by Kip Nelson
Tillman wished there was something he could say, but there was nothing. This man was a stranger to him, and Tillman had nothing to offer.
He rose and quickly scanned the rest of the freeway to try seeing if anyone else needed help. He regretted leaving the man in his sorrow but, as with the girl, Tillman had to move on. He stepped away, carrying his pack, and tried deciding where he was going to go next. He figured that once he'd saved everyone who could be saved he would round up everyone and they could talk about what to do next. Hopefully as a group they would be able to find some direction.
Movement behind him caught his attention. He turned to see the man stand up and walk to the other side of the car, away from the woman he loved. He rummaged in his pockets and pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. If there had been any color left in Tillman's face it would have drained.
“Stop! The oil!” Tillman yelled. The man looked entirely sad, and wore a vacant expression on his face. He looked down beside him at the dripping oil. Tillman wanted to run over to stop him, but his limp prevented it. The man sighed and lit the cigarette, the end burned orange. He put it to his lips and took a long drag, breathing out a plume of smoke.
“Please don't, walk away,” Tillman said, somehow knowing what the man was going to do before he did it.
“What's the point?” the man said. “What's the point in anything anymore?” He shrugged as he looked around at the burning cars and dark city. For a moment his eyes locked with Tillman's, and Tillman was faced with complete and utter desolation. The man had lost everything that meant anything to him, and he didn't see any point in living anymore. Tillman knew he couldn’t talk him out of it.
Tillman backed away as the man took another drag, then closed his eyes and flicked the cigarette to the ground. Tillman dove behind another car, using it as a shield. In an instant the flames flared as the oil was ignited, and the car exploded. Metal clanged and rattled. Tillman looked up and saw smoke. The explosion thankfully had been contained and no other cars had been damaged, but the smell of burning flesh filled the air. Flames crackled and licked at the car, leaving the metal charred. Tillman was filled with sadness as he looked at the scene. It was as though the fire had engulfed the world, and threatened to consume everything that mattered.
But Tillman wasn't going to give up. He couldn't. There had to be others out there like him, those who would fight against the tide.
He picked up his pack and ran his hands through his thick hair, greasy with sweat and grime. When he breathed the air was hot in his throat, but he was not going to surrender. With a heavy heart he turned away and walked along the freeway, listening for other cries for help.
There were so many cars around him it seemed like an impossible job, as though he alone bore the burden of the world. He didn't even consider walking away from all the people in need. He peered into the dark windows of the cars. The fire that had sprung up illuminated the freeway, piercing through the gloom, and it also radiated waves of heat. Some of the cars were empty. Some people already had left, presumably to make it back to their loved ones and what was left of their homes.
At some point Tillman would have to leave too and help the ones he loved, but for now there were people here who had nobody.
That wasn't true.
They had him.
He swung the pack over his back and made his way among the cars, shouting out to anyone who could listen.
“Call out if you need help, make a noise, bang on windows. I'm here for you,” he cried over and over again, worried that there would be a lot of unconscious people who wouldn't be able to call for help. Anxiously, he looked over his shoulder, wondering where the emergency services were. He didn't expect to see sirens, but they had to be out there. Someone had to be.
Then he saw them, a family, standing in the middle of the freeway. There were four of them, looking like angels amid a hellish landscape. Tillman walked toward them.
Chapter Four
There were four of them, two parents, and two children. Tillman's limp was getting worse the more weight he put on it. Really, he needed to rest for his own sake, but he knew that a bad ankle wasn't much in comparison with everything else that was going on.
As he drew closer, he could see the anguish on the family's faces. From a distance they had been shadowed, standing like statues, but they were very much alive. The mother and daughter were clutching each other. The daughter seemed to be about fifteen. They both were looking at the father as he carefully stood over the other child, a boy of about ten. He had a piece of metal sticking out of his arm. Pain was etched on his face. Tillman took one look as the father was about to yank the shard of metal out of the boy's arm and ran up to them with an outstretched hand.
“Wait!” he yelled.
The family looked up, scared of him. The boy's face was pale.
“Don't touch that yet,” Tillman said.
“I need to get it out!” the man said in a panicked voice. Tillman walked up to them, lowering his voice as he did so to talk in more of a normal tone.
“You have to be careful. If it's caught against a vein you could bring a lot of blood with it. These things need to happen slowly, carefully, and we'll need a bandage right away.”
“Are you a doctor?” the man said, nodding along.
“No, but I've had training in this sort of thing. I'm Tillman,” Tillman said. The parents nodded, giving their trust to him.
“I'm Dan, this is Marie, Emily, and that's Jack,” Dan said, still looking panicked, breathing heavily. Frankly, it was a wonder people hadn't gone completely crazy yet. The stress probably was holding them together.
“Hey, Jack, it's good to meet you. I'm Tillman. Does this hurt?” he asked. It seemed like a stupid question, but he just wanted to get the boy talking while he examined the wound.
“Yeah, it hurts even worse than when I fell off my bike,” Jack said.
“I bet. Well, I'm going to get you right as rain. It'll just take a few moments, okay? You're being very brave right now, your parents must be proud. I just want to have a look at your arm,” Tillman said carefully, and got Dan to hold the shard of metal so that it wouldn't slip. Tillman tried to keep his expression neutral as he looked at it, but was relieved to see that it wasn't much more than a flesh wound.
“Okay, Jack, I'm going to try taking this metal out of your arm now. I want you to hold very still. It's going to hurt, but I know you can be brave and brace against the pain,” Tillman said. Jack nodded vehemently. Tillman shot a glance to Dan, trying to offer him confidence. Tillman examined the wound again. There would be a lot of blood, but there shouldn't be any lasting damage.
He counted to three in his mind, remembered the training he'd been given, and breathed deeply. He shouldn't have been doing this. There should have been medics around. But there weren't. He was the only thing this family had.
Tillman took hold of the metal with one hand, and kept the boy's arm steady with his other. Slowly and gradually he eased the metal shard out of Jack's arm. It made a squelching noise as he carefully pulled it out. Jack winced, as did his father. Jack's sister turned away in horror. Blood stuck to the edge of the metal and a deep, dark wound was left where the metal had been. As soon as the metal was out Tillman tossed it aside. It bounced along the ground, skittering for a little bit, then came to rest.
Jack wailed in pain. Dan went to tear off a piece of his shirt, but Tillman told him not to. He went into his pack again and pulled out some bandage, ripped off a piece, and wrapped tightly around Jack's arm. The blood already had seeped into the bandage, a crimson stain spreading over the white material, but the wound had been treated.
“You're going to be alright,” Tillman said. Jack looked a little pale, but he was happy. Tillman turned to Dan and told him that he should try getting Jack some food.
“Sure thing. Damn! We're lucky you're out here. Thanks, man. We owe you,” Dan said, checking his son over to make sure that he was okay.
“No worries, just
doing what I can,” Tillman replied.
“Do you know what happened? We just were driving home and then everything stopped working. God, all these cars, I didn't even think the road was that busy,” Marie said. Emily, the daughter, took Jack aside and seemed to be giving him words of encouragement. It was a sweet thing to see.
“There weren't that many, but I guess they all just crashed into each other. Imagine what it's like on the freeway at the moment,” Tillman said. “As for what happened, it looks like an EMP to me.”
“A what?” Dan asked.
“It stands for electromagnetic pulse. Basically, it interferes with electronic signals. It's kinda like a power cut has happened across the city, probably the country, maybe the world,” Tillman explained.
“Wow,” Marie said.
“How long do you think it's going to take for them to fix it?” Dan asked.
Tillman's heart sank. He almost didn't want to tell them the truth, but he had to do so. Looking around at the mess of the world he wondered how anyone could think this could be fixed.
“I'm not sure it can. It depends on the strength of the pulse, really. Something that covered the whole country would be so strong it's doubtful the effects could be fixed any time soon. What we're looking at is the new world order,” he said.
“But surely they have to have plans for this,” Marie asked.
“How could they plan for this?” Tillman asked. “I'm sure the authorities are doing the best they can. But think about it. Basically, everything we use nowadays is linked with electricity. It's become such a fundamental part of our lives, and now it's been taken away. All the systems of government, all the prisons, all the hospitals, all the banks, everything has been ripped apart.”
As Tillman spoke it was clear that Dan and Marie hadn't given much thought to the grim reality of the situation, which was understandable, since they had been concerned with their son. At least these people wouldn't kill themselves, Tillman thought, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“I know it seems scary right now, but you're going to be okay. You have each other, and that counts for a lot in times like these.”
“But what do we do? Do we go home? Is there even any point?” Dan asked. Tillman could tell the man was trying not to panic, trying to stay in control and confident for the sake of his family, but in his eyes was a look of sheer terror.
“You can try to go home, or try to get somewhere safe. There will be shelters set up, I imagine. Things are bad, but they aren't entirely hopeless. There are still good people out there, and even if electricity has failed, we won't fail each other. There should be a police station or a hospital around here somewhere. I'd try finding that, or perhaps a church. Everyone is in the same situation right now. We're all scared and shocked. It's going to take a while to process it,” Tillman said.
Dan looked stricken with grief. He looked at his family. They all were shaking with fear. Tillman's heart went out to them.
“What about you? Where are you going to go?” Dan asked.
Tillman looked at the cars around him, and then toward the airport, and the strip mall, where Greg and Penelope were.
“I have a few options,” he said, “but I'm going to stick around here and see if there's anyone else who needs help first. Some of the people in these cars still have to be alive,” he said. Dan nodded.
“We'll stay and help you. It's the least we can do,” he said. Tillman nodded toward him, glad for the help.
He and Dan walked away. Dan told Marie to stay with the kids and get everything out of the car that they could so they were ready to move on. When they were out of earshot Dan turned to Tillman.
“Seriously, man, thanks. I'm glad you came along because I had no idea what to do,” he admitted.
“It's okay. Like I said, most people are in the same boat.”
“You're not. How do you do it? How are you not freaking out right now?” Dan said. The man’s eyes were wide, and he was wringing his hands as he walked.
“It's not going to help anything,” Tillman said, shrugging. “I want to, you know, I want to just sit down and wonder what the hell has happened. I'm scared. I hate the thought that everything in my life is going to change and we have no idea how or why it happened. But if I break down now, if I sit down and hold my head in the hands and try making sense of something that is so senseless, I'm never going to get back up again. I have skills, skills that can help people, and while I'm breathing I have to do my best to make sure I can help as many people as possible.”
All of sudden the image of the man with the cigarette igniting himself came to Tillman's mind. He shuddered and closed his eyes, wishing he could erase the memory. The world hadn't been changed for long, but already people were tired of living in it.
“That's a good way to look at it,” Dan said. “I just wish I could be so cool.”
“I've just learned to keep a cool head in high-pressure situations. I've always been interested in survival and stuff.”
“Guess that explains the pack you have.”
“Yeah, but it was only an emergency kit. I've almost used everything in it now. You figured out what you're going to do yet?”
“I have no idea,” Dan said, looking lost. “I wanted to go home, but there doesn't seem to be any point in that. But all our stuff is there. I guess we should find a shelter. God, what are we going to do for food?” he said, suddenly realizing that the basic parts of life were going to be harder than ever.
“Dan, you've got to ask yourself some hard questions now. You're going to have to do things you never thought you were capable of in order to survive, but you're going to do them. Because if you don't, your family is going to suffer. The things we took for granted aren't here anymore. If you get injured, you can't go to the hospital. If you need food, you can't just go to the fridge. But you can't let yourself get overwhelmed by it. You have to keep going. Keep finding a way to have a life together. Maybe there will be a shelter at your kids' school. There will be a lot of people you know there. I'm sure you all can help each other.”
“Yeah, probably, and it would be good for Emily and Jack to be around their friends. Right now it just feels like we're alone.”
“You're not, Dan. You have a whole world of people out there who all are just as scared as you. This is when we all need to come together and help each other,” he said.
Tillman wasn't sure if his words sunk in or not, but Dan seemed to be getting a little more composed the more time they spent together. He and Tillman walked among the cars, calling out to offer aid, peering inside the dark vehicles to see if anyone needed help. They pulled out a few people and laid them down on the road. To their dismay a lot of them were already dead, dead on impact.
Tillman realized how fortunate he had been to survive the crash.
He also was a little envious of Dan, for he had a family. Dan may have thought he was alone, but Tillman truly was. There was nobody else he could rely upon, not in the way you could with a family. He looked across the city in the direction of his own family, wondering how his parents were doing, if they were thinking about him. It had been so long...was it worth going back to them now?
“Over here,” Dan called, shaking Tillman from his thoughts. Tillman limped over to another car and he and Dan pulled another person from it, laying them down.
Soon enough they were surrounded by a number of unconscious people.
“I don't know what we're supposed to do with all of them. I'm not sure I can wait here for them all to wake up. I have some friends nearby. I have to get to them,” Tillman said.
“We'll stay,” Dan said.
“Are you sure?”
Dan nodded. “I don't want to go anywhere with the kids until morning. I'll wait for these people to wake up, and explain what's happened. Maybe we can find some shelter together.”
“There is always strength in numbers. There is something else you can do, actually,” Tillman said, and explained about the little girl he'd found in th
e car. Dan expressed shock and heartbreak as they walked to the car. Tillman called out to the girl, but to his surprise she was no longer there. Her parents still were, though, entombed in their car.
He looked around in shock, trying to see where she could have gone, but it was dark and some time had passed. She could be anywhere. Tillman's heart sank, thinking about her wandering this world alone. It was doubtful a child such as that could survive for too long by herself.
With slumped shoulders, Tillman walked Dan back to his family.
“I'm no expert, but shouldn't you be giving that ankle a rest?” Dan asked.
“I should, but I don't think there's time for that,” Tillman said.
“You're welcome to stay the night with us,” Dan asked.
“I appreciate the invitation, but I really have to be going,” Tillman said. They'd been through the vast majority of the cars. Tillman felt better for knowing that the unconscious people would have a friendly face to wake up to, if they woke up.
It wasn’t camping in the traditional sense, but there was shelter in the cars, and warmth provided by the fire. The family would be fine, Tillman thought as he bid his farewells. Jack seemed sad to see him go. Tillman turned his back on them, carrying his pack with him, and limped away toward the strip mall.
Chapter Five
The pain in his ankle had turned into a dull ache, which he largely was able to ignore.
As he walked away from the freeway he thought about the family he had encountered and wondered if he had done the right thing by lying to them. He'd tried offering them hope, and although he had given Dan some warning, he hadn't told them how dire things would be.
Nothing was certain, of course, but Tillman had spent many hours training and researching situations like these. He'd always been interested in how people responded to adversity. This interest was one of the reasons he had gotten into gaming in the first place, of course, and many of the games he played dealt with simulating these adverse situations.