“Me too. I wonder how bad the coastal cities got hit. I think I would have liked to see it.”
Erin shook her head, “No you wouldn’t. Remember New York City and Boston the way we last visited them. You don’t want to see what’s left of them after the wave washed over them. I think the news said the wave was over four hundred feet high when it hit the coastal cities. Every city along the coast died, some like New York City didn’t have enough time to get everyone out of the city. They moved people into the upper floors of their high-rise apartments and office buildings. They didn’t think about the repercussions of the wave striking the buildings. They were simply washed away, with the people inside of them.”
“Yeah, I know. I can’t understand their President leaving any survivors in the cities to fend for themselves. He didn’t even try to save them. He should have been arrested…”
“I don’t agree with you. He had only so much time. He could have sent troops into the cities to search for a handful of survivors or focus on moving those he could save. I think he did the right thing. The people in the cities were warned to leave, but most thought they could ride it out like any other storm…”
Jon smiled, “Remember the videos of them partying on the roofs of the buildings? What fools. The sky was black, the wind howling, and they were partying like it was 1999.”
Erin laughed, “Hey I know that song, want me to hum it?”
“No. They partied and then the wave came, it was higher than some of the buildings. The damn thing was alive. It swallowed the cities. Boston all but disappeared as did New York City and of course the entire Jersey shore. Atlantic City disappeared as did Newark Airport as planes were trying to land and take off. Some flew right into the wave, they thought they could fly through it and escape. They never made it. I wonder if the passengers felt anything.”
Erin whispered, “I’m sure they did. They had to have seen their plane flying into the wave. They had to have known they were going to die. Can you imagine the feeling you were going to die within moments?”
“I thought we were getting close back there.”
“Don’t talk like that,” said Erin.
“Look, our new best friend is motioning for us to follow him off the road. He’s pointing to the next street. Should we follow him?”
“Why not? He’s saved us so why not, maybe he knows something we don’t. There’s light coming from the direction he’s pointing towards.”
Jon and Erin were surprised to see they were led to a parking lot of a diner with Army HUMVEES parked in front of it. Gary motioned the Coats to join him. They were greeted at the door by a middle-aged woman with a huge smile on her face. She hugged Gary who introduced the Coats. The woman smiled, “I’m sure you need to use the restroom. It’s to the left in the back. It’s clean and I’ve got a small heater in the bathroom.”
Erin and both girls dashed to the bathroom. Jon asked, “How do you keep the power on? I thought all of the services were turned off.”
“The Army loaned me a generator. They also supply the fuel. They wanted a place to hang out so we cut a deal. I stay open around the clock, they supply the power and most of the food, while I cook it and supply the cold beer.”
“You have cold beer?”
“Why do you think the Army keeps me supplied with the generator and meat?”
“Where did you get the beer from?” Asked Jon.
“My husband owned a beer distribution company. He passed from a heart attack a few months back. The warehouse is still packed to the rafters with cases of beer. The weather keeps them cold. The warehouse is insulated so the beer doesn’t freeze, everyone is happy. The commanding colonel of the base has become a friend. His base is around thirty miles away, but he comes here every two nights.”
“But the roads?”
She laughed, “He has tracked vehicles. He has these massive tanks with bulldozer blades attached to the front of them. He uses them to keep the seven roads plowed. He follows those crazy tanks up with large snowplows. However he does it, it works. He keeps the road open. One of the reasons he keeps the roads cleared is so his people have a place to blow off steam. As long as no one gets hurt, he doesn’t care what happens. He’s cool, all he cares about is polar bears…”
Trinity had returned, “Polar bears? The big white ones? You really have them around here?”
“The colonel thinks so, I haven’t seen any, but he says they’re here and he isn’t leaving until he bags one.”
Trinity covered her mouth, “He wants to kill one? He must be a mean man.”
A mid-thirties sergeant tapped her on the top of her head as he was pulling on his gloves, “Our colonel is a great officer. He’s kept us alive and kept every FOB, that’s forward operating base for you, going without any help from the higher ups. Somehow, he finds us fuel, food, and he even keeps the roads open until he’s told to move to the next base further south. We started at Portland, Maine and have moved southwest since this crap started. I don’t know of many other officers who could have held his shit, sorry, his stuff together as long as the colonel has. And to make sure you understand, he’s going to keep you alive. Gary’s going to
