EMPulse
Page 7
“That’s very generous of you, young man,” Marvin Jenkins said. “We’re trying to find the Mountain View Motel. Do you know where that is?”
“I certainly do!” Kyle forced a smile, taking a couple of boxes. “Where did you come from?” he asked innocently.
“We were staying at the Geo Dome Resort,” Nancy Bjork replied. “We were scheduled to leave in a few days anyway, but when the power went out, the manager suggested we leave today and come here. He said we would be better off, but I don’t know now…”
“You walked from there?” Kyle feigned astonishment.
“Oh, no! The manager has an old truck that still runs and he drove us. He really is a nice young man,” Mary Jenkins said.
“So the place is empty now?” Kyle pushed as gently as his temperament could handle. He set the boxes down carefully on the dingy tile floor of the motel office and helped set the suitcases in a neat row, trying hard not to show his intense interest in their answers.
“Well there’s the staff, and the Swansons, and a nice young lady still there, though they may be coming to town too. There wasn’t enough room in the truck for all of us,” Nancy continued.
“I don’t think Adele is in any hurry to leave,” Mary said to Nancy and chuckled. They passed a knowing wink between them that Kyle missed.
ADELE!
He’d found her.
***
After leaving the two couples in the motel office, Kyle set out on foot following the tire tracks in the snow once he was sure of the road. Since it was the only road leading out of town that had tracks, he was sure it was the right one. About the only good that came out of his six weeks in that damn hospital was that they encouraged using the exercise equipment to work off stress. He never felt stronger or fitter. The long walk should be a piece of cake for him.
Two hours after Kyle began his trek, he began to tire. He wasn’t cold—the exercise kept him warm—but he was hungry and thirsty and he brought only one bottle of water with him. He sat on a log by the side of the road to rest and downed half the bottle.
Long walk long rest; short walk short rest. The saying flitted through his mind and he couldn’t remember which writer had penned that phrase in a wilderness story. He decided the walk had been short, so the rest would be short. After twenty minutes he was on his feet again, fueled by the thought of confronting Adele.
He twice slipped on the ice and fell, banging his knee on an unseen rock. He took an extra break to massage his injured knee.
Another two hours, another break. “How far is this damn place?” he said aloud. Kyle had come eight miles of the ten mile road, making two miles an hour, slow but steady progress in the deep snow. He was fatigued and dehydrated and his calves were cramping. “She will pay for putting me through this!” he yelled to the nearby pileated woodpecker, who took flight at the intrusion. He didn’t know how close he was.
***
“I’m almost done with the cleaning of the unit, Jeff,” Beth said, coming out of the recently vacated dome. “It’s going slower without having a vacuum. A lot slower. It’s a good thing most of these floors are tiled or wood and I can sweep them.” She dumped the laundry bag filled with sheets and towels into the bed of the truck. “I still have to make the beds, but the rest of the place is ready. Do you think I should make a fire now?”
Jeff had finished unloading the second pile of split wood into the carport, and Adele was busy stacking. “That would be good, Beth. I’ll bring some more wood inside so you can keep the fire going and warm the place up,” he answered. “Matt and Chet will be here soon to unload some of their things, and Chet has a sled filled with food supplies ready. After I load up more wood and drop it at Adele’s, I’ll make the truck available to them.”
“Great,” Beth said with a sigh.
“What’s the matter, Beth?”
“I don’t know. This would be an interesting adventure if there wasn’t such finality to it. Know what I mean?”
“I think I do. We can only take it one day at time though,” he replied. “Next week something might change, or maybe next month. Either way, we still need to get ourselves ready for the rest of the winter, unless…” he stopped and looked at her, “unless you and Aaron want to go to town?”
“Oh, no! We would never abandon you, Jeff! It’s just a weird feeling, that’s all.” She went back into the pale gray cement dome.
***
“There, that’s done,” Adele said to Jeff, placing the last log on top of the neat piles of wood.
“I need to fill the truck one last time for today to replenish your supply. I’ll be up in a half hour or so,” Jeff answered. Adele trudged up the slight grade to her unit alone, being extra careful where she stepped. Any injury now could be disastrous.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Kyle approached the wooden split rail fencing and smiled at the rustic sign with modern lettering. The “Geo Dome Resort” sign was partially buried in the snow and he almost missed it. By the position of the sun it was close to five in the evening and the daylight was fading. He had been walking for nearly eight hours. He was past feeling tired.
Sticking to the shadows, Kyle inched his way up the narrow road, noting the old pickup truck backed into the drive at the dome past what he presumed to be the offices near the front. Fortunately for him there were plenty of trees and evergreen shrubs to hide behind. Once beyond the activity going on at that dome, he darted across the road to the next dome and peered at the license plate of the car still parked there. Minnesota. He made his way to the next one. The Bentley had plates from California. Frustrated, he almost stepped out of the car shelter when the pickup pulled out and headed up the hill behind him. He took a deep breath to steady his anger and dashed up to the next dome.
The dark maroon Tahoe sat silent in the carport. Kyle grinned at the Texas plates. He boldly walked up to the door of the dome and opened it, sliding silently inside.
He roamed the few rooms and was initially disappointed to find Adele was not there. He lingered in the bedroom going through her drawers and closet. When he found her 9mm pistol in the nightstand, he picked it up, checked the magazine, and, finding it full, slipped the gun into his jacket pocket.
Kyle opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of water. He chugged it and sighed with contentment, then took another. The freezer was well stocked with all the things he knew Adele enjoyed. When he spotted the wine rack and checked the labels, he was sure this was her place. Did she really think she could hide from him that easily? He popped a stick of gum into his mouth and tossed the wrapper on the floor.
On her art table by the window he found several paintings in progress. He picked them up one at a time and tore them into pieces, taking a handful of the shreds and throwing them into the fire that was blazing in the woodstove. He heard the door open and put his back to the wall by the stove, barely out of obvious sight.
***
Adele tossed her leather gloves at the kitchen island and shrugged off her jacket. She had several minutes before Jeff returned with the load of wood for her. Her heart raced at the thought of what the evening might hold. One of her gloves had fallen to the floor and she stooped to pick it up. The small piece of silver paper caught her eye. When she picked it up, she got a whiff of Juicy Fruit and froze.
“Aren’t you going to say hello to your husband?” Kyle asked, pushing off from the wall into full view.
Adele slowly turned toward the voice. “What are you doing here, Kyle?”
“Did you really think you could hide from me, sweetie?” he said, feeling the anger at her indifference toward him. “And didn’t I tell you to stop painting? Why do you keep disobeying me?” he yelled, spittle flying from his mouth.
Adele’s eyes darted to her art table and she saw the pile of shredded colors. Although she wanted to cry, she refused to give him the satisfaction.
“You were easy to trace, darling. Remember, I’m the computer whiz.”
“I didn’t use any credit cards.”
“You used your debit card, you stupid bitch! It’s as traceable as a credit card. It was only a matter of time, baby. I must say this EMP thing did put a crimp in my plans though,” Kyle sneered. “Oh, and I did want to save those last two paintings to burn in front of you, so you really get the message this time.” He picked up Dome Snow and gazed at it. “I actually like this one, but you can’t keep it.”
“I won’t let you hurt me anymore, Kyle.” Adele did the one thing she knew would irritate Kyle the most. She turned her back on him and walked out the door.
He flung the painting at the woodstove, where it landed on the floor. “COME BACK HERE!” he screamed at her and lunged for the door.
Once outside, Adele ran. Her legs were shaky with fear and she was tired from a day of physical work. Kyle caught up to her quickly in spite of his injured knee. She threw his hand off of her arm and ran in the other direction.
“Stop it, Adele, or I’ll shoot you with your own gun,” he laughed. “I might anyway.” He raised the pistol in her direction. Jeff tackled him from behind and the gun fired, the shot going high and wide off into the thin line of trees behind them. The gun flew from Kyle’s hand as he and Jeff struggled. Adele leaped toward the gun and picked it up before Kyle’s fingers made contact.
The rumble started low and vibrated through the ground. Adele looked around, confused. The noise and the vibration kept building. Jeff looked past her at the mountain, his eyes going wide.
“Avalanche! Run!” Jeff shouted, while Kyle struggled to stand. Jeff grabbed Adele by the wrist and pulled her back toward the dome.
Kyle started to run down the road, away from the building roar, realizing too late he couldn’t outrun what was coming. He stopped, faced toward his ex-wife, and stood there defiantly.
Adele paused at the opened door and looked back in time to see a white wall of snow and ice sweep Kyle away. Jeff pulled her inside and slammed the door, locking it.
The concrete dome shuddered and groaned under the onslaught of tons of snow. It held fast as they were quickly plunged into darkness with the snow covering the windows, covering them.
It was a minor snow slide and was over quickly.
“Are you okay, Adele? Who was that?” Jeff held her close, unable to see in the dark that surrounded them.
She nodded, and then realized he couldn’t see her. “I’m okay, I think.”
“Who was that?” he repeated.
“Kyle Polez, my ex-husband. I don’t know how he got out of the hospital or how he found me. I don’t think I’ve ever been more frightened in my life!” She shuddered into Jeff’s chest.
“I think it’s safe to say he won’t be bothering you anymore.” Jeff pushed her back slightly, trying to see her face. He tightened his embrace when he felt her start to shake. “It’s okay, Adele,” he murmured into her hair. “Do you think he really would have killed you?”
“Oh, yes, no doubt in my mind. When I came here it was to hide, yes, but it was also to finish healing the broken bones. I broke my leg when he pushed me down the stairs, and he broke my arm after I divorced him. He is violent and crazy.”
Jeff held her tighter. When she stopped shaking, Adele stepped back from him. “I’ll find the kerosene lamp.” She moved away from him, feeling the edges of the counter to guide her. A few moments later, she struck a match and lit the lamp she had purposely left on the stove so she knew where it was. The flame cast a brilliant, comforting light in the pitch dark room.
“Ah, that’s better,” Jeff said, taking the lamp from Adele to find a more central place, and set it on the art table. He stared at the pile of shredded art work, and looked over at Adele.
“Yeah, Kyle did that. He hated that I did something other people enjoyed and admired me for,” she said. “He almost burned Dome Snow.” Her voice faltered. “That’s when I walked out. I knew he would rather physically hurt me than just emotionally hurt me, and that he would follow.” She walked over to the woodstove and picked the painting up off the floor.
“You put yourself in danger to save that painting?” Jeff asked quietly.
“I couldn’t let him destroy it, Jeff! It’s not only one of the finest pieces I’ve ever done, it’s also yours,” she said. A realization seemed to wash over her and she started shaking again. “Do you think he’s really dead?”
“I don’t think anyone could survive that kind of crushing force, so, yes, I think he’s dead.” He picked up the pieces of the destroyed art. “What do you want to do with this?”
Adele walked to the table and looked down at the mess. “Each piece I do has a life; these are now dead and can’t be resurrected. Burn them.”
Jeff put them into the roaring fire.
Adele looked around the room as the reality of their situation occurred to her. “Jeff, how is it we weren’t crushed?”
Jeff smiled proudly in the diffused light. “It’s the design of the dome. It’s meant to withstand tornado level winds and tons of snow. These have never truly been tested… until today. I’d say they passed the test admirably.” He gave her a gentle hug. “At least this one did. I need to get outside and see what’s happened to the others. I pray everyone was inside one of the domes!”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Jeff unlocked the front door and cautiously opened it. Packed snow covered a third of the entrance. “We’re in luck!”
Adele stared at the wall of snow blocking the door. “That’s luck?”
“Of course it is. We aren’t completely buried. I can get through the opening, get to the shovel in the carport, and finish digging us out. I hope. It will depend on how packed this is, which might be a lot,” he said. “Even if I can’t completely free up the doorway, we can still get out and get to the others.”
“Do you think they’re okay?”
“If they were inside, yes,” he replied. “It will also depend on the angle of the snow slide. There may be areas completely unaffected.”
“It’s nearly dark, Jeff. Would it be safer to wait until the morning?”
“Yes, it would, you’re right. I’ve got to know though, Adele,” he said to her. “I’m going out to see if I can get on top and have a look around.” He put his jacket back on and took the wooden desk chair to the door. He shoved the back legs into the hard snow for stability and climbed up. The top of the snow was now level with his knees.
“Wait!” Adele said. She hurried to the kitchen and brought back two large wooden spoons and handed them to Jeff. “Snow spikes.” He smiled down at her and leaned out over the snow, thrust the wooden spoons into the mound and pulled himself out.
***
Once Jeff’s feet disappeared over the mound of snow, Adele felt antsy and useless. She put another log on the fire; thankful she had refilled her inside supply. Her stomach rumbled and she glanced at her watch. It was nearing seven in the evening. No wonder it was so dark out, and no wonder she was hungry. She had pulled two steaks out of the silent freezer and set them on a plate in the equally silent refrigerator, hoping to keep a chill for the other food still there, especially her cheeses. Thinking back to her winters with her mother, she decided that a bowl full of snow would help too. Once the snow melted, she… they, could use it to wash or flush the toilet.
She got a large bowl from the cupboard, and made sure it would fit inside the refrigerator. When it didn’t, she put it back and retrieved two slightly smaller ones that did fit.
Adele had left the door ajar, so Jeff could get back in easily. She opened it wider in time to hear him yelling. She stepped up on the chair to look out and saw him with snowshoes on and balanced on the packed snow. He was waving his arms and making hand-signals that she coul
dn’t decipher, though his voice had a happy sound to it that sounded encouraging.
She chiseled some snow from the top and dropped it into the bowl on the floor. Picking at the hardened snow with a large spoon was taking a long time to get as much as she needed. Then she thought what else do I have to do? And she kept at it.
With the bowls full of snow and ice in the refrigerator, Adele lit a second oil lamp and used it to search her closet.
***
Jeff lowered himself carefully down to the chair and stepped off, pulling the two pair of snowshoes in with him. The place was bright.
“Where did you get those?” he asked, amazed at what he was seeing.
“My mother made me do it,” Adele confessed, boiling water on the camp stove that balanced atop the useless electric stove. The wide room now had an oil lamp on her art table and a brilliant Coleman lantern on the work island.
“Remind me to thank her if I ever get the chance to meet her,” Jeff said, admiring the propane fueled lantern.
The comment caused Adele to frown. “I hadn’t thought about that, Jeff. I might never see or talk to my mother again. I should have thanked her when I had the chance for all she taught me.” Her voice cracked.
“Hey, never say never.” Jeff enfolded her in his arms. He tipped her face up and gently kissed her. “On a good note, I made limited contact with the others, enough to know they are all safe. The avalanche was semi-funneled between the condo-domes. The bad news is the office, restaurant, and, from what I could see, most of the hotel domes are buried. We will need to do a better inspection over the next few days. That means that most of the food is unreachable, unless we dig.” He frowned at the implication. “Speaking of food, what are you cooking?”