Desperate Times (16 page)

“Yep,” agreed Ken. “Damn fools,” he added,
just as a huge lightning bolt crashed into one of the pines down by
the lake. A monstrous clap of thunder immediately followed.

Wind lashed at the tall pines and they began
to sway at impossible angles. Jimmy was sure they would soon snap
like matchsticks. Jimmy and Ken continued to watch the bobbing
boats fighting their way back to shore. One of the larger boats had
covered quite a distance in a short amount of time, its hull
slapping up and down against the waves. Two dark forms stood behind
the windshield. The other boat, a small runabout, was chugging
along in the distance. Jimmy could count three people in that boat,
one at the back and steering the little outboard, the other two
huddled together in the middle. Another bolt of lightning lit up
the sky and the following crash was ear splitting. The sky then
seemed to open up and rain began to fall in sheets.

Ken pulled down on the overhead door and it
fell with a heavy thud. He turned to Jimmy. “I’m going to check on
the others,” he said. “Don’t open this up until the storm has
passed.”

Jimmy nodded and remained at the wooden door,
peering out the smeared window. He couldn’t see the lake anymore,
only the dark outline of trees dancing at the shoreline. The big
door was old and didn’t fit tightly to the concrete floor; water
began to seep in from under the gap. Jimmy turned and found that he
was alone in the garage; the others had followed Ken through the
service door into the crowded basement.

Jimmy strained his eyes and tried to see
through the murk out to the lake. He rubbed at the window which had
begun to steam up. It was useless; the pouring rain had now
obscured everything beyond twenty feet of the door. Thunder rattled
the windows and Jimmy could hear children crying from beyond the
service door. He hoped those unfortunate boaters had made it to
shore. He stood glued to his spot, waiting out the storm and
dreading what it would reveal.

A soft hand gripped his waist and Jimmy
jumped. “Relax, it’s only me,” Julie said as she joined him at the
window. “Some storm, huh?”

“Sure is,” agreed Jimmy. “How are you
feeling?”

“Much better, thanks,” Julie said with a
smile. She stood at his side and reached her arm around his
waist.

Jimmy could feel her warmth and thought about
pulling away. He knew that he should. He didn’t want to lead her
on, yet he didn’t move. The two of them stood there for a long
minute as the storm raged outside the window. The house shook with
another blast from the sky as the wind howled.

“I’m scared, Jimmy,” Julie said, pulling
herself even closer. “Hold me?”

Jimmy knew this was the wrong thing to do,
but even as he was thinking that he reached his arm around Julie
and put his hand on her hip. She smiled and buried her head into
his shoulder. Jimmy stood there looking out into the gloom.
Lightning flashed and Jimmy saw the bright blue bolt hit the tall
pine at the end of the driveway. There was a loud crack and the
tall tree fell slowly crashed to the ground. He couldn’t see what
it’d fallen upon; he only knew that it had definitely hit someone’s
vehicle.

Julie pulled herself even closer as if she
were trying to crawl under his skin.

Jimmy didn’t know how it’d happened. One
minute he’d been looking out the window, the next he was looking
into Julie’s eyes. She looked frightened, yet there was something
else there. She reached her hand up to the back of his head and
pulled it slowly down to her own; her eyes were staring longingly
into his own, their lips an inch apart. “We shouldn’t do this,” he
whispered.

Julie pressed his face into her own and
kissed him. Jimmy gave in and returned the kiss, stroking her back
as they stood in the darkness. He knew this was wrong, yet he felt
powerless to stop. Julie held him close and groaned softly. The
sensation was overpowering. The kiss was unique in a way that only
former lovers can understand. A minute passed, followed by
another.

The door banged open from behind them and
Jimmy jumped and quickly pulled away. It was Patty and she looked
frazzled. “Have you seen Ken?” she asked, frantically.

“No,” said Jimmy. “I thought he was inside
with you!”

“He went upstairs. When he didn’t come back
down, I went up to check on him. He’s not there, Jimmy. He’s out in
the storm! What the heck is he doing out there? Has he lost his
mind?”

“Oh no,” Jimmy said, turning to look out the
window. He suddenly understood what Ken had done and he
shuddered.

“What?” asked Julie.

“Where did he go?” pleaded Patty.

“Stand back,” Jimmy said, heaving up on the
door. “Do not let anyone out. Do you understand me? I think Ken is
down at the lake. There were a couple of boats out on the
water!”

Julie began to protest, but Jimmy was already
outside and closing the heavy door behind him. Cold rain lashed at
his back and the wind sang in the trees. He turned and ran in the
direction of the lake and was instantly soaked by the driving rain.
He squinted his eyes, running blindly down the driveway as fast as
his legs would carry him. He stopped suddenly; the tall pine had
fallen directly across the driveway, crushing two cars under its
weight. Jimmy skirted the tree, all the while trying to catch a
glimpse of the shoreline. The splayed branches fanned back and
forth, creating a wall of pine needles that blotted out anything
beyond. Jimmy held his hand over his face and tried to protect his
eyes. Finally, he reached the top of the tree and dashed around it
and sprinted toward the lake.

He could now see the dock and even from two
hundred feet away, he could see that there were now only two boats
tethered there. Jimmy’s heart pounded in his chest. Ken must’ve
taken the Crestliner out to rescue those people in the small
fishing boat. Jimmy hit the dock at a full run, his tennis shoes
slapping on the wet slats. He nearly fell headlong into the choppy
water as he skidded to a halt at the end of the dock. Through the
pelting rain he could just make out Ken as he pulled someone from
the water. There was no sign of the little fishing boat. Jimmy knew
that it must have been swamped.

He looked down the shoreline to Sally’s much
longer dock; the big deck at the end was crowded with dark shapes
in rain gear. Jimmy cursed the group. He felt they should be out
there rescuing their own people. Jimmy returned his attention to
Ken. He had hauled the small form out of the water and was already
guiding his boat toward another form that bobbed on the whitecaps.
Ken’s boat crashed up and down on the waves, the Mercury outboard
groaned in the distance. Jimmy stared helplessly, watching with
pride as Ken pulled alongside the other body in the water. Jimmy
tensed as Ken suddenly sprang from the controls and reached down to
the outstretched arms. “Come on. Come on!” pleaded Jimmy.

Ken heaved and the body nearly shot out of
the water. Jimmy could see that the life vest held a small child.
Ken’s boat now held two of the three stricken passengers. Jimmy
scanned the water around Ken’s boat. There was no sign of the third
boater. Ken returned quickly to the wheel and began to circle the
area, searching the water for the missing person.

A huge blast of wind nearly toppled Jimmy
where he stood. He hunkered down next to an old tire that hung on a
dock post and he gripped it tight. He watched as Ken continued to
slowly make circles in the big Crestliner.

The small child suddenly stood up and pointed
down into the water. Jimmy could just make out a hand sticking out
from the waves. Jimmy’s heart leapt. He watched Ken scramble to the
shore side of the boat and reach down to grip the hand. He doubled
over the boat and leaned precariously over the side. Ken reached
down and heaved the man out of the water by the back of his pants,
practically throwing him into his boat. The other two passengers
seemed to fall on top of the man and Ken was back at the controls,
gunning the Mercury toward shore.

Jimmy pumped his fist and let out a whoop.
Ken had just saved three lives and was motoring them toward the
other dock. Even through the wind and the screaming outboard, he
could hear the cheers of those that waited on Sally’s dock.

“That man’s going to give me a heart
attack!”

Jimmy turned his head and there was Patty,
wearing a sky-blue rain slicker with the hood pulled up. “Did you
see that?” he asked. “Can you believe it?”

Patty just nodded and held her hands up to
her chest. Ken had pulled up to the end of Sally’s dock where the
crowd waited. Jimmy could see more people from their group waiting
anxiously on the shore. The rain was beginning to subside and most
of the lightning strikes were coming from across the lake. Even the
wind, which a moment before had been howling at gale force, had now
slackened to a steady breeze. Ken unloaded his passengers and
quickly throttled up the Mercury. He waved nonchalantly as he
motored back to his own dock.

Jimmy caught the boat as Ken expertly guided
it to its berth. He tied off the lines. All the while, Patty stood
with her hands on her hips. Her face was white and cold as stone.
Ken cut the engine and wiped the water from his face.

“I will talk to you in the house!” Patty
growled. She then turned and marched back toward the house.

“Patty,” Ken said. “What was I supposed to
do?”

Patty stopped at the end of the dock and
waited there. Tears ran down her face.

Jimmy felt like he was intruding and quickly
stood and gave Ken a quick salute. He returned the salute and gave
Jimmy a wink. Ken then took off his wet life jacket and tossed it
down on the hull of the boat. He was completely soaked. Jimmy
turned and walked toward Patty. He wanted to give them the time
they needed to sort things out. He had some sorting out of his own
to do.

Suddenly the sky exploded. A rogue bolt of
lightning slammed into the end of the dock with such intensity that
the section burst into blue flames. Both Ken and Jimmy were knocked
off their feet. How Jimmy had remained on the dock was a miracle in
itself, for he had been thrown as if he’d just stepped on a land
mine. He landed five feet from where he’d stood only a second
before.

Patty screamed.

Jimmy rose unsteadily to his feet as the
smell of ozone stung his nostrils. He checked his arms and legs. He
felt odd, as if he were watching this from outside his body. He
quickly gathered his senses and ran back to the Crestliner.

Ken was slumped over his captain’s chair. His
hair was singed and his face was the color of charcoal. Jimmy
screamed for help.

The storm had now blown across the lake and
the sun peeked out from under the last of the dark clouds. Wispy
white puffs of cloud floated by as if on wings. The whitecaps were
gone. A loon called in the distance.

Patty stood stock still, rooted to the same
place she’d been before the lightning bolt had fallen from the sky.
Jimmy could see she was in deep shock.

Jimmy screamed again. They needed help and
they needed it now.

How prepared would you be if hyperinflation
were to strike tomorrow? Would you have a plan in place for your
family if telecommunications ceased to exist? Would you have
something of value to barter with? How would you protect what you
have?

Jimmy woke up in the familiar little bedroom
upstairs at just past six the following morning. Julie was there as
was Cindy and a man Jimmy didn’t recognize. “Ken?” he asked,
weakly.

“He’s still alive,” Julie said, clutching his
hand.

“How do you feel?” asked Cindy, the relief
evident in her smile. “You passed out down on the dock.”

“I’m okay,” Jimmy said, which was a lie. He
felt weak and beaten.

The stranger stood and introduced himself.
“I’m Mark Lowry,” he said in a quiet voice. “It’s nice to have you
back, Jimmy.” He was a tall, thin man with blonde hair and a
hawkish nose. He lifted Jimmy’s hand and gripped it tightly. “I’m
from next door. I was out there when the lightning struck. You’re
lucky to be alive.”

“Lucky,” Jimmy repeated. He didn’t feel
lucky. He felt like he’d been tossed into a commercial dryer and
tumbled for a day. He ached everywhere and his vision was still
blurry.

“I’m a paramedic,” Lowry continued. “I guess
I’m the closest thing we have to a doctor at the present time. I’d
like to give you a quick exam. Is that all right with you?”

Jimmy nodded and Lowry began with his
examination. He prodded and poked and told Jimmy follow his finger
with his eyes. He finished by asking him a few simple
questions.

“That’s it,” Lowry said. “I’m not a doctor,
but I’d venture to say that you’ll be fine. Normally I’d tell you
to go see your doctor, but that doesn’t seem possible at the
moment. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got another patient to
attend to.”

“Thanks,” Jimmy said.

“Thank you, Mark,” said Julie, shaking his
hand briskly. “Thank you very much.”

Lowry smiled and quickly left the room. And
that was when Jimmy finally noticed Cindy and the makeover she’d
been given. She sat at the end of the bed with her hands folded in
her lap. Jimmy rubbed his eyes and attempted to whistle. “Look at
you,” he said. “Holy smokes.”