Jacqueline Druga - What Tomorrow Brings

There was no happily ever after following a nuclear war. It wasn’t fantasy, there was no drop a few bombs, then just dust off and move on like nothing happened.

It was over.

The life she knew was over no matter how badly everyone ran about trying to grab pieces.

Einstein once said he didn’t know the weapons that would be used in world War III, but he believed sticks and stones would be used in World War IV.

How true that would be. The world would digress. There wasn’t an option here.

One day things would be better, but that wouldn’t happen in Kit’s life time. In order for that to happen, things would have to get worse, a lot worse. That was the world Kit and her family faced. Unlike Abe, Kit’s mission wasn’t going to be to rebuild her country, it was going to be to resolve her life. To find her family and survive the best she could. It wasn’t going to be easy. She would take it one step at a time, one day at a time.

That was all she could do.

Not everyone was going to Canada. The flight that left Washington carrying essential personnel and family was supposed to arrive in New Mexico. Efforts were underway to retrieve those who survived the crash from Maltese and Elcort and get them to New Mexico. If her daughter was with her, maybe Kit would have been one of those people who opted to go to New Mexico. Bury herself away below the ground and a clean bunker. Forgetting all the horrors of the world above her. But she couldn’t. Jillie was out there, her mother and sister were out there. She had to put that forefront. She had to find them, or at least give it her best shot.

Kit was at base when the first truck of twenty people arrived on base from Maltese to take their spot in the bus going south. They acted as if they were rescued. Rescued from what? To be rescued would mean to be taken from a dangerous situation. They were going to a clean, maintained bunker, but even that wasn’t a long term solution. It was more of preserving. They would be safe and fed, working to build a new society, while the rest of the world just crumbled apart.

They had given them the small room just before the bunker exit. Kit wished there was just more time to say their goodbyes. She supposed that no matter how many minutes the clock said they had, there would never be enough time. This would include a final farewell. A part of her felt selfish, because she knew how sick her brothers were, especially Mark, she looked at him and knew his last moments were coming, there was no denying that. Mark was thin, his hair gone in patches, his face was pasty and sores covered his body. She wanted those moments with her baby brother. She wanted to take back every single time she fought with him when they were kids, but there was no taking it back. This was it. Regis, her big brother, she wanted that time with him as well. She felt a little bit more hopeful about Regis he didn’t look quite as pale, quite as weak, then again, Rege was always hiding things very well.

“The plane will land outside of Boise,” Dennis said to Mark and Regis. “A supply truck will get you as close as they can to Spokane.”

Kit asked.”Is Spokane fine?”

“We never received word it was hit,” Dennis said. “Boise wasn’t hit. So that’s hopeful.”

“Even if it was,” Mark said. “I have to go.”

“I know you do,” Kit kissed him on the cheek. “You do what you need to do. Know that I will be there soon, so don’t leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Mark’s voice was hoarse as he spoke.

“What about you?” Regis said. “How are you getting there?”

Dennis answered that. “There is suppose to be another craft going to Vancouver in two weeks. Hopefully we can get her on that.”

“That’s… if things aren’t halted after the surrender,” Regis said. “There’s a chance she won’t have a way north.”

“I will.” Kit stated. “I’ll find a way. It may take longer than two weeks, but I’ll get there.”

Dennis looked down at his watch. “We need to get you on the plane and I have to get on that bus, so I need to get my things together.”

“No.” Zeke shook his head. “I’m not going to Canada.”

Kit turned to him.”You heard what your grandfather said. We don’t know what is going to happen when the occupation occurs.”

“If it occurs,” Zeke argued. “I’m still not convinced any country hit by nuclear weapons has the time or resources to invade our soil.”

“It’s not an invasion,” Dennis corrected.

“Whatever you want to call it, I’m not going,” Zeke said. “My mother and sister are here. We don’t know what’s going to happen. We can speculate, but I’m not leaving on speculation.”

“The surrender is not speculation,” Dennis said. “It’s the only way to get aid to this country.”

“If I may…” Regis spoke up. “Kit, can I give you one last piece of brotherly advice?”

“It is not your last,” Kit said adamantly.

Regis winked. “Okay, but let me say this.” He shifted his eyes to Zeke. “Don’t send him to Canada.”

“Regis,” Dennis scolded.

“No, dad,” Regis argued. “The kid has a point. President signs the surrender. What if no one shows? It’s a screwed up world right now. Half destroyed, dying. All good intentions aside, or not, the aid may not come. It’s conceivable for them to save their resources for their own people, so Canada shuts down their borders. Then what? How will she get to Zeke, or find him?” He turned around to face Kit. “Send him to New Mexico, take him with you, leave him on base or in that town, but don’t send him anywhere you can’t get to. You don’t know where he will be after he crosses the border. Don’t lose track of your only son.”

“I’m not father of the year,” Mark added. “However, our big brother is right. Sorry, Dad. If you were going, I’d say yes, but you’re not. He’ll be alone without family. He is still a kid.”

Kit looked at her father.

“You do what feels right,” Dennis said. “You’re his mother.”

“Mom?” Zeke pleaded. “Please.”

Her oldest brother in all his wisdom was right. Kit would figure something out, but sending him to Canada wasn’t an option.

Kit simply said to Zeke, “Say goodbye to your grandfather and uncles please, then wait for me in the hall.”

Zeke said goodbye but he didn’t leave, he waited in the doorway for his mother.

The farewell was bittersweet because Kit knew that she would eventually head to Spokane, but didn’t know if she would ever see or speak to her brothers again. It wasn’t as hard saying goodbye to her father, she knew she’d see him again.

One day.

She wanted to cry, but she didn’t. She conveyed her gratefulness to her brothers for being there for her and she told them she loved them. They repeated the sentiments. To Kit there was just something so final about it all. As if when they left they slipped into a thick gray fog and she would never see them the same way again, if at all.

She watched the bus leave and her brothers board the smaller aircraft, then Kit left the base with Abe and Zeke.

Abe was quiet in the truck, not saying much, dealing with his own goodbye to his brother. He simply said to Kit, “You made the right choice about Zeke.”

Just outside of Maltese, they spotted a man on the side of the road. He carried a backpack and waved them down. He didn’t look well and said he was heading to Maltese for help. Abe sat with him in the back of the truck and they headed to town.

Kit hadn’t noticed when they left, but the Sherriff had set up two deputy cars on the two lane road a quarter of a mile before Maltese. As Kit slowed down for them, an officer waved them through, possibly recognizing Harland’s truck.