Page 2 of Ablaze

People are starting to flood the sidewalks and spill out into the roads. As I start getting closer to the Bay Bridge, I can see that it appears intact. The bridge spans farther than I can see so I take the chance and get on. Traffic is nonexistent on the bridge, but there are a few cars sitting in lanes. Out of the five lanes, most are free to drive in. Some people have stopped and are on the side of the bridge while others are stopped in random spots causing me to have to weave in out of the lanes.

I’m trying to cross the bridge as fast as I can. I don’t know if it’s the wind or another earthquake, but I can feel the bridge moving as I drive. I’m almost to the end when I can see a section of the bridge is missing. Cars have stopped in three lanes, and people are out of their cars staring out into the dark water. Two lanes on the right side are still intact, but no one is driving across them. I’m going for it. I lay on my horn as I barrel down on the people. I’m getting out of here one way or another. I weave in and out of more cars parked trying to watch both the road and the bystanders. I can see heads turning toward me as I come up on them. My car is flying now, no longer going anywhere near the speed limit.

I force my car all the way to the right side of the bridge. I’m so close to the barrier wall that I hit my mirror on the concrete. As I drive over the falling concrete, I can see cars down in the water. It’s a mess of steel and concrete. They must have gone down with the initial tremors. I feel bad for them, but I’m too scared for myself to keep my mind on the scene. I get my eyes back on the road and get back onto the section of bridge that’s still intact.

That was the most exciting trip to Oakland I’ve ever had. Actually, it’s my only trip to Oakland. Once I’m across the bridge, I realize that traffic is going to be my enemy. I’ve made it a few miles, but the freeway is flooded with stopped cars, abandoned or involved in an accident. The ash is still falling from the sky, and it’s coming down at a rate my wiper blades can’t keep up with. The wind is so strong, it’s attempting to blow my car into the other lanes. The normally flashing billboards showing ads are black. I make it a few miles before I have to come to a complete stop. As I look over at the drivers around me, the look on people’s faces is a mixture of confusion and horror. Panic has set in, and everyone is trying to figure out how to react to the insane amount of ash falling or the lack of information in the emergency broadcast.

I know I must keep moving. I pull my car off the road and power on my phone. It shines back at me the familiar message, Network Not Connected. I sit there and stare at the phone for a few minutes, not knowing what to do with myself. If I can’t call or get information on my phone, then I’m really on my own. I’ve got to get myself to somewhere safe like my mother’s instructions said. Only one major problem so far… where the hell am I supposed to go? It’s time to get out of the car. I won’t make it anywhere on this congested road, and I’m only killing daylight by sitting here. It’s time to get out and walk.

I’m walking beside the highway, and people are everywhere; they look lost and confused. I hear some groups of people talking and saying they can’t get the radio on in their car. I hear others saying their cell phones aren’t working and that they haven’t heard any news. I can hear people screaming over the wind smacking against my face. The ash is still falling hard, and I wrap my scarf around my face to stop the ash from getting into my nose and mouth. I don’t know where the ash is coming from, but it can’t be good. I pull my coat sleeve back to check my watch; it’s almost one o’clock in the afternoon, and I’ve only made it to the outskirts of the nearest big city. I need to get out of major cities, but I’m not sure where to go.

I sit down on the hard ground to rest. My feet aren’t used to this much walking and running in one day. I remove a bottle of water from my backpack and take a drink. I know the bottled water I have with me is safe but once I run out, I’ll have to figure out where to find water and use the pills my mother left me. I think about what to do next. I’m racking my brain, thinking of any clues my parents may have mentioned in the last few weeks during our phone and video chats. I don’t get why they didn’t warn me this could happen. I take out the note and reread it. They sent me here to be safer, but they knew this was going to happen. Is it worse on the east coast? What is happening? I have more questions than answers. I stuff the letter and water into my bag and pick myself up off the ground.

I start walking north and off to the freeway side. I need to get away from the crowds before they turn violent or start looting. I haven’t seen any police this entire day, which is odd. The Dome would already have police on every corner assuring citizens that everything will return to order shortly. Once I’m off the freeway side, I find a concrete side road to walk down. The wind is at my back now, giving my face a rest. I can hear a car coming so I move to the side. The car gets closer and slows. It’s a young woman with a baby in the backseat. She slows down to pass me but doesn’t stop. This road must connect to the surrounding farms and houses because it isn’t polluted with abandoned cars or people. I stay on it for as long as I can. I can see up ahead the road meets another road. It has a green mile marker sign at the end.

I search my mind for any hint of today that my parents might have given me, and then it hits me. My mom kept mentioning it would be wonderful to go skiing this winter in Salt Lake City. I remember the conversation exactly. I thought it was so odd for my mother to say. In my whole life, I’ve never known her to ski or have any interest in it. She hates the cold. I remember her exact words. “Sadie, I just love skiing, and Salt Lake City is the perfect place! You should go since you’re closer. We could stop by and see Antelope Island. I’ve heard amazing things about it and that it’s life changing!” I laughed at her and, when I pointed out the fact that she never skis, she stopped talking and changed the subject. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but now that I’m replaying all of our conversations in my head, that’s the one that sticks out. My mother hasn’t left the Dome in years. This conversation was my clue.

I know where to go now… Utah and specifically, Antelope Island.

Jesse

This must be what hell feels like. We all live in hell now.

I can feel the sun burning my skin, literally burning my skin as I walk. My arms are covered by my long sleeve shirt, but the sun is relentless. It’s strong and coming through the threads of my shirt. The sun is starting to set and should be down soon. I’ve travelled a few miles now, and I know I should have waited to move till it was completely dark, but I just couldn’t wait. I haven’t been able to cover as much ground since the riots started. In the three months that have passed since the disaster, the world we all knew has changed.

It took some time in the beginning before people really began to get out of control, when they realized no one was coming to help them and that things wouldn’t go back to normal. The electric wasn’t coming back on, the water wasn’t safe to drink in the cities and no one had any answers… that’s when the rioting and outrage started. That’s when the people started fighting back against the government and amongst themselves. Fights would break out over a bottle of water. Now people, good people, try to keep to themselves. Everyone is scared, rightly so that’s for certain.

My parents gave me a fair warning and supplied me with everything I would need to survive the initial fallout. They knew that I could handle the truth. They got me out of the Dome months in advance. I was one of the lucky ones. I knew this was coming. I was mentally and physically prepared. They got me out of the Dome by putting me on a train and secured my passage by bribing our family doctor. My work absence had to be explained somehow, and greasing the palm of our doctor was the easiest way. Money talked, and since he had no idea what was to come, he had no problem in saying I was ill and unable to work for an extended time frame. Sickness or death, those were your only options for getting out of a government placed job.

I had chosen not to go the college route, and, after my year of self-reflection, I was placed directly into work by the Dome. Once you are placed into work, you do not miss a job. Six days a week you are expected to show up and do your designated duty. You’ve got to put in 45 years before you can enjoy a leisure life, if you even make it that long. The poor go into the work life as they have no other choice. They sign the contract and usually get one bonus of some kind. Usually, it’s secured housing for their family or something else they request. It just depends on the Dome and what they’re willing to give in return for their labor.

My parents were shocked when I chose the work contract. Their high placement in the Dome would have cemented an easy life for me. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to go to a boring party after party pretending to care about the Dome’s agenda. I didn’t want forced servants waiting on me day in and day out, staring at me with their blank faces. I wanted to earn my way in life. I didn’t want to live my parents’ lives. I wanted to work, and I wanted to be my own man. Well, now I’m definitely earning my own. And I’ve got a long night ahead of me.

Traveling at night is dangerous, but this far out from any major city should be safe. I can’t handle the heat of the sun. Those first few weeks the sun was shrouded by clouds and ash dropping from the sky. Once the overcast gray was gone, the sun bore down hard with constant heat like no summer I’d ever felt before. It made traveling in the day nearly impossible. At first, I couldn’t get out of the town my parents had sent me to in Indiana. The roads were destroyed, and I had to bide my time. I packed all of my pills that my parents supplied me with and re-read their instructions. I know from their instructions that I needed to get to Antelope Island on the north western side of Salt Lake City. I’ve covered a few hundred miles, and, with tonight’s progress, I should almost be to Denver.

The heat has drained my energy, and I have to sit down for a rest. I find a tree and prop my back up against it. I open my pack and pull out the black envelope containing the letter my parents gave me. I read it for the first time on the day of the disaster as I was instructed to. I’ve read it every day since. It’s my only connection to my parents. It provides the small amount of strength that I need in times of despair. My instructions were clear, and I can even hear my mother’s tone as I read it.

Jesse,

You are prepared for today. In your pack you will find everything needed to help you succeed. We have given you enough pills to last six months, a compass and the maps you will need to get across the country. You must get to Antelope Island outside of Salt Lake City. There you will find someone who can be a great asset. She is the key to building a better world and can give you many answers. Do not let anything happen to her. Keep her far away from the Dome, and only return to the city when you receive notice. You must not let her know how important she is and, most of all you, must not let her know you were sent to find her. Keep her safe. Do whatever it takes.

Love, Mom and Dad.

I fold the letter and put it back in the envelope. I pull out the enclosed photograph and stare at her face. The girl I am to find. No name, no age and no address. She is my mystery girl. Why is she so important? Now, as I look at the photo, she looks plain to me. I can’t see her body in the photo so it’s hard to determine her age. She looks young, somewhere near my age. All I have to focus on is her face. Her pale skin looks almost translucent with her dark hair pulled up. Her green eyes stare back at me, taunting me to come find her. The only things I know about her are what my parents told me in the letter. I wonder, is she expecting me, waiting for me to come get her? Was she prepared, ready for the world to fall apart? All of these questions run through my mind. I didn’t even know she was going to be my responsibility after the disaster. I should have known my parents had an ulterior motive for getting me out of the city. I’ll always wonder what they got out of it.

I slide the photo back in the envelope and shove it into my bag. I get back up on my feet and continue to walk. The light from the moon is now shining, helping me find my way. I listen for noises around me. The looters have started making their way out of the city to set up camp in the woods. I know I’m far enough out, but I remain cautious. I keep heading west, always heading west. It’s all I know to do. I stop a few times to drink water and rest, but I keep making my way. I have to get to my mystery girl.

Hours pass. The night drags on and finally the beginning of daylight is starting to creep up on the horizon. The trees are growing farther apart, and the overhead brush is becoming thinner. I need to find shelter to rest and stay out of the sun’s blaze. I scan my surroundings for suitable shelter. Sunrise is almost complete, and I can see further ahead of me now. The woods are clearing around me, and a road is visible in the distance. The heat from the sun is starting to grow stronger every minute, and it’s glaring off something ahead. I walk a few more minutes, and, once I’m upon it, I can see what the sun is reflecting off of. It’s a large metal sign hanging on by a lone chain. It’s faded, and I have to tilt my head to one side to make it out. It reads…Welcome to Denver

Sadie

My feet are killing me. Literally, killing me. They could be the death of me. If I can’t keep walking, I don’t know what I’ll do. At this point, my feet are still covered in blisters, and one toe has lost its nail. I’ve had to walk the last eleven miles into town. I’m thirsty, dirty and sweating so badly that I don’t know how I have a drop of moisture left in my body. I had to flirt, con, beg and barter my way for the last 500 miles and couldn’t find anyone to get me these last few.

Now, I’m hiding from the sun and the crazies who go out into it. No one, and I mean no one, goes out into the sun unless they have no choice. That, or they’re just plain crazy. I’m in the remnants of what used to be a gas station and convenience store. There are about fifteen other people hiding out here. I normally wouldn’t bide my daylight hours around this many people. but I was desperate and had to get out of the sun. I remember those first few days when the sun came out blazing, and I shudder. I had never had a sunburn so bad in my life.

Right now, I’m so thirsty that all I can think about is taking a drink of water, but I’ve learned not to take my water out in front of anyone. I find a spot by the old milk coolers and throw my backpack down in front of me, locking it onto my arms. I slide my back down the glass until my butt hits the floor. I look around the large open space at the others around me. It took me two diamonds to learn about this place. I lost another two to the men guarding the front door. Once I paid, they lowered their weapons and let me into this paradise. Places like this have kept me alive.

What I assume is a mother and daughter sit across from me. The mother, holding the scared younger girl, is trying to comfort her. They had to have some help to find this place, so they are luckier than most. I wonder what the others had to pay to get in here. I scan the room, avoiding eye contact with the others. There is a restroom sign pointing toward an unlit hallway. I get up from the floor slowly and make my way over to it. I try to make as little noise as possible since people have started to fall asleep. The two men at the front door look back at me for a brief second but turn their eyes and attention back to the outside. They’ll watch for trouble as everyone else sleeps the day away.

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