The Journal: Fault Line (The Journal Book 5) (27 page)

***

Marion came over later that same day to work
in the garden and noticed all the stacked boxes of food when she
went to the garage for a hoe.

“My goodness, what are you two doing?” she
asked.

“Didn’t you see the reports about the
Yellowstone volcano?” Christine asked her. “That was the rumbling
we felt yesterday. The government says it won’t be a problem, and
I’m doubtful we need to do all this, however, Trevor thinks we
should,” Christine huffed, glancing sideways at Trevor.

“What does that volcano’s ash have to do with
us?”

Marty pulled up in his scout car, hopped out,
and hurried over to the trio.

“I see you’re putting in some supplies. Good.
We need to do some shopping too,” Marty said.

“Marty, do you really believe that ash cloud
is going to come here?” Marion asked.

“Sweetheart, I get reports most never see,
and yes, it’s coming.” He swiped his hands over his face. “The
official government stand is we will all be fine, that there is
nothing to worry about. However, law enforcement is being readied
for worse, much worse. And so is the military and so are the
hospitals and… the coroner’s office.” The nervous police chief
turned to his friends. “Can Marion stay with you two during
this?”

“Of course, Marty, and you should too. From
what I read on the internet, there will be days when no one can go
anywhere. There will be nothing for you to do until it passes. Even
after that it will still be dangerous to be outside, unless you
have a respirator,” Trevor explained, trying to ignore Christine’s
scowl.

“I know, and I’m being issued one,” Marty
said. “If you really don’t mind, I’d like to be here during my off
hours, however few those might be.”

“Of course, and we’ll be glad to have both of
you,” Christine added. “You can have the lower level to
yourselves.”

“Since no one knows how soon this might
start, I think maybe Marion and I should go home and pack a few
things, right dear?” Marty looked at his now frightened wife, who
nodded. “When we come back, we will help you move whatever else you
need to bring over from the store.”

***

“I’m even more scared now, Trevor,” Christine
admitted.

He folded her into his comforting arms. “We
are going to get through this. Knowing there is something we can
do, and then doing it, is more than half the battle. Remember, it’s
better to have something and not need it, than need it and not have
it. Come on, there’s still some things at the store to bring here,
especially now that there will be more of us.”

***

“Marty, Christine wants me to check on
Janis,” Trevor said. “You want to come along?” “

Yes, knowing she’s had Max over to do things,
I’m interested in how he’s behaving.”

“What’s he been doing?”

“Things like yard work mostly,” Marty
replied.

***

As they pulled up to the house Janis’ foster
parents had left her, they both noticed how neat her yard looked
now.

“Oh, yes,” Janis gushed, “Max has been doing
lots of chores for me. He’s really nice, and… he’s cute!” She
giggled.

This alarmed Marty, until he remembered that
even though Janis was twenty-six, mentally she was still fifteen
mentally, and that might be a normal reaction from a teenager. He
told himself he needed to explain things to Max.

“How are your supplies, Janis?” Trevor asked.
“You do know about this ash cloud coming, right?”

“Yes, I know all about it. Seth has made sure
of that. Dr. Adams stopped by last week with my new debit card and
said I had plenty of money now if I wanted to go shopping. So I
did.” She grinned. “Seth took me to the super-store in Indianapolis
and we did lots of grocery shopping! I was nervous going into the
big city, but I needed a lot of things that I can’t get here.”

“Seth did? That’s good, Janis, I’m glad he’s
helping you,” Marty said.

“With this ash cloud coming we talked it
over, and Seth is going to stay here with me,” she said. “I really
like having Dot here too. She makes me feel happy and not so alone.
Oh, and Seth thinks that because Max is alone, he should stay here
too until the cloud passes. What do you think?” Janis asked,
obviously seeking their approval.

“That’s very generous, Janis, and I approve.
Max is a nice young man,” Trevor said. “Is Seth around?”

“He’s in the basement with Max. They’re
fixing it up like a bachelor pad. That’s what Max called it.” She
giggled again.

***

While Marty checked all of Janis’ window and
door locks, Trevor descended into the brightly lit basement.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Monroe,” Max politely
greeted Trevor.

“Ah, Trevor. How are the newlyweds doing?”
Seth asked, his dark face split with a jovial grin.

“We’re doing great, Seth, thanks. Listen,
we’ve been getting more information on this ash cloud approaching
and we’re all pretty concerned. Do you have enough food and
supplies for the three of you to last several weeks?”

“Weeks? I understood it might be a few days
at the most,” Seth replied, concern now lacing his deep voice.

“It might be longer than that. And afterward,
supply lines might shut down again,” Trevor said. “It might be a
good idea to take Janis shopping again and stock up even more. And
I think all three of you should go: safety in numbers you
know.”

“What would you suggest we get, Mr. Monroe?”
Max asked.

“More canned goods and dry foods like pasta
and rice, stuff that doesn’t need refrigeration. And bottled water,
lots of it. The city supply might get contaminated. It would be
okay for flushing, but not much else,” Trevor said. “And go today.
Oh, don’t forget dog food.” They talked more about what to buy and
Max took notes.

When all of them arrived back in the living
room, Marty took Max aside and spoke with him quietly.

“Oh, yes sir, I understand about Janis. Seth
told me. I think she’s very pretty and very nice, and I promise to
behave myself, sir,” Max reassured the chief.

***

“Trevor thinks we should do more shopping,
Janis,” Seth told her.

“I don’t want to!” Janis protested.

“Why not?”

“Going into the city scares me! When we were
there before, did you notice how people looked at us? They all
seemed so… angry, and I was afraid.”

“Trevor says we should have more food,” Seth
pushed.

“Right now I don’t care what Trevor thinks.
He’s not always right, ya know!” Janis pouted. “I don’t want to
shop, Seth, and it’s my money! Besides, we just bought a lot of
groceries, and I think it’s enough.” Janis crossed her arms over
her chest as a final statement.

When Janis left to take Dot for a walk, Seth
checked over the cupboards, surprised that there wasn’t all that
much in the way of canned goods. They did buy several pounds of
rice that were now in a sealed container and the boxes of pasta and
macaroni and cheese mixes were in a different spot, all lined up
neatly. He opened the refrigerator and felt better that it was
almost full. The freezer held several pizzas and a couple of bags
of frozen fries. Perhaps Janis was right: they’d be fine with what
they had for food. Seth dismissed his earlier concerns and never
brought it up again.

“What are you two doing?”
Trevor asked when he saw Christine and Marion digging.

“Potting some of these plants,” Christine
frowned. “If we won’t be able to go outside to pick the tomatoes
when they ripen, they’ll just rot. What else can we do?”

“Actually, that’s pretty smart,” he grinned
and planted a kiss on Christine’s cheek.

“How’s Janis?” she asked.

“Janis is going to be fine. She has Seth and
Max staying with her now. They’re circling the wagons, just like
us.”

***

The dark clouds out west moved steadily
eastward, blotting out the sun as they progressed. Reports of the
numerous deaths filtered in to the government websites and were
quickly removed. The majority of the population had no idea how
devastating the ash was becoming.

***

“You sure you’ve got the right channel,
Trevor?” Christine asked. “I don’t recognize that weather man.” The
view shifted to the regular anchor.

“
Thank you, Andrew
,” Cynthia said, her
face frozen in a neutral expression. “
And now for a look at the
national news.”
She shifted some papers and then read from the
teleprompter. “
From the reports that have filtered in, we now
know that the 9.6 earthquake and the subsequent volcanic eruptions
in Yellowstone were felt as far east as Washington D.C. and as far
north as areas in Ontario, Canada.

“
Government officials are suggesting
caution when venturing outdoors, and recommend that those with
breathing disorders remain indoors until the possible ash cloud
passes.

“
On a brighter note, the Atlanta Braves
take on the Chicago Cubs tomorrow in a home game.”

Trevor stared at the screen in disbelief.
“The news is being whitewashed! The nation is facing a disaster of
epic proportions and they’re talking
baseball
! I think we
should have a private chat with Marty and Doc Adams, they might
know more.”

“What happened to Matt Zika?” Christine
asked.

“Remember how the screen went blank and then
there was a long string of commercials the other night? My guess is
he said too much and they’ve taken him off the air,” Trevor
ventured.

***

Trevor, Christine, Marty, and Doc Adams sat
around the dining room table while Marion hovered in the
background, keeping coffee and tea mugs filled.

“What can you tell us, Doc?” Marty asked.

“Understand that I’m talking to
you
,
Martin, as the chief of police. This is not for public knowledge,
so Trevor, Christine, don’t listen.” Dr. Adams gave them a rueful
smile and turned away from them slightly to face only Marty. “The
reports right now are sketchy, and few. That being said, I think we
need to prepare for the worst, especially if the general public
believes the pabulum they are being spoon fed. The reports are
horrific to say the least. Those that venture outside without
protection are dropping like flies.” Adams took a sip of his coffee
to steady his nerves, though his hands still shook. “I’ve seen only
one initial autopsy report that indicated the victim’s lungs were
turned to pulp. That report is now gone from the website.”

“So Matt was right!” Christine exclaimed. She
turned to Trevor, “I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“Who is Matt?” Doc Adams asked, forgetting he
wasn’t supposed to talk to them.

“He’s a regional meteorologist who said there
would be fine shards of rock in the ash, and it would be like
breathing glass,” Trevor explained. “And he’s no longer on that
station.”

“Censorship,” Marty grunted. “What do you
want me to do, Doc?”

“What kind of reports are
you
getting?”

“What’s left of my force after these two flu
outbreaks are being issued full face masks with respirators, and
we’re to keep everyone off the streets, taking them into custody if
necessary and relocating them to a shelter outside of the city.”
Marty looked around the table and smiled. “Oh, and I’m not supposed
to talk to anyone outside of my department either, so don’t listen.
The military is also being called in, and as soon as the ash starts
falling, perhaps as early as tomorrow, we will be under martial
law.” He repeated, “What do you want me to do, Doc?”

“Never leave home without your respirator for
a start,” the doctor said solemnly. “And prepare your men for
picking up and transporting bodies.”

Moose Creek

“You’re leaving?” Allexa squeaked out after
John’s announcement.

“I’ll be back, I promise. But I have to try
and get to Christine, bring her back here,” John said. “If I leave
first thing in the morning, I could be in Indiana early on Friday.
It’s a twenty-four hour drive, I’ve done it before.”

“But John, the ash cloud… it could beat you
there,” she protested.

“If it were your boys, you know you would try
to save them.”

“Yes, I would.”

July 19

“I think it’s best if I left before Eric and
Jason know I’m going. They’re not going to be happy with me,” John
said quietly.

“Well, I’m not very happy with you either.”
Allexa wiped away a tear.

She boiled a dozen eggs and set them in a
plastic baggie, and then into an old blue cooler with two loaves of
bread and a couple of cans of tuna, along with a can opener. She
put two one gallon containers of water in the cooler first. One was
frozen and would keep everything chilled for a day or longer, and
once thawed, John could drink it when the other gallon of water was
gone. Then she filled a thermos with coffee for his long trip.

“You might need to bribe your way through
checkpoints, John,” she said handing him some cash. “And don’t
leave the Beretta behind this time. Take an extra box of ammo, too.
The road is going to be a dangerous place.”

“I have cash, you keep this.” He handed the
money back. “But if you don’t mind, I think I
will
take
Beretta with me. Funny how I feel much safer with it, and I think I
should take your old car.”

“No, you take the new one; it’s more reliable
and gets better gas mileage. Just make sure you bring it back to
me.” Allexa tried to smile, but it was difficult. They loaded an
old sleeping bag, his duffle, the cooler, and one extra can of gas
into the hatch.