First Strike On Kansas – A Short Story
First Strike on Kansas
By
J. Lee Ragans
© 2009 J. Lee Ragans
v1.0
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Angered by new sanctions against the already isolated nation, North Korea threatened to launch a nuclear warhead to unleash devastation on the United States and wipe it off the map. On July 4th 2009 at 5:43AM Central Standard Time they launched a multistage intercontinental ballistic missile with their most advanced nuclear warhead toward the heart land of the United States. Their leadership was encouraged that this first blow would show them to be a world power to be feared.
John was on his bobcat skid steer with the front end loader attachment rolling out of the barn toward the treeline at 5:30 AM. He wanted to get to work clearing the brush and small trees from the edge of the main field before the sun was up. With luck he could be finished before 9 and would avoid the 100 plus degree temps predicted for today, and have time to get to work in town.
The small trees that had grown up in the last month were easily pushed over. If he did not keep this clear the run off to the ditch leading back to the irrigation pond would not work, and there would be hell to pay. His dad and the 4 other farmers were barely making a living off the giant fields between their houses as it was, and any interruption in the irrigation water or water recovery could mean financial ruin.
Listening to his ipod he hurried his work thinking of Milicent who wanted him to take her to see the fireworks at the park tonight. Mostly he thought of how good she looked in her small orange bikini that she seemed to always wear at her parents pool. Bobcat was turned from the field pushing toward the ditch when it happened.
John did not hear the explosion. Did see the flash of light turn early morning into the brightest mid day. Then he felt the heat burn the back of his neck and his exposed arms below the t-shirt he was wearing. The skid steer froze in place as the engine died throwing him forward against the seat belts. Then the rush of hot air blew over him shaking the skid steer, but not moving it. He noticed the iPod had stopped working. Now there was silence and a burning smell.
His neck and the back of his right arm hurt. Most of his body had been shielded by the seat and the tractor. Unstrapping from the now dead tractor he got out first thinking how the hell will he finish the brush clearing with a dead tractor. Then as he looked at the massive fields that had been grain he knew that the irrigation system was no longer and issue. Whatever had happened, looking at the giant dust cloud forming above he knew there was going to be no crop in any of the 5 fields. The dust was still up in the air, but John could see the crop was gone.
The barn and the house were fine from what John could see. In the distance he saw his father mother and little sister on the porch. He waved, they waved back and then his sister started running to him. She covered the mile in just 10 minutes and John met her along the way. She would not calm down and kept looking at her brother.
“Dad says that was a bomb.”
“Yeah. Or maybe a meteor.”
“No, dad said the North Koreans were threatening to nuke us today. That was one.”
“You think.”
John was feeling queasy now. But he was still walking. He thought about saying something, but decided not to scare his sister. He held down the contents of his mostly empty stomach until they got to the house. He father rushed out to see them by the time they reached the barn.
“You okay?”
“Not feeling all that great.”
“What is wrong?”
“Just sick to my stomach. And that sunburn hurts.”
His father looked him up and down, then put an arm around him and helped him walk to the house. “Go get your brother some water and wet towels.”
When his sister was out of earshot his dad said, “You have radiation sickness. We all will most likely, but since you are walking and talking I am betting you will be fine. We will all be puking from iodine soon enough.”
His dad had been in the army. Fought in one of the Iraq wars so John did not question his assessment. By the time they got to the front porch a deputy was pulling up to the house. That is when John said, “I think I need to sleep.” His sister put a cool towel on his neck and he fell asleep or passed out. The difference at that point was moot.
That night he was in the hospital in Kansas city. Watching CNN he could see the crater and burned crops of his families farm and the neighboring farms shot from a helicopter flying over head. In one corner there was video of the president speaking. He could not make out the words over the reporter talking.
The Asian woman in what he assumed to be some kind of anti-radiation suit said into the microphone while standing on the road side, “While there is only one confirmed death of a family dog presumed to have been in the fields when the missile struck, there is only one serious injury. A young farmer, John Woodbury, is recovering from burns and radiation poisoning. He is expected to make a full recovery. All of the farmers and their families in the area are being treated for riadiation exposure as a precaution. “
The scene changed and video of a naval vessel launching missiles with the note “file footage” displayed while an announcer said, “We have confirmation now that the United States has retaliated from the unprovoked attack by North Korea with conventional weapons. In the words of a pentagon source, we have struck every port, airport, rail line and military facility with convention weapons.”
John looked over to see that Milicent was by his bedside. She smiled and said, “Looks like you saw the fireworks early.”
John mumbled, “I was hoping to see them with you. Sorry”
She smiled a big broad smile. He thought about that orange bikini and fell back asleep.
