The Nuclear Catastrophe (a fiction novel of survival) by Barbara C. Griffin Billig, Bett Pohnka Read Free Book Online

They may as well let us go home because there won ’ t be any work done in that wing for a while. ”
    Assured that everyone was out of the damaged wing, Cecil hurriedly returned to the office area. The workers there still milled around the center of the floor, speculating on where the explosion had occurred. Having no knowledge of the collapsing wall in the rear area, they were loudly expressing their views but otherwise showed less concern than the packagers.
    It was Hargrove dashing wildly into their midst, yelling and flailing his arms, which brought the group to quietness. “ Listen! Listen! It was at White Water....there ’ s been an accident at White Water!  A car just stopped out front for a moment, then drove off. ”
    “ The explosion? ” Cecil asked.
    “ Yes, yes! White Water has been leveled! There ’ s radiation everywhere! “ Hargrove started off again, then hesitated momentarily as he passed Cecil. “ Yeager, ” he ordered, “ tell the people in the packing department that we ’ ve got to get out of here... ’‘ He moved off before the words were finished.
    Cecil watched him scurrying off, a lemming now. Then grimly thinking of the workers outside on the parking lot he grasped the bullhorn more firmly and headed for the door.
    Outside the employees had convened on the asphalt lot and were showing signs of recovery from their earlier shock. Most had their phones out and were trying to get on the internet or call or text someone. Relief that they had escaped without injury was evident in their hushed conversations. Occasionally laughter would break through from someone who felt very lucky to be standing there at all. As far as they were concerned, though, the danger was over.  But there was muttering that they had no cell phone reception.
    Cecil appeared on the steps with his bullhorn and began shouting. “ Everyone back inside!! Get inside now! Come in through here! ” He motioned frantically, beckoning to them.
    The group exchanged glances of bewilderment but began to move in the direction of the building. When Cecil repeated his message and then darted inside himself, the stragglers sensed the urgency in the man and speedily closed the distance to the building.
         When they were assembled, crowded inside a small meeting room, Cecil climbed on a chair in front of them. Trying to keep his voice from shaking, he made the announcement. “ The White Water power plant has just had an explosion! ” He waited for the reaction of panic from the people. Instead there was a moment of silence.
    "Is that why we don't have any cell phone service?" someone called out and others assented.
    “ Then can we go home? ” a voice asked finally.
    “ When will we be called back to work? ” someone else queried.
    “ Wait. Wait! You don ’ t.... ” Everyone was talking suddenly; he couldn ’ t make himself heard above the noise.
    “ Yeah. How long will it take them to get this wall repaired so we can work? ”
    “ Didn ’ t you hear what I said? ” Cecil shouted. “ White Water has had a major explosion! ” His emphasis was lost on the people.
    “ So we ’ re without electricity. Big deal, ” came the retort.
    “ Yeah. They ’ ll fix it. We ’ ll have power soon. ”
    Could this be? Cecil wondered. Could these human beings, crowded here in this room, possibly be ignorant of the catastrophe that had just befallen them? His background as a chemist made the significance of the accident deadly clear to him, but surely other people....
    “ Look, folks! White Water was a nuclear power plant. It has exploded! Don ’ t you know what that means? ” Cecil asked.
    “ Sure. We ’ re going to be out of electricity until they get it repaired. ”
    “ They? Who are you talking about? ” he questioned, appalled by their incomprehension. Here stood the backbone of the country—and they hadn ’ t the vaguest idea of the horrifying meaning of this accident. “ There is no ‘ They ’ who will go