’t big enough to hide the noise. Not even the fighting above them was big enough.

They had ventured from their own room into the recreation family room which happened to be just down the hall from the small medical office.

Doc Baker was summoned and made his way underground to assist.

But the young woman was still some time away from giving birth.

The doc stated he hoped he didn’t have to do a cesarean section, not that it looked like he would, but he was fearful.

The war was so close; the battle was right above them.

No one dared move.

Another cry and Judith closed her eyes.

“Are you all right?” Foster asked her.

“Yes, yes. I just feel so bad for her.”

“We all do, and in more ways than one.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, she doesn’t have the conveniences of modern medicine, and she’s having a baby in the middle of a war, literally in the middle of a war, Jude.”

“It sounds so close,” Judith said.

“I heard trucks when I was in the garage.”

Judith, who had been pacing, grabbed her chest, felt for the couch and sat down. “Let’s just hope those trucks are our men. I don’t want the enemy rolling down into the garage.”

“The garage and bunker doors are sealed. If anything, we’re trapped in here.”

“Oh, great,” she commented with sarcasm. “That makes it better.”

Foster chuckled. “Wanna go to the garage and listen?”

“To what?”

“Listen to the sounds of the battle.”

Judith shook her head. “No, that sounds….” She winced at another cry from the laboring woman. “You know, what, sounds of the battle might be better. Yes. Let’s go.”