15 Miles From Home

by P. A. Glaspy

  "Yeah, I bet you are. Kind of jealous of you now. So, you heading out then?" Dennis had his arms wrapped around himself and was stomping his feet to keep them warm.

  "As soon as I grab a couple of things from the console." Will closed the back hatch and went to the front. Using the penlight, he fished out a handful of mints, some gum, a lighter, and a multi-tool. All of that was added to his pack. He dug around to see if there was anything else he thought he might need. A small notepad with a pen attached was added. A travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer and tissue were the last things he found he thought he could use. He closed the console and reached into the pocket behind the seat. Pulling out a handful of napkins from assorted fast food restaurants, which he stuffed in the top of the bag, he also found a rain poncho wadded up at the bottom of the pocket. "I wondered what happened to that thing. I'll take that, too." He smoothed the poncho out, folded it in half long ways and rolled it up. Then, he tied it to the backpack in the spot a small bedroll would occupy. Taking one more look around the interior, he grabbed his sunglasses and ball cap. Seeing nothing else he thought he might need or be able to use on his trip, he shut the door.

  Dennis was visibly shivering now. "Well, I better get back in my car before I freeze to death out here. You be careful, Will. Stay warm. I hope you make it to your parents' place okay." His teeth were chattering as he spoke.

  Will looked at the man freezing in front of him and wished he could get Dennis to go with him. Rather than argue further, Will went back to the back of his vehicle, opened the hatch and pulled some things out of his duffel bag. He handed them to Dennis.

  "I don't know if I'll get back here and it's just some clothes. Maybe they'll keep you warm until you get some help. Oh, and take two of these protein bars." He pulled the two out he had stuck in his pocket.

  Dennis took the items and looked through them. The top to Will's thermal underwear, a couple of t-shirts, some socks, and a sweater were in the pile. Will doubted any of it would fit the man but maybe he could use them somehow. Dennis held them in his left arm and stuck his right out to Will. "Thank you, buddy. I'll put these to good use. I gotta get back in my car now before I turn into an icicle. Be safe, Will."

  Will shook his hand. "I'm not going to lock my ride. If there's anything in there you need or can use, or you want to climb in mine instead of yours, feel free. Mine's a bit roomier than yours." They both looked at the compact car.

  Dennis grinned and said, "Now that I will take you up on. Good luck. I hope you make it."

  Will waved and started down the highway. He turned back, paused, and replied, "I'll make it." With that, he headed out into the darkness.

  Dennis waved back. As he opened the hatch to Will's SUV, he smiled and said, "I don't doubt that one bit."

  Chapter 3

  5:00 AM Central Standard Time

  Carly wasn't sure why she woke up until she realized it seemed a bit chilly in the house, and very dark. The display from her digital alarm clock was black. The soft glow from the light under the microwave over the stove, that was always on and she could see somewhat from her bedroom, was not on. Great, the power is out. Probably some lines down from the winter storm, she thought. She snuggled deeper under her blankets and tried to go back to sleep. After a few minutes she realized that wasn't going to happen. She reached for her phone on the bedside table to see what time it was and found it dead. Strange. I thought I had almost a full charge. She got up, went to the bathroom, then grabbed a throw off the bench at the end of her bed and continued into the kitchen. Nothing was on — no lights, no appliances, nothing at all.

  She went into the living room and hit the button to ignite the gas logs. Nothing happened. A couple more clicks resulted in the same lack of spark. A past experience with the electric starter failing had resulted in Carly keeping a long lighter on the mantle. She turned the key valve off, waited a minute, then lit the lighter. No flame up so no ambient gas. She turned the key back to on and held the lighter in the fake logs. They fired up and she soon had a nice warm glow from the fireplace. She stood there for a moment enjoying the warmth from the flame then went to find her phone charger. She stopped, laughed, and said out loud, "What good is that going to do? No power, dummy!" She went back to the living room and sat in front of the fire. She wondered what time it was and how close Will was to getting there. After a few minutes, warmed by the gas logs, she dozed off again.

  7:00 AM Central Standard Time

  When she woke the second time, Carly could see light coming through the curtains of the picture window. Looking around, there was still nothing on, but she could at least see since the sun was coming up. She wondered what time it was. Everything she used to tell time — her phone, the microwave and stove, her alarm clock — none of them were on. My tablet! She hurried over to her briefcase and pulled her tablet out. Dead. Great, I forgot to charge that, too. She pulled out her laptop and was greeted with another dead device. Okay, this is ridiculous. There's no way all of my batteries are dead on all of my electronics at the same time. She went to the bedroom and opened her Kindle. A blank screen greeted her.

  "What the hell is going on?" She knew no one would answer her, but it released some frustration to say it out loud. She tossed the dead device on the unmade bed and went to the kitchen. I have to figure out some way to make coffee, like now. She only had her pod coffeemaker. Standing in the kitchen looking around, she came up with an idea. She got a small strainer out, the kind that will sit in the top of a glass or mug and set it on top of a coffee cup. She tore off a paper towel and laid it inside the strainer. Taking one of the coffee pods, she opened the top with a knife and poured the coffee grounds into the paper towel lined strainer. She stood back and smiled. "Now to get some hot water." She knew the water in the tap was not going to be hot enough, so she looked around the kitchen again. The blinds on the door leading out to the patio were not quite closed, and she spied the gas grill under a couple of inches of snow. "Ha! That's it!" Opening the cabinet, she pulled out a saucepan and filled it with water. At least the water still works without power. She took the pan to the door, opened it, and was immediately met with a blast of cold air.

  "Good Lord! It's freezing out here!" she announced to the backyard. She hurried to the grill and opened the lid, sending the snow on top cascading to the ground behind it. She turned the gas on and hit the battery-operated electric start button. She was greeted with an instant flame. She set the pot on the grate and rushed back inside. Shivering, she heard a knock, then a key unlocking the front door. She watched as her father came in. He was bundled up like he had been out hunting in the woods.

  "Carly? You up? It's Dad!" he called out as he came through the door.

  "In here, Dad. Why are you bundled up like that? Did you not let your car warm up before you came over? For that matter, why are you here so early? Is Mom alright? Is your phone working? Because mine isn't. In fact, none of my electronics work. There's something really strange going on."

  Joel had pulled off his thermal boots at the door to keep from tracking any slushy residue onto the carpet. He took off his gloves and hat and was removing a scarf from around his neck as he walked to the living room and stood before the gas logs, hands outstretched. He unzipped his coat but kept it on. He seemed to be short of breath, like he'd been exercising. "Slow down, girl. Let your old man catch his breath. It may only be two miles, but that's a heck of a walk for an old guy."

  "Walk? Why did you walk?" Carly all but shouted.

  "Because the cars won't start," he stated matter-of-factly. "Have you tried yours?"

  She shook her head. "I didn't even think about it. I didn't need to go anywhere, although I would have if the power didn't come back on, since you have a generator. Why won't the cars start?"

  "For the same reason nothing else electronic works, I imagine," he replied.

  She looked at him incredulously. "But cars aren't electronic, Dad. They run on gas, not electricity … well, mine and yours do anyway. And b
y the way, do you know why none of the electronics are working? A power outage doesn't cause that."

  Smiling sadly, he said, "Cars are full of electrical components, honey. And no, I don't know for sure why nothing electrical is working, but I have a theory …"

  He paused, and Carly waited. After a moment, her curiosity got the better of her. "Well? What is it, Dad?"

  He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I think we've been attacked."

  "Attacked? On my god! By who? How? What do we need to do?" Carly was bordering on hysterics now, looking around the room frantically for a hidden enemy that wasn't there.

  Joel reached out to take her hand. "Calm down, honey. I don't know anything for sure. All I know is what it looks like, and what it looks like is that someone hit us with an EMP."

  Carly looked at her father with a blank expression. "EMP? What is that?"

  "It stands for electromagnetic pulse. Basically, if a nuke is set off in the upper atmosphere —"

  "A nuke? Did you just say a nuke? We've been nuked? Sweet Jesus! Will there be fallout? Should we tape up the windows and doors? Oh my god, oh my god … the boys! They're with Elliott! We have to go get them, Dad! How are we going to get to them if the cars don't work? Maybe mine will work, or Aaron's. I'm going to go check …" She was searching the bar for her keys. Joel held his hand up.

  "Carly, I need you to calm down. I guarantee you the cars won't run. As far as Aaron and Cameron's safety is concerned, they are probably in a much better position than we are right now. Elliott would give his life for those kids, just like we would. He's also much more prepared for a situation like this than any of us. Are you cooking something outside?" He was looking over her shoulder into the backyard where thick steam was rising from the grill.

  "Shit! The water!" She rushed out the door into the cold, grabbed the pot off the grate and turned the gas off. She carried it back inside and set it on the stove. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then looked at Joel. "I think I've figured out how to make a cup of coffee. You in, Dad?"

  "Yes ma'am, I am. And make it Irish. I think we're going to need it today."

  She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of bourbon. "Unfortunately, I think you might be right."

  ~~~~~

  Over coffee that wasn't half bad, Joel explained to Carly what he knew about EMPs: that they took out pretty much all electronics and electrical equipment plugged in when the pulse hit; that, depending on the size of the device and what altitude it was detonated at, it could take out a large part of the country; and that if it was widespread, it could take a long time to get things back up and running again.

  "How long, Dad? Days? Weeks?" Carly asked.

  Joel shook his head. "More like months, maybe even years."

  Carly looked shocked. "No way! Even if the lines were broken from heavy ice, they get the power back up in days at the most."

  "This isn't about lines down, honey. This is about transformers fried. This is substations that will have to be replaced. The power companies don't stock enough to replace them all because they're very expensive. Large transformers can take two years to build, two years for just one, and cost millions of dollars. No, if this is affecting a large area, our lives just changed drastically."

  "Well, surely the government will get right on it, start getting everything moving to fix what's broken. They have plans for this kind of thing, right?"

  "I doubt there's a plan for something like this, honey," he replied. "I don't think they ever thought it could actually happen. Back when I was on the job, we had conferences about things like this, but they were always referred to like some fairy tale story that would never actually occur. Even so, the gist of it was if it did happen, we were basically screwed. The country just doesn't stock the equipment or have the resources to fix something like this. We don't know how bad it is or how far it reaches either. So, we need to make some plans now. We need to load you and whatever supplies you have up in the wagon I brought and get you to our place. As you said, we have a generator and a wood-burning fireplace, as well as all of Mom's canned goods and the chickens, so we should be in better shape there than you would be here."

  "Um, okay Dad, I guess I would be better off at your place. I'll get dressed and get some things together. You brought a wagon? I didn't know you had one. Where'd you get it?" she asked.

  "It's your mother's gardening wagon. She uses it to haul plants, fertilizer, mulch, that kind of thing around the yard. Do you still have that old wagon we got you when the boys were smaller?"

  She smiled then. "Oh my gosh, yes! Funny you should mention it. I just saw it in the garage yesterday, in a pile of stuff I was thinking about getting rid of this week. But will we need that much room? I mean, we can come back later, preferably after it warms up a little, maybe even tomorrow. We don't have to do it all right now, do we?"

  "Actually, I think we should load up as much as we can of warm clothes for all of you, food and water, and toiletries. We should have today, maybe tomorrow, but after that, I don't know."

  "What do you mean, Dad? What don't you know?"

  Joel furrowed his brow. "I don't know what's going to happen, honey. But, whatever it is, I don't think it will be good. Just think about any time there's been a natural disaster. People go crazy, looting and pillaging; there's lawlessness everywhere. It may not be safe to be going down the street with things like food and water. Did you watch the news last night? The grocery stores were crazy over snow and ice predictions."

  "I didn't have to see the news. I was there in it. It was insane," she replied. "I got just what I needed to get through the next few days and got out of there."

  He nodded. "I just think we should plan to make a few trips today for sure, then play it by ear after that. I wish we had a vehicle that worked. And I wish your brother was home."

  Carly jumped up. "Oh my god — Will! I completely forgot! He was on his way home last night! It was going to be a surprise for you and Mom, him coming in early. He texted me about three and said he was running behind because of an accident, but he didn't say where he was. If his car stopped working on the way, he'd have no way to get home."

  "What time did he leave there?" Joel asked, voice now full of concern.

  Carly replied, "Nine his time, eight ours. He should have been here hours ago. I don't even know what time it is now, do you?"

  Joel pushed the bottom of his sleeve up to reveal an old manual wind-up watch on a well-worn leather band. "My dad's old watch made it through. Glad I kept it tuned up. It's coming up on eight o'clock. He should have been here at least three hours ago, even with bad roads and stops on the way."

  "Do we have any idea when this happened? Maybe we could figure out how far along the way he was," Carly said.

  "Well, I got up at two-something to use the bathroom and everything was still working. I woke up again about four because your mother's cpap machine had cut off and she was snoring. At first, I thought it might be ice on the lines taking something out. I picked up my cell phone and couldn't get mine or your mother's to power on. I knew when nothing was working, like the phones, it was more than just a power outage. I went to the garage and pulled out our old camping equipment, so I could use the Coleman stove and the percolator to make coffee. I got your mother up when it was done and let her know what I thought was going on and that we had some stuff to do. Tried to start my truck, nothing. I pulled the generator out to hook up the electric, but she told me to hold off for now, to conserve gas. So, I got her a fire started in the fireplace, brought some more wood to the back door, then headed over here to check on you. It's pretty slick out there so I had to take my time. It took me about an hour to get here. It will probably take longer to get back pulling the wagons. We better get a move on."

  "But what about Will, Dad? Shouldn't we go looking for him?"

  Joel shook his head and said, "Will is smart. He would have figured out real fast when all the cars on the road quit that he needed to start walking.
Depending on what he was carrying and where he was, it could easily take him this long to get home, even longer if he ran into any trouble."

  Carly looked concerned. "Trouble? What kind of trouble? He won't be going through any bad neighborhoods between the interstate and here. It's Bartlett, for Pete's sake."

  "Anything can happen, honey. For now, we'll just pray he gets here safe. Now, let's get busy."

  10:00 AM Central Standard Time

  By the time they got the first run back to Lauri and Joel's, both Carly and her father were panting. They had piled the wagons as high as they dared, and it was indeed a tough walk with the heavy loads on icy streets and sidewalks. They were met with curious looks, even outright stares, from people along the way. More than a few were out with hoods up trying to figure out why their cars wouldn't start. Lauri met them at the door and hugged her daughter. She turned to her husband and said, "Oh, honey, I'm so glad you're alright. I was beginning to worry."

  Joel leaned over and pecked his wife on the cheek. "Now, you know better than to worry about me, darlin'. How bout you run back in and unlock the garage door? We'll unload the food and stuff in there."

  "Of course, dear. I'll meet you over there." Lauri went back in through the house to the garage. She pulled the latch that unlocked the non-working garage door opener. She knocked on the big double door signaling to Joel that it was done. In just a moment, she saw it rolling up. They pulled both wagons in and he pulled the door back down.