Chaotic After - Prelude or Chapter 3 flashback?

I remember the day it began, the apocalypse of our time. It was a doozie, weather control, bio-warfare, blue napalm from the skies, buildings melting, tornadoes everywhere, tidal waves created to destroy whole coasts. We were under attack in the name of Jihad, they had warned us time and again to stay out of the holy wars - but in our White God power blindness, we judged ourselves above their laws and did more damage to their sacred lands than they had accomplished in thousands of years. As we oppressed them in the name of Freedom and Democracy, they learned from us, the plotted, planned and invented horrors of war specifically for us - the Blasphemers of the One True God.

We were all on a family vacation in San Francisco the day it began. My husband Mick and I, our son not yet conceived, my brother Conall with Inti his youngest, a boy of 12 and another couple, Ash and Jensine, who were friends of ours with their 13 year old daughter, Maeve. We were staying at a home, in Piedmont when the warning sirens began. We quickly turned on the news, to see what was the matter.

Looking calm and doll perfect the anchorman told us of a storm suddenly coming in from the Pacific, that more tornadoes had been seen between sky and sea than could be counted and the ocean was revolting along with it. It was headed into land fast, so lock yourselves down, open all of your windows and put mattress blockades up for protection.

They cut to a scene above Lincoln Park, the sky was full of malevolent gray and black serpents of destruction, as we watched the first three touched land and began tearing up everything within the reach of their dervish spin. The waves along the shore were rocking already to six times the height of a man, this was happening so close to us, yet were were paralyzed with shock and fear. The sweeping camera showed the same scenario as far up and down that shoreline as it could zoom to. The Golden Gate Bridge was bucking like a young bull in a rodeo, you could see as several twisters swept across it at once, tiny cars being flung off of it and tension cables being popped as easily as strings on a guitar.

Then we began to fear for Mick and Jensine, who were supposed to be getting back from the zoo within the hour, they had taken Inti and Maeve to meet the animals back in the zookeepers areas. The house we were in belonged to Conall's in-laws, it was next to a football stadium and would be relatively safe in the beginning of all of this, but it was a ways over the bay bridge from San Fransisco proper into Oakland and finally Piedmont, they could be trapped anywhere.

Because the neighbors all knew that Conall's father-in-law kept the basement stocked for three years survival, in case of something like this and left it for whomever was there at the time, they began to gather at our front door. All kinds of people, we let them all in and bid them welcome to anything. Many women and a soft-spoken man in his forties took over the kitchen, making pots of coffee and tea, tons of comfort food. Ash, Conall and I grew more and more concerned about our spouses and children. Conall, having just lost his wife to a life-long illness the year before was silently praying to whatever gods would listen to get his son and friends home. All the color had drained from Ash's face, as he paced up and down the family room floor in front of the tv, he wrung his hands and a distressed, rapid-paced murmur could be heard escaping from his lips as he tried to figure out a rescue plan and means of escaping over the mountains back to Colorado. He was going crazy with worry for his wife and daughter, for my husband and Conall's son, for all of us.

Both big men in stature, Conall at 6'5" and sinewy, his curly dark auburn hair went past his waist and was kept in a braid to prevent tangles, his hands were those of an artist's, but roughened by life in the mountains. Compared to Conall's aquiline features, Ash looked like the stereo-typical mountain man, 6' and stocky, full brown beard with streaks of red and white through it, wild hair which stuck up at all angles even when he tried to tame it but his pale blue eyes were those of a shaman, gentle and wise, with a twinkle of merriment. These gentle giants were beside themselves, their faces pinched, their shoulders hunched, feeling helpless to save our loved ones. We had no idea where they were.

I sat next to Conall and held his hands in mine, he put an arm around me and continued to pray as I watched the horror on the television. News came in of this freakish weather happening from Juneau, Alaska to the southern part of the Gulf of California in Mexico. Then a news flash came up, the same thing was happening over the entirety of the East Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico as well. The newly rebuilt New Orleans was being demolished by Nature once again, the Mississippi was quickly flooding it banks all the way up to it's source. As I watched dumbfounded by all of this, I felt the beginning tremors of an earthquake.

The phone rang shrilly, causing us all to jump. We stared at it for a moment, uncomprehending and then Ash jumped for it, knocking a neighbor out of the way to reach it.

"Hello?" His voice was sharp with agitation, then his shoulders visibly relaxed, he swallowed and I watched his adam's apple bob with the effort. Conall pulled us both to our feet and we crowded around him, hands on his back, straining to hear the voice from the other end of the line.

"We will come get you." He said, looking at us and we nodded. I heard Mick's voice then, angry and yelling in it's sound, he didn't want us to risk our lives as well, I knew. I held out my hand for the receiver, Ash gave it to me with only a "Hold on, Mick, hold on."

"Honey, it's me, honey where are you?" I began quietly, interrupting me he began talking quickly.

"Sweetheart, I know you all want to help, it's just not safe. We've made it to Oakland, but it's madness, we've run out of gas and cannot get anymore. The streets are jammed with the fleeing, if the animals at the zoo hadn't started acting so bizarre as to make it impossible to go on the whole tour, we'd still be stuck on the other side of the Bay Bridge. The bridge, oh gods, honey, I thought we would die - the bridge will not hold out much longer. Earthquakes are getting worse over there, we're at a convenience store off of MacArthur for shelter." I heard yelling in the background, others wanted to use the payphone. "I have to go baby, we're ok, we're alive and well, but don't try to be heroes and come for us - it's too dangerous. We'll figure out a way."

Before he hung up I yelled, "Don't walk, the weather is too dangerous! I love you Mick! Call me back as soon as you can! Give our love to Jensine and the kids, tell them it'll be ok!" I heard him say tenderly to me and then in frustration to the people behind him, "Love you too Maddie...alright! I'm hanging up dammit!" before the phone went dead.

Ash was not having it, they were only 4 miles away. Conall agreed and began packing emergency supply bags for us. One of the women had a Hummer, normally I wouldn't go near one of those things, but right now seemed like the perfect time to use the 'all-terrain" capabilities of it. She wouldn't let anyone else drive it, but offered to do it herself so we could get them.

All of us piled in, leaving the neighbors to man the house and the next door neighbor, Gayle, to answer the phone if Mick called again. He would be furious that we decided to go on a rescue mission, but he would have to deal - the kids were out there.

Belted in and with grim looks on our faces, the driver turned and looked at us without a word, she gave a curt nod and then took off toward the mayhem along the coast.