are still clear, anybody can just drive right up to our door and start trying to figure out how to get in. Once the roads are out of commission, they’ll have to hike to us in deep snow. And we’re four miles from the nearest house. That’s when I’ll finally feel safe enough to scale back on security a bit.”
Sami , Sarah’s best friend, stepped over to their table.
She asked, “Have y’all seen the latest on CNN?”
“No.”
“Come on over when you get finished eating. It’s getting worse and worse out there. And CNN is saying they’ll only be on the air for a few more days.”
Sarah went into a funk. In past days she’d stayed glued to the television for hours at a time. As depressing as it was, it was also… fascinating. The whole world was crashing down around them. Millions of people were dying, and those still alive were becoming increasingly desperate.
But she knew that someday, she and the others in the mine would be the only surviving witnesses for hundreds of miles. It was important to her that she was able to give her unborn children, and their children, an accurate picture of what happened when Saris 7 hit the earth.
And besides, there wasn’t much else to do.
She kissed Bryan and said “See you later.” Then she looked at Hannah and asked if she wanted to come.
Hannah said “You guys go ahead. I’ll join you in a bit.”
Bryan left too, saying he needed to refuel generator number one and do preventative maintenance on generator number two. Until he got his backup away from the security detail and trained, he was the only certified electrician available to keep the power flowing and the lights on. For the next few weeks, he’d be a busy man.
“Well, here we are, alone again, sailor boy.” Hannah said. What’s on your agenda this morning?
“Well, I have my daily date with the other woman in my life. She just can’t stand to go through her morning without my tender touch. I’m going to pull a few more pallets of cattle feed out of Bay 16 and put it closer to the livestock so I don’t have to lug it so far. And, I have to work with Mike and Stewart to teach them how to drain the gray water tanks on the RVs. I walked past one yesterday that was overflowing, and we can’t afford to waste the water.”
Hannah leaned over and kissed her husband.
“Well, you go ahead and see Sally and caress her the way she likes it. Just don’t get so attached to her that I start feeling jealous.”
“Don’t worry, baby. You’ll always be the number one star on my hit parade.”
Hannah went to join the girls and catch the latest developments on CNN.
Mark walked to the livestock area in Bay 17, grabbed a bucket and stool and walked to the corner of the bay where a three hundred pound jersey cow stood with her udder full, ready for her daily milking.
“Hello, Sally. You look happy to see me.”
Chapter 3
The girls weren’t alone in Bay 8. The lounge area Mark and Bryan had constructed the year before very nicely accommodated up to twenty people comfortably, with several couches, recliners and easy chairs.
On this particular morning, there wasn’t an empty seat in the house. The children weren’t there, of course. They were in school in one of the mine’s two one-room school houses in Bay 6. No, these were all adults. And that was good, because much of what they were seeing would have caused nightmares for the young and weak hearted.
Outside the safety of the mine, society had broken down and chaos was the order of the day. At least half of America had already perished. Those that remained were the steadfast and gutsy who were convinced they were tough enough to stick out a seven year winter. Or those just too stubborn not to least try.
The temperature had
Sami , Sarah’s best friend, stepped over to their table.
She asked, “Have y’all seen the latest on CNN?”
“No.”
“Come on over when you get finished eating. It’s getting worse and worse out there. And CNN is saying they’ll only be on the air for a few more days.”
Sarah went into a funk. In past days she’d stayed glued to the television for hours at a time. As depressing as it was, it was also… fascinating. The whole world was crashing down around them. Millions of people were dying, and those still alive were becoming increasingly desperate.
But she knew that someday, she and the others in the mine would be the only surviving witnesses for hundreds of miles. It was important to her that she was able to give her unborn children, and their children, an accurate picture of what happened when Saris 7 hit the earth.
And besides, there wasn’t much else to do.
She kissed Bryan and said “See you later.” Then she looked at Hannah and asked if she wanted to come.
Hannah said “You guys go ahead. I’ll join you in a bit.”
Bryan left too, saying he needed to refuel generator number one and do preventative maintenance on generator number two. Until he got his backup away from the security detail and trained, he was the only certified electrician available to keep the power flowing and the lights on. For the next few weeks, he’d be a busy man.
“Well, here we are, alone again, sailor boy.” Hannah said. What’s on your agenda this morning?
“Well, I have my daily date with the other woman in my life. She just can’t stand to go through her morning without my tender touch. I’m going to pull a few more pallets of cattle feed out of Bay 16 and put it closer to the livestock so I don’t have to lug it so far. And, I have to work with Mike and Stewart to teach them how to drain the gray water tanks on the RVs. I walked past one yesterday that was overflowing, and we can’t afford to waste the water.”
Hannah leaned over and kissed her husband.
“Well, you go ahead and see Sally and caress her the way she likes it. Just don’t get so attached to her that I start feeling jealous.”
“Don’t worry, baby. You’ll always be the number one star on my hit parade.”
Hannah went to join the girls and catch the latest developments on CNN.
Mark walked to the livestock area in Bay 17, grabbed a bucket and stool and walked to the corner of the bay where a three hundred pound jersey cow stood with her udder full, ready for her daily milking.
“Hello, Sally. You look happy to see me.”
Chapter 3
The girls weren’t alone in Bay 8. The lounge area Mark and Bryan had constructed the year before very nicely accommodated up to twenty people comfortably, with several couches, recliners and easy chairs.
On this particular morning, there wasn’t an empty seat in the house. The children weren’t there, of course. They were in school in one of the mine’s two one-room school houses in Bay 6. No, these were all adults. And that was good, because much of what they were seeing would have caused nightmares for the young and weak hearted.
Outside the safety of the mine, society had broken down and chaos was the order of the day. At least half of America had already perished. Those that remained were the steadfast and gutsy who were convinced they were tough enough to stick out a seven year winter. Or those just too stubborn not to least try.
The temperature had