Solar Fury

by E A Chance

“Doubt that,” she grumbled.

  “I’m going to check the back. You coming?”

  She got to her feet with a groan and followed him to the storage room while the girls hunted for more sweets. Riley and Coop pushed stacks of empty boxes and ruined merchandise out of the way and discovered a large tent covered in dust, three army cots with sleeping bags, and two backpacks.

  Riley picked up a sleeping bag. “Looks like these have been here since the Great War.”

  “They’ll keep us just as warm. Add them on the pile.”

  They grabbed a few other odds and ends like thread, needles, pocket knives, and toilet paper, then enlisted the girls to help load the truck.

  “Wish we’d found more food,” Julia said, as Coop back onto the highway.

  “Be grateful for what we have,” Riley said. “We need to find a pharmacy next. I feel naked without medical supplies.”

  Coop rubbed his chin. “The chain pharmacies were probably already hit. A local independent pharmacy is our best bet.”

  “Shouldn’t be too hard to find in a small town like this.”

  “What I wouldn’t give for GPS right now.”

  They wove through strip malls and shopping centers for twenty-five minutes before they found a small local pharmacy. Coop broke the door open with the crowbar from the truck. They were all stunned when they saw the store was virtually untouched.

  “I don’t get it,” Riley said. “It’s like what we found in that outdoor store in D.C. How did this windfall get missed?”

  Coop shrugged. “Too out of the way? But that doesn’t explain why people who live around here left it alone. And where’s the owner? Dead?”

  “Whatever the reason, it’s another miracle. Hope we don’t run out of those before we reach Wytheville.”

  For a full hour, they packed the truck bed and cab with medical instruments, medications, food, water, and other useful supplies. When there wasn’t another inch of space to fill, Coop took Riley’s last $500 from his pocket and left it on the counter.

  “How did that survive the fire?

  “I doubted anyone would want to steal it, so I left it in the truck.”

  Her eyes glistened as she kissed his cheek and said, “What a thoughtful gesture. I know you think I’m silly, but I’m grateful.”

  He tried to hide his blushing cheeks when the girls giggled as he climbed behind the wheel, but that just endeared him to her even more. She was finding out more every minute what a remarkable man he was.

  As they rode in silence, Riley realized that Coop hadn’t mentioned looking for somewhere to spend the night since they’d left on their scavenger hunt. She hoped he’d changed his mind, but when they were within blocks of the church, he pulled in front of an old theater and turned off the engine.

  She was about to ask what he was doing when he said, “I want to see if this might be a good place to stay. No one would have reason to break into a theater. If the seats recline, it’ll be comfortable for sleeping.”

  Riley frowned. He hadn’t forgotten. “But why a theater and not a hotel with beds or another house with a fireplace?”

  “Those types of shelter will be popular. It’ll be chilly in here, but there aren’t windows to make it too drafty or let people see that we’re inside. We could even set up that tent we found.”

  His reasoning made sense but still didn’t convince her that it was smart to abandon the church. She humored him and told the girls to stay in the truck while she reluctantly went around the building to a back door, crossing her fingers that it had been trashed. They went through a crowded storage room, and her heart sank when she saw the immaculate lobby. It appeared nothing had been touched since the last showing. Even the concession stand cases were filled with inviting boxes of candy. The girls would be thrilled about that.

  They pushed through the doors into the pitch-dark theater. When Coop clicked on his flashlight, Riley instinctively reached for her penlight, but it had been lost in the fire. Just one more link to her pre-CME life gone.

  Coop pulled a much smaller flashlight out of his pocket and held it out to her. “Not your penlight, but it was as close as I could get.”

  She took the light and cupped it between her hands. Embarrassingly, tears formed in her eyes. Why am I getting emotional over a simple flashlight, she asked herself, glad it was too dark for Coop to see. She turned it on and shined it around the room. The seats were the big cushy kind that reclined. They must have modernized the theater recently. She hoped they’d be able to adjust the chairs without electricity.

  Coop turned to her and beamed. “This is perfect.”

  Riley pulled her coat closer and rubbed her arms. “I wouldn’t say perfect. It’s freezing in here.”

  “Maybe they have a heater at the church they’d be willing to lend us.”

  “We can’t use it inside here. No ventilation.”

  “We’ll crack one of the emergency exit doors.”

  Riley dropped into a seat. “The church is warm, they’re willing to share food and water, and they have sick and injured who need our help. You say staying is dangerous. I think it’s a mistake to leave.”

  Coop squatted in front of her. “I’ve asked you to trust me before, and I am again. It’s one night, Riley. If we get a good night’s sleep, we’ll leave in the morning and reach your uncle’s ranch by nightfall. I want to get back to the girls, and we don’t have time to search for somewhere else. You gave me your word.”

  Riley looked into his eyes. He was a good and kind man. He had their best interest at heart and had proven he’d do what it took to protect them. She pushed her misgivings aside and chose to trust him once more. It was only one night.

  “We’d better get going then. We need to find more suitable clothes. Should be everything we need in those shops on the main drag.”

  Coop tenderly placed his gloved hands on her cheeks and gave her a tender kiss. “Do you know what this means to me? I’m in your debt.”

  She kissed the end of his nose. “Trust me, I plan to collect.”

  Julia was ecstatic to see Coop and her mom heading back to the truck. They’d been gone for so long that she was sure someone had jumped them in the theater. She’d been getting ready to ask someone to help her look for them. Hannah had slept through the whole thing, as usual.

  Her relief faded when Coop announced that they’d be spending the night in the theater. She started to argue with her mom but stopped when she gave her the look and put her hands on her shoulders.

  “Coop has his reasons and I trust him. Not another word about it.

  “Well, if he has his reasons,” she said sarcastically. “I’ve made friends at the church.”

  “Just do as I say. The church isn’t far from the theater. I’ll drive you over to visit in the morning.”

  “Whatever,” she mumbled and slumped in her seat as they rode to the church.

  When she and Hannah finished bundling up their few belongings at the church, they said a tearful goodbye to their new friends and Angie.

  Julia gave her a tight hug. “Are you sure you won’t come with us? It won’t be the same without you.”

  Angie pulled away and wiped Julia’s tears with her thumb. “I wish I could. I’ll miss you, but I have to get home to my family, and you have to get to yours. Understand?”

  Julia nodded. “We’ll miss you, too.”

  Hannah hugged her and ran up the stairs, too overcome to speak. Julia dragged herself after her but cheered up when she remembered all the great stuff cram-packed in the truck. They weren’t going to starve or freeze to death because of her. The thought made it easier to leave the church.

  While they tried to find room for their stuff in the backseat, her mom came across the parking lot carrying what looked like a kerosene heater. It was smaller than the one they had at the hotel, but she was happy to see it even though she was still afraid of things that could catch them on fire.

  When her mom plunked the heater on the ground, Coop said, �
�How did you talk them into giving us that? Brett was pissed when I told him we were leaving.”

  “I had to do some compromising. When we return it, we have to treat their patients and leave some of our medical supplies.”

  Coop put his hands on his hips. “How did he know we have medical supplies?”

  “I told him. It was the only way he’d agree to this. What happened to Dr. Charming back there with Brett? You were acting like a petulant child.”

  Julia giggled, and Coop and Riley swung around to face her. “What? That’s what you always used to say to me when I pitched a fit. It was funny to hear you say it to Coop.”

  Coop winked at her and smiled.

  Riley continued to glare at her. “That’s not funny, young lady. Coop, you need to work on your diplomatic skills if we’re going to get through this.”

  “Brett said we owed them and were being selfish to leave. He wouldn’t let it go and I lost

  my temper. We don’t owe them anything. We treated their sick and injured in exchange for what they gave us. It was a fair trade. But your mom’s absolutely right,” Coop said to Julia. “I need to watch my temper. This isn’t a game.”

  “Thank you,” Riley said. “Now, get in the truck, you two. You’ll have to hold the heater between you.”

  They squeezed into the truck, and Coop drove the two miles to the theater. When Julia stepped into the lobby with her first load of supplies, she cried, “Candy. Can we have whatever we want?”

  Riley came in behind her and set the load she carried on the red-carpeted floor. “Yes, after the truck’s unloaded.”

  Julia and Hannah rushed back and forth, hauling their new treasures into the theater. When they finished thirty-minutes later, they sat behind the concessions counter and feasted on movie theater treats. All that was missing was popcorn.

  When they’d had their fill, her mom announced that they were going clothes shopping. “There are several shops nearby where we should find everything we need,” she said.

  Julia squealed in delight and pulled on her massive boots. When Hannah was ready, the four of them left on their shopping spree. As they strolled by window displays lit by the auroras, Julia remembered shopping with her mom for the conference reception. That day seemed like a lifetime ago but less than a week had passed. An overwhelming longing for her former life washed over her, followed by regret for taking it for granted.

  Riley and Hannah turned and walked back to her when she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.

  “What’s wrong, sweetheart? You look like you just lost your best friend. I thought you were excited to get new clothes.”

  “I just remembered something pre-CME. I’m fine.”

  “Shopping for your dress in D.C.?” Julia gave a slight nod, and Riley put an arm around her. “I was thinking about that, too.”

  “Wish I’d appreciated what I had back then.”

  “Me, too,” Hannah said and stared at the ground.

  Julia pasted on a smile. “Sorry for being such a buzz-kill. Forget all that and appreciate what we have now. It’s like post-apocalyptic Christmas.” Julia stepped between Hannah and Riley and took their hands. “We can have whatever we want for free.”

  Coop stepped into a men’s store, and they passed a trendy women’s boutique, but Riley kept walking.

  When they passed the second one, Hannah said, “Why aren’t we going in there?”

  “We’ll stop on the way back, and you can each pick out an outfit, but we need more practical clothes. There’s a store on the next block with coats and boots. That’s where we’re headed.”

  “Great idea,” Julia said, making a vow with herself to never complain again.

  While they stocked up on as much clothing for themselves as they could carry, Coop came out of the men’s store wearing a new coat and carrying only one small bag containing two pairs of jeans, one sweater, and five pairs each of socks and underwear.

  Riley peeked into the bag and said, “That’s all you’re taking? You understand that we’ll have to wash our dirty laundry by hand?”

  “I’ll wear each thing twice, except for the underwear.”

  “Glad to hear that,” Julia said and laughed.

  Coop set up the tent when they got back to the theater and heated up a meal of canned spaghetti and Bison jerky on Sterno cans. Julia wolfed hers down even though she’d stuffed herself with candy two hours earlier. After eating, Hannah and Julia changed into sweats in the tent and unrolled their sleeping bags.

  “You should take the first watch, Mom,” Julia said. “Coop didn’t do so well last night.”

  “I won’t argue,” he said and laid his sleeping bag over the seat closest to where the kerosene heater blasted away by the emergency exit. “Give me three hours, then I’ll take watch.”

  Riley guzzled an energy drink and put another on the floor next to her folding chair. “You’ve got it. If I feel myself getting sleepy, I’ll run laps.”

  Julia hugged her and gave Coop a peck on the cheek before joining Hannah in the tent. She climbed into her sleeping bag, feeling safer than she had since leaving the hotel. She’d loved the little house she burnt down, but the theater felt impenetrable.

  “Good night, Hannah,” she whispered and drifted off in seconds.

  Riley and Coop took their three-hour shifts during the night, but Coop woke her at four after she’d only been asleep for an hour.

  “Is it the girls?” she asked after checking the time.

  “No, they're sleeping,” he said and put his finger to his lips. “Listen.”

  She waited a few seconds and was about to say she didn’t hear anything when the sound of a barrage of gunfire broke the silence. It was followed by two more volleys, then stopped.

  “What is that? Do you think it’s near the theater?”

  “That’s been going on for a few minutes. I checked out front to make sure it wasn’t close by. It’s coming from the direction of the church.”

  “We need to go see.” She turned on her flashlight and searched around her chair. “Where are my coat and boots?”

  Coop dropped into a seat and propped his feet on the chair in front of him. “We’re not leaving the theater.”

  “But there could be injured people. What about Angie?”

  “It’s too dangerous, and Angie made her choice. If it’s safe in the morning, we’ll offer to help.”

  Riley stared at him, hardly believing what she was hearing. “Isn’t that a little heartless?”

  “No, it’s rational. What if it’s Crawford’s gang? Do you want to have another run-in them? And what can we do to stop whoever it is? And what about the girls? Do we leave them here alone while we rush to the rescue?”

  She sank into the seat next to him and rubbed her face. “If we aren’t going to do anything about it, why did you wake me?”

  “Just wanted to prepare you. Maybe it’s just a shootout in the street over food. Trust me, I pray this doesn’t have anything to do with those innocent people at the church.”

  She had no doubt he meant it but couldn’t let go of the thought that people could die if they waited to go. On the other hand, rushing in could lead them into the middle of a war zone.

  He reached for her hand and brushed it with his thumb. “I’m sorry, Riley. You don’t deserve to go through all of this. Get some sleep if you can. I’ll finish my shift.”

  She put her hand over his. “Thank you. I’ll try.” She went to the tent but turned before stepping inside. “You don’t deserve this either.”

  Despite her middle-of-the-night scare, Riley felt more rested than she had in days when Coop woke her at nine. He unzipped her sleeping bag, snuggled up to her and started kissing her neck.

  “Did you hear any more shots last night?” she whispered.

  Coop signed and rolled away from her. “Way to kill the mood. I did not.”

  She sat up and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Sorry, welcome to the post-apocalyptic world.”

&n
bsp; He stood and helped her to her feet. Pulling her into his arms, he said, “We might as well get ready to go, then. The truck is almost packed. We just need the tent and sleeping bags.”

  “Why didn’t you wake me sooner?”

  “I wanted to give you the same six hours I got. This could be another long day.”

  Riley stepped out of his arms and stretched. “Better than the last two, I hope.”

  He bent down to roll her sleeping bag. “Can’t get much worse.” They froze and stared at each other. “Wish I hadn’t said that.”

  “I’ll tell the girls it’s time to go.”

  She couldn’t shake her feeling of foreboding as they packed the last of their belongings. They both knew things could get worse, very much worse. Part of her wanted to drive away from Warrenton and never look back, but the other part knew she could never do that. She didn’t want to risk conjuring bad karma, and as Coop said the day of the CME strike, they were doctors first.

  Coop pulled into the parking lot ten minutes later and drove toward the front of the church but started to turn the truck when they were fifteen yards from the doors.

  Riley unhooked her belt and sat forward. “What are you doing?”

  “Riley, look at the doors.”

  She turned her head toward the front of the church and gasped. One of the beautifully carved doors hung at an odd angle on its hinges. The other was on the ground.

  Julia leaned over Hannah to see what they were staring at. “Who did that?”

  “Doesn’t matter. We’re getting out of here,” Coop said.

  He put the truck in gear and stepped on the gas just as Brett Collins ran out and waved his arms to stop them.

  “Coop, wait,” Riley cried. He stepped on the brake but didn’t shift into park. Riley rolled down her window. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

  Brett ran up to the car and leaned into the open window. “A gang of five men attacked us last night. They took at least ten of our people and killed or injured others. We need your help.”

  Riley reached for the handle, but Coop put a hand on her arm to stop her. “How many dead?”