by Ray Gorham
The last of the daylight seeped slowly from the sky and revealed another dazzling display of stars, more vivid at the higher elevation and in the blackness of the night than anything he’d ever seen in his life. As he watched the constellations appear, Kyle noticed a cabin a couple miles up a hill, partially concealed by trees, but with light coming from its windows. Something about it seemed strange. He focused on the cabin and saw a light flip on in an upstairs window, and then a few seconds later it flipped off. He swallowed hard, not believing what he was seeing, and strained to see more details of the house, picking out another light on a post in the yard.
Kyle hadn’t seen electric lights since coming across a few houses running off generators weeks ago. He scanned the horizon to see if other homes were lit up as well, but the surrounding hills blocked his view and shrouded him in darkness, other than that one glowing point of light.
He climbed out of the truck, his eyes focused on the lights in the distance. Leaving his cart behind, he buttoned his thin jacket to keep out the chill and hurried towards the cabin. A small lane a quarter mile from the truck led from the frontage road towards the home, and Kyle followed it in the darkness, the light drawing him in like a moth. He tried to temper his hope, but his mind raced through all the possible explanations. He hadn’t heard a radio broadcast or spoken to anyone about anything important for weeks. Were things getting fixed faster than expected? Maybe the EMP hadn’t done as much damage or affected things this far north. If the mountains of Wyoming had power, then surely other cities would too. Jennifer and the kids might be safe. With electricity, it wouldn’t be long before cars and planes could be made operable again. If that was the case, he wouldn’t need his cart and could abandon it, and then he’d be able to get to Casper much faster, maybe in a day or two. From Casper, a bus or a plane could have him safely home in a matter of days.
If power lines had been repaired, then that meant there was a good chance that phone lines were working as well. Assuming there was a phone in the house, he could be talking to Jennifer in just a couple of minutes. It had been almost six weeks since they had last spoken, and he had so many questions. Was everyone safe? Did they have enough to eat? How had they survived? Did they think he was alive? The questions tumbled around his brain in a burst of unbridled excitement.
Kyle reached a gate at the edge of the property where an electric bulb on a post bathed the yard in a pale white glow. He paused and stared at the light, laughing to himself with excitement. For everything it might mean, that light was the most glorious thing he had seen in a long time. Racing across the yard, Kyle leapt up the porch stairs three at a time, halting briefly at the top to catch his breath. From inside the house, Kyle heard music and voices. His heart pounded as he knocked sharply on the door. “Hello!” he called out.
The voices stopped instantly, and the music was silenced. A dog began to bark, but nobody answered.
Kyle knocked again. “Hello? Can you help me?” he shouted through the door.
Footsteps approached the door, and he heard someone clear their throat. “Just a minute, please,” a woman called hesitantly.
Kyle waited on the porch, the prospect of talking to Jennifer filling his mind, but the door didn’t open. He stepped back and tried to look through the window, all the while bouncing on his toes to keep warm as the cool night air seeped through his sweaty t-shirt.
As he was about to raise his hand to knock again, Kyle heard a voice from the far end of the porch. “Raise your hands above your head!” it ordered.
Kyle turned and saw, in a shadow to the side of the house, a glint of light reflect off of the barrel of a rifle.
“I told you to raise your hands!!” a young man shouted in a voice that was firm but laced with fear.
Kyle held both hands out in front of him and slowly raised them over his head. He could see that a second gun was also pointed in his direction, but the guns’ owners were both obscured in the darkness. “I saw the lights. I thought you could help me.” Kyle said, his eyes on the guns.
“Why would we help you?”
“Your electricity,” Kyle said, confused. “You’ve got electricity. Do they have things fixed?”
“What are you talking about?” demanded the person who had been issuing the orders. Two figures emerged from the shadows, and Kyle could see that his captors were two large, teenage boys. The bigger one seemed to be in charge and looked about seventeen years old. His companion, likely a brother based on the resemblance, looked two or three years younger.
“Are you talking about the government?” the older one asked, the expression on his face showing how utterly preposterous he thought Kyle’s question to be.
Kyle nodded, embarrassed to have let his judgment become clouded by hope for what he now knew was impossible.
“The government screwed everything up, and you think they’re going to hurry and fix it for us? They’re living comfortable and safe in their shelters, shelters they built using money they stole from the people they were supposed to serve. Why would they be in a rush to get anything done? The longer they wait, the fewer of us there’ll be and the more they’ll be able to take.” The young man walked towards Kyle, shaking his head like someone scolding a puppy. “Get off our porch!” he ordered,
“Please don’t shoot me,” Kyle pleaded as he backed down the steps. “I’m not dangerous at all.”
The older boy watched Kyle carefully, his gun aimed at Kyle’s chest. “Put your hands behind your back!!” he ordered when Kyle reached the bottom step. He turned to his brother. “Stand over there,” he said, indicating a spot by a tall tree a few feet away. “If he tries anything, shoot him!”
The younger boy nodded and backed away towards the designated tree. Kyle watched the boy and could tell by the way he held the gun that he knew how to use it. In contrast to the older boy, Kyle didn’t sense any fear in this one, just a calm, steady gaze and a finger poised by the trigger.
Kyle’s hands were jerked backwards, and a rope was wrapped around his wrists. “I’m not trying to hurt any…” Kyle protested.
“Shut up!” ordered the older boy. “I don’t want to listen to you.”
The rope was pulled painfully tight, cutting into Kyle’s wrists. “Listen,” Kyle pleaded, “if you just let me go, you’ll never see me again. I’ll be gone. I promise.”
“I told you to be quiet. Now get on your knees.”
Kyle dropped to his knees and another rope was wrapped around his ankles.
“What’s this?!” the boy demanded.
“What’s what?”
“This!” yelled the boy as he pulled up the leg on Kyle’s pants, revealing the large hunting knife strapped to Kyle’s leg. “What did you plan to do with that?”
“I carry it for protection.”
“You bang on our door late at night, and you think you need protection? I should have shot you like my dad told me to do if any strangers came around.”
“Look,” said Kyle, “I understand you’re scared. I am too. That’s why I carry the knife. If I hadn’t thought that the power was back on, I never would have bothered you. I’ve got a pistol stuck in the front of my pants. It’s not loaded, but I have a full clip in my back pocket. I’m not trying to hide anything.”
A hand patted Kyle’s back pocket, and the clip was removed, then the boy stepped cautiously in front of Kyle and pulled up Kyle’s shirt, revealing the handle of the gun. “Just trying to get some help, were you?” the boy mocked, pulling the gun from Kyle’s pants.
“Please,” Kyle said, “I know this seems bad. If I were in your place, I’d probably be doing the same thing. But I just want to tell you, if you hurt me, you’ll be hurting an innocent man.”
The boy tugged again on the knots that secured Kyle’s limbs, then walked to the door and pounded on it with his fist. “Mom!” he called out. “Open the door.”
Kyle heard the deadbolt slide and watched the door swing open. A middle-aged woman stepped onto the porch. “Are
you okay, Daniel?” she asked in a soft voice.
The boy nodded. “He didn’t fight. Said he just wanted some help, but I found these on him.” He held out the knife and gun he’d taken from Kyle.
The woman looked at Kyle, her expression hidden by the shadows cast from the light in the yard. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she stepped into the light.
Kyle studied the woman before answering, trying to find anything that might give him something to relate to. She wore jeans and a simple white, cotton blouse, and her long, dark hair was pulled neatly into a ponytail. Her face was plain, with a prominent nose and narrow cheeks, and her skin was dark, like she’d spent much of her time in the sun. Her eyes sparkled in the light, and Kyle could tell by the way her eyes moved back and forth between her boys that she was obviously concerned about her sons.
He cleared his throat before answering her question. “I’m going back home, back to Montana. I was in Texas when the attack happened, and I’ve been walking for five weeks. I haven’t had much contact with people lately, so when I saw your lights, I thought that maybe things were fixed. I thought I might not have to walk all the way home.” Kyle’s voice trailed off, and he tried to keep the emotions he was feeling from showing in his voice. “I have a wife and three kids that I need to get back to. I’m sure you understand…”
The woman watched Kyle, her eyes searching his as he spoke, and then she turned to her sons. “Bring him inside.”
“But, Mom,” Daniel protested. “Remember what Dad said? I’m supposed to look out for the family. We can put him in the barn until Dad gets back. We’d be safer that way.”
“I know you were instructed to protect us, Daniel, and you are. But I said to bring him inside. It’s cold. He’ll freeze if we leave him outside.”
Daniel gave his brother a look. “Come and give me a hand, Joshua.”
Daniel handed his gun to his mother, then the two boys picked Kyle up and carried him into the house, setting him roughly on the floor in front of a well-worn couch. A cast iron, wood-burning stove in the corner of the room near where Kyle had been dropped gave off plenty of heat, and, after being outside in the chilly fall air for so long, a shudder surged through Kyle’s body.
The woman sat down in a recliner facing Kyle. She sat silently, studying him intently. After five uncomfortable minutes she spoke. “My name’s Emma. You’ve met my sons, Daniel and Joshua.” She motioned in the direction of the two boys, who were now sitting on stools in the kitchen, still anxiously gripping the guns they had greeted Kyle with. “My daughters are Rachel and Rebekah. They’re in their rooms. You’ve put quite a scare into them. I guess we’ve all been scared lately,” she added, “but they just show it more.”
“I’m truly sorry to have frightened you,” said Kyle, looking at the boys and then back to Emma. “When I saw your lights, I guess I just wanted everything to be back to normal, and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I’ve been alone and walking for such a long time…” he trailed off, his emotions again rising to the surface. “I have a daughter named Emma,” he said, changing the subject. “It’s a good name. My name is Kyle Tait.” He paused and looked around the brightly lit room. “I didn’t hear a generator. How do you have power?”
“My husband installed solar panels and wind turbines years ago,” Emma answered. “It’s all hooked up to batteries and grounded some special way to protect it, plus he’s kept extra equipment, in case something went wrong. When the batteries are full we’re able to use as much power as we want. We don’t like having to rely on anyone else, and my husband has never trusted the government, so we’ve done what we can to take care of ourselves.”
“It seems to be working,” Kyle said as he admired the brightly glowing lamps. “Emma, I’m sorry to have scared your family. I’m sure you don’t get many visitors this far out, but I really don’t mean you any harm.” He looked her in the eye. “If you would let me go, I’ll be on my way, and you’ll never see me again.”
“Mom,” Daniel said, rising from his stool. “Remember what Dad said when he left? He said he’d kill the next person who stepped foot on our property. Said everyone’s a liar and a thief, and that we can’t trust anyone.”
Emma looked at her son. “Daniel, we’re not going to shoot him, you know that, and neither will your father. He was just mad when he said those things.”
“What if this is the guy who took our chickens?” asked Joshua. “Dad would kill him for sure if he was.”
“Why would the person who took our chickens knock on our door?” asked Emma.
Daniel turned his head to the side, his bottom lip clenched between his teeth and a flash of anger showing in his eyes. “Why did this guy come here with a gun and a knife then? When Dad left I promised him that I wouldn’t let anyone hurt the family. He’ll be back in a couple of days. Why don’t we let him decide what to do?”
“And what do we do with Mr. Tait in the meantime? Hold him hostage? Daniel, he’s another human being.”
“Dad put me in charge,” Daniel retorted. “I’ve got to look out for you and the girls. You know the sheriff isn’t going to come here and help. He’s only been by once in the last five weeks. We’ve got to take care of this ourselves.”
Emma frowned and considered her son’s argument.
Kyle listened to the discussion, watching Emma and Daniel. “Could you at least untie my hands?” Kyle asked. “My fingers are numb.”
Emma shook her head, but didn’t look at him. “No, Mr. Tait. I’m sorry, but I have four children to protect. In the past five weeks we’ve had one of our dogs shot, half our chickens taken, and our home has been broken into twice. Things have settled down lately, but who knows how long we’ll have to deal with this mess. I’m not sure what we’re going to do about you, but I will not have you in my home without some way to protect my family.”
She looked at her sons. “Help Mr. Tait up onto the couch,” she directed them. “There’s no need to make him sit on the floor.”
Kyle sat uncomfortably on the couch listening to the fire in the woodstove burn itself down, his arms and shoulders throbbing from being bound behind him. He wiggled his hands, trying again to loosen the rope, but found no more success than he had in his previous attempts. Joshua sat in the kitchen keeping watch over Kyle, his eyes tracking Kyle’s every movement. Daniel and Emma had retired to a back room, and from the snippets of conversation he could hear, Kyle had no doubt that he was the subject of their discussion.
The clock on the wall showed 10:35. Kyle was anxious to find out what decision Emma and Daniel came to, but he was exhausted from the day’s events and losing the fight to keep his eyes open, so he lay down on the couch and rested his head on a musty, velvet pillow. The couch was soft and the room was warm, and despite the aching in his arms, he quickly drifted off to sleep.
Kyle was sleeping deeply when a hand shaking his shoulder roused him from his sleep. He forced his eyes open, trying to remember where he was. Emma knelt beside the couch. “Don’t make any noise,” she whispered, placing a hand softly on his mouth. Kyle blinked, then nodded to indicate he understood. He tried to wipe his eyes, but his hands were still restrained behind his back. In the dim light cast by a small bulb in the hallway, Kyle could see Daniel in the kitchen, his head on the table and his rifle leaning against him. His breathing was deep and marked by shoulders rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
Emma grabbed Kyle’s shoulders and helped him into a sitting position, then she leaned forward and gave him instructions in a barely audible whisper. “I’ll loosen the ropes, then you do the rest. Once you’re untied, you leave. I’ve got my shotgun, and if you do anything other than leave, I’ll shoot you. Do you understand?”
Kyle nodded his agreement, marveling at how straight forward this woman was in promising to kill him.
Emma reached behind him, and Kyle felt her tugging on the ropes. After a brief struggle, the knot loosened, and the blood rushed back into his hands and fingers, causing an intens
e tingling sensation. Emma stepped away from Kyle and picked up a gun that was propped against the wall, then watched as Kyle tugged on the ropes, finally managing to free a hand. With one arm free, Kyle brought his hands in front of himself and pulled the rope from his other wrist. Once both hands were freed, he rubbed them together and stretched his arms stiffly in front of himself, trying to restore the circulation.
“Hurry!” Emma whispered, glancing nervously at her son.
Kyle untied the rope from his legs as quickly as his stiff fingers would allow, then massaged his ankles. When the circulation returned to his feet, he stood up slowly, holding onto the couch for balance, then stepped carefully towards the door. Emma and her gun trailed a few steps behind.
At the door, Kyle turned to Emma. “Why are you letting me go?” he asked in a hushed voice.
“It’s the right thing to do,” she whispered. “Daniel’s a good boy, but everything is black and white to him. He’s a lot like his father.” She paused a moment, then continued. “I believe you’re a good man and have a family to get to, so I won’t stop you from getting there. I’ve put a loaf of bread on that shelf for you,” she pointed to a shelf over some coat hooks with a loaf of homemade bread on it. “Take it, to help you get to your family. If you were lying to me, then you will have to live with that, not me. I’ll watch to make sure you leave. If you do anything to threaten my family…” She gave her gun a firm shake.
Kyle smiled at Emma as he reached for the bread. “I understand, and thank you. You won’t see me again. I promise.” He turned back to the door and pulled it open without a sound, then stepped out into the cold air of the early morning.
“You need to hurry,” Emma whispered. “I’ll wake my son in a few minutes and tell him you’re missing, if he doesn’t wake before then.”
Kyle nodded and tiptoed down the front steps, then hurried away from the house in a slow trot, gradually picking up speed as the sensation in his feet returned to normal. It was downhill to the truck where he’d left his cart, and he made it there in a little less than fifteen minutes. Kyle hastily dug through his cart in the dim light of a cloud-covered moon. He found a sweatshirt at the bottom of the pack and pulled it over his head before heading off into the night, towing his cart behind him.