In the Year 2889 Page #2

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We were camped on the other side of the lake.

That's not too far off the highway.

We were on our way to California. I thought it'd be a kick to sleep out.

Yeah. Then her old car wouldn't start, and we were stranded.

You two married?

She's an old friend of the family.

Look, kid, you can be a friend of my family anytime you want.

Jada's a performer, a dancer.

I'm her manager.

I... I guess it was stuck.

Now you know why she can't work with a fan.

Nice looking guy. Your brother?

My fiance.

He was supposed to be here yesterday.

You were gonna marry him.

I'm sorry. Really sorry.

What's the matter?

Strange...

I felt like I heard someone calling.

But not really calling.

Just something strange.

Come on, snap out of it.

Let's go to your father's storeroom and see if we can find some canned beef for my brother, huh?

Steve, come with me. I want to check the radioactivity outside.

Go ahead, Steve. I'll get the canned beef.

How we doing, John?

It's at 49. That's up 2 since last night.

It's as if some magic force is holding those clouds up out of this valley.

- That's the warm air from the lake. Creates an updraft.

- Yes, I know.

- Oh yes, I told you this morning.

- I've known about this valley for a long time.

The lake, too. Read about it in college, in Geology.

- Oh, you a geologist?

- Mm-hmm.

I worked for an oil company about 100 miles south of here.

Then you just didn't stumble in here yesterday by accident?

No, my brother and I headed here the minute we heard about the bombings.

Smart thinking on your part.

Do you know

the real force of the atom has never been fully calculated?

Well, I think it reached its fulfillment yesterday.

Yes, but only as we know it affects our present form of life...

or life as we knew it, before this nuclear inferno covered the Earth.

You think some other form of life could have survived?

I'm only saying that its true force has never been fully understood.

You're confusing me now, John.

- Do you remember the H-bomb test at Matsuo some years ago?

- Sure.

I captained one of those ships.

5 days after the blast, I towed the animal ship out of target zero.

The outside world never had a true account of that test.

What are you trying to say, John?

Coyote. In the daytime.

Hm. Must be a lot of game in this valley now.

Contaminated game. Fighting for life, just the way we are.

What's the matter, Granger?

There's live game outside.

I can tell.

Yes, we heard a coyote during the day.

I can feel it. And I need meat.

Granger, that game's contaminated. If you ate that, you'd die.

You would die,

but not me.

I can't eat that canned junk. I've gotta have some meat!

Fresh, do you hear?

That's all you're gonna get for a long time.

That's what you think.

That's just what you think.

Three weeks. Thought we'd all be dead by now.

Even Granger got out of bed yesterday.

Steve...

- I know he's your brother, but...

- But what?

Well, he... he gives me a funny feeling.

Logically, he should have been dead long ago, but...

There's no such thing as logic anymore.

What's so illogical about my brother?

You know as well as I do, he hasn't taken food or water in three weeks.

Not since he's been here.

He says he doesn't need food.

And last night, he slipped out of the house and didn't come back until dawn.

The radiation must have affected his mind.

He's a mutation, Steve. Face it.

He's a freak of this new atomic world of ours.

I'm going outside.

For a walk.

Well, uh, don't go too far. Stay inside of the house.

Why?

Because I say so, that's why.

- Aren't you tired, Grange? You need more sleep.

- I'm not tired.

I'm not afraid of anything out there.

In fact, I like it.

Would you like to go with me?

Oh, no, I have things to do.

I think he's dangerous.

No, I don't think so.

He should be destroyed.

Destroyed? My brother?

Yes. For our safety.

You can't do that, John! Well, not just because he's my brother, but don't you see...

it's important to us that he live.

I don't see why.

I'm not sure yet.

We have to study him.

If it doesn't rain in the next few weeks, I think we're gonna live.

Somehow I knew we wouldn't die. My father always seemed so positive.

You know, after the bombs came, I didn't much care if I lived or died.

Don't talk like that.

It's true, Joanna.

But these past few weeks with you...

Now I feel I've got a big reason to live.

Me too, Steve.

Joanna...

What's wrong?

Did I misunderstand?

Didn't you hear it?

Hear what?

Something out there...

That strange feeling, sound, something...

Stronger than the last time I felt it!

It's just some harmless animal in the bushes, that's all.

No, Steve! It's more!

Let's go back in the house. Please.

These bones are still moist!

Look at the footprints!

They're Granger's.

You think he ate that rabbit?

He must have. He spends most of his nights prowling around in these woods.

49 Renchens.

You think a man could eat that poisoned meat and live?

No. No human could.

It defies all the laws of man and God.

There may be a new set of laws, John.

Laws for post-nuclear life we know nothing about.

Out with it, Steve. Say what you mean.

Well, I'm only guessing, but, we know that even small amounts of radiation can produce change.

Now if, for some reason, a man could survive complete saturation,

a thousand generations of change could take place in a matter of weeks.

The Matsuo test.

What do you mean?

Nothing. Go on with your theory.

I'm afraid there are more Grangers out here. And even worse than him.

All of us have survived more cumulative exposure than we ever thought possible.

You mean we all might become like your brother? Stalking these woods at night? Eating raw meat?

It's possible.

- Any bright theories as to what to do in this situation?

- No.

You know, when my brother couldn't find the answer to something, he looked it up in the Bible.

He believed that it held the answers to everything.

"For I am with thee to save thee and deliver thee, sayeth the Lord."

"I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked."

"I will redeem thee out of the land of the terrible."

Look, I had enough of that Bible when I was a kid.

Well, it's easy to see it had no effect on you, Mickey.

I'm gonna go look for Granger.

What was that?

Maybe you'd better tell us what the Bible says about rain.

In our situation, we'd better pray that it doesn't rain.

Not for weeks, anyway.

Because if it does rain in this valley,

it'll be coming down through clouds saturated with nuclear death.

Maybe we'll be safe,

like Noah and the Ark.

Right now, there's about 40 Renchens of activity in this room.

If it rains, that will move up into the hundreds of Renchens in a matter of hours.

And we'll all be dead. Or,

like Granger. If we're unlucky.

But,

maybe the updrafts from the lake will hold the clouds back.

They will, Dad. We've been lucky so far.

We're gonna live. I just feel it.

I hope you're right, sweetheart.

And if the weather does clear, starting tomorrow, we'll have to go on half rations.

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