American Mole
Hi. Welcome to my fourth novel, in progress. I invite you to come back often as I write this. Please feel free to email me and tell me what you think can improve it. Most of all, if you like it, consider posting a review of it for me.
Chapter 2
Coming Home
Jason left Shauna's house with trepidation. The girls' troubles behind him, he feared what he would find at home. He drove up the block, turned right at the corner, and then left into the long drive leading up too his father and mother's dream house with a commanding view of the neighborhood and valley below. The backyard and the hill behind were still undeveloped and covered with trees that had been his playground growing up. The young couple had built it when Jason was five and moved there from their apartment in DC. Jason could always count on it being there--no matter what. Now things were different. Everything looked normal except the gray dust and tree limbs down everywhere. The garage door opener didn't work, so he pulled the Camaro to a stop in the circle drive in front of the house. The hill had sheltered it from the shock waves, so it didn't have broken windows and other damage like so many other houses. With a little cleanup, it would look the same. Unfortunately, inside, it could never be home again.
Like he had to at Shauna's house, Jason went around behind the garage by his rabbit cages and found the key to the back door. Everything looked okay from that angle. A flood of emotion overcame him as he opened the rear door leading into the kitchen. He could still smell the bacon and eggs his mother had cooked for him before rushing off at 6amto her job in the city. He hadn't even seen his Dad that morning because he usually rushed off before 5amto beat the traffic and deal with his busy schedule at the State Department. His mother wouldn't be coming home at 4:30pmto fix him a snack, and he wouldn't be eating dinner that evening at 7:30pmwith his father and older sister back from a day at school. He didn't feel hungry, but he ate. He went to the refrigerator and made himself a sandwich. He found a can of Coke and drank it with the sandwich. The food didn't fill the hole he felt inside him. He allowed himself to cry. He hadn't cried like that since he was eight or so when his grandfather died. Somehow, he knew he would get through this. Right now, he didn't have a clue.
Jason didn't know how long the power would be out, so, while it was still light, he went to the garage and opened the door manually so that it let light in. He then went through all of the camping equipment and pulled out what he might need for an extended period of camping out. He brought the Coleman lamp and cook stove inside to cook with and provide light, and then drove the Camaro into the garage. The old portable TV that they sometimes used while camping was there among the camping stuff, so he brought that inside too. He had tracked in a lot of dust, so he got his mother's broom and swept the floor. He realized that he was a mess too, so he went to the bathroom, took off all of his dirty clothes, and took a shower. He was grateful for the hot water. He wasn't sure how long it would last. With the hot water cascading over him his thoughts ran the gamut from thinking of the sex he had with Shauna to the fate of his parents. He masturbated to thoughts of her warm soft body and anguished over what he hoped was a quick and painless death for his family. And Uncle Jim, over at the Pentagon. What about him? Jim’s office had been close to where that plane hit the Pentagon the day the twin towers went down. Col. James Forsythe had been given a commendation by the President for his heroic rescue of many of the injured that day. Jason had heard his father saying that Uncle Jim was responsible for keeping the Pentagon bunker operating after so many potential terrorist threats in recent years. He only hoped that the Colonel was safe there when the bomb hit.
He thought about his grandmother, Gail Woodworth Forsythe, 82, still living alone on the family homestead in Mountain Falls, Virginia. Jason wanted to call her, but his cell phone had been dead since it happened. He couldn't imagine what she was thinking. He hardly could imagine what he was thinking. He had to reach her as soon as he could to see if she was alive. Tears flowed again as all these thoughts raced through his mind. He'd always felt grown up for his age, now he knew he really had to grow up. He knew he had to think it through and not just rush off. There was a lot to consider.
He gathered up his clothes and wandered out of the bathroom naked. In his room, he put his filthy clothes in the basket where he always threw his dirty ones and realized that he would probably have to wash them himself. For now, there were plenty of clean clothes neatly folded in his dresser drawers or hanging in his closet to keep him for some time. He dressed and went back into the kitchen. When he saw the TV there he tried it, but it didn't work. He removed the panel in the back and saw that there were no batteries. His Dad had always kept a store of batteries, so Jason went looking for them. His parents’ bedroom was usually off-limits, and he felt really bad about invading it now. It was huge, with a fireplace and a seating area for guests. There was a bar where they sometimes drank too much and were hung over in the morning. Jason went to the bar and in a cabin underneath, he found a substantial cache of batteries. He plugged four AAs into the back of the TV and it sprung to life. From experience, Jason knew he only had a couple hours life in those batteries, so he only had the television on for a short time to try to get the bigger picture of what was going on. It wasn't pretty. The nonstop national news from New York City showed many angles of the mushroom cloud that had already drifted off into the Atlantic from what had been Washington, DC. It was too early for estimates of the dead, but the reporters kept saying that over a million people were dead, severely burned, or had radiation poisoning. Close in reports showed horrific injuries to people flooding emergency centers throughout the area, and, worse, the highways that were jammed with vehicles trying to leave the disaster area and the affect they had of blocking rescue efforts trying to come into the area. Power had been knocked out all the way to the Mississippi River, and had not yet been restored to much of Maryland and Virginia. Radiation warnings were posted regularly. Their house was in Zone 2 Zone 1 was being evacuated and sealed off. Jason had done what was required for those in the outlying shock zone: keep the dust out of the house, remove and wash all clothing with dust on it, and take a shower after being exposed to the dust. When outside in these areas, it was recommended to wear a mask that would filter the dust and keep it out of the lungs. The traffic jams on all outgoing highways convinced him that it would do no good to get out on the road with the Camaro. Shelter in place. That's what they recommended, and that's what he would do.
Jason went into the kitchen, and while the light lasted, removed food from the refrigerator and freezer. He got out the big coolers they used for picnics, put all the ice he had in them, and put as much frozen food in them as he could. He took all the bottled water, soda and beer out because he knew he could drink them warm. Any meat or food that he thought might spoil, he cooked on the Coleman stove and put it back in the refrigerator. As it grew dark, he found his Mom's candles and continued to cook food and package it for longer preservation. In the pantry, he found where his mother had a number of canned goods that would come in handy if he ran out of fresh food. Tired, but happy with his progress, he blew out the candles and the Coleman lamp and went to bed. He thought it was late, but it was actually only about eight o’clock. At first, he fell off to sleep quickly. And then, about midnight, he began to have terrible dreams and nightmares. He got cold and had to drag out his winter comforter. He was ready to get up when dawn finally poked through his window. At least there were no more bombs in the night as far as he could tell. Turning the TV on briefly confirmed it. The chaos from the day before had not subsided, at least as far as people trying to escape the blast zone were concerned. Jason thought about going over to see how Shauna was, but then thought better of it. He had to think about what he was going to do--stay or leave. There was loud knocking on the door...
"Jason! Jason! Are you all right? I thought about you all night, here alone. Jeezz, I hope you're alright!" She was beating on the door now with both hands like a drummer, anxious for him to come to the door.
Jason, only in his under shorts, leapt from the warmth of his comforter into his cold room and pulled on a pair of jeans. He ran to the door and opened it as Shauna burst in, still beating with her fists on his chest as she leapt into his arms. He carried her inside as she folded into him, looked up into his eyes and offered her partially open mouth. Their tongues found each other as he kicked the door shut, and sat down on the nearest couch with her in his arms. Her heart was beating wildly and she was hot, so hot he thought she might even be radioactive. Her hot hands were over his bare skin, and she kept saying, "all my gun, oh my god I'm so glad you're still here and alright. I thought about you all night. I'm so glad, I'm so glad..."
Jason couldn't help himself, he slid one hand under her bra and another down the front of her low rider jeans. As his fingers worked their magic, she quickly became soft and wet to his touch. He wanted to say something, but couldn't, her kisses were so fervent. They tore each other's clothes off, and did it right there on the living room couch. The afterglow lasted but a short while, when his sweat flowed free and he discovered that he was getting cold, even glued to Shauna's hot throbbing body. "Hey," he said. "Don't you know that we are not supposed be out in that dust because it may be radioactive? We had better take a shower, you’ve got dust over your clothes."
They picked up their clothes, and Shauna followed Jason down the hall. He showed her where to throw her clothes with the ones he put in the basket the day before, and then led her into the bathroom. They jumped into the shower and Jason turned on the water, staying out of the way of the blast. Shauna screamed when the cold water hit her. "Oh my god!" She shouted. She broke out in goose bumps, making her nipples taut and inviting.
Shauna laughed at her plight and waited for the water to warm up. Soon, it was hot and steaming and he was rubbing her down with soap. Shauna loved it because they had no hot water at her house and especially no one to massage her body with soap. Jason hadn't rubbed anyone like that before and soon discovered a massive erection from all the attention Shauna's hands were giving him. Even with soap on them they were kissing. It got in Jason's mouth and stung his eyes but he couldn't stop. They hurried and rinsed off, grabbed towels and rushed back to Jason's bedroom where they crawled under the icy cold sheets and went after each other like a pair of rabbits. Soon spent, they both rolled back, but still touching, in the luxury of the now warm sheets.
"Bam, Bam, Bam.." A loud banging on the front door shook them from their reverie. "This is Deputy Foster, from the Fairfax County Sheriff's office. Is there anybody in there? Anybody there? Bam, Bam, Bam..."
His legs were weak, but Jason managed to roll out of bed, pull open a drawer, and pull on a pair of jeans. In his haste to zip up, he caught a couple of loose hairs, and had to painfully unzip momentarily to get them out of the way, and then he hurried to the door. He saw what looked like a man in a moon suit walking away down the drive away from the house. Jason opened the door and yelled, "Hello, I hope you can hear me! I was sleeping. What do you want?"
The man turned abruptly and waddled back up the drive in his heavy, rubber suit. His voice sounded like a loudspeaker through the amplified communication device in the suit. "Deputy Charles Foster here. We are systematically going through the neighborhoods to tell people to evacuate from Zone 2. The wind has shifted and the mushroom cloud is coming back on shore this afternoon. This dust is radioactive and we want everyone to leave by noon. Unless you have a fallout shelter, I strongly insist that you leave. Please take the back roads west. All of the main interstates in and out of the area are jammed with emergency vehicles and people like you trying to escape. You stand a much better chance using the back roads. If you don't have gasoline, siphon some from other cars and get out. I doubt if you will find gasoline within 200 miles of here. Gotta go. There are so many houses in this area and they are so spread out." He turned and Jason watched him walk down the drive to the street and then turn left toward the Ross's house.
"Who was that? What did he want?" Shauna was all questions when Jason returned to the bedroom.
"Bad news. He said we have to get out. Something about the dust being radioactive and the mushroom cloud drifting back. I've been thinking of driving up to my grandmother's home in Mountain Falls, Virginia. I know she's been worried sick about us. Do you and your mother want to come along with me?"
"That's what I came over here to talk about. Me and my mother were having one of our big arguments. She wanted to pull out and go to Ohio where her sister lives. You know, the way we've been, (she got that look on her face), I wanted to stay here to be close to you. I’m mixed up, you know, Jason. I never felt like this before. This terrible thing happens, and now I'm falling for you..." She started crying again, naked and so vulnerable, holding him close.
"Like I said, you and your mother are welcome to come with me, but I think we had better pack up and leave before we absorb too much radiation. Here, take these old jeans of mine and this sweatshirt from when I was in middle school. I'm sure glad Mom didn't throw them away. Tell your mother that we felt your clothes were contaminated and we threw them away. Also tell her that you got a hot shower along with the clothes. Washed all that radioactive dust away." He winked.
Shauna quickly dressed and prepared to leave. Her tears were already drying. "I still don't know what I'm gonna to do. Maybe I should let my Mom go by herself and go with you. No, that wouldn't be right. Here, let me write down my cell phone number so that you can call me when you get settled with your grandmother." She hugged and kissed him. They lingered for a bit. And then, she was out the door and stepping in the tracks she made coming to the house, went home. Jason stood in the window, watching her until she was out of sight. She never looked back. Finally, he turned and began the work he had to do.
First, he vacuumed the interior of his car. And then, he went under the hood, vacuumed there, and, using freezer paper and masking tape, sealed off the interior air vents. It would be uncomfortable driving without fresh air in the car, but he didn't want to draw any more dust inside than already was there. Besides, it was still cool so he didn't have to worry about the car getting too hot inside. Finding the coolers in the kitchen, he took as much food as he thought his grandmother might need, but left the rest in the refrigerator s in the hope that the power would come back on. Strange, but he wondered who would pay the bill. He even spent some thought wondering who would take care of the house. Whether it would be ransacked, left to deteriorate without occupants, or be taken over by someone who didn't own it. He had no answers. He just had to get out of here now, and maybe some day he could come back and reclaim it.
*
Jason went to his parents’ bedroom. There he found the guns -- the 38 Spl. Ruger KGPF-331 that his father had used for protection on dangerous assignments for the State Department. The Springfield 30-06 that he and his Dad had hunted deer with. His first 22, a Stevens semi-automatic. And his Dad’s Remington 870 12 gauge pumpshotgun. He took them all. Didn't want them falling into the wrong hands. Even though he was planning to stay with his grandmother, Jason thought it wise to pack a pup tent, two sleeping bags, the Coleman stove and lamp. He went through all the drawers in his parents’ bedroom and looked for family pictures, documents, his mother's jewelry, and anything else that might be of the family that he would need later. He started to take both his father and his computers. But then, he thought better of it. Instead, he copied the entire drive from his father's computer onto the new Dual Intel power processor Mac that his parents had given him for Christmas. Even with his movies and music, the drive was huge and could handle it all. He didn't know whether to erase his father's hard drive, or not. He thought about it a little while, and then he erased it.
About 1 p.m., after several walk-throughs of the house looking for valuables, Jason was finally ready to leave. He made sure that all the doors were locked and bolted from the inside. He was glad that all the windows were still in place. The Camaro was packed with more than he ever seen in it. Except for where he sat in the driver's seat, the car was loaded to the ceiling and squatting heavily on the garage floor. He was glad he had good tires, because if he blew one, he would have to unpack the entire trunk. Lifting the garage door for the last time, he backed the Camaro out. He went back in, pulled the garage door back down and locked it. Opening the side door off the garage, he locked that and closed it. Everything was secured. Tears streaming from his eyes, he drove down the drive and turned right. He did know if he would ever be back. Although there were human and car tracks in the dust, they were a few. Nothing was moving, not even birds or squirrels. As he passed Shauna's house, it was obvious that they had already left. He hoped that they had enough cash and food to make it to Ohio. He didn't envy their drive on those crowded highways.
Jason angled US 50 west. He was glad that he had a full tank of gas. Most people had probably left in the panic of the day before. Where he was going, he couldn’t avoid Dulles International Airport. The roads to Dulles were eerily quiet. But, just before he got there, he sensed a great deal of activity. Before long, he was threading his way through a sea of military vehicles manned by men in spacesuits with their guns trained menacingly at him. Finally, just before he got to the US 50 intersection, he was stopped. While one soldier aimed an M-16 directly at him, another, with pistol drawn, walked over. Jason slowly rolled down his window.
"Where are you going, young man?"
"We were told to evacuate. I'm on my way to my grandmother's house in Mountain Falls."
"Got any ID? You sure have a lot of stuff in that car. It better not be stolen. Where are your parents?"
Jason pulled out his driver's license and held it up so that the man could see it. He was so angry he wanted to strike out, but then thought better of it. "I'm afraid they're dead. I was the only one at our house in Reston this morning when we were told to evacuate."
"Got anything else approves this stuff is yours?"
Jason had to look around, but he found his father's briefcase full of papers, opened it, and showed the man that they had the same name, Forsythe, on them.
"Served once in Nam with a guy of that name. Believe that he is a Colonel now. One hellova soldier. Jim Forsythe.
"He's my uncle. This is his car he gave me. He was at the Pentagon."
"Pentagon, huh. Poor devil. Let me put this in your window so that you won't have to stop again as you leave here. Don't worry. We are going to do everything we can to secure the whole area until people who want to can come back." He reached through Jason's window, and placed an improvised sticker with handwriting on it on high visibility orange on Jason's windshield. And then he backed up, snapped to a salute, and waved Jason on.
Jason turned right on US 50 and eased his way past cars pulled over and military vehicles. There weren't any commercial airplanes in sight, only military ones, totally transforming the vaunted international Airport. Slowly he picked up speed and the dust grew lighter as he worked his way toward Middleburg. The road was almost empty in the late afternoon. He was hungry, so he stopped in Atoka and got a bite to eat. The restaurant had power and there was gas in the pumps out front. When he asked, they told him of the lost, frightened, angry, and out-of-gas crowd that had come through the day before.
"I ain't never seen people so scared." One old guy offered. "So glad they were just passing through."
"Aren't you afraid of that mushroom cloud they say is drifting back this way?" Jason offered.
"It is, but there's a front commin' over those mountains tonight that will blow her clean back out to sea an probably wash all that dust down that everybody's been dragging into our county from east. I can feel it in my bones."
When Jason got to Interstate 81, it was still jammed going both ways north and south. He was glad he didn't have to go that way. Before long, a huge black cloud rolled over the mountains ahead and then turned the evening into pouring rain. The old man was right. He hoped it would wash all the ugly dust surrounding his neighborhood back home down the drain.
He tried his cell phone and it worked, but he couldn't reach his grandmother ‘s house. About 8pm, when he turned off North Pifer Road in the high country on that familiar trail leading to the family homestead, he couldn't believe it had only been two days. It seemed like a lifetime. Everything had changed. Twinkling lights in the raindrops on his windshield told him there was life at the cabin. He couldn't wait to hug her.