Year of the Jackpot 22

tubs out into this rain; it can't last forever. If we had time,
we'd play Cool Water, just to give you the idea. I now read
from the standard disaster instructions, quote: 'Boil all
water. Remain quietly in your homes and do not panic. Stay
off the highways. Cooperate with the police and render'
Joel Joel Catch that phonel 'render aid where necessary.
Do not use the telephone except for' Flashi an uncon-
firmed report from Long Beach states that the Wilmington
and San Pedro waterfront is under five feet of water. I re-
peat, this is unconfirmed. Here's a message from the
commanding general, March Field: 'official, all military per-
sonnel will report' "
Breen switched it off. "Get in the car."
"Where are we going?"
"North."
"We've paid for the cabin. Should we"
"Get in!"
He stopped in the town, managed to buy six five-gallon-
tins and a jeep tank. He filled them with gasoline and
packed them with blankets in the back seat, topping off the
mess with a dozen cans of oil. Then they were rolling.
"What are we doing, Potiphar?"
"I want to get west on the valley highway."
"Any particular place west?"
"I think si i. .Veil see. You work the radio, but keep an
eye on the road, too. That gas back thpre makes me
nervous."
Through the town of Mojave and northwest on 466 into
the Tehachapi Mountains Reception was poor in the pass
but what Meade could pick up confirmed the first impres-
sionworse than the quake of '06, worse than San Fran-
cisco, Managua, and Long Beach taken together.
When they got down out of the mountains it was clearing
locally; a few stars appeared. Breen swung left off the high-
way and ducked south of Bakersfield by the county road,
reached the Route 99 superhighway just south of Green-
field. It was, as he had feared, already jammed with
refugees; he was forced to go along with the flow for a
couple of miles before he could cut west at Greenfield to-
ward Taft. They stopped on the western outskirts of the
town and ate at an all-night truckers' joint.
They were about to climb back into the car when there
was suddenly "sunrise" due south. The rosy light swelled
almost instantaneously, filled the sky, and died; where it
had been a red-and-purple pillar of cloud was mounting,
mountingspreading to a mushroom top.