Page 49 of The Last Stars in the Sky
“This looks delicious.” Daniel’s mouth is already watering; in that moment he realizes just how empty his belly truly is.
“Hannah, Noah, wash your hands,” Tom instructs, and the children do so in silent obedience, before sliding into their seats at the table, Noah still clutching his little rabbit blanket. Abby sits next to the baby and puts a few bits of food on his tray, which he immediately picks up in one chubby fist and then smears onto his face. Daniel has already picked up his fork when Tom begins to intone grace, and he stills immediately, bowing his head.
“Dear Lord, thank you for this food you have so graciously given us. Thank you that you always provide everything we need.And thank you for Daniel, that he found our house tonight, and we pray for his safe journey to his son, who may, in your goodwill, be found safely and in good time. Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone murmurs, and for a second, Daniel can’t lift his head; when he does, he has to wipe his eyes.
“Thank you,” he whispers. Tom nods his reply and starts eating with the methodical gusto of a man who has worked up an appetite.
“Can you tell me what’s been going on?” Daniel ventures after they’ve been eating for a few minutes; the taste of hot food, potatoes and beef, is so good it is making his head swim. “I haven’t had any news for nearly a week, and even then not much.”
“We don’t know much ourselves,” Tom replies. “I guess you know about the first blasts, about two and a half weeks ago now?”
“Seventeen days,” Abby states quietly, her head bowed over her food.
“Yes, I know about those.” Seventeen days, and yet an absolute age, aneon. “And then there were others, I’d heard?”
Tom nods. “About a week ago now, I’d say. Kansas City, Columbus, Denver. It’s rumored that some cities in Europe were hit too, though I don’t know if that’s true…” He glances at Abby. “Where else, that you heard?”
“Toronto,” Abby says softly, and Tom’s expression turns regretful as he briefly puts his hand over his wife’s.
“And Toronto,” he agrees quietly. “Abby’s brother lives there,” he explains to Daniel. “With his wife and three girls.” He’s silent for a moment, and Daniel swallows a piece of potato, wondering whether to offer condolences. The cottage is four hours from Toronto. Far, but not that far. Closer than he’d ever wish.
Tom resumes, “Vancouver, too, I recall, and Regina…some other places. We heard on the radio, but there haven’t been any broadcasts for a while now. Still, I try, of an evening. I’ve got my own ham radio, so I can pick up all kinds of stuff, from all over the world.”
“Daddy heard someone in Tokyo,” Hannah pipes up, and then falls abruptly silent.
Tom smiles at her. “That I did. Couldn’t make out a word of it, of course, but the guy sounded pretty upset.” He lapses into silence, looking sad himself, and Daniel doesn’t know what to say.
“What have you heard more locally?” he finally asks, wanting to know more, even as he dreads hearing it, fearing even worse news.
“Usually, it’s just another ham like me, looking for news. We share what we know, but it isn’t much.” He gives a little sigh as he forks a potato. “It isn’t much at all.”
They all lapse into silence once more; Hannah and Noah have finished everything on their plates, every last drop of gravy, and Daniel feels a shaft of guilt. Did they get less because of him? Abby cleared the whole pot when she served everyone; there will be no seconds.
These children have it better than many, but will they slowly starve to death, he wonders.Will his?
“Why?” The word bursts out of him suddenly, making the baby screech again. Abby shushes him, feeding him a spoonful of mashed potato, which he eats with smacking lips, some of it dribbling from the corners of his mouth as he grins at Daniel. He takes a steadying breath and resumes in a quieter voice, “Why has it happened like this? Why are they bombing cities, and not the nuclear missile sites? Why so suddenly, with no warning?”
Tom shrugs, shoveling in the last of his meal. “Maybe they want to cause the most damage, without actually blowing up the whole world.”
“Except it seems that’s what they’re doing,” Daniel replies bitterly, shaking his head. “Has it stopped, do you think? The bombing?”
“I reckon so. Haven’t seen the sky turn red like that for six days now.” He glances again at his wife. “It was Rochester, you reckoned, wasn’t it?” She nods.
Rochester, Daniel thinks, appalled. A no-name city in the middle of New York’s Rust Belt, with a population of maybe two hundred thousand? Anditwas nuked? It makes no sense, and yet, he supposes, in a terrible way it does. Maximum damage, maximum fear, with targets spaced throughout the country so everywhere is affected, nowhere untouched, no one knowing what innocuous place will be next. He takes another bite of his supper and then struggles to swallow it. What if Syracuse has been bombed, as well? It is a similar size to Rochester, and it’s only twenty miles from Clarkson.
“What is the government doing?” he asks Tom. “The police?”
“Not much, not anymore.” Tom shakes his head. “Our neighbor was in the reserves, he was called up when it first happened, went to report to duty at Griffiss Air Force Base, about fifteen miles from here. But half the reserves called up didn’t show, and the other half didn’t want to do as they were told. It was dangerous, I guess, what with the blast zones and the fallout and whatnot, and when the second round of missiles came, everybody just ran. They disbanded a couple of days ago. Same with the police.”
Daniel stares at him for a moment, absorbing the meaning of his words. “So there’s no law and order at all?” he asks.
Tom shrugs. “Not much, as far as I can see. The regular army might be still doing something. I’ve seen some fighter jets andsuch. But down here on the ground? Seems like it’s every man for himself now.”
“Some people have formed militias,” Abby puts in quietly. “And others have formed gangs, although I don’t know that there’s much difference between the two. One of them has taken up in the high school in town, won’t let anybody in or out.”
Tom nods his agreement. “Something of a fortress, that, with these big stone walls all around. They raided the Costco, brought it all in with them. Same thing happened with the hospital.”
