Rolly - Chapter 1
Rolly Jomes hated flying. Couldn’t take hardly anything that would be useful in an emergency. Like the plane going down. Or for use when he got where he was going, temporarily. Never know when something might happen, that was for sure. Just watch the news. There were enough things going on every day to scare the you know what out of anyone that could read between the lines a little.
But Betty wanted him to go on the cruise with her. She even offered to pay. But Rolly wasn’t about to let his sister do that. She really couldn’t afford it, and it just didn’t sit well with him anyway.
So there they were, on the flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Only, it seemed, they weren’t going to Ft. Lauderdale anymore. The Captain had just come on with an announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that we have been ordered to land at the nearest airport that can take us. That is Melbourne down below. Hopefully I’ll have more information when we land.
“Please be aware that there is nothing on the aircraft that is the problem. All flights are being grounded. It isn’t just us. I will give you more details when I get them.”
Betty was holding his hand tightly enough to hurt. “We’re going to die!” she whispered.
“We’re not going to die!” Rolly replied, keeping his voice down. He didn’t want Betty’s jump-to-conclusions mind causing a panic.
“But you heard…”
“I heard we are landing early. And the Captain doesn’t know why. So until we find out more, just stay calm. We’ll be all right.”
Rolly really believed what he told Betty, but that wasn’t to say he wasn’t a bit worried. The last time the airlines had all been shut down had been 9-11-01. “And,” he thought, “when the volcano blew, but that was regional.”
Sitting back in his seat, he kept Betty’s hand in his to reassure her. He began to take stock of what he had with him, including his checked luggage. Assuming he could get it. Which, he knew, was quite an assumption. It all depended on what was happening.
It was some time before he knew. The captain had no additional information when he landed, so the passengers’ first knowledge of the events that were unfolding was from other passengers waiting around the same luggage carousel. One of them had a portable radio and a dozen people were gathered around listening to the live reports.
“There have been three threats made by the terrorists,” came the voice of the news reader on the radio. “One, that six airliners will go down today. So far there have been no incidents.
“Secondly, a major military base somewhere in the US will be destroyed… that’s right. They are saying ‘destroyed. And finally, the water supply of a major metropolitan city will be poisoned.
“All this as warnings of more to come if the US does not denounce Israel, and join with the Arab League and the UN in condemning and sanctioning Israel, for the buildup of forces pending an attack on Iran.
“This just in…” The news reader’s voice was strained. “It is being reported that Air Force One has been shot down with the President aboard. We do not have that confirmed.”
There were gasps from several people, and some muttering going on as the news continued.
“We also just got this in from Missouri… Oh, my! Oh, no! Fort Leonard Wood has just been attacked with a nuclear weapon of some sort. There was no missile. It was some type of device taken onto the base. And it is a nuclear explosive device, not a dirty bomb. My brother is stationed at Fort Leonard Wood!”
The radio went silent for long moments and then another voice replaced the first one. “Another report has just reached us that people are beginning to die in and around the St. Louis, Missouri area. Allegedly from some type of poison in the water system.”
The announcer fell silent for a moment and the man with the radio grabbed his bag from the carousel and took off.
“Anyone else have a radio?” Rolly asked loudly. Betty was about to cut off the circulation in his arm and he gently removed her hand from his wrist. Before anyone could answer or turn one on if they did have one, Rolly saw his and Betty’s bags and grabbed them off the baggage carousel. “Let’s get out of here. I want to go somewhere and think.”
Rolly was pulling both bags, with Betty trotting along side of him. “What do we do, Rolly? I’m scared, Rolly!”
“It’ll be okay, Betty. Just stick close. I don’t want to get separated.”
People were beginning to trot, with a few running. Rolly had no clue where any of them were going, but they were making movement for everyone else difficult. And it seemed to be catching.
“Hold it, Betty!” Rolly said. He’d ducked behind a large column into a small cul-de-sac.
Betty slid to a stop and joined him. She edged around behind him, almost wedging herself between him, the wall, and the column. “Jeez, Sis! Give a guy some room!” He shifted over and leaned down to open up his suitcase. It didn’t contain much in the way of prep items, but he did have a decent knife, an empty Zippo lighter in a special airline shipping container, and the crank up flashlight.
He began to make a mental list of things he wanted to pick up as soon as he could as he slipped the things into his pockets. Rolly zipped up the suitcase and looked out into the heavy flow of people going all different directions.
“Come on, Betty. And I need you to pull your own suitcase. I need one hand free. Stay right behind me.”
There was a huge mob of people at the information desk. “I’m not going to rely on the airlines or the airport to get us home, Betty,” Rolly told his sister. “Chances are they can’t do anything immediately, anyway.”
“But Rolly! I want to go home!”
“That’s where I’m planning on taking you, Sis. You know you can count on me.” Her hand was a weight on his back as Betty stayed right behind him. They moved through the throng, being jostled and bumped, and cursed. But finally they were outside in the hot, humid air of Melbourne, Florida.
There were no cabs in sight, so Rolly hurried his sister toward the far end of the cab lane. He grabbed the first cab that drove up, much to the annoyance of several people standing down at the regular cab pickup point.
“Were to, Bub?” asked the driver as he started the meter. “Don’t tell me something like Kansas, either. And it’s double what the meter shows. Don’t like it, get out.”
“Rolly!” Betty whispered loudly into Rolly’s ear.
“I’ll pay,” Rolly said. “We just need to get to the nearest sporting goods store.”
“Sporting goods store it is then,” replied the cabbie without a glance back. The tires squalled and they brushed against another cab trying to get around theirs. There was a cursing match between the two drivers in a language Rolly didn’t recognize. But the driver pulled ahead of the other one and they were on their way.
“Buckle up,” Rolly told Betty, and did the same himself. After another close call Rolly told the driver, “We’d like to get there alive. A few minutes isn’t going to make any difference.”
“Yeah, it is. More trips I make today, the better. People are paying anything I ask to get them somewhere besides the airport.”
“What’s the last news?” Rolly asked.
The driver turned on the radio in the cab. It was tuned to an all news station. Things were already worse, apparently.
“We now have reports of seven more airplanes being destroyed, in addition to Air Force one. Five of them were on the ground, and fortunately three of those had already been evacuated. I’m sorry to say that the other four planes were destroyed with total loss of life.
“A new warning has been reported. These attacks are just the beginning, apparently, of a campaign to bring the United States to its knees, to a point where Israel is left without any hope of help coming from us.
“If the demands to abandon Israel and denounce the nation in the United Nations, the terrorist say they will trigger a tectonic event on La Palma Island. Our experts here at the station are telling me that if that were to occur, a huge tsunami wave could cross the Atlantic in several hours, and destroy much of the East Coast of the United States. We hope to have more in…
“Hold on… I’m getting another news flash.” Rolly heard the rustle of paper and the news reader was back again. He sounded much like the first on they’d heard on the other station. His voice sounded like it was about to break.
“This just in. The earlier reports of the death of the President have been confirmed. The wreckage of Air Force one has been found and the body of the President, wife, and children identified, along with several other important members of congress.
“And the reports coming in from St. Louis are confirming the first indications that the water supply had been poisoned. There are people dying by the hundreds from poisoned water.
“Another report has just been handed to me…”
The driver turned off the radio. Rolly frowned, but saw that they were at the entrance to one of the large chain sporting goods stores, just as he’s asked. “That’ll be fifty bucks,” said the driver, turning around in his seat.
“The meter says fifteen and you said double that,” Betty protested.
“Yeah. So the rate has gone up. Pay up or else.” The snout of a short, compact revolver appeared over the top of the front seat.
“Take it easy,” Rolly said. He peeled off two more bills and thrust them through the slot in the Plexiglas divider. Betty was getting out on the passenger side of the cab. As soon as Rolly had one foot on the pavement, the cab driver floored the accelerator, nearly knocking Rolly off his feet.
“Our bags!” Betty screamed. She turned distraught eyes to her brother. “He took our bags!”
“Yeah,” Rolly said. He felt like kicking himself for not having suspected it would happen and holding onto the money until he’d unloaded the bags. But it was too late now.
“You have everything important in your carryon, don’t you?” Rolly asked, thankful he’d removed the items from his bag when he did.
“All my clothes, my curling iron, my makeup… Everything,” Betty said, as she started to cry.
“But your cash? Wallet with ID… all the important stuff is in your shoulder bag, though, right?”
“My clothes are important! And my makeup! And my… My woman’s need things…”
“It’s okay,” Rolly said, taking Betty into his arms for a reassuring hug. “We’ll replace the things here. Get you what you need. We’re going to have to hurry. I’m afraid the panic we saw at the airport may spread and get worse as people find out about the possible tsunami.”
“But that’s just the beaches, right?” Betty asked, wiping her eyes on the bandanna that Rolly handed her.
“Uh… Well, actually…” Seeing the look on his sister’s face, Rolly quickly changed his mind about telling her just how bad a La Palma caused tsunami could be in Florida. “Yeah. The beaches. But people will be moving away from them, just like we plan to. Now let’s go inside and get out of this heat, and pick up a few things we’re going to need on the trip.”
“Why didn’t we just rent a car at the airport?” Betty asked Rolly.
“Didn’t you see the line? They were already out of cars when we landed.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that,” Betty said. “But how are we going to get home? The bus? You know I’m afraid to ride the bus. Even with you. Bad things happen on busses. You know what happened to Helen Michaelson.”
“No busses,” Rolly said quickly. Not for the reason Betty stated, but because they’d be as much of a madhouse as the airport. The train station would be the same. Rolly said as much.
“But how then? If we can’t fly, drive, take a train, or a bus, what’s left?”
“Bicycles or…’
“You know I can’t ride a bicycle!” complained Betty.
“As I was saying,” Rolly continued, “Bicycles and horses, even if I could get them are out, I know. I think our best bet is to head out on foot, and hope for a ride.”
“No. Absolutely not!” Betty was adamant. She suddenly sat down on a bench just inside the door of the store entrance. “The government will do something. They always do. FEMA or someone.”
“Betty, you know that isn’t true. Look what has happened during most of the last disasters. And this is bigger than all of them put together.”
“I’m staying here,” Betty said. She folded her arms in front of her chest and settled in for a wait. She’d used the ploy more than once successfully. But Rolly wasn’t susceptible to that tactic.
“Okay. You need to get some things, you said…” Rolly responded in what he hoped was a persuasive voice. It wasn’t.
“Won’t need anything. The National Guard will be here any minute. I’m sure of it.”
Rolly debated, but only for a moment. Things might even be easier this way. “Okay. You stay here and rest up. I’m going to get what we need for the trip home. Give me your money.”
Betty shook her head. “That’s my cruise money! Use your own money.”
“It is my own money, after all,” Rolly said. “You’re using the money I gave you after that last big job finished up.
Betty looked hurt, but reached into her large shoulder bag. Taking out the soft calf skin wallet, she opened it and handed Rolly a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills.
She looked startled, but didn’t budge when Rolly took the money and headed deeper into the store. The store was crowded, but Rolly decided that it wasn’t much more than normal, probably. The panic had not yet set in. There might actually be quite a few people clueless about what was happening.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Rolly decided where he wanted to go first, and then where after that. Thankful that no one was gouging on prices yet, the way the cabbie had, Rolly used his debit cards first, bringing out the cash only when he’d maxed out for the day on purchases with the cards. The credit cards he was saving for later.
Rolly began to get a look here and there as he continued to pile items into first one cart, and then a second, and finally a third when the first two were full.
He was on pins and needles when he finally made it back to the entrance where he’d left Betty. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure she’d still be there. She’d been known to be rather flighty at times. She could have easily set off to find normal transportation. If she had, she was back in the same position as she’d been when Rolly left her.
“What is all that that?” Betty asked when she saw Rolly pushing one of the carts and pulling another as a store clerk pushed the third.
“Where is your car, sir?” asked the clerk as the three of them went outside.
“Don’t have one,” Rolly replied. I’ll put the cart together and we’ll load it up with the gear.” Then, speaking to Betty, Rolly added, “It’s camping gear for the trip.”
The clerk was a bit skeptical and kept an eye on Rolly so he couldn’t take off with the store carts. Frowning, Betty watched, her arms crossed. The game cart that Rolly had purchased was set up on bicycle like wheels, like a big, wide V laying on the side with one arm a long front platform, and the other angled back and up for the handle.
When it was together, Rolly began to open up the other packages and put the items on the cart, strapping them down with nylon straps he purchased for that reason.
“It’s a game cart,” Rolly told his sister. He gave the clerk a twenty dollar bill. “Will you take care of the trash for me?”
“Sure!” said the young man, taking the twenty and stuffing it in his shirt pocket. He headed inside with two of the carts, now full of the empty packaging of the items Rolly had purchased.
Taking the handle of the cart, Rolly started walking away.
“You can’t just leave me here!” wailed Betty.
“I’m not. Come on. I want to get on the way. It took a lot longer here than I was expecting.”
“But Rolly!”
“Come on, Sis! We really need to get going! This is a big mall. You need to pick up some stuff yourself, you said,” Rolly said. He stopped and took out his money. He handed several bills to Betty.
Either she did it automatically when asked, or she decided on her own to go with him, but either way, Betty traipsed after Rolly as he headed down the mall sidewalk. Rolly chafed at the time that Betty took, and even more so at the less than ideal choices she made. But finally he had her purchases on the cart and had her watching it while he made a few quick purchases himself. Then they were headed to the far side of the parking lot.
“Rolly! Slow down! I can’t keep up!” Betty said as Rolly turned and headed down the sidewalk along the street paralleling the mall.
Rolly, keyed up, hadn’t realized he’d been walking so fast. Almost at a trot. It certainly wasn’t a pace Betty could keep up, and he knew he needed to pace himself. They might be on the road for some time, if they made it at all.
An hour later, Betty tugged on Rolly’s arm. “I need to go to the bathroom, Rolly. Really bad.”
“There’s a fast food place. You can go there. And pick up some food. We may not get fresh food again for a while.”
“Why not?” asked Betty, but Rolly stopped and she had to hurry in to the restroom of the burger joint place. When she came out a few minutes later. Rolly told her, “Here. Get us each a meal. Rolly handed her some money and Betty went back inside.
When Betty came out a few minutes later, with the two meals and drinks, Rolly was turning the crank of a wind up radio flashlight combination. He’d managed to get one similar to the ones he had at home.
“Let’s go over to the outside tables,” Rolly said as he turned on the radio. After parking the cart out of the way, but within reach, Rolly tuned to the same radio news show that had been on in the cab.
As they ate, Rolly quickly, and Betty much more slowly, they listened to the news. It was worse than before. The UN was condemning the terrorists, whoever they might be, for the attacks on the US, but also condemned the US for having brought them on, and for fostering war in the Middle East between Iran and Israel.
And the death toll in the US from the attacks that had occurred was mounting. The passenger count of the eight airplanes that went down was pretty much known now. But the numbers of those dying in St. Louis, and Ft. Leonard Wood were mounting quickly.
And the threat of the attack on La Palma was being repeated every hour on the hour.
Rolly waited patiently as Becky slowly finished her meal and then gathered all the waste up and put it in the trash bin nearby. As soon as she was finished, Rolly was up again and moving, pulling the loaded game cart behind him.
They didn’t go very far. When Rolly saw the chicken place, he turned into the parking lot and stopped at one of the outside tables. “Get their biggest bucket. All white meat. Sides that will keep for a while in the heat and don’t need utensils. Corn on the cob and potato wedges. As much as you can carry easily.” Rolly pulled out his money clip and gave Betty several more folded bills. And get the four largest bottles of cold water they have, too.”
“But Rolly! We just ate.”
“Please, Sis? Look. I’ll try to get us a ride. But right now we need to keep going. And we need something easy to eat when we get the next chance.”
“Oh, okay! But you’re going to make it up to me one of these days.”
“I will, Betty. I will. I promise.”
Betty came out a few minutes later, struggling with the two heavy bags of food. Rolly carefully arranged them on top of the load and once again they were off.
He stopped when a white Ford pickup truck pulled over to the curb and rolled down the passenger window of the truck. “You guys need a lift? That’s some load you’re packing.”
“Where you going? Inland, by chance” Rolly asked. Betty was standing halfway behind him.
“Afraid not. Headed up to Cocoa.”
Rolly started to say “No thanks,” but suddenly he stopped. “Wait a minute! I just remembered something! Sure, man! And you cannot believe how much we appreciate it.”
The man hopped out and helped Rolly lift the loaded game cart into the back of the pickup truck bed.
“Jeez, this thing is heavy!” Said the man as they struggled to lift the cart.
“I’ll ride in back,” Rolly quickly said when Betty opened the passenger door of the pickup truck and he saw that the truck had bucket seats.
“Yeah,” replied the man. “Wouldn’t be right to make the lady ride back there in this heat.” He was smiling at Betty. She smiled back, shyly.
There was a twofold reason that Rolly had to ride in the back. It wasn’t just the fact of the bucket seats. He wasn’t about to take a chance of the guy taking off with the cart still in the back of the truck. So Rolly made himself comfortable and watched the sights as the man pulled into traffic and they headed north. He could only hope and pray that the terrorists didn’t use a nuke on La Palma. Or if they did, it would be later enough to give them time to get well away from the coast.
The traffic was heavy and rather erratic. Whenever Rolly looked into the cab through the back window of the truck he could tell that Betty and the man were talking. They weren’t listening to the radio. Rolly felt a little guilty about using the guy the way he was. Not telling him about the potential of the tsunami.
When they reached Cocoa, the man slid open the rear window panel and asked Rolly, “Where to, Guy?”
“Can you get us on Cox Road? Anywhere. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
“Sure. I know where it is. It’s not even really out of my way.” The man slid the panel closed and picked up speed again.
A few minutes later he was helping Rolly unload game cart. Rolly reached into his pocket and pulled out another of the twenties he had.
“Naw, Guy,” said the man. “It was no problem. Had a nice talk with a pretty lady.” He smiled over at Betty.
Rolly’s conscience got the best of him. “I have to tell you… I don’t think you are aware of it, but the terrorists are threatening to blow La Palma and create a tsunami that will just about wipe out the peninsula. You should probably…”
The man waved his hand. You aren’t buying into that stuff, are you? Bunch of nonsense. That’s all the way across the Atlantic. Just a big scare.”
Betty’s look brightened.
“Okay,” Rolly replied. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Thanks for the ride.”
“Sure,” replied the man. He laughed as he got back into the truck. “Couple of wackos!”
Rolly shook his head and took the handle of the game cart and set off along the sidewalk. It took a while, but Rolly finally got to the place he remembered being here in Cocoa.
“They make guns here! Why are we stopping here?” Betty asked.
“Just a precaution,” Rolly said. “Don’t worry.” Rolly parked the cart and took out his cell phone. He flipped it open, and with a sigh of relief that it not only worked, but had a good signal, dialed the number on the door of the place.
“Yeah. Have you heard what’s happening?”
Rolly listened for a bit and then spoke again as Betty looked on curiously. “Yeah. Figured you did. What’s the chances of getting a rifle and a couple of pistols?”
Another short listen and Rolly said, “Cash or gold.”
Rolly’s final words on the cell phone were, “Right outside. I’ve got a loaded game cart.” He closed the phone and seconds later the door opened. A man held it wide and Rolly pushed the cart inside. Betty followed him in, but her nose was slightly in the air as if there was a bad smell inside.
“Stay right here with the cart,” Rolly told her. He was looking around. There were half a dozen people packing up boxes. “You bugging out?”
“Yeah. Have you heard about La Palma?”
“I know,” Rolly said. “I’m trying to get to the panhandle before it can get here, if it happens.”
“Oh, it’s going to happen,” said one of the men moving the heavy boxes through a door to the back part of the shop. “Even if we give them what they want, they’ll still pop the cork and blow it.”
“Probably right,” Rolly agreed. “What do you have I can keep handy but out of sight? I prefer .308, but I’ll take 7.62mm x 39mm or even .223.”
“Over here,” said the man. He stepped over to a desk and picked up a slim catalog. “5.56. Folding stock, sixteen inch barrel, can carry a couple of spare ten-rounders in the stock. Got plenty of twenties and thirties.”
“How much?” Rolly asked.
“Well, considering things… You have an ounce of gold on you?”
“I do. But I need a couple of handguns, too.”
“Here’s what we got,” the man said, turning to a page in the catalog.
Rolly took the catalog when the man handled it to him. He checked several pages. “Anything in .45 ACP?”
“Nope. 9mm and .40 S&W. Got .380 and .32, too. But if you were wanting .45 ACP you probably don’t want the small calibers.”
“I’ll want a hideout gun. The .32,” Rolly said, looking over the pistols. “I’ll take this .32… This 9mm. And this rifle. Three 10-rounders, and 10 30-rounders. Preferably loaded, with a case extra. Half a dozen magazines for the pistols.”
“You know what we’re about to do is highly illegal, I take it.”
“Yes, of course,” Rolly replied. “How much to not make it matter?”
“All up, three ounces of gold,” the man said immediately.
“Done,” Rolly said quickly. “Give me a second.” Rolly went outside before he reached into three different pockets to take out the shiny gold coins. He went back inside and handed the three one ounce Gold Eagles to the man.
Another man came through a door, carrying three boxes. Another was behind him, with a fourth box.
“One rifle, two pistols, magazines and ammunition for all. I suggest you be on your way and forget where you got these.”
“You bet,” Rolly said. He took the three gun boxes and went outside. The third man followed and handed Rolly the box with the magazines and ammunition before going back inside. Rolly heard the lock click when the door closed.
“You know I hate guns, Rolly!” Betty said as Rolly quickly opened the boxes and checked the guns. There was no one around, so Rolly took the time to load up all the magazines and then pack the rest of the ammunition on the game cart.
The rifle, folded in half, also went on the game cart, under some other things, but where it could be reached easily. The 9mm went behind the waistband of Rolly’s pants, with his shirt tails down over it. The little .32 he put in his right hip pocket, behind the folded bandana already there.
“We’re ready to go,” Rolly said.
A haughty look on her face, Betty said, “I’m going with you, but it is under protest. You don’t need a gun. The authorities will be here any minute now. If there even is any danger. I’m beginning to think that Artie was right. This is all crazy.”
“Artie, huh? Well he’s entitled to his opinion. Let’s eat something and then go.” With that, Rolly took out the chicken, the sides, and the water bottles. They found a shaded spot and sat down on the grass to eat. Rolly hurried Betty up as much as he could. In half an hour Rolly headed out of the parking lot and turned onto the sidewalk.
Rolly had taken out the wind up radio and was listening to the news as he and Betty walked, Rolly with the game cart rolling easily behind him. The news was much the same. The three threats had been carried out and hundreds of thousands of people were dying, with most of them from the poisoned water in St. Louis. As yet there was no word of any kind from La Palma.
Fortunately it wasn’t long before they picked up another ride, this time with someone headed for Orlando. The far side of Orlando, to Clermont, Florida, Rolly was pleased to hear. The further west they could go, and the faster they could get there, the more the risks dropped. But Rolly still wasn’t sure about just how far across the state the tsunami could travel.
Though he was tempted to try and travel all night, Rolly knew that Betty wasn’t up to it. He used his cell phone to locate an inn near Clermont, on Highway 50, and, much to his surprise, was able to make a reservation for the night. Jack Snyder even dropped them off there before he went to his final destination. Jack took the twenty dollars when Rolly offered it. And seemed to take the information to heart when Rolly told him of the dangers of a tsunami.
Rolly would just as soon camped out as stay at the inn, but it kept Betty quiet. It had been a long day for her and she was tired. And when she got tired, she got more cranky and argumentative than normal.
There were a couple of looks when Rolly rolled the game cart to the elevators, but the staff didn’t object, and they made it up to their adjoining rooms. Rolly parked the cart in his room and carried the small case that Betty had purchased to carry her new things in to her room.
He put the leftover chicken and sides in the room fridge, put his new bag on the bed and sat down. Checking his pockets carefully, and then his wallet, he took stock of his financial position. He’d maxed the debit cards for the day, earlier, and used about a fourth of the cash that he and Betty had between them. The room was paid for with a credit card.
Rolly still had some gold and silver coins, for those situations that might call for them, just as the gun and ammunitions purchases had. Deciding to try and cheer Betty up a little, Rolly decided to splurge on dinner. Knowing he was taking a huge risk stopping for the night and going out, Rolly decided it was worth it. Taking an illegally obtained and unlicensed gun with him wasn’t. At least now at the moment. He left them between the mattress and the box springs of the bed.
After a long shower and a change into the clean clothes he’d purchased, he knocked on the connecting door again. It seemed that Becky had decided on a shower and change of clothes, too. She looked much better than she had when they arrived.
“How about some dinner?” Rolly asked.
“Can we go to a real restaurant?” Becky asked, not sounding very hopeful.
“Yes. I’m thinking steak and lobster, myself.”
Becky brightened considerably. “We can get a lobster?”
Rolly nodded. A much happier Betty followed him to the elevators and they went downstairs. A quick call by the woman behind the check-in counter had a cab out front in the matter of only a few minutes.
Things seemed relatively calm, though there was much talk about the events of the day. But there was little sign of panic. Rolly did note the heavy northbound and westbound traffic. Some people were obviously taking the possibility of the tsunami seriously.
Rolly didn’t even protest when Betty lingered over desert and coffee. They were going to be here during the night. Might as well enjoy the easy time while it still was possible. But Rolly had Betty back to the motel by eleven. “Put in a wakeup call for five, Betty. We need to get going as early as possible.”
“Aw, Rolly! Five?”
“Yes. Five. Good-night.”
Betty frowned but Rolly was already closing the door, debating going back to tell Betty that if something happened during the night, he would be at her door to get her up and going no matter what the time was.
The last thing Rolly listened to before he fell asleep, was a radio news show. The death toll in St. Louis was still climbing, and there was still not much known about the situation in Ft. Leonard Wood, except that fallout was a danger east of the fort, and there were evacuation efforts to get people downwind going as quickly as they could.
Copyright 2010
Rolly Jomes hated flying. Couldn’t take hardly anything that would be useful in an emergency. Like the plane going down. Or for use when he got where he was going, temporarily. Never know when something might happen, that was for sure. Just watch the news. There were enough things going on every day to scare the you know what out of anyone that could read between the lines a little.
But Betty wanted him to go on the cruise with her. She even offered to pay. But Rolly wasn’t about to let his sister do that. She really couldn’t afford it, and it just didn’t sit well with him anyway.
So there they were, on the flight to Ft. Lauderdale. Only, it seemed, they weren’t going to Ft. Lauderdale anymore. The Captain had just come on with an announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I regret to inform you that we have been ordered to land at the nearest airport that can take us. That is Melbourne down below. Hopefully I’ll have more information when we land.
“Please be aware that there is nothing on the aircraft that is the problem. All flights are being grounded. It isn’t just us. I will give you more details when I get them.”
Betty was holding his hand tightly enough to hurt. “We’re going to die!” she whispered.
“We’re not going to die!” Rolly replied, keeping his voice down. He didn’t want Betty’s jump-to-conclusions mind causing a panic.
“But you heard…”
“I heard we are landing early. And the Captain doesn’t know why. So until we find out more, just stay calm. We’ll be all right.”
Rolly really believed what he told Betty, but that wasn’t to say he wasn’t a bit worried. The last time the airlines had all been shut down had been 9-11-01. “And,” he thought, “when the volcano blew, but that was regional.”
Sitting back in his seat, he kept Betty’s hand in his to reassure her. He began to take stock of what he had with him, including his checked luggage. Assuming he could get it. Which, he knew, was quite an assumption. It all depended on what was happening.
It was some time before he knew. The captain had no additional information when he landed, so the passengers’ first knowledge of the events that were unfolding was from other passengers waiting around the same luggage carousel. One of them had a portable radio and a dozen people were gathered around listening to the live reports.
“There have been three threats made by the terrorists,” came the voice of the news reader on the radio. “One, that six airliners will go down today. So far there have been no incidents.
“Secondly, a major military base somewhere in the US will be destroyed… that’s right. They are saying ‘destroyed. And finally, the water supply of a major metropolitan city will be poisoned.
“All this as warnings of more to come if the US does not denounce Israel, and join with the Arab League and the UN in condemning and sanctioning Israel, for the buildup of forces pending an attack on Iran.
“This just in…” The news reader’s voice was strained. “It is being reported that Air Force One has been shot down with the President aboard. We do not have that confirmed.”
There were gasps from several people, and some muttering going on as the news continued.
“We also just got this in from Missouri… Oh, my! Oh, no! Fort Leonard Wood has just been attacked with a nuclear weapon of some sort. There was no missile. It was some type of device taken onto the base. And it is a nuclear explosive device, not a dirty bomb. My brother is stationed at Fort Leonard Wood!”
The radio went silent for long moments and then another voice replaced the first one. “Another report has just reached us that people are beginning to die in and around the St. Louis, Missouri area. Allegedly from some type of poison in the water system.”
The announcer fell silent for a moment and the man with the radio grabbed his bag from the carousel and took off.
“Anyone else have a radio?” Rolly asked loudly. Betty was about to cut off the circulation in his arm and he gently removed her hand from his wrist. Before anyone could answer or turn one on if they did have one, Rolly saw his and Betty’s bags and grabbed them off the baggage carousel. “Let’s get out of here. I want to go somewhere and think.”
Rolly was pulling both bags, with Betty trotting along side of him. “What do we do, Rolly? I’m scared, Rolly!”
“It’ll be okay, Betty. Just stick close. I don’t want to get separated.”
People were beginning to trot, with a few running. Rolly had no clue where any of them were going, but they were making movement for everyone else difficult. And it seemed to be catching.
“Hold it, Betty!” Rolly said. He’d ducked behind a large column into a small cul-de-sac.
Betty slid to a stop and joined him. She edged around behind him, almost wedging herself between him, the wall, and the column. “Jeez, Sis! Give a guy some room!” He shifted over and leaned down to open up his suitcase. It didn’t contain much in the way of prep items, but he did have a decent knife, an empty Zippo lighter in a special airline shipping container, and the crank up flashlight.
He began to make a mental list of things he wanted to pick up as soon as he could as he slipped the things into his pockets. Rolly zipped up the suitcase and looked out into the heavy flow of people going all different directions.
“Come on, Betty. And I need you to pull your own suitcase. I need one hand free. Stay right behind me.”
There was a huge mob of people at the information desk. “I’m not going to rely on the airlines or the airport to get us home, Betty,” Rolly told his sister. “Chances are they can’t do anything immediately, anyway.”
“But Rolly! I want to go home!”
“That’s where I’m planning on taking you, Sis. You know you can count on me.” Her hand was a weight on his back as Betty stayed right behind him. They moved through the throng, being jostled and bumped, and cursed. But finally they were outside in the hot, humid air of Melbourne, Florida.
There were no cabs in sight, so Rolly hurried his sister toward the far end of the cab lane. He grabbed the first cab that drove up, much to the annoyance of several people standing down at the regular cab pickup point.
“Were to, Bub?” asked the driver as he started the meter. “Don’t tell me something like Kansas, either. And it’s double what the meter shows. Don’t like it, get out.”
“Rolly!” Betty whispered loudly into Rolly’s ear.
“I’ll pay,” Rolly said. “We just need to get to the nearest sporting goods store.”
“Sporting goods store it is then,” replied the cabbie without a glance back. The tires squalled and they brushed against another cab trying to get around theirs. There was a cursing match between the two drivers in a language Rolly didn’t recognize. But the driver pulled ahead of the other one and they were on their way.
“Buckle up,” Rolly told Betty, and did the same himself. After another close call Rolly told the driver, “We’d like to get there alive. A few minutes isn’t going to make any difference.”
“Yeah, it is. More trips I make today, the better. People are paying anything I ask to get them somewhere besides the airport.”
“What’s the last news?” Rolly asked.
The driver turned on the radio in the cab. It was tuned to an all news station. Things were already worse, apparently.
“We now have reports of seven more airplanes being destroyed, in addition to Air Force one. Five of them were on the ground, and fortunately three of those had already been evacuated. I’m sorry to say that the other four planes were destroyed with total loss of life.
“A new warning has been reported. These attacks are just the beginning, apparently, of a campaign to bring the United States to its knees, to a point where Israel is left without any hope of help coming from us.
“If the demands to abandon Israel and denounce the nation in the United Nations, the terrorist say they will trigger a tectonic event on La Palma Island. Our experts here at the station are telling me that if that were to occur, a huge tsunami wave could cross the Atlantic in several hours, and destroy much of the East Coast of the United States. We hope to have more in…
“Hold on… I’m getting another news flash.” Rolly heard the rustle of paper and the news reader was back again. He sounded much like the first on they’d heard on the other station. His voice sounded like it was about to break.
“This just in. The earlier reports of the death of the President have been confirmed. The wreckage of Air Force one has been found and the body of the President, wife, and children identified, along with several other important members of congress.
“And the reports coming in from St. Louis are confirming the first indications that the water supply had been poisoned. There are people dying by the hundreds from poisoned water.
“Another report has just been handed to me…”
The driver turned off the radio. Rolly frowned, but saw that they were at the entrance to one of the large chain sporting goods stores, just as he’s asked. “That’ll be fifty bucks,” said the driver, turning around in his seat.
“The meter says fifteen and you said double that,” Betty protested.
“Yeah. So the rate has gone up. Pay up or else.” The snout of a short, compact revolver appeared over the top of the front seat.
“Take it easy,” Rolly said. He peeled off two more bills and thrust them through the slot in the Plexiglas divider. Betty was getting out on the passenger side of the cab. As soon as Rolly had one foot on the pavement, the cab driver floored the accelerator, nearly knocking Rolly off his feet.
“Our bags!” Betty screamed. She turned distraught eyes to her brother. “He took our bags!”
“Yeah,” Rolly said. He felt like kicking himself for not having suspected it would happen and holding onto the money until he’d unloaded the bags. But it was too late now.
“You have everything important in your carryon, don’t you?” Rolly asked, thankful he’d removed the items from his bag when he did.
“All my clothes, my curling iron, my makeup… Everything,” Betty said, as she started to cry.
“But your cash? Wallet with ID… all the important stuff is in your shoulder bag, though, right?”
“My clothes are important! And my makeup! And my… My woman’s need things…”
“It’s okay,” Rolly said, taking Betty into his arms for a reassuring hug. “We’ll replace the things here. Get you what you need. We’re going to have to hurry. I’m afraid the panic we saw at the airport may spread and get worse as people find out about the possible tsunami.”
“But that’s just the beaches, right?” Betty asked, wiping her eyes on the bandanna that Rolly handed her.
“Uh… Well, actually…” Seeing the look on his sister’s face, Rolly quickly changed his mind about telling her just how bad a La Palma caused tsunami could be in Florida. “Yeah. The beaches. But people will be moving away from them, just like we plan to. Now let’s go inside and get out of this heat, and pick up a few things we’re going to need on the trip.”
“Why didn’t we just rent a car at the airport?” Betty asked Rolly.
“Didn’t you see the line? They were already out of cars when we landed.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that,” Betty said. “But how are we going to get home? The bus? You know I’m afraid to ride the bus. Even with you. Bad things happen on busses. You know what happened to Helen Michaelson.”
“No busses,” Rolly said quickly. Not for the reason Betty stated, but because they’d be as much of a madhouse as the airport. The train station would be the same. Rolly said as much.
“But how then? If we can’t fly, drive, take a train, or a bus, what’s left?”
“Bicycles or…’
“You know I can’t ride a bicycle!” complained Betty.
“As I was saying,” Rolly continued, “Bicycles and horses, even if I could get them are out, I know. I think our best bet is to head out on foot, and hope for a ride.”
“No. Absolutely not!” Betty was adamant. She suddenly sat down on a bench just inside the door of the store entrance. “The government will do something. They always do. FEMA or someone.”
“Betty, you know that isn’t true. Look what has happened during most of the last disasters. And this is bigger than all of them put together.”
“I’m staying here,” Betty said. She folded her arms in front of her chest and settled in for a wait. She’d used the ploy more than once successfully. But Rolly wasn’t susceptible to that tactic.
“Okay. You need to get some things, you said…” Rolly responded in what he hoped was a persuasive voice. It wasn’t.
“Won’t need anything. The National Guard will be here any minute. I’m sure of it.”
Rolly debated, but only for a moment. Things might even be easier this way. “Okay. You stay here and rest up. I’m going to get what we need for the trip home. Give me your money.”
Betty shook her head. “That’s my cruise money! Use your own money.”
“It is my own money, after all,” Rolly said. “You’re using the money I gave you after that last big job finished up.
Betty looked hurt, but reached into her large shoulder bag. Taking out the soft calf skin wallet, she opened it and handed Rolly a stack of one-hundred-dollar bills.
She looked startled, but didn’t budge when Rolly took the money and headed deeper into the store. The store was crowded, but Rolly decided that it wasn’t much more than normal, probably. The panic had not yet set in. There might actually be quite a few people clueless about what was happening.
Keeping his thoughts to himself, Rolly decided where he wanted to go first, and then where after that. Thankful that no one was gouging on prices yet, the way the cabbie had, Rolly used his debit cards first, bringing out the cash only when he’d maxed out for the day on purchases with the cards. The credit cards he was saving for later.
Rolly began to get a look here and there as he continued to pile items into first one cart, and then a second, and finally a third when the first two were full.
He was on pins and needles when he finally made it back to the entrance where he’d left Betty. He wasn’t a hundred percent sure she’d still be there. She’d been known to be rather flighty at times. She could have easily set off to find normal transportation. If she had, she was back in the same position as she’d been when Rolly left her.
“What is all that that?” Betty asked when she saw Rolly pushing one of the carts and pulling another as a store clerk pushed the third.
“Where is your car, sir?” asked the clerk as the three of them went outside.
“Don’t have one,” Rolly replied. I’ll put the cart together and we’ll load it up with the gear.” Then, speaking to Betty, Rolly added, “It’s camping gear for the trip.”
The clerk was a bit skeptical and kept an eye on Rolly so he couldn’t take off with the store carts. Frowning, Betty watched, her arms crossed. The game cart that Rolly had purchased was set up on bicycle like wheels, like a big, wide V laying on the side with one arm a long front platform, and the other angled back and up for the handle.
When it was together, Rolly began to open up the other packages and put the items on the cart, strapping them down with nylon straps he purchased for that reason.
“It’s a game cart,” Rolly told his sister. He gave the clerk a twenty dollar bill. “Will you take care of the trash for me?”
“Sure!” said the young man, taking the twenty and stuffing it in his shirt pocket. He headed inside with two of the carts, now full of the empty packaging of the items Rolly had purchased.
Taking the handle of the cart, Rolly started walking away.
“You can’t just leave me here!” wailed Betty.
“I’m not. Come on. I want to get on the way. It took a lot longer here than I was expecting.”
“But Rolly!”
“Come on, Sis! We really need to get going! This is a big mall. You need to pick up some stuff yourself, you said,” Rolly said. He stopped and took out his money. He handed several bills to Betty.
Either she did it automatically when asked, or she decided on her own to go with him, but either way, Betty traipsed after Rolly as he headed down the mall sidewalk. Rolly chafed at the time that Betty took, and even more so at the less than ideal choices she made. But finally he had her purchases on the cart and had her watching it while he made a few quick purchases himself. Then they were headed to the far side of the parking lot.
“Rolly! Slow down! I can’t keep up!” Betty said as Rolly turned and headed down the sidewalk along the street paralleling the mall.
Rolly, keyed up, hadn’t realized he’d been walking so fast. Almost at a trot. It certainly wasn’t a pace Betty could keep up, and he knew he needed to pace himself. They might be on the road for some time, if they made it at all.
An hour later, Betty tugged on Rolly’s arm. “I need to go to the bathroom, Rolly. Really bad.”
“There’s a fast food place. You can go there. And pick up some food. We may not get fresh food again for a while.”
“Why not?” asked Betty, but Rolly stopped and she had to hurry in to the restroom of the burger joint place. When she came out a few minutes later. Rolly told her, “Here. Get us each a meal. Rolly handed her some money and Betty went back inside.
When Betty came out a few minutes later, with the two meals and drinks, Rolly was turning the crank of a wind up radio flashlight combination. He’d managed to get one similar to the ones he had at home.
“Let’s go over to the outside tables,” Rolly said as he turned on the radio. After parking the cart out of the way, but within reach, Rolly tuned to the same radio news show that had been on in the cab.
As they ate, Rolly quickly, and Betty much more slowly, they listened to the news. It was worse than before. The UN was condemning the terrorists, whoever they might be, for the attacks on the US, but also condemned the US for having brought them on, and for fostering war in the Middle East between Iran and Israel.
And the death toll in the US from the attacks that had occurred was mounting. The passenger count of the eight airplanes that went down was pretty much known now. But the numbers of those dying in St. Louis, and Ft. Leonard Wood were mounting quickly.
And the threat of the attack on La Palma was being repeated every hour on the hour.
Rolly waited patiently as Becky slowly finished her meal and then gathered all the waste up and put it in the trash bin nearby. As soon as she was finished, Rolly was up again and moving, pulling the loaded game cart behind him.
They didn’t go very far. When Rolly saw the chicken place, he turned into the parking lot and stopped at one of the outside tables. “Get their biggest bucket. All white meat. Sides that will keep for a while in the heat and don’t need utensils. Corn on the cob and potato wedges. As much as you can carry easily.” Rolly pulled out his money clip and gave Betty several more folded bills. And get the four largest bottles of cold water they have, too.”
“But Rolly! We just ate.”
“Please, Sis? Look. I’ll try to get us a ride. But right now we need to keep going. And we need something easy to eat when we get the next chance.”
“Oh, okay! But you’re going to make it up to me one of these days.”
“I will, Betty. I will. I promise.”
Betty came out a few minutes later, struggling with the two heavy bags of food. Rolly carefully arranged them on top of the load and once again they were off.
He stopped when a white Ford pickup truck pulled over to the curb and rolled down the passenger window of the truck. “You guys need a lift? That’s some load you’re packing.”
“Where you going? Inland, by chance” Rolly asked. Betty was standing halfway behind him.
“Afraid not. Headed up to Cocoa.”
Rolly started to say “No thanks,” but suddenly he stopped. “Wait a minute! I just remembered something! Sure, man! And you cannot believe how much we appreciate it.”
The man hopped out and helped Rolly lift the loaded game cart into the back of the pickup truck bed.
“Jeez, this thing is heavy!” Said the man as they struggled to lift the cart.
“I’ll ride in back,” Rolly quickly said when Betty opened the passenger door of the pickup truck and he saw that the truck had bucket seats.
“Yeah,” replied the man. “Wouldn’t be right to make the lady ride back there in this heat.” He was smiling at Betty. She smiled back, shyly.
There was a twofold reason that Rolly had to ride in the back. It wasn’t just the fact of the bucket seats. He wasn’t about to take a chance of the guy taking off with the cart still in the back of the truck. So Rolly made himself comfortable and watched the sights as the man pulled into traffic and they headed north. He could only hope and pray that the terrorists didn’t use a nuke on La Palma. Or if they did, it would be later enough to give them time to get well away from the coast.
The traffic was heavy and rather erratic. Whenever Rolly looked into the cab through the back window of the truck he could tell that Betty and the man were talking. They weren’t listening to the radio. Rolly felt a little guilty about using the guy the way he was. Not telling him about the potential of the tsunami.
When they reached Cocoa, the man slid open the rear window panel and asked Rolly, “Where to, Guy?”
“Can you get us on Cox Road? Anywhere. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
“Sure. I know where it is. It’s not even really out of my way.” The man slid the panel closed and picked up speed again.
A few minutes later he was helping Rolly unload game cart. Rolly reached into his pocket and pulled out another of the twenties he had.
“Naw, Guy,” said the man. “It was no problem. Had a nice talk with a pretty lady.” He smiled over at Betty.
Rolly’s conscience got the best of him. “I have to tell you… I don’t think you are aware of it, but the terrorists are threatening to blow La Palma and create a tsunami that will just about wipe out the peninsula. You should probably…”
The man waved his hand. You aren’t buying into that stuff, are you? Bunch of nonsense. That’s all the way across the Atlantic. Just a big scare.”
Betty’s look brightened.
“Okay,” Rolly replied. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Thanks for the ride.”
“Sure,” replied the man. He laughed as he got back into the truck. “Couple of wackos!”
Rolly shook his head and took the handle of the game cart and set off along the sidewalk. It took a while, but Rolly finally got to the place he remembered being here in Cocoa.
“They make guns here! Why are we stopping here?” Betty asked.
“Just a precaution,” Rolly said. “Don’t worry.” Rolly parked the cart and took out his cell phone. He flipped it open, and with a sigh of relief that it not only worked, but had a good signal, dialed the number on the door of the place.
“Yeah. Have you heard what’s happening?”
Rolly listened for a bit and then spoke again as Betty looked on curiously. “Yeah. Figured you did. What’s the chances of getting a rifle and a couple of pistols?”
Another short listen and Rolly said, “Cash or gold.”
Rolly’s final words on the cell phone were, “Right outside. I’ve got a loaded game cart.” He closed the phone and seconds later the door opened. A man held it wide and Rolly pushed the cart inside. Betty followed him in, but her nose was slightly in the air as if there was a bad smell inside.
“Stay right here with the cart,” Rolly told her. He was looking around. There were half a dozen people packing up boxes. “You bugging out?”
“Yeah. Have you heard about La Palma?”
“I know,” Rolly said. “I’m trying to get to the panhandle before it can get here, if it happens.”
“Oh, it’s going to happen,” said one of the men moving the heavy boxes through a door to the back part of the shop. “Even if we give them what they want, they’ll still pop the cork and blow it.”
“Probably right,” Rolly agreed. “What do you have I can keep handy but out of sight? I prefer .308, but I’ll take 7.62mm x 39mm or even .223.”
“Over here,” said the man. He stepped over to a desk and picked up a slim catalog. “5.56. Folding stock, sixteen inch barrel, can carry a couple of spare ten-rounders in the stock. Got plenty of twenties and thirties.”
“How much?” Rolly asked.
“Well, considering things… You have an ounce of gold on you?”
“I do. But I need a couple of handguns, too.”
“Here’s what we got,” the man said, turning to a page in the catalog.
Rolly took the catalog when the man handled it to him. He checked several pages. “Anything in .45 ACP?”
“Nope. 9mm and .40 S&W. Got .380 and .32, too. But if you were wanting .45 ACP you probably don’t want the small calibers.”
“I’ll want a hideout gun. The .32,” Rolly said, looking over the pistols. “I’ll take this .32… This 9mm. And this rifle. Three 10-rounders, and 10 30-rounders. Preferably loaded, with a case extra. Half a dozen magazines for the pistols.”
“You know what we’re about to do is highly illegal, I take it.”
“Yes, of course,” Rolly replied. “How much to not make it matter?”
“All up, three ounces of gold,” the man said immediately.
“Done,” Rolly said quickly. “Give me a second.” Rolly went outside before he reached into three different pockets to take out the shiny gold coins. He went back inside and handed the three one ounce Gold Eagles to the man.
Another man came through a door, carrying three boxes. Another was behind him, with a fourth box.
“One rifle, two pistols, magazines and ammunition for all. I suggest you be on your way and forget where you got these.”
“You bet,” Rolly said. He took the three gun boxes and went outside. The third man followed and handed Rolly the box with the magazines and ammunition before going back inside. Rolly heard the lock click when the door closed.
“You know I hate guns, Rolly!” Betty said as Rolly quickly opened the boxes and checked the guns. There was no one around, so Rolly took the time to load up all the magazines and then pack the rest of the ammunition on the game cart.
The rifle, folded in half, also went on the game cart, under some other things, but where it could be reached easily. The 9mm went behind the waistband of Rolly’s pants, with his shirt tails down over it. The little .32 he put in his right hip pocket, behind the folded bandana already there.
“We’re ready to go,” Rolly said.
A haughty look on her face, Betty said, “I’m going with you, but it is under protest. You don’t need a gun. The authorities will be here any minute now. If there even is any danger. I’m beginning to think that Artie was right. This is all crazy.”
“Artie, huh? Well he’s entitled to his opinion. Let’s eat something and then go.” With that, Rolly took out the chicken, the sides, and the water bottles. They found a shaded spot and sat down on the grass to eat. Rolly hurried Betty up as much as he could. In half an hour Rolly headed out of the parking lot and turned onto the sidewalk.
Rolly had taken out the wind up radio and was listening to the news as he and Betty walked, Rolly with the game cart rolling easily behind him. The news was much the same. The three threats had been carried out and hundreds of thousands of people were dying, with most of them from the poisoned water in St. Louis. As yet there was no word of any kind from La Palma.
Fortunately it wasn’t long before they picked up another ride, this time with someone headed for Orlando. The far side of Orlando, to Clermont, Florida, Rolly was pleased to hear. The further west they could go, and the faster they could get there, the more the risks dropped. But Rolly still wasn’t sure about just how far across the state the tsunami could travel.
Though he was tempted to try and travel all night, Rolly knew that Betty wasn’t up to it. He used his cell phone to locate an inn near Clermont, on Highway 50, and, much to his surprise, was able to make a reservation for the night. Jack Snyder even dropped them off there before he went to his final destination. Jack took the twenty dollars when Rolly offered it. And seemed to take the information to heart when Rolly told him of the dangers of a tsunami.
Rolly would just as soon camped out as stay at the inn, but it kept Betty quiet. It had been a long day for her and she was tired. And when she got tired, she got more cranky and argumentative than normal.
There were a couple of looks when Rolly rolled the game cart to the elevators, but the staff didn’t object, and they made it up to their adjoining rooms. Rolly parked the cart in his room and carried the small case that Betty had purchased to carry her new things in to her room.
He put the leftover chicken and sides in the room fridge, put his new bag on the bed and sat down. Checking his pockets carefully, and then his wallet, he took stock of his financial position. He’d maxed the debit cards for the day, earlier, and used about a fourth of the cash that he and Betty had between them. The room was paid for with a credit card.
Rolly still had some gold and silver coins, for those situations that might call for them, just as the gun and ammunitions purchases had. Deciding to try and cheer Betty up a little, Rolly decided to splurge on dinner. Knowing he was taking a huge risk stopping for the night and going out, Rolly decided it was worth it. Taking an illegally obtained and unlicensed gun with him wasn’t. At least now at the moment. He left them between the mattress and the box springs of the bed.
After a long shower and a change into the clean clothes he’d purchased, he knocked on the connecting door again. It seemed that Becky had decided on a shower and change of clothes, too. She looked much better than she had when they arrived.
“How about some dinner?” Rolly asked.
“Can we go to a real restaurant?” Becky asked, not sounding very hopeful.
“Yes. I’m thinking steak and lobster, myself.”
Becky brightened considerably. “We can get a lobster?”
Rolly nodded. A much happier Betty followed him to the elevators and they went downstairs. A quick call by the woman behind the check-in counter had a cab out front in the matter of only a few minutes.
Things seemed relatively calm, though there was much talk about the events of the day. But there was little sign of panic. Rolly did note the heavy northbound and westbound traffic. Some people were obviously taking the possibility of the tsunami seriously.
Rolly didn’t even protest when Betty lingered over desert and coffee. They were going to be here during the night. Might as well enjoy the easy time while it still was possible. But Rolly had Betty back to the motel by eleven. “Put in a wakeup call for five, Betty. We need to get going as early as possible.”
“Aw, Rolly! Five?”
“Yes. Five. Good-night.”
Betty frowned but Rolly was already closing the door, debating going back to tell Betty that if something happened during the night, he would be at her door to get her up and going no matter what the time was.
The last thing Rolly listened to before he fell asleep, was a radio news show. The death toll in St. Louis was still climbing, and there was still not much known about the situation in Ft. Leonard Wood, except that fallout was a danger east of the fort, and there were evacuation efforts to get people downwind going as quickly as they could.
Copyright 2010
