Josiah was awoken by a muffled thump, stirring him from his dreams. The light of a holographic television screen bathed the room in a flickering glow, late night reruns of the day’s news programs droning endlessly on. He stretched his arms overhead, pressing his hands against the armrest of his short leather couch. Craning his neck to catch a glimpse of the microwave clock in the kitchen, he checked the time. Three AM.
“...Conflict between East America and United Korea continues to escalate after thirty-three Korean students were killed last Monday when Coalition forces opened fire on a crowd of demonstrators...”
Another thump, louder than the first. Pushing back the heavy blanket draped over him, he sat up and yawned. His mouth was parched from the cold air.
Blasted new years’ fireworks. Damn it, Julia. Why couldn’t you just let this one go.
Lamenting being resigned to the couch for the night, he stood and fumbled his way into the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. A shiver traced his spine as his bare feet contacted the cold tile floor.
Nevermind. Hot tea, not water.
Even if they could afford to heat the house, Josiah reckoned that the tile would never thaw out after the long, harsh winter they’d been having.
“...experts believe that the latest threats are just more in a long series of empty words, brought about by increased financial sanctions on...”
Fumbling with the cabinets with trembling fingers, Josiah found a pot and filled it with tap water. He set it to boil on the contact heater, warming his hands under his armpits while he waited. He thought again of Julia, how angry she had been when he told her that he hated his job and was going to quit. What good was having a job if every minute was agony and it paid barely enough to survive with?
When it was ready, he sipped on the piping beverage, clearing the feeling of dryness from his tongue and warming his insides. The comfort of the drink helped ease his mind. Another detonation– for this time Josiah could make out the sound of an explosion in the distance– reached his ears. Wondering whether he could see the fireworks from the lower floor of their house, he walked back into the living room and gazed out the window.
Snow was falling steadily, blanketing the small neighborhood in white. From his window, Josiah had a perfect view of the rolling Carolina foothills. The world was still, sleeping in drunken stupor after an evening of celebrating the turn of the year. Far in the distance, the mega-city of Charlotte painted the underside of the snow-laden clouds with an orange-ish glow. Josiah took another sip of his tea, watching the skies for the next firework to go off.
“...coming to you live this morning from Charlotte-5 with breaking news. We’ve received word that several major cities on the east coast have been the target of a coordinated nu–”
The television went to static as the horizon erupted into a ball of light, forcing Josiah to shield his eyes. He dropped his mug, projecting the scalding liquid onto his feet. A quake rocked the house a moment later, rattling glasses and silverware in the kitchen. The light faded and Josiah was able to look out the window again. He watched the events unfold in horror.
A rushing wall of air pushed the snowflakes out in an ever-increasing dome. The raging torrent crashed against the house, pushing heavily against the back door and forcing the frigid winter air in through whatever gaps it could find. Car and home alarms echoed in the night, mingling with the static of the television in a cacophony of sound that set Josiah’s teeth on edge. The light on the horizon was gone– all of the light. Josiah couldn’t make out any of the city lights where they once were.
“What happened?”
Julia’s soft voice barely sliced through the clamor. Josiah turned to look at her. She stood on the bottom flight of steps in a night-robe, concern in her eyes.
“I...I think Charlotte just got hit with a nuke. I’m not sure.”
She clasped her hands over her mouth, sinking onto a step in shock. Josiah joined her, their quarrel from the previous night forgotten in the moment.
“Wake the kids, we need to go.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know, but it’s not safe here.”
She nodded in agreement, standing and jogging back upstairs. Josiah watched her go, a sinking feeling in his stomach. When she was out of sight, he spurred himself into action gathering his keys and wallet. He could hear the commotion upstairs as Julia rushed to get the kids out of bed and dressed. While he waited, he tried calling his parents multiple times on his neural-link. The call failed to connect every time he tried, citing heavy system load.
That's not a good sign.
Julia shepherded the kids down the stairs, so he pushed it out of his mind. He took a long, hard look at his family– Julia, and his three beautiful children. Kneeling in front of them, he embraced his kids in a strong hug.
“I love you. I love you so incredibly much, do you know that?”
Tears formed in his eyes and fear threatened to overwhelm him, but his littlest, Adelaide, answered him in her small voice.
“We love you too, daddy.”
Finding newfound courage and resolve, he released them and stood.
“Let’s go, hurry up now.”
As quickly as he could manage, he led them to the car in the garage. Julia worked in tandem with him to secure them in the back seat. When they were buckled in, Josiah pulled Julia aside.
“I’m sorry for being an ass last night. Whatever comes, I love you more than life itself.”
“No, don’t apologize. It was me. I’m sorry too, my love.”
They embraced, Josiah treasuring the seconds in the face of what was to come. With a sigh, he separated from her, circled the car and entered the driver’s seat. He ignited the fusion coils in the engine and began opening the garage door in the same motion.
“Hang on to something, kids. Daddy’s going to have to dr-”
I've got to admit, I enjoyed writing this one. I like the premise but I love the ending.
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I'll see you around! MakoAll images courtesy of Pexels.