The Long Walk Home

by Ison, S. A.

  “Hey, don’t worry. I’ve got plenty, I usually have more than I can eat anyway, but I like having extra on hand.” She smiled at him. He was a nice-looking man, late thirties she thought. He had long black hair and beautiful blue eyes. He was clearly a white man, but his black hair said something else as well. She didn’t know. She mentally shrugged.

  Zoe looked around and everyone was pulling out their cooking equipment. She set up her Kelly Kettle.

  “What is that?” Beckett asked.

  “It’s a Kelly Kettle, you can boil water and cook all at the same time. You only use a fraction of the fuel to burn, just twigs really, pinecones and such. It is super lightweight and you don’t have to carry fuel, unless you know it’s going to rain, then I just pick up a few twigs and pinecones and put them in a plastic baggie and keep it dry until I need it.” Zoe said, showing Beckett how she set it up.

  Zoe stacked the pieces of the kettle together and then put small twigs, several small pinecones and pine straw below. She started a small fire below and put water into the small opening in the side of the cylinder. She put the plug in and fed the fire below with a few more twigs.

  She then pulled out a stainless-steel pot and poured some rice and a packet of chicken alfredo into the pot. She also pulled out a metal cup and a baggie with tea bags in it. She pulled out one and looked at Beckett.

  “If you don’t mind drinking out of the same cup, I can make us some tea. It’s Moroccan mint.” She offered.

  “No, I don’t mind at all. I don’t have cooties. That’s great, thank you. That’s so kind of you.” He grinned.

  “Hey, you really did me a favor carrying that backpack and really, it’s nothing.” She smiled; it had felt wonderful to walk with the lighter load. That was the one aspect of hiking she didn’t care for. Needing the food was one thing, lugging it around was another.

  “Hey Zoe, can I have the spice bottle?” Evie called.

  Zoe dug into her pack and pulled out a bottle that was divided into small sections that contained different spices. She handed it over to Evie. She and Evie had their own food, but they shared spices and other niceties.

  “What are you making?” Zoe asked Evie.

  “I’m making rice and using my seaweed paper. I want to spice the rice. And use a little tuna with it as well.”

  “Sounds good.” Zoe said.

  “If I can’t eat it all, you can have the rest Beckett.” Evie offered. Zoe smiled. Evie was good people.

  “Thanks Evie, I really appreciate it, but please eat what you can, don’t worry about me. Okay?” Beckett said, his dark brows drawn up in concern. Zoe realized that Beckett didn’t want to take advantage of them or the situation. Maybe that was what bothered her about Milo. He’d jumped in with an offer, but it had undertones to it. Something not said.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll eat as much as we can, but we normally have leftovers. It’s kind of a pain, because we don’t want to draw bears.” Zoe assured Beckett.

  “We should be okay, with so many people and the fire.” Milo said. He was eating out of a packet, it looked like flavored tuna. He was also eating crackers. Zoe heard the water boiling and she got the clamp and carefully poured the boiling water into the pot with the pasta and rice. Beckett stirred the contents as she poured it. She set the canister back on the base and added more twigs. Then she set the pot on top of the canister on the upper brackets. The brackets held the pot securely in place.

  “The heat goes up through the hollow of the canister, intensifying the heat, that is why it boils water so efficiently. Once this boils for a few minutes, I’ll take it off and let it sit. Then I’ll make the tea.” Zoe grinned.

  “Wow, that is so cool.” Beckett whistled.

  “It’s nice and lightweight and versatile. When you hike the Appalachian trail, you have to think about everything you bring. It has to be light. So, you don’t want to carry a lot of water, so you have a filtration system. We have the stream there, we can drink with our straws, and boil with this kettle.” Zoe smiled, her head rocking side to side.

  XX

  Beckett was impressed. He’d never heard of the Kelly Kettle, but he liked the concept of it. Very small and portable, and lightweight. He watched as Zoe and Evie pulled off four round disks from the back of their packs, they’d been clipped on the straps. The disks looked like colorful hockey pucks. Both women opened them and the light that shot out made him squint. Solar lanterns. Small, portable and they’d carried them on the backpack to charge up during their walk. Very cool, he thought. He thought about that and could kick himself once more. It should have been on his prepping list of things to get.

  He looked over and Wyatt and his wife did the same. Wyatt smiled at him and he returned the smile.

  “Wyatt, I don’t think we introduced ourselves. I’m Beckett, this is Zoe, Evie, Carter and Milo, and I guess you guys are JP and Lucas?” He said, pointing to each of the people.

  “Yes, I guess we got caught up in the whole thinking about the EMP thing. This is my wife Rhena. And we met JP and Lucas on our hike. Good to know your names. Where were you heading when your car died?” Wyatt asked.

  “I was going to take my pilot’s test, I was going to get my pilot’s license today. Guess I won’t be.” Beckett shrugged, tamping down the disappointment. Which was pretty easy, considering having an EMP hit was way worse.

  “Oh, are you flying for pleasure or profession?” Wyatt asked.

  “Well for now, it was for pleasure. I’m a detective and after I retire in a couple years, I was hoping to eventually move to Alaska. I’ve always wanted to go there. Guess I won’t now.” He said and shrugged it off. He could go there he guessed, but it would take a few years of walking to get there. He cringed internally at that thought.

  “I’m sorry. I’m a doctor, general practitioner, what does everyone else do? Beside hiking on the Appalachian trail?” Wyatt asked, looking around. That was good, a normal conversation was good. It helped melt the tension in his shoulders. He still didn’t want to accept the reality of it. Repudiation! That was his friend.

  “As you know, we’re in the navy. We’re stationed on the USS George Washington, it’s an aircraft carrier.” JP said.

  “We’re both Lieutenants, in comms or rather communications.” Lucas added.

  “I work or rather worked at Disney World, I take care of the computer systems that run the park. Guess I don’t have that job any more. I’m sure the EMP wiped out all of that.” Milo said, shrugging.

  “I’m a lawyer, I live in Boston, and I somehow doubt any of us will be doing our old jobs, if Beckett is correct about this EMP thing.”

  Beckett watched as Zoe poured boiling water into the cup and set the tea to steeping. He looked over to Wyatt and his wife.

  “I do online blogging, usually about the places we go and make recommendations. I don’t think I can recommend the Appalachian trail now, since I doubt, we’ll get back home.” Rhena said, her voice trembling and Wyatt put his arm around his wife and kissed her cheek.

  “Hello everyone, mind if we join you?” A voice called from the gathering darkness. Beckett could see a light and silhouette, the group turned and looked. Two people moved toward them, coming into the light cast by the solar lanterns and camp fire. There was a man and a woman, both with heavy backpacks, and both wore head lamps.

  Everyone said hello at once and the new people began to take off their packs, both groaning with pleasure. Beckett didn’t know why these people did this, since it seemed like they all seemed so glad to put the packs down. It was pretty out here and he guessed because he lived by it, he was used to the wilderness. Maybe because all of these folks were city people, they craved the peace of the mountains. He could certainly understand that, and it was also another reason he’d wanted to go to Alaska. Well, after a few months, there wouldn’t be many people left. Certainly not in the cities. The population would plummet in the U.S.

  “I’m Noland and this is my wife, Astrid Alverez. We’ve bee
n looking for a good place to camp for the night, but couldn’t seem to find one. We saw your campfire and heard you guys talking.” Noland said, smiling.

  “Welcome Noland and Astrid, I’m Wyatt, this is my wife Rhena, that is JP, Lucas, Milo, Carter, Zoe, Evie and Beckett.” Wyatt announce and everyone raised a hand and waved.

  The new couple began to settle in and Beckett watched as they too began to pull out odds and ends and two more solar lanterns lit up. It was nice, making the campsite bright.

  “So, who’s going to tell them?” Milo asked, a sardonic smile on his lips. That pissed Beckett off, the man was an ass, and there was nothing funny about their situation, nor any reason to smile about it.

  “Tell us what?” Noland asked, smiling and looking at the faces around him.

  “First, if you have cellphones or smart phones or whatever, can you pull them out and check to see if they’re working?” Beckett asked.

  The new couple looked confused, but each dug into their bags and pulled out their devices.

  “Hey, mine’s not working.” Noland announced.

  “Mine isn’t either.” Astrid said, who was shaking her phone, like that would help it work. She shook her head confused.

  “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I believe an EMP has hit. My car died at the same time my phone did. You probably passed it on your way here. We’re all trying to head back to my place or at least me, Zoe, Evie, Milo and Carter are.” Beckett said.

  “Are you sure?” Noland asked.

  “What’s an EMP?” Astrid asked.

  “Electromagnetic Pulse. It is usually set off by a nuclear weapon in the upper atmosphere, the pulse takes out electrical components. Fries them. Or a solar event, like a really bad storm on the sun.” JP said.

  “Oh my god. Someone bombed us with a nuclear weapon?” Noland said, his face paled. Astrid grabbed his arm and began to cry. Noland put his arm around her.

  “We think so, but we don’t really know for sure. We’re heading to where Milo parked his truck. He’s got a 1969 Chevy and we think it will run. We can also see for ourselves if anyone else is having problems with their cars.” Beckett offered. He felt like a shit heel, but there was nothing for it. To let these people, wonder away later, without knowing, would be a death sentence.

  “What are we going to do?” Astrid asked her husband, she sank down to the ground, as though her legs could no longer support her.

  “I don’t know honey, Christ. I don’t know.” Noland said and sat down beside his wife.

  “Why don’t you guys set up your cooking stoves and eat. We’re all trying to wrap our brains around it.” Wyatt suggested. Beckett liked Wyatt, he seemed very calm and stable. The man caused the others to feel calm, he guessed that was what some doctors did. The couple nodded and began to dig around in their packs.

  “Gosh, I feel so bad for them.” Zoe said in a low voice.

  “Me too. But, we’re all in the same boat. At least we all have each other. I think I’d hate to face all this alone.” Beckett said, his voice low as well. Zoe took a sip of her tea and then handed the cup to Beckett. It was good tea and helped with the coolness of the evening that was creeping in. His hands clasped around the hot cup and he could feel the warmth of it seeping into his body. It also helped with the internal chill of the situation.

  The night bugs had begun to buzz and chirp and the birds were now quieting down. They’d been loud before with the early evening chatter, but were now silent. For them, their world hadn’t changed very much. Except for perhaps less pollution by man.

  Beckett shivered and drew the blanket up around him. He could feel the warmth of the fire in front, but his back became a little chilled. He didn’t have a coat. Guess he failed on that front as well, as far as being ready for anything. That really bothered him. There was no way to prepare for all eventualities, but he’d failed the most basic of preparation.

  “You warm enough?” Zoe asked, her dark eyes searching.

  “Yeah, I’m glad I brought the blanket.”

  “Absolutely. It gets cold in the higher altitudes.” Zoe agreed. He knew that as well, but of course, hadn’t counted on being caught in the middle of nowhere when an EMP hit. He sighed internally. He really needed to stop kicking himself. It was done.

  Beckett could hear the low murmurings of the people around the fire. Zoe opened the lid and inside the steam from the chicken alfredo wafted out and Beckett’s stomach growled loudly. He dug around in the pink backpack and found a plastic spork. He used his shirt and a bit of water to wash it off. He wasn’t even sure what he’d eaten with it or how long it had been in his trunk. But he was glad he’d tossed it into the pink bag.

  He and Zoe began to eat and he saw that Milo and Carter had finished eating. Evie was beginning to make seaweed rolls with her rice and tuna. She sprinkled the spices over the rice and deftly rolled the seaweed into logs. Beckett ate slowly, he felt self-conscious about eating Zoe’s food and didn’t want to scarf it down, leaving her hungry. He was hungry as hell. He’d skipped lunch in order to get to Middlesboro, to the airport. He could have kicked himself.

  He took a long drink of water, hoping that would make it swell in his stomach. He’d kill something tomorrow. He’d not deplete Zoe’s food. After they got to his house, he’d not worry, because he had enough food. He hoped he could feed his group. He couldn’t take them all, but he’d cross that bridge when he got there. If they were lucky, maybe they could find a store that wasn’t ransacked and get more supplies on their way to his home.

  He knew that was more than likely a pipedream. But, if you were going to dream, dream big. He and Zoe were getting down to the bottom of the pot and Zoe sat back groaning.

  “God, I’m about to bust. That was so good. You can have the rest Beckett.” She said, grinning and rubbing her flat stomach.

  “Are you sure?” He asked, he didn’t want her pretending to be full, when she wasn’t.

  “Yeah, I’m about to puke. I think I ate too much.” She laughed. Beckett smiled and ate the rest slowly, making it last. He had a big appetite and tomorrow, he’d make sure he added to the pot and not take from it. That was just wrong.

  “Here Beckett, I’m done. It’s a half roll of seaweed and rice. I hope you like it.” Evie grinned, handing over what looked like a fat green worm. Beckett reached over and took the food. He took a bite, he’d never had seaweed. He was surprised, it was good. He liked the spiced rice inside. He also tasted heat, like red pepper. He finished up the chicken alfredo and got up.

  “I’ll go wash this out, thanks again Zoe. And you too Evie, that was great.” He said and stepped around everyone, heading to the stream. He dipped the pot into the water and scooped up sandy gravel. He rubbed the gravel into the pot and rinsed then washed again. He then walked away from the group, the light behind him. He found a place and took a leak. His bladder was about to burst. Between the water he’d drunk and the tea, he’d felt like his eyes were floating. He’d refill the bottles in the morning with the stream water, but he’d have to use the straw to drink it.

  He walked back to camp and watched as Zoe and Evie got up and left, small towels in one hand and what looked like a small makeup case in the other. He figured it was their hygiene stuff. He saw that people were spreading out a bit, putting up tents and lean-tos.

  “Do you really think there was an EMP?” Beckett heard Astrid asked her husband.

  “I don’t know. I hope not. But I guess we’ll go with these guys and find out.” Noland said. The couple set up a tent and put sleeping bags inside. One by one, people moved off into the woods, carrying rolls of toilet paper and little shovels. Beckett figured they were digging cat-holes. He’d just have to use a stick to dig a hole. He was glad he’d brought the paper towels. He’d not look forward to using leaves. He tried to remember what poison oak and poison ivy looked like. God, that would be a horrible mistake, for sure.

  There were soft murmurings and the group grew silent when the howl of the wolf fill
ed the night air.

  “I didn’t think there were wolves around.” Astrid worried, looking around. Her eyes were wide and she clutched at Noland.

  “Timberwolves.” Beckett said tiredly, it had been a long day, with a long walk. Combine that with the stress of learning his world had changed, and he was about to drop into sleep.

  “We should be fine, they sound far away and we have the fire.” Wyatt assured the woman. Beckett hoped he was right. Zoe and Evie came hurrying back. He smiled, Zoe was wearing some kind of pink long underwear. She had a pair of shorts over the bottoms. She grinned at him nervously.

  “I heard the wolf. Do you think we’ll be okay?” She asked, looking around, as though the wolf would come right into the camp.

  “Should be, plenty of people around and wolves don’t like people.” Beckett lied. He didn’t know if they would come or not, he’d hoped they wouldn’t, but he was no expert. He thought perhaps the unfamiliar smells of humans, combined with that of the woodsmoke from the fire would keep them away. There was easier prey around.

  He watched as Zoe set up her lean-to tent, it was almost like a popup, and it was light weight, with a bottom to sleep on and the leaning top to keep her covered. She shoved her sleeping bag under it then got out of her shorts and hopped into her bag. She was cute as hell, very girly, but also very competent.

  She wriggled into it, zipping it up as she went. She looked like a burrito and he grinned at her.

  “I hate bugs.” She laughed.

  “Well, I don’t think anything’s getting in there, for sure.” Beckett laughed, shaking his head. He put the pink backpack at the head of the towel and put his head on it, pulling the blanket up over him. It held his body heat in and he felt comfortably warm within. He watched as Evie was setting up her own tent, this one a round popup. It hadn’t looked big, but it unfolded and popped open. She took a mat of some kind and crawled in, taking a book and one of the solar lanterns with her.

  Like the blinking of the lightening bugs, which had started coming out of the trees, the solar lights began to turn off and the tired hikers began to settle in for the night. Zoe reached over and shut her two solar lanterns down and the area began to darken. Beckett could hear Astrid crying softly and Noland talking to her in a soft voice. Rhena was also crying softly and he heard Wyatt’s calm voice reassuring her that everything would be okay.