Brian was a normal, everyday guy. Except for the fact that he was a survivalist. The man had every type of gun, dehydrated food, farming tool, you name it in a vacation cabin in the woods, hidden far from any other. In the days when he wasn't at his cabin, he lived in a suburban neighborhood with his wife and two daughters.
Elodie and Zora were the apples of his eye. Brian and his wife Sheila adored their girls. At 19, Zora resembled her mother at that age. She had dark hair to her waist, shining mischievous eyes, and proud perky breasts. Elodie, the baby, was pure and sweet almost to a fault. She had curly blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a million dollar smile. Both were innocent, products of their mother's religious beliefs and their father's distrust of others. They were obedient and kind and loving, always believing the best of people. It was for this reason that Brian always kept them near.
But Brian, on a normal, everyday type of Tuesday, had nothing to be fearful of. He kissed his wife and rode off to work, leaving his two daughters at home. It was summertime and the two had little to do but sleep until noon.
Work was nothing if not boring. He typed reports and faxed memos and signed for the payroll. He caught a glimpse of the news during his lunch break. An earthquake had hit somewhere in Texas. The news showed looters making off with cases of beer and plasma TVs. He turned the television off and went back to work, counting the hours until quitting time as he always did.
A little after two, his desk phone rang. He answered it quickly in case it was his boss, a notorious hard ass with a mean streak.
"Barton and Associates," he answered. "This is Brian Lawson."
"Daddy! Daddy, it's me."
"Elodie, what's wrong? Did something happen?" Brian sat straight in his chair, concerned over the fear in his daughter's voice.
"Daddy, did you see the news? The apocalypse is here! You were right! Daddy you have to come home now! Zora and I are so scared!"
"Where's your mother?"
"She went to visit Aunt Carol, remember? She was heading to Texas! We have to get to the cabin! We'll be safe there, won't we Daddy? Just like you always say!" Brian thought a minute. He could use a break anyway. Why not?
"Yes, darling. I'll be home as soon as I can." Brian hung up on his daughter. He ran past the secretaries, who starred at him, and the poor office drones wasting away in their cubicles.
"What's the rush?" a fat, balding man named Harold asked. "Something on fire?"
"If the bosses ask, my wife was in an accident," Brian hurriedly said as he dashed away. No one bothered him after that.
Traffic was fairly easy to work through midday and Brian was quickly home.
"Oh, Daddy!" his daughters cried as he burst through the door. "We're scared! Let's go!"
"Ok, I just need to pack some things and - "
"We've already done that," Zora said, proudly showing off the bags by the door. Brian smiled and ushered his girls out the door, bags in hand.
It took hours to arrive to the cabin. The girls sang Bible verses the whole way, irritating Brian. He let them sing. It distracted them from their mother, who was probably fine. He tried to reassure the girls, but it only worried them all the more.
"Finally! I can breathe!" Zora said as they made the final turn to the cabin. Brian, with the help of his daughters, unloaded the truck and took the bags inside.
"We have room to plant plenty of vegetables, Daddy," Elodie said as she swept her arm to show the fertile meadow where the cabin sat. "Especially if we rebuild society."
"What do you mean by that, dear?" her father asked.
"Well, we're probably one of the last families. We have to rebuild the population and we need food, of course."
"Um, rebuild the population?" Brian took a swig from a water bottle.
"Daddy, don't look so nervous. You have to get us pregnant." Brian choked.
"H-honey, I don't think that's a good idea," he stammered.
"We have to! You saw there was no one really on the road! A lot of people might be dead in the country. Maybe even the whole world! We have to rebuild. We won't be defeated!"
"Yes, Daddy," Zora said. She put her arm around her sister. "God said it's ok to do it. It's in the Bible. There are plenty of times when - "
"No!" Brian said, looking very red in the face. He didn't know if it was from anger at their suggestion or embarrassment at the feeling growing in his pants.
"Really, Daddy!" Elodie said, looking quite cross. Brian had to get away. He went out the back door as fast as he could go. The fresh air would clear his head. Before he was out of ear shot, he heard his daughters speak to one another.
"What are we going to do, Zora? We can't make him do it! And I don't want to doom humanity!"
"Well," her sister replied. "We're going to have to trick him like Lot's daughters did.
Brian finally returned to the cabin around dinner time. He had had a call from his wife, who had in fact arrived safely to her sister's. She would be gone around two weeks but would call to check in every day.
"Wow, something smells good!" he said as he stepped into the cabin.
"We made spaghetti and garlic bread!" Elodie said proudly as she stirred the sauce.
"And we poured a little wine for you!" Zora added.
"Thanks, girls," Brian said. He kissed each of them on the cheek and sat at the table as they served him. He drank the wine and they talked and laughed as they ate.
"Daddy, maybe you should head up to bed. You've been yawning all dinner," Zora said. And she was right, he had been tired. It had been a long day.
"Look at him! He fell asleep on the table!" he heard Elodie say.
"El, shh! Do you want to wake him! I was thinking we didn't put enough sleeping medicine in his drink." Brian felt himself move as the girls tried to pick him up. "Ugh, it's a good thing the cabin's only one story."
