Journal of the End?

"It's eerily quiet" I said to Vince. "No, not any more than usual" he answers while he tinkers with yet another piece of wood to use as a fire poker and sometimes wolf deterrent. "Ugh, would you stop what you're doing for a second and listen to me?" I grab his arm urgently but not enough to cause pain. He looks at me startled, then sees the look on my face. I mouth "Shhhhh" and hold my index finger up to my mouth with my other hand. He looks up into the sky, takes a deep breath, and exhales as he brings his head back down with his eyes closed. Closed, so he can really listen. We stand there quiet, with just the faintest rustle of leaves above from the tall oaks and sycamores that surround us.

He opens his eyes, looks directly into mine, and mouths the words "Holy shit." I nod my head and widen my eyes in that very female "I told you so" sort of way. Now that he believes me, my face flushes and I start to panic. He sees this of course. He never misses anything. "What does it mean?" I say exasperatedly, "No birds, no cicadas, not even an errant bee!" Tears start to well in my eyes. He kisses my forehead and points to the locket around my neck. As if this is common place, because it actually is. Its our new live on the edge when are we going to die, reality - he grabs his newly sharpened and fastidiously created stick and suddenly I am relieved he made another one. The last two have been burned down to a point where they are about to be thrown into our next bonfire. I check that I have my knife on me, as does he, and he calls our beloved watchdog Mugsy over. "Mugsy, you watch Mommy, I have to go check the perimeter."

"Wait - take him with you, won't that be better?" "I won't be long." He assures me, then says: "I just checked the perimeter earlier, but I remember seeing a hawk fly over me. Something is different. Feels different, you're right. But I have my gun loaded, this (as he holds the stick up), and my machete. We'll do ten minute check ins on our cell phones until I return. You know the drill if I don't reply after three attempts." I caress the locket with my fingers, worried that this time is finally THE time, and try to reassure myself that if won't be.

Vince kisses me goodbye, and takes a sniff of my hair, like he always does. I laugh, "Haven't washed it today, ha!" He smiles, tugs at my hand, and heads out. Mugsy barks and sits by my side with a discontented growl. I bend down and stracth his favorite spot. Right under his neck and on his chest, wins him over every time. He licks my face to thank me, "Mugs, I know you want to go with him - but can you please protect me?" He wags his tail, licks my face again, and we both turn to watch Vince. He's heading out to see if there are any noticeable changes to the towers the military set up for contact with whoever the heck it was that bombed Phoenix, AZ from well, another planet. According to the news anyway.

I make myself a salad, sit on our porch, and feed Mugsy. Mostly so I can eat my salad and bread in peace, but I know he will be coming over to me begging soon. The first text comes in. "All clear." I reply, "Same here, having a salad." This goes on for two hours. Not an unusual time for him to be gone, but getting a little long. Most checks take 45 minutes round trip. His last text tells me that he received a signal from the other tower so he's going to check it out. Again, not uncommon, has happened many times before on previous checks at all hours of the day. Its always fine, or has been. I am oddly calm, and kick up my feet on Mugsy who is now by my side, slightly in front of me, licking his lips as I gave him the remaining olive oil dip from my bread. I sip my wine, look out into the distance and see it, a huge plume of thick black smoke way out into the horizon. Beyond where Vince went. I pick up my phone to text him. "Do you see it?" I wait for a reply. We agreed on five minute intervals when there is no contact, in case he's busy. Five seems like two hours when there's a plume of smoke so thick you know its not "natural" and don't know what to do. Five minutes and one second. I send a similar text "Smoke off in the distance, thick and black, most likely near the water but I can't be sure, are you ok, do you see it?"

Mugsy now starts to growl, and he gets into his stance when he doesn't like what he sees. Usually its a squirrel or a stranger, and his concern quickly turns into either a wagging tail or a failed attempt at an additional dinner. But, Mugsy ain't playin. He is emitting a low growl, the hair on his back side is standing up, and he is very, VERY still. Saliva drips from his jowls. That isn't a good sign with everything else he is doing. My intuition makes me sit up very slowly and look in the same direction. The bushes, which go about 20 feet back on the property line move slightly, I grab our shotgun perched against the door frame. As I stand, I see the bushes move differently, I glance at my phone, no reply. I whisper, "What do you see boy, what is that?" Mugsy doesn't move, or growl. Only more saliva drips from his jowls, "Crap" I say to myself. "Stay, Stay, not until Mommy says" I whisper. Mugsy growls again, and then I see him. Vince is running towards the house full throttle, he emerges out of the bushes screaming - "USE THE KEY! USE THE KEY!!!!" I place the gun back in its spot and run into the house, sit at the desk, open the secret compartment, take off my necklace, open the locket, and everything goes black. (fade to black)