The whole goddamn world is falling apart and THIS is the moment he chooses not to pick up the phone? And they say we females can be a bit...dramatic. Our little morning argument can wait considering there are bigger problems right now.
I run out of the house with everything I can carry and dump it into my open trunk. I shove the contents in as deep as I can to make more room and run back into the house. After making a few trips from the kitchen cupboards to the back seat of my car, then three more from my bedroom closet to my passenger seat, I try his cellphone one more time. The endless ringing only tangles up my insides more than the charging wires I forced into my backpack. Voice message full... it should be, I'm the one that freaking filled it!
Rushing out the door, I slam it close behind me without bothering to lock it. Who knows, it will probably not even be here if we come back. Jesus Aiden, call me back... I need to know you're okay.
Finally getting into my car, I jam my keys in and turn it on. Ignoring the seat belt alert, I slam my foot onto the accelerator and make my way towards the primary emergency rendezvous spot. After a lot of honking and two near misses, I pull up in front of the self-storage yard and park in front of 832. The lock is gone and the pull up gate is slightly off the ground. My heart skips but I hold my breath. I lift the gate half way up and slip under it.
A complete mess. That was the only way you could describe my once perfectly organized storage space. Someone must of broken the lock and ransacked the whole place for whatever they could grab. Well...it was mostly winter gear and gardening tools, but all the non-perishable foods are gone. Thank god I packed my whole kitchen into my trunk before coming. A bright pink sticky note on the sofa catches my attention as it flaps around from the draft caused by the half opened gate.
T,
I grabbed as much H2O as I could carry.
Not safe here. Go 2 place #2,
A.
Aiden was here, and that explains why he isn't picking up the phone. Place #2 is his parent's house, but that's out of the city, at least an hour drive... He doesn't have a car. Maybe someone is giving him a ride there. I can't waste time thinking about that. I rip off the sticky note, maybe if he comes back, that will let him know I got his message. I do one more scan through the small storage space but nothing worth taking is left.
Hopping back into the car, I look at my phone and groan. No signal... I had signal just minutes ago when I arrived, which means something must have happened to the cell towers. I'm driving blind since that means no GPS either. Luckily enough, I should have enough muscle memory to take me there. After a crap ton of traffic and a lot of praying and cursing, I finally recognize the exit names and quietly swear to God that I'll start going to church if we make it out of this alive.
I take exit 12 and follow the rural streets as they twist and turn. The peacefulness here was almost haunting compared to the chaos back in the city. Actually it was too peaceful. No kids playing in the street, and most driveways were empty. If not to the countryside, then where would you go when the world is ending?! I tap my fingers nervously on the steering wheel as I approach the right block and I stop the car. I don't even have to enter the house, I can see the pink sticky note clearly in contrast of the dark brown door.
Getting out of my car took more willpower than my last attempt at the storage place. I walk up the driveway and reach the note. This one had some extra tape, I guess to stop the wind from blowing it away. Peeling it off the door, I read his handwriting once more:
T,
Whole town was told to evac.
We packed the trailer and hooked it up to the truck.
Meet us at Place #3.
A.
My heart drops. The final meeting place... the last resort. There was an abandoned cabin that had a built in bunker that Aiden and I have been obsessed over. We always found those forgotten places to be creepy but fascinating, not to mention practical. But nobody really expects the world to end... or maybe they do, which is why people have built places like that in the first place. The cabin was deep in the woods on private property that his parents bought with some of their retirement funds. It's safe to say that it's off the market, and at least has access to power since his parents were remodeling the place to make some money renting it during the winter seasons. It might just be the safest place we know.
I return to my car and head deeper into the countryside as fast as I can, almost feeling the time running out. Although the city is behind me, I can still see the last of the skyscrapers through my rear-view mirror. Who knows, this might be the last time I see something like that again... I focus on the road, and considering the need to get there faster, I speed as much as I can without crashing my car. I doubt cops are going to be out giving speeding tickets.
Suddenly there was a huge earthquake and my car nearly runs off the road. With the air caught in my chest, I don't have time to scream, only to maneuver the vehicle into a proper stop. I watch the pavement crack and then break open. I press on the accelerator once more. I need to get ahead of the breaks. There's a tunnel up ahead that cuts through a mountain, and if that caves in, I'm fucked. Or dead.
I can feel the ground still shaking and in horror I watch as trees start to fall over onto the highway. Floor it. That's all I can say to myself as I press onto the accelerator and swerve around the trees, aiming for the tunnel up ahead. I make it in, but I don't slow down. The sound of the mountain trembling makes me extremely uncomfortable and I push my car until I'm safely out of the tunnel. A loud crumbling sound can be heard clearly even through my closed windows. I know the tunnel has caved in behind me. I don't even look behind me or slow down until I feel the tremors stop.
Pulling over onto the side of the road, I step out of the car. My body finally gives into the stress and I throw up. Ugh...at least it isn't on my clothes. I give myself a good minute before getting back into my car and put it in gear. An earthquake like that is bound to have aftershocks... and I still have quite some road ahead before I'll be safe... Blindly I turn on my radio and seek for a working station, but all I find is static.
Just as the sun dips under the surface, I wonder if it will be the last sunset I'll ever see. I watch as it disappears in bright reds and orange. I can only imagine how many have died in the last few seconds...and how many more will be joining them. Will I be one of those? Will Aiden? I drive as fast as I can until I see where I need to get off, and find myself in heavily wooded lands. One road, dozens of hidden properties within their branches. I see the sign with the right address and turn into the path that basically consists of just two dirt lines on the grass for your tires to follow.
It feels like forever on this narrow path, trees hitting my windows and sides as I drive through. The darkness that the night has brought doesn't help my stomach settle and I pray that everyone made it here safely. I find the cabin at last and I give a small cry of happiness when I see the truck and trailer parked outside. I think in advance and drive up to the garage to park my car inside of it. The future is uncertain, and the extra layer of protection might come in handy. I close the garage and quickly run towards the cabin. Knocking on the door, I count the seconds until someone finally opens and I rush in.
"Maggie!" I throw my arms around my mother in law and nearly break down in tears. "I'm so happy you're alright. Are Aiden and Joseph with you?" I look up at her and I relax when she smiles and nods. Quietly, she leads me into the living room and I see both men sitting on the couch huddled around an old radio trying to get a signal.
"Aiden!" I call out. He turns around and the look of relief in his eyes finally undoes the knot in my chest. He stands up and quickly pulls me into his arms.
"I'm glad you finally made it. I was afraid you wouldn't get my messages," he says softly and then kisses my forehead. "I was worried sick...the emergency broadcast system said Yellowstone finally erupted. When I felt the earthquake all the way here that's when I knew this shit was real. I mean we are in Maine for Christ sake! We don't have earthquakes!" He exclaims and I simply hug him tightly.
"I'm just happy we're all alright and together at last. I packed my car with as much as I could from the house. I think we should bring it all in as soon as we can and do the same with the trailer and truck. I've seen enough documentaries to know we don't have a lot of time before the ash clouds reach us and kills everything... including our tech." I pull away and nod my head towards the door. He nods and then his father stands up, "You're right. Right before we lost signal, they said the ash will reach us within 3-4 days... everything within 50 miles of the eruption site was destroyed instantly..." he closes his eyes and pinches the space between his brows and sighs.
"Don't worry Joseph...we will manage. If things get too dangerous, there's still that harbor three towns up that must still have boats... we can hit the sea and try to cross the ocean," suggests Maggie. Although it sounds easy, everyone knows that that will be the most dangerous and riskiest choice...
"Tasha, let's bring in everything from the trunks and take it downstairs to the bunker. I don't know what type of effect this event will have on us this far out... but it might be best to prepare for the worst." I look up at Aiden and nod.
"Let's get right on that..." I reply. He smiles and takes my hand, and we head outside. When the door closes behind us I stop and take a deep breath..."Aiden?" I ask. He turns and looks at me.
"Yes Baby?"
"I just... I wanted to apologize for this morning. We fought over something so stupid...and all day I was worried that might have been the last thing I ever said to you..." I look down ashamed and bite my lip.
He smiles and just shakes his head, "Don't be silly... Next time I'll try to not eat the last cookie without asking you first... for all we know they might be the last cookies on earth!" he laughs and hugs me tight. I can't help but laugh with him, at least we still have a sense of humor till the end.
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