The Long Way Home Page 5

  “AT...?”

  “S,” Clarence finished the acronym as he jogged up to them. “Patrick, you are now standing in the middle of our ‘Ascent to Sanctuary’ project. There’s a lot I need to show you.” He smiled knowingly.

  “I’ll leave you two to get started,” Duke said and turned to walk out the door leading back into the elevator hallway.

  CHAPTER 10

  Another less than exciting day of school and, thankfully, an uneventful walk home later, Joe stood in front his house’s entry door. He put his key in and unlocked it. As he fumbled to get the key out, Ayrin walked in behind him. He pulled the key, closed the door and walked into the kitchen.

  Both kids crept to the edge of the living room. Other than Victor being awake, not much had changed. The man slouched on the couch with a beer in hand. The TV was on, but he was staring right through it.

  “I wish my old dad was here,” Joe said. He walked down the hallway to his room. Ayrin followed him and stopped just short of the doorway. She wanted to say something to comfort Joe, but didn’t – she just stood there with a drooped head because nothing she said would have mattered anyway.

  ***

  Afternoon turned to evening, and darkness fell over the Bayhams’ home. Night’s dark cloak enveloped the house as Joe headed to bed. A chill crept into his room only partly because of the temperature drop outside. Light from the TV in the living room glowed into the hallway.

  Joe tried to get comfortable but only succeeded in tossing and turning. He got up and walked up the hallway toward the front of the house. Ayrin, having heard the noise, followed him. Joe snuck into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. They stood at the edge of the living room and saw Victor flipping through channels.

  Victor’s red face contorted as he clenched his jaw.

  “Why have we been paying so much for TV when nothing is on?!”

  Both kids took a step back from the outburst.

  He didn’t turn toward them though, evidently unaware of his audience. As the channel numbers scrolled by, Victor recognized a familiar face as it momentarily flashed on the screen. He muttered under his breath after not being able to stop in time. He hit the down channel button on the remote twice and stopped to watch The Carol Wilcox Show. The crawler at the bottom of the screen read, “Carol Wilcox Show, featuring Duke Evensen.”

  Victor fumbled with the TV remote, found the volume button, and hit it a couple of times just as the face of the Space Vision CEO appeared.

  “Thanks for having me again, Carol.”

  “We’re happy to have you here, Mr. Evensen. What can you tell us about the reports from our Washington bureau that say the Oppenheimer asteroids are tracking to make a close pass to the inner solar system and possibly near Earth?”

  “I don’t know where those reports are coming from, but I can’t confirm that.”

  “Mr. Evensen, there has to be something you can tell us. There has been an increase in security at all NASA locations, and reports say that Space Vision has had a recent hiring spree.”

  “We absolutely did hire some folks. It’s no secret that the Memphis economy has taken a downturn, and we have found some opportunities that required some additional people. It was a chance for us to help the local community and solve some challenges of our own.”

  “What kind of challenges?”

  Duke cleared his throat. “Carol, Space Vision is an optimistic organization. Our teams are working on multiple projects. One team is creating a solution for a potential meteor strike after the Oppenheimer String passes through the asteroid belt just beyond Mars.”

  “That’s just one team’s job? How many teams do you have working right now?”

  Duke chuckled. “My CFO would tell you that we have plenty.”

  Victor leaned forward. His foot knocked over three empty beer bottles. The clang echoed through the house, but he didn’t react to the sound. He sat a little taller, set his beer on the table next to him and leaned forward.

  “I believe,” Duke said, “that my job is to be a part of the solution. We have a community outreach team that is working to provide food and water to those affected by the recent economic decline related to the announcement of the Oppenheimer String. We also have a task force that is setting up protected living quarters and systems to provide basic necessities for our employees so they don’t have to worry about the environment beyond our offices. Another department is working to identify and prioritize challenges that face Space Vision.”

  Carol frowned. “Like what, exactly?”

  “Our immediate challenge is that we are understaffed and are still looking for some good people to join us at Space Vision. I would encourage anyone in the greater Memphis area that has skills in computer science, engineering or security to apply immediately.”

  “Why security?”

  “Honestly, we have had an increase in protesters around our offices. The safety of my employees is my top priority.”

  Victor turned the TV off and stood up. Joe and Ayrin snuck back through the kitchen and into the darkness of the hallway. They watched him walk out to the kitchen to start the coffeemaker. He leaned over the sink, splashed some cold water on his face and headed out to the garage.

  What is dad up to? Joe wondered as the two kids walked down the hallway to go back to bed.

  ***

  The next morning, Mary and the kids walked to the edge of the living room and stopped. What looked like half of the garage was sitting in front of them. Stacks of boxes, bags and other items filled the room. Victor was sitting upright, asleep on the couch. He was snoring.

  Mary headed into the kitchen. “I’ll get your lunch prepared.” She tried to get some plates and silverware out without making too much noise. It didn’t work. Victor stopped snoring and stretched. He blinked a couple of times and looked toward the noise. With new energy, he stood and rushed out to the kitchen. Mary put her arm on the counter to brace herself, expecting the worst.

  “There’s no school today,” Victor said plainly.

  The kids stared at Victor.

  A puzzled look came over Mary’s face.

  “Why, Victor? School is important.”

  “People are getting desperate. Larger cities are breaking down. Protests over the food rationing program are turning into full blown riots.”

  “I haven’t heard anything like that.”

  Victor took a step back and reached for the television remote. He handed it to Mary.

  “Pick a channel. They’re all talking about it.”

  Mary stepped into the living room and turned the TV on, and a burning police car filled the screen. Mary changed the channel, shaking her head. A new image appeared of damaged storefronts with people running out of broken windows and doors carrying boxes. Victor walked back into the living room followed by Joe and Ayrin. She changed the channel again and stopped on one channel where an anchor was speaking while a crawl of canceled schools moved across the bottom of the screen. The strength in the woman’s legs vanished, and she slumped down into the couch before she lost her balance.

  “Mary, I’ve been a complete ass over the past few days. I’m sorry. My family deserves better than that, which is why we’re heading south.”

  “South, Victor? Why? What are you talking about?”

  “It all makes sense now,” Victor said. “If I hadn’t lost my job, I wouldn’t have been here at the house. I’ve been watching updates on this Oppenheimer thing. And now there’s this company that is working to save all of us that is asking for help. I need to answer their call. We need to answer the call.”

  Victor sat down next to his wife. He reached up and held her face in his hands.

  “I love you, Mary. I need you to trust me. Please. Help me pack our things.”

  Mary reached up and touched the hand on her right cheek. “Where do we have to go, Victor?”

  “Memphis, Mary. We’re going to go to Memphis.”

  The woman looked into the kitchen at the table
where Ayrin sat and Joe was eating his breakfast cereal. “Go get your bags and start packing clothes, towels, and bathroom supplies.”

  Joe ran down the hallway with Ayrin close behind.

  She turned to her husband. “Victor, I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Victor nodded, got up, and walked out to the garage. The sounds that followed were a combination of metal grinding, the whir of a drill, and a saw cutting something. The others stayed active throughout the day and well into the night packing bags of clothes, organizing food in coolers and collecting pillows and blankets. At one point, the kids took a break and sat down on the couch. They lost the battle to stay awake.

  CHAPTER 11

  Joe woke up to the sound of doors opening and shutting. He grabbed his bag that he packed the previous night and walked down the hallway to the living room, and Ayrin followed him. Joe saw his dad lugging a large brown box to the front door. He grunted as he pushed the door open with his shoulder. Victor propped up the box on the van’s rear bumper with his leg and wiped away the sweat dripping from his face. He wore a handgun on his hip. It wasn’t unusual for Victor to have a gun near him, but he rarely carried one. Joe looked around the house and saw that the boxes from the previous night were either empty or tossed aside. The other things that had been stacked around the boxes were now gone or in random piles.

  Joe walked out to the kitchen and raised himself up using the counter to look out the window. The family’s van was parked facing the road and was stuffed from the family packing it overnight. Pillows and blankets sat on top of duffle bags of clothes, trash bags filled with supplies, and paper bags loaded with food. Victor lifted the last box, placed it on top of clear plastic tubs containing their camping supplies, closed the rear hatch door, and walked back into the house.

  “We’re loaded up. Everybody, get ready. Bus is leaving in five.”

  Joe hopped into his seat on the left side of the van. There was a stack of bags between the two captain’s chairs in the second row. A few blankets were on the other seat. Ayrin climbed in and sat on them. Victor got into the driver seat as Mary got in and closed her door.

  Victor put the van in gear and started out of the driveway. The typical sounds of traffic and kids walking to school were absent as they drove through their neighborhood.

  “Where is everyone?” Joe asked.

  Victor answered without turning around. “The news has been advising people to stay inside because of the unrest in some areas. Looks like people are listening.”

  Approaching the highway, a few cars passed them, but for the most part, the streets remained clear. Victor turned the van onto the on-ramp and accelerated. He merged into the far right lane of the highway and headed eastbound on Interstate 70.

  “Why are we going this way if you want to go south?”

  Victor turned to his wife with a serious look on his face. “We have to avoid large populations every chance we can. The protests and riots get worse in the bigger cities.”

  Mary turned back to where the kids were sitting, smiled and gave a reassuring nod. She turned back around and the van traveled on in silence.

  “Mom, can you turn the radio on?” Joe asked.

  “What if we put a CD in?” Mary searched through the organizer between the front seats.

  “OK.”

  Music started playing, but Joe didn’t pay attention. He noticed an overpass ahead of them. People carrying signs were marching back and forth on it and the signs bobbed and bounced as they did. Some of them were wearing black masks that covered their faces above their mouths. A red stripe ran up the middle and over their heads. Traffic was backed up on the overpass thanks to the disruption, but the highway was unaffected.

  The Bayhams passed underneath it and continued on. Ayrin and Joe turned around to look at the opposite side of the overpass. More people were marching around and several looked like they were yelling at the cars stuck in the congestion. Joe turned around, glad that there was open highway ahead of them.

  A few minutes later, the van made a southward turn onto 675. Joe looked out the window and saw some horses running through a field. They seemed so free.

  “I wonder what it’s like to ride a horse,” Ayrin wondered.

  The family’s van approached a small business park on the right.

  “See that?” Victor asked. “Those places would normally have a decent amount of activity. Now there’s nobody there.”

  The highway stayed mostly empty until the family saw a backup on an off ramp. Victor moved over to the left lane and began passing cars. Joe noticed a blonde woman that had her head back against her seat and was facing the roof of her car with closed eyes. The man in front of her was resting his cheek on his fist and stared ahead blankly. Several of the other people he saw had similar looks of boredom. Up ahead, there were cars stopped at odd angles where the drivers had failed to merge into the line of cars trying to exit the highway, and their rear bumpers were sticking out far enough into the left lane that passing cars were having to use the road’s shoulder. At the top of the ramp, another group of people were marching with signs, but this one was larger than the one on the last overpass and smoke was rising from something that had been set on fire.

  Many of the protesters carried signs, but Joe couldn’t read what was written on them. He realized that there were a couple of people wearing the same mask he’d seen at the last protest.

  What is the deal with the masks?

  The van’s tires passed over the rumble strips on the side of the road as the Bayhams passed another car blocking the way. Victor guided the vehicle back into the normal traffic lanes as they crossed under the overpass. The congestion immediately dropped off, and he accelerated back up to highway speed.

  Joe leaned over and closed his eyes, exhausted.

  It was an exhausting day.

  ***

  Joe yawned and rubbed his eyes. The van wasn’t moving. He looked around, trying to get his bearings.

  Ayrin blinked in the bright light, trying to get her eyes to adjust.

  “Mom, where are we?” Joe asked.

  “We are on 275,” Mary said. Her voice cracked slightly but she forced a smile. “But there are some people blocking the road. Stay away from the windows.”

  The kids leaned toward the middle of the car and watched the scene unfold ahead and to the right of the van. People, some carrying signs, were streaming down the off ramp. As they neared the highway, those on the far side of the cars stopped on the ramp began cutting in between the vehicles. Several near the front of the crowd were able to move faster since those behind them were working their way around cars as well as the other people around them. A man staggered in front of a car and entered the space between the Bayhams’ line of vehicles and the lane to their right. He stooped down to look into the vehicle but when he looked up, something in the next truck in line set him off. The man ran up to the driver’s door and smacked the window with his hands. Two women on the other side of the lane ran to the other side of the truck. They disappeared behind it but their screaming carried into the van. Space between the other cars began to fill with other people as they worked their way through the cars in the highway and randomly smacked windows. Further back in the crowd, Joe saw a person carrying a sign that read, “Food for all.” Another held one that said, “God sent Oppenheimer.”

  Next to the truck, a couple of protesters were yelling at the people inside. The car tried to move forward, but a pair of large men stepped in front of it – one pounded the hood with his fist. Another lumbered up to the driver’s door and threw his weight against the car. He screamed at the driver through the window. One of the masked protesters shuffled up behind him and brandished a bat. The unmasked protester gripped it around the handle and started swinging it at the car. Ayrin and Joe saw him raise the weapon but it disappeared below the bottom of the windshield. A THUNK could be heard just after it did. The family jumped at the violence.

  Cheers erupted from the crowd. Th
e man reared back and swung again, and this time the bat shattered the window.

  “OK. We’re done here,” Victor said.

  He turned the wheel to the left and drove the van out into the median. Victor wasn’t the only one taking action as multiple cars began pulling out of line to get away from the protesters. A blue sedan made a U-turn and crossed the median to get to open road. A red sports car accelerated as it cleared the car in front of it. It hit a protester as it left, and the man’s body flew into the air and landed on a brown car to the right.

  Victor and Mary recoiled at the sight.

  Joe noticed their reactions. “Mom?”

  The crowd screamed in anger.

  Two protesters stepped out in front of the Bayhams’ van. Victor didn’t stop. The van bounced on the grassy median as he angled for the other side of the highway. Both protestors moved to block but the woman on the right jumped out of the way. The man jumped at the van and grabbed the windshield wipers to hold on. He screamed at the top of his lungs – spit flying onto the glass separating him from the family.

  “Get us out of here!” Mary yelled.

  Victor hit the gas as the van reached the edge of the asphalt. The van lurched. Refusing to let go, the protestor was thrown clear of the van as the wiper broke off in his hand. Joe turned back and spotted a masked protester not far from the side of the highway. She was standing completely still and stared at the van.

  Can she see me through the tinted windows? She’s looking right at me.

  Victor hit the gas, making the tires squeal. The van accelerated away and left the protest behind. As the Bayhams turned southward, the other cars that had broken through the protest began to thin out.

  The sound of the engine and the wind rushing by created enough noise to make the silence in the van more comfortable. Joe’s head nodded a couple of times, and the boy fell back asleep.

  ***