feeding.”
“We should try to get to them,” Ashley
Richards spoke up, “see if they know any more than we do. Maybe
they’ve got some answers.”
Wayne Richards looked at his wife carefully.
It was clear he was just as surprised by her suggestion as the rest
of us were. “Are you stupid? It’s suicide to go outside. We’ve seen
what can happen. You can go if you want to. I’m staying right here
until help arrives.”
“So we wait here until we starve to death?”
Ashley asked, on the verge of tears again. Her lower lip quivered
as she spoke. “We were supposed to have our whole lives ahead of
us. We were supposed to have a family, kids, even grandkids
someday. We were supposed to buy a house that we could call our
own. We were supposed to fall asleep in each other’s arms for the
next fifty years. How can we do that if we die here after a week or
two?”
It was clear that Wayne Richards didn’t have
the answers. It was clear that he didn’t care either. Sadly, no one
really expected him to.
“I think Ashley’s right,” Leland spoke up.
“We’re going to die either way. Might as well give it a shot while
we’re still strong enough to fight for our lives. Maybe we could
make some sort of containment suit out of trash bags. I saw it on a
science-fiction movie once.”
“I’ve got some more air masks in hardware,”
Chuck said. “The kind with a strong microfilter. I’ve got thick
rubber gloves and boots too. Those might do the trick.”
“Whoever goes should take a walkie-talkie.
It’s not more than a couple hundred yards to the restaurant. We
shouldn’t have any trouble communicating over that distance.”
“So who is going to be the one to risk their
life?” I asked. It was clear nobody had thought about that part of
the deal.
“I’ll go,” Leland Kennedy said. “I’m the
oldest. I’m the one who’s lived his life and enjoyed the good
times. If anybody should take the chance, it should be me. I’ve got
the least left to lose.”
Although we should have argued with the old
guy, he was right. The rest of us still had a lot of good years
left provided that we made it out of this situation alive.
“I’ll go round up the stuff,” Chuck said.
About ten minutes later Chuck returned with a
shopping cart full of supplies: duct tape, garbage bags, boots,
gloves, an air mask, goggles, and a two-way radio along with a
bagful of batteries.
“Go ahead and wrap me up,” Leland said. “I’m
ready to do this. Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually make it over there
without turning into a food additive.”
We couldn’t help but laugh at that as we
started covering every exposed inch of Leland Kennedy in plastic.
When we finished he looked like a futuristic mummy. He walked like
one too.
“This getup feels like I’m wearing cardboard.
I should have asked for the designer version.”
Before any of us could say any words of
encouragement or thanks, Ashley Richards kissed the old man on the
cheek. The cheek was covered in plastic, but the gesture wasn’t
lost in the translation.
“Thank you for what you’re doing,” she said.
“Even if it doesn’t work, you are one of the bravest men I’ve ever
met.”
“Don’t cry for me yet, missy,” Leland rasped
through the air mask. “If I make it back alive, you’re going to
cook supper for me one night.”
“I’m still learning to cook,” Ashley
confessed.
“Fine. You can buy me dinner then. But be
warned I’m a healthy eater.”
“Deal,” she said.
“I’ll hold you to it,” Leland said. “Now, how
do I work this walkie-talkie thing?”
“Just push the button on the side and speak
into the receiver,” Chuck explained. “I gave you a lot of extra
batteries so we can talk freely once you get to the
restaurant.”
“You’ve got a lot of faith in me,” Leland
said.
“You’re all we’ve got,” Chuck replied.
“Well here goes nothing,” Leland sighed,
pushing the doors open. Steven and I closed them almost before
“We should try to get to them,” Ashley
Richards spoke up, “see if they know any more than we do. Maybe
they’ve got some answers.”
Wayne Richards looked at his wife carefully.
It was clear he was just as surprised by her suggestion as the rest
of us were. “Are you stupid? It’s suicide to go outside. We’ve seen
what can happen. You can go if you want to. I’m staying right here
until help arrives.”
“So we wait here until we starve to death?”
Ashley asked, on the verge of tears again. Her lower lip quivered
as she spoke. “We were supposed to have our whole lives ahead of
us. We were supposed to have a family, kids, even grandkids
someday. We were supposed to buy a house that we could call our
own. We were supposed to fall asleep in each other’s arms for the
next fifty years. How can we do that if we die here after a week or
two?”
It was clear that Wayne Richards didn’t have
the answers. It was clear that he didn’t care either. Sadly, no one
really expected him to.
“I think Ashley’s right,” Leland spoke up.
“We’re going to die either way. Might as well give it a shot while
we’re still strong enough to fight for our lives. Maybe we could
make some sort of containment suit out of trash bags. I saw it on a
science-fiction movie once.”
“I’ve got some more air masks in hardware,”
Chuck said. “The kind with a strong microfilter. I’ve got thick
rubber gloves and boots too. Those might do the trick.”
“Whoever goes should take a walkie-talkie.
It’s not more than a couple hundred yards to the restaurant. We
shouldn’t have any trouble communicating over that distance.”
“So who is going to be the one to risk their
life?” I asked. It was clear nobody had thought about that part of
the deal.
“I’ll go,” Leland Kennedy said. “I’m the
oldest. I’m the one who’s lived his life and enjoyed the good
times. If anybody should take the chance, it should be me. I’ve got
the least left to lose.”
Although we should have argued with the old
guy, he was right. The rest of us still had a lot of good years
left provided that we made it out of this situation alive.
“I’ll go round up the stuff,” Chuck said.
About ten minutes later Chuck returned with a
shopping cart full of supplies: duct tape, garbage bags, boots,
gloves, an air mask, goggles, and a two-way radio along with a
bagful of batteries.
“Go ahead and wrap me up,” Leland said. “I’m
ready to do this. Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually make it over there
without turning into a food additive.”
We couldn’t help but laugh at that as we
started covering every exposed inch of Leland Kennedy in plastic.
When we finished he looked like a futuristic mummy. He walked like
one too.
“This getup feels like I’m wearing cardboard.
I should have asked for the designer version.”
Before any of us could say any words of
encouragement or thanks, Ashley Richards kissed the old man on the
cheek. The cheek was covered in plastic, but the gesture wasn’t
lost in the translation.
“Thank you for what you’re doing,” she said.
“Even if it doesn’t work, you are one of the bravest men I’ve ever
met.”
“Don’t cry for me yet, missy,” Leland rasped
through the air mask. “If I make it back alive, you’re going to
cook supper for me one night.”
“I’m still learning to cook,” Ashley
confessed.
“Fine. You can buy me dinner then. But be
warned I’m a healthy eater.”
“Deal,” she said.
“I’ll hold you to it,” Leland said. “Now, how
do I work this walkie-talkie thing?”
“Just push the button on the side and speak
into the receiver,” Chuck explained. “I gave you a lot of extra
batteries so we can talk freely once you get to the
restaurant.”
“You’ve got a lot of faith in me,” Leland
said.
“You’re all we’ve got,” Chuck replied.
“Well here goes nothing,” Leland sighed,
pushing the doors open. Steven and I closed them almost before
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