by Vince Byrd
“Bombs don’t do that, Dad,” Ethan informed. “It’s more like…the northern lights, or…of course. That’s why the cars died and the power is out. It all makes sense now.”
Paige, David, and Emily looked at him at once. “What? Tell us!” David demanded.
“A solar flare; it would have to be a massive one though to do all this.” Ethan put his hand to his head, thinking for a moment, as everyone else went back to admiring the colors in the sky. He patted his forehead like he was trying to jar a thought loose. “They’ve been warning us about them for years. Dad, listen, this is huge. That’s why the phones quit working. It’s not an invasion. It was a massive solar flare.”
“What does that mean, Ethan?” Paige asked.
“It means…” he paused for a moment, “it means we’re screwed for a long time. Technology has just been sent back to the 1960’s.”
Twenty-eight
Jesse Day 7
After a couple of hours of zigzagging around vehicles and debris scattered about the highway, Jesse stopped the truck. “I need a break to stretch my legs and look at the map. Those clouds are moving in on us soon, and I don’t know what they will bring. We probably should find somewhere to lay low for the night unless you guys want to chance it.”
Henry opened his door, “It’s getting cold again. I’m not sure about having them ride in the bed if it’s cold and wet.”
“No, it won’t be fun,” Jesse stepped out and looked at Ava, Ginger, and Larry in the back. “We’re going to take a break, stretch our legs. We’ll hit it again in fifteen.”
Kat scooted out and stood up with a roll of toilet paper in her hand, “Men over there, and women over here.” She pointed to a row of cars to hide behind to do their business.
After, Jesse and Henry congregated to the hood of the truck to look at the map. Larry was distracted by a new Corvette that had caught his eye. Ginger and Ava were peeking into car windows to see if they could find anything useful. Kat hung back and pulled out a notebook and pen.
Dear Dad,
I met someone. I think you would like him very much. Jesse’s like you, kind, caring, selfless, and rugged. He goes fishing, hunts, and camps, and he’s really handsome, which is a big bonus for me. There is a bit of an age difference, but I don’t think that matters much. He protects me, and I feel safe with him. I’m going to meet his daughter, Paige, but I’m a little nervous about it. It’s not that she won’t like me; I just don’t want to get in between them. They’re really close, and I’m the first woman in his life since his wife died. He also has a son, Jacob. But, he’s in the military, and I’m not sure when I’ll get to meet him. I bet he’s just as handsome though. What if he doesn’t like me?
I’ve made some really good friends and lost some also. I didn’t know the world was going to fall apart, or I would have prepared myself for it. It was because of you and what you’ve taught me that I was able to make it this far. Still, I struggle with the things I’ve had to do. I’ve had to kill people, Dad. It was self-defense, of course, but nonetheless, the horror hangs on me like a gray matter that’s engulfing my very existence. My sadness and joy co-exist together, confusing me so. Jesse and my new friends are the only light in these murky days. We took in a teenage girl, Ava. She’s sweet as can be, beautiful, and very capable. She’s going to be a heartbreaker for sure, and I think she’ll be able to adapt well to this new world we find ourselves in.
But as we tread into the unknown, I am confident that our fates are unwritten. I have high expectations as always, and I fear that they may disappoint. You could always calm the anxiety that burdens me. I miss you, Dad.
Always your little girl,
Kat
“What are you writing about?” Ava asked, plopping her bottom onto the tailgate of the abandoned truck Kat sat on.
“Thoughts. I write random thoughts in letter form to my dad. It helps me keep a connection to him,” she answered, closing her notebook.
“That’s cool, maybe I should do that. Where is your dad?”
“He passed away a couple of years ago. He was diagnosed with cancer and died within a few months. My sister had a very hard time with it, because she lived so far away. I was close enough to see him several times a week and was able to make my peace with his passing. She had a new family and couldn’t spend as much time with him, and she’s mad at herself for that.”
“I really miss my dad too. Sometimes, I forget he’s gone and want to go tell him something,” Ava shared.
“I did that for a while, and then I started writing him like he was just away. It might not be healthy for some people, but it helps me, especially when I’m missing him.”
“We’ve all lost somebody, haven’t we?”
“Yes, we have,” Kat wrapped her arms around Ava and gave her a squeeze.
Jesse walked up, “Everything alright?”
“Yeah, just talking about our dads,” Ava declared, sliding off the high tailgate. “Jesse and Kat, will you promise me something?”
“We will if we’re able to, sweetie,” Kat took her hand.
“I want you to always be honest with me, no matter how bad the situation is. I’m not a little kid anymore. I haven’t been for a long time. I’ll be thirteen next month, and I’ve had my period for over a year now, so I’m not a kid.
Jesse looked at Kat, and she raised her eyebrows at him in surprise, then he looked back at Ava. “Look Ava, I know you’ve been through a lot and have been through even more in the last several days than most kids or even adults ever experience. But I promise, I will I always shoot straight with you no matter what.”
“Me too, sweetie,” Kat added.
“I know you’re a young woman and all but getting your period doesn’t make you an adult. This is me shooting straight with you. So, if you get it into your head that you’re going to run off somewhere, you better think again. You’re my responsibility until I or the state of Virginia, the state of Georgia, or the Federal Government says otherwise, or until you’re eighteen. Do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” Ava smiled at Kat.
“Now, give me a hug and go round up Ginger and Larry. They seem to have wandered off over there,” he pointed to where they stood on top of a semi-truck trailer.
Ava hugged Jesse tight and then trotted off toward the semi. “That was very parent-like of you. Did you see her smile at me? What was that?” Kat asked.
“I think she might have been testing us or worried about me ditching her,” he scratched the stubble on his chin.
“What about me, Mr. Gibson?”
He moved close to her, “Oh yes, that’s right. You’re my girlfriend now. Well, you are an adult, but I don’t think I could ditch you if I tried, Stalker.”
He puckered his lips and leaned in to kiss her, but she pushed him back, “Wait a minute, Mister. I’m no stalker. I like to think of myself as a motivator.”
“Is that what they’re calling it these days? You mean more like a heavy hitter, a deal closer?” he leaned in to kiss her again, and she pushed him back again.
“Okay maybe I did stalk you a little, I admit it, but it was only because I was so scared.”
“I knew it…I knew you had me in your sights the moment you bumped into me at the airport.”
“Wow, you remembered that was me?” She fiddled with her notebook, knowing she’d just been busted.
“Of course, I remembered it was you. You don’t forget when a gorgeous woman almost takes your breath away, even if it is by the force of a piece of luggage.”
She laughed and laid her notebook aside, “You think I’m gorgeous? You’re a very perceptive man.” She grabbed his shirt at the chest and wadded it in her fist, pulling him so close to her that their bodies bumped together. She looked into his eyes and sensed how much he wanted to kiss her. His breath smelled like blueberries, his whiskers outl
ined his bow-shaped upper lip, and she followed the contour of his full, lower lip with her eyes. She tilted her head, opened her mouth, and pursed her lips enough to match his. He noticed she was making her move and anticipated her next action. She forced her mouth against his and then quickly broke free from him. They looked at each other for just a second, and with passion surging within them, they grabbed each other and began to make out, falling against the tailgate.
Tick, tick, tick was the sound they ignored as they continued to kiss one another. “Guys!” Ginger called, walking up to them. “What’s going on over here?” she giggled.
Jesse and Kat looked up; his hair was messed up from her running her fingers through it. She had a gentle grin on her face like she was the cat that just stole the canary. “Nothing,” he cleared his throat and helped Kat sit up.
“Didn’t look like ‘nothing’ to me. It definitely looked like something,” Ginger teased.
“Did you need something, Ginger?” he adjusted his hair and shirt and stood up.
“Yes, it’s sleeting. But apparently, you two were way too involved to notice.”
Jesse cleared his throat again, and he could feel the flush in his face. It was then he realized that sleet was actually hitting him.
“He’s so cute when he does that, acting all innocent. Isn’t he?” Ginger snickered.
“He so is,” Kat agreed.
“You two stop. There’s a bridge up ahead. We can pull under it for now.” He helped Kat off the tailgate, and they all walked to the truck. They drove under the nearby bridge to wait out the sleet and rain. Upon exiting the truck, Jesse whispered to Kat, “I felt like a teenager back there. What are you doing to me?”
Before Kat could respond, Larry yelled, “Someone’s coming! A car!”
Twenty-nine
Paige Day 1
The stars twinkled, changing shades of color behind the whirling lights moving across the quiet evening sky that illuminated the land. The half-moon took on a variety of glows, making the phenomenon something to behold. Ethan took Paige by the hand, and they leaned against the Duster, gazing in wonder at the sight above them. With his head tilted back and his eyes looking up, Ethan whispered, “It’s like a rainbow that was slingshot through the night over and over.”
“It’s quite beautiful. It makes me think of heaven, and the beauty that’s up there; my mom walking on the streets of gold, and so many of the gem colors that abound around her. It’s peaceful, soothing, knowing she’s in such a majestic place. I really miss her…and Dad…” Paige’s eyes began to water so much so that the colors became a blurred haze.
“We don’t know about your dad yet. Maybe, he didn’t get on the plane or maybe the pilot landed it safely. His flight may have been delayed before he boarded. You said you didn’t get that gut feeling about him.” Ethan squeezed her hand, “At least you know Jacob’s okay.”
“Yes, but Jacob’s an ocean away. How will I tell him if Dad’s…”
“He’s not. You said your brother’s coming stateside. I think he’ll come home to see you, don’t you?”
“Maybe, I’m not sure with what’s going on.”
David walked over to Ethan and Paige, “Have you checked to see if our bags are still in the trunk?”
“No, we haven’t.” Ethan reached in and pulled the keys from the ignition, handed them to his dad, and then gave Paige a hug. Paige hugged him back, laying her head on his shoulder, then looked over at Emily. She was smiling at her.
“Your mom is watching us.”
“It’s creepy, isn’t it? She does that a lot. She’s my mom and all, but she’ll just stare at me for the longest time and not even say anything.”
“I think she does it because seeing you happy makes her happy; and maybe she’s thinking about all the times you gave her joy growing up,” Paige assumed.
“Yeah, I know, but it still creeps me out a little.”
David inserted the key into the trunk lock, unlocked it, and raised the lid. He jumped back, “Oh! Oh! Oh! That’s just wrong!”
Ethan stepped around to the back of the car, “Oh snap! What the heck, Dad!”
Paige hurried over to see what all the commotion was about, “Are you kidding me!”
Emily joined the party and got a look into the trunk as well, clasping her hands over her mouth, “Who is that?”
“See if he’s dead, Paige,” Ethan pointed.
“Why me?”
“You’re the nurse.”
Paige reached in and felt for a pulse on the neck of a man whose hands and feet were tied up with rope. He had on a black hoodie that was covered in grass and dirt. His jeans were faded and soiled, and his shoes were an old pair of work boots. “There’s no pulse, and his skin is cold. He’s been dead for a little while. Do you think Makayla did this?”
“She’s a little ol’ thing. How did she get him into the trunk? She wouldn’t be able lift him,” Emily pointed out.
“She could if she had help,” David suggested. “Check him for an ID.”
Paige felt his pockets. “Help me move him so I can get his wallet.” Ethan and David reached in and pulled the hips of the body up so she could get to his back pocket.
“Talk about being creeped out,” Ethan grunted and turned his head.
“Okay, I got it,” she said, and they released the body.
“What does it say? Who is he?” Ethan asked.
Paige read the name on the driver’s license to herself and turned it around so they could see it. “Cooper Dean.”
“For real? You think that’s the same Cooper? This is getting weird.” Ethan put his hands on his head.
“I think we passed ‘weird’ a long time ago,” Paige pointed out.
“Weirdest day I’ve ever seen. How many Coopers do you think live around here?” David admitted. “Ethan, look up the closest police station. Never mind,” he shook his head. “I forgot. Let’s see, what county are we in? Eufaula would be closer, but we can’t go back that way. It was hard enough getting through there. We have to move forward and where would be…”
“Dad, what if they think it was us? Our fingerprints are all over the car, and we were just at his house,” Ethan fretted.
“Ethan, we have to do the right thing here. We have to tell the police, and Joe deserves to know about his son,” Paige tossed Cooper’s wallet into the trunk.
“Stewart County Sheriff’s Office, that’s where we’ll go—no, that’s in Georgia. We need somewhere in Alabama. A map would be great right now,” David complained.
“David, why don’t we take the boy back to his father?” Emily suggested.
“I don’t like it, Emily. There are a lot of unanswered questions here. I think the police would be best, and his father might retaliate against us.” He looked all around to see if anyone was watching them.
“Why can’t we leave the body here, and then go tell the police where to find it. If we have the body, they’re going to want to confiscate the Duster and dust it for prints,” Ethan continued. “We need it to get home. We’re still not sure what’s ahead of us with this solar storm. Dad, it’s only going to get worse from here. After this light show, people are going to put two and two together and figure out what has happened. In an apocalyptic situation, society breaks down within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. At least that’s what the movies and video games claim. If that’s true, we have a very short window of making it home before someone tries to take these cars. Makayla and I were already attacked for a couple of kid bikes, and it’s only been half a day.”
David rubbed his face with both hands, then stared at his son for a moment and thought about what he’d just said. He turned and looked at Emily for her approval. “Okay son, let’s leave him here and your mom and I will go on to the Sheriff’s Office alone. You two head on to Paige’s house without us.”
“
Dad, no.”
“We’ll tell them where to find the body and then we’ll go home to Macon. We’ll tell them enough about Makayla to get them on the right track. Tell Mr. Gibson we’ll meet him another time. Now, help me get him out of the trunk,” David commanded.
David took the wallet and wiped down the driver’s license. He put his fingerprints all over the card and slipped it back into the wallet, and the wallet into Cooper’s back pocket. Ethan and Paige each got one of Cooper’s legs, David got his torso, and they removed him from the trunk. They laid him on the side of the road out of the way and out of plain sight. “He’s heavier than he looks,” David grunted, squatting by the body. “How do you think he died?”
Paige turned Cooper’s head, “It looks like he was hit on the back of the head with something.”
“I’ll let the police know that, then.” David stood up.
They walked back to the cars, and David retrieved his and Emily’s bags that Ethan had packed for them. Placing them into the back seat of the Mustang, he urged, “Give your old man a hug, son. Looks like the lights are calming down.”
Ethan hugged his dad, and David whispered, “Stay close to Paige, son. She’s a rare find in this life. Hang onto her as tight as you can. I love you.”
“I love you too, Dad.”
Paige hugged David as well, and he recalled, “What was it that you said about Ethan? Don’t let him get in his own way.”
“Yes sir, Mr. Lee—David. Thank you.”
Emily started to tear up hugging her son, and then Paige. “Please be safe. Don’t worry about this; your dad will take care of it. I love you both very much.”
“I love you too, Mom,” Ethan said. David and Emily got into the Mustang, and Ethan added, “Dad, stay away from the bigger cities if you can. They’ll probably breakdown first.”
“Will do, son; bye now.”
“Goodbye, Dad.” Ethan and Paige waved at them as they drove off, as the colors disappeared from the sky. “Who’s driving?”