It Just Could Happen...!

It was just after 8:00 in the evening as the local stations broke into the regular programs to make the announcement.

A suitcase bomb had just been detonated in a subway train in New York city. Massive deaths were being reported, along with far too many injured to count . The true consequences wouldn't be known for a long time yet, but for a few individuals across the country the signal was clear.Time to get out of Dodge!

Even before the news story was completed, the old man got up from his chair and turned off the small T.V. in his bedroom. Going to the closet, he took out a small back pack, already loaded with sundry items. He did not bother checking the contents as he had just checked them two days ago as he did every Friday!

Reaching up to the shelf in his closet, he took down a small zippered bag containing a loaded .38. Reaching back into the corner, the old man brought out his well worn Marlin .22. Walking over to the bed, he sat down, taking off his house shoes and replacing them with his very comfortable hiking boots. He then stood, took his windbreaker off the hook on the back of his bedroom door, slipped it on and walked into the living room of the house he shared with his daughter and son-in-law.

The news was still showing the reports about the bombing, supplemented with reports from the national broadcasters. During one of the mandatory commercial breaks, he said "I'm leaving for the desert. If you want to go, the time is now." His son-in-law didn't even look back, but just chuckled and shook his head. The daughter, however, got up and came over to her dad.

"Is it because of this bomb thing, dad?" she asked with concern in her voice. He looked her straight in the eyes and said "This? This is just the beginning. What's coming next is going to be much worse, trust me."

The younger couple had been hearing the old man's warnings for years. Hearing, but not really paying attention or believing !

"Dad, this is just an isolated incident and it's a long way from here! There's no need to think that anything else is going to happen!" She looked worried, but not for anything about to happen, but instead about the fact that her Father was finally going off the deep end.

"Don't bother" the son-in-law said, still not looking around. "He has been just waiting for something like this as an excuse to leave for a long time!"

The old man just hugged his daughter, went out the kitchen door to the driveway where his old truck was parked. He loaded the backpack behind the front seat, went back into the house to get his rifle and pistol and, pulling the door behind him, left the house for the last time.

The old truck was mechanically sound and always kept full of gas. With a sadness he couldn't hold back, he ran over the mental checklist of the contents he kept in the camper on his truck. Satisfied that everything was in order, he wiped his eyes and backed out of the driveway. With nothing but a brief glance at his daughter's house, he sadly put the truck in gear and headed for IH-10 out of Houston. Because of it being Sunday night, the traffic was very light and the old man made good time on his trip.

At approximately 6:00 p.m. the next day, Monday, right in the middle of the daily heavy traffic and the mass of commuters jamming the freeways...the five nuclear bombs hidden in containers at the port of Houston detonated as planned. The city of Houston and a large portion of the Texas Gulf Coast disappeared.forever!

The old man heard the news on his shortwave set as he sat at the camp table outside of his camper. He bent his head and cried out loud for a long time. Finally, the tears were mostly gone, and the old man reached and poured himself a stiff shot of whisky into his coffee. He had tried and tried over the years, but nothing could convince those that didn't believe. Still, he wished that he could have done more somehow!

Taking his cup in his hand, holding it up to the starry sky, he made his toast "Rest in peace! I love you both!"

Now, my friends, let's get some coffee and sit on the patio for a bit. We can talk about the importance of staying prepared all the time, OK?