77 Days in September

by Ray Gorham

  Still feeling unsettled, Jennifer found her book and went outside to read in the backyard, hoping a good story would help take her mind off of Kyle and the power outage. Finding a lounge chair, she set it up on a sunny corner of their fenced in section of lawn, adjusted the headrest, rolled up her shorts, and sat back to both read and take advantage of the sunshine.

  She had only read a few pages when she heard David’s distressed voice shouting for her. Not expecting him to return home until closer to dinnertime and with nerves already wound tight, Jennifer jumped up from her chair and hurried around to the front of the house. David was cutting across the neighbor’s property and running fast.

  “Mom…you gotta…listen…to the…radio!” he said, trying to catch his breath as he came to a stop in front of her. He took a couple of deep breaths then continued. “Matt’s dad….he listened on the radio….the vice president ….he said we’ve been attacked….and that people have been killed.”

  Katy, Texas

  Kyle sat in the front seat of Ed’s jeep, slowly turning the radio dial and scanning for any station that was broadcasting, while Ed searched the garage for batteries, flashlights and candles. Ed and Virgie had scoured their house that morning but only found a handful of candles, two flashlights, and several AA batteries, which were useless for the flashlights. In the backyard, Virgie was cooking up the meat from the freezer. Steaks were on the menu for lunch, along with barbequed corn-on-the-cob and fast-melting ice cream for dessert.

  Kyle strained to catch any hint of a signal as he patiently tuned the radio, likely the Jeep’s original with its old-fashioned dial tuner that made his wrist cramp but allowed him to creep carefully through the frequencies. On the second scan through, as he was about to give up and go help Ed in the garage, Kyle found a signal. He turned the volume up and fine-tuned the station until he could hear an intermittent beeping followed by a voice announcing an emergency broadcast.

  “Ed, come over here! I got something!” Kyle shouted, waving his arm to get Ed’s attention.

  Ed put down the box he was carrying and hurried over to the Jeep. “What’d you find?”

  “I’m not sure, but it’s the only signal I’ve detected. It say’s there’s going to be an emergency broadcast.”

  They waited in silence for the broadcast to begin, with Ed adjusting the rubber seals around the door of the Jeep and Kyle chewing on his fingernails as the seconds ticked by. The announcer’s voice came back. “We have an urgent message from the Office of the President.”

  There was a brief pause, then a voice. Kyle and Ed strained to hear over the static of the radio.

  “My fellow citizens,” the broadcast began. “This is Vice President Brent Hamilton. On Friday, Sept. 2, at approximately 4:08 P.M. Eastern Time, our country was attacked by enemies we have not yet identified. President Stewart was traveling at the time of the attack and is currently en-route to Washington. The target of the attack was the continental United States, and, by extension, the entire North American continent. A nuclear missile was detonated approximately three hundred miles above our country. The result of this detonation was an electrical storm that appears to have crippled our electrical infrastructure. This type of attack is referred to as an EMP, or Electromagnetic Pulse.”

  “Damn,” said Kyle. “That’s really bad news.”

  “No one was directly killed by the blast, and there is no danger to the population from radioactivity, but the consequences of the attack are exceptionally serious and will be felt by everyone. The power generation and transmission capabilities of our utility system appear, at this point, to have been destroyed, or at best, severely diminished. Telephone and communication systems have also been destroyed. Transportation systems will be greatly limited due to our inability to pump and process fuel, control air traffic, and because of the direct effect of the EMP on the electronics of most motor vehicles and airplanes. We have received word of dozens of airplane crashes and stranded motorists, as well as inoperable train and subway systems. The degree to which our government and military have been affected is yet to be determined.”

  “This is a threat for which we have been preparing for over thirty years, and many critical systems appear to have survived the attack, allowing the government to function in a limited but effective capacity. The military is also intact and is prepared to restore order and defend the United States from any military threats. All available military units have been recalled and will return stateside as quickly as possible. We ask that all members of the National Guard report to their assigned locations as soon as possible. We have been in contact with our allies throughout the world, and they have pledged to do everything in their power to help us work through these challenges.”

  “This is a time for the citizens of this great country to come together and display the nobility of character that has helped make this the greatest nation in the history of mankind. Every effort is being made on your behalf to restore critical systems as quickly as possible, but even under the best of circumstances, it is a process that will take months and potentially years to complete.”

  “The bulk of the recovery is dependant on the determination, ingenuity and efforts of you, the American people. As citizens, there are things you must do to help. Do not panic. Continue to respect and obey the laws of the nation and your communities. Be judicious with your use of food and water. We are aware that there are uncontrolled fires burning in a number of communities across our nation. Use caution in your activities as it is likely that medical, law enforcement, and emergency services will be unable to provide assistance. We encourage you to gather in your neighborhoods and communities and to organize yourselves to help take care of each other. Finally, we encourage you to remember our Maker and to call upon Him for mercy and protection.”

  “America, of the many challenges our country has faced, this is the greatest one of all. It will take the determined efforts of every man, woman and child to recover and regain our status as the leader of the free world. It is an effort that will not be without obstacles and difficulties, but there are no other people on the face of this planet who are more able to deal with such a challenge. It is a challenge we must face and from which we must never shrink.

  “We will continue to broadcast information for you each day on these same stations. May God watch over us all. Thank you.”

  The station was momentarily silent, then the beeping resumed.

  CHAPTER 8

  Deer Creek, Montana

  After hearing about the radio broadcast from David, Jennifer had hunted frantically for a radio that worked. Getting no response from the home stereo or car radio, she’d finally found an old, emergency, hand crank radio in the basement and was now sitting, winded and stunned, on the front porch steps. She flipped the radio’s power switch off, then reached out and braced herself against the house as a wave of nausea washed over her. There were so many questions she wanted answers to, so many details that had been left unsaid. She rubbed her temples with her fingers, pushing hard to dull the pain and to avoid getting ill. Tears welled up in her eyes as the possibility that Kyle might never come home again swirled around in her head. She struggled to her feet and felt David’s hand on her arm, helping her up.

  “Mom, what does all that mean?” David asked, his voice more sober than she’d ever heard before. “When is Dad going to be home?”

  Jennifer fought to maintain control. “I’m not sure, Dave. I don’t understand everything. I’m sure your dad will be home soon. He’s a pretty tough guy,” she said, as much in an attempt to convince herself as it was to convince her son. “Will you go get me a paper and pen? I want to listen again and write some things down.”

  David ran off, then returned with a pen and some sheets of paper he’d ripped from a school binder.

  The broadcast was repeated after a five-minute break, and as David steadily cranked the radio, Jennifer jotted notes down with a hand she couldn’t quite manage to stop from shaking. When the broadcast end
ed, she ran inside to get Kyle’s flight information from the front of the refrigerator, sending magnets bouncing across the floor as she tore it down. She scanned the page to find the information she needed. His arrival time in Missoula was circled with a yellow highlighter, 9:45 P.M. He was to have left Denver at 7:45 P.M. after arriving there at 5:10. Her eyes flew to the next section. The flight from Houston was scheduled to leave at 2:08 CST. Jennifer did the math, adjusting for the time zones, and realized that Kyle’s flight would have been in the air for an hour when the attack occurred.

  Breathing was suddenly difficult, and Jennifer’s breaths began to come in short, erratic gulps. She felt her knees weaken and stumbled over to a chair at the kitchen table. Her mind raced. What had they said about airplanes crashing? Did they say all of them?

  “What is it, Mom?” David asked, his face ashen. “Has something happened to Dad?”

  “David…I don’t know. Let me listen to the broadcast again so I can remember the exact words. You wait inside for me.” Her words felt hollow and meaningless, but she felt she had to be strong for her son.

  Jennifer gathered her strength and went back outside to the radio. She switched it on and began to turn the handle. The vice president was talking about electrical power as the radio groaned to life. She turned the volume up with her free hand and hoped that somehow there would be more information this time around. Vice President Hamilton’s words crackled from the speakers, as calm as if he were relating the weather report. “…we have received word of dozens of airplane crashes…” The words were clear and hit her as hard as a kick in the stomach. She dropped the radio and burst into tears. “Kyle, no! Please, no!” she cried under her breath, her voice quivering. The vice president’s voice droned on about the military, then the volume gave out as the small charge the radio held began to fade.

  Hearing footsteps, she looked up to see Emma coming towards her.

  “What’s for lunch, Mom? Me and Spencer are hungry.” She paused when she got close to her mother. “What’s wrong?”

  Jennifer wiped the tears from her eyes, swallowed, and fought to compose herself. “I’m not sure, sweetie. Can you wait a few minutes?” she said, her voice cracking.

  “Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”

  Jennifer’s throat ached, and her head hurt so badly she could barely see. “There was some bad news on the radio, Em. I’m not sure what it means, but it’s got me worried. I’ll be all right. I just need to lie down for a few minutes.”

  “Okay, Mom,” Emma said, turning to leave. “Can I go to Lindsay’s house after lunch? Her mom says it’s alright.”

  Katy, Texas

  Ed, Virgie and Kyle ate their lunch on the back patio in silence, their thoughts consumed by the speech on the radio. They had listened to the vice president’s broadcast twice, and both times it was the same horrible news.

  “I don’t get it,” Ed said, breaking the silence. “If the vice president said they’ve been preparing for this for thirty years, then why’s it so bad… and why haven’t they ever let us in on their little secret? It would have been nice to be able to do something to prepare! With that much time to get ready, I’d damn well be prepared for it if I was in charge. They should be able to just turn the power back on.” Ed’s face was red, and he pounded his fist on the table as he spoke.

  Kyle took a sip of warm water. “I agree with you. There should have been more warnings, Ed, but you don’t understand how vulnerable the electrical grid is, and there’s no practical way to protect it. I don’t know a lot about communications and the other systems, but I know about our power system. The only way to maybe protect it would be to bury every power line ten feet underground in a steel tube, and even then it wouldn’t protect much because ninety-nine percent of the stuff that runs on power would still be exposed. The problem is that almost everything in our country depends on electricity in one way or another. An EMP… it’s like…“ Kyle paused, searching for a way to explain and noticing that Virgie’s worried eyes were locked on him. “Virgie, I was telling Ed this yesterday… it’s like lightening hitting every power pole in the country at the same time, but fifty or maybe a hundred times worse. We don’t know exactly what it’ll do, but we know it will be bad.”

  Ed began to calm down as Kyle spoke. “They should have warned us instead of letting us find out after the fact. It seems like the government was keeping secrets from us. Maybe they didn’t want to cause a panic, but now the situation is worse. ”

  “Are you sure it’s going to be so bad?” Virgie interjected. “I didn’t see or hear a thing. I was at my friend’s when it happened, and everything just went dead. There wasn’t any noise or anything. Everything just shut off all of a sudden, and then there was nothing but silence.”

  “Virgie, the vice president said the bomb went off three hundred miles above us,” Ed reminded her. “You’re not going to see or hear that.”

  “It’s the electrons that do the damage, not the impact of the explosion,” Kyle explained. “They overload everything. Once they find a conductor, they build up and things start to melt, even the copper in the power lines. The best-case scenario is that just sensitive things, like computer chips, get cooked. The worst case is every wire and electrical appliance in the country will need to be replaced.”

  “But look around, Kyle,” Virgie said. “Everything looks fine. I don’t feel any different. If you ask me, I think the vice president is just trying to scare us so they can raise our taxes or make some new law. I don’t want some politician telling us a bunch of lies. You can’t trust them, you know?”

  “Virgie, I don’t trust them much either,” Ed said. “But you weren’t at the airport, and you didn’t drive across town with us. Something real bad has happened. Cars were dead, airplanes had crashed, and the whole city was stopped. People were walking, just leaving their cars and walking home. I was afraid to stop, thought someone might kill us for the Jeep. I don’t think the vice president is lying to us, at least not this time.”

  Virgie shook her head in dismay and looked at Kyle. “How long do you think it’ll be until things can be fixed?” she asked Kyle matter-of-factly. “The vice president said months. He doesn’t mean it, does he? It’ll just be a week or two, don’t you think?”

  Virgie and Ed watched Kyle as he thought about his answer. “I think a year would be best case. If the power lines are damaged, it could be a decade before everything everywhere is back to how we know it, if that even ever happens, and that’s assuming other countries are going to do all they can to help us. Obviously someone who doesn’t like us did this, and if they send their military against us, or against our allies, who knows how long it might take. It might take a lot longer than what I’m guessing. There are just too many things I don’t know to give a reasonable estimate.”

  Ed rocked forward and bumped hard against the table, knocking his cup to the ground and causing Virgie to jump in her chair as the glass exploded on the ground. “What are you talking about?” Virgie asked, ignoring the broken glass. “A year? A decade? If ever? You’re joking, right? I can hear someone mowing their lawn as we speak. If a stupid lawnmower works, why can’t they fix the power?”

  “It’s not a joke, Virgie. There’s nothing I’d like more than for this to be a joke, but I’m completely serious,” Kyle replied, trying not to let his own frustration and fear show. He understood how dire the situation was and was beginning to grasp the overwhelming challenge he had ahead of him to get home, yet Virgie and Ed seemed stuck on how long it would be until they could use their coffee maker. “Virgie, something simple, like a lawnmower, will work because it’s just a spark plug on a short wire. No electronics involved. I would expect basic things, like generators, old farm equipment, and a lot of older cars will be alright because they use cables and mechanical systems, but at some point, even if they work, all those things are going to run out of gas. Our refineries and gas stations, all that stuff, require electricity and computers to operate. We are in an unbe
lievably bad situation, and getting mad at the government isn’t going to put food on the table. I’ve been going over this in my head ever since the airport. Think about it, how long did it take us to get our country to where it is?”

  “Since 1776, if you go all the way back, even before that, isn’t it?” replied Ed.

  “That’s right, the better part of two hundred and fifty years. During most of that time, other countries left us alone, didn’t even pay us much attention until we were too big for them to do too much about us. Add to that the fact that we’ve developed most of the world’s technology, so we’ve always been ahead of these countries that’ve resented us. Over time, a lot of countries have come to hate everything we stand for. Hell, half of our own citizens don’t seem to like what we stand for. Now, in the blink of an eye, we’ve been put in a position where we’re third world, and they’ve got the power. I don’t see most of them doing much for us.

  “Sure, we’ve got a few allies: Australia, England, Canada, maybe some others like Israel. But Australia is an ocean away with only a tenth of our population, Britain is tied tight to Europe and most Europeans barely tolerate us, and Canada’s likely been crippled by the EMP just like we have. I don’t know that we’ve ever been in a position this serious. I hope I’m missing something and that you’re right, but I’m trying to be as honest as I can. I guess it probably depends on where you live, but I think it’s likely a year before we see any power coming back, and that’s just the first step.”