by Harley Tate
Raymond grabbed a yogurt, an apple, and a pile of turkey while Danny and Owen loaded up paper plates with carrots and grapes and stacks of sliced ham. Midge took her fair share, eating lunch meat and cheese and cherry tomatoes until she couldn’t swallow another bite.
When they finished, Raymond caught her eye. “So what did you mean back there about the power never coming back on?”
Midge glanced at Jessica. Had she told her husband about the bombs?
Jessica must have understood because she shook her head.
Great. I have to do this again. Midge took a deep breath and leaned back. It seemed like all she was doing every few hours was trying to convince people to leave the city she couldn’t escape no matter how hard she tried.
“The blackout isn’t due to nature or a malfunction or anything like that. It was probably caused by a nuclear bomb detonated high in the atmosphere that set off an EMP. The grid, cars, planes—all toast.”
Raymond raised an eyebrow. “Are we talking terrorists? An act of war?”
“I don’t know, but based on everything I’ve learned, I think it’s only the beginning.” Midge leaned forward and rested her good hand on the table. “There are more nuclear bombs.”
“So what? The grid is already down. Another EMP won’t make it worse, will it?”
“These won’t be detonated in the atmosphere. They’ll be detonated on the ground. In major cities all over the country.”
Owen reacted with disgust. “Impossible.”
Midge shook her head. “Not only possible, but real. A nuclear bomb the size we dropped on Japan can fit in the back of a delivery van. I saw the records of the shipments. Twenty-five cargo containers, all measured in kilotons, all coming in through the Port of New York and New Jersey, all set to be delivered to different cities. It’s real, and they’re already here.”
“Why hasn’t anyone warned us? Why hasn’t the government immobilized the threat?”
“I don’t know.” Midge fell back, exhaustion and fear overcoming the rush the food gave her. “But it’s happening soon.”
Jessica stood beside her husband’s chair, leaning against his shoulder. “I believe her, Ray. If there’s a chance it’s true…”
He finished her thought. “Then we should leave.”
She nodded.
“Can’t we just find a bomb shelter and ride it out?” Owen looked dubious. “They’re in almost every older building around here.”
Danny spoke up for the first time. “Even if you stay and manage to not be incinerated in the blast, the fallout will kill you. Are you prepared to live in a bomb shelter for two weeks? And what about after? Getting out of the city before the bomb detonates gives you the best chance of survival.”
Raymond slapped a hand on the table. “I’ve heard enough. We’ll take a few hours, get some rest, and hit the ground running as soon as it’s daylight.”
“No, we need to go now.” Midge looked to Jessica to back her up. “The bomb could go off at any time.”
“Or it could not go off at all.” Raymond pushed his chair back and stood up. “If you don’t get some sleep, you won’t be any good on the road. What if you run into another Big G? What if the bomb detonates like you said and you have to find shelter ASAP? You’re running on fumes, Midge. We all are.”
He led her into the living room and sat down on the edge of the couch.
She sat beside him, fighting the very exhaustion he used as an excuse. “It won’t matter if we’re all dead.”
Raymond placated her with a smile. “I have a baby, Midge. He was out half the night in a carrier designed for bobbing around during the day. He needs to sleep in his bed. As soon as it’s daylight, we can leave, but I can’t drag my wife and my son out in the dark based on a college girl’s theories.”
Midge opened her mouth to protest when Danny sat down opposite the couch in a recliner. “Raymond’s right. I can barely walk, let alone think. My brain can’t repair the damage from the concussion if I don’t get some rest. You’re injured. We need a few hours, Midge. Please.”
Midge opened her mouth to argue further, but all that came out was a yawn.
Chapter Eighteen
MIDGE
Saturday, 9:00 am CST
Jessica’s Apartment, Avondale Estates, Chicago
A baby cried and Midge awoke with a start. She blinked in confusion at the blanket covered in cute little fire trucks and police cars covering her shoulders. What? Where? She pushed herself upright, wincing as soon as her injured hand touched the couch.
Danny sprawled out on the floor in front of her and the memories of the day before rushed back all at once. They were in Jessica’s apartment, still in the city. She scanned the room, gaze landing on a wall clock, and she exhaled in relief. Only a few hours had passed.
She dragged her feet off the couch and nudged Danny with a foot. He groaned and rolled over, taking a knit blanket with him. “Wake up. It’s morning.” Midge poked him in the back and he grumbled.
As Danny sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes, Midge eased around him and headed straight for the kitchen. Raymond sat at the breakfast table, a map splayed out across the wood. She smiled as he pulled out a chair and motioned for her to sit down. “Were you able to sleep?”
Raymond shook his head. “Don’t need it. I’m used to working nights. I’ll crash once we’re out of Chicago.” He pointed at a dense area on the map full of streets laid out in a grid. “This is where we are.”
Midge leaned over with a frown. It was worse than she’d feared. Jessica’s apartment was even closer to the heart of downtown than she’d expected. The entire time, she’d been traveling the wrong way. “I need to head north. My mom’s in Suttons Bay.” Midge tracked Lake Michigan with her finger, settling on the little town when she found it.
Raymond leaned back. “We’re already so far south, you should go around the southern tip of the lake and back up. That or head straight to the water and try and take a boat across.”
The front door opened and Owen stepped in, arms loaded down with backpacks full-to-bursting. He dumped them at Raymond’s feet. “You guys got coffee, right? I sure could use some right about now.”
As if on cue, Jessica appeared in the doorway with Caden propped on her hip. The bags under her eyes broadcast her exhaustion, but she smiled brightly anyway. “Of course. We’d never start the day without it.”
Owen walked over to the counter while Jessica poured him a mug. The smell of coffee rumbled Midge’s stomach and Jessica laughed. “I’ll get you one, too.”
Midge waited until Jessica and Owen were standing around the table staring at the map before resuming her conversation with Raymond. “Do you really think there will be any working boats left to rent?”
“Boats?” Owen raised his eyebrows and Midge filled him in on where she needed to go. He let out a low whistle. “Those things set sail at the first glimpse of trouble, don’t you think?”
Raymond shrugged. “What other options are there?”
Owen leaned over the map. “What about horses?” He jabbed a finger at a point near the water. “The Mounted Patrol Unit is stationed over here. They should have plenty of horses in the stables.”
“Horses?” Danny ambled into the kitchen, hair sticking up in all directions. “Who has horses here?”
“I don’t see how that will help.” Raymond shook his head. “No, horses are asking for trouble.”
“No, they aren’t. I trained for the mounted Patrol before I washed out and ended up on the beat, remember? That’s how I got stuck with such a charming partner.”
Raymond grinned. “Don’t you know it.”
Owen shot him the finger and Jessica shielded Caden’s eyes. “Owen! Think of the baby!”
He and Raymond laughed, their camaraderie plain. Midge tucked her hair behind her ear. That sort of friendship wasn’t her style, although the more time she spent with this little group, the more they rubbed off on her.
On any other mor
ning, she would have been scowling to herself, cursing that the day started so early. But there she was, running on three hours of sleep, bruised and cut up, but still finding a way to smile. Crises made strange bedfellows and Midge wasn’t sure she hated it.
Owen jabbed his finger again at the map. “I’m telling you, the police horses are trained for life in the city. They could be our way out.”
Midge pointed at the backpacks on the ground. “What about all that gear?”
“The backpacks are lightweight, but hold a ton. I work with a Boys and Girls Club on the South Side, and we go on hikes whenever we can. They don’t have their own packs, so I usually bring enough for everyone.”
Midge stared at Owen. He reminded her of her father. “And you’ll let us carry them?”
“Don’t see why not. We’ve got to get out of the city and we should take all the food and gear we can manage. If everyone carries a pack, we can share the load.”
“Don’t forget our food, too. Makes no sense to leave it behind. What if—” Jessica paused. “What if we never come back?”
Raymond squeezed her hand. “We’ll come back just as soon as we can.”
Midge wished she shared his optimism. She turned to Danny. He was still groggy, but a cup of coffee from Jessica seemed to lighten his mood. He rubbed his eye and voiced the same doubts rolling around in Midge’s head. “Suttons Bay is way up there. Are you sure that’s where you want to go?”
Midge nodded. “It’s where my mom should be. I told her to head that way, although she usually avoids the Chicago traffic and heads up to Green Bay and takes a ferry across. That’s how I’d planned to get there.”
“If cars aren’t working, ferries probably aren’t, either. At this point, I agree with Raymond. We should head south around the lake and back up.”
Raymond nodded. “Jess has a sister in Grand Rapids we can stay together most of the way.”
Midge knew they were right, but she hated to admit it. What if her mom was stuck somewhere on the way? What if she didn’t make it to the ferry before it shut down, or worse, the EMP hit while she was on the water? Midge would be across the lake with no way to reach her. She leaned over and inspected the proposed route again.
“We’ll be going straight through downtown.”
“We can head straight to the water.” Raymond traced his finger along the route. “If we’re lucky, there will be a boat and we can buy our way out of the danger zone.”
“And if we’re not?”
Owen chimed in. “Then we’re close to the stables and we can check on the horses.”
“What if all of that fails?”
Danny reached out and took Midge’s hand. She flinched but didn’t pull away. “Then we figure out a new plan.”
He stared at her, willing her to go along with the group. Midge hesitated. She didn’t like heading straight into the area most likely to be hit by the bomb, but they were right. Expecting a ferry to still be operational was foolish. She’d be setting herself up for an even longer trip all the way around the lake.
“Can you think of anything better?” Jessica’s earnestness caught Midge off guard and she shook her head.
“No. I know it makes the most sense, but we need to hurry. The faster we get through downtown and out of Chicago, the better.”
Danny squeezed her hand again before letting go and the group broke up into a flurry of activity, loading backpacks and changing clothes and readying for the trip. While they swallowed down a quick breakfast of the last of the fruit and cereal, they spoke about what they hoped would happen, even if a bomb did detonate.
Jessica wished to come home within a few weeks. Owen crossed his fingers that the Chicago PD would understand his sudden absence. Raymond just wanted his kid to be safe. Danny needed to get back to school and resume his studies.
All optimistic, all aspirational. Midge didn’t feel it. She just hoped to make it out of the city alive.
As they all piled into the hallway and Raymond locked the apartment door, Midge steeled herself. Instead of rushing off on her own like she usually did, she was about to hit the streets with four veritable strangers and a baby.
She hoped she was making the right decision.
Chapter Nineteen
DANNY
Saturday, 9:30 am CST
Avondale Estates, Chicago
Raymond wheeled Jessica’s bike out into the parking lot and hooked up a trailer intended to carry kids. Danny raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t Caden a little small to ride in that?”
“Jess snagged it at a kids’ consignment sale a couple of months ago. We figured we’d use it eventually.”
“I never thought I’d be loading it up with food and sleeping bags.” Jessica bounced Caden on her hip while Raymond stuffed duffle bags full of clothes, a box of diapers, and as many boxes of non-perishable food as could fit inside the trailer.
“At least my sister has room for us at her place.”
Owen rolled up on his own mountain bike, huge hiking pack on his back. Out of a police uniform, his bulky frame seemed more at home in a ball field or on a basketball court than on a bike. He flipped down the kickstand and strode over to Raymond. “You’re sure I can tag along to your sister-in-law’s?”
Raymond nodded. “I don’t see why not. We can take the guest bedroom and there’s a pull-out sofa in the basement.”
Jessica strapped Caden into the carrier facing out and nodded. “Janice might freak out at first, but once we tell her what’s going on, I’m sure she’ll understand.” Caden fussed and Jessica clipped a pacifier to the carrier before popping it into his mouth. “We’re not leaving you behind.”
Danny glanced at Midge. She stood off to the side, phone in her good hand, waiting. She didn’t have anything to carry besides her laptop bag and a bit of food she’d crammed in every extra pocket. The bandage on her injured hand seemed to be holding up. Danny hoped she would be able to steer well enough to ride.
Five adults, five bikes.
With any luck they should be clear of downtown by noon and riding out of the city limits before sunset. They’d overnight somewhere in Indiana or Michigan, and then split up Sunday morning. Owen and Raymond’s family would head to Grand Rapids, Michigan and Danny and Midge would trek to Suttons Bay. They could watch for a mushroom cloud from Adirondack chairs on the edge of the lake.
He ran a hand down his face. Somehow he didn’t think it would be that easy. Saturday brought days off for most of the city, but dead cars still clogged the streets. Without power, most stores weren’t open. How long before upstanding city residents turned desperate?
Another few days? Hours? How long could they ride without someone trying to take their only means of transportation?
Big G hadn’t wanted their bikes as much as he’d wanted Midge. But other people might have different ideas. Midge shifted on her bike and Danny smiled her way. He would never be able to thank her enough for not only sticking with him, but telling him about the impending threat. With his ordinary luck, his seatmate on the plane should have been an elderly woman with an emotional support parakeet that only chirped the theme to Murder, She Wrote.
Instead, he’d met a girl who just might save his life.
Raymond clapped his hands and Danny turned his way. Unlike Owen, Raymond looked like a cop no matter what. The gun belt strapped to his tactical pants only enhanced the effect.
“All right, is everyone ready?”
Danny nodded and Owen flashed a thumbs up.
“Midge, can you ride?”
She pressed her lips together and inspected her hand. After a moment, she looked up. “As long as I don’t forget about the cuts, I should be fine.”
“We’ll probably have to bike single file most of the way out of the city. Too many cars and people on the sidewalks to ride in a group.”
Danny leaned forward and gripped the handlebars, and the weight from Owen’s loaner backpack settled against his hips. He carried half a case of bottled water, a box of cr
ackers, and a too-big rain jacket Raymond let him borrow in case the weather turned foul. The pack was heavy and a bit lopsided, but manageable. DuBois’s gun fit inside the front pocket of the backpack. Danny would have to take the pack off to reach it, but at least he didn’t fear the gun slipping from his waistband as he biked.
Owen took off first with Jessica right behind, followed by Raymond and Midge. Danny pulled out of the parking lot last. He looked up at the apartment building as they pulled away. Holding only eight units, it was perched on the edge of a residential district with a white clapboard house with a turquoise door hugging one wall and a Polish delicatessen snuggling up against the other. A three-story stone walk-up crowded the sidewalk across the street with a tree-lined grassy yard peeking out the back.
There was nothing fancy about the area and if his father had been there, he’d have called it run-down or ready for gentrification. But Danny liked the charm of the funky turret on the building down the street, and even though a squat brick warehouse sat across from a row of houses, they still seemed like a good place to call home.
As they trekked through the streets, he stared at the people they passed. Some were still sitting in their cars, tapping on their phones and trying to find a signal. Others were hanging on their fences, complaining to each other about the lack of power. Windows were open in the front of every small house and Danny could see kids sitting at breakfast tables and cats perched on sills.
He swallowed and focused on the road. If a bomb went off, all the people they passed, all the innocent residents of the city… They would suffer. Many would die.
Guilt and fear welled up inside him and Danny pedaled faster. Even if he shouted at everyone to hurry up and get out, they wouldn’t listen to him. Without the government swooping in to declare a state of emergency or a reporter filling every TV screen with dire warnings and predictions, no one would listen. Many probably wouldn’t even then.
