Gray

How are they even going to get us out of here? Has anyone thought far enough ahead to figure that out? Are we just going to keep playing out this situation moment by moment? Someone has got to step up here before all we are left with is total chaos. This is just what we need - an authority figure panicking in front of a mine full of children. Pull it together man. Do you have any idea how fast things will go from uncomfortable to terrible down here if we have a group of crying, petrified kids in an enclosed space? They will start, then the moms will get panicky worrying about them, then the men will get edgy from not being able to comfort their wives, and then we will have a situation that is beyond control - that cannot happen. Half the parents in here are already overwhelmed enough that they are letting their kids congregate around that teacher instead of taking care of them themselves. They know we're buried, and they don't know how we're going to get out. They are hovering on the edge here. It won't take much in the way of deterioration for the collective mood to hit explosion level. Someone has to keep it from coming to that. I will let that girl have her chance to calm him down. She has done a pretty fair job keeping the children in line. If she can handle Rennie, then good for her. If not, I will just have to handle it for all of us. It is not going to work. He is too far gone. She is not going to be able to talk him down. Whom can I trust down here? Shep. He'll understand what needs to be done. It's time to remove the negative influence from the equation. He has to be kept quiet before he pushes these people over the edge.

. . .

It was not our fault. We were doing what was best for everyone in that shelter. We had to make a tough call in a tough situation, and we just did what had to be done. It was a terrible tragedy, but it wasn't our fault. This is just what happens when the people who are supposed to be in charge don't get their jobs done. If everything had been handled the way it should have been handled, then we wouldn't have lost a good man today. It wasn't our fault. We made the hard decisions that had to be made because better decisions weren't made by those who should have taken responsibility. It wasn't Shep's fault. I'll have to talk to him later and let him know that I know that. I'll have to make sure that he knows that. It wasn't my fault. I did the best that could be done in a lousy situation. I know exactly whose fault it was, and I'm going to make sure that everyone else knows it as well.

Mary

"I'm sorry." He says it like that is the end of this conversation. How can he just walk away from me like that? What is it he is sorry for exactly? Is it for making me watch him play happy couple moments with his wife? Is it for telling me the things he told me about his marriage? Is it for getting involved with me in the first place? Well, I'm sorry too - I'm sorry that I ever listened to a word that came out of your mouth. How could I have been that stupid? "My wife doesn't understand me; the marriage has been over for a long time." Isn't that what every cheater always says in every movie ever made? And every dumb girl they say it to always falls for it. Is that what we've been? Because I'm not seeing any evidence to the contrary today. Why did I think that it was different when it came out of his mouth? Why did I think that we were special? Because we were special. We were. I know we were. He loves me. I know he does. He has to love me. I could not have been wrong about that. But people whose marriages are over get divorces. Are they divorced? No. They are still married. They are still walking around this shelter with his arm around her shoulders. Where are we? He and I are apparently not allowed to speak with each other at present. Have they ever even talked about a divorce? If they both knew it was over, then what was the big deal about telling people about us? If she knew things were over, then why would she care? I can read that expression on her face from across the room. She doesn't think that it's over. I will not do this. I will not stand here and watch and pretend that everything is fine. I will not wait around pretending that it is fine for him to treat me this way. He cannot have it both ways. He needs to make a choice.

. . .

How dare he? "The service isn't what it used to be." He does not get to complain. He does not get to completely blow me off and then pretend like it is my fault that things aren't normal.

. . .

Yeah, that's right. There are other men in this town who think I'm worth their time. You get to sit over there playing family dinner with her; I get to sit with anyone I want. How do you like it? You can be on the receiving end for a while and see how it feels. I don't have to wait around for you. I can move on whenever I want to, and you do not get to have any say over it. You don't have a right to have any say over it. How does that work for you? Juvenile, maybe, but you started this. I'm just playing it your way.

Heather

I spent all year telling them that they shouldn't share drinks because it spreads germs. What am I going to tell them when one of them brings that up while I'm encouraging them to share the water bottles? Crisis situations supercede the basic principles of health class is probably not the best class meeting discussion topic for today. My kids are amazing. I wonder how much of their good behavior is because they don't really understand what is going on here and how much is because they instinctively know that most of their parents can't handle anything else at the moment. Mr. Rennie isn't looking very well. I wonder if his claustrophobia is starting to bother him. I mean being in this much of a crowd in an enclosed space is probably not helping. Maybe I can distract him. I just need to make sure my voice is calm and to give him something else to think about. This isn't working. What else can I try? I know he loves the kids. Maybe I can get him to help keep them calm. Maybe that will give him something to focus on. Maybe taking him into a different part of the mine will work. If he's in a less crowded spot, that's got to help, right? Mr. Kale is his friend, and he probably knows what will calm him down. I'm sure he'll take care of him.

. . .

Crowding up close to the rocks that are probably going to come sliding in this direction before they finish digging may not be the best plan people. Like they're going to listen to me if I say that. He came to find me. How sweet is that? He wasn't looking for you. He came to rescue everybody. He did walk back and ask me how I was. You have got to stop thinking like this. He's just a nice guy; he would be checking on anybody.

. . .

Heart attack? Why didn't they just call for help? Almost the entire med center staff was down there. They had to have noticed that something was wrong. It just doesn't make sense that they didn't come and get anyone. What happened back there? That's not static. Well, not completely anyway. We're actually getting news. Why is it so fuzzy? Look at all those blast zones. Okay, focus. That's Denver, Chicago, northern Texas, where else? We have to get this down on paper before we all get confused about what we saw.

. . .

Emily looks so happy. She was such a mess today, but she's back now. He did that. He's the town hero, and he's sitting here with me. What is he thinking? All those cities are destroyed, all those people are dead, and my best friend spent half the day thinking her life was over. Everything should feel awful, but it doesn't. I am sitting here laughing over a silly conversation while a guy I barely know steals bites of my cake. How does he do that?

Bonnie

Yesterday, I was worried that we were going to lose the farm. Now I don't even care as long as I don't lose my brother. What if he is out in this? What if nobody told him about the radiation? He is probably standing out in the middle of a field with the livestock this very minute. It isn't like he has any sense. Please don't take him from me. I can't lose him.

. . .

Why does everyone always think that if I can't read their lips, then I won't know that anything is wrong? Jake thinks Stanley got contaminated. That's why he wouldn't let me hug him. I know that they were talking to Dr. Green on the walkie-talkie, and I know that she said something bad was going to happen. I could see it on all of their faces. Did they think I wouldn't notice all the shocked and concerned expressions? Stanley is even trying to talk to Jake without me seeing what they are saying. I'm not stupid. It isn't even fair. He's my brother. If something is happening to him, then I'm the one who should know about it. They have no right to try to keep it from me. And my jerk of an older brother doesn't have any right to shut me out. He always tries to shut me out of everything. He acts like I'm an ignorant little kid who can't handle anything. He drives me insane, but I can't lose him. Please.

Scott

It is crowded in here. Try not to think about that. The kids are all doing really well right now, and you don't want to say something that is going to make them upset. There are a lot of kids and adults. There are too many people. There is not that much space down here. The walls are too close together. There is too much rock over the entrance. What if they can't get us out? What if we're really trapped down here? What if they never come to get us? We have to get out of here. I have to get out of here. I have to find a way out. I know what she's doing. She's trying to calm me down. She's trying to keep me from scaring the children. I'm trying. Why can't they see that I'm trying? Don't they feel it too? Can't they feel the rock pressing down on them? Why don't they see that we have to get out? I can't focus on breathing because I can't breathe. You have to have air to breathe, and there is no air in here. It's all gone. I'm suffocating. We're all going to die because there is no air. I have to get out. They buried us. We are buried in the ground. The rocks are all falling in on top of us, and the air is all gone. There are too many people, and we used it all up. I don't want to die.

Jake

Look at her. I have to try something. She's got to snap out of this or it's going to eat her up inside. Couldn't she have at least had someone in this cellar who had a chance of being able to talk her through this? Would that have been too much to ask? It's not like she has any reason to listen to me. I can't just let her stew on this though. I have to try something.

. . .

Why didn't I notice that the storm was coming sooner? I should have made sure that they warned everybody. Stanley would never have been out in this rain, and we wouldn't all be sitting around with nothing to do but waiting to see if he starts giving signs that he's dying. I can't tell her no. I shouldn't let her come. The whole point of going is because we don't know what is going on out there. It may not be safe, and I should just tell her no. But, I can't do that. I can't let her down again.

. . .

There she is again with that look. She was down here for hours; hasn't someone clued her in yet? At least they are all okay. They didn't suffocate. That's two things in two days that I didn't completely screw up. My track record is improving. Scratch that. They aren't all okay.

. . .

All those planes in the air with no where to go. It's a miracle that even one of them made it down in one piece. I can't get to Wichita going this way. I don't have enough gas to try to go around. I'll just have to see what information we can get from here.

. . .

Duh, Bill, if they were black, they would blend in with the rest of the wreckage. You would never find them. They all think they are upset listening to this recording? They aren't pilots. They don't know what it would be like to know that chances are you are about to kill all those people sitting in the back who were trusting you to get them where they were going safely. They don't know what it would feel like to know you probably don't have a chance of making it but deciding to try anyway. They don't know what it feels like that moment you know you have lost all control or what it's like to watch the inevitable coming for you without being able to stop it. What was that? It was. He did say it. At least I can give her that.

. . .

She's looking at me like that again - like I did something so wonderful for Em. Even? That'll never happen. I'm trying, but some debts can't be paid. If she only knew . . . But she doesn't, and she's sitting with me laughing at things that I'm saying. It's almost like the world was still normal; it's almost like I'm just a normal guy. What wouldn't I give for that?

Stanley

Basically I'm just supposed to sit here dying while they debate over whether or not I'm man enough to swallow some iodine. Forget that. Just give me the bottle already. I'm tough; I can take it. I think I'm going to gag. Nope, can't do that. Bonnie's watching, and I need to keep her calm. They've got her freaked out enough about the radiation already.

. . .

I need to not throw up. I can do that. Maybe I can't. It's time to face facts. I'm going to hurl, and that means that I'm going to die. I'm going to leave her alone. I was supposed to always be around to take care of her. I'm supposed to be around to protect her. She's not old enough to handle things. She shouldn't have to handle anything; she should still be able to be a kid. She needs someone to look after her. I've tried so hard to keep her out of the farm's problems, but now she's going to have to know. It's not fair. I can't leave her here to deal with this on her own. I have to make sure someone is looking after her. I hate asking for favors, but for her I'll do it.

. . .

Just walk away from her. It doesn't matter that she's all alone. It doesn't matter that she can't get home. She's an evil, farm-stealing IRS agent. Just keep walking. Dang it. Why did my mother have to raise me to be a gentleman?

Emily

Everything was fine until Roger went away. Everything was fine until Jake came back. When Roger comes back, he'll make it better. I just need to find him. Everything will be fine when I have Roger back. He's stuck in Wichita. I just have to pick him up like we planned, and everything will be okay again. I just have to stick to the plan, and everything will work out. He'll be there waiting for me. I just have to wait for the rain to stop, and I can go get him. Because that was the plan. Then, we'll get married just like we planned. And our lives will be perfect just like we planned. It will all be okay as soon as I get to him.

. . .

There is no Roger to go to. There is no Roger to make things better again. He is dead. I saw it. They said it wasn't Wichita, but they were wrong. It was. He's gone too. Only people without families are supposed to go out on the scouting trip. That's me now. Roger and I were going to be a family, but it is all gone. Everything we planned is gone. There is no Mom, no Chris, and no Roger. Why does everyone always leave me alone? Why do I always get left behind? Why does Jake get to be the one still here?

. . .

It's his flight. They landed. He's not dead. He's okay. He's coming back. He didn't leave me.

April

We can do this. We can make it back to where we need to be. Just look at us. When was the last time we looked at each other like this? When was the last time we listened to each other like this? I was beginning to think that we never would again. I guess all we needed was to be locked in a room with each other. Who knew that actually worked? Everything isn't fixed. I know that. I know that it will take time, but we can do it. He's got his arm around my shoulders just like he used to do. He's even leaning his forehead toward mine while we are talking. That all has to mean something. He must be noticing it as well. We can make this work. We just both have to make an effort. We were just not trying hard enough before. I could almost bless this whole horrible situation because it is making us see that we can be okay. I was so scared for so long that we were past fixing, but we're not. Everything is going to work out. We just have to keep up what we started today once we walk back outside. I can do that. We can do that. It's weird to be so concerned about everything that is happening outside but so unbelievably happy about us at the same time. I can't even remember the last time that I thought about us and felt happy.

Gail

They always told us when we were kids that all we had to do was climb under our desks and cover our heads. Everything would be fine if we just followed those directions. Everything was simple - if there is a fire, everything will be fine if you line up quietly and walk out of the building, if there is a tornado, everything will be fine if you kneel against the wall and put your math book over your head, and if there is a nuclear explosion, everything will be fine if you get under your desk. We never asked questions. We just trusted that they were telling us the right thing to do. Did they even know that they were wrong? How could they have told us that knowing that it wasn't going to help? Why didn't we ever ask questions? Why didn't they ever tell us that if we were in the blast zone it wasn't going to matter whether we were under our desks or not? Why didn't they ever warn us that what we needed to be prepared for was if we weren't in the explosion? Why were those drills so stuck in my head that it was still the first thing that I thought about? I was not prepared for this. None of us were prepared for this. They never told us what to do next.

. . .

I do not like this leaving plan. I hate this leaving plan. I know we need information. I know we need to be as prepared as we can for whatever is going on out there. I know that it is a good idea. I still hate this leaving plan. Thank heavens Emily isn't going out there with him. She's looking traumatized enough without adding whatever damage is out there to the list of things she's worrying over. I don't like that he's going by himself, but that's better than going with Emily. The two of them together have never been a think beyond the moment combination, and I would like to have him back in one piece. He does not get to complain that I'm looking at him however he thinks I'm looking at him. I am his mother, and I can look at him with any look I want. He needs to get it crammed past that thick skull of his that I worry about him. I will always worry about him, and the best return he can give me on that is to make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid that keeps him from coming back to me.

. . .

Why didn't we think of this before? The freezers are all worthless. Who knows when we'll get new supplies? Having a barbecue was the obvious thing to do. Everyone needs to relax for a few minutes and realize that we are still alive. We should all be grateful for that. He came back - without any new visible injuries. Those are two more reasons to be grateful.

Shep

Keep him quiet. That was all I was supposed to do. I was just supposed to keep him quiet so that the rest of the people in the shelter wouldn't get upset. I knew he was claustrophobic. Why didn't I think about that sooner? Why didn't I think about moving him somewhere less crowded before things got out of hand? Why wasn't I looking out for my friend? Some friend I turned out to be. I should have tried harder to talk to him. I should have thought of something to help him get his mind off of where he was. Look at that girl - asking questions with that expression on her face like she just can't understand what could have happened. I was right there, and I still don't understand what happened. She's right. I should have gone for help. There were any number of people who could have done something for him just around the corner, and I sat there. I sat there looking at him not knowing what to do. It should have been simple. I should have known what needed to be done and done it. But I didn't, and now he's dead. She should know what happened. She did her level best to help him. She should know that there wasn't anything else she could have done. It was me. I'm the one who didn't help him. I'm the one who let him die. I don't know if I can live with that.

Johnston

I had forgotten about those old school drill days. She's struggling to get a grasp on what is happening in the best way she knows how. I can't say anything to help with that. I just have to be here and hold her. Those first few years of marriage would have been a lot easier on us both if I had known that then. It's quite the life skill - knowing when you just need to shut up. That's what they should have been teaching us during all those worthless drill days - that women don't want you to talk them through things; they just want you to be there and listen to them. Did I ever clue the boys in on that? Now is not the time to have the flu. I don't have time to lie around resting. We have to get those people out of the mine, then we have to find out what is going on out there.

. . .

I swallowed my personal pride. I tried to do the right thing thanking this guy for his service to the town, and he threw it back in my face. That man always says that he wants to be a town leader. Leaders do not let their personal issues cloud their judgement. They also know when to keep their mouths shut in public. They pull people together to do what needs doing. He wants to lead. Well, he's about to get a lesson in the responsibilities of leadership.

Dale

"It sure looks like what it looks like." Are all of her friends idiots? I didn't see any of them coming over to talk her into going to the shelter or keeping her company while she cried about her parents. None of them cared enough to be with her then. The lemmings returned and she fell right into step with them. I'm the one who fixed her house, I'm the one who listened to her talk about her parents, I'm the one who didn't leave her alone, and I'm the one who gets dropped as soon as she doesn't need me anymore. I guess the world didn't change as much yesterday as I thought it did. Mrs. Leigh cares about me. That's something. Look at this place. It is picked clean. How's she going to stay open? Wait a minute. If that's when the train was coming, it should have already been on its way. It didn't come through, so it has to be stopped somewhere on the line before here. It shouldn't even be that far away, and the shipment might still be on it. It belongs to her, so it's not like it would be stealing. I just have to find it. The store can stay open that way.

. . .

It's a train, and that's a car - what's left of one anyway. They can't all be locked. Why did I walk all this way and not think about bringing something to break the doors open with? Jackpot.

Gray

I'll go to Topeka. That is the best place for me to be. I can see which parts of the government are up and running and maybe get some real support for us here. Topeka is the obvious place to go for help. Any government structure should start there and work its way out. They should know what is happening. There that girl goes pestering Shep. She is going to be a problem. I'll need to head her off and get her to drop the subject. I'll need to have that conversation with Shep before I leave as well.

. . .

You know, I was going to just let this situation be until I got back. Finding out what is going on out there takes precedence, but you brought it up. I am not going to let you start in acting like what happened down there is something that I should be responsible for explaining. This is all on you, and you apparently want to have this conversation now. So be it. Don't you look at me like I am saying something that is out of line. You know you are responsible for this. When I get back from this trip, the whole town is going to know that you are responsible for this. That man wouldn't have been in that situation if it wasn't for you. You killed him just as surely as if you shot him in the head. Why? Because you couldn't manage to run routine maintenance on town buildings? Now you want to talk in private? You didn't want to wait to have this conversation in private when you thought you could shove Scott Rennie's death off on me. What? You don't want the people of Jericho to know just how incompetent you are? Too bad. They are gonna know. They are gonna know all of it. He hit me. I can't believe he hit me. Is this how he thinks he is going to run this town? He's just going to beat anyone who calls him on his mistakes into submission? Oh, you win this round, but only because there are things that I need to be doing. This is not over. I will be back, and we will finish this.

. . .

What are you thinking? You were not responsible for what happened. You could have gotten over it. You just needed a little time to cope with everything. I will not relay that message. There is absolutely no reason for you to put your family through that. It's better for them to think you went off on a mission and something happened while you were doing your duty to the town. Why would you want them to live with knowing that you were making a choice to not come back to them? I'm not going to be responsible for telling them that. That would just be cruel. What a waste. It wasn't your fault. Now you're just one more casualty of the incompetence of Johnston Green.