The helicopters arrived the next day. It was almost noon when the sound of their engines cut through
the scilence that had enveloped the camp that night, but most of the survivors were still asleep.
Leo jumped into his pants and shirt, taking a look at Sarah, who was sleeping contentedly, before rushing from the
tent.
“Stop!” A few of the people were screaming. Leo looked up at the vehicle, whizzing toward them, and held his
breath.
It landed where the bonfire pit had been, blowing the black coals everywhere. A man in an Air Force uniform stepped
out. “How many of you are there?”
“Ten,” the athletic-looking woman said.
“ We can take five at a time to the shelter about an hour’s trip West. We’ll send more for the rest of you. Now, who’s
going first?”
Suddenly his eyes fell on Leo. “Biederman!” He grabbed his arm. “You’re going. Who else?”
“Wait,” Leo said, pulling away from the man. He ran to the tent and returned with a droopy-eyed Sarah. “Where’s
Alexander?” she cried.
The baby was handed to her by the woman, and the man looked at them. “All right, Biederman, and the girl, and the
baby can go. Who else?”
Two more people were chosen, and with a few last waves good-bye and a last seat-belt check, the helicopter lifted
into the air.
Leo looked over at Sarah as the camp left their view, and saw that she was crying.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head. “My house and my parents and my friends and my whole life are back there,” she cried. “I’m
leaving everything I’ve ever had.”
Leo caught her in a tight embrace. “Maybe what you had isn’t as important as what you’ll have,” he said. “This is
changing everybody’s life. But now we’re going to go find my parents and my sister, and we’ll move somewhere nice, in a huge
house, away from the big city where you can look at every star there ever was. And we can start school and meet new friends
and stuff, and even if we don’t, we’ll still have each other.”
Sarah wiped her eyes and looked at her husband. “Yeah, I guess.” Then she sighed. “But everybody we’ve ever
known could be dead right now, and we don’t even know it. Or maybe they’re starving on some friggin’ hill and nobody’s going
to come get them.”
“Shhh,” Leo whispered. “The rescue workers will do what they can. If it’s meant to be, they’ll live.” He wiped her
bloodshot eyes. “You should try and go to sleep,” he said.
Sarah leaned against him and closed her eyes, drifting to sleep quickly. Leo watched her for a moment, afraid that if
he closed his eyes she might not be there when he opened them. But soon he was asleep, too.
On the third night, Leo approached the head of the shelter- a man named Mr. Luchresne. “Sir,” he said, leaning over
the makeshift “front desk”- “Mr. Luchresne, may I speak with you a minute?”
The wrinkled, unhappy man turned around to face him. “Mr. Biederman, I am intensely busy right now. What is it?”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Luchresne, but I really need to get out of this shelter.”
“You don’t have to stay.”
“I know. But the place I need to get to is half way across the country.”
“I only run the shelter, Mr. Biederman. What would you like me to do?”
“There must be some way you can contact the people at the Ark. Please, Mr. Luchresne.”
The man sighed grouchily. “It would be a major inconvenience, Mr. Biederman. There are over a hundred hungry,
sick, homeless people in this shelter, and just because you found the comet that caused their ills does not mean I can afford to
give you special treatment around here. “
Leo frowned desgustedly at the man, and then walked away, cursing under his breath.
“Excuse me, Leo Biederman?”
He turned around to face a man of about 30 years old who was tall and thin, with a brown goatee and dark freckles.
“I’m Dan Alleroy, from the New York Times.”
“I don’t want to talk to any reporters,” Leo replied shortly.
“And I don’t want to interview you. I heard your conversation with Mr. Luchresne. It’s a terrible situation you’re in.”
“Yeah...”
Mr. Alleroy looked thoughtful. “We’re doing a report on how people are surviving in the comet’s aftermath.”
“So is every other reporter on earth.”
“...Yes... I’m working on the section dealing with shelter conditions. That’s why I’m here. But in about a week, I’ll be
heading to the Ark along with a few of my co-workers to finish up the report with a section on life there. I believe that there’s
room in the jet for one more.”
“What about three more?” The reporter looked confused. “My wife and her brother need to get there, too.”
Mr. Alleroy nodded. “Perhaps. I’ll definately speak to my boss about this, though. How about I get back to you in two,
three days?”
“Yeah. Thank you. Thanks a lot. I appreciate it.”
“You’re very welcome. I’ll talk to you then.”
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