| September 13, 2008 1:00 P.M. “Yes!” Alex Bjorn shouted. His body writhed in his own personal dance and he slapped his cell phone shut. "About time!" he shouted to no one. Wrestling with his profound joy, he flipped the phone open, tapped a few buttons, and waited impatiently. “Hey,” a feminine voice said. “We are going to move to Washington! We get to live in a cabin -- in the woods -- in the winter!” He yelled into the phone. “Hi Alex,” the voice said sarcastically. “What are you yelling for?” “We are going to move Washington, Vicky!” He repeated. “We are going to live in a cabin.” He couldn’t see her stunned face and probably wouldn’t have noticed even if they had been in the same room together. Her long fingers clenched around the phone as she dropped into a chair. She barely heard him say, “I’ve got to go. I want to call Ace and see if he’ll give us a ride.” Her hand dropped to the table without hanging the phone up. The shadows seemed to darken under her eyes making her face look even paler than usual as she stared out the kitchen window. “Are you okay,” a dark haired young woman asked her as she entered the kitchen. She finished clenching the hair tie in her long brown hair and dropped into a chair next to Vicky. Without a word, Vicky shook her head. September 14, 2008 8:00 A.M. Singing at the top of his lungs along with the radio, Ace pulled in behind Alex’s apartment building. He pulled into a parking space and shifted into neutral before setting the parking brake. He sang another line before it sank in that he was singing over an emergency broadcast with his window rolled down. My fellows Americans, the last eight days have been a turbulent and frightening time for all of us. As a nation we stand before a yawning precipice. I know that all of us feel immense fear and emotion in these turbulent times. But I also know that it is within the ability of this great nation to work together to survive this tragic event. The world needs us to continue to show them…. The president of the United States was interrupted by Alex jubilantly tossing a large dog crate in the back of the pickup. "Hey Dude, come on, and help load this stuff up!" he called before running back into the apartment. Ace shut off the engine, his thoughts still on the news. He followed Alex into the apartment, stumbling as he took the box that was shoved into his arms. "I heard on the radio, that we should stay home. They say flu going around is an epidemic," Ace said, “Maybe even a pandemic.” "Yeah, Dude, I know, Vicky told me. It's just the flu. I never get sick," Alex answered, "and I won't this time either." "It's September after all and it can't be that cold—yet,” Vicky was saying wanly into her cell phone. “No, Mom, I’m no sick yet,” Vicky added, “and I hope you feel better soon.” Both young men looked at her. She glared back and tossed her shoulder length dark hair, as she pressed her cell phone to her ear and turned away from them. “That’s cool,” Ace said to Alex. He wondered how long Vicky was going to hang out with Alex. She stood next to two suitcases. Her face was pale and her eyes were sad. Her small slender body hid the fact that she was nine years older than he was. He shrugged off his discomfort. She was an adult and could take care of herself. They carried garbage bags and boxes to the pickup while Vicky half heartedly dragged her suitcases to the door. She stared morosely after Alex as he shot past her, one hand gripping his pants. He opened the bedroom door where three pit bulls writhed in a slobbery welcome. He attached leashes to the squirming beasts and was immediately dragged down the hall and out the front door. Vicky was shaking her head in exasperation as Alex giggled. He let the three dogs pull him to the grass. When they finished their business, he led them to the pickup. When he prompted them to get in the back, they sat down looking up at the lowered tailgate. All three dogs were baffled. Dopey, a large white male with brown spots and Baby Girl, whose sleek black fur was highlighted by a broad white stripe from the middle of her forehead to her black nose, had been in a car before but not often, since Alex didn’t own one. They had never been in a pickup. Sparks, with the same luster as her mother but was brown where Baby Girl was black, had absolutely no clue, and squirmed next to her parents curious and excited. "Load up," Alex commanded. He'd seen that command on TV. The dogs hadn’t seen it on TV or anywhere else and continued to look at him curiously. He patted the tailgate while they obliging raised themselves on their hind feet and sniffed the path of his hand. "Get in the truck," he tried. The dogs continued to search for a treat being hidden from them. Alex, grabbed hold of his pants, and jumped up into the back of the truck. The two larger dogs followed. The little one strained to pull herself over the tailgate, back legs leaving the ground. She clawed airspace frantically and fell to her back on the blacktop. Sheepishly rolling out of the fall she jumped again, stretching her front paws as far as she could. Dangling from the tailgate she clawed air again. Determinedly less frantic she tried stretching her hind feet out one at a time feeling for a grip to push off from. After closing the crate door on the first two dogs, Alex reached down and dragged her by the collar, legs flailing wildly, into the back of the truck. He opened the door on the crate again and crammed the pup in next to her parents. Vicky looked from the dark haired Ace to Alex whose straight dark brows were a curious contrast to his close cropped blonde hair. His blue eyes glittered as he squirmed in the seat tugging his stocking cap down to cover his ears. At five foot nine, one hundred and twenty-seven pounds Alex was taller than Vicky by five inches, and out-weighed her by eight pounds. He sandwiched her next to Ace who was almost six feet tall and more than twenty pounds heavier than Alex was. Certain that she was the only one concerned about their physical comfort on such a long trip; she turned despairing eyes forward and drooped dejectedly in her seat. Once they were on the road, Alex couldn't quit talking. He regaled his friends with every story he could remember from when he was a kid in Washington. He talked non-stop for over two hours. It was dark when they pulled into a truck stop just outside of Las Vegas to get something to eat. The parking lot was filled with semi-trucks and a few other vehicles but the diner was practically empty. Two runny nosed waitresses looked dim witted as they sat taking their break in the second booth. Two customers who looked to be homeless and hiding a brown paper bag sat in the darkest corner huddled over a grubby table. Vicky tuned Alex out the minute her eye caught the television behind the bar. Her brown eyes strained as she focused on the news while Alex went in search of a restroom. Ace stood in the middle of the room with his hands in the pockets of his black jeans, as mesmerized by the news as Vicky. The screen shimmered with faint snowy static dotting a panel of six people seated around the president's desk in the oval office. The President looked stressed but healthy. Next to him, the Vice President slouched, sweat dripping from his flushed face. A thin old man slumped in his chair, appeared to be dead at first glance. The woman seated next to him seemed to think so too and gave him a poke with her finger, a look of dread on her face. The small man sprang upright embarrassed, with a crooked smile on his face, bright eyes blinking, as the president began speaking. His voice trembled with emotion. Cavernous lines of grief appeared to swallow his face. He blinked as tears began to stream down his face. He made no attempt to brush them away as he hesitated before continuing his speech. Hello, fellow Americans. The news I bring you today… The power flickered. The TV went dark and the lights went out. Seconds passed before the lights flickered on again. The screen remained blank for several long seconds before Ace shook himself and looked around. Shrugging he walked toward the TV as Alex went in search of the restrooms. Vicky was ashen when Alex finally emerged from the bathroom. The TV screen was crackling in thick snowy static. Ace and Vicky’s eyes met for a long few seconds as they realization struck both of them. “What did I miss?” Alex demanded. Vicky didn’t look at him as she brushed past him, heading to the back of the restaurant. He tried to follow her but she pushed him away. He turned back to Ace, his face twisted with passion. "This isn't stopping me, Dude," he exclaimed. "I'm still going to Washington even if I have to walk the whole way! Ace smiled wryly at Alex and punched him in the arm, "It doesn't matter, Dude. We've already been exposed. We might as well eat and get out of here." Both of the young men were more than half way through their food when Vicky came back to the table, red-eyed and sad. They tried coaxing her to talk but she wouldn't. She didn't resist Alex as he sat with his arm around her but her eyes were haunted and tears occasionally streamed down her face. She choked down three bites and sipped at her soda. She still didn't resist when Alex wrapped up the remains of her food and led her to the pickup. "Damn it," Alex muttered after tucking Vicky into the small pickup, "I almost forgot. Hang on; I've got to let the dogs out." Vicky shrugged and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She was already talking into it as he turned toward the dogs. He struggled through the boxes and bags to open the crate door. Hooking three leashes to three collars he rapidly and ungracefully exited the bed of the small pickup. The dogs pulled hard toward the few blades of grass they could see. Sniffing, pulling, stopping, changing direction; none of the three pit bulls were going the same way at the same time. The next thing he knew, he was dragged backward over a taut cable that was helping to support the “Truck Stop” sign. Falling to the ground, nothing but pride wounded, Alex let go of a leash while trying to struggle to his feet. "Dopey, come back here, right now!" Alex yelled while gravel sprayed from his feet as they moved earth but didn't cover any distance. The two remaining dogs were going two different directions and Alex was unable to move forward. "Baby Girl, Sparks, knock it off!” Alex struggled to gain control of the excited dogs. At the last minute they agreed to go in the direction he wanted but at a much faster pace. He trotted behind the two dogs, shifting both leashes to one hand, while he grabbed at his pants to hold them up with the other hand. He stopped suddenly when a flash of orange and black fur streaked from behind a parked semi-truck chased by his dog Dopey, whose leash was dragging behind him. Alex’s shock was so great it took him a few seconds to stop the two dogs who were still dragging him forward even though his legs were not moving. His pants slipped back to their usual position of exposing the back side of his shorts. "Nooo--!" He screeched, grabbing his pants and using every stubborn inch of his wiry body to drag the two dogs back to the pickup. He leaped into the bed of the truck legs spread wide to keep the pants from slipping, crammed the dogs back in the crate, and latched it. He tossed all of the boxes and bags back into place, yelling the whole time. "It's a freaking tiger, Dude. I don't believe it. Oh my God, it's a tiger!" He leaped out of the bed of the truck, yanking the passenger door open and shoving Vicky unceremoniously closer to the driver. "Step on it Dude,” he shouted, “We've got to save Dopey. He's chasing a freaking tiger!" Ace and Vicky stared at him in disbelief. "You don't believe, me Dudes, check it out. Drive over there, behind that semi. Hurry up, my dog is chasing a tiger!" Ace turned the truck around sedately causing Alex to start bouncing in his seat, yelling, "Punch it, dude." Ace did not punch it. He drove cautiously through the sea of quiet semi-trucks looking for a sign of Dopey. He was beginning to doubt having come this far with Alex. The guy just wasn't right. A few minutes later, they saw the still form of Dopey, lying in a puddle of blood. Vicky refused to get out but both Alex and Ace jumped out to examine him. Some of the lacerations certainly looked like claw marks. The dog was already dead. Alex reached out and laid a hand on the bloody corpse and said "Goodbye, Dude." Tears streaked his face as he carried the dog and laid him carefully in the bed of the small pickup. He wiped his hands on his pants and then across the tears, leaving a trail of blood below one eye. He climbed into the pickup, fiercely declaring, "I'm going to kill that tiger!" Vicky just stared at him, her mouth open in disbelief, ignoring the insistent ring from her phone. Ace leaped into the cab, turned the key in the ignition and the engine caught. "What could have done that to Dopey?" He said doubtfully. Frustrated Alex's voice dropped serious, fast and intense, "I told you, Dude, it was a tiger! I saw it. Look Dude, right there.” He pointed to a semi-truck parked on the left with the words "Zoo Animal Transport" painted in bright blue over paintings of zebra, giraffes, and other exotic animals grazing tundra. Vicky's mouth dropped open as she saw a zebra munching hay protruding from the back of the semi, but she still said nothing. "Damn it, Alex,” Ace exclaimed, “I don't think we should be chasing a tiger." He stared at the truck and the zebra as they drove slowly past. Vicky drew a sharp breath as they passed the dead body of a man lying next to the tail gate of the truck. "Those animals couldn't have done that," Alex said, “Look at the latches on those doors. That dude let them all out on purpose. What a jerk! I've got to find that tiger and kill it. We got to turn this Dude into the cops!" Ace narrowed his eyes in thought, glancing quickly at Alex and without another word drove slowly to the freeway making no attempt to hunt down the tiger or find a cop. The traffic slowed as dusk fell. The number of damaged vehicles on the side of the road increased gradually. Shattered glass glittered on the road. They completely lost track of time in the slow convoy. Ace started sweating somewhere south of Twin Falls, Idaho. “There has to be a road that isn't this crowded,” he said. “I want to take a different route.” "Do whatever you want Dude, I don't know where we are, and I don't have any better ideas. This is pretty damn scary if you ask me," Alex responded. Vicky’s phone rang again. This time she answered it with a muffled, “hello.” As she listened the tears tracked down her face. She slumped forward with one arm wrapped around herself and the one clutching the phone pressed tightly to her body. “Thanks,” she said before hanging up. She didn’t bother to repeat the message to the guys. She just sat crying hopelessly. She pulled away from every attempt Alex made to comfort her. He finally gave up and sat staring out the window. They turned off the freeway and Ace wound his way through city streets and suburbs. He shook the sweat from his forehead and blinked as it trailed into his eyes. When they finally stopped for gas, he tied a bandana around his head. He bought a gallon of water and drank half of it before driving on. Alex and Vicky watched him worried. "You okay Dude," Alex asked, "You want me to drive?" Alex was relieved when Ace shook his head. He didn’t really want to drive and he had very little experience and no driver's license. Alex kept his eyes open, watching the road and his buddy. Vicky fell asleep with her head lolling on Alex's shoulder. Sometimes the road would open for miles and they'd make time and other times the bottle neck of parked cars brought them a complete stop. Just before the Oregon border, Ace pulled into a service station. He used a credit card to pay for the gas while Alex and Vicky went in to find restrooms and buy junk food. They saw no one when they entered the building and headed to the restrooms. Alex came out of the restroom first and walked up to the cash register with a bag of chips, intending to buy a pack of cigarettes. He looked up and saw the smokes he wanted, then looked down and saw the cashier dead on the floor. “I guess it’s time to quit smoking,” he said passionately under his breath. His head jerked toward the ladies room when he heard the door handle turn. He rushed toward Vicky and physically pressed her toward the front door. "Leave me alone," Vicky yelled at him, "let go of me. I want to buy some food." She tried to shove back into the store. "Hey Dude," Alex said calmly, "the cashier is dead. We got to get out of here." Vicky leaned hard on him for a few seconds, her body quivering. She pulled back, eyeing the chips in his hand before she spun around and left the store. Alex slipped back to register and left money on the counter before following Vicky to the pickup. He looked around for Ace and not seeing him, walked around the side of the building thinking he might have stepped behind the store to take a leak. He jogged around the building and came out on the other side. As he glanced back at the pickup, he could see Vicky sitting in the middle occasionally swiping a tear from her cheek. Then he saw an object protruding past the driver’s side front tire. Recognizing it as a human hand his heart pounded and his mouth went dry. Galvanized into action he flew to his friend’s side. He knew his friend was dead before he dropped to his knees and rolled him over. He forced the sobs back but he could only stop the noise. His body jerked as he hung his head and sobbed quietly. Continues... | 
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