Unthinkable (Berger Series) (2 page)

“Oh, hi Lou,” Evan greeted his neighbor.

Lou squinted in the dim morning light. “Oh, it’s you, Evan. You’re up early.”

“Yeah,” Evan looked back at the SUV rather than
meeting Lou’s eyes, “My college friend is in from out of town. Took the day off work.”

“Kids.”
Lou climbed into his car, “When I was your age calling in sick was for being sick.”

“I don’t think they’ll miss me,” answered Evan as Lou waved and backed out. Yoshi came downstairs with the crate. Evan opened the back again for him. A blanket lay across the top.

“Unless there is anything else you want to grab we really need to hit the road,” said Yoshi, handing Evan his cell phone.

Evan thought about the porcelain angel. But no, they’d be back by this evening as soon as everything blew over, right? “
Naw,” he said, “I’m good. Did you lock the door?”

Yoshi gave him a look. “Yes,” he said. “But I told you, we’re not coming back.”

“So what if you’re wrong and this is nothing?”

“Evan?” said Yoshi with exasperation.

“What?”

“Just shut up. Or call your job and then shut up.
Either way.”

Evan called work and left as a message as they pulled out of the parking lot. Yoshi pulled up to an ATM and pulled out as much cash as he could. He told Evan to do the same. Evan went along with it; he could always put it back later.

They drove through fast food and hit the highway, heading west. Evan sipped his coffee as they left the city behind, staring out the windshield as the sun came up behind them. He glanced at Yoshi and recognized that determined look. Ryan had a similar look when Evan had made the mistake of playing a board game with the two brothers. Yoshi’s brother was a good man, definitely Irish with red hair, green eyes, and an easy smile. He was six years older than Yoshi and lived in Virginia with his wife and two kids. He had some important job on a Navy ship. Evan never did understand military rank. Yoshi, of course, had grown up with it, being a Marine brat. His two older brothers had followed their dad into the military. Pat, his older brother, had joined the Marines right out of high school and gotten killed in the first Gulf War. Their dad had died less than a year later. Yoshi didn’t like talking about his dad, but Evan knew the guy had divorced Yoshi’s mom almost the minute Ryan had graduated high school. Sakura was Ryan and Pat’s stepmom; their mother had died in a car accident when they were kids.

Yoshi rummaged in the bag for his hash browns, breaking Evan’s reverie. He grabbed the bag so Yoshi could pull his food out and Yoshi gave him a tiny smile before looking back at the road. Evan settled back in his seat and put the coffee down. Whatever happened next, he knew Yoshi was a lot more prepared then he was. All Evan had ever planned for was getting a decent job and maybe a mortgage and kids one day. Yoshi turned the radio up as Evan watched the early morning traffic until he nodded off.

Evan woke up as they pulled into a rest area. “What are we doing?” he yawned and stretched.

“Stopping for a few minutes, I need to piss.”

Evan looked out the window and tried to figure to where they were. “So when do we say ‘false alarm’ and turn around?”

“Not yet,” said Yoshi as he parked near the restrooms. Evan pulled out his cell phone and saw that he didn’t have much of a signal.

“We can go back to my apartment, hang out, have a beer and do whatever till tonight.”

“I wonder if they have coffee here,” said Yoshi, staring out the windshield.

“Yoshi, don’t ignore me. I’m not stupid and you can admit you’re wrong, it’s okay.”

“Tell you what, Evan,” Yoshi looked at him, “we’ll drive for one more hour. If nothing happens by then, we’ll turn around, okay?”

“Fine,” Evan sighed as Yoshi climbed out and slammed the door. Evan watched Yoshi walk toward the restrooms. He realized he should probably go too, but just didn’t feel like getting out. He turned the radio up and wondered what the last thing he’d hear would be if the world really did end.

As it turned out, the end of the world was marked by a used car lot commercial.

Chapter 2

The station went dead. Without thinking much of it Evan hit the scan button to find another radio station. But there was nothing but static, a high pitched whine, and more static. As he realized that nothing was coming through he sat up straight in his seat and looked around. At first everything seemed normal. A woman on a payphone started jiggling the receiver, then slammed the phone back into the cradle. Someone else with a cell phone was looking at it with frustration. The highway still roared by. Things seemed to slow as he noticed people starting to look at one another. More cell phones appeared. Evan looked at his and saw that there was no signal. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He grabbed the keys and got out of the SUV. Someone must have got through to someone for a moment because there was excited chatter for a few seconds before the person pulled the phone away from their ear and looked at it stupidly.

Yoshi came around the corner and saw the gathering crowd. His eyes met Evan’s. People were standing around asking each other what had happened, what was going on. Like a virus spread by a glance everyone knew that
something
had happened. Instinctively people gathered together. Evan shook his head to the inquiries in his direction. At last a state trooper pulled into the rest stop. She got out of her car and looked at the gathered crowd looking at her.

“
We’ve been attacked.” She said,” Same people too. If you have homes nearby I suggest you return to them. If you were traveling, I’m sorry, but most major cities are under strict curfew at this time with limited travel. To those of you in that category I suggest you find a motel or someplace to spend the night. Most lines of communication are down.”

“What cities were affected?” Someone shouted from the crowd.

“All of them,” she quickly jumped back into her patrol car and squealed off as the crowd surged forward. Yoshi touched Evan’s elbow and turned back toward the SUV

“I
gotta go myself,” said Evan as Yoshi stepped back toward the SUV. He turned toward the restrooms.

“Evan
don’t be stup…” said Yoshi as a large man blocked Evan’s way.

“Where are you from?” he bent down and got in Evan’s face.

“Minnesota,” Evan tried to step around him and was blocked.

“You sure look like one of them towelheads.” The man leaned in closer. Evan bit his tongue and stepped back toward the SUV as Yoshi started it. “Hey I’m talking to you!” He reached for Evan’s arm. Evan darted underneath. He pulled open the door and jumped in. Yoshi threw it into reverse and squealed for the highway. Evan reached for his seatbelt.

“Get your gun and load it.”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

Evan muttered under his breath as he climbed to the back of the SUV. He pulled the blanket off of the top of the box and grabbed the gun case. His breath caught as he saw a bit of wing sticking out of a towel. He pulled the towel down far enough to see it was the angel. His stomach churned and for a moment he thought he was going to be sick. Was this it? Had the world really ended? He put the angel back in the crate and grabbed the box of
ammunition next to it. Evan brought the gun case up front. He sat, buckled, and opened the gun case in his lap. He fumbled with the magazine as he slid the bullets in. The SUV bounced through a pothole, nearly making Evan scatter bullets. “Geeze Yoshi be careful!” He snapped. Evan finally slid the clip into the gun and laid it carefully between the seats. Without looking Yoshi picked it up and stuck it under the driver’s seat. Evan sighed and turned to look out the window. Aside from the static on the radio it looked like a normal day. Traffic was moving like nothing had happened. Evan snapped the radio off. Yoshi slowed and took an off ramp. “Now what are you doing?” Evan asked.

“I’m getting off the main highway. The back roads should be safer.” Yoshi kept his eyes straight ahead

“Safer? Yoshi, what are we even doing?”

“I don’t know Evan. But we’ll figure it out. We’ll just keep driving west for now.”

“That’s the grand plan? Drive west?” It felt like there were rocks in Evan’s stomach. “How the hell can you be so calm about this Yoshi?”

“I’m not, really. But I’m just going to keep driving. The important thing is to stay out of the big cities, they won’t be safe. Even if they weren’t destroyed they’re going to be full of desperate people.” Yoshi glanced at Evan before looking back at the road.

“Do you know that or are you figuring based on movies? This is the real deal.” Evan looked down at the gun case.

“It’ll be okay Evan. Look there’s a town, maybe we can stop and eat.”  Yoshi pulled into a tiny parking in front of a diner that looked straight out of the 1950s. The lights were off, but people sat eating inside. The smell of barbeque filled the air. Yoshi stuck the gun in his waistband and made sure his flannel covered it before leading Evan inside.

The conversations inside were subdued, with a CB radio chattering low in the background. The plump blonde hostess looked up as they came in. Clearly she’d been crying.

“Can I help you folks?” Her voice shook.

“Just like to get a couple of plates,” said Evan with his kindest smile.

“Cash only.” A man stepped in behind her. “Take a break, Caroline.” She nodded and vanished into the back.

“Here,” Evan pulled out some of  his cash and offered it to him.

The man took two twenties and led them to a booth. Evan got settled and looked at the family of five across the aisle from them. The kids were obliviously devouring their food while their mom and dad held hands across the table and spoke in hushed tones.

“Shouldn’t flash your money like that.” Yoshi brought his attention back.

“Quit being paranoid.
People are people.”

“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

Evan shook his head. “I still gotta piss.” He stood up and walked toward the restroom, noticing the worry on people’s faces as he passed. Part of him wanted to ask them if they’d heard anything else. He wished the CB radio was louder, but probably they didn’t want to panic people. The bathroom was empty as he did his business. He looked in the mirror as he washed his hands. Should have shaved before they left, but he’d fully expected to be home by now.

Yoshi was fiddling with the silverware as Evan got back. Warm water was sitting by their places. He sat and sipped
his, knowing Yoshi didn’t want to talk. A few minutes later a skinny blonde brought them a couple of hamburgers. Evan found it funny that his last two meals were fast food breakfast and this. After all, he’d just finally managed to lose a little weight. And depending on what happened next he might end up losing a lot more. He sipped his water and tried not to think about that. Yoshi would come up with something. Right now his friend was eating mechanically and watching the crowd. Somewhere in the diner a man started crying, quickly hushed.

The finished at about the same time and Yoshi lead them back outside.” Why don’t you drive for a while?”

“Sure,” Evan took the keys and unlocked the SUV. He pushed the seat back and got himself comfortable. Yoshi put the gun back under his seat. As Evan pulled out of the parking lot Yoshi stretched back and closed his eyes.
Maybe a nap will do him some good
, thought Evan. Whatever was going to happen next, Yoshi needed to be alert. He’d been paranoid at the café, Evan was sure. But then again, paranoia had gotten them out of St. Louis. Guilt slammed into him so hard he nearly swerved. Shelly. He should have called Shelly and warned her. He should have told Lou. But then, why would they even have believed him? He hadn’t really believed Yoshi. But he’d gone anyway because it was, well, Yoshi, and paranoid or not he wasn’t stupid. It was ridiculous that they were even driving. There was nowhere to go. But then what else could they do if it really was all gone? Evan remembered watching the towers fall. What was even left of St Louis now? Was Minneapolis gone too? Really every city? It was impossible to comprehend.

. Evan felt his hands shaking and tried to push his thoughts to other things. At least he had Yoshi, and that was worth a lot. They’d been through a lot together, after all. But nothing
like this. He tried to focus on the road.

After a while, Yoshi stirred and sat up. Evan startled. “A good power nap is just what I needed.” Evan nodded. “You okay, Evan? Listen I’m sorry I was being an ass earlier. I was just trying to make you listen.” Yoshi leaned forward and looked at Evan with concern.

“It’s okay, I know how you are.” Evan smiled at Yoshi.

“I know, I’m a real piece of work, aren’t I?” Yoshi grinned back.

“A piece of something…” Evan glanced in the rearview mirror and saw flashing blue lights. He sighed, slowed and pulled over.

“What are you doing?” Yoshi asked, twisting to look behind them.

“That’s a cop. You pull over when they have their lights on.” Evan coasted to a stop on the narrow shoulder.

Yoshi twisted to stare at the cop car through the back window. “But you aren’t speeding or anything. Things are a little different now than this morning.”

“Paranoid again.” Evan left it running as he put it in park.

“Evan...”  Yoshi watched the cop stomp purposefully to the window.  The man rapped angrily on the window with his fist. Evan rolled down the window to a blast of hot, humid air, keeping his hands on the steering wheel. He looked expectantly at the officer. The cop looked suspiciously around the cab.

“So, an Arab and a Chinaman, huh?” sneered the cop. Evan heard Yoshi’s exasperated sigh. “I need to see both of your IDs and registration and insurance.” Evan grabbed his wallet and fished out his license.  Yoshi rummaged in the glove compartment and pulled out a handful of paperwork. He found what he was looking for and handed it over to Evan, then jammed the papers back into the glove box and reluctantly pulled out his driver’s license. He glared at the cop as he handed it over as well. The cop ignored him and watched Evan.

“This is actually a rental,” stammered Evan as he handed everything over.

“Uh huh,” grunted the officer as he took the documents and looked at them. Evan glanced at Yoshi. Yoshi stared past him at the cop. Evan took his hands off the wheel to wipe them on his jeans. The officer looked at him and then went back to the paperwork.

“Evan Berger and
Yoshisada McCarthy?” He glanced from one seat to the other. He leaned on the windowsill, glowering. “You boys ain’t pulling my leg, are you? I’ve never seen an Arab with a name like ‘Evan Berger’.” His eyes narrowed.

Evan gripped the steering wheel tighter and looked at the cop, but not meeting his eyes. “I’m adopted. And he’s Japanese, not Chinese.” He could practically hear Yoshi rolling his eyes.

The cop leaned back and made a show of looking at the other documents. “You’re not a valid driver on this vehicle.” His eyes met Evan’s. Evan shivered.

“No.” Evan tried to keep the rising fear out of his voice. “But under the circumstances…” He looked out the windshield.

“Circumstances? Pop open the back.” Evan pulled the lever. “Good boy. Now step out of the vehicle.” The cop backed up so he could get out. Evan could feel Yoshi’s eyes on him, urging him not to get out. Evan ignored the unspoken plea. He unbuckled and climbed out. After all, even with everything else going on, a cop was still a cop, right? The officer rested a hand on his pistol as Evan closed the door.

“Put your hands on the hood,” he barked. Evan obeyed, feeling the warmth of the still running engine beneath his hands. The cop walked to the back. Yoshi glared at him from the passenger seat as he waited. He was certain that if the officer wasn’t rummaging in the back where he could hear him easily, Yoshi would be yelling at him to get himself back in. But you weren’t supposed to ignore cops. There was a slam as the cop closed the back. He walked behind Evan.

“There’s something else going on here, I know it.” The cop growled. “You have the right to remain silent…” He grabbed Evan’s wrist. Evan froze. Suddenly the SUV squealed backward. The cop let go and tried to keep his balance. Evan cried out in pain as he barely broke his fall.

“Let him go!
Now!” Yoshi yelled. His face pressed into the pavement, Evan realized with a sinking feeling that the pistol was no longer under the front seat. The cop jerked Evan to his feet. Yoshi sat in the driver’s seat, leaning out the window with the pistol pointed steadily at them. “Sir, if you go for your weapon I’m putting one in you. Let him go.” Yoshi’s voice was low and dangerous. “Now.”  The cop released Evan. He bolted for the passenger’s side and scrambled in. Evan caught a glimpse of him reaching for his weapon as Yoshi dropped the gun between the seats, threw the SUV into drive and sped off.

He tore down the two lane highway as Evan struggled to get his belt on. He slammed against his door as the SUV careened onto a barely paved side road. There was no sign of pursuit, but still Yoshi kept going, staring straight ahead. Evan finally got the belt on and grabbed the dashboard as they bounced through a large pothole.

“Yoshi!” Evan shouted. “Stop the damn car. He’s not chasing us and you’re going to get us killed!” Yoshi slid onto another crossroad and nearly took out a sign as he overcompensated and slid onto the grass. Evan was sure they’d be rolling over into the corn field next. The SUV kicked up dirt as Yoshi got it back onto the road, barely slowing his speed.