radio. There’s nothing on any of them.
The three family members looked at one another in alarm. “I’ll try outside,” Rex said, getting up from the sofa. Roxie and Kathy followed him to the front door, but Rex hesitated. “Might be better in back of the house. In case someone is watching.”
They all headed that way. Roxie opened the back door shutter and Kathy opened the regular door. Rex stepped outside and ran the bands again, but there was still nothing, except louder static. Rex shook his head and started to turn around to go back inside when the sky lighted up brighter than daytime for long fractions of seconds.
All three stood there frozen until the brightness turned an ugly purplish orange. Suddenly Rex pushed his mother and sister inside, following right behind them. “A nuke! There will be a blast wave any second. Get down to the shelter!”
The two women ran. Rex stayed behind to close the door and shutter, but followed the two as soon as the task was completed. He was on the third from the bottom of the stairs when the basement began to shake.
The movement threw him off stride and he fell into the basement, landing awkwardly. Roxie and Kathy were waiting for him at the door separating the two sections of the basement. Grabbing an arm apiece, they helped Rex up, and then into the shelter.
Roxie released Rex and stepped back out into the unfinished section of the basement. It was a struggle, but she carried all five of Jay’s binders into the shelter from where they’d been dropped after she and Kathy scooped them up on the way to the shelter. Roxie set the binders down and shut the vault door.
Several loud clicks sounded, and all three looked around, unsure what was causing the sound, or even where it was coming from. Rex hopped on one foot over to one of the chairs at the table near the kitchen area of the shelter.
“Did you break your ankle?” Kathy asked, kneeling down to examine Rex’s leg and foot.
“No. Just turned it, I think,” Rex said through clenched teeth.
The shelter shook again, and again the clicking sounds were heard a couple of minutes later.
“I think I know what those sounds are. The blast valves on the airlines and stuff,” Rex said.
“You mean… from a nuke?” Roxie asked softly.
“Yeah. I think two went off near enough to us to shake the foundation by ground shock, and surface overpressure high enough to trigger the blast valves.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Rex said. Kathy had the hiking boot off and was manipulating his foot this way and that. Not without some pain. “Ow!”
“Well, it isn’t broken, thank goodness,” Kathy said after standing up. “We’ll need to ice it for a while, and then wrap it for support.”
“First, I need to go out and check for fires around the place,” Rex said. He leaned over and pulled his boot back on and laced it up.
“No. Roxie and I will do that. You just sit here until we get back and I will ice your ankle.”
It was a mother’s tone of voice that children didn’t argue with. “Okay. But be careful. Here,” he said. Rex unfastened his gun belt and gave it to Roxie.
Kathy looked at her two children for a moment, but didn’t protest when Roxie fastened the belt around her waist.
“I’m ready, Mom,” Roxie said and moved toward the shelter door.
“Roxie,” her mother said, “We just look for any fires and deal with them if we have to. Do you have your dosimeter on?”
Roxie showed Kathy the dosimeter clipped in the pocket of her blouse. Kathy touched hers, aware now, after reading the manual, the importance of keep track of radiation. “Okay. Let’s go.”
It was an anxious five minutes for Rex, and a whirlwind five minutes for Roxie and Kathy. There were no fires around the house. In fact, there were no signs of any damage at all to their house. The same couldn’t be said for many of the other houses on
The three family members looked at one another in alarm. “I’ll try outside,” Rex said, getting up from the sofa. Roxie and Kathy followed him to the front door, but Rex hesitated. “Might be better in back of the house. In case someone is watching.”
They all headed that way. Roxie opened the back door shutter and Kathy opened the regular door. Rex stepped outside and ran the bands again, but there was still nothing, except louder static. Rex shook his head and started to turn around to go back inside when the sky lighted up brighter than daytime for long fractions of seconds.
All three stood there frozen until the brightness turned an ugly purplish orange. Suddenly Rex pushed his mother and sister inside, following right behind them. “A nuke! There will be a blast wave any second. Get down to the shelter!”
The two women ran. Rex stayed behind to close the door and shutter, but followed the two as soon as the task was completed. He was on the third from the bottom of the stairs when the basement began to shake.
The movement threw him off stride and he fell into the basement, landing awkwardly. Roxie and Kathy were waiting for him at the door separating the two sections of the basement. Grabbing an arm apiece, they helped Rex up, and then into the shelter.
Roxie released Rex and stepped back out into the unfinished section of the basement. It was a struggle, but she carried all five of Jay’s binders into the shelter from where they’d been dropped after she and Kathy scooped them up on the way to the shelter. Roxie set the binders down and shut the vault door.
Several loud clicks sounded, and all three looked around, unsure what was causing the sound, or even where it was coming from. Rex hopped on one foot over to one of the chairs at the table near the kitchen area of the shelter.
“Did you break your ankle?” Kathy asked, kneeling down to examine Rex’s leg and foot.
“No. Just turned it, I think,” Rex said through clenched teeth.
The shelter shook again, and again the clicking sounds were heard a couple of minutes later.
“I think I know what those sounds are. The blast valves on the airlines and stuff,” Rex said.
“You mean… from a nuke?” Roxie asked softly.
“Yeah. I think two went off near enough to us to shake the foundation by ground shock, and surface overpressure high enough to trigger the blast valves.”
“It’s okay, Mom,” Rex said. Kathy had the hiking boot off and was manipulating his foot this way and that. Not without some pain. “Ow!”
“Well, it isn’t broken, thank goodness,” Kathy said after standing up. “We’ll need to ice it for a while, and then wrap it for support.”
“First, I need to go out and check for fires around the place,” Rex said. He leaned over and pulled his boot back on and laced it up.
“No. Roxie and I will do that. You just sit here until we get back and I will ice your ankle.”
It was a mother’s tone of voice that children didn’t argue with. “Okay. But be careful. Here,” he said. Rex unfastened his gun belt and gave it to Roxie.
Kathy looked at her two children for a moment, but didn’t protest when Roxie fastened the belt around her waist.
“I’m ready, Mom,” Roxie said and moved toward the shelter door.
“Roxie,” her mother said, “We just look for any fires and deal with them if we have to. Do you have your dosimeter on?”
Roxie showed Kathy the dosimeter clipped in the pocket of her blouse. Kathy touched hers, aware now, after reading the manual, the importance of keep track of radiation. “Okay. Let’s go.”
It was an anxious five minutes for Rex, and a whirlwind five minutes for Roxie and Kathy. There were no fires around the house. In fact, there were no signs of any damage at all to their house. The same couldn’t be said for many of the other houses on
Similar Books
