The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 46

As the rectangular block fell away, a backflow of icy wind burst into the house, catching the group unawares.

“Holy shit,” Aurora said. “That is fucking cold.” With a sudden shiver, she retreated to the couch and, grabbing a blanket, wrapped it around her body as a shield from the frigid breath of old man winter. The others looked out at the town with wonder and terror as they witnessed the true havoc nature could inflict.

“Jesus Christ,” Eli said. “That is messed up.” Aurora soon returned to the open door and staring out at what had become an alien landscape, she found herself lost for words, save for two. “Holy fuck.”

The storm had reshaped the town of Cle Elam into an alien world, erasing any landmarks that gave it familiarity. The former students were accustomed to the streets being cleared by heavy equipment and learned of these catastrophes through weather reports. Ordinarily, their studies precluded them from any concern over meteorological issues. They simply didn’t have time for it. Now, the power of Mother Earth stood at their doorstep in all her majesty, displaying her will and ability to do as she wished.

Closing the door, Maya suggested that everyone gather in the living room. Given how their situation had changed, the plan they had put together needed to change with it. “Okay, guys,” Maya said. “Looks like things are a bit different now. Anybody have any ideas?” The question seemed ridiculously obvious, but the lack of suggestions reflected the importance of finding an answer.

“How are we going to do this?” Eli asked. “There’s got to be two feet of snow out there.” Jackson spoke up for no other reason than to offer a bit of clarity.

“Actually,” he began. “With the cars covered, it’s probably more like four feet at least.” With Eli’s frustration mounting, he turned to Jackson, voicing his hostility and impatience. “Who the fuck asked you?”

Maya immediately snapped at both of them in a scolding tone.

“Hey!” she began. “Cool it! We’re not arguing about this. You’re both smarter than this. Now, shut the fuck up, and let’s try to put this into perspective.”

The effect of her sudden rant was instantaneous, prompting the two into silence. Intelligent ideas rarely appear from chaos and if a workable plan was to be agreed upon, calm minds would have to prevail.

“Alright then,” Maya continued. “Now, how do we deal with this?”

A moment of pause occupied the room, butt it wasn’t long before the air was broken by a necessary piece of logic.

“Let’s start from the beginning,” Aurora said. “When we got here, there was already snow on the ground, and we did just fine. But now, the only thing that’s different is the amount of snow. We need to adapt, and that means coming up with something that will let us get around in all that. I know this sounds stupid, but I think we’re trying too hard. We need some inspiration. I mean, isn’t that the basis of science in the first place?” Everyone sat looking at each other, hoping someone would fill in the blanks. Solving an equation through a sudden moment of enlightenment was one thing, but their situation was far from academic and required a more practical approach.

“I think the first thing we need to do is clear a trail,” Jackson said.

“Great idea,” Maya replied. “That’s a good first step, anyone else?”

Now, the wheels were turning as others spoke up. “We’re going to have to find shovels,” Aurora said.

Eli raised a hand.

“What if we can’t find any? I mean, everything’s buried out there.”

Jackson had another idea -- one he thought was more pressing.

“Before we do this, we should check for damage. Snow can get pretty heavy. There might be a few roofs caved in – including the grocery store.” The bells of alarm rang as everyone’s eyes widened. Without the grocery store, they would certainly starve and with the roads impassable, escape would be impossible.

Realizing the urgency of this new development, the group got up threw some blankets around themselves, and started out the door. The first place they needed to explore was the service station. This would give them a good impression of how the rest of the town would look. Once they were outside, they stood in awe and fear of how the town had been transformed.

“We’re still on earth, right?” Eli asked. “Because I don’t recognize any of this.”

Maya stood studying the apocalyptic scene and, pointing into the distance, estimated where she believed the service station was. The others agreed and, pushing their way through snow, walked in the direction they hoped would take them to the service station. As luck would have it, Maya’s sense of direction was perfect, and the group soon found themselves in the small parking lot of the town’s service station. But this was where their luck came to an end. Standing in the parking lot, they were horrified to see that the weight of the snow forced the service station to collapse. Windows were shattered, walls had been crushed, and any means of entry had been destroyed. Any hope of further survival was slowly dissolving away as the group searched the wreckage for anything that could be easily reached, regardless of what it was. Assisting in the search, Maya stopped, and calling out to the group brought an end to what had become an exercise in futility.

“Guy,” she said. “This is pointless. Let’s just go to the store and see what kind of shape that’s in.” Trudging through the snow, the group left the parking lot and headed in the direction of the grocery store. Navigating their way there was nearly impossible. The roads were not just blocked, they were flooded. Making the distinction between the snow-covered road and the cars buried along the streets was difficult, but walking down the middle of the road made things a bit easier, yet it was also an issue of time. Traipsing through at least three feet of snow required far more time than when they arrived in the town.

“Jesus Christ,” Eli said. “I’m not sure I can do this.”

In half-hearted jest, Aurora replied with a taunting tone.

“Come on, Eli,” she said. “Don’t be a pussy.” Eli’s answer was simply stated as he held out a middle finger to her.

“Suck it,” he replied.

Never tolerating conflict, Maya again acted as referee and interrupted their verbal skirmish. “Listen, guys,” she began. “If the grocery store is still standing, we’re going to be making a lot of trips there, and we’re going to have to deal with the snow. So, get a grip.”

Finally reaching the grocery store, the group was relieved to find still standing and crawling through the gaping hole in the door, they fanned out. This time, the smell of decay was absent, prompting Jackson’s curiosity. During their last visit, he found himself vomiting in a corner after discovering a young woman’s corpse behind the front counter. His approach was cautious and arriving at the counter he leaned over to find the body still curled up on the floor. It was apparent that some of the local wildlife had made their way in, taking advantage of a meal that was incapable of fighting back. He soon discovered the reason for the absence of any odor that previously vented from the corpse. With the door of the grocery store widely breached, the cold air found its way in and overnight turned the grocery store into a freezer, leaving the dead girl cemented in an icy mass. Yet, the animals were still able to chew through its frozen flesh and into parts left untouched by the numbing winter air. And by the looks of it, they didn’t seem to care where they made their entry. Studying the morbid scene, Jackson whispered to himself.

“Fucking sick.”

Suddenly being called away by Maya, Jackson left the bleak scene and followed her voice, finding himself at several shelves of bottled water. The young girl’s body was not the only thing that froze overnight.

“Shit,” he said. “So much for getting water.” Maya picked up one of the bottles and examining it assured him that they could thaw them later.

Although there was a good amount of snow built up near the front of the store, the wind had failed to push it throughout its remaining space. As with their last excursion, everyone grabbed at least two shopping bags and moving up and down the aisles took as much as they could carry. Again, perishables were left behind. This time, an exception was made that they would make room in their shopping bags for a few necessary pleasures – namely, chocolate. As difficult as things were, there was always time for something sinful, and Aurora was especially fond of chocolate’s addictive qualities. The one thing that was to be avoided was hoarding. What no one expected was that later, as they sat in the living room, the pastries and chocolate the group had procured would be used as currency to be bartered for other things. In fact, Eli was the first to attempt this.

“Hey, Aurora,” he said. “I’ll give you all my chocolate if you let me bone you tonight.” Aurora had always found him to be a nuisance, but the idea of sleeping with him brought her to a level of disgust that triggered a small degree of regurgitation. He almost literally made her sick.

Once again, upon arriving at the house, everything from the store was put in its proper place with one exception – chocolate. This was consumed only in small amounts, as the supply was limited. However, Aurora in her addiction commenced to eating her entire share and soon after found herself outside bent over in the snow. After emptying her stomach of the one food she could never get enough of, she returned to the living room, clutching her stomach. Eli began laughing as soon as she started out the door and continued after her return. Tapped of her strength, she managed a brief comment.

“Eli, shut the fuck up!”

The only thing this accomplished was to provoke Eli into hysterics as he began mimicking the act of vomiting. This only made things worse, prompting Aurora’s gag reflex in hypersensitivity. His teasing was brought to a stern end by Maya, who threatened to slap him across the head should he continue.