Getting Out

21

James and Sadie drove through the storm. Unlike the pickup, which rattled and shook with the slightest bump, the SUV was brand new. And that meant that it felt completely insulated from the outside world.

The radio and CD player didn’t work, and there was no tape deck. But aside from the lack of music, it felt like they were back in civilization, just by sitting in the comfort of the SUV.

“I wish the seat warmers worked,” said Sadie.

“Shut up,” said James. “And help me look for Mom, won’t you?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

“Wait,” said James, trying his best to peer through the rain. The windshield whipers were going as fast as they could. “I think that’s her!”

“But who are those other people?”

James stopped the car near his mother and three other figures. It was hard to see what was going on in the rain.

“You stay here,” said James, getting out of the car.

“Wait, what do I do?” said Sadie, but James closed the door before he heard what she was saying.

“Mom!” shouted James, over the tremendous noise of the storm. “Are you OK?”

His mother didn’t have her shirt on. She was soaked to the bone. She had some kind of crutch under her arm.

“James!” she shouted, hobbling over to him as fast as she could.

She hugged him.

“Are you OK?” she said, upon seeing the SUV.

James explained briefly what had happened, without really touching on what had happened to the driver of the SUV.

“But the driver?” said Georgia.

James just shook his head and didn’t answer her.

“Oh,” she said.

“Who are they?” said James, gesturing to the people he now recognized as middle-aged women.

“Oh,” said Georgia. “It’s a long story… We’ve just been chatting out here in the rain.”

“Chatting?”

“Yeah,” said Georgia. “It was the funniest thing. You see, it was their car I stole…”

His mother seemed tired, but she seemed with it. In fact, she seemed in better spirits than he’d seen her in a while.

“Truthfully, it’s been great. I don’t get to hang out with women my own age that much. They’re the funniest girls you’ll ever meet. Girls, get over here.”

It was a little surreal for James to be introduced to three of his mother’s new friends out here in the middle of the storm, in the midst of the collapse of civilization.

Georgia called Sadie out of the car, and then Sadie was introduced to them too.

James had trouble remember their names, at first, but in the end he learned that they were named Shirley, Bobby-Jean, and Norma.

They were old fashioned names, but maybe around these parts they were normal. James wasn’t sure.

They talked for what seemed like forever. Georgia and her new friends didn’t seem to mind the rain. Occasionally James wondered about their sanity—had they snapped, or been hit in the head?

But then he realized what had happened—it was just one of those strange reactions to stress that you hear about sometimes, when people act the opposite of how you would expect them to react.

After what seemed like forever, Georgia finally suggested that they go see about the car that she’d crashed.

“Looks like it’s going to be a while before we get some rest,” said James, climbing back into the SUV.

“Oh, this is a nice car,” said Shirley, or Norma, or whoever it was.

“This is fun,” said Bobby-Jean.

Georgia and the women chatted all the way to the car.

“Looks like you really did a number on that one,” said James. “I’ll see if I can get it out.”

While Sadie, his mother, and the other women waited in the comfort of the plush SUV, James battled the rain and the storm. He found some chains that he’d taken from the pickup and set about attaching them.

James didn’t know a ton about cars. There was a hitch on the SUV, of course, but at first there didn’t seem to be anything on the compact car. In the end, he figured out that he could punch a hole through some superficial decorative metal on the rear end, and wrap the chain around the bumper through the hole. He figured now that society was collapsing, no one would care about a little cosmetic damage to the car.

“Here goes nothing,” said James, getting back into the car, starting it up. He shifted it into reverse, and slowly pressed the accelerator.

“How fun!” said Norma.

“Are you insane or something?” said James.

Norma just laughed.

His mother laughed along with her.

“We’re not crazy,” said Georgia. “Not yet, anyway. We’re just trying to make the best of this situation. Would you believe I pointed my gun at these lovely women?”

They all had a good laugh over that. Meanwhile, James concentrated on pulling the car off the side of the road, while trying not to run off the road himself.

It wouldn’t have made any difference if someone had been outside, since the rain was so thick James wouldn’t have been able to see anything.

Meanwhile, night was falling. Another pitch black night. This time, accompanied by a storm.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the car was free.

James got out and tested the car to see if it was drivable, while the three ladies watched.

“I think you’ll be fine,” he said. “Looks OK. Uh, sorry my mom crashed it.”

“Don’t worry about it, dear,” said one of the women. “We won’t be using it much anyway. We just thought it would be fun to have it.”

“Fun to have it?”

“You know, for pleasure drives.”

James didn’t know what to say. The more he talked to these women, the crazier he thought they were. They didn’t seem like they were attached to reality at all. They certainly wouldn’t last much longer. Who knew what kind of people would come along, bad people, once the cities started spilling their chaos into these parts.

“Oh,” said James finally.

“Well, Georgia,” said the girls, seeming to speak together. “We’re going to get going now. It was so nice to meet you.”

There was a lot of hugging and laughing as they women descended from the SUV to get into their little compact car, to drive back to the house they lived in.

“What the hell was that all about?” said Sadie, speaking for the first time in a while.

“They’re just…”

Georgia suddenly seemed tragically sad.

“Mom, what’s going on?” said James. “What was that all about? You stole their car, crashed it, and suddenly you’re best friends with them?”

“Let’s just drive, James,” said Georgia, sniffling a little bit.

“Mom, are you crying?” said Sadie.

“Just drive,” said Georgia.

James had never seen his mother like this. She was hardened, normally. She could take anything. She didn’t just start crying.

James drove on, down the rain drenched road. The SUV handled the curves beautifully. The tires seemed to stick right to the road.

Sadie fell asleep quickly. She was simply too exhausted.

James would have liked to take a nap, but he had to drive. He had a job to do. And that, in a way, made him feel good.

“Mom,” he said quietly, so as not to wake Sadie. “What was all that about?”

“James,” said Georgia. “I’m just starting to realize how terrible this all is. This situation. I mean, can you imagine what everyone all over is going through? People realize that society is going to break down, or already has broken down… People aren’t prepared. The world is going to turn into a terrible, terrible place. Just because we’re going to be far away from it all, doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen.”

“I know, Mom,” said James.

“Those women,” said Georgia, “are incredibly sweet. And they’re intelligent. They’re roommates, and best friends. They realize that they’re not prepared, and they fully understand what’s happening. Well, as fully as anyone can understand what’s happening to us.”

“I don’t get it,” said James. “If they’re not prepared, and they know what’s going on, then why were they so happy? Why were you laughing with them?”

“They have a somewhat… unique philosophy. They want to live life to the fullest, to have as much fun as possible.”

“I don’t get it.”

“When they no longer have enough food,” said Georgia. “They’re going to commit suicide. They have the pills already and everything.”

“Oh,” said James. He remained quiet for some time.

“James,” said Georgia. “I want you to know that that’s not an option for anyone in our family. That’s simply not going to happen. We’re going to make it. We’re not like everyone else. We’re going to make it, James.”

“I know,” said James. “I know.”

But the gravity of the situation, the perils ahead, suddenly struck him harder than they ever had before.

James kept driving the shiny new SUV into the darkening rain-drenched night. The thunder was all around them. James could barely see fifteen feet in front of them, but he kept driving. He had to. He had to save them.