96 Hours

Hour 1- 1700 Hours

The Piete family huddled around the small monitor, a general hush of some unknown dread settled on them.

The windows in the house were closed tight, despite the 90 degree weather. The whirring of an old desktop fan droned throughout the old house. 

 The Piete's were the mysterious family  - 3 children and the 2 parents- that lived on Slurry hill, on some cold windblown ridge that God had seemingly forgotten. The rickety old house almost seemed to be some giant childs plaything, strewn carelessly among the thick, evergreen carpet that covered the rolling countryside. Dubbed "hound back ridge" by some ole surveyor back in the late 1800's it certainly lived up to its namesake. It was as steep as an old hound dogs arthritic spine and had about as many ticks, hidden in the puckerbrush below. 

The air was thick with smoke, and it painted the sun an eerie Red, so much so that it seemed as if the earth was upside down, with hell above. No birds sang, no cicadas hummed, no elk bugled..... Nothing. It was silent as if the world was holding its breath and waiting for some evil to miss it and pass by. That evil, was 3 of the worst fires ever had in the generation. And what with its steep geography and drought like conditions, it seemed like the strong winds were herding and goading it on to Hound back ridge. The flames, some 650 miles away, trickled like water down the gulches and valleys, and raced back up the other side of the surrounding mountain ranges, and all 3 were heading on a collision course, to Slurry hill. 

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 William was worried.  The kind eyed, short, older man and father of 4 was worried. And when Ole Willy Sr. was worried, you had better start prayin. William was worried, because of 2 very specific reasons. 1, They were trapped. He, his wife Maria, and children were trapped. The fire department had made a notice. There was no more they could do, they would have to evacuate, or try to suffer on where they were. "That was all fine and dandy" he thought to himself, " but Our car is dead, and the FD cant get rescue up here,  the smokes too thick for aircraft and the roads are all compromised" Bitterly he heaved a sigh, spun on his heel, and went back inside where his wife was doing all she could to make sure they had the best chance. 

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Maria was busying her self by filling any container she could get with water. Her 14 year old daughter, Taylor, was helping by carefully  bringing the filled containers down to the shallow root cellar they had. Already, cans of food were stock piled down there for the cold winter months, neatly stacked onto shelves that lined the concrete walls and floor. "That was really it" Maria thought, the 'Roof' of the cellar was really just the bare, raftered, underside of the wood floor above. It was thin, squeaky.... And dry as a bone. She looked up in acknowledgement of her husband, When he came into the small kitchen. He looked tired, she noticed as she thought back to when she and him where newlyweds, some 35 years ago. "We've both grown older, haven't we?" she hadn't meant to vocalize the thought but as she gently spoke he looked at her, thoughtfully.

  "Yes, my love, I do believe we have"

                 "35 years and counting, has it really been so long?"

 "I wouldnt have changed a thing...You know?" He gave a boyish grin as he said it, shoving his hands into his pockets

                     "Me neither, Dearest. Do you remember our wedding day?"

 "I never forgot. How could I? You were all dolled up and I was crying, and then you were crying, and the service was delayed for 15 mins because we where sobbing and trying to get it together, I would grin through my tears, and then you would look up at me with those beautiful honey colored eyes of yours....." he stopped a moment to sweep his wife in his arms, to admire her eyes once more. "and then I broke again, and you and I were laughing? Yeah I remember that day." He spoke as he set her down again with a twirl. 

                    She smiled, tears shining with un-shed tears of joy as she put her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his. "I wouldnt have changed a thing either... Gosh I feel like a giddy school girl... But I love you so much"       

"I love you too...."      

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Taylor huffed as she set down the last heavy tupperwear pitcher full of water on the concrete of the floor. At least down here it was cool. To her right her little brother Eddie - Who was 7- and her youngest brother Willie -who was 2- were stockpiling towels, rags, and blankets to soak in water to cover their faces when the fires hit. 

"Viitu!" she cussed as she stubbed her toe on the metal leg of one of the many metal shelving units, making her way across the floor, groping along in the low light. 

   "Tayter, Your not supposed to say bad words!" cried Eddie, who gave her THAT look. That look that meant he was about to race upstairs and go tell mom if she didnt stall.

"Do you even know any bad words?" She rolled her eyes as she asked

                "Yeees I dooooo! I know 'poopy head', and 'Idoit' and 'Butthead' and 'Vittu tätä pas-'''

"NO!" she stopped him just in time before he REALLY did it. "Forget I asked" she cringed at the thought of him slipping that one at the dinner table...... If they would even HAVE a dinner table at the end of this. Despite the heat she shuddered at the thought of the onslaught of fire barreling at them. 

Willie, was really too young to know what was happening, he just sat and watched as he hugged his teddie bear.

 With the cussing forgotten, the children went back to their work, as the sun began to set late into the evening. But the light was far from gone... for a eerie red luminescence was cast over the horizon, and reflected in the windows of the rickety house on Slurry hill.....