The Fall (Book 1)

by Mathews, Mark

  “Ma’am, I’m going to have to ask you to go back into your house. We are enacting a curfew for the safety of the town.” Alice’s jaw dropped.

  “What? Why? No, I’m going home. I don’t want to stay with my ex-husband for another second.” The sheriff’s voice became stern.

  “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but the town is now under curfew, and you’re going to have to spend the night right here. You can leave in the morning.”

  His hand was on the door handle, and he was ready to make them listen if they didn’t want to do so. That was enough for Alice. He meant business, and that meant she couldn’t go anywhere.

  “Fine. We’re going.”

  She went back in the house, followed by her entourage, and slammed the door behind her. Garrett looked up, startled. Before he could ask what the problem was, Alice began crying angry tears and punching one of the extra fluffy pillows he had in his recliner. Austin caught Garrett’s look and took it upon himself to fill him in.

  “The sheriff has the whole town on lockdown for a new curfew. It seems we can’t go anywhere tonight, but you can bet we’ll be out of here first thing in the morning.” A wave of relief shot through Garrett, and he turned to Jenny and smiled. The little girl hugged him tightly and he knew he had an ally in her.

  “There are plenty of rooms upstairs, and you two can have the master bedroom.”

  Garrett got to his feet and disappeared into the basement to check his bunker and put the new supplies on the shelves where they belonged. His family was safe for the moment, and that was all he needed to know. That was such a load off his mind that he started whistling as he went down the stairs.

  Chapter Four

  Alice had passed on his offer to let her and Austin stay in his room, and Garrett hadn’t argued with her. After all, it was the same room he and Alice had slept in together for so long, so he understood the hesitance. In the end, he put them in the spare room, and tucked his girls into the big bed together while he stood watch. Thoughts kept running through his head all night, and he couldn’t straighten them out. In an effort to make them make sense, he decided to focus on the supplies and try calculating how many he had, and how long they would last. He’d lost himself in the meticulous task, and the end result was he calculated he had enough to feed all of them for several years, not counting exigent circumstances. He glanced out the windows again, looking for any sign of movement, but the streets were eerily empty. On his last pass of the street, he caught sight of the corner of Kayleigh’s house, and it made him think about her for a moment. She’d seemed so lost, so scared and fragile when she’d come over to their house, and he wondered if she could keep a secret in her emotional state. She had a family to protect, too, but he’d hoped their friendship was at a level where truth was something they could share.

  A sudden noise behind him made Garrett whirl around, getting into a low defensive stance. He relaxed once he saw it was just Alice coming down the stairs, and he wondered if he was really this paranoid. She saw the flash of movement and froze, then whimpered and put a hand to her swollen belly. Garrett immediately moved to meet her on the stairs and took her free arm to help her get to level ground.

  “I’m sorry to startle you. I just couldn’t sleep. The baby is kicking so much that I know my insides are going to be bruised for months after it’s gone. I forgot how painful it gets at the end.” Garrett offered her some sympathy and a cushioned chair to sit in, which she happily accepted.

  “It’s alright. I’ve been a bit more jumpy than usual, but I guess I’m just trying to be ready for anything.” Alice was silent for a moment, subconsciously rubbing her belly and staring at the floor. She took a deep breath and looked up at Garrett.

  “I don’t want you to laugh at me, but I think I’m a little more scared of what’s going on than what I wanted you to believe.” Garrett gave her a raised eyebrow and she blushed.

  “Okay, a lot more scared than what I wanted you to know. What’s going on? Are we going to be able to survive this? Will the world ever go back to normal? What’s going on in other places? Are they okay? Are they like us? What’s being done to find out what this is and why it happened?” Garrett gathered her up in his arms, and she didn’t resist him. It was a safe place for her, and she wasn’t thinking of the politics of their relationship at the moment.

  “I wouldn’t laugh at you at all. I promise you I will keep all of us safe. I don’t know if you believe me, but I promise you I will. No matter what, this is my family now, and I won’t let anything happen to them.” Alice laughed bitterly.

  “You know? For once I’m glad you’re so prepared. I never thought any of your conspiracy theories would happen, but now I’m glad I have a survivalist to take care of me.”

  “I’m sorry for the argument earlier. I didn’t want to stress you out, I just was worried. I want to make sure we all stay safe.”

  “I know. You always want to look out for everyone and I wasn’t listening.”

  A creak behind them made both of them jerk their heads up in unison. Austin was coming down the stairs, evidently noticing his wife wasn’t with him anymore.

  “Alice. You should come back to bed.”

  It wasn’t a request so much as an order, but Alice shrugged it off and started slowly up the stairs. As she passed Austin, he turned to glare at Garrett. They held each other’s glance uneasily, and they both realized they forever would be competing for her affections.

  When morning came, Garrett stood up and stretched. The night had been uneventful, but that was how he liked it. Moving stiffly, he went into the kitchen and began cooking breakfast. Not long after, Brooke came down the stairs, yawning loudly. She went into the kitchen and found Garrett…sort of. He had the door open to the backyard, and he was cooking breakfast on the grill. She snorted.

  “What? Not rationing the food yet?” Garrett frowned at the grill so she couldn’t see him, but he patiently ignored her words.

  “The fridge doesn’t work anymore, remember? It’s better to try cooking as much of the food as we can before it all goes bad.” Brooke rolled her eyes and headed up to the veranda.

  “You could help if you wanted to.” She settled down in a padded lawn chair, closing her eyes as she leaned back.

  “Nope. Cooking’s not my style.” Garrett silently went back to his task. He’d barely flipped the sausage patties over when someone else poked their head outside.

  “Morning, Dad! Ooh, breakfast! Can I help?”

  Jenny was all energy when she breezed through the door, and it did a lot to lift Garrett’s spirits. He didn’t want to admit out loud she was his favorite, but she had the childlike innocence and curiosity that made her so loveable, he couldn’t help it. When the food was done, Garrett brought plates to everyone, finally finding Alice out on the front porch, looking up and down the street for any sign of action.

  “There you are. I don’t think you should be sitting out here, just in case something happens. It might be safer in the house.” Garrett handed Alice a plate of food, but she tried pushing it away.

  “I’m not hungry.” Garrett frowned. It immediately made him worry Alice might harm her baby if she didn’t eat and keep up her strength.

  “Then at least try to eat a little for the baby’s sake.” Alice took the food and poked at it for a second or two before her eyes grew to the size of saucers.

  “What’s going to happen when the baby comes? If this really is what you think it is, there won’t be anyone to help me have this baby! Oh my God!” Alice started to cry and Garrett put his arms around her.

  “We will find out when it happens. But remember, women were having babies long before the modern comforts of hospitals. I’m sure it will be alright.” He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

  “Besides, I made sure I had everything I could get in case this were to happen. That means I have things for you to give birth, too.” His cheeks colored, and Alice looked up at him like she’d never seen him before.

  “Y
ou really have thought of everything, haven’t you?” Love was shining from her eyes for a fraction of a second, and Garrett had the good grace to look away first.

  “Look!”

  Now Alice was looking past him, pointing at something down the road. When Garrett turned around, he saw it was Sheriff Ramsay, pedaling away on a bicycle, stopping at each house and knocking on the door to check if everyone was alright.

  “Garrett, I know how you feel about sharing your thoughts, but I think it would be best if you tell the sheriff your theory. That way he can figure out how to handle the town. Every little bit of intelligence helps.” Thinking it over, Garrett saw the sense in that statement.

  “Alright. I guess there can’t be any harm in telling him my theory. I’ll talk to him when he gets here.”

  “Good morning, folks! Glad to see someone outside. I have to admit it looks like a dead town with everyone holed up in their houses.”

  Garrett forced a chuckle, then invited the sheriff to come into the entryway. He followed them in, then looked at Garrett expectantly.

  “I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think we’ve fallen victim to an EMP attack.” Garrett waited for the sheriff to laugh at him, but the man remained silent, looking hard at Garrett.

  “I don’t know about that, but it does look like there is something going on, and unfortunately, there’s no sign of the electricity coming back on. All forms of communication are still down, too.”

  “I know it’s not something you want to hear, but I really do think this is what’s happening.” The sheriff sighed heavily, then looked back at Garrett.

  “If that’s what’s happening, what do you think will happen to the town?” Garrett didn’t want to sugarcoat it, so he took a deep breath and told the truth.

  “I think there will be riots. When people find out what is going on, there will be utter lawlessness. The food and clean water will run out, and people will start getting desperate. You know better than anyone what people are capable of when they think they have nothing to lose. Desperation drives people to do the worst things mankind can do to one another.” Alice sat down abruptly with a whimper. Both men turned to her, but she waved them off, telling them to continue their conversation.

  “Not to disrespect you, but I think it will take more than just you and your team to get the town under control.”

  “Would you consider helping us? A man of your military background could be quite useful. It would be in the best interests of the town.”

  “I’m sorry, sir, but my family needs me more. I have to protect them.”

  “You could protect them better if you were part of the law enforcement team.” Sheriff Ramsay was trying to use logic to win Garrett over.

  “With all due respect, law enforcement won’t last for long. Even though you are trying to protect people, you’re going to seem like the enemy when you stop looters who are trying to feed their families. I’m sorry, but I respectfully decline.”

  The sheriff frowned, but Alice now was looking up at Garrett with both respect and awe. Turning down a suggestion from someone in law enforcement was unheard of for him. When Garrett was in the military, he knew his chain of command, and he would do whatever was asked of him. Now he was doing what was best for her and their family.

  “That might be true, but I was elected to protect this town, and no matter what happens, I won’t give up. These people need me, and I will do whatever I can to keep them safe. I won’t disappoint the people who trust me.” That was an admirable sentiment, but Garrett didn’t believe it would end well.

  “That’s the way that I feel about my family. I wish you the best of luck, sheriff.”

  The man stared at Garrett for a moment or two longer, then he walked away to check on the next house. Garrett was relieved Sheriff Ramsay hadn’t pushed the issue further. Saying an outright and firm no to the man could have ended up in a bad situation for his family.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to try helping? Your ideas might save the lives of a lot of people.”

  Alice was trying to be the voice of reason. Garrett was glad she was accepting his EMP theory, but he didn’t want to argue with her over how nasty the world could get when people learned the truth. It could go bad any second, and he wanted to make sure they survived whatever it was.

  “I’ll tell him everything that might help, but I won’t be an active part of the law enforcement team. I don’t need to paint that large of a target on us. Come inside. I don’t think you should be standing out here anymore.”

  Garrett offered her his arm, and she took it, grateful he was there to support her as she walked. Glancing down at her plate, he saw it barely was touched. He would have to try getting her to eat more, or she might end up having problems giving birth. After he got Alice settled on the soft sofa, he went back out to the front porch, checking on the sheriff’s progress. He was now about three houses down, and everything seemed to be going fine. Garrett couldn’t help but wonder just how long the sheriff and his team could hold out. When people got desperate, anything could happen. Garrett couldn’t help but wonder…who would be the one to bring the sheriff down out of the clouds? His delusion of staying true to the people wouldn’t last long.

  Chapter Five

  Garrett was lost in thought while they all sat around the table eating dinner. Instead of the usual chatter that would pass the time while they ate, an uneasy silence ensued. Due to that silence, it really didn’t take much for them to hear the commotion going on outside. It was enough to snap Garrett out of his trance. It sounded like a bullhorn was being used, but it was so garbled and far enough away that he couldn’t make out the voice, or what it was saying.

  “Brooke, Jenny, stay here. I’m going to find out what’s going on.”

  Alice wanted to go, too, but he gave her a meaningful look, and she put a hand to her belly and sat back down. Austin, however, wouldn’t even make eye contact with Garrett, and just followed him to the front door. Taking a deep breath and trying to steel himself for anything that might be on the other side of that thin panel of wood, he let his hands hang loosely open to where he could make a quick fist, should it become necessary. Austin was right on his heels when he went out onto the porch. Sheriff Ramsay was using the little bit of power left in his cruiser to work the bullhorn. He was telling the entire street about the EMP attack theory. Garrett saw red. The sheriff had promised not to let this theory be traced back to him. Out of the corner of his eye, Garrett saw Kayleigh and her husband John, a stocky man with a receeding hairline, were out on their front porch too. Kayleigh was looking at the sheriff, but John was glaring over in Garrett’s direction.

  “Did you feed the sheriff this cock and bull story?”

  John spat out the words as if they were knives, but Garrett let them bounce off of him as if John were nothing but an insignificant fly. Austin also ignored John, because he didn’t feel like he owed Garrett anything. Minutes crept by, and since John didn’t get the answer he was looking for, he leapt off his porch in one fluid movement and went to the cruiser that was parked in the middle of the road. Garrett could feel his heart hammering in his chest. His plans might be ruined now that the sheriff was letting everyone know what was going on. He’d planned on making another run to the store for supplies, but he didn’t want to fight his way through crazed people. There was no doubt in his mind that now everyone would go into panic mode and clean off the shelves. He could see John was now at the cruiser, talking to Sheriff Ramsay. His heart skipped a beat when John threw an angry finger his way while gesturing wildly at the sheriff.

  In the commotion, no one noticed Alice had slipped onto the porch behind them. When she saw John was upset enough to harass the sheriff about where he got his idea, she swallowed hard and decided to say something she’d been increasingly thinking about since the power went out.

  “It doesn’t matter what he says. It’s lucky for us you are prepared and that you have some idea of what is going on, because without all of
your preparations, we might not survive whatever’s coming.” Austin jumped and Garrett whirled around at the sound of her voice.

  “What are you doing out here? I thought you were inside with the girls? You shouldn’t be out here. We don’t know what’s going to happen now that John is throwing accusations around. We might be getting some very angry neighbors coming our way.” Garrett tried to shoo her back into the house, but Alice stood her ground.

  “I mean it. If you hadn’t had that radio, we still would be at home, trying to figure out things, instead of having all of us together. There’s safety in numbers and in being prepared, and we have both of those on our side now, thanks to you.”

  “That’s all true, but can you please go back and stay with the girls? I don’t want you out here in your condition.” Austin was pleading with her, but Alice ignored him.

  “What’s going to happen, Garrett? Without electricity, all the money is gone from the banks, food production will stop, and no electrical appliances will work. What’s going to happen to the world? Is it just our town? Our state? Our country? Or is this happening all over the world? What are we going to do? Will we survive? I don’t just mean longer than everyone else because you’ve been prepared, but I’m talking about in the long run. Are we going to make it?” Alice’s voice was starting to get shrill and on the edge of panic.

  “I don’t know how far this is spreading, but I promise you we are going to make it. I won’t let anything happen to any of you,” and his glance went to Austin for a split second just to make sure the man knew he was included in that statement, but Austin just glared at him.

  “We will find out how far this stretches, and once we know that, I can start making better preparations for how we are going to survive. It all will turn out alright, you’ll see.”

  Whether Garrett believed that himself, he wasn’t quite sure, but it was what Alice needed to hear right now, so he said it. They were interrupted by some loud voices, and everyone turned their attention back to the sheriff. Now that John had approached the sheriff, others had drifted from their houses to the two men, forming a small mob. A few men now were gesturing and pointing angrily, and over the din, they could hear questions being shouted at the sheriff. Over and over again they heard someone asking what he planned on doing to fix this, but Garrett was sure the sheriff didn’t have an answer for them. He was hoping the mob wouldn’t get out of control, because the first sign of disaster was always a negative mob mentality.