Samantha’s lips thinned. “What could we possibly gather that could help us? Hey, are you saying the plane might crash?”
Tom looked at those green eyes and was almost hypnotized. Jackie bumped him on the arm. “Brother? Earth to brother.”
“Sorry, I was trying to think of a way to soften my answer, but there isn’t a way. Yes, we might crash land. I don’t mean fall from the sky. We could have to land in a cornfield or something. We need to gather some blankets and pillows to cushion ourselves before the impact. It probably won’t happen, but who knows what the future holds for us?”
Samantha said, “Okay, what else do we gather?”
“Food, water, knives, backpacks, and anything that could help us survive until we get home. We might hop a plane to Medford or have to steal a car to get home.”
Betty had a tear flow down her cheek. “I had to leave my girlfriends to return to work. They’re staying until next Monday. If … there’s a next Monday?”
Jackie and Tom were shaken by Betty’s words. “What’s wrong? Did I say something stupid?”
Tom choked down his tears. “We were with eight of our relatives on vacation. We had to get back to our ranch to tend to the animals and left a few days early. They’re stuck in Hawaii. That is if Hawaii still exists.”
Jackie broke down in tears, and Granny B rushed over to console her. “Aunt Joan, Uncle Bob, and all of my cousins are ….” She wept as Granny B stroked her hair.
Jackie sighed and then rubbed Tom’s arm. “We’ve got each other, and Granny B might be a lot more help than we ever imagined.”
“Yes, and I’m beginning to appreciate all those days canning vegetables, firearms practice, and learning to trap and hunt on top of our chores at the ranch. I hope we’re overreacting, but we’re as prepared as anyone else could be.”
Then Tom whispered, “We can’t let the others know about our supplies and bugout locations.”
Tom reflected back on his Grandpa’s insistence on practicing target shooting. They didn’t have live TV, but his Grandpa had a vast collection of movies. Tom’s favorites were the old cowboys starring John Wayne. He went through what Jackie called his John Wayne phase. He spent all his free time moving and shooting subsonic rounds from behind barrels and hay bales at various targets on their firing range. The subsonic rounds were good enough for close up targets and weren’t near as loud as regular loads. His Grandpa preached every day that they should never draw attention to themselves.
His Grandpa had taught him how to reload all of the centerfire bullets so Tom could practice all he wanted. Jackie didn’t practice as much but was a better long-distance shot. She had more patience than her brother, who excelled at the move and shoot close up action. They had made a great team and could almost read the other’s mind.
*
Chapter 3
The Pacific Ocean – One hundred miles off the California coast
The plane had begun a slow descent as it approached San Francisco. The pilot could see the sun on the horizon as it rose above the mountains to the east. There was enough light to see the water and make out objects below. Everyone was eager to see the coast and the city, hoping that everything was normal and their fears were for naught. A woman yelled, “There’s a ship down there on the left!”
Granny B pulled small fold up binoculars from her bag and peered down at the ocean. Her head moved around for a minute while the twin's curiosity increased by the second. Then Granny B said, “Oh my! That’s not good.”
Jackie couldn’t stand it any longer. “Granny B, what do you see?”
“The ship is dead in the water. People were waving to get our attention. Get ready for the worst. Look, they shot a flare into the air. We can’t do them any good.”
They took turns looking at the ship through Granny B’s binoculars and then several more ships and boats as they closed the distance to the coast. None of the vessels was under power. Someone called out. “There’s the coast! I see the coast!”
Granny B focused her binoculars on the coast and said. “Poop! Son of a biscuit eater! There are numerous columns of smoke rising all up and down the coast. We’re in deep doo doo.”
The pilot had continued lowering the elevation to land, and there was the announcement – “Raise your seatbacks, stow your trays, and fasten your seatbelts for landing.”
The cities around the airport looked as though they’d been bombed. Smoke rose from large craters, and crashed planes littered the ground. Many buildings and vehicles still burned with black smoke billowing from the vehicle’s burning tires. Tom could see piled up cars and trucks everywhere, and the freeways were clogged with abandoned cars pointing in all directions. Ships and smaller boats bobbed in the bay and off the coast with none underway.
Tom was astounded. “It was an EMP blast, and one also occurred near here. There aren’t any huge blast craters. There’s only damage from crashed planes littering the ground and a few fires in buildings. The riots and looting will start tonight. We have to get home quickly.”
The pilot kept the plane at five thousand feet and made a pass over San Francisco International Airport. Everyone gasped when they saw the smoke rolling high into the sky from crashed aircraft, and the runways blocked with crashed and stalled jets. The pilot keyed his microphone. “I guess most of you can see the devastation at the airport. I’m taking us to an alternate airport. Don’t worry.
