Where? Where could he and his mother go?
Another earth-shattering boom sounded, rattling the window panes in their small home. Almost at the same time, some of those with particularly keen eyesight observed an exodus in the midst of the other foreboding atmospheric disturbances.
From two mountain ranges, a mere twenty kilometers north, several commercial Starliners launched thousands of ticketed passengers into the sky. The rumbling of the rocky cliffs breaking apart to make a path for their getaway grew almost as loud as the thundering of the unnatural storm.
The purpose of those ships was to carry the wealthiest and most influential residents of the East Sector along with their most prized possessions to safety. Until that exact moment, for many, and especially for those who now witnessed the launch, it had been only a conspiracy theory. The rumor that the elitist responsible for raping the earth's natural resources for profit had an escape plan for themselves after it was depleted had been too farfetched to hold credence. Very few people could believe such nonsense.
Regardless, it didn't feel like such a farfetched notion now. Not when the blazing boosters fell from the sky and into the ocean only a couple of minutes later… that evidence couldn't be denied and it confirmed the diabolical scheme of those aboard those ships.
Although the United Sectors launched many spacecraft on a regular basis - this was different. This launch was not designated as exploratory or orbiter and it didn't come from NASA's selected launch sites either. This was a commercial launch for private citizens… the kind reserved for the most elite of their society.
Salazar realized that it had taken a vast amount of planning and resources to pull off such a plan. He understood that all along, the projects they'd developed had been a closely-guarded government secret hidden deep underground where the common people were none-the-wiser.
Now, there were witnesses to the treachery although nothing could be done about it. Salazar took in the entire situation and, from the looks of things, he concluded that no one would be left to hold accountable even if someone was left to tell the story. He felt certain that this same scenario had also occurred in the other three sectors and possibly across the entire planet.
Salazar's brow furrowed in anger.
Bastards! They'd already taken everything from the earth that could be taken. Mother Earth was dying… she had been for a long time.
Because world leaders had debated and debased the issue for nearly a century everyone had believed that global climate change was more propaganda than anything else. It wasn't. It was merely a method for organizations and governments to promote a private idea in order to secretly fund their own projects and agenda.
Knowing that global climate change was true and a distinct probability, government officials and authorities had spread misinformation like peanut butter on a slice of bread. They argued its reality and discredited anyone who spoke out in favor of the concept. Rather than take the necessary steps to prevent it, countries had openly disagreed and their conflicting stories kept their citizens confused and unsure about the truth of the situation.
On the other hand, it made a great distraction as world leaders petitioned for funds to combat fossil fuels and diverted those funds to their own secret projects – A project such as the one Salazar and his mother had just witnessed.
Salazar wondered what more they could want. What more could they possibly do to the planet other than obliterate her and kill her inhabitants?
Was that the plan?
As the new night sky filled with red fiery clouds, Salazar's guts wrenched with even more apprehension. He realized that he was witnessing the end of life as everyone knew it. He understood that nothing would ever be the same and it was possible that he and his mother might die that very night.
Out of the blue, he recalled the words of his great-grandfather, Henry Stevens:
"The old, rich white bastards, men and women alike, have always tried to destroy us. They've always wanted everything for themselves. They could never get enough of anything and they refused to share anything. They grew fat from their gluttony and greed while starving the rest of us. One day they will succeed in their attempt to wipe us off the face of the earth. We're nothing more to them than a nest of cockroaches to be exterminated."
With that passage, young Salazar realized it was exactly their plan. It had been all along. He knew that what he now witnessed was extermination.
Just as he came to that conclusion, the whooshing roar of low-flying jets blew by, startling him and the crowd below. The loud vibrations rattled the windows in their small home, cracking a few panes. Salazar jumped back in alarm while several people on the street ducked for cover or flung themselves to the ground.
The planes made two passes and then, before anyone could further react, they were gone and out of sight.
Then, and only then, did Salazar fully understand.
They were bombing Summerhaven right now. The roaring and dark clouds grew closer as the planes moved on to Springhaven. If his instincts were right, and they were, - Fallhaven was next.
3| Fierce Urges
"Mother," Salazar urged as he grabbed Michele's hand, "those planes… that's what they're doing. They're going to bomb us like they've already bombed Summerhaven. That's what we have seen in the distance. They are on top of Springhaven now and that is the same thing that is headed our way. Now, it makes sense. Jesus! We must run for some kind of cover right now! It isn't safe here."
In her late-thirties, his mother was a petite woman; barely five-and-a-half-feet tall with pale skin and dark green eyes. Like most folks who had never really gotten enough to eat, she was slender. In fact, she was so small that most friends called her Miki.
"No!" she anxiously pulled her hand away from her son and brushed it through her blonde, shoulder-length hair in irritation. "No, we have to wait for your father. He'll be home at six-thirty just like always. We can't get separated from each other at a time like this."
"You feel it too, don't you?" Salazar quietly accused. He was well aware of the fear that emanated from his mother. Just as he could feel the danger headed their way, he could feel her emotions spiraling out of control. He had always been acutely sensitive to the feelings of others and that sensitivity was paramount now. "You know what all this means the same as I do. Their plan is to completely destroy us."
"I'm not sure what I know or feel," she hedged as she once again swept her hair back with one hand.
Her son knew it was her tell. She unconsciously made that same motion whenever she was afraid or overwhelmed. It was a sign that she too knew something horrific was coming their way. Salazar realized his mother was both dazed and terrified and it made him want to protect her even more.
"If we wait, Mother, we will die. Dad's a capable man. He'll find us. He would want me to protect you. He would want us to take shelter, to survive if we can," Salazar insisted. "We have to go now!"
Miki's eyes briefly softened at the mention of her husband, Rob Hunter. Rob was the love of her life and she had fallen for him the moment they had first met. The passion and commitment of their love had never once cooled during their twenty years together and right now, more than anything else, she wished Rob was there to put his strong arms around her and tell her what to do. Instead, she placed a loving hand on Salazar's cheek and gazed at her strong, able son.