“It did this time.
“But —
“Keep quiet, can’t you?” He opened the car door and switched on the radio, waited impatiently for it to warm up
Shortly he was searching the entire dial. “Not a confounded Los Angeles station on the air!
“Maybe the shock busted one of your tubes?
“Pipe down.” He passed a squeal and dialed back to it: “your Sunshine Station in Riverside, California. Keep tuned to this station for the latest developments. It is as of now impossible to tell the size of the disaster. The Colorado River aqueduct is broken; nothing is known of the extent of the damage nor how long it will take to repair it. So far as we know the Owens River Valley aqueduct may be in tact, but all persons in the Los Angeles area are advised to conserve water. My personal advice is to stick your wash tubs out into this rain; it can’t last forever. If we had time, we’d play Cool Water, just to give you the idea. I now read from the standard disaster instructions, quote: ‘Boil all water. Remain quietly in your homes and do not panic. Stay off the highways. Cooperate with the police and render’ Joel Joel Catch that phone! ‘render aid where necessary
Do not use the telephone except for’ Flash an unconfirmed report from Long Beach states that the Wilmington and San Pedro waterfront is under five feet of water. I re peat, this is unconfirmed. Here’s a message from the commanding general, March Field: ‘official, all military personnel will report’
Breen switched it off. “Get in the car.
“Where are we going?
“North.
“We’ve paid for the cabin. Should we
“Get in!
He stopped in the town, managed to buy six five-gallon tins and a jeep tank. He filled them with gasoline and packed them with blankets in the back seat, topping off the mess with a dozen cans of oil. Then they were rolling
“What are we doing, Potiphar?
“I want to get west on the valley highway.
“Any particular place west?
“I think si i…Veil see. You work the radio, but keep an eye on the road, too. That gas back there makes me nervous.
Through the town of Mojave and northwest on 466 into the Tehachapi Mountains Reception was poor in the pass but what Meade could pick up confirmed the first impression worse than the quake of ’06, worse than San Francisco, Managua, and Long Beach taken together
When they got down out of the mountains it was clearing locally; a few stars appeared. Breen swung left off the high way and ducked south of Bakersfield by the county road, reached the Route 99 superhighway just south of Green field. It was, as he had feared, already jammed with refugees; he was forced to go along with the flow for a couple of miles before he could cut west at Greenfield to ward Taft. They stopped on the western outskirts of the town and ate at an all-night truckers’ joint
They were about to climb back into the car when there was suddenly “sunrise” due south. The rosy light swelled almost instantaneously, filled the sky, and died; where it had been a red-and-purple pillar of cloud was mounting, mounting spreading to a mushroom top
Breen stared at it, glanced at his watch, then said harshly, “Get in the car.
“Potty that was…that was
“That was. that used to be Los Angeles. Get in the car!
He simply drove for several minutes. Meade seemed to be in a state of shock, unable to speak. When the sound reached them he again glanced at his watch. “Six minutes and “nineteen seconds. That’s about right.
“Potty we should have brought Mrs. Megeath.
“How was I to know?” he said angrily. “Anyhow, you can’t transplant an old tree. If she got it, she never knew it.
“Oh, I hope sol
“Forget it; straighten out and fly right. We’re going to have all we can do to take care of ourselves. Take the flash light and check the map. I want to turn north at Taft and over toward the coast.
“Yes, Potiphar.
“And try the radio.
She quieted down and did as she was told. The radio gave nothing, not even the Riverside station; the whole broadcast range was covered by a curious static, like rain on a window. He slowed down as they approached Taft, let her spot the turn north onto the state road, and turned into it. Almost at once a figure jumped out into the road in front of them, waved his arms violently. Breen tromped on the brake