Darkness After Series (Prequel): Enter the Darkness

by Scott B. Williams

  She finished dressing and went back to the kitchen to leave a note for him. She desperately needed a cup of coffee, but of course, the coffee maker was useless too and it would have to wait until she got to work. She locked the door and descended the steps to the sidewalk to get around the railing separating their half of the converted duplex from the neighbor’s. Mrs. Landry was an elderly widow who was usually home, and always up early, so April didn’t hesitate to knock on her door to ask if she could use her landline. She needed to call a cab and she needed to do it soon. She was already going to be late, and she couldn’t afford to get fired. Mrs. Landry was hard of hearing, so April pounded louder to get her to the door.

  “It’s not working, sweetie,” the elderly woman said when she finally opened it and heard April’s request. “I tried to call my sister, Julie in Slidell to see if their power was out on the North Shore too, and I couldn’t get a dial tone. The power and the phone lines are both out, so it seems.”

  “Well rats! I don’t know how I’m going to get to work then. David’s got my car and he was supposed to be back early this morning with Kimberly, but I haven’t seen or heard from him.”

  “He may have a problem with the car, sweetie. Look over there across the street at Jennifer’s house. I heard her slamming doors earlier and looked out to see that she couldn’t seem to get her car started. The hood’s been up for half an hour and she’s gone back inside. And I haven’t seen any cars drive by since the power went off.”

  That kind of coincidence didn’t mean much to April, but she was curious to know when the blackout happened. “You mean it went off sometime after you got up this morning?”

  “Oh yes, dear. It was just a few minutes before eight. It hasn’t been all that long.”

  “That’s odd,” April said. “I figured it happened right after I went to bed, because my iPhone was completely dead when I got up. But if the power was still on all night, it should have gotten a full charge long before it went out.”

  “I don’t know much about those things, but I do know that it’s unusual for the old-fashioned telephones like mine to go out. That never happens in a power outage.”

  “I’m going to walk over there and see what’s going on with Jennifer’s car and see if she knows anything about all this. I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”

  April was beyond frustrated and getting worried too. On the one hand, she was upset thinking David had stayed out late and overslept this morning, but now she wondered if his being late was somehow related to what was going on here. Either way, she was stranded with no way to get to work and she couldn’t call him to check on Kimberly.

  She didn’t really know Jennifer, but the 30-something divorcee that lived alone in the house across the street always seemed friendly enough, waving whenever she saw April pushing Kimberly along the sidewalk in her stroller. When she came to the door, Jennifer seemed glad to see her, as if she thought April might have some answers. When April told her she was just as baffled as everyone else, Jennifer walked out to the white Buick with her to show her what it was doing. The interior lights still came on when she opened the door, but turning the key did nothing. The starter didn’t spin and April didn’t even hear the small humming sound that David had told her was the fuel pump when she asked him about it in her own car.

  “I’ve never had a problem with this car since I’ve owned it,” Jennifer said. “It’s always been serviced at the dealership where I bought it and it’s still under warranty. I would call them to come pick it up, but there’s no way to call. I guess I’ll just have to wait until the power and phones come back on.”

  April heard what she was saying, but she was busy scanning what she could see of the rest of the neighborhood at the same time. Something seemed really weird, and it took her a minute to realize that it was the quiet. She had never heard the city so quiet. The background noise of traffic that could normally be heard from every direction was gone. The underlying hum of other unseen machinery and power lines and who knew what else was missing too. Those sounds were all replaced by the voices of people talking or calling out to each other, the opening and closing of doors and birdcalls and squirrel chatter from the branches overhead that shaded the street. Something really strange was going on, and April was beginning to sense it was more than just a power outage, especially when she learned that Jennifer’s cell phone was as dead as her own.

  “It was working when I got up at my usual time around 6:30. I had my coffee while I was reading for a few minutes, and it was still working the last time I looked at it before I went to get a shower before work. The lights went out while I was in there, and when I came out to dry off, I discovered the phone was dead too. That was before I even tried to start the car. What could make our cell phones go out like that?”

  “I don’t know,” April said, “but I’m going to take a walk around the block and ask around. There’s got to be someone who might know.”

  “That sounds like a good idea. I’d go with you but I’d probably just slow you down. Please tell me if you find out anything though.”

  “I will,” April promised. And with that she headed for the street, turning east in the direction where she’d heard most of the voices.

  Three

  THE MAN FROM THE Lexus looked up from the phone that had been the sole focus of his attention until he noticed Mitch’s approach. “Darned thing has gone into brick mode apparently. What about yours? Any luck?

  “Nope. Mine did the same thing. It doesn’t make any sense. I’m Mitch Henley, by the way,” Mitch said, extending his hand.

  “Charles Greenfield. Pleased to meet you Mitch. That’s a nice new Ford truck you’re driving, and I noticed your Mississippi plates….”

  Mitch could tell the fifty-something-year-old man was probably wondering how a kid his age could afford such an expensive truck. “Yeah, it’s my dad’s. He just bought it a couple of weeks ago. I had to drive him and my mom down to the airport this morning. That’s why I was wondering about your phone. I need to call them and make sure they’re okay. They should be in Houston already, but I’m worried about them now after those two plane crashes.”

  “I’m sure whatever caused those two crashes isn’t affecting anything as far away as Houston, but I can understand your concern. That’s the main reason I’ve been trying to get this blasted phone to work. I was hoping to find some news online that might give us a clue about what’s going on, but no such luck. It’s all really bizarre, I’ll grant you that. First all these cars going dead…. then planes crashing…. the power going out and our phones dying too….” Mr. Greenfield looked bewildered, but he was still calmer than most of those around them, many of whom were in full manic mode by now.

  “It had to all happen at the same time, right? I mean, just when I noticed that stoplight go out was when the radio went out in the truck. I just didn’t realize the engine was dead at first because these new ones are so quiet compared to what I’m used to. Whatever it was that knocked out the power must have fried the electronics in our vehicles and phones…. and in those airplanes. Those jets can’t fly without their electronic controls, can they?”

  “I don’t think so, no. But you’re right. It’s got to be something electrical-related.” Mr. Greenfield stared at the inert smartphone in the palm of his hand as he talked. “It’s like the way a lightning strike knocks out the power. But whoever heard of a lightning strike with enough energy to take out the circuitry in cars and airplanes?

  “It probably could in a direct hit,” Mitch said. “I’ve seen it blow an oak tree into toothpicks, but I don’t think lightning did this. There’s not a cloud in the sky and I haven’t heard any thunder, have you?”

  “No. Of course it wasn’t really lighting, but I have no idea what else could have done it. And I wonder how big an area it affected. Those planes went down at least several miles away.”

  “That’s what has me worried. If I can’t call, I can’t be sure my mom and dad are okay just be
cause they’re supposed to be in Houston.”

  “Maybe there’s a land line in one of those stores you could use. Land lines don’t go out when the power goes off.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. That’s a good idea! I got off on this exit in the first place because I needed to find a restroom. They probably have a phone in that convenience store,” Mitch said, pointing to the gas station and store across the street at the next intersection.

  “Mind if I walk along with you?” I should try to call my office downtown anyway. It looks like I’m going to be late for an important appointment.”

  “Sure,” Mitch said. “I just want to lock up the truck first. I guess no one will mind if we park where we are,” he laughed, trying to lighten the mood and put the worry out of his mind, if only for a moment.

  “I should guess not, but if they do, they’ll have a lot more tickets to write besides just our two,” Mr. Greenfield said, looking around as they worked their way through the dozens of stalled vehicles in the immediate vicinity. Farther away, it looked like the same situation on every bit of roadway they could see. The interstate overpass to the north was strangely silent, the big semi trucks and commuter cars alike all immobilized wherever they had come to a stop when their engines stalled.

  “Where in Mississippi do you live, Mitch? My wife and I get over to Biloxi pretty often.”

  “It’s out in the middle of nowhere. Well to the east of Interstate 59 and Highway 49, over in Stone County. If you’ve ever heard of Black Creek, our land is really close to it.”

  “It seems to ring a bell.”

  “You would have crossed a bridge over it if you ever went to Hattiesburg from the Gulf Coast on 49.”

  “That’s probably where I saw the name then.”

  “Do you live in New Orleans?” Mitch asked.

  “Metairie actually, not far from here on the Lakeshore. But my office is downtown, right off Canal.”

  “Wow, it’s gotta suck to drive through this traffic here everyday. I was stuck on 610 for nearly an hour this morning because of a wreck. What kind of work do you do down there?”

  “I’m an attorney. I don’t mind the traffic really. It’s not that bad most of the time. I understand how you feel though. I grew up in the country too, on a big farm in Iowa. I left there when I wasn’t much older than you and never looked back. I love it here in the Big Easy, but I’ve got to admit, this is the weirdest thing I’ve seen happen here. The lights were out for a long time after Hurricane Katrina hit, but we were away on vacation at the time, so I missed the worst of that.”

  They reached the convenience store and found all the employees and customers standing around outside or in the doorways. No, the landline phone in the store didn’t work, according to the manager. Yes, they could go in and use the bathroom, but it was pitch-dark back there because there were no windows to let in daylight. Mitch had a mini-flashlight on his keychain though, so he managed to find his way to the men’s room without issue. When he made his way back outside, Mr. Greenfield was waiting by the door.

  “You know, this is really a lot worse than I thought it was at first,” Mr. Greenfield said as they walked back out into the parking lot. One of the customers that had been in there when it first happened was talking about a possible EMP event. He said he saw strange lights in the sky after midnight last night, and that maybe it was a strong solar flare that caused this.”

  “A solar flare?” Mitch looked at Mr. Greenfield as it dawned on him that this idea made a lot more sense than anything else he could think of. He’d seen a cable TV documentary about solar flares, and how scientists agreed that a really powerful one could destroy the complex technology grid everyone was so dependent upon. A big enough electromagnetic pulse generated by a strong solar flare could essentially shut down all of our power and communication systems. At least that was the theory.

  “I don’t know why I didn’t think about that before, Mitch. I’ve read about solar EMPs somewhere, but just never thought much of it. The idea seemed rather far-fetched, to be honest.”

  “I rarely watch TV, but Dad and my sister had it on one of the science channels one night and I sat down for a few minutes to see what the show was about. Some guy was talking about how NASA was concerned that we were overdue for a major solar flare, and that if a big enough one occurred, it could disrupt everything on Earth. At the time, I thought that might be a good thing, because you know, no more school!”

  Mr. Greenfield chuckled at this, but then began to wonder. “I could see how the power grid and the cell networks would be affected. But man, it would have to be some kind of powerful to interfere with airplanes and car engines.”

  “They said it would be; that there would be so much voltage or current or whatever that it would just fry all that stuff and wipe out most of our technology. Dad always said these newer cars and trucks were too complicated and you can’t even work on them anymore. Everything about them is controlled by little black boxes that are really computers.”

  “Yes, of course. That’s true. I can see the vulnerability, but it’s so strange to think that something you can’t hear, or see, or even feel could unleash that much destructive power.”

  “But you said someone saw lights in the sky last night?”

  “Yes. But that was hours before. Nothing happened last night though, as far as I know.”

  “Well, maybe there was another, stronger solar flare this morning, and the reason we couldn’t see anything was because it happened in the daylight, and well after sunrise at that. That could explain it, couldn’t it?”

  “I suppose so. Yes, that’s got to be it!”

  “On that TV show this one scientist who studies them said major solar flares have hit the Earth before. There was a big one sometime in the late 1800s that affected things in the northeast and up in Canada. But back then there wasn’t much for it to destroy like there is now. He said they probably occurred many times before that too, but no one would have noticed the effects back before they had electricity. Now that everything runs on computers and electronics, it’s far worse. This could turn out to be really bad, Mr. Greenfield. He said a strong enough solar event could wipe out civilization as we know it!”

  The two of them walked back to where they’d left their stalled vehicles as they talked. Mitch was deep in thought as he pondered the implications of their discussion. If what they were speculating was correct, then the impact of the event would be far reaching—affecting an untold area well beyond the city of New Orleans—and maybe even beyond the entire southeastern United States. It could have affected the whole country, or for that matter, the world. Surely if it was powerful enough to wipe out everything electrical here, it would have done the same in Houston, only a few hundred miles to the west. Mitch could only hope his mom and dad were safely stranded at the airport there, and that they had not been in flight when this mysterious pulse occurred. But how would he know? The more he thought about it, the more he began to realize that there probably wasn’t any way he would, at least not immediately. He couldn’t get through to them by any means, nor could he drive there to see. And likewise, they couldn’t call him or his sister, Lisa, or easily return to New Orleans or to their farm in Mississippi. The one thing Mitch could do though was go home. And he knew he had to, because his little sister was going to need him until after all this confusion was cleared up and the power came back on.

  Four

  LISA HENLEY RARELY GOT the opportunity to spend a school night at Stacy’s house, but she loved that she could sleep in a half hour later there than she could at home. Instead of a 20-minute early morning ride into town with her brother, school was just a short walk down the street from where Stacy lived. What was even better was that Stacy’s mom worked nights at the hospital in Hattiesburg, so the two girls could get away with staying up as late as they wanted. Jason was supposed to make sure they went to bed at a decent hour, but he didn’t really care. He had spent the evening shut in his room with his electric guitar,
the amp blasting as loud as Stacy would tolerate without beating on his door and screaming. Mitch could be obnoxious too, but Lisa was glad he preferred to go off hunting in the woods instead of making racket at home like Stacy’s older brother.

  Even though they had to put up with Jason, it was great fun for Lisa to get a break from her routine and spend the night hanging out with Stacy. They stayed up until nearly 2 a.m., talking and watching TV shows her mom and dad would never allow her to see at home. Both of them were up in time to get ready for school though, and even Jason finally emerged after Stacy’s relentless efforts to wake him.