Jeremy was lost in his thought for a time until he heard his name. Moving closer to the chimney that came up through the middle of the attic he could hear everything that was said in the house. Small wood stoves were located in many of the big drafty rooms to provide heat. Now a modern heating system did the job but the stoves remained to retain the authenticity of the old house. All of the chimneys converged into one large one in the attic. The large brick chimney came from the kitchen and the smaller ones were ducted through holes with metal tubes. These effectively carried the noise to Jeremy.
“He burst through the door today and it took me an hour to quiet our baby.” Jeremy knew that there was no truth in the accusation.
“He is only a boy. They do that but if it helps I will have a talk with him about his behavior around the baby.”
“Talk? That is all you ever do with him. He needs a good spanking! Better yet send him away. We have our own child that we need to think about.” Jeremy’s blood curdled at the comment. He knew that his step mother somehow felt that he was a threat to her child but he hadn’t thought that her feelings ran so deep.
“I can’t do that! I have a reputation to maintain. Besides, he seems a well-mannered child and stays out of the way whenever I'm here.”
“When you aren’t here, he runs around hollering his head off. He has no respect for me. Send him back to the orphanage before he harms our baby.”
“Enough woman! I decide when he gets sent away, not you.”
“At least send him to a boarding school. I fear for our child. Jeremy gave our sweet baby such a hateful look this afternoon. I can’t sleep at night with him in the house thinking that he might get jealous of our son.” There was a dramatic display of weeping as Jeremy crawled to the far side of the attic.
-------
Fred yawned as the sun painted the sky. His bed was hard as metal but warmed by the hot water lines below. The cubby between two supports was not luxury in any way but it was better than the living conditions of some of the people. A sheet metal space about ten feet long, four feet wide and three feet tall. The roof overhang kept the water off and a curtain made from old boxes, flour sacks and discarded tarp kept the sea breeze away. Fred pulled his shirt around him and shivered as he climbed out into the morning. The workmen were already at work below. Fred could hear the welders and metal workers.
Scurrying along the roof Fred made his way to the back of the building and climbed down the trusses that braced the wall. Making sure that no one had seen him Fred rubbed the last bit of cold from his finger that the metal had imparted. There were at least three other orphans living in the shipyard. One of which Fred was pretty sure would kill for a place like his.
Satisfied that no one had seen him, Fred began his work. It involved doing any odd jobs that anyone would trade a dollar or a scrap of food for. Most times it involved running messages or getting supplies for the workers. Fred had earned a reputation of being reliable and honest so today he was given the chore of getting a forgotten lunch from home. Happily the workman gave Fred a couple dollars and the wife gave him some leftover breakfast. After the morning run Fred fetched supplies for the welders for a while.
After that he found there was nothing left to do so he went exploring. Leaving the shipyard behind Fred climbed the hill. Overlooking a cliff was an old light house. It no longer warned ships away from the shores but stood as a sentinel of an older simpler age. Below the waves crashed on the shores and to the one side the skeletons of the ships being built gleamed in the afternoon sun. The other side was as silent as death. The once bustling port city was a silent lifeless landscape littered with the broken remains of towering skyscrapers. This had been one of the cities that had been nuked at the end of the last war. All that was left was the shipyards that the government still operated. The last war had crippled the country and plunged its citizens into poverty and yet the government prepared with bigger better instruments for the next.
Fred shivered at the sight of the dead city. He had been warned not to go into the city because of the radiation. There had been several individuals that had spoken out about the danger of radiation poisoning in the small settlement that operated the ship yard. These concerned individuals had one by one disappeared or had accidents. Now no one was brave enough to speak up. Some left but just as many came to replace them. In this economy a job was the difference between starvation and life. If a shortened life was the price there were many that were willing to take the chance over the alternative.
-----------
Kiyan trudged down the road without looking more than a step or two ahead. Gone were the days of mighty deeds in the woods. Paulson had finally done what everybody had expected these long years. He had drunk himself to death. It hadn’t come as that much of a surprise to Kiyan. After the funeral Kiyan had been informed that the house was the property of the mining corporation and that it would need to be vacated within the next week.
Too young to work Kiyan joined the homeless masses. He had been able to find food the last few weeks but with the winter frosts food had become scarce. This road was going south. He hoped that there would be food available in a warmer climate. Hearing noise behind him Kiyan looked back. A black sedan owned by an obviously affluent person was bearing down at a rapid pace. After waiting on the side of the road Kiyan sighed deeply and continued his southward march.
----------
Jeremy had spent the last three years at the boarding school. It wasn’t so bad comparatively. The rules were strict and the lessons hard. Each day blended into the monotony of the next. On the bright side his step mother or her darling son were nowhere near. That spoiled brat had become the bane of Jeremy’s existence. Without Jeremy to blame the child’s actions on its mother was constantly trying to cover up the various crimes that occurred on a frequent basis. The thought of the woman being driven to distraction by her child brought a smile to Jeremy’s face.
He stopped for a bite to eat at the cafeteria and kept a bread stick for the walk to his dorm room. In a week the finals would be taken. Jeremy felt confident that he would do well. His teachers had found him to be an apt pupil. It was lost in thoughts about mathematics that Jeremy found himself when the van came to a screeching halt beside him. He looked up in surprise as a couple men in black masks jumped out. His surprise was heightened when the men tackled him. They jammed a bag over his head and dragged him kicking and screaming to the van.
Jeremy reeled from an impact to the head as he was tossed in the back. Stunned he was only able to lay there for a couple minutes. When he tried moving there was another burst of stars in Jeremy’s head that led him to believe that the first time had not been an accident. Taking the hint he lay still. His hands were tied behind his back after a couple minutes. The ride seemed to go on for hours without much conversation between Jeremy’s captors. It was only after he had arrived at a destination that he found out why he had been kidnapped.
It seemed that Jeremy’s three captors had a brother that had been arrested and condemned to death in Jeremy’s home town. The hope was that they could exchange Jeremy, the son of the chief constable, with their brother. They were now arguing over what next to do now that they had Jeremy. One wanted to wait for the parents to make the first move. Another wanted to call them and inform them of their demands. The third wanted to find some other means of the giving the demands.
It was finally settled that a phone call would have to do. To this end Jeremy was forced to read a statement to a recorder. After making the statement he was locked in a windowless room.
Jeremy was fairly sure that if his stepmother had anything to do with it, he would be left to rot. On the other hand his stepfather felt the need to maintain his reputation. This could mean that he would make some sort of arrangement in order to make the situation go away quietly. This could also mean that he would take the opportunity to enhance his reputation of a ruthless law keeper. In all Jeremy felt that the chances of his survival were slim.
&nb
sp; ----------
Today Fred was employed as a welder. One of the ship workers had taken the boy under his wing in a way and had been teaching Fred the art of welding. It had taken some practice but he now had a steady hand and was able to leave beads as good as many of the welders. A foreman had noticed and now Fred had a job as a substitute welder. This meant that if any one didn’t show up for work then Fred was able to earn some money.
He was no longer starving but he still lived in his cubby on the roof. Other than the new source of income not much had changed in his life. Most of the workers knew him and ignored him unless they wanted to avail themselves of the services he provided. Only a couple still tried to chase him off at sight. Over the years the rest had accepted his presence. There was still that one security guard that made it his mission to rid the premises of orphans. Fred had memorized the guard’s route and stations so it was rare the times he was seen let alone caught. Even when he had been evicted from the fenced compound it hadn’t been a big deal. Fred knew where the loose spot on the chain link fence was so entry was once again gained after dark.
----------
Kiyan had hiked for the last week. Living off the land had become a skill. Quite often a few mushrooms were the main content on the soup. Other times he had been able to acquire a few beans. Other times the pot had only contained water. Tonight was one of those nights. Here all the edible vegetation had been collected. Kiyan hoped to be past this country soon. The rumor was that there were fields of produce that farmers were hiring people to harvest. The young man that had told Kiyan of this had said that for the whole harvest season one could live off of the fields if they were discreet.
The sun was sliding behind the tops of the hills and the hot air was cooling. Without the sun Kiyan was able to remove the hat that he had constructed. It had pieces of tarp that hung off of a wide brim. The effect looked ragged at best but it provided shade. Strapping the hat to his pack Kiyan shaded his eyes against the last remnants of the sun. He hoped to at least reach those mountains tonight. There was little directional deviation on the road and the moon was out tonight. It would not be difficult to walk. Kiyan had gotten used to covering vast distances on foot. People marveled at his endurance sometimes. In fact he had been told that it was impossible to walk the salt flats in the summer and yet he was in sight of the end even now.
Kiyan began walking again. Whistling a tune to himself helped pass the time. Seeing a flicker of light at his feet Kiyan looked up expecting the infrequent car. Instead of the expected headlights he saw first one then two lights climbing into the sky. They each left a trail of smoke behind and dwindled into nothingness above. Wondering at it Kiyan shook his head and continued.
---------
It had been days since the ransom message had been sent. Jeremy had received regular meals delivered to his cell accept for today. Outside he heard a heated argument between his captors. After hearing that the fourth brother had been executed his heart sank.
“How was I supposed to know that he was adopted?” It wasn’t hard to tell that the one that had been delivering the meals was agitated.
“What do we do now? Should we kill him?” Jeremy’s heart sank farther.
“I don’t see what good that would do us.”
“It would send a message.”
“Then they would be looking for us harder than they already are!”
The sound of a door bursting open interrupted the conversation. At this point Jeremy discovered that the third brother had arrived. There was some news that he imparted that almost was able to distract them from their problems. After a few minutes Jeremy was able to piece the events together. The gist of what he heard was that America had launched nuclear missiles at Russia in a first strike.
Jeremy slumped to the floor. It was no longer a question of whether or not he was going to survive the kidnapping. Russia was the second largest country on the globe. It was unlikely that they didn’t have any nuclear weapons of their own. The state controlled newspaper at school had declared that Russia hadn’t a single nuke with enough range to reach the Americas. Jeremy had taken this declaration with a grain of salt. Now the truth of that statement was all that stood between the lives of hundreds of millions and vaporization.
The brothers had a hurried argument over Jeremy’s fate before they came to the same conclusion that he had. The one brother that delivered the meals yelled that they were leaving and that Jeremy was free to go. This message was delivered through a locked door and then they were gone. Jeremy had waited for at least an hour without hearing a sound before he decided that it wasn’t a trap.
The door proved to be something of a challenge. Jeremy’s shoulder was bruised by the time he managed to break the hinges loose. The lock it turned out had been reinforced with a metal plate. Jeremy walked through the vacant house and looked out at the fading day. Horror struck him as he saw the trail of smoke passing overhead. He wondered briefly if it was American or enemy.
The question was not left unanswered for long. The trail dipped sharply after passing over head. Just before it passed below the trees there was a blinding flash. Jeremy turned and ran back into the house just as the shockwave hit. Windows shattered and walls crumbled. Another flash followed by the blast shook what was left of the house.
After several minutes Jeremy brushed the loose pieces of sheetrock off and carefully made his way outside. The foliage had been ripped off trees all around him. The distinctive mushroom clouds that every American knew and dreaded could be seen in three directions. Jeremy knew that if so may could be seen from one spot that hundreds had fallen across the continent.
--------
Fred sat on the deck of the ship staring at the horizon in a daze. He had seen the fireballs consume several cities on the horizon. He kept seeing the image of the desolate city next to the shipyard. If what had been left behind was anything like that. He tried to purge the images from his mind unsuccessfully.
This ship had been designed as a troop transport but now it was crowded with refugees. The shipbuilders had repurposed after learning how widespread the desolation was. The American government had taken refuge in bunkers deep underground. Survivors of the blasts had sought refuge in these bunkers but had been repulsed. The people had blamed the elite who had brought this horror on them. They had taken revenge by seeking out every entrance to the bunkers and sealing them under hundreds of tons of rubble. The people that truly had destroyed the country were now sealed inside their fortresses.
The effects of radiation had taken a toll and only a fraction remained. Survivors had gathered at the shipyard. This ship had been near completions. Components scavenged from other ships had finished it and now they were afloat far off the shores of their once mighty country.
Most of those aboard had lost every one that they had ever known. A few were with someone they loved and out of the whole group only one family was still intact. Several had succumbed to the lingering effects of the radiation and their bodies were now with the fish. Worse yet was the fact that the ship had broken down and they were adrift. They didn’t have the parts necessary to continue their journey. They had not started the journey with a destination in mind but now they didn’t even have a hope of reaching any place.
“Ship! There’s a ship!” The frantic call roused all who were on the deck. They rushed to the side and strained to see the spec on the horizon. There was mixed jubilation and despair. Some hoped for rescue and others lamented the sure death that waited.
Kiyan woke from a restless night of strange dreams. He climbed out of bed and got dressed mechanically. Each day it seemed like a chore to rub the fog out of his eyes. Looking back at the bed longingly he wanted to avoid the problems he knew he would be facing today. He remembered some of the strange dreams as he left his room. After making a hasty breakfast he heard the transport coming down his street. Grabbing his bag he rushed out the door just in time to get a seat. The driver of the education system transport scowled at him like usua
l as he climbed aboard. Walking back in the vehicle he looked for a seat. Several of the students filled the empty seats next to them as soon as they saw him. Finding a seat near the back of the bus next to another refuge from America he settled in preparing for the ride to school.
Kiyan remembered how he had come to the united colonies of Australia after world war three. After world war two when America and Japan had begun grabbing land around the world the rest of the civilized nations had fought them to a standstill. Japan had been wiped from the map by the atom bombs from Russia and after the first couple nuclear strikes America had withdrawn and closed their borders. Contact with the rest of the world had been extremely limited.
Inside their borders the American government hadn’t spent much time nursing their wounds. No longer did they seek to subjugate the world with sheer numbers. No longer did victory go to he who marshalled the most troops. Now victory belonged to the one who built the biggest weapon. When America threatened the rest of the world with their own bombs the arms race had begun. America had struck first making Moscow and Chernobyl radiation zones that might never be inhabited again. In the resulting chaos Iran, France and China had destroyed America.
The memories of fleeing the shambles of his homeland had given Kiyan nightmares for years but now it all seemed distant. Still Kiyan would wake with visions of the night sky being lit up brighter than noon day. He was among the fortunate few that survived. Among an even fewer number that hadn't been affected by the resulting fallout. Despite the proximity to the blast and the things he had seen there had been no radiation poisoning in the wake of the terror. The ship that he had been on had been adrift for days before an aid ship had found them and towed them into port. The refugees had been housed in temporary camps that had become long term housing. The mental scars had disappeared but there was still much that remained to remind the refugees of what had happened. Unfortunately no one was willing to trust an American now so Kiyan had to live with constantly being reminded what his kind had done.