Faultline

“Oh! Hold up!” exclaimed Ollie. “I found a hotspot!”

A loud screech pierced ears as Old Skool and Skelly performed a power-slide, polypropylene wheels burning streaks into the pavement, as their skateboards halted just before their friend, Ollie. He waved his smartphone erratically, trying to find a signal.

“No… No! Wait…”

They had been trying to find a connection for nearly three weeks, hoping to get any official information on what happened. For days they had heard all of the rumors, crazy stuff, unbelievable stories. So, they just kept skating north from the Tampa Am competition in Florida, trying to find their way back to their homes in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Tampa Am was the most prestigious amateur skateboarding competition of the year, and as much as they had been practicing all year to compete, the only thing they could think about after the quake, was their families and trying to get back home.

All communications were down. Some said it was an attack by the Russians, others said China, still others claimed it was Russia and China joining forces against the United States, and there were even those who swore that it was the United States government that had initiated the attack upon its own citizens.

“Awe! Lost the signal!” bemoaned Ollie.

“If there ever was one…” muttered Old Skool.

They turned the corner and started bombing the hill. Except for the occasional burned-out frame of an automobile, the streets were empty, so all they had to watch out for were the cracks in the road as their wheels screamed fire.

The craziest, most insane rumor of all, however, was that it was none of these things, but that the New Madrid Fault Line had erupted, splitting the United States from Chicago down to New Orleans. Thus, creating an immense fissure that was already being dubbed the Great Divide.

“I saw it, man! I was in the air when it happened!” He said his name was Brian, or Ryan, or Chet…something like that. “I’ve been to the Grand Canyon, man! Not just snapping a few photos from the touristy spots, I spent a week once hiking up and down that entire crevice, doing some rock climbing, you know… Point is, I’ve seen how big the Grand Canyon is, and this was like four or five times that! I’m not kidding, bro! And if you try and look down it, it just goes down and down forever into darkness!”

Brian, or Ryan, or Chet was a helicopter pilot they’d crossed paths with on day seventeen. They camped out together one night after Old Skool had invited the pilot to share some of their tiger meat.

Whatever had happened created a massive electromagnetic pulse that took out all electronic communications and most power systems throughout America. With no power, animals escaped from zoos, and this particular tiger had killed several children by the time Old Skool agreed to hunt it down. A bounty was posted north of Tampa on the thirteenth day. Not offering any money, money was no good anymore. No, they were offering supplies, all that the bounty hunters could carry on their way out if they brought back the head of this menace. A man had already lost three of his daughters, another had lost two sons, all under the age of 10, and they wanted the tiger dead! One of the father’s happened to be a survivalist nut, though not considered so nutty anymore, and he assured them that they had plenty of supplies to bargain with.

The only weapons Old Skool carried were his machete and his skateboard. He had discovered the machete along the way, and so far, had only used it to open the few coconuts they found scattered near the beach. Now all of a sudden, Old Skool was behaving as if he was Achilles himself.

Old Skool got his name because of his style. Other skaters were already comparing him to a young Nyjah Huston, yet he rode with an old school surfer style reminiscent of the legendary Tony Alva. Even though he could rip a rail and flip his board every which way imaginable over a flight of stairs, he also liked to do forgotten tricks like streetplants and laid-back grinds.

He was poised to win the Tampa Am right before the earthquake hit. Whatever it was, it sounded like the gates of Hell burst open followed by a thunder-clap so loud that it reverberated across the world, leaving everyone’s ears ringing for hours after. Everything became chaotic. For days they were hiding and running for survival.

Truth is, by the time they found out about the bounty on the tiger, all three of them were starving. Having had very little but scraps, a few coconuts, and even handfuls of bugs for days. Just the thought of eating tiger meat was enough to get Old Skool and Skelly excited, the supplies were another bonus on top of it all. Ollie, being raised vegan, wasn’t so keen on the idea, even though he was just as hungry.

“If we don’t get something to eat soon, we’ll be dead anyway!” Old Skool had long dreadlocks that turned a natural blonde in the summer, his skin was a light mocha.

“How do you plan on killing a tiger, Old Skool?” Ollie’s voice was chock-full of disbelief.

“Simple,” he sighed. “We track her to her den. I’m going to present myself as bait. Her den is at the base of a paved hill, so we’ll build a jump ramp at the bottom of the hill. She’ll never expect me to fly into the air, and I’ll have the higher ground, landing on her neck with my machete!”

“Stupendous!” cried Ollie. He laughed, almost hysterically. “You’re totally insane, you know that, right?”

“No time for flattery,” joked Old Skool. “We’ve all seen Skelly with that bow of hers, she’ll have my flank.”

Skelly lit up. “This could work.”

“You’re both insane!” insisted Ollie, turning around and walking away.

Skelly followed. “We’re hungry, Ollie. And more than just a little bit desperate!”

Skelly’s parents were from Brazil. They had immigrated to Minnesota a few years back. Her real name being Kelly, she got her moniker from the other boys at the skatepark. She had soft bronze skin and a charming smile, so when she first showed up at the 3rd Lair skatepark in Golden Valley, many of the boys teased her, mostly because she was so beautiful and they didn’t know how to act. This only got her fired up, she really wanted to belong and prove that she was a legitimate skater, and so she tried for something she wasn’t quite ready for at the time—a boardslide on a handrail. She actually slid on the rail perfectly, but as she hit the ground her weight shifted to the back and she slipped out, slamming hard, breaking her right elbow. The bone sticking out, blood soaking the concrete. The boys who had been teasing her earlier, suddenly rushed to her aid. She toughed it out, fighting back tears as her father sped her to the hospital. No one expected to see her at the 3rd Lair again. However, there she was, two days later, skating with her arm in a cast, trying the same trick! This time she landed with style and grace, gaining mad respect that day. Everyone started calling her Skelly because even broken bones couldn’t stop her.

“Yeah,” agreed Skelly. “I can flank ya!”

It was settled. No one ever listened to Ollie anyway.

“To be honest,” admitted Ollie later, as they shared the feast over the firepit with the helicopter pilot, “it was amazing to behold.” Ollie bit from a slab of meat and frowned. “I can’t believe I’m eating this…”

The tiger charged out of her den at Old Skool, just as predicted as he approached the jump ramp. Suddenly, her prey was in the air above her, swinging downward with his machete upon her neck. Only, Old Skool’s timing was off, and he merely sliced the shoulder of the great beast. As they both landed, Old Skool hit the pavement and screeched to a stop, and the tiger swiftly turned on her heels and stood ready to pounce. Old Skool froze, there was nothing he could do, he was a dead man.

Skelly took her cue, launching arrow after arrow into the tiger’s ribcage. Alas, she was a ferocious beast, and now the tiger’s eyes were fixed upon Skelly. The tiger’s face was wrenched with rage, her crescent eyes swearing to take out Skelly before she died herself.

Old Skool swung his machete like an axe, lopping the head off the tigress before she could harm the girl he was beginning to love. I don’t care if I die, he thought, moving without fear as he severed the tiger’s head, because I love her.

As they sat safely by the campfire, telling the pilot of their hunt, Skelly caressed the heart-shaped golden locket she wore around her neck with her fingertips. It was given to her by her father for her golden birthday, and it made her feel safe, in the way that Old Skool always made her feel safe. Especially now, now that everything had changed. Engraved upon the back of the locket were the words: Love is Forever. A tear fell from her eye as she thought of her father and mother. Was she beginning to love Old Skool in a different way? Something her father had always said to her… There can be no courage without love, because without love you will never put yourself in harms way to protect someone else. Both Skelly and Old Skool were willing to die for each other.

“I mean, I’m vegan!” complained Ollie as they ate around the campfire. “My parents raised me never to harm animals, meat is murder and all that…” He appeared truly distressed. “I mean, here I am feasting on murder!”

“If you don’t want your share,” teased Skelly, “I’d be happy to…”

“No!” protested Ollie. “I’m starving! But let it be known that I’m not happy with the gods right now!”

“Really?” laughed Old Skool, “because I’ve been thanking God for every bit of this tasty morsel!” Skelly joined in and they both laughed at Ollie as the pilot ate his share ravenously, like he hadn’t eaten well for days.

After he had his fill, the pilot began eying Skelly’s golden locket as he bargained with them. “On a full tank I can get you past what’s left of Chicago, least you’ll be on the other side of the Great Divide. You should be able to make it on foot to Minneapolis from there. Only problem is…” hesitated the pilot as he stared at the heart-shaped locket, “the reason I’ve been grounded is the guy that has the fuel only accepts gold or silver as payment.”

“His name was Chet, I swear,” said Ollie as they roared down the hill, nearing their old neighborhood.

“No, it was Ryan, fool!” declared Old Skool.

“You guys are both dumb in the head,” laughed Skelly, “he said his name like three times, it was Brian.”

True to his word, the helicopter pilot dropped them off at the other side of the Great Divide. The rift truly was an unbelievable sight to see. Who would ever believe that the United States could be divided into two halves so violently?

Three skateboarders bombing the hill, burning their wheels at top speed and perceiving their neighborhood along the horizon. They made eye-contact with each other and realized that it was all about relationships—your friends, the connections to your family, and the good neighbors—that really made-up America. In that instant they knew that everything was going to be okay. They had each other, they would be reunited with their families soon, and as long as people still have faith, they can accomplish anything.