chips and beer.”
“I can’t believe you’re making fun of me.”
“Veronica, I’ve had some time to come to terms with this. And you’ve had an entire month.”
“Well, I’ve been hoping you were full of shit,” she said.
“Oh, you knew goddamn well I was telling the truth. So, are you gonna ditch your old man now or what?”
“No!” she said indignantly. “Hold on . . .”
She turned to Michael, who was just hanging up with his father. “Honey, he says he can meet with us at the truck stop day after tomorrow. You okay with that?”
Michael crossed his arms and nodded. “Yeah, yeah we can do that.”
“What time, Jack?”
“Make it nineteen hundred,” Forrest said. “If anything comes up, call.”
“Wait, what time is that?”
“That’s seven P.M. ,” he answered with a chuckle.
“I’m glad you find this end-of-the-world stuff so funny.”
“I don’t find it funny at all. I think you’re funny. See you then.” He broke the connection.
Michael stood looking at her.
“How’re your folks?” she asked.
“Dad’s fine. You know him. But mom’s already a wreck, worried about my sisters and all the grandkids.” He put his hands in his pockets and laughed joylessly. “I’m not sure I believe this is happening, Ronny. It’s worse than Pompeii. There’s absolutely nowhere to run.”
She shrugged. “That’s why we dig . . . well, figuratively.”
Nine
F orrest tucked the phone into his pocket and grabbed a pair of ammo cans filled with .223 caliber ammunition for their M-4 carbines, short-barreled versions of the M-16 assault rifle. He carried the ammo into the house and waited at the top of the basement stairwell for Ulrich to come up and get it.
“Got a meeting with that girl from the truck stop day after tomorrow,” he said, handing the cans over. “Her boyfriend’s gonna be there, so I want you to come along.”
“Suppose the guy’s an asshole?”
“Hence the meeting, Wayne. That’s what I’m looking to find out.”
“Just making sure, partner.”
“The meteor’s gone public, by the way.”
Ulrich stopped as he turned to go down. “It’s an asteroid, Jack. Who broke the story?”
“A group of astronomers in Hawaii, I guess. You’d better turn on the TV down there and find out what they’re saying.”
“I’ll tell Linus to watch it,” Ulrich said, heading down. “He likes sitting on his ass.”
After the ammo was stored belowground, Forrest took a break in the house. He was smoking a cigarette on the couch with Laddie at his feet when Ulrich and Vasquez came into the living room and dropped onto a couple of chairs. The sun was setting and pretty soon the five of them would be gathering in the kitchen to make dinner.
“What are they saying on TV?” Forrest asked.
Ulrich rubbed his eyes, fatigued from lack of sleep. “Exactly what Jerry told us to expect—there’s nothing to worry about, they’re gonna shoot it down and the world will enter into an era of peace and prosperity.”
Vasquez chuckled. “And the five of us will be asshole deep in debt for the rest of our lives.”
“We should hope,” Ulrich said.
Forrest pointed at Vasquez, his mind on forty things at once. “What are we going to do about your insulin habit in the long term?”
Vasquez shrugged. “I’ve got a lot of it down there on dry ice. If we keep it cold, it’ll last a long time.”
“But even if you’ve got enough for two years, there’s a limit, Oscar. What do we do when you run out?”
“I guess you watch me slip into a coma and die, Homes. It won’t hurt. I’ll just go to sleep.”
“I don’t like that plan,” Forrest said. “And neither will Maria or little Oscar. Is there a way we can manufacture it?”
“It’s a hormone, dude. Shit, we may not even outlive my supply.”
“For your information, dude, I plan to make it well beyond your goddamn supply, and if it’s all the same to you, I’d like for you to be around when we come
“I can’t believe you’re making fun of me.”
“Veronica, I’ve had some time to come to terms with this. And you’ve had an entire month.”
“Well, I’ve been hoping you were full of shit,” she said.
“Oh, you knew goddamn well I was telling the truth. So, are you gonna ditch your old man now or what?”
“No!” she said indignantly. “Hold on . . .”
She turned to Michael, who was just hanging up with his father. “Honey, he says he can meet with us at the truck stop day after tomorrow. You okay with that?”
Michael crossed his arms and nodded. “Yeah, yeah we can do that.”
“What time, Jack?”
“Make it nineteen hundred,” Forrest said. “If anything comes up, call.”
“Wait, what time is that?”
“That’s seven P.M. ,” he answered with a chuckle.
“I’m glad you find this end-of-the-world stuff so funny.”
“I don’t find it funny at all. I think you’re funny. See you then.” He broke the connection.
Michael stood looking at her.
“How’re your folks?” she asked.
“Dad’s fine. You know him. But mom’s already a wreck, worried about my sisters and all the grandkids.” He put his hands in his pockets and laughed joylessly. “I’m not sure I believe this is happening, Ronny. It’s worse than Pompeii. There’s absolutely nowhere to run.”
She shrugged. “That’s why we dig . . . well, figuratively.”
Nine
F orrest tucked the phone into his pocket and grabbed a pair of ammo cans filled with .223 caliber ammunition for their M-4 carbines, short-barreled versions of the M-16 assault rifle. He carried the ammo into the house and waited at the top of the basement stairwell for Ulrich to come up and get it.
“Got a meeting with that girl from the truck stop day after tomorrow,” he said, handing the cans over. “Her boyfriend’s gonna be there, so I want you to come along.”
“Suppose the guy’s an asshole?”
“Hence the meeting, Wayne. That’s what I’m looking to find out.”
“Just making sure, partner.”
“The meteor’s gone public, by the way.”
Ulrich stopped as he turned to go down. “It’s an asteroid, Jack. Who broke the story?”
“A group of astronomers in Hawaii, I guess. You’d better turn on the TV down there and find out what they’re saying.”
“I’ll tell Linus to watch it,” Ulrich said, heading down. “He likes sitting on his ass.”
After the ammo was stored belowground, Forrest took a break in the house. He was smoking a cigarette on the couch with Laddie at his feet when Ulrich and Vasquez came into the living room and dropped onto a couple of chairs. The sun was setting and pretty soon the five of them would be gathering in the kitchen to make dinner.
“What are they saying on TV?” Forrest asked.
Ulrich rubbed his eyes, fatigued from lack of sleep. “Exactly what Jerry told us to expect—there’s nothing to worry about, they’re gonna shoot it down and the world will enter into an era of peace and prosperity.”
Vasquez chuckled. “And the five of us will be asshole deep in debt for the rest of our lives.”
“We should hope,” Ulrich said.
Forrest pointed at Vasquez, his mind on forty things at once. “What are we going to do about your insulin habit in the long term?”
Vasquez shrugged. “I’ve got a lot of it down there on dry ice. If we keep it cold, it’ll last a long time.”
“But even if you’ve got enough for two years, there’s a limit, Oscar. What do we do when you run out?”
“I guess you watch me slip into a coma and die, Homes. It won’t hurt. I’ll just go to sleep.”
“I don’t like that plan,” Forrest said. “And neither will Maria or little Oscar. Is there a way we can manufacture it?”
“It’s a hormone, dude. Shit, we may not even outlive my supply.”
“For your information, dude, I plan to make it well beyond your goddamn supply, and if it’s all the same to you, I’d like for you to be around when we come
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