The Incident | Book 1 | They Called It The Incident

by Johnson, J. M.

  “Don’t worry, Mother.” He soothed. “I’m sure the government or somebody is working to get us back up and running. We’ll have heat and lights soon.”

  She laughed. “Tell that to Jack. He might believe you.”

  “Do you think the boys are okay?” she continued, worry evident in her voice. “It shouldn’t take that long to check on Sam and Stella.”

  She placed the last potato in the pot, covered them with water and reached for the matches to light the range.

  Her husband patted her shoulder one more time and moved towards the back door. “I’ll just check the driveway,” he said. “Maybe they’re having trouble in the snow.”

  She laughed softly. “They won’t have trouble in the snow,” she chuckled. “But you can certainly take another look up the road for them.”

  The old couple both jumped, as the back door swung open with a crash. They rushed towards the group standing in the doorway. Monica came flying from the living room, concern etched on her face. In the doorway, Jason supported Stella Johnson as he set down a large suitcase. Behind him, Tom and Sam Johnson had their arms full of boxes and bags.

  Irma put her arms around her friend, noticing how thin she was. “Come in, come in.” She dropped her arms and took a cold hand in her own. “You’re just in time for supper.” She glanced up at her son, who gave a tired smile.

  “Sam and Stella can’t stay over on the farm.” He said as he gently removed the older woman’s heavy coat.

  “They can’t heat that barn and the cows aren’t producing milk anyway. So, we opened the door and all the gates so they can try to forage and get through the winter on their own.” He wiped his forehead which glistened with sweat, despite the cold.

  “They have to stay with us until things straighten out. Do we have a bed they can have?”

  “Of course we have a bed.” His mother bristled a bit at the thought that he would doubt it for a moment. “Monica, finish the vegetables, will you? Just add enough for two more. And, Tony run up and open the back bedroom. I think the bed is made up, but there are extra blankets in the hall closet.”

  “It’s only a single bed,” she apologized to Stella. “But you’ll keep warmer that way.”

  Taking her arm, she led the way into the living room where the fire crackled in the woodstove. Neither of them had said anything, seeming content to let others tell them what to do for now. They both moved closer to the fire, holding out their hands and keeping their eyes on the worn carpet.

  Tom and Jason removed their own coats and boots and began to carry the bundles and suitcase up the narrow staircase. Monica busied herself at the stove, poking at the potatoes to see if they were soft. Tony returned from his errand upstairs and began to set the table, adding two place settings to the six that had been there. He couldn’t see into the living room but could hear the soft murmur of his wife’s voice as she comforted their guests.

  He was worried. Another two mouths to feed would seriously deplete their supplies. The vegetables in the root cellar were still plentiful and they had the meat his wife had worked so hard canning. But it was only December and, in this country, winter could last a long time. He couldn’t remember when it had been so cold or snowed so heavily this early in the year.

  Of course, they couldn’t turn their neighbours away. Any more than they could have refused shelter to Tom and Adnan when they had shown up, tired and dirty on the doorstep.

  Behind him, Monica was opening a jar of peas and humming to herself. The smell of onions and the sizzle of the frying pan filled the kitchen. Tony sniffed appreciatively.

  “I’m sure glad Jason had the idea to dig out the old root cellar,” he observed. “If we had left our food in the garage, it would be frozen solid by now.”

  “Yes.” Monica poured the peas into a pot. “The crawl space under the house didn’t look very safe, but those old pioneers knew about storing stuff through winters. All the root cellar needed was some shoring up and a little more digging. Tom and Adnan did their fair share too.”

  He chuckled. “Those hands hadn’t held more than a TV remote or a phone, but they soon learned how to work.”

  “It’s a good thing everybody made it home.” He added. “It’s snowing harder than ever. I can barely see the path to the root cellar and barn.”

  Monica joined him looking out the kitchen window. “You’re right, Dad. If I didn’t know it was there, I would never find the root cellar door.” She turned away and began to remove pots from the stove. “We’ll have to make sure that path stays clear. It won’t do any good to have food stored if we can’t get to it.”

  She raised her voice slightly. “Dinner’s ready. Come and get it.”

  “Come on.” Irma bustled into the kitchen holding Stella’s arm lightly. “Sit down and eat and then we’ll have a nice cup of hot water and talk.”

  Stella looked up. “I brought tea.” I’ll just run up and get it. There are the last of our tea bags and about a pound of coffee in the grocery bag.”

  “Coffee!!” Jason grinned. “I’ll go get it. I’ve been missing coffee the most.”

  “No rush. Eat first and then we’ll have tea for a treat.” Irma pointed to the chairs at the end of the table. “You sit there, Stella. Sam, you sit beside her. The rest of us will shift over. Jack’s high chair will fit at the corner. Father, will you say Grace?”

  Tony looked at her in surprise. “We’re saying Grace?”

  She nodded. “I think we need all the help we can get. A prayer now and then won’t hurt.”

  Everybody bowed their heads as Tony recited a simple prayer of thanks.

  Picking up their forks, they again discussed the situation.

  “What do you suppose has happened?” asked Irma, poking at her potato. “Sam have you heard anything new?”

  Sam shook his head. “Nope. I’ve probably heard the same rumours as you. Without real news, it’s hard to say. But I remember reading something a few months ago about EMP attacks being possible.”

  “What’s that?” asked Adnan.

  “EMP is an electromagnetic pulse.” Monica was forever the teacher. “Presumably it’s when a warhead goes off in the air, sending out high energy waves that fry any electronics they pass through. The North American grid could be wiped out in an instant.”

  “Who would do that?” Adnan was interested.

  “Probably somebody who doesn’t like the USA,” Monica answered. “And of course, Canada is in the same grid so we share the pain.”

  “But,” she continued, “it doesn’t even have to be another country. It could come from a solar flare or even an accidental event from some military installation.”

  Sam grunted as he speared a piece of potato. “Probably those A-rabs. They hate us bad enough.” He glanced at Adnan. “Brown people...can’t trust ‘em.”

  The others glanced at each other, but Adnan kept his eyes on his plate, seeming oblivious to Sam’s comment.

  Tony stopped chewing and interjected. “You know I remember watching a TV show about something called HAARP. It’s supposed to analyze the heat of the ionosphere by transmitting radio beams into the sky. There are theories that this could disrupt the electric power around the world.”

  Jason spoke up from where he was feeding the baby at the end of the table. “I remember seeing that show. It seemed pretty farfetched to me. Why would the government try to ruin their own country?”

  His father answered sarcastically. “It seemed farfetched, but here we are freezing in the dark and wondering how to survive the winter so maybe those crackpot conspiracy theorists were on to something.”

  “We’re pretty lucky,” Monica added. “I’d hate to be outside in the cold right now. Here we are warm and cozy and we have enough to get us through the next couple of months.” She got up and closed the curtains.

  Irma sighed then stood up and began to clear the plates from the table.

  “Enough of that, “she said. “Let’s clear the table and play a game.” She s
poke over her shoulder as she carried a stack of dishes over to the sink. “Come on, we can do the dishes in the morning. What game shall we play? Or we can just tell stories until bed, but no more conspiracy theories or farfetched ideas. I’m sick of this whole discussion.”

  Sam pushed back his chair and spoke to his wife. “Don’t just sit there like a lump. Go get that tea.”

  Irma frowned when Stella leaped to her feet and rushed upstairs.

  “I’ll put Jack to bed.” Jason picked up the baby and wiped his face. “Come on, Buddy.”

  When he reappeared a few minutes later he was carrying his old guitar.

  “Look what I found.” He held it up gleefully. “I haven’t seen this for years.”

  “It’s always been in the corner of your room,” Irma answered. “Do you think you can still play?”

  “Of course, it’s like riding a bike.” He began to strum a tune. “I wonder if there are any strings around?”

  Soon they were all sipping weak tea and being serenaded as Jason tried to remember his old music lessons. Sam dealt cards around the table in preparation for a game of crib.

  Tony looked around the dark kitchen. “You know,” he commented. “We should move the table into the living room. It’s warmer in there and then we only need one lamp.”

  “Good idea.” Jason nodded. “We could push the couch back and move the bookshelf in here. And, Dad, aren’t there more leaves for this table? If we move it into the other room there would be room to stretch it out.”

  “We’ll do that tomorrow.” Tony nodded. “It should only take a few minutes if we all pitch in.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  In the morning, snow still fell, coating the shed and the now useless cars with a new beauty. A strip of blue sky showed in the west, giving the whole scene a bluish tinge and promising a sunny afternoon. The mountains, which had been a dark green only a week before, were now covered with a white blanket.

  Tony ripped the blue tarpaulin off the woodpile in preparation to adding another layer of split logs.

  All the men were bundled up in their warmest coats and sturdiest boots, ready to do a little logging. Jason and the boys carried axes over their shoulders. Sam carried an old cross-cut saw which had been unearthed in the shed.

  “Sorry, Sam. It’s the old fashioned way now.” Tony shrugged. “the electric pull doesn’t work on the chain saw, just like the cars that don’t start.”

  “It's okay,” Sam answered. “It’ll do us good to get some exercise. I should have brought that old chain saw from my barn. It starts with an old fashioned magneto.”

  As the group turned to make their way to the nearby trees, they were startled by the sound of voices behind them. “Helloooo!” someone called.

  Tony turned to confront the newcomer. “Hello. What can we do for you?”

  The man who had spoken held out his hand to shake. Behind him stood five young, bearded men, dressed in ill-fitting winter clothing.

  Jason moved forward to stand beside his father.

  “We’ve been working our way out here,” The man gave Tony a hearty handshake. “We had bikes, but in this snow, it’s impossible to ride them, so it's foot power now. I’m Nick,” he added.

  The two groups eyed each other warily. Jason stepped forward, letting the axe drop into his hand. “Have you heard any news?” he asked.

  “No.” Nick shook his head. “the city is in chaos with everybody out for themselves. There’s no food or heat and people are melting snow for water.” He waved his hand, indicating the group behind him. “We’re all friends, so we decided to hit the road. Say, have you got any food? We haven’t eaten for a while.”

  Jason silently appraised the men. They didn’t look like “friends”. They looked like a gang of hoodlums to him. He would lay bets that they were carrying some kind of weapons under their heavy coats. He shifted the axe in his hand and hoped the boys had done the same.

  Sam stepped forward to join his hosts. “You guys look hungry.” He held out his own calloused hand. “We’re pretty stretched here,” he said. “But there’s an empty farmhouse about a mile away. It’s mine, and I’d be happy for someone to stay in it for a while. There’s cattle there and chickens that need feeding”.

  And” he added, “I’m pretty sure there’s still some vegetables in the pantry. They probably froze, but that won’t matter. Just light a fire in the fireplace and cook ‘em up.”

  “How come you left it?” Nick asked suspiciously.

  “I’m old.” Sam shrugged. “Me and my wife couldn’t cope alone so we came to join our friends. If nobody is there, I have to go back every day and check on the animals. You’d be doing me a favour.”

  “We’re not farmers.” One of the strangers spoke up. “We need food in cans, not on the hoof.”

  “There are no cans left,” Jason answered. “What wasn’t eaten, exploded in the cold. Sam’s right, we don’t have anything here to share, but over at his farm, you can help yourself to whatever there is.”

  The men glanced at each other, then at Nick, who seemed to be their leader. He shrugged and nodded. “Okay, we’ll try that.” He spoke to the bearded man at his shoulder. “Didn’t you learn how to butcher a cow, Trevor?”

  “Well, I butchered a deer when me and my dad went hunting.” Trevor nodded. “It’s probably the same.”

  “I’ll draw you a map.” Sam took a stick and began to draw in the snow. “It’s not far. Follow the road east, then turn at the second intersection. The mailbox has my name on it, Johnson. The key is hanging in the barn, behind the door.”

  When the strangers had left, the three men and two teenagers relaxed, their shoulders sagging in relief.

  “That’s not good,” Jason observed watching as they reached the end of the driveway. “Those guys looked as if they would take what they wanted and to hell with the rest of us.”

  “I agree.” His dad said and Sam nodded. “Thanks for handing over your house, Sam. You know they will probably destroy it.”

  “I don’t care about that,” Sam said. “I just wanted them away from here. And of course, I still have to go over and check on my cows. Those hooligans probably won’t even know which end to feed.”

  Tony looked at the house and saw three anxious women peering through the window. “I’m putting my shotgun by the front door.” He said quietly. “And I think one of us should stay around the house all the time.”

  The others nodded.

  “You young guys continue on and get us some wood.” Tony continued. “Sam and I will go tell the women what’s going on and maybe check over our resources.”

  “I think we’ll cut wood at the end of the driveway today.” Jason nodded to the two boys. “I’d like to know where those guys went.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  After the evening meal had been cleared, the family remained gathered around the table. The men had moved it from the kitchen, and now they had more room to stretch out. A single lamp cast a dim light, leaving the corners of the room in total darkness.

  “This is better.” Tony looked around approvingly. “Warm and cozy.”

  The others nodded.

  “We’ve been pretty lucky so far,” he said. “But I’d still like to know how or why this happened”.

  “I’m going with the aliens,” Adnan spoke up. “What else could make the whole world stop working?”

  “Well, there are a number of things, actually”. Monica smiled across at him. “There are accidents to the power grid, solar flares, disruptions to the ionosphere. Even bombs from another country could have disrupted the whole world.”

  “And remember,” Jason held up a cautionary hand, “we don’t know it’s the whole world. Maybe it’s only around here, or the country, or North America.” He sighed deeply. “I just wish we knew more.”

  Everybody was silent. They had gone over this so many times, together and separately.

  “We need to go and find out what’s happening.” Jason clasped his wife’s hand.
“One or two of us should walk to the nearest police station. Surely, they will have learned something there. I could go tomorrow.”

  Irma shook her head. “No. It can’t be you, Jason. You have a baby son to think of. There’s two feet of snow on the ground and you know the weather can change in an instant. I couldn’t bear to think of you lost or in danger.”

  “I’ll go.”

  All eyes turned to the neighbour who had joined them so recently.

  Sam nodded resolutely. “I’ll go. You are all at home here, but I’m just visiting. I need to know if I’ll have a life to go back to, or if we should just pack it in.”

  “Well one thing we know,” Tony grinned wryly. “Your house will probably be a complete loss after those motorcyclists are in it for a while. You might have saved our lives by offering it to them. Who knows what their intentions were? So,” he continued “Don’t say you are just a visitor. You are part of this group…. this family.”

  Then he turned to his son. “And don’t think you can just walk anywhere, Jason. It’s ten miles each way, through snowbanks and whatever else is waiting out there. We saw one gang. Maybe there are more holed up somewhere waiting for warmer weather. We can’t risk you, son.”

  Jason nodded thoughtfully, as he acknowledged his parents’ comments.

  “I’m going,” Sam said. “I can walk over to my place and saddle one of the horses. If I go early in the morning, I’ll be able to sneak by those guys. I can check on the cows at the same time. Those city slickers are probably keeping pretty close to the house. On horseback, I should be there and back in a few hours.”

  “You can’t go alone,” Adnan spoke up. “Tom or I will go with you.”

  The others nodded.

  “Good idea,” Jason agreed. “Have either of you ever ridden a horse?”

  Heads dropped.

  “No.”

  “Doesn’t matter. All you have to do is hang on to me.” Sam had apparently agreed to the plan.

  “If the weather is okay, we’ll leave in the morning. Which one of you is coming with me?”