Holocaust

Chapter 1

The morning air was still and the sound of birds was about all you could hear when he woke from his night's sleep. Jonathan sat in his bed remembering his wife who he had just recently lost to a battle with cancer. He still remembered the tears that had been shed when the news was given. Their daughter Sabrina was only 8 and her mother was dying. How do you tell an 8 yr old that everything she knew was about to change?

The sad reality was that she had handled it better than either of them had. She had died within a few months of her diagnosis. It had gone so fast he hadn't even had time to fully grasp that the love of his life might die.

They met on New Year's Eve at a nightclub. He hadn't even wanted to go to the club, but his friends insisted he go just because it was better than sitting at home. "Come on man there is nothing else to do, what watch tv and stare at a wall? Dude, seriously you need to come with us." Mitch had practically shoved him out the door. He had spent the evening staring at the dance floor and wondering why he was there. Then he saw her and it was as if the world froze. She was standing there with a friend just looking at him. Some would say love at first sight but to him, it was just destiny.

They had dated for about 6 months and he decided that he had no choice but to make this woman his wife. So he proposed to her one night a quaint Italian restaurant down the road from his house. He could still remember the way she cried and the six times she said yes. The waitress looked ready to cry more than she was. The memories of that day were so fresh with him at this moment.

They had been wed exactly 1 yr after they met on New Year's Eve. She always said, "The one you greet the new year with is the one you will spend the rest of your life with" He loved that saying, and ever since then they had always greeted the new year together. Sabrina was born 6 mos after they were married. He had noticed she had gained some weight but she didn't tell him she was pregnant. "I didn't want you to marry me because I was pregnant. I wanted you to marry me for me" She told him after they were wed.

That was 8 yrs ago and now Sabrina was the spitting image of her mom and she was still coping with the loss better than he was. He wished he could share in her enthusiastic view of life. She saw only a bright future and he was still trying to find the light that had been extinguished when she died.

The beeping of his alarm clock interrupted his nostalgia. It was already 630am and he still had to get Sabrina out of bed for school. "Sabrina! Sabrina! Get up it's time to get up honey!" He yelled as he jumped out of bed and began to get dressed. "I'll make you some breakfast and what do you want?" he spoke to the silent house. Where was she, he thought? Why wasn't she answering him? ``Sabrina!?" he called again... "Daddy, I'm in here" he heard her small voice call.

He walked into the living room and saw her sitting in front of the tv. His breath caught when he saw her face. She was the spitting image of her mother and every time he saw her it made him remember. He knew that he had to move past this someday or he would never truly grieve. "What are you watching on tv baby?" He innocently asked as he sat on the couch behind his beautiful daughter.

"I don't know daddy, something about a war or something I don't know!" When he thought she must be watching some old movie or something he looked at the tv for the first time and saw the man sitting behind his oversized news desk. He could never figure out why the desks were so big. He had always joked that maybe it was the way to make them feel more important.

"Once again we have unconfirmed reports of a skirmish in the Russian city of Moscow. It would seem that the Chechen rebels have finally begun their assault on the capital city. President Kosov has called for calm and solidarity of the citizens in this trying time. Kosov said in a statement to the US Embassy that he has the situation under control and there will be no loss of power in the Russian Federation." The anchorman droned on and on and Jonathan had heard enough to know this was nothing his daughter should be worrying about.

"Ok babe let's get some breakfast and get you ready for school," Jonathan said adamantly. "Ok daddy," She said with a hint of disappointment in her voice. He was surprised she was so interested in such things. She always amazed him with her curiosities. He got her some cereal and quickly hurried her to the car. After dropping her off at school he decided he had better get some work done. So he headed to the office. Switching the radio on again he heard another news broadcast. "What the hell is going on?" He asked the empty car. He listened as the newscaster talked.

"Things have barrelled out of control in Moscow, the capitol building has fallen to the rebels and the US Embassy officials have begun evacuating the city. At this time the US Military is on high alert and is taking none of the threats made by the Rebel leader Moscovich lightly. We will keep you apprised as we find out more about this escalating situation. For now, we ask all of you to remain calm, and keep following your daily ....." The broadcaster's voice died as the car was turned off.

Just another day in the world Jonathan thought to himself. He could never understand why the world was the way it was. He went to his office and began his day. It seemed like a blink of the eye when two o'clock hit. He couldn't believe it was two already so he rushed to his car to get his daughter from school. Once they arrived he switched on the tv for her to watch her afternoon cartoon. He could hear the drone of the cartoon as he went to make her favorite peanut butter and banana sandwich.

He was cutting the bread when he heard her scream, "Daddy quick come here, daddy!" He ran to the other room not knowing if she had hurt herself or what was going on. His immediate fear was that she had gotten stung since she was highly allergic to bees. "What honey are you ok what is it" His words stumbling over themselves as he entered the room. "What is that noise daddy?" She asked. He realized the TV was making a loud beeping noise. It was the Emergency Broadcast System. What in the world would they be doing running a test at this time of the day? "It's ok honey, it's just a test, nothing to worry about. " He spoke in a calming voice. "This is not a test, this is an activation of the Emergency Broadcast System by the State of New York," the voice on the tv said in contradiction to his re-assurances to his daughter.

"The Chechen rebels have seized control of 15 Russian nuclear launch facilities. President Howard has ordered all military forces on high alert and has promised that retaliation will follow if a launch is initiated. The president urges all citizens to be vigilant and find the nearest fallout shelter in their area in case a launch is initiated. This will enable citizens to make haste to the nearest facility and prevent as many casualties as possible. Again this is not a test. Please take measures to protect yourselves and loved ones in the event of an actual attack." The voice read off the warning and Jonathan sat in shock. Could this be for real, he thought to himself.