by S A Ison
She had waited as long as she could, but no one was coming. She had searched every drawer, every closet for food. There was nothing left in the lounge refrigerator and she had gone through all the garbage receptacles. Nothing edible. She took a drink of water and it helped; it eased the pain of hunger. She had run out of food two days ago. There hadn’t been much to begin with. Now, there was nothing. The lights flickered around her and she gritted her teeth. They had been doing that all day. It was wearing on her nerves.
Roaming the empty corridors, she vacillated between black rage and skittering fear. Her hopes for rescue dissolving in the panoply of growing reality.
“No one is coming for you.” She said aloud, her voice echoing in the car and up through the escape hatch, that was no escape at all. Abellano climbed up onto the desk and lifted the heavy box onto another box. She carefully stepped up, the box wiggling under her feet. Stepping off the box, she shoved and pushed it and then tested the stability by rocking it with her hands. She was sweating now, having exerted her energies. Once more, she stepped up, onto the box, and was gratified that it didn’t shake.
Stretching her arms up, she was about six inches shy of the lip to the escape hatch. She snarled in disappointment and anger. She clambered down awkwardly to the floor. She was panting now and wiped at her damp forehead. She felt weak and shaky. She needed food. Those sorry bastards had eaten her food. The selfish ignoramuses had left her behind. She hoped they were all dead and she hoped they died painfully.
Going from room to room, she finally located a box, that wasn’t as heavy. She carried it, shuffling forward, leveraging it against her thin thighs. She was panting heavily when she got to the elevator and it took her two tries to swing the box up, onto the desk. Stars appeared before her and she swayed, clutching at the desk.
“You bastards, I hope you rot in hell.” She shrieked up into the hatch opening, into the darkness beyond. The lights flickered as if in answer and she jerked. Her heart slamming against her thin, birdcage of a chest. Like small birds fluttering against the bars, her heart fluttered wildly. Her metabolic rate was high and so she burned calories quickly. She had little to no body fat and her body had started to consume her muscles. She was in starvation mode now.
Over the course of five days, she had eaten very little and none for two days. She had drunk her coffee, and had used sweetener, but it has been a zero-calorie sweetener. She abruptly sat on the floor, dizzy and nauseated. She felt the tears gather behind her closed eyes and she wiped at her clammy face.
“You need to get a grip, Janet.” She hissed through gritted teeth. She took a drink of water and gagged. She was careful then, to sip. She must have nodded off, for she jerked awake. Her legs were stretched out before her, her ankles looking like white twigs, poking out from her trousers. One shoe lay over on its side and she looked at her thin toes. Her feet had a blue hue to them and she wiggled her toes. Reaching for her shoe, she slipped it back on and got up from the floor. She looked at the desk, then boxes and up through the hatch. If she wanted to live, she had to climb that cable.
“If that fat blob can climb this thing, I can.” Abellano said, thinking of Jordan Hilleman. The little pipsqueak had left her behind. He probably ate her food. Carefully climbing the desk, she set the last box on top of the other two. She moved them with her hands and they wobbled.
“Damn it.” She grunted. There was no way she could climb on the boxes. She needed a chair. She got down and went to the lounge and found a chair. She pulled it behind her, the loud screeching noise of the legs dragging behind, bounced off the walls. Reaching the desk, she lifted the chair and placed it by the boxes. She then climbed to the desk. Placing a foot in the seat of the chair, she grasped the back of the chair and hoisted herself up. She then placed a foot on top of the box, stepping up and grabbing the lip of the hatch.
Beneath her, the boxes wobble and she clung to the open hatch, panting. Her body trembled with effort and she tried to pull herself up. Her head cleared the hatch opening, but then her arms gave way and she had no strength to pull herself up. Her body fell back down, onto the box and her damp hands slipped and she trembled for what seemed a long time and then she toppled backwards off the boxes. She hit the chair and bounced off, onto the desk and then, onto the floor of the elevator car. Bouncing once and her head smacked the hard floor and she heard it echo through her skull.
She didn’t move for a few moments, gasping for air. The breath had been knocked out of her. She blinked her eyes rapidly and her hand came to her face. She saw blood on her hand. There was a small cut, she must have gashed it when she had slipped from the hatch. She was panting heavily now and when she tried to sit up, she screamed in agony. She had either broken her hip, or dislocated her femur from the hip. The lights flickered again and then it went dark. The sound of humming from the lights stopped and all Dr. Abellano could hear was her wailing shrieks of fear, pain and utter despair.
Ω
White Sulphur Springs, MT
The sound of glass shattering filled the jeep. Lydia screamed and curled herself around Thor. She could feel Julian covering her.
“Zig zag Phoenix, just don’t wreck us.” Miles yelled and the jeep began to jerk to the left then right. Her body was jerked this way and that and she clung to the dog. She could feel the dog’s body tremble, or was that her own? She wondered. Another shot echoed, but it was much farther away. The jeep began to speed up more, the jerking motions slowing down. Julian moved off of her and she sat back up, looking over her shoulder.
The back window of the Jeep was shattered at the top, with spiderwebs veining over the rest of the window. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt nauseated. She looked over at Yuma, who had lost all color in his face. His eyes looked like black pebbles, sitting on his cheeks. Phoenix was hunched over the steering wheel, his head turning, looking at the rearview mirror. Lydia looked back once more, but the group of men were now out of sight.
She felt the speed of the jeep drop down. Looking over to Miles, she saw that he too was pale, the blue veins clear along his cheeks.
“What the hell was that? What is going on?” Phoenix shouted over the wind coming in from the back of the jeep.
“We need to go to my friend’s house, Jael. We need to check on her. Up about a mile, turn right, there is a sign that says Jael’s Jams and Jellies.” Miles said, his face a hard mask of fear. Miles looked over his shoulder at her.
“Are you okay? You boys?” He asked, looking at Yuma and Julian. Both men nodded their heads. The jeep increased speed and then made the turn.
“It’s about a half mile in. Keep an eye out for anything strange.” Miles shouted, lifting Albert and handing the dog back to Yuma. Miles then rolled down his window and the cab of the jeep was filled with cold air, rushing past them. It was numbing and Lydia buried her face in Thor’s thick fur. The jeep rocked and bumped over uneven ground. Then the tires shifted and the jeep began to fishtail and then the jeep slowed down quickly and the vehicle righted itself. Through the rush of wind, the sound of gunshots could be heard and Lydia lifted her head.
Miles was now leaning out of his window, his upper body balanced on the door. Phoenix slowed the jeep and the wind stopped rushing in and ahead Lydia saw a farmhouse. Then she saw a man, laying on the ground, face down in the snow, which was red, around him. Her breath caught in her throat. The loud boom of Mile’s gun filled the cab and she covered her ears. When the jeep stopped, Miles opened the door and pulled his body back through the window and leaped out of the jeep.
It was like some kind of bizarre dream or movie. She watched as Miles ran toward the house, his gun firing. Lydia followed the aim of the gun and saw a man, squatted behind an ancient tractor. In horror, she watched, slow motion now, her brain trying to process what she was seeing. The man who had been firing at the house, now turned toward Miles, who had been running towards the shooter. The man stood, he had a rifle and was bringing it to fire at Miles. Phoenix was getting out o
f the jeep, screaming, but Lydia didn’t understand what he was saying.
The man with the rifle jerked several times and then as though his bones had melted away, fell in to a human puddle of clothing. It was quiet then, only the echo of shots ringing in her ears. Yuma was crawling over the front seat, then he pulled it forward and Julian got out. Thor was next to exit the jeep and then the seat in front of her was pushed forward and a hand came in to her. She looked up at Julian and took his hand and he pulled her from the jeep. She felt glass fall from around her shoulders and realized that she had glass from the back window on her.
Lydia’s body was shaking wildly with shock. It was so surreal; she was having a difficult time understanding. A short woman came running out of the house. She was holding a gun, though it wasn’t aimed at any of them. Miles ran to her and pulled her into his arms. This must be Jael. Phoenix was over by the man, face down in the snow. His hand at the man’s neck. He looked up and shook his head. Then Phoenix walked to the other man and checked him. Lydia reached Miles and Jael, the older woman was weeping and Miles was patting her on the back.
“It’s okay Jael, they won’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe now.” Miles said, his voice trembling.
“My god, they just showed up. I was out clearing snow and they came running at me. The one you just shot, Miles, he shot at me, with no warning, no reason. I barely made it into the house and locked the door. He was trying to kick it in and I got my gun. I shot out the window, I must have hit the man over there.” Jael pointed to the man face down. It had been a lucky shot.
“Are you hurt? Did you get hit?” Miles asked, looking the woman over. At her shake of the head he continued. “Go inside Jael, me and Phoenix will get rid of the bodies. Go inside now.”
Lydia looked at the woman’s frightened eyes and knew her own eyes mirrored the same. Yuma came up and placed a gentle hand under Jael’s arm and they both led the woman back into her home. Lydia looked over her shoulder and Julian took the rifle from the dead man. She turned away; she didn’t want to see any more. They walked up the steps of the wrap around porch. The front door was missing the window, glass shattered inside and outside of the house. A part of her mind said that it would have to be cleaned up and the hole in the door needed to be patched up.
The house was warm, the contrast significant from the piercing cold from outside.
“I’m Lydia, this is Yuma.”
“Oh, I’m Jael. Are you friends of Miles?” She asked, her face as pale as an opal, her blue eyes wide as saucers.
“That’s a long story. If you have a broom, I’ll sweep up the glass.” Lydia smiled, but she felt her lips tremble, her face feeling numb.
Phoenix grabbed the dead man by the arms, Miles and Julian had his feet. The back of the jeep was open and they swung the body into the back. The rear seats were pushed forward. The body made a grizzly thump as it landed. Phoenix was glad to see that Julian had searched the man. The dead man had been carrying a large butcher knife and a .38 revolver. There had also been a half empty box of bullets in the man’s coat pocket.
All three walked over to the man by the old tractor. His brown eyes were half closed; his face nearly colorless. Phoenix squatted down and began to pat the man’s pockets and checked for other weapons. In the pocket of the coat were loose shells, a pack of cigarettes, a folding knife and loose change. Phoenix didn’t know what kind of rifle leaned against the rusted tractor. He put the loose ammo into his own pocket along with the folding knife.
“You going to tell me what you think is going on? I can see in your eyes, you know something. You knew to come here.” Phoenix asked, surprised at how calm his voice was.
“I’ll tell you, but let’s get rid of these bodies. I want everyone to hear.” Miles said mysteriously. Phoenix grunted and lifted the body by the arms and Julian and Miles took the legs. Once the body was in the jeep, Phoenix turned to Julian.
“Go on inside, check to make sure they are okay, maybe take the dogs in too.” He said, looking at Thor and Albert, sniffing around the patches of blood. Julian nodded, his normally humorous eyes, serious and fearful.
“Where shall we take them, Miles?” Phoenix asked, getting into the driver’s seat.
“Just back out the way we came, then maybe a mile or so down highway 12. We can dump the bodies off road.”
Phoenix’s eyes widened in surprise. He said nothing, but started the jeep and backed it up and turned it around and headed back the way they came. He slowed down where the jeep had fishtailed and then pulled back out onto the highway. Miles pointed to a stand of conifers and Phoenix slowed the jeep down.
“Back it up to the edge of the highway, but don’t go off road.” Miles warned.
Phoenix used the side mirrors to back to the edge of the highway. Then shut the engine off. When he got out, he looked around. It was a vast nothingness, just road, trees and air. It was quiet and the sky was still just as brilliant, but everything was changed and he knew it.
Miles was opening the back of the jeep and Phoenix came around. They dragged each of the bodies out, letting them fall to the ground with a sickening thump. Then, they dragged each man toward the trees, carefully placing each foot in the deep snow. There was no way to tell what was under the snow. Miles kicked snow over the two bodies and then looked at Phoenix, his face still pale, but two red splotches on his cheeks. He was puffing hard and wiped his face.
“You okay Miles?” Phoenix was worried the older man might have a heart attack.
“No, I’m not. Let’s get back to Jael’s.” And walked back to the jeep.
Ten minutes later found them back to the farmhouse and Julian was on the porch with a piece of cardboard, placing it over the shattered window of the front door. He had a roll of duct tape and was sealing the opening. Thor ran out of the house, followed by Albert. The dogs came up to Phoenix and Miles. Both got a pat on the head, then both dogs took off for the back of the house, toward a large red barn.
“Is Jael okay?” Miles asked and Julian smiled and nodded, a strip of tape hanging out of his mouth. Phoenix noted that Julian’s color had come back, and some of the fear had receded in his eyes.
Walking into the house, Phoenix noticed that it smelled of spices and fruit. The living room was large and led into an open kitchen, where Lydia and Yuma sat at a large island. Jael was at an industrial sized stove, a red enameled coffee pot in her hand, a gingham towel protecting her from the heated pot. He saw the coffee cups on the island, the surface shiny with flecks of amber and gold. It was one of those recycled glass counter tops, the one where the glass was embedded. It sparkled from the sun that was pouring into the kitchen, by the large windows.
Phoenix and Miles took a seat at the island, and Julian followed. Jael poured coffee into the cups and set a bowl of sugar to the center with spoons. No one spoke as they tended their coffee. When everyone was ready, they looked to Miles, who unofficially too control of the conversation.
“Jael, how long has the power been out?” Miles asked, his voice, now calm, his color coming back. Jael looked better as well.
“It went out last Wednesday, before Thanksgiving.” Jael’s voice shook a little.
“Does your phone work? Truck?” He asked next.
“No, I was on the phone with a customer, when the power went out. I was also on the computer and when the power went, so did my phone and laptop. The thing is, I was here in the kitchen and the laptop wasn’t connected to power. I shouldn’t have lost it. The internet connection yes, but not the computer.” She said, her face confused.
“Your truck?” He pressed.
“No, the truck still works. I drove down the road, on Thanksgiving, over to the Bob and Marian Tisk, they are my nearest neighbors. They said their truck was dead, though. We were spending Thanksgiving together. They lost their regular power, but they have solar and windmill power to run the veterinary clinic and surgery. It didn’t really affect them, just that they noticed their regular power had gone. What’s going on
Miles, do you know?”
Miles was quiet for a few moments, as though trying to gather his thoughts. Phoenix watched him and something told him that Miles knew what was going on. If not everything, the man knew something.
“I can’t be a hundred percent sure, but from what you’ve said, and something a couple of boys said over in White Sulphur Springs, it looks like we were hit with some kind of weapon. An EMP, electromagnetic pulse. How widespread it is, I don’t know. About what time did you lose power?”
“A weapon? My god. I lost power near one, sometime just after lunch, why?” Jael breathed, her hands going to her mouth.
“That was about when the plane crashed, isn’t it, Phoenix?” Miles looked over at Phoenix and Phoenix opened his mouth, but no words came out, he was stunned.
“Yes.” Julian croaked, his face going pale once more.
“An EMP will take out all electronics. Your plane wasn’t the only one to fall. That’s why no one came to rescue you. They couldn’t, their vehicles didn’t work. Nothing works, unless it’s old, without electrical components, no microchips, no motherboards. Someone has attacked the United States with a weapon that took out our electrical grid. Or, I could be completely wrong and it could be a coronal ejection, you know, a massive sun eruption. The sun releases a massive magnetic field. The last time it did something that wide spread was in 1859, it was called the Carrington Event. It took out telegraph lines. There were also worldwide sightings of the auroras, but I didn’t notice any of that. How extensive the power outage is, I just don’t know.”
“Lord have mercy. When will it come back? When will our power come back on?” Lydia choked, tears starting to fill her eyes. Miles cleared his throat; his own eyes watering and he was shaking his head.
