11. Beyond the Gloomy Rain

Ethan

I woke to the sound of the alarm and for the first time in years, I felt happy and content. I almost didn't want to get out of bed. That is until I fully woke up and became aware that Riley was still asleep and snuggled up next to me. Despite our turbulent past, he still looks adorable when he's asleep.

"Hey," I nudged him awake. "Wake up, we have to hit the road."

"Ok," He yawned. "If the power's still up, I could use a cup of coffee."

I suddenly became aware of a distinct sound from outside. Rain, a heavy downpour to be exact. A bright flash of lightning and the loud thunder crash confirmed that it was storming outside. With only six days left, this day greeted us with rain.

Looking out at the city through the window, nothing but darkness. The only illumination were the flashes of lighting which would allow one to see the city for a few seconds. Not even the sun could be seen.

"Looks really ugly out there." said Riley.

"Will we be able to drive to Galveston in this?" I asked, worried about what could happen while trying to brave the weather.

"No choice," Riley answered. "There's no telling when this storm will stop."

He was right. With the mobile networks down, there was no way to look at a weather forecast. For all we knew, we could drive into a tornado and not know until it was too late.

Riley and I got dressed and while I was fiddling with the coffee machine, he went to wake Aaron up.

"Rise and shine sleepyhead."

Aaron responded with a groan. "Five more minutes, please."

Riley laughed and continued, "C'mon kiddo, the sooner you wake up, the sooner you get home."

"Ugh, fine." Aaron crawled out of the sofa and shuffled towards the bathroom when he looked at the weather outside. The moment he saw the heavy downpour he woke up and shook his head in disbelief. "It's raining cats and dogs out there. Can we wait till it stops?"

"It can't be helped," I said to him. "We don't know how long the rain will last, nor do we have the time to wait it out if it's going to rain all day. Besides, don't you want to see your family?"

"Yeah," He said, defeated. "I just wish it would stop raining." I managed to toast some bread as Aaron disappeared into the bathroom and Riley came and grabbed his coffee. He was about to take a drink until he stopped and looked at me like something was wrong.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Do you hear that?"

I listened and didn't hear anything. It dawned on me why Riley froze. The rain had stopped. The both of us stopped what we were doing and rushed to the window. By some odd miracle, the rain not only stopped but the sky was clearing up. What made it weirder was that it stopped raining only in the direction we were going to take for the trip to Galveston.

"It's still raining over there." I said.

"Lucky us," said Riley, "No wonder they call me Mr. Sunshine."

I rolled my eyes at him with that ridiculous comment, but I can't help shake the feeling that this wasn't normal. Aaron wished for the rain to stop and it did. It was too much of a coincidence to ignore.

Riley

I couldn't believe our luck. The rain had stopped, and by the time we packed up my SUV and hit the road, it was like a perfect summer road trip. We still had a half tank of gas so we could gas up somewhere down the road.

However, with the chaos the end of the world is causing, the highways and most streets were packed. Some cars were on fire, others were crashed, windows busted in, tires blown out or slashed. Traveling on these roads was nearly impossible. Due to this, we stuck to the backroads. For a good few hours, we weaved through the city and to the neighboring communities. Some things we saw were just plain disturbing. We saw some people lying down, some dead, others either drunk or drugged out. Some people were walking around naked, acting like it was just another normal day.

With civilization and infrastructure failing, there was trash everywhere, buildings were graffitied and damaged, broken windows and fires burning unchecked. The faster we left this city, the better. Let's just say, the city looked like a neighborhood you want to pass through with your doors locked and windows closed.

After leaving the Dallas city limits, we were able to drive normally and with little obstacles. Aaron was super excited that we were now out and proceeded to whoop loud like he were in a football game.

"Teenagers are so energetic aren't they?" I said.

"I'll say," Ethan responded. He looked over at Aaron and suddenly I heard, "Hey, don't stick your head out like that. It's dangerous."

I look at the rearview mirror and I see what Ethan is yelling about. Aaron is sticking his head out like a dog, enjoying the wind blowing through his wavy brown hair.

"Hey, are you a dog?" I say with laughter. "C'mon, get back inside before you hit something."

"After we drop Aaron off," I mentioned, "What do we do afterwards?"

"Well, we come back to Dallas. I'd rather be somewhere familiar"

"Well, my place is out of the question," I said. "The backup generators will last for another day, two at most. By the time we get back, they'll be dead and we'll have no way to get in. Plus the elevators won't work." I turn to him and say, "If we do make it back to Dallas, I'll crash at your place."

"Ha," He scoffed at me, "Dream on."

"Don't be like that, Ethan," I said, "Besides, you'd get lonely without me."

Once we got to the Lancaster area, we needed to find the nearest toll road entrance ramp so we could maybe get to Galveston as quickly as possible.

"Let's take a break here," I suggested. "Let's see what route would be better, I-45 or 35."

"Hey," Aaron said enthusiastically, "Let's take a selfie together."

"What's the point of it?" asked Ethan.

"In case we survive this, it'll make a good memory."

It made me smile that Aaron was so full of hope, but I agreed about this being a good memory for us. "Sure. Why not?"

"Ok then," Aaron said as we got in position. "All together now. Smile." He took a few of them. One he asked us to make goofy faces or poses. I put rabbit ears on Aaron and Ethan, while Aaron crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue and Ethan made a face like he had died.

"Send it to me." I said.

"Sure thing." Aaron tried to send it but then he said. "Oh crap, I can't. Data is down."

"Just Airdrop it." Ethan suggested.

With that Aaron connected to us and sent us the photos. Once I received them, I checked them and selected Add to Album. Once the album options came up, I placed them in a special album folder. One named Ethan.

Ethan

After I received the commemorative selfies, I took one of the bigger containers of gas and filled up the tank. Riley had figured that going through Waco might be a better option as long as we avoided most of the city and used the back roads. After the plan was decided, Aaron and Riley went to an abandoned mom and pop convenience store that didn't look like it was raided.

As they went to check it out I stood guard over the SUV. While I waited I looked at the selfies. The one where we made goofy faces put a smile on my face. It made me think about the time we have left and how my life before this was. I tried not to dwell on it because it made me realize how sad and pathetic my life had been. But now, I'm taking a road trip and with the end coming, it makes this trip more like an adventure quest. To take Aaron home and survive the cruel uncivilized world.

"Hey Ethan," yelled Aaron, "Look what we found."

Riley and Aaron had brought bags full of snacks, sodas and most importantly, water. "The store was unlocked and there was a sign that said take what you need," said Riley. "I guess the owner decided to share what he had rather than price gouging them for a ridiculous price."

"Or," I answered, "The owner just stopped caring."

"Don't be such a downer," Aaron said as he offered me a drink, "Here, pick one."

"Ok," I agreed, "I'll take this one." I grabbed a coconut water from the bag and started to drink it. I took two sips and my phone started ringing.

"Who's calling you?" Riley answered.

Unfortunately the caller ID was blocked so I didn't know who it could be. It could be Hector checking in on me or Steve wondering if we're all ok. I shrugged my shoulders to confirm that I don't know the caller's identity.

I answer the call and say, "Hello?"

What I didn't expect was the voice on the other end. "Ethan? Is that you, son?"

Suddenly I was filled with every negative emotion any human can experience all at once. My body began trembling under the weight of those emotions and my voice made that clear. "Dad."