by Kip Nelson
Tillman listened until the message began again. It was a recording. There was every chance that the person who had recorded it was dead. Tillman searched for any other broadcast, but was unable to pick up anything else. The hiss of static was the only thing that came forth. He switched off the radio, putting back into the silver bag.
“Well, that confirms it,” Tillman said.
“He said the military was scrambling,” Greg said. “All we have to do is wait and see if they get here in time,” Greg said.
Penelope and Tillman shook their heads.
“It's over, Greg. Look around you. This is the way the world is now,” Penelope said.
“I still don't accept it, but I'm going to stick with you just so I can tell you I told you so when everything goes back to normal,” Greg said. Tillman rose to his feet and put his hand on Greg's shoulder.
“I sincerely hope you do get to say that,” he said.
He picked up his pack and slung it back over his shoulder. Penelope was biting her fingernails. They moved off, walking in silence.
Tillman passed his own car and looked at the scorch mark that had been left on the ground from where the man had set himself on fire. Tillman hadn't even known his name. Somehow that made it worse. He wasn't sure if the smell of burnt flesh was in his mind or actually lingering around the area, but he wanted to move on from the scene as quickly as possible.
“Keep an eye out for a little girl,” Tillman said.
“It must have been so hard to see her like that and not be able to do anything. I can't imagine what she's going through. It's hard enough for me to process everything that's happened,” Penelope said.
“I guess she's lucky in a way. She doesn't have the burden of knowledge. All she knows is that she's lost her parents,” Tillman said.
“I need to sit down,” Penelope said. Tillman nodded.
“I thought you said we had to keep moving,” Greg grumbled.
Tillman shot him a look. Greg moved away a few paces. Penelope sat down on the road and leaned against a car, pressing her head against a door. The car was one of those that had been abandoned instead of crashing. There were no dead people in it. Tillman put his hands on his hips, looking at the black expanse all around him, then decided to sit down as well, figuring he should take the weight off his ankle.
“I can't believe this is happening,” she said in disbelief.
“I know. I couldn't believe it myself when I was out here. I'd advise you not to think of it too much because it'll burn your brain. I think of all the people I know, and all the people I don't know, all of them suffering, all of them hurt,” Tillman said.
“Do you really think we can be safe?” she asked.
Her voice was hoarse, frightened. She looked ahead, away from Tillman, probably so she didn't have to look at him in case he lied to her. He thought about it for a few moments. He could tell her that everything was going to be alright, that they would get to his family and be safe, and they'd never have to worry about being in danger. But he couldn't.
“I don't know. I hope so, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make it happen, but I simply don't know. There are no guarantees in life,” Tillman said.
“It's stupid, really, but I'm only just now realizing everything that I'm going to miss out on. Fuck, I'm never going to know what happens in Game of Thrones, or how the Avengers beat Thanos.” She laughed bitterly. “There's you going on about all these people, and all I can think about is movies and TV shows.”
“It's understandable. It's a lot to process. I've been thinking about all the games I'm not going to play, and that I'm never going to reclaim my crown from Gary. I thought for sure this was going to be the year when I was going to do my first ever clean sweep. I guess not. After so many years playing video games it's difficult to comprehend that I'm never going to do that again.”
“Unless you find someone somewhere who has wrapped their games and system in aluminum,” Penelope said.
“I wish that worked for everything,” Tillman admitted.
Penelope pushed herself up and looked over the hood of the car to where Greg was pacing back and forth, looking pensive.
“Is he going to be okay, do you think?” she asked.
“He's just going to take a bit of time to get used to things. He's scared. We're all going to get on each other's nerves before we're through, but we're all each other has. We have to stay together. I mean, unless you had anyone special?”
“No, no, I didn't. Actually, there was a guy who was interested. He kept asking me out, but I kept brushing him off,” she said.
“Why?” Tillman asked.
Penelope leaned forward and brushed her hand through her colorful hair.
“You ask me that now and I honestly couldn't tell you. I guess I was scared. I've never really had anything real with anyone, and he actually seemed like a nice guy. I thought if I started anything with him I'd only hurt him, or it would end in tears. It didn't seem worth it.”
“And now?”
“Now...now I wish I had. I wish I had done so many things. You always expect there to be more. Expect there to be more days to do the things you want to do, and you always promise yourself that you'll get to them one day. But now there are no more days left, are there?”
“There are, just not in the same way as we thought.”
“All I had to do was say yes to him,” she said, laughing dryly, “and I couldn't even do that. I was so scared that things would end up like my parents.”
“Scared that history would repeat itself?”
“Something like that, yeah. I guess you don't have that problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if we're going to meet your parents, I'm guessing that you have a pretty good relationship with them. There are a million other places we could go,” Penelope said.
Tillman pressed his lips together and wondered if he should tell Penelope the truth. He'd always been one to play his cards close to his chest. That wasn't going to fly here, though. If he was to trust Penelope with his life, and to have her trust him with hers, he would have to open up to her.
“Your logic is sound, but misguided. I actually haven't spoken to my parents in a long time.”
“Really? Why? If you don't mind my asking.”
Tillman ran his hand across his jaw.
“We had an argument a long time ago. They never liked the thought of me making a living from gaming. When I first started they thought it was just a way to make money, and that I'd eventually do something respectable. But when it became clear that this was going to be my profession they practically disowned me.”
“I'm sorry,” Penelope said. “Parents are just the worst, aren't they?”
“You got that right,” Tillman said. “The worst part is I've haven’t been able to see my sister and my niece either.”
“Really?”
“Oh yes. My parents were overbearing, and Morelle isn't one to disobey them. When my parents made it clear they didn't want anything to do with me they banned me from the house. They banned me from seeing my family. I saw them once, but my parents found out and they threatened Morelle.”
“They really had the power to do that?”
Tillman nodded. “It's a sad situation. Morelle got herself mixed up with a bad guy. Guess I was as much to blame because I wasn't around. He knocked her up, then played around. She had the backbone to leave, but it practically broke her spirit. She was taken back by Mom and Dad. Didn't have the strength to make it through the world on her own, not with a baby in tow anyway. I wanted to spoil that little girl when she was born, and take care of my sister, but my parents had other plans.”
“I can't believe they'd get in the way of the two of you like that.”
“Oh yes. They would indeed. They basically told me that if I didn't get a proper, respectable job I wouldn't be welcomed in their home any longer. I tried to fight them, tried to tell them that it was unfair of them to deny me seeing m
y sister and my niece, but they didn't care. They thought I would bend. I was too stubborn. It was a high price to pay, but it was worth paying. I wasn't going to have anyone dictate terms to me.”
“And now you're going back there. Do you think they'll be happy to see you?”
“I have no idea. Morelle will, for sure. But frankly, I don't give a damn. They're my family and I have to try seeing if they're safe. They're so stubborn they're probably like Greg too. I have to talk some sense in to them before they get hurt. I saw that little girl. I couldn't bear anything like that happening to my niece.”
“No, I can't imagine. Well, I'm with you all the way, Tillman. I know that might not count for much--”
“It counts for a lot, actually. Look, you stay here for a little while and try to process everything. I'm going to talk with Greg. I don't want the two of us to fight. There's no time for that, and it's only going to distract us from our real purpose.”
“It's okay. I'll do my best to keep the two of you in line as well,” Penelope said with a smirk.
Tillman rose and left Penelope by the car. He felt the weight of the gun press against his back. He walked over to where Greg was pacing.
“You might want to sit down and give your legs a rest. We've got a lot of walking to do,” Tillman said.
Greg didn't make any sign of a reply. Tillman exhaled. He'd spoken with Greg a number of times over the years. It hadn't always gone easily. Greg was the kind of person who took offense at the slightest comment, and who always had strong feelings about what should happen in his life. He was quite rigid in his stance, and was a man of little ambition, yet he expected life to offer him grandeur and riches. He was obstinate, and Tillman knew he would have to make the first move to deal with these differences before they became huge chasms that would splinter their small group apart.
“I'm sorry if I was disrespectful to you before. I didn't mean to make it seem as if I was taking control,” Tillman said.
Greg looked at him, almost surprised that he was being conciliatory.
“That's very big of you to say,” he admitted.
“We've known each other for a long time now. I'd like to think that you have a pretty good idea about me. I wouldn't do this if I didn't think it was right. I don't want to let go of the store, I just know that I have to for the sake of everyone's safety. I get that you don't agree with me, and it's fine if you want to have a difference of opinion, but can you just give me the benefit of the doubt for the time being?”
“I might be able to, but this is all just too crazy to comprehend. How can this be happening? I can't believe that the country would be so badly run that they couldn't prepare for this.”
“I don't think any country could be prepared for this.”
“You were.”
“It's one thing to have a radio wrapped in aluminum, quite another to keep the infrastructure across the country intact. We have to stick together and count on each other here, Greg. We've worked together for a long time. I trusted you to look after the store when I was away, and I trust you now. Do you trust me?”
Greg looked at him for a while. Tillman was afraid that Greg would turn around and deny him, but Greg exhaled, and all the tension drained from his body.
“Yes, Tillman, I do. I guess I just got a little crazy there. I didn't mean to freak you out. I just hate the thought that nothing in my life means anything anymore.”
“We shouldn't think of it like that. Think of everything we've learned over the years, Greg. All the games we've played, all the strategies and plans we've had to come up with. We're in a unique position here. We may not have prepared for this world, but we have trained our whole lives to deal with new situations, to adapt to changing circumstances. It's not going to be easy, but I know that together we can find a way through this mess.”
“I guess I'm afraid of what will be waiting for us on the other side.”
“We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. We have to let this world die before we can even think about building a new one,” Tillman said. Greg nodded. Tillman went up to him and reached out to shake his hand, but as he did so he saw movement behind Greg.
With the movement was the gleam of metal. Tillman's honed reflexes snapped into action. Blood rushed through his body. He reached behind him and pulled out his gun.
Greg raised his hands in the air.
“Whoa, Tillman, what are you doing?!” he asked, his eyes wide with panic.
“Get down!” Tillman yelled. Upon hearing this, Penelope poked her head above the trunk of the car and saw the same thing that Tillman was seeing. There was a man behind Greg, and he had a gun.
Chapter Ten
At Tillman's urging, Greg twisted his neck around. His eyes almost bulged out of his head when he saw the man with the gun pointed straight at him. Greg's continued to hold his hands in the air, and promptly dropped to his knees, cowering in fright.
Tillman had a strong hand on his gun. His finger rested against the trigger. Now that Greg had moved away from his line of sight Tillman could see the man in front of him. He also held the gun straight out. In many ways the two of them were a mirror image of each other. Tillman stepped closer, his arms unwavering.
The other pistol looked deadly. From a cursory glance Tillman noted that it wasn't a service weapon, but a personal one. This man wasn't a cop or anything like that. The silver gun gleamed under the moonlight. He seemed to be alone.
“Tillman!” Penelope shouted. At the sound of her voice the other man swung his gun in her direction. Tillman shouted at her to keep down. Penelope ducked. The man didn't fire.
“What do you want?” Tillman asked, trying to keep his voice as cool and collected as possible. It was one thing being on the shooting range or being in a game, this was something else entirely. His heart thundered in his chest. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He licked his lips.
“I could ask you the same question,” the man said. His voice was coarse, and it didn't sound like he was trembling with nerves. This was a dangerous man. Tillman had been talking with Penelope about his family, but now he had to face the possibility that they wouldn't actually make it that far.
As he moved closer, Tillman got a better look at the man. He was a little older than Tillman, with salt and pepper stubble, wearing jeans and a denim jacket.
“We don't want any trouble here,” Tillman said.
“You may not want any, but you may have found it,” the man said. “I'll ask you again, what are you doing out here? Because it ain't looking too good, the three of you among all these cars. I've heard a lot of trouble over the past few hours. Are you thieves? I've got a mind to defend this world from villains like you. I'm not going to let you get away with stealing all these cars.”
“Don't you know what happened?” Tillman said in disbelief.
“All I know is there was a lot of commotion, and all I see is the three of you. So, I'm gonna ask you again. What are you doing here?”
Tillman bit his tongue, for he wanted to let out a stream of frustrated expletives, but knew that wouldn't get him anywhere.
“An EMP has knocked out electricity across the world. That's why all the cars are like this, and why all the planes have fallen from the sky. The world has changed. We're just trying to make our way out of the city before it all goes to hell.”
“Oh really?” the man said, evidently not believing a word that Tillman was saying.
“It's true!” Greg wailed, “How could you not hear the planes coming down?”
“I'm a heavy sleeper,” the man said, glancing at Greg, but not moving the gun at all.
“Look around you, why would we be lying? And why aren't the police here when there's so much devastation around?” Tillman asked, unable to believe that he actually had to convince this man about what had happened. Sometimes people wouldn't believe what was right in front of their eyes.
“I don't know,” the man said. At this, Tillman dropped the gun out of exasperation and walked to a car. The
man stood tense, but still did not fire. Tillman opened the door and twisted the key that had been left in the ignition. There was nothing. The car was completely dead.
“There. You can try any one of these cars and you'll get the same result. Trust me. All we're doing is trying to get to a safe place, and you can be sure that soon enough there are going to be more people like us. If you intend to stop them all you're going to have a very busy night, and you might find that not all of them are as calm as me. If you're not careful, you'll be as dead as these cars,” Tillman warned. He still hadn't brought his gun back up. It was still in his hand, but was against his side, pointing at the ground.
The man tilted his head, looking askance at Tillman for a few moments. His gaze shifted between him and Greg and Penelope.
“Say you're telling me the truth, which I'm still not sure I believe just yet, but say you are...how long is it going to last?”
“That's just it,” Tillman said, “this is the way things are for probably the rest of our lives. Believe me, man, if you have any loved ones, the last place you want to be is out here. Get to them. Find somewhere safe. Don't put yourself in danger like this. I've already seen too much senseless death tonight. I don't need to see any more.”
Realization dawned upon the man's face. Slowly, he lowered his gun, and the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Tillman clicked the safety back into place and re-holstered the gun against the small of his back. Just as he did so, they heard another noise. The man instantly brought his gun up again, moving it this way and that, searching the darkness for the threat.
They all were looking too high.
Down low, slaloming through the cars, they heard the pitter-patter of footsteps.. A dog ran right by them, its leash trailing against the ground, and didn't seem to pay any attention to them at all. The man finally put his gun away, and creased his brow.
“If what you're saying is true, then what hope do we have?” he asked.