“Jake!” she exclaimed. She threw her arms around him. “You’re alright!”
“Of course I’m alright.” He held her with the arm that wasn’t supporting Deron. His head rested on hers as he spoke, “I’m glad you got home safe.”
She pulled back and looked at him. “I heard a gun go off. I figured you were the one firing, but I couldn’t be sure. I was so worried! What happened?” She glanced around the hall and looked at the others.
“We can talk about it inside. Right now, we need to get these two somewhere safe to rest,” he told her. “Was there anyone else outside when you came in?”
“There was one cop on the sidewalk. I think he was on patrol. I saw him when I unlocked the front door,” Aby told them.
“Shit,” says Jake. “He’ll have heard the gunshot and come into the building. We’re so screwed.”
“He didn’t, though,” Aby explained. “I heard the first shot from the lobby. He definitely should have heard it from where he was standing, but he didn’t come in. He didn’t even walk towards the building. Things are getting weird outside. Some of the police are even taking advantage of the situation.”
Jake furrowed his brow. “Hopefully that will work to our advantage.”
Seven
Aby
Back in their apartment, Jake laid Deron down on the couch. Aby handed him a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a dishcloth, which he graciously accepted and placed on top of his head. The woman from down the hall sat quietly in a chair. Aby has no idea what happened, but she could draw inferences. Though she did not know her name, she realized the woman lived in B22. That apartment had several police visits in the past, supposedly due to domestic violence reports. And the woman was bloody.
“I’ll get you a glass of water,” Aby said to her gently. She draped one of their throw blankets over the woman’s shoulders as she walked past. When she returned with the glass of water, the woman had pulled the blanket tightly around herself.
“Thank you,” she said softly. She looked up at Aby as she said this but didn’t quite look her in the eyes.
“You’re very welcome,” Aby said with a small smile. She sat in another chair at the other end of the living room before addressing the entire group. “I don’t know if any of you have been outside much today, but the city isn’t safe. People are going insane outside. I saw a woman steal medicine from a pharmacy. Police stole things from a closed shop. I had to run through a mass of brawling people just to get home.”
“It’s that bad?” Jake questioned. “I had some trouble with one of my coworkers in the parking lot, but that was it. I hardly saw anyone on my way home.”
“Wait, back up a little,” Deron said from the couch, eyes still closed. “Why is everyone panicking?”
They both looked at him, shocked. The woman didn’t appear to know what they were talking about either, though she was still staring silently at the floor. She hadn’t even touched her glass of water.
“Didn’t you notice the power go out?” Aby asked him.
“I did, but the power goes out all the time around here. Someone probably hit a pole or something. Shouldn’t cause the whole of Pittsburg to start rioting,” Deron said grumpily.
“The power is out in the entire city, as far as I can tell,” Aby said.
“It’s not just the power,” Jake interjected. “Cell phones won’t turn on; cars quit working; lights went out. Even things on batteries don’t work anymore. Everything is just… fried.”
“And how in the world does something like that even happen?” Deron asked skeptically. The woman continued to stare at the floor and say nothing. Aby wasn’t even certain that she could hear them.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think it might have been an EMP. No other explanation for why the cars and battery-powered devices stopped working too,” Jake said.
“What’s an EMP?” Aby asked. “I’ve heard the phrase before, but I have no idea what it means.”
“An EMP,” Jake began, “is short for electromagnetic pulse. It’s a short burst of electromagnetic energy with enough voltage to overload power supplies and destroy circuitry.” He scratched the back of his head as he spoke. “I don’t really understand the science behind it, but these things are caused by some sort of special bomb. For a long time in the 80’s, the US was concerned about foreign nations attacking us with one of those bombs. Society is so reliant on electricity in this age and destroying that infrastructure could cause a country to collapse.”
“I’ve heard of those things before,” Deron announced. Even when closed, his eyes narrowed. “Can’t those happen with the Sun too?”
Jake rolled his eyes, and Aby was glad that the other two weren’t looking at him to see his expression. “Well, yeah, but I’ve never heard of a solar flare knocking out a whole city. Usually it just messes with the cell signal for a couple of hours in one area.”
“I’m just saying that it’s possible we haven’t been attacked. Maybe it was just really strong… What did you call it?”
“Solar. Flare,” Jake supplied.
“Yeah. Solar flare. Maybe it was just a big one of those. We might not be at war. Could just be a freaky natural disaster,” said Deron.
Aby thought for a moment. “You could be right, Deron. But I think it might be best to proceed as if it were some kind of attack. Until we know better, it would be smart to keep our guard up,” she said.
“Aby’s right,” Jake said while he worked to fill two bags with his survival gear and non-perishable food. “We need to stay alert. It’s only been a few hours since everything fried, and people are already acting out. Things will only get worse.”
Aby watched Jake fill the bags with food, medical supplies, fire starters, emergency blankets, knives, and ammo. She used to tease him about all the stuff he hoarded. She had thought it was crazy to have all this stuff. Nothing bad was going to happen to them. They wouldn’t need all that gear. It was just a waste of money. At least, she used to think so. Now she was grateful that he didn’t listen to all her teasing.
The room was tense and silent save for the rustling of the bags Jake was packing. After a time, Aby asked Jake, “What should we do now?”
Jake handed each of them a sandwich and a pint of ice cream with a spoon. “First, we are going to eat some of this perishable food before it goes bad. Then we are going to get out of Pittsburg. We need to get far, far away from this city before things devolve much more than they already have.” As he spoke, he stuffed fruit and vegetables into sacks that clipped onto the bags he had just finished packing. He placed all four packs in a pile next to their dining table and clipped on the little sacks. He went into the bedroom and began loading up his gun bag.
Aby felt useless as she watched her fiancé packing the supplies. Once she finished her sandwich, she pulled some alcohol wipes from the medicine cabinet. Approaching the woman, she asked, “Would you mind if I cleaned up your cuts? I don’t want them to get infected.” The woman nodded.
Aby worked to clean the woman’s cuts on her arms and face. The wounds were fairly superficial and would heal quickly. She was deeply bruised, but Aby felt confident that none of her bones were broken. It had been a while since, she assumed, her husband had beat her, and there were no signs of the inflammation and swelling that typically followed a break.
The group had nearly finished eating when there was a knock at the door. They all looked at each other.
“Maybe it’s that cop,” Deron whispers.
Jake’s eyes went wide and looked to Aby. “I can’t let them arrest me,” he whispers in terror. “Who knows what is going to happen to people locked up? It’s not like there is going to be a trial… I won’t be able to defend myself in court... I’ll already be guilty…” he trailed off. Aby had never seen him look so scared before.
“You had no choice!” the nameless woman spoke for the first time, sobbing. “He would have killed you. What could you have done? He was crazy and on drugs and…” She stopped speaking bu
t continued to weep. Aby knew that she had been addressing Jake but got the feeling that the woman’s words were meant for herself as well.
There was another knock. Louder, this time. More urgent.
“Who’s at the door?” Jake asked in a clear voice.
“Police,” came the reply.
“What do you want?”
“Open up. We need to speak with you,” the gruff voice said.
Jake stood and motioned for everyone else to do the same. It took Deron a moment to rise from the couch. He winced as he stood, and Aby worried that he may not be able to keep up as they made their escape.
Aby knew they needed to get the hell out of there. Jake would distract the cops while they escaped. She opened the window to the fire escape as silently as she could before throwing on a pack. Jake motioned for the others to follow her lead.
“We’re speaking now. Why do I need to open the door?” Jake asked. Aby could tell he was trying to buy time by dragging out the conversation. She grabbed the gun bag. There was no way she would let the police take Jake. Not after the EMP. Not while the city was collapsing.
“You need to open the door so we can talk to you,” answered a new voice from behind the door. Deron and the woman had collected their packs and shimmied out the window. Aby looked to Jake, motioning toward the window, but he waved her away. He insisted on leaving last.
As she climbed out the window, she watched Jake snatch his father’s pocket watch off the coffee table. He backed towards the window before responding to the voices, “I’m afraid we can’t do that, sir!”
Jake grabbed his pack and dashed for the window. “Move!” he shouted.
As he jumped through, their door broke down. The last thing Aby saw before descending the fire escape was the flash of a silver police badge.
Deron and the woman waited for them at the bottom. Jake pointed them towards his old SUV, and the group sprinted forward.
“It won’t run!” Aby reminded him. How could he forget that?
“Like hell it won’t,” Jake argued. He unlocked the car and opened the trunk. “This old bastard has been running since the late 80’s. There’s nothing that can keep him down.”
The group threw their gear into the back and piled in. It took a couple of tries, but Jake got his old car to start.
“Yeah, baby! I knew you wouldn’t let me down!” He looked over at Aby. “I told you selling it was a bad idea.”
She snorted at him. How does he find the energy to make jokes right now?
They roared out of the parking lot and turned left, away from the city. Jake wove quickly through the dead vehicles that cluttered the road. They sped faster, but Aby couldn’t hear any other engines. She looked behind them and saw nothing but empty cars.
“Maybe the cops’ cars are dead like all the others?” Deron said hopefully. As he did, Aby saw a squad car racing out from behind a building. No lights, no sirens. The electronics were dead, but the engine still worked.
Why did he have to say that? Then the others noticed it too. “Thanks a lot, Deron!” she snapped.
“What?” he whined. “It’s not like saying something magically made them appear.”
“Both of you, please, stop talking!” bellowed Jake.
Aby gripped her seat as Jake slammed on the gas. It was a strange feeling, she thought, to be so fearful of the police. She had always thought of them as heroes, there to serve and protect. The police were supposed to save them. But now they were running, and she couldn’t be more terrified at the thought of them getting caught.
“I’m going to try and lose them. You guys need to hang on tight,” Jake warned.
They sped ahead of the cop car, dodging dead vehicles with sharp, sudden turns. The car followed their every move, trailing only a few hundred meters behind them. As they wove around a particularly large pile of cars, Jake turned sharply down an alley. He hit a few boxes before quickly turning again. This second alley opened up onto a wide road leading west.
“There’s no way those donut eaters followed us through that one,” Jake smiled to himself.
They had just passed a Macy’s when Aby heard a second engine. She turned in disbelief to look out the back window. Her horror was affirmed by the sight of that same squad car.
“Jake,” she whispered. “They’re still here…”
“Oh shit,” he cursed. Aby heard the gas pedal hit the floor. The old SUV could barely hit 100 miles per hour.
How fast can that squad car go?
Eight
Jake
There is no way I will allow them to catch us, Jake thought in a panic. His ancient car might still be running when most vehicles were not, but he guessed that it wouldn’t be able to stay ahead of a cop car for long. Now was not a good time to be wanted for murder. At least, he was pretty certain that was why they were chasing him. He hadn’t done anything else, yet.
Getting caught would mean so much more than jail time. Eventually, the police will have greater problems than securing the prisoners. Inmates will be forgotten… I could die in there.
The SUV had nearly reached its maximum speed, and the squad car was catching up. Jake looked in the rear-view mirror and found the police had no problem mimicking every sharp turn he made. The city flew by in a blur outside their windows. He needed to find somewhere they could hide. Where does one hide in the middle of the city?
Jake continued to panic in the periphery of his mind as he worked to find a solution. He looked at Aby sitting beside him. She was turned backward in her seat, clutching the headrest as she stared out the rear windshield with wide eyes. I won’t be the only one locked up if we’re caught, he thought. The police would likely take them all – if not for suspected murder, then for aiding and abetting. He glanced at the other passengers in the mirror. Not sure Deron planned on going out like this. I wonder what that lady’s name is?
As if reading his mind, Deron spoke, “So, lady—” His sentence was interrupted as Jake ran over some refuse. He had hoped the squad car would not follow him over it, but his only reward was the brief grunt Deron emitted as the car bounced. Deron continued, “What’s your name? Might die together soon—” Another hard bounce. “—and I’d like to know the names of the people I’m gonna die with.”
“My name is Megan,” she replied shortly.
The conversation died as Jake attempted another run through the alleys. He hoped to lose them with a longer series of random turns. Again, they remained close behind. Jake worried that the age of his vehicle would get them caught. His turns were quick, but the old thing was struggling to stay ahead of the cruiser.
The alleys lead them out of the city and into the densest part of the outer suburbs. From the corner of his eye, he could see Aby hanging on to what they affectionately called the “Oh Shit Handle”. It was the plastic handle on the ceiling just above the passenger-side window. He turned sharply around the corner, using Aby’s reactions to gauge whether the police were still behind them. The rearview mirror had fallen off when he ran into those boxes in the first alley, so it was difficult to tell otherwise. The streets were clogged with dead cars. Once in a while, they would zoom by a driver in an equally outdated vehicle.
“Hang on,” Jake said to the others. “I have an idea. Everyone duck down so the cops can’t see you.” He hoped it would work. He used to pull this kind of stunt all the time as a teenager, but the stakes were a little higher now than getting caught driving alone with a learner’s permit.
Without waiting for them to follow his orders, Jake shot around one more corner. He pulled into the first open driveway he could see and killed the engine. He sank down in his seat, waiting. He could hear the squad car rounding the corner.
Please, for the love of God, let this work.
Sounds of tires tearing over worn asphalt grew louder.
There’s no way to escape. They could block the driveway. We’re sitting ducks.
The car was nearly on top of them, now. The sound of the engine was lo
ud enough to hear over his heartbeat and the nervous breath from the others.
Shit!
The cops drove past. They didn’t even slow. Jake peaked his head over the back of his seat with just enough time to see them swing sharply around the next corner. They must have assumed he turned again.
Oh, thank God.
He turned around to face the others. “Is everybody alright?” They all nodded in confirmation, likely too scared to speak aloud. He looked at Aby, who was breathing hard despite having been sitting for the ordeal. Terror would do that to a person.
“Okay, so now that the cops are gone, we should—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the door to the house they had parked in front of slammed open. A lanky white man appeared. Stubble coated his lower face, and a thin tank top exposed his bony frame. He took a step out and shook the fore-end of his rifle, loading the gun. He hadn’t spoken, but the message was clear.
“We should go!” Aby shouted, shoving Jake’s hand aside to turn the ignition. The engine roared back to life, and Jake slammed on the clutch, throwing the thing in reverse and speeding away from the angry redneck with a gun. He heard the tires screech against the abrupt movement. The smell of burnt rubber filled his nostrils as the outside air circulated into the cabin. People walking in the street had not expected the car to move. Several screamed when his bumper came too close. Others cursed and shook fists in his direction. He ignored them and hurtled back down the road out of the city limits.
After they had put a few miles between them and the suburban outskirts, Jake spoke. “We should start making plans before we run out of gas.”
Silence responded to the comment. He began again.
“We’ve got a lot of gear packed into those bags. Plenty of supplies and ammo to last a while, if we conserve. But we’ll go through it all pretty fast if we live out of this car. We need someplace to set up shop. We’ll need to start making our own clean water, find decent shelter, start making food runs…”
The End of the World Series (Book 1): Survive The Collapse Page 4