Final Call

The radio crackled and spoke. Henrik and Beth could hear a man’s voice, the tone heavy with the understanding of the events across North America. 

“This is Matthew Dale with the Colorado Daily. I regret to inform our listeners that this will be our final broadcast.” The man made a noise somewhere between a chuckle and a groan. “I would ask you not to worry about us, but I know that you all have plenty on your plate already. I will attempt to be brief.”

Matthew Dale continued with a report of the progress of the firestorms ravaging the nation, and the civil unrest that plagued any place not yet touched by the storms. The White House had been evacuated more than a week ago and had set up a temporary command post on foreign shores. The military was doing its best to evacuate the populace, but the oil shortages and earthquake-damaged infrastructure was severely dampening the effort. 

“Once again–,” Matthew Dale started, then stopped himself, “For the last time, this is Matthew Dale with the Colorado Daily, signing off. May God be with us all.”

“If he is, I would love a sign right about now.” Beth said and looked out of the window and behind the car. Despite pushing their car, and Henrik’s driving, to its limits, the horizon was getting ever closer. Beth had read books about the second World War that had described the horizon as ‘angry’. That seemed inadequate for the hellscape that spanned the landscape behind them. Gouts of flame the size of trains whipped around on winds moving fast enough to demolish any building

“The fact that this road is intact is enough of a miracle for me.” Henrik replied. His eyes were glued to the road. Here and there they saw cars broken down by the side of the road, slammed into another car or having simply given up the ghost. 

“I didn’t think Colorado had any fault lines.” Beth said and turned back to her husband. She had never seen him so tense and focused since their first child had been born, and before that at their wedding. A lock of grey hair had drifted in front of his eyes, but she dared not distract him by tucking it back. 

“We have several, dear,” Henrik replied and weaved the car around a broken wreck obstructing their lane, “The Sawatch and the Sangre de Cristo to mention just two. In fact, the Sangre de–”

“What’s that?” Beth said, ever adept at changing the topic, and pointed at something up ahead. A plume of smoke was pouring out of the bonnet of a car parked at the side of the road. Three people were standing around it, switching between staring at the smoking ruin, the horizon and arguing with each other. 

Henrik slowed the car despite Beth’s quiet protests and parked alongside. A stretch of burnt rubber attested to where the car had swerved off the road. 

“Can we be of any assistance!?” Henrik shouted out the window. The group started and turned towards Henrik and Beth. The group consisted of two women and a young boy, the remainder of their lives stacked in bags and sacks inside their broken car.

The two women looked at each other for a second, then the short-haired one turned back to Henrik. “Unless you can fix a Volkswagen, I don’t think you can help us, sadly.”

“We don’t have time, Henrik.” Beth pleaded and looked out the window again. The horizon seemed much closer now and had begun swallowing even the heavens. The air stank of smoke. 

“I know,” Henrik said and leaned out the window again, “Get your necessities and get in the car.”

“But–” Beth and the long-haired woman started.

“There’s no time!” Henrik shouted and got out of the driver’s seat. The two women looked at each other again and nodded. 

“Jack, get the water, I’ll get our passports.” The long-haired woman said. 

The short-haired woman took a long look at the smoking car then hurried over to where Henrik was holding the door to his car open. A moment later everyone was in the car and Henrik floored the accelerator, furiously working the gears to push the car back to speed. 

The silence in the car was tense as they left the scene of the crash. The horizon behind them was fire and destruction now, the vanguard of the firestorms not far behind now. But the horizon in front of them promised hope; square buildings adorned with the logo and name of a Colorado-based air transport company. The destination Henrik and Beth had been driving to, now within sight.

“Where were you three headed?” Beth asked and glanced between the two women.

“I don’t know, we were just running away. We couldn’t stay.” The long-haired woman said.

“I’m Lisa Harmon, ” The short-hair said, “And this is my wife Carla and our son Jack.” 

“Thanks for stopping, you literally saved our lives.” The woman named Carla said.

“Don’t mention it,” Henrik said, “No decent human would leave others in the wayside at a time like this.” 

“We’re headed to that airport up ahead. They’re supposed to have their last planes picking up as many refugees as they can take.” Beth added. 

Lisa and Carla’s faces lit up. “Oh that’s wonderful!” Lisa exclaimed.

“Will we make it?” The boy named Jack said.

“Jack!” Carla said in a shocked tone. “They saved our lives, be grateful.”

“Well Jack, I’m pushing the car as hard as it can go. The rest is in God’s hands.” Henrik cut in. 

“I’m Henrik Rosamund, and my quiet wife here is Beth Rosamund Jameson.” Henrik continued, his eyes glued to the road again. 

“Thank you Henrik, thank you Beth.” Jack said his tone somewhere between grateful and joking. 

The rest of the drive was silent, everyone in the car caught in their own thoughts, thoughts of friends and family spread, of their potential fates in this calamity. Everyone was shocked out of their reverie when Henrik pulled up in front of the building’s front doors.

“Final stop for the Rosamund bus, everybody out.” Henrik shouted and killed the ignition and opened the door. The dense, smoky air outside the car surprised him, but there was no time to stand around and gape. By the time Beth and the Harmon family were out with their belongings, he had already retrieved their bags from the trunk. The empty interior was an eerie sight, but no one in the group had time to dwell on it. The group ran through the building, past abandoned stalls and vacant security checks. Red alarm-lamps on the ceiling signified the emergency generator being used to power lights and air-con throughout the building. Orange light shone through the windows from the dying world outside, accented by the occasional puff of smoky air passing through the ventilation. 

It did not take long for the group to pass through the building, with Carla running ahead to ensure they were going the right way. 

“They’re lucky they didn’t have a security check up. I would have done something supremely unchristian if they had tried such shenanigans right now.” Henrik joked as they stopped at the end of a wide corridor. A pair of double doors led out to the take-off strip where a plane stood waiting. A few people surrounded it, presumably doing last-minute checkups and glancing at the closing horizon. A stressed-looking young man in a blue shirt stood in front of the door with a clipboard.

“Final call!” He shouted at them with forced humour. “We have space for five more people, so you’re lucky.”

“Thank Christ.” Beth mumbled. The man unlocked the doors and waved them towards the plane.

“You two should get on first, we wouldn’t even be here if it hadn’t been for you.” Lisa said. She was holding Carla’s hand. Jack was already standing by the stairs into the plane. 

“Nonsense,” Henrik said, “You two go ahead, no sense in waiting for our old bones to get on.”

“If you say so, Henrik.” Lisa said and leaned in to Carla, who whispered something in Lisa’s ear. The couple joined their son by the stairs.

As Henrik and Beth turned to make their way to the plane, they heard a commotion behind them. Someone was banging on the doors from inside the building and the young man that had let them through was shouting back. “There’s no more room, I’m sorry! No. More. Room!” 

“What’s going on?” Henrik shouted and jogged over, his legs creaking with every step.

A man and a woman were standing on the other side of the now-locked double doors, banging on the glass. They had one backpack between them, but what Henrik noticed most keenly was the woman’s pregnant stomach.

“If there’s too many people on the plane, we won’t have enough fuel to get to our destination. These two can’t get on.” The young man said.

“We’re going to have to leave them behind.” He added, looking at his shoes.

Henrik stood for a moment, staring at the couple despairing on the other side. Their shouts had faded by now. 

“What’s wrong, dear?” Beth asked. She was pointedly not looking through the doors.

Henrik took Beth’s hand. “I’m sorry dear, I have to.” Without explaining further, he turned to the young man and put a hand on one of his shoulders.

“Young man, let them through. Don’t make me force you.” Henrik said.

The young man looked Henrik in the eye. “Didn’t you hear me? There’s no more room on the plane. If we take them on, the plane won’t get far enough.”

“They can have our places.” Henrik said, then looked at his wife and squeezed her hand.

Beth started to protest, but then she looked Henrik in the eye. “Geez, dear, go on.” 

“Thank you Beth.” Henrik said and turned back to the young man. “Don’t just stand around, get to it.”

“You’re both mad.” He said and worked the lock. The couple on the other side stood up slowly, in disbelief at the shift in their fortunes. 

“Bloody finally.” The man of the couple said and began to move through the door, but his wife stayed, holding her husband back by holding his hand, much like Henrik and Beth.

“I heard what you said. Words can’t express my gratitude.” The pregnant woman said to Henrik and Beth.

“There’s no time!” The young man said and ran towards the plane. 

“You heard him, get going.” Henrik said and jerked a thumb over his shoulder towards the waiting plane. The couple nodded and followed his words, running to the plane as fast as they could. The moment they were in, the last of the personnel doing check-ups followed inside and the plane closed its doors. A rush of noise heralded the start of its engine, and soon it was moving out towards the take-off strip. Henrik and Beth stood there holding hands until the plane rushed along the take-off strip and into the air, flying its passengers to a place safe from the firestorm that was minutes away now, at most.

The old couple walked back into the building, in the silence of a long, loving marriage. They found a couple of chairs in a raised lounge that had a view to the east. The sun was dipping towards the horizon, the dust and pollution in the air creating a lovely sunset.

The roaring was building outside the airport and the ground was shaking. It was not long now.

Beth turned to Henrik and took his hands in hers, looking into his eyes for a long moment. “Henrik Rosamund, I love you. By Christ and God Almighty,  I love you. I hope you have never doubted that.”

Henrik kissed her. “I never have, dear. I love you too.”