Brooke wove in and out of traffic. More police vehicles flew past her, joining their peers to contain the situation behind her.
Her heart rate quickened. Her muscles twitched. She drew in deep, steady breaths to try and control the adrenaline pumping through her body.
After a few minutes, her hands stopped shaking, and she turned the radio back on. She wanted to know how the rest of the area was faring.
“San Diego News has just confirmed reports from the southwest regional water management division that the basin for the Colorado River has run dry. In fact, our station has learned that the river has been dry for weeks, and the water that was being used during that time was from our region’s emergency reserve. Government officials chose not to warn the citizens due to fear of panic. Well, Congress, it appears your plan failed.”
Brooke lowered the volume. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She had known things were bad, but experts had been predicting their water supply would last for another two decades.
Her mind raced. If all this was true, then the major priority was to leave. The riot at the resource station would be the tip of the iceberg. There were now forty million very angry, very desperate people to contend with.
Brooke turned onto the highway and headed for Emily's school, which was closest at the moment. After that, she'd grab John and run home to collect their gear.