“Tough,” Madison said. “Tough. We have come this far and we will keep going until we know.”
“What if they’re…?”
“They’re not.”
“But what if…?”
“Then you’ll face it,” Madison said. “Like I did and like Del did. I believe they aren’t. What are the odds? One of us has to find their family alive.”
Oh, yeah, what were the odds? Pretty good, I believed. A simple look at our surroundings told me the odds were stacked against survival.
I began to drive again, the entire time thinking, was the weather foreboding, the cold, the snow, the ice, was it trying to stop me from going any farther? It seemed with each mile east, things worsened.
“Here’s a question,” I said softly. “This was about finding our families. This was our drive to survive. If, God forbid…”
“Stop it.” Madison snapped. “I’m serious.”
“I am too. Do we want to live? Do any of us want to go on? We would have lost everything and everyone. Do we want to keep going on in this screwed up world?”
There was silence. During it I started thinking that maybe if I could find water, I would jump in. They say that it was a peaceful way to go.
For miles no one said anything. I guess the question of, ‘Do any of us want to live?’ was on both Del and Madison’s mind.
Finally, Madison spoke up. “Yes. Yes. I do. Bruce and my boys died trying to live for me. The least I could do is try to stay alive for them.”
She was right.
If my family was still at my house, then they, like Bruce were waiting on me. Trying to survive. I owed it to them to keep going.
I would know soon. The truth of their fate was only a mere few hours away.
Home.
At least close to it.
I absolutely dreaded when we had to drive north, even something as simple as forty miles. I just didn’t know what was ahead.
My home town was across the river from Steubenville, Ohio. Steubenville was barren, frozen and desolate. Flyers were posted everywhere, but they too were frozen. I thought and believed that a major northern exodus was successful. After all we hadn’t seen any cars on the road as we went north.
Then once in Steubenville we realized why.
The cold hit so fast, people just didn’t have time to get out.
Many that did try, met their fate on the Memorial Veteran’s bridge. A huge, colossal architectural wonder of Ohio. A cable-stayed bridge with triangular pylons.
It had collapsed, the cold along with the abundance of cars, snapped the bridge and sent it into the frozen river.
Cars that had fallen became integrated into the ice creating a frozen cemetery.
There was one bridge that hadn’t collapsed. We stopped before crossing it. Going across that river was the only way to get to my house. My home was a mile at the most from that bridge.
We paused there for the longest time. It was like walking on ice. We were one vehicle. I wanted to just drive as fast I could, but the surface was slick.
The five minute ride over the bridge seemed like an hour. I felt as if I were waiting for it to just let go and crash to the frozen water below at any second.
It didn’t.
There was another obstacle to overcome though. The roads. Unlike the Midwest, West Virginia had many hills. Even the highways weren’t straight and even. We figured by looking at the map, if we could make it mid way south through the state, things would ease up.
That was our logic.
Another goal.
But first… my family.
My heart pounded from my chest when we pulled onto my street and then I lost it. I felt it drop to my stomach and my insides twisted and turned. My ears filled with a buzz as my rising blood pressure pounded and burned them.
The family van was still out front.
The windows of the house were iced over. A tree had fallen across the yard. If nothing else, my home screamed death.
I stopped the Humvee. “I can’t go in there.” I lifted my eyes to Madison.
“You sure?” she asked.
“I’m sure.”
She squeezed my hand, put up her hood, grabbed her gloves and reached for the door.
“No,” I stopped her. “You don’t have to.”
“You need to know. I’ll be back.”
“I’m coming with you,” Del said.
I felt the blast of cold air when they both opened the doors. My forehead dropped to the steering wheel.
How long had it been since I prayed. I wanted to believe it was years, but that wasn’t true. I prayed in that hole.
Eyes closed tight I prayed that it was fast, that they didn’t suffer. I hoped it was peaceful at least.
Did they die knowing I loved them?
Hand clutching the steering wheel, my body tensed up while waiting on the final verdict.
The driver’s door flung open.
“Stop torturing yourself,” Madison said, then handed me a frozen solid baggie. Inside was a note. “They left.”
Notebook – THE NOTE
July 19
Lace,
I tried to wait for you. I really did, but I had to think of the kids. If you are reading this note, I am so sorry we aren’t here. We know you are out there, alive, trying to get home.
The weather is predicted to take a turn for the worst, it’s already cold and without power, staying warm is hard. Last word from Mr. Johnson and his ham radio was that Yellowstone was on the brink of joining whatever set off the cascade of eruptions. Your mother made it here a few days ago. We’re taking her SUV and heading to Moundsville to hopefully follow the convoy to Virginia.
Our destination is Norfolk. Refugee ships are leaving there in a few days and then again, two weeks later. I don’t know whether we will make the ship on the twenty-fifth. Please know that we had to go. I will be waiting for you and pray you find us.
I know there are millions heading south. They’ll probably put us in one of those camps. I don’t know. I took that stupid Sun Flag with us. I will put it out wherever we are. So no matter how many people, no matter how many tents or trailers, look for that flag.
Find us Lacey. I hope and pray you do. We are all fine and alive, and we all miss and love you very much.
Thirty – Stalled
The letter was written nearly a week earlier. Placed in a baggie and taped to the table just inside the front door. He stated my mother arrived a few days earlier. Which meant my mother went directly to my home after getting my call. The day he wrote it was the day me and Madison left with Callie and Stone. We were still out west.
They left before the exodus.
They had a jump on it.
I wondered why he picked that day and why he went to Moundsville and not straight to Norfolk. Did he hear something, see something?
I stood in my frozen living room taking in one final look, then like Madison, I gathered some items. I took photographs, and other things that perhaps someone else would understand my reasoning behind. I put them in my backpack.
Madison and Del both asked about the sun flag. A flag I should have noticed right away was missing, but I didn’t. I explained that I had flags for all occasions. I placed them on a pole from our porch. Before I left for California I hung the summer one. A bright blue flag with a huge yellow sun with a smile face and the words, ‘summer is here’. How ironic he took that one. In the midst of a wintery hell, I was to look for a huge smiling sun.
Perhaps, it would be the only sun we would find for a long time, but it wasn’t the only sun I wanted to see.
We didn’t stay long. It was time to go. I knew no matter how fast we drove, even under the best road conditions, we were missing the Seven-Twenty-five. Our best bet and hope was to get to Norfolk and find out what ship they took.