by Dave Bowman
Suddenly, Annie stepped inside the store’s door, which had been thrown open. She lunged at the boxes of snacks. She began to shove handfuls of granola bars and energy drinks in her backpack.
“Annie!” Charlotte said. “You’re stealing!”
But Annie didn’t stop.
“What if people break into our houses like they’re doing downtown?” Annie said as she filled her bag. “We need food and liquids. Put what you can in your purse.”
Charlotte hesitated just a moment. Then she followed Annie’s example. She even filled a plastic shopping bag with beef jerky and candy bars.
Their bags full of supplies, they left the store and took up their routes again. There was a moment of tense silence. Finally, Annie spoke.
“I just don’t want us to go hungry or thirsty. I didn’t know what we would do if we got home and found our houses broken into,” Annie said.
Charlotte nodded. “You’re right. It felt wrong to do that, but the world has turned insane. Besides, at least we’re not stealing electronics. What were those people thinking?”
“I don’t know,” Annie said breathlessly as they hurried down the street. “I don’t understand any of this. I just know that we have to look out for one another.”
“Yeah,” Charlotte said. “It feels like it’s us against the world.”
“I just hope it will be better once we cross the bridge and get out of downtown,” Annie said. “Maybe things will be a little calmer.”
But as they rounded the corner, they both saw that their hopes were in vain.
The bridge had been closed to foot traffic. A huge bottleneck of people trying to cross the bridge had been stopped by a large gathering of some kind of officials.
The mass of people swarmed around the bridge, screaming, wailing, and struggling to get through the barricade. They appeared wild. Crazed.
“Those people look… scary,” Charlotte said. “They look like animals.”
“Hungry animals,” Annie added.
The women watched as the hordes of people pleaded with the officials.
Annie squinted. “Who are those officials? They don’t look like military or police. Something else.”
“I don’t know,” Charlotte said. “But it doesn’t look like we’re getting across the bridge anytime soon.”
The officials stood holding rifles. Most of them were silent. But a few of them shouted orders at the mass of people. One raised his voice to be heard above the crowd.
“No one is getting across this bridge without an interview and a search of personal belongings,” he announced. “Each of you will be thoroughly vetted before you’re allowed to cross. One at a time. Remain calm and wait your turn.”
“I don’t want to wait with these crowds of people,” Charlotte said. “It doesn’t look safe.”
“We can’t stay here. Everyone’s going crazy. And violent,” Annie agreed. “And who knows how long it would take to get to the front of that line.”
“Let’s see if the Lamar Bridge is any better,” Charlotte said.
The women kept moving west toward the Lamar Street crossing. It wasn’t long before they could see the situation was no better at the second bridge.
An even larger crowd of people was blocked from crossing by dozens of guards. Annie twisted her hands in anguish as she looked around.
“We’ve got to find a different way across the river,” she said. “They’ve got all the bridges closed.”
She looked at the rapidly flowing water of the large, dark river. Then she glanced at Charlotte in her pencil skirt and heels.
Charlotte shook her head furiously. “Annie, you know I can’t swim. So don’t even think about it.”
Annie brought her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun as she scanned the river bank.
An armed guard stood patrolling the grassy area near the river. Another official carried his rifle as he paced the hiking trail that ran parallel to the river.
Even if Charlotte could swim across, it didn’t matter.
Annie and Charlotte were trapped.
Trapped in a downtown area filled with crazed, panicking people.
And something told Annie that the EMP was just the beginning.
5
“I never thought I’d see anything like this,” Naomi said.
She stood looking over the overpass at the city below. The highway was clogged with stranded cars.
Panic spread through the people on the street like wild fire. Some became aggressive, some broke down in tears.
Occasionally, they could hear the sound of gunshots from somewhere in the city.
Jack looked up at the sky. Sometime over the last hour, dark thunderclouds had formed in the east. A strong wind from the north had pushed them together, where they gathered intensity and threatened a nasty storm.
What had begun as a beautiful blue sky day was turning into something horrifying.
Just like the sky, the stress and worry gathered in Jack’s stomach. The knot that had developed earlier drew tighter.
He had to figure out a way to get Naomi home safely to East LA several miles away, without a car, without even a bicycle. And they had to do it while traveling through a large metropolis full of angry, and sometimes violent, people.
And he had to do it unarmed.
But that was just the beginning.
He’d somehow have to get Brent and himself across several states to Central Texas. The distance between southern California and Texas was great. They would have to travel through deserts. And at the moment, they had no food or water. The amount of danger they would have to face was almost more than he could imagine.
But he would do it all for Annie. He just had to trust that she would be all right until he got there.
He pushed himself to action. No sense in wasting more time.
“Let’s keep moving,” he said gruffly.
The three of them set off down the road once more.
“Naomi, do you know of a different route to your house?” Jack asked. “Like maybe through this residential area over there?”
Naomi looked doubtful. “I don’t know. I’ve never been over there. I always just take this highway home.”
“Are you thinking it would be safer off this highway?” Brent asked.
Jack nodded. “It’s going to be better if we can avoid big concentrations of people.”
“But don’t you think it’s a risk?” Brent asked. “I mean, we could get lost running around those residential neighborhoods. Naomi said she doesn’t know that area. And you and I sure don’t know it.”
“Besides, none of our phones work,” Naomi added. “We can’t rely on GPS anymore.”
Jack shook his right hand out as he walked. It was still hurting from punching that guy earlier.
“I’ve been coming to LA for a few years,” Jack said. “One thing I’ve noticed is that a person’s car is pretty important to them out here.”
“That’s true,” Naomi said as they passed an older woman praying with a rosary in her hands. “You have to drive to get just about anywhere in this town.”
“Look around you,” he said. “There are a lot of people on the streets who aren’t getting what they want. Everybody’s stuck out here. They’re tired and frustrated. Sooner or later, the frustration and anger will make them turn ugly. It already is for some people.”
Naomi shuddered. “So you think we should avoid crowds? Sounds like a good idea to me.”
“Once we get into the neighborhood, we can stick to a street that runs parallel to the highway,” Jack offered. “That way, we’ll keep heading east toward Naomi’s neighborhood.”
Brent pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Okay, let’s do it.”
Jack noticed Brent tense up as they wove their way through the maze of wrecked cars and onlookers. At work, Brent had always seemed confident. His outgoing personality and enthusiasm for the job had made him one of the favorites of the recent recruits the company had hired.
Bu
t now that things had started to fall apart, Brent seemed meek and unsure. He reached in his pocket to once again try his phone.
“Still doesn’t work,” he said. He looked a little embarrassed as he returned the phone to his pocket.
Brent was still hoping for the power to come back on. He was still hoping for some magical cure to their problems.
He didn’t seem at all prepared for what lay ahead.
Jack was glad he had convinced Brent to come with him. He knew Brent would never have made it on his own had he stayed at the Sun Stream Data HQ.
But another part of Jack regretted it.
What if he’s a liability?
What if he slows me down?
Jack was less concerned about Naomi. They would most likely get her home within a few hours. Hopefully, her neighborhood would be a safe distance from downtown. Once they got Naomi home safe and sound, they could continue the journey to Texas.
And anyway, even though she was small, Naomi seemed more resourceful than Brent. Jack felt that he could trust her to do what was needed in a bad situation.
But Brent, on the other hand, was a different story.
Jack worried about Brent’s ability to survive in this rough new world.
Once the three of them were at the bottom of the overpass, they climbed over a concrete barrier at the edge of the highway. They crossed the frontage road and set out down a residential street.
The silence on the streets was unnerving. Normally, the noise from passing vehicles on the highway would form a steady background level of sound. Now, there was nothing.
It was an uneasy quiet.
To Jack, it felt like the calm before the storm.
Like the eye of a hurricane.
An idea had been flitting through Jack’s mind. More of a hope, really. A long shot.
“There’s another reason I wanted to come through this neighborhood,” Jack said.
They walked through the silent street. They were the only people to be seen on the block.
“We might be able to find a car that still runs,” Jack said.
Both Naomi and Brent turned toward him with confused looks.
“I thought you said the EMP made everything nonfunctional?” Brent asked.
“Most things,” Jack said. “But from what I’ve read, older models of cars may still run after an EMP. Vehicles that were made the old-fashioned way.”
“You mean, there are still cars that drive?” Naomi asked. “How come we haven’t seen any?”
“Well, if my theory is correct, it would only be vehicles built in the 1970s or earlier,” Jack said. “More or less. And I just don’t see too many older vehicles in downtown Los Angeles.”
Naomi nodded. “Yeah, you have a point there. It’s mostly just new, snazzy cars.”
Jack looked around. They walked through an upper middle class neighborhood. Most of the houses were Mission style with two-car garages. There were almost no vehicles parked on the streets or in driveways.
“I could see someone having a collector vehicle in this neighborhood,” Jack said.
Brent stopped walking.
“Wait. Are you suggesting we steal a car?”
Jack didn’t answer and kept walking. Brent jogged a few steps to keep up with him and Naomi.
Brent was right, of course. Jack was considering stealing a vehicle. He had never stolen anything in his life. But now, things were different.
“You’re right,” Jack said, keeping his voice low. “It’s disgusting behavior. But we have to get home. Safely.”
Naomi pursed her lips. “It would be awfully far to walk all the way to Texas.”
Brent shook his head. “I’m just… surprised at you, Jack. Very surprised.”
Jack knew that Brent looked up to him. Jack had been a kind of mentor for him at work. He hated to let the kid down, but he also needed to make decisions that were for the good of everyone.
“The world’s all turned upside down,” Jack said. “I don’t like the idea any more than you do. But we have to look out for ourselves. And having a vehicle will give us a much better chance at making it home. Alive.”
Brent sighed. But he said nothing.
“Let’s split up,” Jack said. “We need to start looking in the garages for older vehicles.”
He pointed at a split-level home across the street. “Brent, you start at that house. Then work your way down that side of the street. Naomi, you can check the houses on this side. I’ll run ahead to the next block and start looking in those garages.”
Naomi cut across the lawn to the nearest house, her boots moving quickly across the grass. But Brent hesitated, looking doubtful.
“You want to get home to Austin, right?” Jack asked.
Brent nodded. His face was long and sullen. But he crossed the street toward the first garage anyway.
Jack jogged down the road, crossing a side street. He then moved toward the garage of a large, three-story home.
Someone’s got to have a classic car in this neighborhood.
His chest tightened with guilt at the thought of actually hot-wiring and stealing someone’s vehicle. Maybe Brent was right. Maybe this was the wrong thing to do.
How would he face Annie? How would he explain to her how he got home?
There were too many things to worry about. He would figure out those concerns later.
For now, they just needed a way to get out of Los Angeles that didn’t involve traveling through dangerous areas on foot.
Jack moved around to the side of the garage. He peered in the small side window.
Empty.
He sighed.
He continued on to the next house on the block, moving quickly. He glanced back to see Brent slowly approaching his second house. Naomi was already on her third. Most of the houses seemed to be empty.
Everyone must be at work. Or stuck on the highways.
He had to find something to drive. Walking to Texas would take a couple of weeks – or more. Not to mention all the danger they would face the more time they spent traveling. They’d greatly improve their chances of getting home alive with a car.
Then again, having one of the only moving vehicles on the road would make them a target. With everyone else stranded, being in a running car would attract a lot of attention.
That’s a risk I’m willing to take.
As he peered in the garage window of the second house, he heard screams in the distance, followed by gunshots.
Poking his head around the side of the garage, he spotted Naomi and Brent down the street. They continued their search unscathed.
The gunfire had come from somewhere else. Not his street.
But it was still too close.
We’ve got to get out of here.
The next house also had a side window in the garage. Jack crept around the yard, headed straight for the window.
At first, he just saw a glimpse of the car. He then craned his neck to get a better view.
It was a late model Ferrari.
That’s no use to us.
Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him. Movement. Before his brain could even register the source of the noise, he felt a sick, tight sensation in his gut.
Then he recognized the sound.
It was the clink of metal.
He turned around to see a man’s gun pointed straight in his face.
6
“Hey! You two over there! What are you doing down here?”
Annie felt her heart leap into her throat.
She and Charlotte were walking down the embankment from the bridge when a uniformed official with a large rifle saw them.
“No – nothing,” Annie stammered. “We were just looking for a bridge we could cross.”
The official narrowed his eyes. He wore a uniform that Annie didn’t recognize. He didn’t seem to be military or city law enforcement.
Where did all these guys come from?
The official nodded his head sarcastically.
“Ri
ght. You were just looking for a bridge down here by the water. Instead of up on the street where bridges are usually found.”
Annie shook her head furiously. “We weren’t doing anything wrong, I promise.”
Charlotte stepped forward. “We meant no harm. We’re just trying to get home, sir. We’re English teachers. At Victoria High School.”
Annie cringed. Charlotte always seemed to think her position as a school teacher gave her some kind of get-out-of-jail-free card.
“We’re not criminals, I promise,” Charlotte said confidently.
The official sized them up. Finally deciding they posed no threat, he motioned with his gun toward the bridge.
“Fine. But be on your way. This area is closed.”
Annie started to retreat, but she stopped.
Might as well ask while we’ve got his ear.
“Is there any way to cross to the south side? It seems like all these bridges are closed.”
“You’ll just have to wait in line at the bridge,” the official said. “Everyone trying to cross is being questioned and searched.”
Annie glanced at the crowd of people waiting at the bridge.
“But there are hundreds – or thousands – of people there,” she said. “And it doesn’t look like they’re moving very quickly.”
“Ma’am, we are in a crisis situation,” the official said. “I’m sure you can understand us taking some precautions.”
Annie didn’t want to press her luck. Better to back off now and not give him any more trouble.
Annie smiled at him. “Of course. We understand.”
“Don’t let me catch you down here again,” the official said. “Go wait your turn up at the bridge.”
Annie nodded, and she and Charlotte set off again. They climbed the embankment and entered the street near the bridge entrance.
They got a closer view of the number of people waiting to cross the tall, expansive bridge to the south. People were pushing and shoving, trying anything to get to the front of the line. People in the middle of the crowd were being crushed on all sides from the constantly moving crowd.
“This could take hours,” Charlotte said.
“If we’re lucky,” Annie said. “Look at all those people.”