Aftermath

By Connor G. Madison

A super-volcano erupts and a group of people struggle to survive as they attempt to move family and friends to safer ground.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Connor G. Madison
• Release date: Nov 19, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370115198

Connor G. Madison

Connor was raised on the southwest side of Chicago. His parents lived the American dream, a nice house on a nice street back when people treated each other decently. Back when children could play outside without fear. Connor grew up reading everything, fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, everything. As he grew up, he found he loved science. He also loved science fiction, all the greats of past decades. Heinlein, Reynolds, Dickson, Drake, Azimov were his champions of his youth on into adult life. Today, Connor writes science fiction for his own amusement. Yet he wondered if people would like to read what he writes. So he is delving into the eBook arena with a few of his musings. So have fun reading, he had fun write them.

Book preview

Prologue

On October 12, 2015, the end of the world began. At two-fifty-two in the afternoon, the rumbling started. The ground shook for miles around. The geysers spewed their scalding vapors miles into the air. At three-fifteen in the afternoon, the ash blasted forth, followed soon after by the molten rock. The column of liquid rock was twenty-five miles in diameter, reaching heights in excess of two miles. The earth was exploding before the world's eyes.

From San Francisco to Chicago, the earthquakes at Yellowstone shook the ground. The sight of the column of ash, rock and magma foretold Billings, Rapid City, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Boise and Great Falls of the disaster. As the ash cloud drifted to the east, blotting out the sun, the temperatures began to drop, quickly. The ash started to filter down around Pittsburg, blanketing the east coast with a gray, gritty snow that would never melt.

After six months, the eruption slowly subsided, covering the northern hemisphere in six feet of ash. To the east of the eruption, the magma was eighty feet thick at it’s thinnest and still glowing red, covering most of the states of Wyoming and Nebraska. Life was untenable within ten miles of the edge. The atmospheric debris covered the northern half of the globe, trapping the heat from the magma. Temperatures skyrocketed to almost ninety degrees Fahrenheit. The Northern ice packs started melting, as were glaciers all across the northern hemisphere.

Over the next couple of months, the temperatures began to drop and drop and drop. They dropped below freezing, changing the face of the earth forever. The arctic ice sheet reformed and started expanding southward. The earth was entering another ice age. Scientists were predicting temperatures as low as minus twenty degrees below zero Celsius at the Tropic of Cancer in the winter months, with equatorial temperatures well into freezing.

The smaller debris in the air stayed aloft for more than three years, three years in which the sun never truly penetrated to the earth’s surface, three years of hardship for the people of the world. Most governments of the world collapsed. The United States, in effect, no longer existed. The people who survived within the borders of the United States now fought amongst themselves for life’s necessities.

The governments of China, Australia, New Zealand, Africa, all of South America, parts of India and Indonesia survived. Refugees flocked to equatorial regions to escape the ice as it traveled farther south than ever before in recorded history.

The southern Polar Regions were not as bad as the north. The ash that stayed aloft tended to stay to the north, so the southern hemisphere was sunny and warm.

The Peoples Liberation Army first landed in California, one year after the eruption to assist the brave people of the United States, restore order and peace to their country. They swept inland from L.A., they almost took over the southern tier of states. Texas was the first state to put up a fight and beat back their advance. The Chinese moved farther north and bypassed Texas until Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia repulsed them. When they tried to go north, Tennessee stopped them in their tracks.

Daily for two years there were battles going on all along their lines from the Pacific to the Mississippi river. On one side they had the fridge cold of the ice pack creeping closer and closer and on the other those American’s that had banded together with units of the regular Army and National Guard and other branches of what was left of the US Military.

Chapter 1

A lone figure sat at a desk in a stark office. That figure, who called himself Mike Sullivan, had experienced a traumatic emotional loss and was pondering what he had done. He had just spent the last nine years of his life with two of the most beautiful and intelligent woman he knew. After finishing medical school and their residency together, he left them, left them so they could lead somewhat normal lives. One of them he had fallen in love with and he knew he had broken her heart when he just disappeared, but she was strong, she would survive and thrive. The other he would be in love with, in the future, but he knew her heart was broken also.

Mike, as it happened, was one of a few people in the world who knew what was going to happen in his future. He knew what his future self, knew, he knew the instant it happened. He knew the instant his future self, learned of something new. When it first happened, he thought he was going crazy as his mind was flooded with that knowledge. So stunned, in fact, he withdrew into himself for a period, two weeks. His parents were about to have him committed when he snapped out of his self-imposed withdrawal.

He was fourteen when it happened. He went on to finish high school, aced his SAT's which, gave him his choice of universities to attend. Full scholarship, no it was not a big ten school, nor an Ivy League school. It was a local university, with a medical program. A place where he knew he would need to be in the future. He set up shell companies and started to invent things, throughout his four years of college.

His companies made a tidy sum of money. Some of the things they could not release to the public, as there was no need or infrastructure in place for such things yet. In addition, there would not be for at least ten years, but his company developed them anyway to the consternation of the board of directors. However, his company was not public so the board did not really matter. What mattered was they made money and Mike was free to pursue his future.

After graduating college, Mike spent the next four years searching for others like him. Others who knew their future, they did not know any future but their own. It was hard to accomplish this without people thinking Mike crazy. Mike set up a research company, which scoured the country for anomalies that signaled people like him. Everyone who started inventing things, which only occurred in the future, they looked at closely.

After six months, they found four others in the U.S. None of them had been as far along as Mike in developing their own companies and inventions. When offered a partnership in his company they jumped at the chance. The research firm kept looking and the five of them put their heads together to come up with new things to sell. In all the research firm found ten people scattered around the world.

As Mike sat pensively looking out the window, he thought back to nineteen-seventy-two, February to be exact. Jenny and Mike had been dating steadily for several months when he popped the question. He told her everything about what was to come in their lives. She was stunned to silence. She left him for a while, not answering his calls nor seeing him when he went to her home. Four weeks later, she showed up at his place. Mike let her in and she walked right to the couch and sat. He joined her and waited.

I'm not sure, Jenny started, I can't condone what you are doing or going to do, but I do love you and want to marry you.

So your answer is yes? Mike asked as if he did not know.

Yes, but you already knew that. What I want to know is when, what, where and how I am going to have to be alone. I want to know every detail of your future life and mine. I know, I know you don't know mine but you do know our future together.

You're right.

Mike then told her everything. It took him four days to tell her. There were times she was crying and other times she was laughing so hard she was crying. Most of the time she could not believe her ears, but she listened to every word Mike spoke.

Those four days were very stressful for both of them. When Mike told her that he needed to join the Air Force for the next four years she laughed the hardest. He told her they had to get married and he had to join the Air Force. She just nodded her head and asked where and when they were getting married. They flew to Nevada the next day to be married and honeymooned in Hawaii.

The four years in the Air Force were an experience that Mike would never forget. It helped him with some things that he would have to do in the future, which he could not learn any other way. Once his enlistment was up in nineteen-seventy-six he was back at his corporation mapping out things they had to invent. For the next twelve years, he was very busy putting things in place for the future.

There was the invention of computer chips and cell phones, just to mention a few. They still pumped out little things that made them more money than you would ever know. Most of the money, funneled back into research, for things they were going to need in the future and which no one had invented yet. The remaining money, invested in gold went into vaults beneath their office building, for use in the future.

In nineteen-eighty-eight, it was time for Mike to enroll in Med School and make sure Michelle and subsequently Susan became doctors. Those nine years will remain the best and worst time in his life. During this time, Jenny held the reins of the company. During this time, Mike communicated with Jenny about the future items his future self, knew about. The other four then put their heads together and came up with uses for the items in question. She was not happy about where Mike was or what he was doing, but she loved him with all her heart and believed in him.

So, as Mike sat alone in his office, busier than he had ever been in his life, now or in the future, he contemplated the future of two lovely women. He had eighteen years to prepare for what was to come. It was time to start making plans, designing equipment that they would need. Eighteen years, would it be enough time?

Jenny and Mike moved back to Chicago in two-thousand, the year before the turn of the century, Michelle was now their family doctor. For Mike, it was good seeing her again, even though she had not a clue who he was. To her, he was a patient named John Abernathy. She, Jenny and John hit it off. They became not only patient and doctor but also friends, not that they were over at each other's homes but they did attend a lot of the same functions and dinners for various charities and such.

John avoided Susan during all this time. She did work at the same clinic as Michelle but John went out of his way to avoid her. Something that John really did not have control over was what Michelle decided to do with her career. He knew it was going to happen. Yet, there was no stopping her. Sometime in early May of two-thousand-five Jenny and John received a letter from Michelle.

She had chosen to limit her practice to pediatrics exclusively. It meant that they had to switch doctors. There were at least ten doctors at the clinic to choose from, but as fate would have it, Susan was the only one taking new patients. So, John's medical school love was now his doctor, only she didn't know who he really was.

The first time he went in to see her, his heart skipped a beat, he was short of breath and he could not focus his eyes. He was quite sure he was still in love with her. Yet he could not say a word to her about their past, at least not yet, not for another six years. It would be extremely hard not to let on what his feelings were for her, extremely hard. Jenny asked him if he would be okay with Susan being their doctor. John told her it would be just fine.

The years that followed were busy, there was so much to do and not enough time to do what needed to be done.

Chapter 2

The coming years were the hardest John had ever experienced. So hard at times, he resigned himself to chucking it all and running away. Then John would think of all his friends and family and get back to work. Along the way, he met people for various reasons in his business dealings and such. A few became friends. Close friends.

One of those was Waylon. Major Waylon Franklin, United States Marine Corp. Waylon, for reasons of his own, was attending a conference on global warming. John and he sat side by side at the conference. John made several snide remarks about one of the speaker's presentation, which caused Waylon to laugh out loud, causing a disruption in the presentation. The presenter was so angered that he came into the audience to confront Waylon.

When Waylon stood up, towering over the man by two feet, John repeated his snide remark again. The man turned toward John, his face red with rage, his fists curled to strike. John said two words Canceled Grants to him and he turned away and ran out of the room. Waylon took John out for a drink after the conference ended that day. Within a week, he was working at John's company as head of security. They were fast friends from that day forward.

The day soon came when John would have to tell Susan and Michelle who he had been in their lives when he was younger, although not that much younger. He decided to tell them together at their office. He made an appointment with Susan, faking a cold on a day when he knew Michelle would be there. Jenny came along as she always did and sat quietly by his side as they waited for Susan to come into the exam room.

A soft knock and she entered smiling at them both. John and Jenny both said their hellos and sat as Susan read the bullshit John had told the nurse. As she turned to him, he held up his hand.

I want you to know that there is really nothing wrong with me, at this time. I needed to talk to you in a place you feel comfortable and in control.

Susan's eyes got big yet she still smiled at them.

Doctor Reynolds, is Doctor Tomlin available for a consultation? Jenny asked Susan.

Whatever for?

Because what John is going to tell you, she should hear too.

And what is he going to say?

The quicker you get Doctor Tomlin in here the sooner we shall learn.

Susan leaned back and opening the door, we all could see Michelle sitting in front of her computer.

Doctor Tomlin, Susan called out.

Yes, Michelle answered as she turned in her chair to face Susan.

Do you have a minute please?

Of course.

Michelle rose smiling and walked to the exam room. John rose and offered her his seat. He stood admiring the three women in his life. He winked at Jenny then faced the two Doctors.

What's going on here? Michelle asked.

Just bear with me for a minute Doctor. John cleared his throat. "Eighteen years ago, about, I was in school. Graduate school to be exact. I was a little older than the usual graduate student, but that didn't bother two special people that I met there. Both of them became very close friends, one very close indeed. As you might have guessed by the looks on your faces they were both female.

We were inseparable, always studying together, always playing together. Drinking together and eating together. We enjoyed each other's company and other people enjoyed ours. After graduating I had to leave to do other things and the three of us lost touch.

John paused, watching Susan and Michelle's faces. He thought he detected the early signs of Susan noticing his story was about them but, she was not quite sure yet.

I have kept tabs on the two women in question but have not been in touch with them officially. John smiled. Their names were Michelle Du Page and Susan Teller. My name back then was Mike Sullivan.

Michelle's mouth dropped open and Susan cried out. Both sat in silence for a very long time. There was a knock at the door.

Doctor is everything alright?

Yes, Susan said clearing her throat, it's fine.

Michelle opened the door and stepped into the hall closing the door behind her. John just stood there looking at Susan. He was waiting for her to say something, anything. There were tears rolling down her cheeks as he watched. Jenny leaned in and put her arm around Susan's shoulders, Susan did not shrug it off. Michelle re-entered the exam room closing the door behind her.

She threw her arms around John's neck hugged him, kissing his cheek lightly. She then looked down at Susan. She let go of John and dropped to her knees taking hold of Susan's hands.

I, Michelle cleared her throat, have canceled both of our appointments for the rest of the day. I think we should make him take us out for an early lunch and explain, Michelle rose from her kneeling position in front of Susan and wheeled to face John, just what the fuck he ran away for? Breaking both our hearts and causing us to break each other. Her hand struck John's cheek, the cheek she had just kissed.

Sure, we can do that. I know just the place. Quiet, private and close by, John told them as he rubbed his cheek.

Susan stood at Michelle's urging, looked up into John's eyes and rushed forward to him. Her arms went around him as she sobbed into his chest. His arms closed around her gently. He could feel her shiver and shake with emotion. Michelle stood by her side stroking her hair as she cried out once more. She quickly stood back, breaking free of John's arms and before he could react, she slapped him across the cheek.

I had to do what I did darling, it was predestined. Your life was never to be mine, you were always someone else's.

Susan hit him again and a third time. Jenny final stepped in and wrapped Susan in a bear hug. Michelle had removed her lab coat and was waiting by the door.

Let's go somewhere a little more private, Susan.

Susan's head snapped around to stare at Michelle. She shrugged off Jenny's arms and slipped her lab coat off, letting it drop to the floor. Michelle opened the door and Susan followed her out, as did John and Jenny. Stops at the doctor's offices for their purses and they were headed out to the parking lot. Michelle stopped mid-stride almost being knocked down by Susan.

Whose car are we to take?

Ours is right there, John, said pointing at a pearl white Cadillac.

Fine then let's go, Michelle said heading for the car.

As John drove, the two doctors in the backseat, everyone was deep in thought. When they pulled up in front of the restaurant, the doctors exited the car quickly. They stood waiting on the sidewalk a solid front. John opened the door and waited for the women to enter. To the surprise of both Susan and Michelle, seating went quickly. Jenny kissed the proprietor on both cheeks as he seated them. John ordered drinks and coffee for everyone and told the man who appeared to be his friend to leave them alone until he signaled him. They were alone, the coffee and drinks being placed before them within minutes, of being seated.

I will...

You son of a bitch, Susan interrupted him, you will nothing. I have things to say, things that I have held inside me for eighteen god-awful years. Eighteen years, do you know what that's like? Don't you dare even try and answer me you son of a bitch. Leaning over toward John, Susan slapped him again, then sat back with tears in her eyes. Don't you dare speak. Not one word until I tell you too.

John nodded. Jenny reached over and took his hand in hers. Susan and Michelle both glared, not at Jenny but at John.

Michelle, Jenny started.

No, no don't, Michelle interrupted her.

Yes, yes I do. He was already married to me by then.

What? Susan screamed.

He and I had been married for fifteen years by then.

And you're still with him after what he did?

Yes, because he told me exactly what was going to happen and why before we married.

Both women were shocked to silence. Both stared at Jenny as if she was the beast with two heads. Jenny smiled at both women as she let go of John's hand. She then leaned over and hugged Michelle who sat there stiffly. Jenny whispered something in her ear and she relaxed and hugged her back. Jenny then got up walking around to where Susan sat. Squatting she hugged Susan and whispered in her ear. Susan's arms came up and around Jenny as she began to sob.

John looked at Michelle who had tears streaming down her face. He mouthed 'I'm sorry' to her. The tears ran down her face even more. She leaned over to him and pulled him to her. Her embrace was strong yet gentle.

I...I love you, she whispered.

John hugged her all the harder. I love you too, John whispered in her ear.

Jenny was still holding Susan but looking at John. She jerked her head trying to indicate that he should take her place. John rose and was at Susan's side as Jenny slipped her arms from around her. John, kneeling, took her place pulling Susan to him. At first, she struggled but, not very hard. She then relaxed into his arms and hugged him back fiercely.

I...

Don't, Sue stopped him, say those words, not yet.

John kissed her cheek then held her tightly as she sobbed onto his collar. Michelle was wiping the tears from her eyes as Jenny and she talked quietly.

Susan...please let me say this. I never meant to hurt you, honest. I knew you would become a friend of Michelle's and mine. But, I never saw me falling, falling for you the way I did. Michelle yes. My feelings for you...I never saw that coming.

What do you mean you never saw that coming?

He can see the, no that's not what he told me...it was, he knows the future, his future. He can communicate with his future self and know what his future self, knows. Remember the bar the night before the dance? How he knew those men? Michelle spoke as she thought back to that night.

Yes.

He knew their names and things because his future self, knew them.

What? What are you talking about? Susan looked confused and disoriented.

Susan, how do I put this? You now have two children, a boy, and a girl. Have you told me their names? Have you told me how old they are?

No.

Bobby and Jackie, Bobby is three and Jackie is four.

You could have found that out from Michelle or other places.

I guess I could have. Okay then...you just found this out this morning. You're pregnant.

Michelle gasped as did Jenny and Sue.

How...how did you find out?

You told my future self but, now you won't have too.

When did I tell you?

Three days from now.

Susan just sat there looking at John. Her eyes were hard points of light that softened as he watched. Leaning forward she kissed his lips gently.

Do you know if it's going to be a boy or a girl?

Yes I do, do you want to know? So far you don't and you're very surprised on the day of delivery.

Oh. Then I guess I don't want to know. Just tell me it will be healthy.

It will be healthy and normal and grow up to be a very nice young...almost spilled the beans there.

Thank you. Why have you waited until now? Why? Why? Why? Susan was starting to get angry again.

Michelle grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her around to face her.

Just be glad that we know he's okay now and there will be no more worrying about him.

I suppose you're right. But I still want to know why?

John and Jenny then went on to explain what was going to happen in nine years. They explained everything, almost. They left out the very end but told the pair everything else about what would happen for the next nine years and the ten years after. Michelle and Susan's cell phones ringing at exactly the same time interrupted them.

Hello, Michelle got hers out first.

Hello, Susan answered hers.

Both listened intently. They looked at each other and smiled.

Seeing as you two are together I'm going to have Michelle hang up, Susan smiled and nodded her head at Michelle who closed her phone. We are at Micholo's. Yes, yes we have been here all afternoon. No, it's not going to cost you a fortune. Why don't you and George hop in the car and get up here if you don't believe me? Fine, see you then. Susan was quiet as she pushed her phone back into her purse.

They'll be here in thirty minutes.

I do hope you are not in any trouble, Jenny said to Susan.

No, Susan laughed, none at all.

Thirty minutes to the second two men, George and Mark, sat down at their table. Michelle and Susan introduced John and Jenny to their respective husbands. John raised his hand in the air and Tony, the proprietor was by his side.

Tony, we'll order dinner now.

Yes, Mister Abernathy.

John Tony, it is John to you.

Of course my friend, what is everyone having tonight?

Three waiters appeared as if out of thin air and started taking the orders of each couple. They were alone after drinks for Mark and George along with refills for everyone else appeared on the table.

As expected by John dinner went well. John and Jenny went through everything with Mark and George that they had gone through with Michelle and Susan. After dinner, John invited them all to their hotel for drinks and conversation in the lounge. The women accepted. The men begrudgingly gave into their wives demands. Both men were surprised when John and Jenny just walked past the owner with a wave and a smile. Tony yelled goodbye with a big grin on his face.

Don't worry he knows to send me the bill and it will be paid promptly, John said to George and Mark as they walked to their cars.

For the next four hours, Mark and George grilled John about the coming events. Each, in their own words, asked him about the safety of their wives and children. John answered as best as he could, that as far as he could tell, they lived long and happy lives with their families. They both seemed happy with his answers and their eyes sparkled as they gazed at their wives.

John had already reserved rooms as none of them was in any condition to drive. The children were together at Susan's parents so there was no real worry about them. Everyone said goodnight.

John had other close friends and those who were not so close, although John considered them friends just the same. After that night at the restaurant and the hotel lounge, Mark and George felt better about the man their wives had known as Mike Sullivan and who they had both fallen in love with so long ago.

In turn, Susan and Michelle brought on board other doctors. A few refused at first but as the days drew near, they signed up. It was not a hard sell.

More enlisted over the next few years. Some turned down the offer, others joined wholeheartedly. Soon the ranks filled and preparations began.

Chapter 3

"We need to set up compounds here, here and here. I want them all stocked with enough food, water, and fuel, gasoline and diesel, for a large group of people to stay there for up to a year at each. At the last one, I want the underground caverns we found filled with hydroponics. I want to be able to grow enough plants, fruits, and vegetables, to sustain a large, one thousand or more, population indefinitely. There are also underground aquifers there that I want them isolated from the surrounding aquifers. There is a natural spring at the end of the valley that I want preserved.

"I also want cabins, the old log kind, built there. Here are the specs for them. There are eighteen in all. The biggest will be built first as it will sever as a mess hall, meeting hall and community room. It will have twenty-two bedrooms upstairs for guests of the community. The other seventeen cabins will range in use from an infirmary to