CHAPTER SIX

The kids were oblivious to the countdown the adults were listening to on the radio. They came down claiming to be bored around eleven in the morning, just over two hours before the asteroid was supposed to hit. Brain told them to rearrange the fort they'd made upstairs to turn it into a jungle. He and John even went upstairs and moved the beds, turning them upside down and sideways respectively, to give their playground a new feel. Then Brain told them to imagine they were tracking animals, any animals, and to pretend they were filming a nature documentary.

Soon Annie was the animals to keep things scientifically accurate (while Brain's daughter, Margarete could care less. How Buster's daughter had become more like Brain was beyond both of their comprehensions), and the kids were too out of it to realize what was about to happen.

But the adults knew exactly what was going on. The Coast Guard and Navy had been dispatched deep to the center of each ocean they covered in order to rescue people who needed it. There were over a thousand cargo ships still out at sea despite the various warnings, though all but one cruise liner was in port. The last remaining excursion was just off the Alaskan coast, so they weren't particularly worried about what was about to happen, but experts were torn. Many thought this would be a simple event—tidal waves along the Atlantic coast and higher surf everywhere else, but there were many more experts who were predicting the absolute worst.

But the part that drove the adults nuts as they sat around the dining room table listening to a staticy radio connection were the zealots coming out in radio ads, paid for by desperate people, that were demanding people get saved now or never because The End was coming. Brain scoffed at them at first, but then the adults felt they needed to discuss the issue full on.

"This happens every time, whether it's a prophesy or a prediction," John said firmly, "and they benefit every single time. I don't know if other religions have the same problem, but it always seems to be those silly Baptist preachers who always play to that fire and brimstone thing."

"I can assure you we've only had vigils after disasters, since this was the first one that was big enough to predict that was happening so close to home. I've talked to Mom online and she said they're meeting on Skype for a prayer, but no one has asked her for money from our synagogue, just donations to help out when this whole thing really starts," Catherine whispered.

"I see that the point has been made," Brain said, looking out the window as yet another plane landed on the strip. He wondered how many people were on base before getting back to the conversation, adding, "I think that's maybe their way of doing things, the fire and brimstone part, and all the 'get saved now' demands, but the money part is all greed."

Catherine nodded, "Yes, it's all greed, and it's sickening really. We only go around asking for money when we need it, and we do something in return. We don't beg for money so you can get closer to God or anything like that."

Buster tapped the table, "Brain, help me out on this, but isn't that where this whole Catholics VS Protestants thing got started?"

"You're right," John nodded as Brain remained focused on calculating the current fort population. John continued, "It was Martin Luther who pointed it out, and then people realized they had options, somewhat. Those were really dark times for people. Many of them wanted to be Protestant or Catholic or whatever they wanted, but the wars. They were just ridiculous. I can't believe it still comes up, and worst still, I can't believe the other side is doing what the original side did wrong in the first place."

Catherine smirked, "You always have to talk in circles, don't you?"

"Well it's the truth. Do you understand what I said?" John asked, turning to Buster, who nodded. John turned back to his wife, "Well, he understood."

"I'm not complaining. I really like it when you get all intellectual on me," Catherine grinned, her smile fading as the reports changed.

It was a countdown, but as they realized in this moment, they were off by about an hour. This was good news, Brain thought, because it meant the asteroid would hit even more off shore. But as reports started coming in from observatories, they began to realize that this thing, this impact, was really about to happen. Analysts who had maintained their composure up until now seemed to lose it as the asteroid appeared, becoming larger and larger as telescopes became binoculars for those few remaining people on the east coast.

The countdown was adjusted, but when they finally got down to "1…the asteroid made contact with The Earth," the adults sat in disbelief. Stunned silence filled the room as John flicked off the radio. The sound of the kids cackling and crashing around upstairs filled the house, a comforting sound.

They kept waiting for a large boom, shaking, or something to let them know what had happened, but they felt nothing. They had gone far enough north, far enough west, to avoid any of the events happening now.

Catherine turned on the radio. The tidal wave would be measured later, but the analysts knew it would be the largest in recorded history. New York City sustained heavy damage, and streets several miles inland were flooded, possibly washed away entirely in places. Water just kept flowing further and further inland. The lowlands of Mississippi, Louisiana, and other coastal areas were covered, smothered with water, and no one knew when it would recede, because it just kept getting higher and higher.

But there was no solid debris from the impact, just water, water shifting to accommodate the large mass that had flown into it at a speed that had yet to be determined. In coming hours, tidal waves would reach the western shores of Europe and Africa. England and the United Kingdom faced heavy damage, as did some of other areas in this zone. Next waves would break along other oceans, waves much taller than usual, but the oceans seemed to correct themselves. California and the rest of the Pacific faced only minor waves compared to the east coast, which was absolutely devastated.