by Terry Schott
Sal raised one eyebrow and Carlo laughed as he stood. “You going back to the office?”
“Not for a bit.”
“Okay. I’ll talk to you soon, eh?”
Sal nodded and signalled for the waiter, who came and refilled his drink. He surveyed the restaurant, smiling as Carlo stopped to hug the chef who was standing by the cash register. His phone rang and he looked down at it, his smile disappearing as he saw the number on the display. He swiped the screen and raised it to his ear. “What is it?”
The voice on the other end of the line sounded out of breath. “It’s time, boss.”
“You sure, Billy?”
“Hundred percent.”
“Billy?”
“Yeah, Boss?”
“Why are you calling me on Turk’s phone?”
“Well.” There was a rustling sound and Sal could tell the phone was being pressed against Billy’s chest as he yelled something. The rustling sound stopped and the heavy breathing resumed. “Turk’s dead, Boss.”
“You sure?”
Billy laughed. “Got half his brains still stuck to my shirt. If he ain’t dead he’s gonna need help, like, standing, and eating.” There was a pause. “And living.”
Sal pinched the bridge of his nose. “We all have to get out of town, Billy.”
“As fast as we can, Boss. I’m on it.”
“See ya soon.”
“Count on it.”
Sal hung up the phone and stood. “Okay everyone. This is not a drill. It’s time to get out of town. Get to your families and head out.”
Carlo frowned. “You want me to drive, Boss?”
“Yeah.” He tapped a number into his phone and listened to it ring as they exited the restaurant. After three rings, there was a click.
“Hey, handsome, what’s up?”
“It’s time, Melody. Get over to Nancy’s and wait for Billy to get there.”
“What do you want me to bring?”
“The two bags we packed.”
“Nothing else?”
Sal shook his head, paused, then nodded. “Actually, grab the three pistols in my cabinet and the rifle. Bullets too.”
“Done. See ya soon.”
He got into the backseat of the car while Carlo went to the driver’s seat and started the engine. “I have to make a couple stops.”
“That wasn’t how it was supposed to go, Sal. You must get out of the city before they start to shut it down.”
“I know, hun, but—”
“No buts. Get your ass out of the city. You need other stops made, then send one of your boys to do them. Without you, this whole family falls apart.”
No point arguing. “Okay I’m out. You do the same. If I get there and hear you made any stops along the way and got left behind, I will come back and no one will be able to stop me.”
He hung up the phone and let his hand rest on his lap as he looked out the window. “It sucks to have to leave this all behind, Carlo.”
“I know what you mean. There’s been a Martelli in charge of this neighbourhood since the first families arrived from Italy over two hundred years ago.”
And it ends during my watch.
“Wow, the calls must have gone out fast.”
Sal looked out the window. Stores were closing and people scrambling across the streets, arms filled with bags and supplies. He saw something that made him frown. “Stop the car.”
“What?” Carlo looked at him through the rearview mirror. “We can’t stop the car, Boss. You said yoursel—”
Sal kept his voice calm and low. “Stop. The car.”
The vehicle screeched to a halt and Sal opened the door, shutting it behind him. He strode toward the closest shop where a young man was tugging on a bag, trying to rip it from an older woman’s arms as she cried. Sal reached behind his back and withdrew a pistol.
The young man saw Sal and let go of the bag, his eyes wide. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. Please, I don’t know what I was doing.”
Sal raised the gun and fired, shooting the kid between the eyes. The body crumpled to the ground. Sal looked down and fired once more. His gaze went to the old woman. “Can I do anything else for you, Ernesta?”
Ernesta straightened her dress, then spat on the kid’s body. She shook her head. “Already you do too much, Don Martelli. Please, get in your car and be safe. Without an old woman”—she shrugged—“no one cares. But without you . . .” She shook her head. “Please. Get out of here.”
Sal touched her arm and turned, scanning the street as he made his way back to the car. There were no other signs of trouble.
“Who was that?” Carlo began driving.
“I didn’t recognize him.”
“Please, Boss, don’t make me stop the car again until we are out of here.”
Sal sniffed as he popped the ammo clip and reloaded it with bullets from his pocket. His phone chimed and he looked at the screen. “Melody is out and safe.”
“Good.” Carlo turned the radio on and tuned it to the local news. Sal looked out the window as they continued driving.
50
If you are able to view or hear this message, please remain calm. We are aware of widespread power outages and local crews are doing their best to restore service as quickly as possible. Do not call the reporting centres as the flood of incoming traffic has resulted in phone lines no longer working.
We assure you that everything will return to normal in a short time.
Please stay in your homes until further notice.
Emergency Broadcast System
Beckett knocked on the door and smiled as it opened to reveal a familiar face. “Heya, Scout.”
“‘Sup, Beckett?”
“Busy.”
“I bet. Thanks for coming over. Wasn’t sure my note would still be on your door this morning, but I didn’t want to wake you.” The young man stepped back and Beckett entered the house. “I know everyone is keeping you running since the power plant exploded.”
“Yeah, everybody thinks I can fix their power problems. It’s hard to believe it’s been a week since that happened.”
“And have you?” Linda emerged from the kitchen, a cup in one hand. “Fixed anyone’s power problem?”
Beckett laughed. “Nope.”
“Why not?” Fay asked from her seat on the couch.
“Um, because the power plant exploded.”
She made a tsking sound and settled back in her seat while Beckett joined her. Linda emerged from the kitchen and sat with them. Scout continued to stand at the edge of the living room.
“What about the magic you did with our wiring?” Linda took a sip from her cup.
“It wasn’t magic.”
“Sounded like it to us when you tried to explain the process.” Fay’s eyes widened and she wiggled her fingers at him as if she were casting a spell.
“What I did to your wiring was meant to enable the system to work with less power, but it still required some electricity to keep it going.”
Fay muttered something under her breath. Beckett recognized the expression on Linda’s face. She was thinking. He stayed quiet.
“Would a generator work?”
“Too loud,” Fay chimed in. “That kind of racket will bring the neighbours stampeding to our door, asking us to let them cook their food or do their laundry.” She looked out the window. “I’m in no mood for neighbours. I’d likely kill a few of them. Especially old Janet. Tired of that old broad always trying to use our stuff.”
Beckett laughed. “You wouldn’t kill anybody, Fay.” He glanced at Linda but something in the woman’s expression made him stop smiling. “Anyway, the problem is that the generator would explode.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. We hooked up the Johnston’s generator yesterday. It blew up a few hours later.” Beckett leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms. “It looks like nano coating on the wires causes most of the unused power from a generator to feed back and overload it.”
; Fay chuckled. “You figure that’s what happened to the main power plant?”
“Yeah.”
“There’s a bit of bad luck, then.”
Beckett nodded. “Bradley Copsten left town and drove around for a week to check on other towns and cities around us. He got back last night. Seems like there is no city with power.”
“Then it has to be more than your feedback theory,” Scout said.
“The theory fits. We weren’t the only ones nano-coating our wiring. I got the instructions and info from the net. I think most of the world was doing it by the time things went sour.”
“I don’t care about the rest of the world.” Fay stood and walked to the table where her computer sat. She tapped the keyboard and scowled at the black screen. “We need on the net.”
“The net has to be down as well,” Beckett said.
“I don’t think so.” Fay raised walked to the wifi router and pointed to the green power light. It was on.
“How is that thing even powered up?”
“Internal battery.”
“I haven’t seen any other routers working.”
Linda set her cup down on the table. “Ours is a bit different from regular routers.”
Beckett frowned. “Why’s that?”
“Doesn’t matter. If the generator gives too much power, then how about a car battery to boost the energy and get us powered up?”
Beckett shook his head and opened his mouth, but paused. “Maybe that would work. it’s definitely worth a try.”
“That’s the spirit.” Fay sat down and wiggled her fingers over the keyboard. “You and Scout get things hooked up. If you can get us powered back up, I’ll buy you something nice from the net.”
“If it’s still active, will there be anyone else on the net?”
She shrugged. “You get things humming again and I’ll sure do my best to find out.”
51
Beth rubbed her hands together before cupping them and blowing warm air against her fingers. A fire crackled behind her. She was careful to keep her back to it like she had been shown in order to maintain the best night vision possible.
She’d left the city, wandering for weeks before finally entering the town which she now called home. Well-organized with a clear line of command, she had learned that the occupants had been expecting the worst to happen long before it actually had. Weapons, security, transportation, food, medical supplies, the town had it all. After a quick interview followed by a lengthy and in-depth vetting process, Beth had been given a chance to join them in a probationary capacity. Three months later the town had voted on her and the six others who had arrived around the same time. Four had been allowed to stay. Beth had been one of them.
She pulled her collar up and looked at the watch on the stool beside her. It read two a.m, which meant she had two more hours on guard duty of the east gate.
A dog barked and she looked toward the sound. Walking down the road toward her, she could see the dark shape of a single form illuminated by the light of the half moon. She knelt down and raised her rifle, clicking the safety off. Four minutes later, the person was close enough for her to hear the crunching of his boots on the gravel road.
“Stop right there, Mister.” She brought the rifle up and looked at him through the sight. “I have a gun pointed at you, so you’d better do as I say.”
The man stopped and raised his hands. “I’m not dangerous.”
“I don’t know that. Do you have any weapons on you?”
“A pistol tucked into my waist at the back.”
Beth’s finger moved to rest on the trigger and she slowly lay on the ground, prone and still aiming at him in order to minimize herself as a target. “Take that pistol out and toss it onto the ground in front of you. Then take five big steps back.”
“Okay. I’m reaching for it now. I’m not going to shoot so please don’t get nervous and kill me.”
“Do as I said and you’ll be fine.”
The man reached behind his back and held a gun up in the air. He bent toward the ground and placed it on the road, then stood and took five big steps backward. He raised his hands so that she could clearly see them again.
“What’s your name, Mister?”
“I’d rather not say.”
“You’re gonna have to.”
“The last time I said my name, I had to run.”
“That’s interesting.”
“It was scary. I’m lucky they weren’t very good shots.”
“I’m an excellent shot.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“I promise not to shoot you.”
The man said nothing and Beth laughed. “It’s too late to turn around and leave. Your choices are limited. Either you say nothing and I have to shoot you, or tell me your name and I likely won’t shoot you.”
She heard the man sigh. “My name is Jeremy Stone.”
Beth frowned, then laughed. “As in former President of the United States, Jeremy Stone?”
“That’s right.”
“I gotta say, Jeremy, I’m more tempted to break my word than I thought I would be.”
“Imagine my surprise.”
“I can’t believe you’re still alive.”
“Without a lot of luck and years of military training beat into me, I wouldn’t be. Even with those things, I can’t believe I’m still alive either most of the time.”
Beth reached into her pocket and withdrew a pair of handcuffs. “I’m gonna throw a pair of cuffs at ya, Jeremy. You put them on and I can vouch for your safety while you are a visitor here. I’m tossing them your way now.”
She lobbed the handcuffs through the air. They landed a few feet behind him, but he did not move to retrieve them.
“Well, put them on.”
“I’m looking for someone in particular. If he’s not with you, then I’d prefer to move on. You can keep the gun, but I don’t want to go through all this unless you can get me to him.”
“Who is it that you’re looking for?”
“He’s called ‘the Lord’.”
Beth pursed her lips and took a breath.
“Do you recognize that name?”
“I’m not allowed to say.”
“That’s not a no.”
“It’s not.”
“Okay. That’s a good enough answer for me.” Jeremy Stone chuckled and picked up the handcuffs. Beth heard clicking noises and saw the cuffs around his wrists as he raised them into the air again.
Beth stood and slung the rifle over her shoulder, then she walked toward Jeremy, stopping a few feet from him. He nodded and she returned the gesture. “I’m Beth.”
“Thanks for not shooting me, Beth.”
“I think you’re welcome.” She reached into her jacket and pulled out a whistle. She put it to her lips and blew three long tones, the signal that a new arrival was ready to be taken to the town. She waited until she heard the same three whistles in the distance. “Someone will be here to take you in shortly.”
“Is he here?”
“Who?”
“The Lord.”
“I’m not allowed to say.”
The former president nodded. “Okay. I’ll ask whoever is in charge.”
“That’s likely a good idea.”
“You think they’ll kill me, Beth?”
“The world is pretty messed up now, Jeremy, and a lot of people would blame you for a large part of it.”
“Yeah.”
“Still, I think you have a fifty-fifty chance that they will let you live. Maybe even see him.”
“The Lord.”
She shrugged.
“Fifty-fifty, huh?” He nodded. “It’s better odds than I’ve had so far. Guess that’s something to be thankful for.”
“It’s good to stay positive.”
52
May 19, 2019
Alina Rurikid sat at a round table in a corner of the library on the second floor, her back to the wall. She was focuse
d on reading from the large book in front of her. She heard two rapid clicks and nodded without looking up, the gesture informing her hidden guards that she had heard them. After she finished reading the sentence, she looked up and smiled at the man who came to a stop at the edge of the table.
“Hello, Lord.”
Atticus bowed at the waist. “Lady. Welcome to my country.”
“Please join me.” She shook her head and closed the book. “This volume of Russian history is inaccurate.”
“As are the books about the U.S.A. in your country.”
She smiled and pushed the book to one side. “I wonder if there is any historical volume in the world which is accurate and free from bias.”
“Such a thing could not survive long.”
“I am certain that you are right.” She sighed and shook her head. “I enjoy visiting your country. I fear this will be the last time in my life I will see it.”
Atticus nodded. “I imagine that is true.”
“My country’s nuclear weapons are secure.”
“As are mine. I have locked them down both physically and digitally.” He shrugged. “Of course, there is always a chance that someone will find a way around my blocks.”
“Of course, but we can say that we have done our best, Atticus.”
“Indeed.” The Lord sighed and wiped his forehead. “The world feels as if it is travelling backwards into the past. Every country has closed their borders. Air travel is now forbidden. Soon the airports and planes will be decommissioned. The global village is now a thing of the past.”
“That is wise. The virus is a terrible threat. It has wiped out entire cities.”
Atticus chuckled. “Such a simple lie. After the power outages, the people accepted the rumour very quickly.”
“Simple only because the press is controlled by one master. The same story was written once and delivered en masse.”
“Why did you insist on meeting in person?”
She looked at him and smiled. Her gaze said much, and the way that Atticus lowered his told her he understood the message. “We have a long history, Atticus. I thought that I could convince you to come home with me.”
“As much as I would like that”—his tone was soft—“I can’t. This is my home. And while the selfish choice would be to spend the rest of our days together, the responsible decision is to remain here and do what I can to help during the coming times.”