Free Meteor by Brad Knight Page B

memory.
    “Let it go, dear. You have to let him go,” Troy said as he patted her on the back. She nodded her head like she knew he was right.
    “I keep going back to that day, thinking he might have been alright if we had only opened the door for him.”
    “He was already badly burned when he got here, and whoever opened that door would risk injuring themselves and contaminating the shelter. We can only open the door for very short periods of time. Everyone needs to understand that we will not open that door for anyone. Others will probably eventually come around begging for help or to be let in. We cannot allow those people to diminish our supplies, and if someone we don’t know comes around, we can’t trust them. Trust me, I know it’s hard, but we are doing this for our own safety. We can make it through this crisis if we stick to this rule, and stick together,” Troy said.
    Troy decided to take a break from the news for a few days, for fear that it would only upset his children even more. Besides, it was unlikely to be good news, and more than likely would only paint a bleak picture. Instead, he continued to get his family into a routine that involved chores, gardening, house work and school studies. They had given Cordelia a week off from her duties, and it was now time for her to get back to helping the family.
    “Let me help you with the dishes, mom,” she said after the family finished dinner. Mary was pleasantly surprised that her daughter was offering to help.
    “Sure, dear.”
    As the two of them washed the dishes, they began to talk for a moment about everyday things, trying to forget the crisis that they were in the middle of.
    The vegetables that Troy had been growing were starting to become ripe for the picking. They would soon be able to incorporate fresh greens, tomatoes, and carrots into their meals that they were planning. Troy, with the help of his son, kept strict tabs on the inventory of their supplies, and everything was holding out just as he had hoped it would.
    That night after dinner, the kids went upstairs to their rooms to start on the homework that their father assigned them. They would not be allowed to come downstairs until they were through with it, and then, Troy would check it to make sure that it was completed, and completed correctly at that. This met with some groans of protest from Cordelia, but after a little bit of moaning and eyerolling, she would follow through with the request.
    After the children went to bed, Troy decided to switch on the news to get a report. Mary, who was also anxious to hear some more updates about the outside world, came and sat down by his side on the couch as he switched on the television .
    “This is Gordon Thompson, reporting for CNN Headline News. Things have calmed down dramatically on the streets of major cities across this country. That of course, does not mean that we are not still in a crisis situation. The acid rain, which was been frequent in recent weeks has helped calm down the looting and burning of buildings. However, the situation for many families continues to be dire as supplies begin to run low. We are encouraging all of our viewers to stay within the letter of the law as you seek necessities.
    “Unfortunately, most of the major grocery stores are still devoid of items, and are unlikely to get a new shipment of goods any time soon. Emergency drop-offs are occurring in all of the major cities. We will be announcing a bit later where and when those drop-offs are to occur.
    “The president himself will be making a speech straight from the White House later this afternoon. Also, the government is working hard to get at least one major hospital back up and running in each major city. We will be displaying a list of these hospitals a little bit later in this newscast. Again, officials urge families to stay inside unless there is a serious emergency. There is still the risk of contaminated, possibly radioactive dust and acid rain, both