by Vince Byrd
“Let’s see…my favorite color is red. I like to watch the sunset, and my favorite flower is the red tiger lily.”
“Sounds like the beginning of a dating bio,” he teased.
“Now you,” she said, poking him in the chest with her finger.
“I’m an only child. My first car was a limo, and my favorite color is brown.”
“Brown! Whose favorite color is brown? I’m sorry, but I can’t see you anymore.”
“What? I like brown, it comes in many shades.”
“I’m just joking with you. Brown is a nice color; it’s the color of poop. But being an only child, that I don’t know…”
“Your freckles are brown,” he pointed out. “I like brown, and I like your freckles.”
“Yeah, what is it about them you like so much?”
“For starters, they’re brown.”
“You said that already.”
“Well, they are perfectly proportioned on your face to go with those luscious red, full lips of yours.”
“Oh, Larry, you’re making blush…Thank you. You make me feel pretty, even though I look like a homeless person. Tell me more about this limo.”
“About my limo? I still have it, if the bank didn’t take it. It was a big hit in college. It probably doesn’t run anymore now, but it’s still nice. I kept it up,” he revealed.
Ava and Kat walked up. “Hey, what are you guys talking about?” Kat asked.
“We were talking about Larry’s chick-magnet limo he had in college,” Ginger informed.
“Wow! Really, a limo?” Kat echoed. “That doesn’t surprise me.”
“I want to ride in a limo,” Ava declared.
“Yeah, Larry, can you give us ride in your limo when we get home?” Kat teased.
“You know, Kitten, as well as I do, it doesn’t work now. Ava, I would if I could. I have a picture of it,” he remembered, pulling out his cellphone but forgetting it didn’t work either. “I forgot for second; I’ve been carrying it in my pocket this whole time. It probably wouldn’t work anyway getting wet in the river.” Kat’s face changed, and they were silent for a moment at the reality they were just reminded of—Austin’s drowning. About half a minute passed in silence. “If I can get it running, Ava, I’ll give you a ride. I’ll be your chauffeur for an evening.”
Ava smiled and said, “I would like that very much, sir.”
“Whoa, just call me, Larry. Sir sounds like my father.”
They sat down on some hay bales and leaned against the stable wall. Brian walked in, carrying a gray pin-striped suit for Stan and a pair of his best cowboy boots. “Jesse and Thomas should be back soon. I’ll have my wife bring you something to eat. I would invite you up to the house, but Mom…she’s in a bad way. Dad always said, ‘Don’t let them embalm me. Put me in the ground the same day.’ So we have to bury him today. It’s just too fast for Mom to handle.”
“That’s not a problem. We completely understand. How long do you think it should take them to get the radiator and get back?” Kat replied, trying to get his mind off of his dad, if only for a moment.
“It shouldn’t be more than an hour or so. But, Landric is Thomas’ buddy, so they may be a few minutes later,” Brian informed. “If you need to warm yourselves up, the office is open, and there’s a propane heater in there.” He left them and took the suit and boots to his men, then returned to the house.
When the tractor returned from taking the luggage to the school, the men carried Stan’s body out and loaded him into the trailer. They drove up to the house and carefully carried him inside.
“It’s been an hour, don’t you think?” Kat asked.
“Yeah, I would say an hour or more since they left,” Ginger agreed. “Let’s not worry yet. I would give them at least two hours.”
“And then, what?” Larry questioned.
“And then, we figure out a way to go find them,” Kat affirmed.
A woman stepped into the stable and overheard the conversation. “Hi, I’m Sandy, Brian’s wife. I’ve got some food, a couple of blankets, and a jug of water.”
“Thank you so much, Sandy. I’m Kat, this is Ginger, Ava, and that’s Larry. We are a little hungry. I don’t think we’ve eaten since early this morning. We have some food in the truck but we just…just haven’t thought of it, I guess,” Kat recalled.
“It’s nothing special, some sandwiches and some leftover potato salad from last night’s supper,” Sandy offered.
“Well, it means a lot to us,” Ginger stated, taking the plate off the top of the blankets.
“I’ll take those from you,” Larry said, taking the blankets and the jug of water from her.
“I heard what you said about Thomas and your man being gone too long. Thomas is resourceful; he’ll get your man back here. I have no doubt. I talked to Brian, and he said you all can stay here the night if you need to. And, we thank you all for what you have done for us.”
“Thank you, Sandy,” Kat touched her on the arm. “I’m so sorry about your father-in-law.”
“Stan was a good man, and he was always good to me,” she said, as though she wanted to add more to that. “Well, good luck to you all.” She turned and walked out and back up to the house.
Twelve
Paige Day 1
A baby-faced man came from around the corner wearing a red t-shirt with ‘Volunteer Firefighter’ on it. On his hands were wet, yellow, rubber kitchen gloves, and he was holding a sponge. Battery-operated lanterns were sitting around, lighting the room. “Can I help you?” he asked, as the water dripped to the floor from his gloved hands.
“Yeah, what the heck is going on?” David asked.
“Sir, I was washing the dishes,” he answered.
“No! What’s going on out there with all the cars?” David pointed toward the door, “and the electricity?”
“What do you mean, sir? I know the power has been out. I’m hoping it will be back on soon. I couldn’t get our generator cranked, but what cars?” he inquired.
“All of them. They have all stopped working or have you not noticed? Where’s your manager?” David demanded.
“Chief, he means. Where’s the fire chief?” Paige corrected.
“Oh, the chief’s not here on Sundays. Captain Rodriguez is in charge, but he’s been out on a call since this morning,” he explained.
David turned to Paige, “This guy knows nothing.” He turned back to the fireman, “When will they be back?”
The man pulled his glove back to see his digital watch, but the screen was blank. He tapped on it and said, “I’m not sure. It’s been awhile. Do you know what time it is?”
“I told you this guy didn’t know anything. It’s probably good he’s a volunteer,” David ranted.
“Have you not been outside in the last two hours or so? If you had, you would have seen all the cars that have quit working, and all the people meandering around, scratching their heads and wondering the same thing we are. What’s going on? Why is the power out everywhere, and why are all the cars dead? Our friend said it might be an EMP targeting a military base close by. Can you contact the police or anyone that might have more information about this?” Paige challenged.
The fireman stepped by them and walked out the door and out of the bay. He looked around at all the cars and people gathered at the Dollar Bin. He noticed that some cars had stalled in the middle of the road, not one or two but many. Paige and David watched him as he looked around. He turned and hurried back in to the radio station. He picked up the receiver and called out to the captain, but there was no answer. He tried several times but finally decided it was no use, as the radio was out. He checked his phone, but it wouldn’t wake up or turn on. He rubbed his forehead with the back of his gloved hand. He looked up at them and fear struck his face. “The crew can’t get back if the engine is down. What am I s
upposed to do? I can’t call anyone, and my brother has my truck. Maybe I can get Mitch’s keys and use his truck.” He disappeared into the back.
“This guy…He’s completely out of the loop. So, what now?” David asked, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.
“I don’t know. We can either get in line at the Dollar Bin or go back to Bud’s. Do you think the police would have any useful information? We could ask him where the closest police station is,” Paige suggested.
The fireman came back in and ran out through the bay to a side lot where the firemen’s vehicles were parked. He unlocked the door to a truck and climbed inside. A few seconds later he came walking back in after locking the truck back up. “Where is your car?” he asked.
“About five or six miles that way, sitting in the middle of I-10,” David pointed toward Bud’s. “Do you think the police would know anything? Where’s the closest station?”
“We didn’t know anything. I’m sure it took them by surprise as well. We listen to the police channel too. When the power went down, I was here by myself, and the radio was working just before. There was no chatter about an EMP threat or attack. The closest police station is about a mile away,” the fireman disclosed, as he jerked off his kitchen gloves. “I’m going to go work on the generator. Sorry, I couldn’t be more help to you.”
“Thanks,” Paige said, as they turned and walked out the door. “Do you want to go or just go back to Bud’s?”
“He said there was no chatter before. I don’t know what they could do for us anyway. With all of their cars down, they will be scrambling to take care of their own. I guess we should assume the worst and plan to travel on foot, since we lost one of Bud’s bikes. At least until something better comes along or until we get outside of the blast range,” David suggested.
“Okay, sounds good to me,” Paige agreed. “Are we skipping the Dollar Bin? It might be awhile before we get in there?”
“Yeah, let’s just head back. Those people could turn into a mob.”
Thirteen
Ethan Day 1
Ethan and Makayla rode their bikes carefully up the road, weaving around stalled cars and passing onlookers as they pedaled by. Ethan pedaled in front with Makayla following behind. Ethan stopped at the beginning of the I-10 on-ramp, waiting for Makayla to catch up to him. She stopped beside him and asked, “What is it? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, I was just waiting on you to…” he said but was suddenly pushed over with a force that knocked Makayla over as well.
Two men ran up and took Makayla’s bike from her riding off on it. She screamed, “Stop! That’s mine!”
Ethan struggled to hang on to his, as he tussled in a tug-of-war for the bike with a strange man. “Let go!” the man shouted at him, as he pushed it toward Ethan, causing him to fall back. He let go, and the man ran off with the bike.
Ethan turned to Makayla, “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
“No, he didn’t hurt me,” she answered as he helped her up. “Well, I guess we’re walking the rest of the way.”
“It’s not far, but now we owe Bud’s kids some money for the bikes,” he scratched his head.
Makayla started laughing, “Two grown men just stole our kids’ bikes that were borrowed, that we were too big to ride anyway…and they…” she laughed harder, “are too. And now, we owe the kids money for the bikes.”
Ethan started laughing with her, “Can you see those two big men on those little bikes?” He bent over and laughed until his stomach hurt.
Makayla laughed until tears watered her eyes, ‘“You can’t have nothing!’ My daddy would always say.” She took a deep breath, stopped laughing, and looked at Ethan.
He was close to her, and he stopped as well. Rising up, he saw her staring at him. He looked into her golden, scintillating deep irises that seductively suggested he come to her. It took every fiber in him to turn away from her. Paige flashed in his mind’s eye, reminding him of the moments they’d shared together. To throw it all away in a single moment of weakness would be foolish, he thought.
“Do I have something on my face? You’re looking at me so intently,” she asked.
He cleared his throat and said, “No, I was just thinking. We’d better get to your car.”
Makayla smiled and said, “Lead the way.”
Once they arrived at Makayla’s car, she retrieved some tennis shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt from a gym bag in her trunk. She took off her heels and tossed them in and slipped on her tennis shoes. “That’s much better.” She zipped up the gym bag and threw it over her shoulder.
They walked further back to the Lee’s van, and the side door was open. A window had been busted out, and the bags pilfered through. “Ethan, I’m so sorry,” she said.
He looked around and saw a lot of people gathered on the median about a hundred yards away. He wanted to go over and ask about the van but decided to just get what he could and leave. He climbed in and crammed clothes for his mom, dad, and himself into one rolling suitcase. “Dad’s going to freak.” He tossed the bag out and then climbed out himself. He closed the door and locked it, even though it wouldn’t keep someone out.
She put her hand on his shoulder and gently rubbed it. “Is there anything I can do?”
He looked at her and thought; maybe I should just kiss her one time to see. He stood there and stared at her, thinking to himself about all the ways he could cover his betrayal. Would Paige find out? She would definitely know. She has some kind of sixth sense. I wouldn’t be able to get away with it without suffering the fall out.
“You’re doing it again,” she claimed.
“What?” he questioned.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I was thinking what it would be like to kiss you,” he admitted.
“Slow your roll, Player,” she removed her hand. “I thought you and Paige were an item.”
“We are but…”
“But you thought you’d have your cake and eat it too, is that it?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
“Makayla don’t play that way. Thank you for your help, but I don’t think so. I still would like to be your friend, and I want your help. You’re just not my type.”
“Then, why have you been sending me all those signals?”
“What signals? I haven’t been sending anyone any signals. I’m just trying to get home like you. I thought if we teamed up I’d feel and be safer. I thought you were just being nice to me, not trying to get into my pants. There were no signals.”
He blushed, paused, and finally asked, “You weren’t flirting with me at all?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Wow, well I guess I read that all wrong. I feel stupid. Paige and I got into a fight over you.”
“What? Why over me? I didn’t do anything.”
“I know that now,” he admitted.
“So Paige thinks you…or rather that I, was flirting with you? But she suggested we come here together.”
“Yeah, she did it to test me.”
“Well buddy, you failed.”
“Could you can let it be our little secret?” he pleaded, by making a begging face.
“Fine, but only because Paige could beat me to a pulp, if she wanted to.”
Ethan and Makayla began to walk back to Bud’s house with Ethan pulling the suitcase behind.
Fourteen
Jesse Day 6
The sheriff’s office was quiet, no sounds of people shuffling papers, no phones ringing, no clicking keyboard strokes, no voices talking. The office seemed deserted, and the sunlight barely peeked through the window in the front door, causing only a sliver of light to shine into the distant hallway. The candles cast pulsing shapes on the walls as they lightly flickered. The twelve-inch tiles on the floor reflected a glow from the built-up
floor wax. The desk chairs sat vacant of employees, and the other holding cells were empty of detainees.
“Henry, I thought you were staying in Amherst?” Jesse asked, breaking through the silence.
“I was, but after we retrieved Shu’s body, I got this urge to leave. Like when you know you have to go, but you really don’t know why. It was a gut feeling or the Lord leading me to go. I figured I was needed somewhere else. The Braxton family in Amherst gave me an old VW Beetle. They donated it to my church, so I could get home,” Henry explained.
“Okay, that explains why you left Amherst, but why are you here, in jail?”
“Well, I was stopped by the officer who brought you two in. He confiscated my Beetle, locked me up because I didn’t have an ID or a driver’s license, and I had a concealed pistol. I must have left my wallet in my suit coat, and I left my coat back in Amherst. I told him about our crash and Junior. He said he was going to contact the state police and the FBI to confirm my story.”
“Do you know how he’s going to do that? Radio, maybe? How long have you been in here?” Jesse asked.
“I’m not sure. Not long. An hour, maybe?” Henry answered. “Where’s the rest of the group?”
“They’re back at Thomas’ uncle’s farm,” he said, introducing Thomas. “We had a run-in with Junior again. He shot up our truck, killed his uncle, and tried to kill us—again.”
“Thomas, my friend, I’m so sorry about your uncle,” Henry offered.
Thomas nodded, “We got that S.O.B.”
“Henry, these are good people, and they’ve tried to help us. Our radiator was shot in the fight. We found another one, but now Sheriff Ted drove off with our parts in his Bronco and locked us up,” Jesse ranted.
Thomas reached down and picked up the Cheerios box, opened it, reached in, and brought out a handful before stuffing them into his mouth. “I guess we better get comfortable. Ted won’t be back for a while,” he said with his mouth full.
Jesse pushed Henry aside and asked him quietly, “Did you tell the Sheriff about what happened on the west coast?”