Nuclear War Club: Seven high school students are in detention when Nuclear War explodes.Game on, they are on their own. (45 page)

As soon as they sat down, heavy duty styrofoam plates heaping with scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, and whole wheat biscuits were set before them.

Karen could not believe they had biscuits! Then they brought them one pat of butter each on a small plate.

Real butter
! She had not had real butter since Attack Day. She shut her eyes, and chewed slowly, savoring the taste of the butter melting on the biscuits. She had been craving fats recently, dreaming about them.

In a few minutes, Jim rang a bell set up at the door. Everyone became quiet and turned.

“This young couple is David Phelps, and his wife Rachael,” Jim said. “I mean Karen,” he said quickly.

“Sorry,” Jim explained. “Rachael was my daughter’s name.”

It was quiet for a couple of seconds, Karen noticed people awkwardly looking away.

“Racheal was in Mobile with his granddaughters when the nukes hit,” a woman whispered to Karen.

“Where are you from?” asked a lady working in the industrial, food service size, kitchen. It seemed to Karen everyone was trying to change the subject.

“We came to Alabama from California. Now we live upstate in Beulah, ” David said.

“I am here looking for my Mother, or anyone who knows where she is now. She lived in Mobile and was selling our house before she was to join my Dad and me in California at the Air Force Base,” David explained to everyone.

“Her name is Lorraine Phelps,” David said.

Karen sensed instantly that something was wrong. They had not even shown David the Hope Board yet, but there was a collective, stunned silence, an instant sobering from the festive mood of the congregation. It was like a light had switched off. David seemed confused, bewildered, he stopped talking, staring blankly at the crowd.

An elderly man with a full head of gray hair, jumped up, grabbed David’s elbow, and placed his hand behind Jim’s back. This man held out his hand to David and said, “ I am Foster Mills. I was a Deacon before the attack. Since our Pastor died, I am helping out. We may have information on your Mother, so David and Karen, let’s go into the Pastor’s office.”

Karen grabbed David’s hand, and turned so he would not see her tears. She knew this was not going to be good news. They walked in absolute silence through the fellowship hall.

When they reached the Pastors study, no one sat down. Foster said, “Son, there was a woman named Lorraine. What did your Mother look like?”

David described his Mom quickly. Jim and Foster glanced at each other.

“The Lorraine we knew could be your Mother, from your description.”

“I say
could be
, we don’t know for sure.”

“What happened?” David asked.

“Terrorists fleeing from the Mobile hot zone started beheading and raping their way north. Lorraine had organized relief efforts at the park. She organized the hospital and the food,” Foster said.

David slumped, and sat down in the overstuffed chair. Karen knew that sounded like his Mom.

“The terrorists were moving West, to the Mississippi line, and a group of Patriot volunteers from Texas, Mississippi and Alabama were waiting for them here at the Battle of Wilmer. The terrorists broke into the hospital, killed a dozen guards, and kidnapped four women, using them as human
shields,” Foster said slowly.

“The Patriots would not shoot because of the women hostages. Lorraine grabbed her M16, and charged the terrorists. By herself. The Patriots then opened fire, charged, and wiped out all the terrorists.”

“Lorraine was shot and killed by a terrorist,” Foster said quietly.

“Three of the four women hostages survived.”

Karen realized that she had always known his Mom was dead. But like Zeke looking for Monique and LeShawn, David had to know for sure.

“David,” said Jim. David looked up, as he continued.

“It was recorded on a cellphone video,” Jim paused.

“We have but I would recommend you
not
watch it,” Jim said.

“Maybe your wife could look at it to be sure it was your Mom,” Foster suggested.

“My Mom never made it to California to meet Karen,” David said.

“Let me see it.”

Foster and Jim needed help hooking up the batteries from the solar charger into the inverter for the desktop computer. One of the kids at the church had been able to assemble the computer from burned out components to play video games. Karen inserted the flash drive, and the video appeared.

The video was thirty six seconds long. It started with both sides spread out on opposite sides of Highway 98. Suddenly there was screaming, then the cellphone is knocked over on the top of a pickup truck. The rest of the video was sideways on the screen.

The terrorists used the women as shields as the Patriots held their fire. David, Foster, and Jim were turning their heads sideways to watch the video until Karen tilted the screen.

Karen saw the look of despair when David recognized his Mom. He turned his head, bit his lip, wiped his eyes, then
looked back at the screen.

David’s Mom sprang from the ditch with the M-16 they had kept at home, and charged the terrorists screaming indistinct words about no hostages. The women began to struggle for their lives, recognizing this was their only chance.

Lorraine shot two terrorists in the chest. Her arm swung to shoot the third terrorist, when her elbow shattered, and exploded from a direct hit. Her lower right arm fell to the ground, still gripping her M-16. Two more splotches of red burst from her chest, as the bullet impact knocked her sideways before she hit the ground. Blood gushed out of her arm.

All of the Patriots attacked, and the video ended with two of the human shields running to Lorraine.

The video ended. No one said anything for several moments.

“I know, now,” David said, slowly.

“ And that means a lot.”

“Your Mom also left a Bible.”

“They found it in her backpack,” Foster said. “It’s by the Hope Board.”

David looked up.

“Let me go get it, you just stay here,” Jim said.

“Thank you,” Karen said.

No one said anything. Jim quickly came back with a worn, brown, leather Bible with “Lorraine Phelps” on the front in gold letters.

There was a folded church bulletin dated the Sunday before attack day stuffed in Psalms with a handwritten prayer list.

“That’s Mom’s handwriting ,” David said.

David read the list and handed it to Karen. The margin had 6 entries: “Prayer list: Steve and his officers and men, David’s football position & calculus class, David’s future wife, sell the house, pay off credit cards.”

David jumped up, taking the Bible, but leaving the video. Karen followed.

She could not believe his Mom had prayed for her
before she had even met David
. She never met David until Attack Day. But she had seen the list herself in the Bible.

David didn’t seem surprised.

“Mom was always praying for my future wife, that God would lead me to her, and that I would not foul it all up,” David said, noticing her shock.

When they passed the door to the fellowship hall, one, two, then everyone stood up silently.

Jim walked them to the door, and asked again if they would spend the night on his farm. Karen thanked him, but explained they would go home.

A woman from the kitchen hurriedly handed her two large styrofoam cups filled with three biscuits and butter. Karen thanked her silently, then carefully put them in her backpack while David shook Jim’s hand.

Everyone watched as an old woman slowly hobbled to the door with her quad cane, and motioned to Karen.

“How far along?” the old woman asked.

Karen paused, then replied “Two months,” covering her mouth with a trembling hand, her eyes glistening.

“Twins,” the old woman said, definitively. She did not say it as a prediction, or hope, or guess, but as an undisputed fact.

“I want you to have my wedding ring,” the old woman said, taking it off her finger.

“I couldn’t do that,” Karen replied, wiping away tears.

“It’s a good one. It lasted through sixty one years of marriage,” she said, looking into the past.

“No family to give it to. My husband died eleven years ago. All my kids are dead.”

“It’s a terrible thing to outlive all your children, it’s just not the natural way …” the old woman paused.

“God Almighty, why?” the old woman cried, lost in thought.

Karen noticed no one seemed to wonder why she quit
talking to her, and asked God a question. It was apparently routine for the wise old woman.

Jim told Karen, “She is the prayer woman.”

It was quiet for several seconds, then the woman continued.

“Yes, Lord. Your ways are not our ways. You are high and lifted up, ” the prayer woman said powerfully, raising her left hand, turning back to Karen.

“ Everyone knew I was married,” the prayer woman continued, in her normal tone, with no explanation.

“ But you look so young, they may not know you are married. Take it,” the prayer woman urged.

“God told me to get my house in order, so this ring is for you,” the woman explained

“Thank you, “Karen said, as she tried the ring on. The ring was a little loose, but it fit. She would sew some thread around the back of the ring for a tight fit.

“You will need it a little loose, because your fingers will swell something awful during your pregnancy with twins,” the old woman said.

“Thank you God for room to grow on the ring. Your ways are perfect in everything!” the woman said, smiling, very pleased with God’s foresight. She turned to leave, then paused.

“Child, you are exactly the kind of wife a Mother prays God will send for her son to marry.”

“Believe me………I know,” she said, then walked away.

There was absolute silence as they walked outside.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant?” David asked on the way to the truck.

“I wanted to be sure,” said Karen. “I thought I was pregnant once before, then my heart was crushed.” He held her left hand, feeling the wedding ring.

Karen quietly thought about preparations for the birth as they drove east on Highway 98. They quickly reached
Wilmer Park, where Mom was buried.

“Lorraine Phelps, Wife, Mother, and Hero of the Battle of Wilmer,” read the marble stone. Karen took a pencil and paper and etched the marble marker writing. David looked puzzled.

“Your Mom’s grandchildren will have a copy of her monument,” she said. David smiled.

“Mom used to make these surprise breakfasts. She put them in a large styrofoam coffee cups to eat on the drive to school. She would make them the night before, and leave stick on notes “microwave for one minute” or “keep cold”.

“She wrote me reminder notes, Bible verses, or taped newspaper clippings to the side of the foam coffee cups for me to read. My Dad loved her so much.”

It was quiet, as Karen regretted that she had never been able to meet her. They walked silently to the truck.

David looked back at the grave.

Tears rolled down his face when he saw the large styrofoam cups with the Church biscuits sticking out the top of Karen’s backpack. She caressed his face with both hands, silently took his keys, and cranked up the truck.

David put her backpack against the door, ate one of the biscuits in his cup, savoring the butter. He took the remaining two biscuits and added them to the three biscuits in Karen’s cup.

“These two biscuits are also for you,” David said.

“Well, actually for my twin boys,” David said. He smiled, gave her the cup, and soon fell asleep.

Karen felt, or maybe just hoped, they were boys. I don’t know much about girls, she thought.

She felt a tremendous feeling of peace at just having him here, hearing him breathe. She didn’t know what the future would hold. They could be ambushed on the way home, but she would face it together with David. She realized how important it was to David that he find his Mom. It was the last thing his Dad asked him to do.

She started crying, thinking about how much she had missed her Mom, how she had quit asking about her. And the whole time David’s Mom was praying for Karen, as David’s future wife, without even knowing who she was.

It was quiet as she drove and her mind drifted. She automatically scanned for ambushes, randomly changed speeds, slowed down, stopped, made U-turns, bypassed choke points, and scanned with her thermal imaging binoculars.

She thought about meeting the prayer woman, and how glad she was to have a wedding ring. It was a big deal, she thought, as she looked at it on her finger. She caressed her stomach, remembering the prayer woman had said she would have twins.

Storm clouds filled the sky as the torrential downpour began. She really loved storms. She inserted the CD and played Rich Mullin’s song
Calling out your name
.

The miles rushed by, and she was soon close to home.

Their
home.

Copyright Notices and Disclaimers

My First Bible in Pictures
by Kenneth Taylor, with illustrations by Richard and Frances Hook, which the fictional character Samuel owned in this novel, is a real book, owned by its respective copyright owners, and is highly recommended.

Aircrew Survival
- The US Aircrew checklist book is real, and derived from two versions, a white cover and green cover, published by the United States Department of the Air Force. The Spiritual Checklist cited is from the 1985 edition pages 120,121.

US Army Special Forces Medical Handbook-
1982 is real and cites the attributed text on page 22-3 “
Maggot therapy for wound debridement”

The excellent 34 minute DC3/C47, 89
^th
Troop Carrier Group WW2 training film TF-1-33 shows the cockpit, plane and flight controls in use . It has been uploaded on You-Tube by ShootingStar31, who is not affiliated with this novel, at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtmb-kPGB0c

The thermal evasion suit is derived primarily from an article written by Brandon Smith
“Defeating Drones: How to build a Thermal Evasion Suit
” and a video published on the internet by Alt Market and Oath keepers online in June 2015. I added the Velcro adaptation.