Free Curtain Fall: Second Edition, Disaster, Preparedness, Survival, Awakening (The Gatekeeper Book 1) by Kenneth Cary

week, too.”
    “Well, what if I told you the earthquake was going to be bigger than anything that ever happened in America . . . that it would be bigger than anything you can imagine . . . something like the earthquakes that hit the central U.S. back in 1811.”
    “I don’t know anything about an earthquake in 1811,” said Terry.
    “Most people don’t, but there were, and several large ones at that. They were centered in Missouri, and powerful enough to reverse the flow of the Mississippi River.”
    “Really?” said Terry. He paused to think about what John had just said and replied, “So . . . what you’re telling me is that I’m not prepared for an earthquake . . . or any other disaster. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”
    John smiled. He knew his friend was sharp, but he definitely appreciated his ability to get to the bottom of a subject quickly. “I don’t know if you’re prepared or not,” said John. “It’s not for me to say even if I knew.But I will say this, if you think you’re not prepared, then maybe you should do something about it.”
    John paused, and then looked at Terry again before speaking. “In a normal world you might be able to rely on the government to help you out after a disaster, but what if the disaster wasn’t normal? What if it was a new type of disaster, or a familiar disaster, but on a whole new level of intensity? Do you think you would be able to rely on the government for help? Do you think they would get to your neighborhood when half the country was screaming for the same help? Where do you think you would be on their priority list?”
    Terry was silent and John let it linger before adding, “Look, I can see I upset you, and I apologize. It wasn’t my intent.”
    Terry looked at John and asked, “Then what was your intent?”
    “I don’t know,” shrugged John. “To maybe make you think about your level of preparedness,” he finished.
    “And why’d you want me to think about my preparedness?” asked Terry.
    It was a good question, and one John knew he’d eventually have to face when he started talking about disasters. It was as if the ice under his feet was cracking, and he was about to plunge, feet first, into icy water. The problem was, he wasn’t convinced the feeling he had about the Caldera was real, that it was more than just a little twinge of apprehension in his gut.
    Another part of him, the insecure part, held on to the belief that his fears were without merit, and that he was over-reacting. He sincerely didn’t want to drag Terry into his paranoid world. John was almost completely torn between being a Chicken Little, and actually helping his friend. He wanted to warn Terry, but he wanted to do it without risk to his personal or professional personas.
    Finally, John looked at Terry and said, “All I’m saying is that we take precautions. We prepare for the unexpected with insurance, right? I mean, we insure our vehicles, our homes, our jobs . . . you know, withsavings and retirement accounts. We even insure our health. We prepare for everything except for the basic, most important things we’ll ever need to live with, and that’s food and water.”
    “You forgot life insurance.”
    “Yeah, well, life insurance isn’t for you, it’s for those you leave behind. However, you do make a good point . . . a food and water storage is life insurance,” replied John.
    Terry nodded and said, “You still haven’t told me why?”
    John sighed and said, “Look, how long do you think you can live without water?”
    “About three days,” said Terry, and he took an unintentional sip from his water bottle.
    “And food?” continued John.
    “I don’t know. About a week or so, depending on how many calories you burn, and all.”
    “Right! You can live without your car, but it’s insured. You can live without your home, but it’s insured. You can live without your job, but it’s insured. You can live without medical care, which you don’t