2012: It's Still Happening

HAPPENING

2012 IT’S STILL HAPPENING

Bob was on another mission; to make more money. It seemed that having more wealth was his only thought lately and as he approached retirement he was very sure he didn’t have enough cash to continue the life to which he had become accustomed.

In the past there had been other attempts to get rich. A couple of small businesses and a patent for portable devices that kept boats secured to a dock without allowing them to be damaged were two of them; even some successful investments. But, the big one still eluded him. Right now though, it should be noted he was very comfortable, but he was still not rich. And he made sure he mentioned it to his wife Carol every chance that was made available to him.

She, on the other hand, was becoming very skilled at ignoring his complaints. Or, if she felt like becoming involved in a little verbal jousting, she would remind him of his failing health and tell him he was not going to live long enough to enjoy it any way. Carol always felt they had enough money.

Bob disagreed. What if he lived longer than everyone expected him to? He had a theory that he loved to share. ‘I believe I’m immortal, and so far I’m right.’ It always made Bob smile when he said that, however, Carol would just roll her eyes and refuse to respond.

‘Oh well,’ Bob thought. ‘Maybe when I become rich I just won’t share any with her.’ And then he chuckled. All that thought would get him was a smack with a stick when he was sleeping. Carol was not to be trifled with.

So, a new plan was formed and put into action. Bob started an Internet site that advertised protection for the end of the world. The Mayan calendar was going to run out on December twenty first in the year two thousand and twelve and Bob saw that as an opportunity. There were a lot of people on the planet who thought that the Mayans were predicting a series of disasters, or perhaps just one big one, and they were very frightened of the consequences. Either way, it meant millions of people were very afraid something would happen and that they would not be able to fend for themselves when it did. And some of them would have money!

That is where Bob would come into the picture and offer to save them. He was a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, as was his oldest son. His younger son was a mechanic and a natural scrapper and they were all good shots with a gun. Include the fact that they were country people who could live off the land and it soon became the perfect scenario to convince people to part with their hard earned cash.

Bob’s Internet page suggested that for five thousand dollars per person, in advance of course, his family would look after those that could not look after themselves when the end of the world was nigh.

And, it worked beyond any predictions Bob could have ever made.

Money poured into his bank account. He became rich, and if the fine print of the contracts were read, the people paying him would know that when/if nothing happened at the end of twenty twelve; Bob kept all the money.

It amounted to millions; and then tens of millions.

Bob and his family were living the dream.

Suddenly it was the spring of two thousand and twelve and a tectonic plate in the Pacific Ocean slipped over top of the plate beside it. It was not a usual slip though, as had been happening since mankind had begun to keep records. This movement was monumental and it caused shifting in all the plates around the world. The resulting tidal waves crested the mountains and flooded areas that had never seen salt water before, including the prairie provinces of Canada, where Bob and his family lived. Fortunately for them they had been prepared. The reports that came in over the previous weeks were such that Bob had stock piled supplies and made his sons do the same. When the report came in over the airwaves that the plates had released and tidal waves were approaching, there was just barely enough time to get to high ground. But that was only the first step down a long road to survival. Once there, Bob found it was already inhabited. Some of the people waiting for him were people he had taken money from. Others did not know him but still wanted his protection. The remainder formed their own group on the other side of the island.

It should have worked out for everyone involved. There was plenty of room.

Alas, it did not!

In a perfect world, surviving a tsunami of that magnitude would be cause for celebration; but there is no perfect world. There is only the unpredictable pile of rock that we call Earth and share with many other people. Some of them being very ‘nasty’.

Bob and his family now found themselves in a constant battle for control of the island they were on; and ultimately for control of their own lives. There were deaths on both sides until Bob and his boys were finally victorious and all of the ‘nasties’ were killed off.

That did not end the dilemma for the family however; it was just one more chapter. Now it was becoming evident the game birds and animals that had been hunted to sustain those on the island were in danger of disappearing. That meant no food, and those that were left, would die.

As luck would have it, the water finally receded enough that Bob and his family could take the last vehicle running and drive it west. The hope was that they could find fresh water and more animals to put on the dinner plate. And it was suspected that the mountains to the west would supply all that was needed for extended survival.

‘Goodbyes’ were said to the friends left behind as Bob climbed into the SUV with all the food and guns he could load. He was joined by his wife Carol, son’s Greg and Kevin, Kevin’s wife Ashley and their daughters Kiera and Lily. Also aboard was Karen and her three children Dan, Susan and Beth. After Karen’s husband had been killed by the ‘nasties’ of the island, she and Greg had become quite close, resulting in the decision to bring them along with the rest of the family.

The trip west was not without its perils, but soon the group of travelers found themselves in the mountains. It should have been the answer to their problems. Unfortunately, there were others that thought the mountains were a great place to be as well.

And, they were there first.

And, they did not like the idea of someone just ‘waltzing’ into their version of paradise and taking over.

The result of it all was that Bob and his family walked into an ambush as soon as they exited the SUV to rest and go to the bathroom.

Being in unknown territory, and always cautious, Bob had insisted that Greg keep his nine-millimeter service pistol with him and that Kevin carry his Grandfathers thirty-ought-six rifle. Bob took the only gun left and that was Kevin’s double-barreled shotgun.

But the group on ‘the other side’ were prepared and well armed also.

It did not go well.

DON’T MOVE1

The command was simple and it came from directly behind Bob.

He turned slowly and found himself looking down the barrel of a Three-Fifty-Seven Magnum. One of the most deadly handguns ever made. The man holding it looked to be about forty, and he appeared to be very comfortable with the weapon.

Bob cursed himself for being so careless. How could they have walked into this?

Don’t panic dude. We aren’t here to hurt anyone. We’re just looking for a place to spend the night. Bob was trying to diffuse the situation without it turning into a nightmare.

Drop your guns, the man ordered.

There was no way in Hell that was going to happen! Bob knew his training dictated he should never give up his gun.

His hesitation caused the man to repeat his demand and move closer.

Now the man was pointing the revolver right at Bob’s chest, leaving little doubt that he would hit his intended target. If he fired, Bob would get shot; that was for sure.

Don’t shoot me. I’m not a threat to you. Bob still had hope he could settle this nut bar down.

But as he was finishing his sentence he noticed several men walking out of the forest. Some had guns, some had knives, and some had clubs.

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! Bob would never be sure if he thought the words or screamed them out loud.

This situation was out of hand and his family was in the middle of it.

Remember your training boys, were the last words Bob spoke.

He would have loved to finish his next thought, which was to yell at Carol to protect their granddaughters, but he did not get the chance. Hopefully she would do that anyway.

The Three-Fifty-Seven barked twice.

Two bullets ripped into Bob’s abdominal cavity right at the bottom of his ribs. He could feel the flesh tear and the bones disintegrate.

He was a dead man; it would just take twenty seconds for his brain to realize it.

Time slowed.

Bob entered what felt like a time warp. He knew what he wanted to do, but his movements were light years behind his thoughts. His focus narrowed, his hearing was impaired and his muscles almost stopped listening to his commands. Still though, he was able to function somewhat.

Nineteen seconds – As he was being shot, Bob had already started raising the shotgun. Now it was at chest level. At this range, there was no lag time between the gun firing and the person in front of it dying. When a person was shot with a shotgun so close; they died instantly. Bob fired and the world was freed from another asshole.

Eighteen seconds – Blood could be seen spurting from the man’s chest. His body was reeling backwards as the revolver fell from his now open hand. Even as Bob’s killer was falling to the ground, Bob was turning bringing the rest of the battle into view. He did not like what he saw.

Seventeen seconds – Bob’s family suddenly found themselves in a close range gun battle. It was the kind of fight where it was possible that everyone involved would die. Bob had released the trigger of the shotgun allowing the internal mechanism to prepare to fire the second and last round.

Sixteen seconds – Kevin had dropped quickly to one knee. BOOM! The big rifle fired. He was looking down the side of the barrel, because at this range, the scope was useless making it necessary to fire almost instinctively. One of the assailants from the forest twisted sideways and dropped to the ground, skidding in the dust and dirt.

Fifteen seconds – Bob turned further and could see Greg had his nine mill in his right hand. He had turned sideways in an effort to make himself a smaller target. POP! POP! POP! The pistol was snapping back, over and over. Greg had sixteen rounds at his disposal and he was going to use them all.

Fourteen seconds – Men were falling. Greg was not missing, or wasting bullets. It did, however, require more than one shot to bring each one down; but at least they were dropping. The boys were targeting the men with the guns and making them the priority for the moment. Greg and Kevin were outnumbered ten to one and yet they stood their ground.

Thirteen seconds – Bob began to stumble towards the closest man he could see. He had a large knife; perhaps it was even a machete, and he was literally running at Bob in his eagerness to use it. There was no strength left in Bob to lift the heavy weapon to his shoulder, but it was not necessary to do so.

Twelve seconds – Bob tilted the barrel of the gun upwards until it was pointed at the charging man’s chest. The trigger was pulled and the resulting explosion and recoil tore the weapon from his grasp. It did not matter. It was empty anyway. The gun and Bob’s latest target fell to the ground together.

Eleven seconds – BOOM! BOOM! Kevin had blown the guts out of two more hapless victims, but there would not be time for any more shots. The opposing group was on top of them and the fight was about to go hand to hand. Not a good situation with these overwhelming odds.

Ten seconds – Bob could hear screaming from the other side of the SUV. It might be the women or it might be the children. He could not tell. Despite wanting to go to them with every fiber of his being, he could not. He could barely stand. The loss of blood meant that he was just a spectator now.

Nine seconds – Greg twisted hard to the right. He had been shot in his upper thigh by a handgun and it had hit him hard causing him to drop almost at Bob’s feet. It was impossible to tell which of the attackers had shot him; it seemed like the bullets were coming from every direction.

Eight seconds – A man with a knife had crashed into Kevin, making him drop the Thirty-Ought-Six he had hoped to use like a club. As they hurled backwards, Kevin twisted and grabbed the man’s wrist, causing him to land on his back with Kevin on top. Having a motivated fighter like Kevin land on you means you will probably die.

Seven seconds – Bob was slumping to the ground. Looking down he could see the front of his shirt. It was covered in blood; so much so that it was running down his legs and onto the ground. He landed on his knees and reeled back onto his haunches as his vision started to blur. Death was beckoning.

Six seconds – Greg was still down and had to roll to the side to avoid being pinned down by a large man with a club. His training meant he still had his pistol in his hand and as the big ape turned and again tried to hit him, Greg shoved the barrel against the closest knee and pulled the trigger. The result was glorious.

Five seconds – The man grabbed his knee and began screaming as Greg was trying to get to his feet. Kevin rose from the ground at the same time as he pulled a knife from the throat of the man who had collided with him. The screaming on the other side of the SUV had become crying. Bob was vaguely aware that blood was slipping from his mouth and covering his chin.

Four seconds – Bob tipped over onto his side and crumpled to the ground. He could still see the battle in front of him. As Kevin rose, he was cut on his left arm by a small man with two knives. He was able to catch the second arm just as the knife in the hand touched his stomach. The sharp tip barely broke the surface.

Three seconds – Greg shot the larger man point blank in the face. The move was not a fancy one; he just did what he had to, to get the job done. Bob’s eyes closed. He was so tired; and so cold. But he could still hear the conflict. There were no words; just grunting, screaming and crying.

Two seconds – More gunshots. If Bob could have formed a thought, he would have recognized the bark of the RCMP nine mill. Greg had seated a second magazine into the pistol and was still in the fight. Kevin could be heard calling to Ashley. Despite their wounds, both of Bob’s sons were still alive.

One second – The world faded away. It was not spectacular. There was no bright light. There was only darkness and relief. Bob’s last vision was of his wife. Nothing special; he could just see her standing before him, but his dying mind could not tell him if she was real, or if she was waiting for him to join her somewhere else.

The luck of the Irish had run out.

It would appear that Bob was not immortal.

STOP! STOP! DON’T SHOOT! All of you! STOP!

An old man and an even older woman came running from the trees. They were waving their arms and screaming at the top of their lungs. This is madness. STOP!

As the old couple approached, Greg and Kevin backed towards the Lincoln in an effort to keep the remaining enemy in front of them.

The sound the absence of gunfire makes after such a battle is almost deafening, but still the old woman’s words were very clear.

Do not shoot any more, PLEASE!

Kevin had been forced to drop his rifle during the fight, but Greg still had a very tight grip on his pistol and the magazine within it was half full. That meant several more of these assholes could still be shot if he should decide to do so.

When they back off, we will consider your offer to stop killing them. Right now I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t blow your God Damn head off too. Being shot in the leg had caused Greg to lose his sense of humour and the fact that he was protecting his family meant he would shoot the old woman without thought if he felt it was necessary.

It was the old man that responded to Greg’s threat. Because I recognize your weapon. You’re an RCMP officer. You won’t shoot us for no reason. If we back off, then I know you will not fire again.

The hard look on Greg’s face softened as he was reminded of an oath he had taken to protect life and property. Even though it seemed as if it had been ten lifetimes ago, he still remembered the pride that accompanied the words when he was sworn in surrounded by family and friends.

As the old couple pushed the remainder of their group back towards the trees, Kevin took the opportunity to move around the SUV to his family. His wife and daughters were there somewhere and he had to get to them. Despite his wounds he was still more than capable of fighting, and killing, to protect them.

His first vision was of Ashley. She was bent over and crying as she tried to move something on the ground. Kevin had to step around her to see what she was focused on.

And then he saw his mother. Carol was lying across Kiera and Lily, pinning them to the ground and covering their bodies so that they were not exposed to the Hell that had been around them only seconds before. Her arms were wrapped around them in a tight embrace. There were three bullet holes in her back; made evident by the blood flowing down to the ground and pooling around her like water running from a down spout on a house.

She was dead!

Kevin was frozen. It was one thing to watch your father killed in battle, but it was something beyond imagination to know your mother died trying to protect your children.

Ashley continued in her attempts to pull Carol’s body back far enough to retrieve her daughters and it was several seconds before Kevin realized they were crying also; and very much alive!

Suddenly control of his body returned!

And his strength!

And his anger!

He reached down and carefully picked his mother up into his arms; her body lying limp is his embrace. Moving over one step he laid her beside the little girls that owed their grandmother their lives. Tears were running down his cheeks as he then picked up Kiera. Ashley already had Lily in her arms and was holding her so tightly she was in danger of suffocating her.

Greg, who had no idea what had transpired on the other side of the Lincoln, was still trying to decide if he should continue killing the idiots in front of him.

Greg. Come here. Kevin could barely get the words out. His grief was mixed with anger and disbelief.

How did it get to this point?

Greg scowled one more time at the group in front of him before backing around the Lincoln. There was no way he would take his eyes off them; not even for an instant.

And then he saw his mother lying on the ground! Being a cop for several years meant that he recognized a deceased person when he saw one.

Greg looked up as a single tear ran down his cheek. When he saw the grief in Kevin’s eyes, he reacted. Spinning on his heels he practically flew back around the SUV. Kevin was right behind him

There were no more tears. It was time for justice; or revenge; pick either one. It did not matter.

Both of my parents are dead because of you bastards. You have one second to convince me not to kill all of you. Greg was raising his pistol as he stormed towards the group that had been herded like cattle back to the trees by the old couple.

Because some of your people will die too. The old woman stepped in front of her clan and looked defiantly at Greg. The words she spoke were very clear and easy to understand. If Greg and Kevin wanted to continue the fight, then they would need to prepare to suffer more losses.

Greg stopped walking and stood for a moment contemplating the sentence he had just heard. Kevin on the other hand continued on. Greg was barely able to grab him and pull him back.

Let me go. I don’t give a shit if we die. Let’s take a bunch of these pricks with us. Kevin’s anger was out of control and he felt himself falling into the black pit where the Irish go when their temper consumes them. Once there, he would be without thought. He would only act until his lust for revenge was satisfied.

There are kids right on the other side of that Lincoln that need us. Mom and Dad are gone so it’s left to us. We’re no good to anyone dead. Greg was speaking softly and he hesitated while he waited for his words to penetrate the darkness surrounding Kevin. Go back to your kids Kevin.

Understanding slowly crept into Kevin’s mind. He turned slowly and walked back around the SUV; immediately taking Ashley into his arms. Apparently, there is room for thought within the dark cloud of an angry Irish mind after all. It just requires the right words to penetrate it.

Greg waited to make sure his brother was not returning and then he spoke very clearly and very carefully to the old woman. "I understand your threat and for the moment I agree with you. There need not be anymore killing; but you mark my words. If any one of those misfits comes near us again, or does anything to one