The Blackout
Page 19
“So, do you think if someone were to write a story like this today it would still be relevant? Do you think it would be as timeless as Austen’s story?” Molly asked.
“No,” one of the boys immediately chimed in.
“Why not, Stuart?” He was a short, freckled brunet boy about fourteen years old – a little young for the subject matter, but mature for his age, so she thought he could handle it. He was also one of the boys spearheading the Dracula campaign.
“Because it doesn’t work like that anymore. Families aren’t indebted to each other like that, for one thing. And daughters aren’t as much of a burden either. The things they struggled with are different than the things families struggle with today.”
“OK, that’s a valid point. So, what would a modern-day Elizabeth and Darcy struggle with?”
Samantha, an eager blonde-headed girl about sixteen, raised her hand. “Elizabeth in her time wasn’t very accomplished. I think a modern day Pride and Prejudice Elizabeth would have the opposite problem. She would still struggle with pride, she would just have more material things to be proud of. Today’s woman is very successful and some men feel threatened by that, and are even prejudiced against feminists. I think that’s where their struggles would be. Darcy wouldn’t be prejudiced against her station as a poor person, he’d be prejudiced against her station as a high-powered executive and the stigma that goes along with that.”
It was very insightful for a sixteen-year-old. Molly wondered what would become of her in this new world. “So, post-Blackout and Restoration, where do you think Elizabeth and Darcy fit in?”
No one answered. They all seemed unsure, and a few of them were frowning. Others were picking at the grass. Molly had asked a question they weren’t sure they wanted to hear the answer to. “This is where relevancy becomes an issue, I think. Today’s couple, and family for that matter, is focused on survival. They’re not caught up in issues of pride and prejudice. They’re worried about how to feed themselves, how to keep warm, and how to stay alive until tomorrow.” They were silent. It wasn’t a subject they liked to dwell on. She smiled in an effort to comfort them. “But I don’t think it will always be this way. A civilization can’t sustain itself in survival mode forever. It will either adapt, or destroy itself. As we’ve continued to adapt throughout the ages, I think we will follow suit here, and Austen’s work will become relevant again, if not slightly out of date.”
A few of them smiled, feeling encouraged. “Mrs. Bonham?” Niles, a quiet boy in the back called out.
“Yes?”
“When do you think we will adapt?”
Molly frowned. “I don’t know. It’s easy to look back on history and see a dark time as a single page in a book, isn’t it? But for the ones living it, that could have been years of their life summed up in a single paragraph. All I know for certain is that it can’t stay like this forever, and within your lifetime it will get better if you set your minds to it.”
A few heads nodded, and she watched their wheels start turning. “OK, that’s probably enough for right now. Let’s take a break, and then we’ll do a bit of science.”
There was a low yesss that they apparently thought was in an octave Molly couldn’t hear. She smiled as she turned back towards the house. That’s when she saw Burt standing on the back porch.
“Molly. Something’s happened.”
41.
Seventeen days after the Restoration, Gary closed in on his hometown. He came to a small clearing in the woods and discovered a man lying on his stomach motionless. He considered moving on, but then wondered what would’ve happened to him if Judd had done the same. He was close enough to home now he may be able to help, if the man was still alive.
He climbed down from Thunderbolt’s back and approached the man quietly, the knife Judd had given him at the ready.
“Hey.” He said as he knelt beside him. There was no response. He grabbed the man’s shoulder over his dark brown coat. “Hey. You alright?” Nothing. He pulled his collar down a little to feel for a pulse. As soon as he touched the cold skin, he knew he would find nothing. He did feel something bumpy and equally cold. A chain.
He rolled the man over and was startled by his expression. His skin was a sickly yellow color, and he had a dark beard. He was middle aged, maybe in his late fifties or early sixties. His eyes were what bothered Gary the most. They seemed familiar as they stared blankly at Gary.
He reached into the man’s collar to see if he could free the chain. Dog tags. Let’s find out who you are.
JEAN JAMES M
SSN 314-58-9045
O-
Gary’s heart sunk. Jimmy. He collapsed back staring at the tags in his hand. He looked from the tags to Jimmy. There must be some mistake. What was he doing out here? He put his head in his hands and cried, pressing Jimmy’s tags into his forehead. How could this happen?
He wasn’t sure how long he let himself mourn. Eventually he dragged the back of his arm across his face, and resolved himself to the task at hand. He couldn’t just leave him like that. He set about burying Jimmy with what little resources he had. He didn’t have a shovel or anything to dig with, so he resolved to collect rocks, pine needles and branches to cover him. It took the rest of the day, and he was exhausted when it was done. But, this man – the first person Gary had come into contact with from his past in nearly four months – was laid to rest.
That night, Gary laid down next to him and slept like the dead company he kept.
The next day, he reached the outer limits of his hometown. As he approached, a wall rose up from the horizon.
He frowned. This could be problematic.
He referenced the map and surroundings. Everything was wilder than it was when he was there last, but he knew he was in the right place. They must’ve put the wall up after the Blackout. He tried not to think too hard about what might have prompted its construction.
As he got closer, he opted to go to the road, thinking that’s where the gate might be. He also didn’t want to look like he was being sneaky. He could see movement at the top of the wall, and could only assume they had a patrol set up – most likely to keep Wanderers like him on the right side of the wall. He felt confident though that if he made himself known, he could explain who he was.
Heck, maybe I’d even be recognized. He hoped. He and Molly weren’t overly involved in neighborhood activities, especially him since he was home so intermittently, but maybe he’d get lucky. Maybe Molly would be one of the ones patrolling the wall. The adrenaline rush from the prospect of seeing Molly for the first time in 121 days gave him strength.
So, Gary and Thunderbolt trotted boldly up to the wall. That was when it started to go wrong.
42.
Molly glanced over at Beth and she told her group to work out the problems on page thirty-six, and hurried over. They approached Burt together.
“What’s going on?” Molly asked.
“The Watchers have caught someone. A Wanderer.”
“Oh, well that’s great! Do they think it’s one of the ones responsible for the campers? Or is it one of the ones who attacked Jimmy?” Molly asked.
“No. It’s not any of them. Although I had to do some pretty fast talking to convince some of the Watchers of that.”
Molly was confused. “So…why hold him then? What do you plan to do with him, Burt? Ya gonna put him to work here?”
“Well, he’ll have to find some way to contribute if he wants to stay here.”
Beth had had enough. “For heaven’s sake Burt, who is it?”
Burt looked hard at Molly. “It’s Gary.”
43.
“STOP!” Someone shouted from the wall. Gary obliged them, not wanting any trouble.
“Move along. We don’t want any trouble from the likes of you,” someone else said. Gary didn’t recognize their voices, which didn’t give him a warm fuzzy.
“I actually live here. Would you mind letting me in?” What else was he going to say?
/> “This guy thinks he’s funny. Hey Shane, come over here! We’ve got a comedian on our hands!”
The second guy piped up. He seemed a little more level-headed than the first guy goading him on. “Please, buddy. We don’t want an altercation here. Just move on. Wanderers aren’t welcome here.”
“But I’m not a Wanderer!”
The first guy notched an arrow and aimed it at Gary. “Perhaps we’re not being clear.”
“No, please! I’m married to Molly Bonham! Just go get her! You don’t have to bring me inside unless she says so.”
The second one put his hand on the deadly arrow and forced the first guy to lower it. He examined Gary for a minute, puzzled. “Molly’s husband?” Gary saw him give a signal to another Watcher – a barely noticeable head nod in the other direction. “We’ll just see about that.”
Before Gary knew it, a group of men closed in around him and his horse. He got off Thunderbolt in an attempt to prove he meant no harm, but it provided them with the opportunity they were waiting for. They seized Gary, put a burlap sack on his head and tied his hands behind his back. They lead him roughly through the gate, a man on each side.
Gary turned and struggled a bit when they started leading him away. “Thunderbolt!”
“We’ve got your horse. And we’ll put him to good use. Consider it payment for entertaining this charade.”
Then he was led away.
44.
Molly’s breathing quickened and her heart raced. She kept hearing Burt’s voice over and over again. It’s Gary… It’s Gary … It’s Gary …
She didn’t remember the walk to the house where they were keeping him. She couldn’t believe it. But if it wasn’t Gary, who was it? It has to be him. When the house came in sight, she started running.
“Molly!” Burt called out.
She burst through the door, out of breath. She expected him to be there, in front of her, arms open, but there was no one. She frantically went from room to room searching for him, calling his name.
Eventually Burt caught up. “He’s in the basement, Molly. Remember what we agreed to do when we found Wanderers?”
She grunted and took the stairs two at a time. She tripped when she was almost to the basement door and skinned her knee pretty good, but didn’t feel it. She scrambled to her feet and darted to the stairwell.
She stood in front of it, not sure she wanted to see what was down there. What if it’s not him? What if he’d changed so much that he won’t be happy with me anymore? What if … What if it is him and we can have our life back?
She slowly took the steps down into the darkness.
45.
Suddenly, she was there, standing at the bottom of the steps. The light from above shined on her, giving her an angelic appearance.
“Gary? Oh my God! Are you OK?” There was an edge to her voice, like she was barely holding it together.
She looked him over hesitantly. In the months since the Blackout his hair had gotten long, he’d grown a beard and lost a lot of weight. To be honest, he was quite feral-looking. But then, she didn’t look the same to him either. Her clothes were worn, her hair had lost its luster, and if possible she’d gotten thinner than Gary had ever seen her. The Blackout had been hard on both of them.
“Molly,” he breathed. He moved to go to her, but couldn’t. His hands were tied behind the chair, preventing escape.
She closed the distance between them. “Gary!” She threw her arms around him and all he wanted to do was reciprocate. He struggled against his bindings.
One of his captors cleared his throat. “So, this is Gary for sure?” Gary had forgotten they were even there.
She pulled away and looked deep into his eyes. A beautiful smile spread across her face as she gently smoothed his beard. “Yes. It’s him. My husband has come home.”
Burt cut his restraints and Gary hugged her like never before. It was then that she started to cry. Burt clapped a hand on Gary’s shoulder while he embraced his wife, smiled knowingly, and ushered the other men out of the basement. For the first time in 121 days, Gary was alone with the love of his life, and he held on to that moment with everything he had.
46.
“We come to beginnings only at the end.” – William Throsby Bridges
Acknowledgments
“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” - Brother David Steindl-Rast
First, I would like to thank God. I know that sounds cheesy and cliché, but we’ve been given so many blessings lately I can’t help but feel awed and grateful.
Of course, thank you to my wonderful husband for giving me the idea for this book. But thank you most of all for providing me with the opportunity to write it. I hope you like it after all this work!
Thanks to my family for all of your support, help tweaking and overall cheerleading. To my cousin Jamie, for reading a very early draft and helping point me in better directions. Thank you Larry, my father-in-law, for providing me with a never-ending stream of research! You made my life so much easier. Shane, my brother, I swear, if I have to hear that freaking Family Guy quote about that novel I’m writing one more time, you may die in the next one. You’ve been warned. Dad, your love and support are unceasing. I wouldn’t be here without your constant faith in my ability to succeed. Mom, my ideal reader, thank you for going to the Young Author’s Conference with me in fifth grade. Thank you for always believing this is what I was made to do. Thank you for reading, re-reading, critiquing, and tweaking. Thank you for knowing exactly when to say, “You know what honey, this isn’t your best.” Or, “Holy cow, this is amazing, quit messing with it.” I love you the mostest.
To my friend Mary, you are amazing. Everyone should have a cheerleader like you in their life. Jean and Jim, you were so helpful and inspirational for this book. Cindy, HL and Doris, thank you for your love and support. I hope the book lives up to your expectations! All my friends at the Morningside Writer’s Group, thank you for teaching me about what criticism to listen to, and what to ignore. You guys are awesome!
My editor, Alexis Arendt of Word Vagabond, you really helped turn this book into something special. Without you, I don’t think it would’ve made it past the first draft. You are an absolute gem.
Lastly, thanks to you, reader. I know your time is extremely valuable, and I thank you for sharing some of it with me.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Calm
1
2
3
Darkness
4
5
6
Speculation
7
8
9
Monsters
10
11
12
13
14
15
Quiet
16
17
18
19
20
The Storm
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
The Rainbow
32
33
34
The Light
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
Acknowledgments
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