Jacqueline Druga - Protocol One

“Well, you said he was your partner and I thought…”

“Mom,” Jackson barked from the back. “Seriously? That didn’t really go over your head, did it? No, wait, it did.”

It took a second and my eyes widened. “Oh. I’m sorry, I thought…”

Skyler shook his head. “No worries. Are you sorry now that I came along?”

“No, not at all.” I smiled and no sooner did I say that when I saw Duke sit up straight.

“Uh, oh, Tony,” Duke said. “Trouble.”

Trouble? What did he mean? I shifted my eyes and before I saw it, I screamed when it sounded like someone banged on the side of the van three times.

It startled all of us. All I saw through the side window was a massive body. He wore a light green jacket and walked to the window.

I sat back in my seat.

Tony remained calm and didn’t even acknowledge him.

The man banged his hand again.

Tony reached to wind up the window and the man’s huge hand slammed against the edge as he peered in.

He was a burly man and with a husky voice. “Let me in.”

“No, can do.” Tony said. “We’re full. Look for yourself.”

“And I am going to repeat. Let us in.”

“And I am going repeat…”

The shift-shift of the engaging shotgun chamber caused me to jump, Melissa to scream and Joie to cry out a frightened, “Daddy!” when the shotgun poked in the window.

“Get out of the car,” The man ordered.

“Tony.” I peeped his name.

“Stay here,” Tony whispered and reached for the door handle.

“All of you!” The man blasted. “Now, or I’ll blow your fucking heads off! Don’t think I won’t.”

Tony turned his head to me. “Stay here.” He placed the van in gear then lifted his hands to the man. “I’m stepping out. But I need to lower my hands to open the door.”

The door opened, “No you don’t. Get out.” The man kept that shot gun on Tony and close to his face the whole time, even as Tony stepped from the van.

With his hands semi up, Tony slid through the slight opening and inched to the left. The door closed.

He had moved to an area I couldn’t see, that single panel potion of the van where there wasn’t a window.

“What’s going on?” I asked. “What?”

Duke replied. “He is pointing the gun on Tony. Can you make out what they’re saying?”

“No. No. Maybe he’s reasoning with the man and…”

I jumped. No wait, I screamed.

Joie cried out, “Daddy!”

Two gun shots rang out.

“Tony!” I yelled and scrambled to the driver’s seat,

“Mom!” Jackson screamed.

“It’s not Tony,” Duke declared.

In the midst of Duke’s narration, I watched Tony slowly lower his weapon as the man stood straight, arms extended, eyes wide. His movements had to be automatic. They had to be. There was a wound to his chest and a single mark on his forehead.

Tony lowered the gun as the man fell back into a car in the next lane, then to the ground. My hand shot to my mouth, and Tony approached the van door.

He reached to open it and then he stopped.

Something was wrong.

He looked to his right and to the man and every ounce of blood drained from Tony’s face.

What did he see?

Tony disappeared from sight. I caught a glimpse in the side mirror of Tony racing to the man and bending down.

“Duke, what’s going on?” I asked. “What’s he doing?”

“He looks like he’s turning him over. He…” Duke went silent.

“What? What?”

“Oh my God. Oh my god.” Duke’s hands shot to his face.

I barely got the word ‘what’ out of my mouth when the back doors to the van opened.

Tony tossed in a duffel bag. His face was pale and white with a look of fright. His voice quivered and was barely audible as he squeaked out, “Doc, help him. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

I couldn’t see fully. Too many heads in the van. But when Craig jumped up, that was when I saw… Tony was holding a baby.

I will never forget those first few moments after Tony called for Doc to help.

It was complete panic in the van. Voices meshed together. I didn’t know who was speaking, who was saying what or what was going on. All I could figure out was that the man Tony shot had a baby strapped to his back.

“Sky, grab my bag.”

“What do you need me to do?” Melissa asked. “What do you need me to do?”

“Oh God, is he dead?” asked Jackson.

“Daddy.”

“Come here, baby,” said Nelly. “Don’t look. Don’t look.”

Craig had moved to the back of the van, tossing bags forward to make room. “Take this. I need room.”

The back doors closed. I was hunched between the two front seats, trying to figure out what was going on.

The passenger door opened. Tony stood there. He took a step to get in, stopped, turned and vomited. He stayed in hunched down position.

Cars started to beep at us. “Traffic is moving.” I said.

Tony got in and sat in the passenger’s seat. “Drive. Please drive.”

As I sat in the driver’s seat, I watched Tony. He leaned forward, head down and buried beneath his hands.

“Should I go? Should I drive? What?” I asked. “Someone tell me.”

“Go,” Skyler answered. “Get out of this traffic and find a place to pull over.”

I nodded and put the van in gear and inched forward. For some reason a break occurred and traffic picked up the pace.

It was something I shouldn’t have done, but I did. I looked at the side view mirror as I drove. The man’s body was still in the middle of the road.

Some rode around him, some just rolled over him. No one stopped. No one cared.

Was this what we had become? In such a short span of time, humanity was losing before the extinction event even occurred.

Richmond, Indiana

“You need to pull over,” Craig shouted from the back.

“I’m trying,” I replied. “There’s nowhere to pull over.”

“Find a place to stop and do it.”

I was trying; we were on open highway with nothing but fields ahead of us. I thought about just pulling over on the highway then I spotted an exit sign. “Exit ahead.”

“Go there. Find a place to stop. A safe place.”

I picked up speed, driving faster than I had ever driven.

“I lost him.”

Silence.

Tony groaned, it was a painful and emotional sound and he cradled his head even more.

My heart beat wildly in my chest.

“Come on, little one. Come back.” Craig beckoned, emotionally against the whimpers and sobs of those in the van. “Don’t you let go. Please, please, please.”

Finally, I spotted it. Down the road from the exit was an abandoned service station and I pulled in. The entire time, I was praying in my mind for the child not to die. I didn’t know anything about the baby. Just that he was hurt.

As I brought the van to a stop, Craig announced, “He’s back. He’s back.” And he laughed in a grateful way.

Everyone reacted that way. Accept Tony.

He flung open the van door and jumped out.

“I need air,” Craig said. “Melissa, grab me that water. Sky, can you help me clear this area? I need to start an IV. Dad, I need something sturdy and flat. A board. See what you can find.”

To me, everyone needed to stop, to take a break, to get that air. It was a traumatic experience.

I worried about what it did to the kids. Joie especially.

She saw a man shot, and then a dying infant. But I honestly think the most traumatizing for her was thinking her father was dead.

Tony.

I looked out the windshield to see Tony moving at a quick pace into the field that sat next to the service station.