Tim Washburn - The Day After Oblivion

Melissa turns left and Jonathon lights the flashlight, shining the beam along the hard-packed earth stretched out before them. A mile down the road, Melissa stops the truck and they make a rapid transition. Melissa climbs into the back to take over flashlight duties while McDowell climbs behind the wheel. He eases out on the clutch as Melissa moves to the middle rear of the cab and stands, the flashlight extended in her hand. The light stretches only about twenty feet beyond the hood, and the going is slow, but at least they’re moving.

Russellville, Arkansas

Anew day provided a turn of luck. Early this morning, Zane and Alyx had backtracked to Highway 89 and took it west to pick up I-40 coming out of Little Rock. Now approaching midday, they’re facing their first hiccup of the day. Passing through Russellville, the highway makes a steady ascent up a slight ridge to a summit that overlooks a once-tree-filled valley and a small lake now spewing steam. The only thing that suggests the valley was once covered with trees are the scorched tree stumps that stretch on for miles. Zane slows the truck to a stop. “What the hell is that?”

Alyx leans forward in the seat for a better look out the windshield. “That is, or was, I should say, Arkansas Nuclear One.”

Zane turns to look at Alyx. “They bombed a nuclear power plant?”

Alyx shrugs. “Why not? If you’re going to launch nuclear weapons, targeting nuclear power plants is a no-brainer. What the bombs don’t get the melting cores will. They’ll spew radiation unchecked for years. Call it an added bonus or, from their perspective, good collateral damage.”

The fires swept across the highway, cutting a wide swath through the rolling foothills to the north. In the far distance, smoke continues to rise from the surface. Zane returns his gaze to the road to see a group of people cresting the next ridge and shuffling in their direction. It’s a large group, probably twenty or more, and several are dragging makeshift travois. Zane reaches for the shotgun, and Alyx reaches out a hand to stop him.

“Don’t, Zane. There are too many of them. Besides, it looks like a consortium of families. I count five little ones.”

“That doesn’t make them any less dangerous. As a matter of fact, it makes them far more dangerous.”

“I’m not sensing any hostility.”

“Hell, they’re still a quarter of a mile away. Are you gifted with long-range ESP?”

“Look at their body language, Zane. They can see us and yet there has been little response. I’d like to talk to them. Find out what’s over the next ridge past the power plant.” Alyx bends down and pulls their stash of meds out from beneath the seat. She pulls out one of the large bottles of antibiotics and stuffs the sack back under the seat.

When the group is closer Zane can begin to distinguish physical features. It appears there are ten or eleven women, eleven children of varying ages, and eight males. One of the males, a short, burly man with a wiry beard, appears to be leading the group. Several of the others are pushing a shopping carts loaded with their supplies. Alyx gasps. “Look at their faces, Zane. Those are fresh radiation burns.”

At fifty feet the group comes to a halt, the leader walking forward. He stops near Zane’s open window, his face a blistered mess. A pack is tied to his back and the handle of an older revolver peeks over the waistband of the man’s jeans. Zane takes the antibiotics from Alyx and sticks his arm out the window. “A peace offering.”

The man steps forward and takes the bottle. “Thank you.”

“We’re Zane and Alyx.”

The man nods. “I’m Robert. My wife, Alice, is the one with the red bandanna. Two of the little ones are ours.”

“Where are you coming from, Robert?”

“Originally from Dallas. At least most of us. We picked up a straggler here and there. We barely made it out alive. They bombed the hell out of the city. What about you?”

“We started out at Fort Meade, Maryland. We’re on our way to Weatherford, Oklahoma, where Alyx’s family lives. How far east are you planning on going?”

“Hoping to make Memphis. My wife has some family there.”

“We passed through Memphis. It’s still relatively intact. How’s it look out west?”

“We were traveling along a more southerly route until we got to what used to be Shreveport. Made a jog north and picked up I-40 in Fort Smith. It’s relatively clear to there.”

There’s a lull in the conversation until the man sighs and says, “We screwed up. We camped the last two days down in a valley about a mile down the road. We were trying to let the little ones get their legs underneath them. I saw the smoke, but hell, we see smoke all day, every day. Had no idea about the nuclear power plant here. Guess we got a pretty good dose of radiation. Don’t know how much, but enough to blister up.” Robert sighs again. “Guess we’ll know more in the next couple of weeks.”

“I don’t know if the antibiotics will help with the radiation, but that’s all we have to offer. I’m sorry,” Alyx says.

“I don’t know, either, but I appreciate it. I’m sure we’ll find a use for them.”

There’s another lull in the conversation. What do you tell a man who is likely going to die within weeks or maybe even days? “Safe travels to you, Robert, and to the rest of the group,” Zane says.

“Same to you, Zane.” He nods at Alyx. “Nice to meet you.”

“Same to you.” A tear forms in the corner of Alyx’s eye and drifts down her cheek as Zane drops the truck in gear and eases down the road.

Once clear of the group, Zane feeds the engine more gas and cranks up the window. “We need to move quickly through this area.”

Alyx nods and wipes her cheeks.

Decaying bodies line the highway and the stench of rotting meat fills the cab. Zane consciously breathes through his mouth as he swerves around the debris, trying to hurry through the hot zone. When they’ve covered ten miles, he slows to a more manageable speed. “Think we’re clear?”

“Yes.”

Those are the first words Alyx has spoken since encountering Robert and his group.

She turns in her seat, pulling her left leg beneath her. “Maybe we should have given them the pickup.”

“No. They’ll all be dead inside a month.” Zane reaches over and takes her hand. “What happened to them is terrible, but there are similar situations happening all over the world.”

“Did you see those poor children?”

Zane gives Alyx’s hand a squeeze. “I saw them. There’s nothing that can be done for them.”

Alyx lays her head against the seat back. “What a horrible world we’re living in.”

They ride in silence for many miles. Zane glances over to see if Alyx had fallen asleep, but her eyes are wide open. “You have to let it go, Alyx. Otherwise it’ll eat you up. Think how glad your family will be to see you.”

Alyx tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and turns to look at Zane. “You know what they’ll really be excited about?”

“I think having a daughter return from the edge of the world would be at the top of any parent’s wish list.”

Alyx slides across the seat and snuggles up next to Zane. “Oh, they’ll be happy to see me, but they’ll be even more delighted I’ve finally found a man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”

North Atlantic

After six hours of sleep, Thompson is back on the bridge of the USS New York. During the night, the ballistic missile submarine has covered nearly 400 miles and is now submerged at a depth of 400 feet, a hundred miles off the coast of Virginia and North Carolina. Although the top-end speed of the sub is classified, they sailed a little north of 25 knots all night long. The top speed of the destroyer USS Grant is also classified, but they are currently fifty miles closer. Captain Murphy, knowing they didn’t have enough fuel to make it to the Virgin Islands, dropped the hammer in an all-or-nothing gamble.