Countdown to Doomsday Begins: A Tale of Hope and Despair
Will this be how the world ends? JL and his wife, Lisa, are on the run as if their lives depend on it. And it does. Navigating through a world of famine, death, war and pestilence, they search for a safe place, as their Florida home becomes too dangerous. In Louisiana, a young woman is on the run for her life. Will their paths ever cross? Stay connected for each new chapter.
Countdown to Doomsday Begins: A Tale of Hope and Despair
Chapter 3 A storm offers a chance to escape
When a storm hits and the stakes are higher than ever, how far would you go for freedom? Meet JL, Lisa, and Marcy, who find themselves in a harrowing situation after Marcy brings a haunting message from her father: the old Sears Mall, their planned rendezvous point, is crawling with militia, forcing them into a hasty escape. As they navigate treacherous paths, they meet their fearless guide, Sherpa Rosa, whose arrival on a yellow scooter marks the beginning of their desperate journey toward safety. Feel the tension rise as Marcy struggles with leaving her father behind, adding an emotional undercurrent to their flight from danger.
The drama intensifies when Rosa shares tales of the Big Dipper as a beacon for those seeking liberty, drawing profound parallels to their own journey. With the storm raging, Rosa devises a plan to outsmart the militia, leading the group through tall grasses to evade capture. Experience every twist and turn as the group prepares for a new Sherpa to guide them further north, leaving you on the edge of your seat and eager to find out what awaits JL, Lisa, and Marcy in their relentless pursuit of sanctuary.
Welcome back to a new chapter, as always ad-free, curated just for you. Those of us at the Leaping Cat Studio want to thank a new sponsor helping produce each episode of Countdown to Doomsday, keeping it ad-free. And now follow the journey. Countdown to Doomsday, chapter 3. And into the Storm, hearing a light tapping on the window, both JL and Lisa stopped in place. It was growing dark and they were preparing for the walk to meet their Sherpa behind the old Sears Mall. The tapping grew louder and JL walked over to the window. He saw a young girl, perhaps 12 years old, who stepped back, her hands raised to show that she wasn't a threat. He nodded to Lisa why don't you see what she wants? She might feel safer talking to a woman. Feel safer talking to a woman. Despite a temperature over 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The girl shivered. Come in. Lisa whispered, holding the door open. My papa sent me to warn you. The girl said the militia knows about the old mall. They have it under observation. They have it under observation. What should we do? Jl shouted, then lowered his voice when he saw it startled. The girl.
Speaker 1:Papa said Rosa will join you here. She will be looking for the gnome you have sitting on your front porch. The girl jumped when a strong wind gust rattled against the side of the house. It's getting windy and the rain is coming. Papa said it's an excellent cover to make your escape. How will we know it's safe when she gets here? Lisa asked she will blink the flashlight with three short dots, followed by two long dashes, then three shorter dots. Marcy knocked the code on the side of the door to show them. That's SOS. Jl smiled Perfect, I love the irony. How will we get home now? Will you be safe? The girl looked down at her shoes and when she looked up, her eyes filled with tears and she sobbed. I'm supposed to ask you if I could come with you.
Speaker 1:The group, the girl, grew quiet. Papa said it wasn't safe for me to stay with him. I had to make my escape. Why doesn't he want to come with you? Lisa Move to comfort the girl. What's your name, dear Marcy? My name is Marcy. Papa's in a wheelchair. Do you know what a death notice is? Jl and Lisa both nodded yes, papa got his the militia. Lisa both nodded yes, papa got his. The militia will be coming for him. Jl and Lisa gathered Marcy in a hug and JL whispered in her ear we are a team of three now we will go together.
Speaker 1:The yellow scooter it was three o'clock in the morning when a yellow scooter huffed its approach, the motor emitting a half-hearted sounds like a lawnmower. Jail said that motor's loud enough to stand out in the middle of the night. He looked out the window and saw a bright yellow vehicle with a plastic covering shaped like a football helmet mounted on a motor scooter. A flashlight signaled the SOS Morse code, and Jail, lisa gathered their backpacks and the three looked at each other and made for the door, marcy picking up a string bag she'd left on the porch. They dashed through a driving rain, winds gusting at near hurricane strength, jump in. The woman shouted with a raspy voice developed over a lifetime of smoking cigarettes. It was their Sherpa, Rosa. It's risky, but we need to be at the administrative boundary as quickly as possible and this scooter is anything but fast. She turned the throttle and the jitney-type scooter was soon at full speed 25 miles per hour. The driver said, laughing, but it beats walking. I'm Rosa, by the way. She told lisa and marcy that she was going to be their sherpa.
Speaker 1:As they turned right on midway road heading west, the wind was almost strong enough to blow the scooter from the road. Where does the administrative zone end? Jl asked. Well, there's a checkpoint where Midway Road joins Highway 70, okeechobee Road. It's where the fairgrounds used to be. We'll ditch this thing as we get near and then walk around the kiosk. I know a way to get past the checkpoint. She laughed. Those clowns will hunker down in this nasty weather. The militia likes to think they're hot shit until they face a bit of bad weather.
Speaker 1:Marcy sat between JL and Lisa. She held JL's hand in a vice-like grip, her head leaning on Lisa's shoulder, quietly crying. She said Papa told me it was the right thing to do to carry the memory of him to a safe place. Will we find a safe place? The driver, hearing the question, turned and said we will, young lady, we will do our damnedest. What happens when we are past the checkpoint? Lisa wanted to know. We take a big breath of relief and wait for the Cuban bus. What's that? Marcy asked.
Speaker 1:In Cuba, large open-state trucks are the substitute for buses. People climb aboard and stand until they get to where they want to go. Basically, it's a flatbed truck with wooden sides to create a fence around the passenger. Where do we get on that bus? Marcy asked. I've never been on a truck.
Speaker 1:The driver, rosa, steered to compensate for the wind. After we get past the checkpoint, we'll walk west on Highway 70 until we meet the bus taking us to Okeechobee. Once there, we'll meet up with refugees from the Fort Lauderdale area. From there we take another bus on Highway 70 to the intersection of Highway 27. That's where another volunteer will take over for me. Your new Sherpa will guide you north. That's all I know.
Speaker 1:Rosa had a hard time steering in the strong wind. Rosa had a hard time steering in the strong wind. When you're going north, keep watching for the drinking gourd, rosa said. It's an ancient name for the Big Dipper. She shouted over the roar of the train rain and wind Escaping slaves from southern plantations used it to identify polaris, the north star. It helped them to keep heading north. They were taught a song follow the drinking gourd. There was no more talking until rosa shouted this is where we ditch this bitch and snorted grab what you can. From here we walk. Now we will be walking through tall grasses to avoid detection. Anyone afraid of snakes? Marcy tried to decide if the driver was joking or not. Thank you for listening to another episode of Countdown to Doomsday. What's in store for JL, lisa and Kat in their next episode? We welcome your comments and you may contact us at chuck at chuckwaldroncom. Narrated by me, chuck Waldron. Produced by Edna Francis.