Electro

by David Lisenby

  “Oh, Ae-in,” he replied, “It is I who am honored to have made your acquaintance. Your journey has already been a long one, but there are a thousand more miles to go before it is complete. Just follow your nose and you will find your way.”

  Arlene then turned her attention to the tiny girl standing in the middle of the highway, soaked to the bone. She grabbed her and pulled her into a gentle hug. “You take care of this one,” she whispered into her ear before releasing the hug and holding onto the girl’s shoulders. “Gong Dong. You are a mighty one. Don’t ever let anyone tell you any different.”

  Kim rolled her eyes. However, this time she did so lovingly. “So are you,” she softly said. She grabbed her father’s hand, turned and the pair slowly walked away leaving the tall, wet white lady staring blankly after them.

  Arlene felt alone. She turned slightly to her left and looked at the rainy path before her. She could hear her sneakers slosh as she stood up on her tip-toes and clicked her heels together three times. “There’s no place like home,” she whispered.

  It didn’t work.

  Chapter 4

  A single step

  “Betty Jo?” Levi spoke into the silent phone. He pulled the phone away from his ear and held it before him. Nothing. His cell was dead. Great timing. He slid the phone in his shirt pocket.

  Levi turned his attention to surveying his surroundings. He looked over and saw a young couple coming out of the waffle restaurant next door. Behind them was a middle-age lady wearing a brown shirt (apparently, she was a waitress at the eatery) who began pacing as she lit up a cigarette. She didn’t look happy. Her pacing turned more aggressive and she threw her cell phone down onto the sidewalk. Parts of the phone disintegrated into the air around the young couple’s ankles. They quickly shuffled away from the waitress.

  Movement from beyond a line of trees behind the convenience store caught Levi’s attention. He walked across the concrete parking lot to a small grass covered hill. He stepped up onto the wet grass to get a better angle to see what was going on. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot of a movie theatre. People were exiting the theatre from the main entrance and from other doors scattered along the building.

  The vast majority of the movie goers were making their way to their vehicles. One young lady stood out in the crowd and caught Levi’s eye (surprise!). She was probably in her early 20’s, blond hair, wearing a loose t-shirt and a tight pair of jeans. Her legs were … well, shapely. Those jeans looked like they were painted on.

  He watched the lady intently as she sashayed to her little green Volkswagen. The girl was pointing toward the little car shaking her hand … wait … she must be trying to unlock the door with the remote and it obviously wasn’t working. He couldn’t suppress his laughter when the bombshell started stomping her foot in frustration while she punched the crap out the remote button.

  A couple of rows over was another youngish blond lady standing next to a Mini Cooper doing almost the identical thing, stomping her foot in unison with the other blond as they both tried in vain to unlock their cars with an obviously dead remote.

  “Just use the damn key,” Levi said aloud, but not loud enough for either lady to hear him. They just kept pushing the button and stomping their foot. He laughed.

  Levi jerked his head around 180 degrees (with his body slowly catching up to the direction his head was now pointing) as he heard a scream or something behind him, up on the interstate. His eyes focused on a couple of people beside a car … it was a man and a woman. The man was leaning on the car and the woman was kneeling beside him. But she wasn’t screaming. She appeared to be laughing. Laughing like a mad woman.

  She was an older woman, maybe in her 40’s. She was wearing what looked like a pant suit … no … maybe it was scrubs. Had she snapped? Was the situation too much for her and she couldn’t handle it? What had happened to make all the females go crazy?

  The lady on the highway had almost stopped laughing before she suddenly started again. A deep, hearty laugh. Levi was totally confused. “Could this get any more weird?” he thought.

  Just then Levi heard someone shout, “Stop!” from the direction of the gas station. He turned just in time to see a man in a plaid shirt running from the front of the store, across the parking lot on the other side of the store and then disappear into what appeared to be a drainage ditch. Another man, wearing an employee smock, much heavier and much slower, chased behind the man. He gave up the chase about halfway through the parking lot, propped himself up on his knees while retaining a standing position, and breathed heavily. The man was obviously out of shape.

  Another man jogged up to the store clerk and patted him on the back. The clerk looked up, pointed in the direction of the drainage ditch and shouted, “That asshole just robbed me!”

  “Yep,” Levi said to himself. “It just got weirder.”

  No sooner had he completed his thought when a voice behind him startled him. “Won’t matter much now,” said the scraggly thin man standing no more than a foot behind Levi. He jumped back to a more comfortable distance from the stranger.

  “What the …” Levi said as he looked into the tired eyes of a man who stood before him. The man smiled through snaggled teeth.

  “Paper money ain’t worth nothin’ anymore,” he said in a high-pitched voice. “We done been hit by one of them E. M. P.’s,” he stared hard into Levi’s eyes. “Electronic Magneticut Pulses! That’s right. We all screwed now.”

  Levi would have laughed right then if he hadn’t been so in wonder of what to call weird beyond weirder. “What the hell are you talking about old man?” he asked as he shook his head. Never diverting his gaze from the mans tired eyes. He was mesmerized by those eyes … those unique violet eyes.

  “38 ain’t so old,” the vagrant hissed at Levi. The man looked like he was in his 60’s. He openly looking the younger man up and down.

  “Ya’ ever been campin’ out in the middle of the woods without yer cell phone or yer daddy’s air-conditioned travel trailer to escape to?” he asked dryly.

  Levi planted his feet firmly on the concrete and glared at the stranger.

  “Thought not,” the codger said as he seemed to cower a bit. “Ya’ better learn to fend fer yerself from here on out ‘cause ain’t nobody gonna’ give you nothin’ but a knife in the back the minute ya’ give ‘em half a chance. Won’t be long an we all gonna’ be speakin’ Ruskie.”

  “My fine friend,” Levi said without the hint of a smile on his face. “I’d suggest you find another place to be. Trust me, in about 10 seconds you are definitely not going to want to be here.”

  The vagrant stood up tall; well, as tall as he could muster, and seemed to think about being cocky but realized pretty quickly how things would play out. He slowly took a step backwards.

  “I weren’t lookin’ fer trouble,” he said as he took another step away from the angry man before him. “Best ya’ remember to not invite any fer yerself. The world is a crazy place full of crazy peoples. You gotta’ stay one step ahead of ‘em.”

  The man then turned and walked at a hurried pace toward the theatre. Levi unclenched his fists. He walked back over to his truck, which still had the fuel hose hanging from it. He opened the driver side door and tossed his dead cell phone onto the seat. He grabbed his half-empty pack of Marlboro out of the console and shoved them in his shirt pocket. He turned and slammed the door behind him.

  “Ain’t getting any closer to home standing here,” he said to nobody in particular. He placed one foot in front of the other and started walking along the I-10 service road.

  The condensation from the cold can against the warm, moist air caused a droplet of water too snake its way down the abandoned Dr. Pepper can that sat atop the pickup truck as Levi walked eastward. He had taken only one sip from the can.

  - - -

  Harold swallowed his last bite of food and gazed across the table at his wife. She was still working on her plate but looked back into his eyes and smil
ed.

  “You go ahead and get the generator started and I’ll call the energy company to see how long it’ll be before they get the electricity back on,” she said. He stood up and moved closer to Kay. He leaned over and kissed her on top of her head before walking toward the back door.

  “I think I’ll go ahead and start both of ‘em up just in case,” He said over his shoulder. “Looks like there may be more rain headed our way.” The clouds to the south were starting to get darker, he noticed.

  Harold made quick work of setting up the two small generators they had stored in the barn for just such emergencies. He topped both tanks with fuel and was pleased when both of them started with one pull. He plugged in a heavy-duty extension cord to each generator and then carried the other ends into the back door.

  “Babe,” Kay said, “my cell phone is completely dead. Guess I forgot to charge it.”

  Harold reached into his pocket and pulled out his Samsung and handed it to his wife. “You know how to use one of these real phones or do I need to give you a lesson?” Kay loved her I-Phone.

  Harold plugged the refrigerator into one of the extension cords and started to take the other one into Mom’s room to plug up her O2 concentrator. Before he could leave the dining room Kay spoke again.

  “Yours isn’t working either,” she said. “That’s strange.”

  “That’s strange,” Harold said in unison with his better half. They locked eyes for a moment before he continued with the task at hand. He needed to get that O2 concentrator up and running. He eased the door to his mom’s room open and stepped in quietly. The room seemed so strange without the usual sounds emitting from every corner.

  He stretched the cord across the floor – no need to worry about that old blind lady tripping over it; she never gets out of bed. Harold admonished himself (ever so slightly) for giving his mom a hard time; even if it was just in his own mind. He unplugged the mini fridge from the wall and inserted it into a surge protector, which he then plugged into the extension cord. He could hear the hum of the fridge as it kicked back on.

  He then traced down the O2 concentrator plug and plugged it into the surge protector. Nothing. He flipped the toggle switch up and down and still the machine refused to come on. He looked and saw the portable bottles in the corner. He went and retrieved one and put it at the head of Alice’s bed.

  “Harold,” she suddenly spoke. Harold jumped. Alice chuckled under her breath. “You hookin’ up my oxygen?” she asked.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he replied.

  “Good,” she said. “When you’re done with that, and after you gather my supper dishes, would you mind bringing me a bowl of that pear cobbler? It sure is good.”

  “Your blood sugar was a bit low when we checked it before you ate,” he replied. “Guess a small bowl wouldn’t hurt anything.” He finished untangling the air hose and replaced the nose-piece with a new one before placing it on his mom’s face. He turned on the oxygen flow then gathered the dishes before walking out the door.

  As he grabbed the door knob to close the door Alice spoke again. “A little scoop of Blue Bell would be nice, too. Homemade vanilla.”

  He swore he could hear her snicker as the door snapped closed.

  Harold could feel Kay looking at him as he walked across the room and placed the dirty dishes into the sink. He felt her eyes follow him as he went to the pantry and pulled out the paper bowls. He sat them on the counter.

  “She doesn’t need any of that cobbler,” she said.

  “I know,” he replied as he retrieved the cobbler from the fridge.

  “You better fix me a bowl, too then,” she said.

  “Yes, Dear,” was his response. He placed the Pyrex bowl directly into the oven and set it to 350 degrees.

  “Not too hot,” she said.

  “Just hot enough to melt ice cream,” Harold responded.

  “Oh, no.”

  “Yes, Dear.”

  Have you ever tasted melted Homemade Vanilla Blue Bell mixed with steaming, sweet pear cobbler?

  Tastegasm!

  By the time they had all taken their last bites their bellies were full and satisfied. Alice drifted off into a deep sleep. Harold and Kay sat at the dining room table.

  “What do you think happened?” Harold asked.

  “Maybe you were right for once,” Kay answered.

  “What?” Harold asked in mock astonishment. “Me? Right? Say it ain’t so.”

  Kay gave him THAT look.

  “About what,” he finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

  “Do the letters e, m and p mean anything to you?”

  “Heaven forbid.” The thought hadn’t crossed his mind. He silently prayed that he wasn’t right. If there was one thing in this world that he never wanted to be right about it was that.

  Harold kneeled before his wife and wrapped her in his arms. They rocked slowly back and forth in the growing darkness that was enveloping the room. Jackson was lying quietly under Kay’s chair.

  “Bark! Bark! Grrrrrrrr! Bark.” Jackson’s little paws slipped and slid across the living room flooring. The couple in the dining room were both startled at the sudden interruption of their tender moment. The front door burst open and Roxie stumbled with her purse and several Wal Mart bags in her arms.

  “Ya’ll save any of that cobbler for me?”

  Chapter 5

  When paths collide

  Arlene continued her journey home as the rain continued to fall. She could see the man and his daughter she had recently met through a clearing in the trees. Although she wished only the best for them, she wished they lived further east where she could have shared their company for a while longer. She didn’t know them but had made an immediate connection with them.

  “God, please watch over them,” she prayed as the rain intensified.

  As she walked onward, Arlene passed the time thinking about her girls. She wondered how Diane was faring in Houston and if whatever had happened here had affected the big city. She was sure that it had but hoped it was just in this immediate area. What had happened anyway?

  For the next hour or so, Arlene walked on. Along the way she could see other people milling about in the rain. There were others walking along the highway, but everyone seemed to be sticking to themselves or walking in small groups. She didn’t know this part of Beaumont well, so she stayed on the main highway.

  She wished she had worn something more than scrubs for the trip home. She had made that decision to ensure her comfort, but the thin material was soaked and not much protection from the wind and rain. She suddenly realized that she had brought more clothes with her, but in her haste, she had left the bag they were in in the back of the car. There were also toiletries in that bag, as well as a rain poncho. Ugh.

  It was getting dark and she was wet, cold and hungry. This was not a good combination. Arlene knew her best option would be to find a place to stop for the night to try and dry out, get some rest and prepare for whatever tomorrow may bring. She still had her bag of snacks, she remembered. Looking down at the bag she carried she hoped the treats weren’t soaked through.

  She walked along an elevated stretch of highway where cars were stopped bumper to bumper. This was a typical 5 o’clock traffic jam but it was anything but ordinary. Some of the cars were empty, but the vast majority were occupied – mostly by only the driver. She felt the eyes of each person she passed watch her as she walked in the rain. She wondered how long these people would sit in their cars waiting for help when she knew there would be none.

  Coming to the end of the elevated part of the highway, Arlene walked down the exit ramp and looked for a shelter.

  As she approached an intersection she saw what appeared to be an abandoned gas station. The pumps had been removed. There was a sign indicating it was a used car lot but there wasn’t a single vehicle there. As a matter of fact, there were barricades blocking all entrances to the building.

  “This will have to do,” she said to nobody. />
  The soaked nurse walked under the canopy of the building and, for the first time in what seemed like days, was no longer being pelted by raindrops.

  “Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz. Oh, what a relief it is,” Arlene sang to herself as she stepped closer and peered into the darkened building. Strewn about the floor, on the other side of the large plate-glass window, was nothing but a few pieces of trash. She grabbed the door knob and attempted to turn it. Locked. She walked over to one of the garage doors and then the other to check on them. Locked and locked.

  Darn the luck.

  She had noticed, as she was walking up to the building, that there were two restrooms on the side of the now confirmed abandoned building. Taking a deep breath Arlene stepped back out into the rain to check those doors. Both were locked.

  As she walked to the back side of the building, in a narrow alleyway that had a wooden privacy fence on the other side, she saw that there was a little alcove that had a tin roof above it. Two empty plastic trash cans occupied the space. They were dry. She made quick work of removing them from the back wall of the alcove and stepped in behind them. The space was tight, but it was dry.

  Arlene dropped to her knees and thanked God for providing this shelter for her. She then sat down, leaned her back against the wall and took a bag of caramel-coated popcorn from her snack bag. Opening them she was very pleased to find they were dry.

  As the rain pounded on the tin roof above her, Arlene ate her bag of popcorn. She removed the .38 from her wet pocketbook and placed it on her lap. She then placed the purse between her head and the brick wall. The rhythm of the rain lulled her into an uncomfortable sleep.

  - - -

  Levi couldn’t stop thinking about what that crazy old man had said as he walked at a steady pace in the rain. The theory that an emp had taken out the power grid was a bit far-fetched, but not entirely impossible. Not only was all the electricity out, but so were all the vehicles and cell phones. Would the Russians have really attacked America, though?