Barren Fields (4 page)

She gives Keith’s hand as much of a squeeze as she is able, but the whole episode has taken too much out of her. She takes some pain medication and lies down to sleep.

Once Maggie is sleeping, Keith finds the others in the dining hall. He sits at the table in resignation of what they are discussing, and Frank puts a plate of food in front of him.

“It’s not half as good as what the chef used to make us, but it’s decent and you need to eat.”

“I was just telling them about my place, Keith. Should I continue or do you need a minute?”

Keith nods his head and says to
go on
.

“My place in Mexico is on the western edge of a city called Coatzacoalcos, in the Vera Cruz region, and like our current situation, there is good and bad about that location as well. Mexico has a lot of empty land in between cities and no capabilities to do a one day national inoculation of Zeus like the U.S. Most likely this disease hasn’t made it there yet, and if we get really lucky, it won’t reach there at all. I have a retreat full of supplies with its own water well, and we can cruise the boat right up to the dock on the western edge of the river.

“The bad news is Mexico is corrupt, so there is a chance the local police or military could give us grief or even try to take my supplies. There are also local gangs that might do the same, especially as word about the disease spreads and it approaches the city. The final problem will be where we should go from there if and when the disease arrives. We will have to consider leaving before it makes it there because Coatzacoalcos has a population of three hundred thousand people to run from if they get sick.”

“Do you have any idea where to go if we have to leave Mexico?” Frank asks.

“I have one idea, but it’s a long shot. I was hoping I could hear your ideas first.”

“My only family is my grandfather, and he lives in New York. My house and all of my friends are in...
were
in Louisiana, so I’ve got nothing,” Jack says.

“I have an ex-wife in Indiana and a forty year old son in Chicago that won’t speak to me,” Frank offers. “I’d give anything to speak with them again, but there’s no way we would make it anywhere near Chicago with the disease or possible radiation. My own house is just outside of Denver so even my property in Colorado is an impossible trip.”

Everyone looks at Keith.

“I’ve lived in Louisiana most of my life. I have a huge extended family in Champaign, Illinois. A brother, sisters, cousins, the whole nine yards, but I doubt we would find anyone alive if we made it. Champaign’s a city of eighty thousand people and it isn’t situated any better than New Orleans. Clinton Nuclear Power plant is thirty-five miles west of Champaign, and I would see it when we went fishing in Clinton Lake.

“The only person I know that isn’t by radiation is my son Eddie, in Oregon. We would have to travel across most of the country and the Rocky Mountains to get there. I wouldn’t be able to make that trip even if I was still eighteen years old. I hope your idea is a good one, George, because I’m all out.”

“My plan is to try and reach your son, Keith,” George offers.

“I appreciate you trying to cheer me up and give me some type of hope, but I just said it’s impossible. That’s a two thousand mile trip over mountains, through deserts, and a world filled with disease. Any survivors will shoot at us to keep what is theirs or try to kill us to take what we have. Give us something real to hope for,” Keith says angrily.

“It’s a two hundred mile trip,” George replies. “I bought a house in Coatzacoalcos because it is a two hundred mile trip across that part of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. I never had a place in mind to go before, but I liked the idea of being able to make it to the Pacific and have access to the West Coast if the East Coast went radioactive.

“Don’t look at me like that, Keith. Talking with your son is what started me down that road of thought.”

“Is your son a
tin foil hat
type of guy?” Frank asks with concern.

“No, he’s not a conspiracy kind of man. I asked him about it once, and he said he loves his family so it’s his job to know how to keep them safe. I’m surprised he was so dramatic with George that it scared him so much.”

“He wasn’t dramatic at all, and I bet he doesn’t even remember that conversation. I asked him if he had any plans to move to New Orleans to live by you and Maggie, because I knew you would love to have the grandkids here. He gave me this quick look like I asked if he wanted to cut off his arm. I thought he might have an issue with living near you, Keith, but then he told me about the nuclear problem with this area. It wasn’t more than a two minute conversation, but he was serious and direct with his reply. It gave me the chills, but I dismissed as him being crazy and paranoid until I looked it up myself. Doing my own research is what really freaked me out.”

“Do you think we could make it?” Frank asks.

“It took me four hours to drive to the Pacific Ocean by car. It would take a day or two on horses and maybe a week on foot if we don’t have any other options for transportation. There are cities and towns in between the coasts so there are all sorts of dangers besides the disease we could face along the way.”

“It’s still a long way to Oregon,” Keith adds. “Even if we go by boat, which is what I guess you’re thinking.”

“Exactly, I was thinking we could buy a boat when we reached the coast. If the disease is already there then we might have to fight for one. It won’t be easy, but I have no other idea where to go. We could head to Alaska or South America, but I hate the cold and I don’t speak Spanish.”

With a somber look on his face, Keith says, “I appreciate the thought of heading to see my son, but even if we make it to Oregon, you realize he might not be alive.”

They all nod their understanding.

“I do have one request,” Keith adds. “I want us to wait until the alarm sounds. We can load the boat with everything now and wait to make a quick escape as soon as the radiation reaches us. I want to give Maggie as much time as possible, and I want to have that time with her as well.”

They all look at each other and Keith. Their looks are a mixture of remorse, understanding, fear, and shame.

“Please.”

Frank and Jack both look at George with expressions of unease and shrug.

“Is there a way we can protect ourselves against the effects of radiation? What good is surviving a plague if we die from fallout?” Frank asks.

“We can check the medical supplies to see if they have Potassium tablets, I don’t have any. Potassium Iodide or Iodate will block radioactive iodine from building up in the Thyroid. We will need to start taking them now to make sure our bodies are saturated before any fallout reaches us.”

“You bought a property in Mexico to prepare for a nuclear escape location and didn’t bother getting any of those Potassium pills?” Jack asks.

“I have a supply of them at my house in New Orleans and in Mexico, but I didn’t think the end of the world would happen when I was fishing. If we can’t find any Potassium pills we can try red wine if the kitchen has any, or even broccoli. If we’re going to stay and wait for the alarm, we should have all three of those things in our system by the time it sounds. Keith and I can check the medical room for the pills, and you two can gather the wine and broccoli out of the kitchen if there is any. All five of us will have to start consuming those items today.”

“Can’t we just wait until we need them?” Keith asks. “I don’t want to go in and disturb Maggie by searching through the room.”

“You mean you don’t want to disturb Maggie by telling her what we’re looking for? You can’t keep the truth about this away from her. If we stay here, she is going to need this stuff in her system just as much as we are before the radiation hits. She may be struggling to live but that doesn’t mean she’s dead, or doesn’t get a say in what we do.”

Keith quickly stands up to face George against his accusation. Instead of arguing his point, he turns and walks out, knowing that George is right about his intentions to hide the dangers from Maggie.

*

No potassium pills were found on the rig or in George’s boat. He double checked the first aid kit he had on board just in case he threw some of the pills in there, but he didn’t. He meant to, but didn’t.

They spent the evening loading as much water, food, and medical supplies into the boat as they could and refueling it. There is no guarantee that George’s house will be accessible or intact anymore, and if not, they need everything they can carry and more.

After everything is secured the men return to the medical room to speak with Maggie.

“We have everything set to leave, but we’ve decided we are going to stay until the alarms sound,” George says for the group. “With the broccoli and red wine in our systems, we should be fine with the short exposure we will receive before we can leave.”

“And if you’re not fine with the exposure?” she asks.

“We are all adults and are doing what we think is right.”

Maggie looks at each of the men’s faces. She sees strength and pride, but also fear. Jack is only able to keep eye contact for a second before his eyes look to Frank, and then scan to the floor. The men are staying longer for her benefit, and as much as she would like to usher them all off the rig right now, she knows her urgings would fall on deaf ears.

“When the alarms sound, how do you four propose getting me down to the boat both quickly and safely?” she asks them.

“We’ll use the same empty cargo box that we used to lower supplies to the boat. We can use the crane to lower you and Keith the same way.

“You will all continue to get exposed to radiation while this process of loading me takes place.”

“We’ve made our choice.” George says, and they all nod with expressions showing varying degrees of commitment.

“I assume you will be staying on board to run the crane, because you are in charge of the rig?” Maggie asks Frank directly.

“Yes ma’am.”

“In that case I want all of you to leave so I can get some rest, but would like Frank to stay to explain the whole process of getting me loaded so I don’t screw something up and slow you down even more. Keith, that means you too. Go get some sleep. How are you going to carry me to the crane if you don’t have enough rest?”

Keith leans in for a kiss and stands up from beside her bed. The men say goodnight and trudge out the door to get some sleep. The days have been far easier on Frank and Jack without the physically demanding job of running the rig, but the stresses of the known and unknown versions of death that are knocking on their doors is causing serious fatigue to affect them all.

“Could you make sure no one is in the hall, Frank?”

He checks and shakes his head when he turns around.

“No one is out there.”

“Frank, I want you to make the alarm ring tomorrow afternoon.”

Frank just looks at Maggie and waits for an explanation.

“I know you think you’re staying here for me, but you are really staying here for Keith. It is his feelings you are all concerned about, and his feelings are secondary to all of your physical well-being. You set the alarm to go off tomorrow afternoon and don’t tell Keith. He will think we are leaving because of the radiation and won’t feel guilty about moving me, and I won’t feel guilty that my condition put all of you in danger.”

“I think we’ll be able to get you off the rig fast enough that we won’t be affected.”

“You think but you don’t know. Tell me, Frank, have you ever gone through chemotherapy?” she asks but doesn’t wait for a response. “It isn’t fun. There is nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and you boys could get what I have now,
cancer
. Now I love Keith with all my heart, and I appreciate what you men are trying to do for me, but your pain and suffering won’t help me live any longer. I won’t die in peace if I know I was the cause of your deaths. You set the alarm, or trigger it, or do whatever you have to, but you get us off this rig no later than tomorrow evening or I will jump from the edge and start swimming to Mexico on my own.”

“I’ll make sure we leave tomorrow evening.”

She gives him a stern look.

“And I’ll make sure Keith doesn’t know there is no radiation.”

“Thank you, now go get some sleep. You look terrible.”

*

The night’s rest did everybody some good. The comfort of knowing they are ready to leave at a moment’s notice also helps. Today is an especially good day for Maggie. Not only has she recovered from the stress of being moved to the oil rig, but she is feeling better than she has in weeks. At her insistence she had Keith bring her to the dining room, on a rolling office chair, since there aren’t any wheelchairs on the rig.

“I’m surprised to see you join us,” Frank says cheerfully to Maggie.

“I am glad to be out of bed. I felt so good this morning I was standing up on my own. Nearly gave Keith a heart attack when he walked in the room.”

“It’s good to have you doing so well,” Keith says while standing behind her chair squeezing her shoulder.

“I should warn you, Frank, when we get off of this rig, I’m going to complain to the owners that this place is not a bit handicapped accessible. Keith is having to wheel me around on an office chair.”