Chapter 2

Barks left the area as soon as possible. He didn’t have a method of transport, so he kept running. He still had some strength to make the run. While running home, he saw his BMW crushed beneath a boulder that had fallen from his office. The office was now nothing but a heap of crap. 

He kept running, trying to keep his feelings under control. He was worried about his family. They had spent so many years together, in happiness. Now, they needed him. 

After some time of tiring run, he, at last, reached his home. It was mixed into dust. There was nothing left, just a big pile of crap. He stood there, eyes wide with horror. It was then he realized that tears were flowing down his cheeks like a stream. Then suddenly, he heard a dog’s bark. He turned back to see that Jumbo, his pet dog, which was a Pug, was running towards him like an out-of-his-brain dog, and to his greater relief, Barks saw his wife and children following him at his heels. 

He was very relieved to see them. The dog came jumping like a missile and hit him. Barks could not maintain his balance and fell down with a thud. Barks patted Jumbo and turned his attention towards his family. They were just standing there, tears flowing from their eyes. He stood up and hugged them one by one. 

Then, he said to his wife, Kate, ‘Are you all alright?’ His wife, his 12 years old son, Brian, and his 16 year old daughter, Taylor, nodded weakly. Streaks of tears were completely visible around their eyes.  

‘What will happen now, father?’ Brian asked, crying. 

Barks knelt down to be level with Brian and then he wiped off the tears with his hands. 

‘We will go far away where nothing would happen to us and then we would live a happy life,’ Barks said. 

He knew that this was not going to be that easy. They had a small house, so they had to park their cars outside the house. And there it was, Kate’s BMW, standing unharmed in the side of the road, witnessing this apocalypse. And the other good news was that Kate had the keys in her jeans’ pocket. Now, they could go on a long road trip to a place, where they would be safer. 

They entered the car, with Barks in the driver seat, Kate in the passenger seat and, Brian and Taylor, in the back seats, holding Jumbo tightly. The car’s engine came to life without any extra labor and Barks hit the accelerator. The BMW raced past hundreds of people trying to reach their families. Barks didn’t know where he would go, but he wanted to get away from the western coastline, which would be soon devastated by a mega-tsunami. 

Unaware of his destination, he took the highway that led to New York. He didn’t even know whether they would reach New York safely or not. But, they had to take a chance. 

While driving, Barks saw a group of people that were crowding near a TV. And the television screen showed helicopter footage of the huge volcano, spitting out huge masses of lava and ash. Barks knew that there had been ocean at that place before, but now the volcano was protruding out. 

It was then they heard a deafening roar. Barks had to leave the steering wheel and cover his ears. The others were doing the same. The people that surrounded the TV were now running here and there in wildness. After a moment, the sound stopped. He knew that it was the sound of the eruption of the volcano. It had taken some time to reach San Francisco. And he knew that a tsunami would be also coming straight towards them at an insanely high speed.