She could see his smile and then they would both laugh at the sheer coincidence of it all.
However, right now it was not funny, it was very frustrating. She must have forgotten to charge the phone and maybe there was a power surge and it had cooked the laptop, and as for the clock, well maybe the battery had run out. Yes, it was all very logical.
‘Poor Babe,’ Nathan would say, ‘but if life was easy it would be boring.’
‘Isn’t it working?’ Rebecca asked again.
She shook her head, ‘no, the phone is not working.’
‘And yes Jamie, you can have the money.’
‘And Deedee…,’ she began
‘I want to watch the movie,’ Deedee shrilled again.
‘Okay,’ Georgia said suddenly, ignoring Deedee, ‘I am going to find out why we don’t have any power. So, I need the three of you to keep yourselves occupied for ten minutes or so, while I pop next door and see if I can use Nina’s phone. She has a landline, and I think it is the old fashioned kind that doesn’t need power.’
She stepped out into the heat, the screen door swinging shut behind her. There was still no sound of traffic at all. As she started down the driveway, she noticed a scattering of people walking up the road. Not neighbors, she noted, strangers.
Something wasn’t quite right. Uneasily, she turned back to the house, ‘Rebecca?’ she called as she reached the front door. Rebecca was there immediately. ‘Lock the door, and make sure the back door is locked. Don’t open it for anyone, Okay?’
‘Uh, okay,’ Rebecca said. Georgia noticed a flicker of fear in Rebecca’s eyes as she shut the door. She waited until she had heard the bolt slide into place and then headed across the lawn to Nina’s bungalow.
Nina was not at home. ‘Of course not,’ Georgia thought. Nina went to the club on Thursdays. Normally, they were the only two residents in their entire street during a working day. Everyone else was gone early, away to work, trying to beat the morning rush hour traffic.
She stood for a moment deciding what to do next. A man was walking across her lawn with a bewildered expression on his face.
‘Can I help you?’ she asked.
He stared at her and then wiped his sleeve across his sweaty forehead. ‘All the traffic just stopped.’ His voice was somewhat out of breath. ‘It is total chaos down there. I left my car, didn’t know what else to do. My phone’s not working either.’
‘Isn’t there a traffic cop?’ Georgia asked. ‘I mean usually when the lights go out they send a traffic cop and…,’
The man interrupted her, ‘no lady, the traffic stopped. Everyone’s car died at the same time. Accidents all over the place, some people are pretty badly hurt, some may even be dead.’
Georgia stared at the man in horror, her hand over her mouth.
Was Nathan out there? Or was he still at work?
‘Can I use your phone?’ the stranger asked. ‘Just want to call my wife, tell her I am okay. My cell phone doesn’t seem to be working.’
‘I’m really sorry,’ she said, ‘I don’t have a landline, and my cell has a flat battery and the power is out so I can’t charge it.’
‘Oh,’ he said.
‘Do you have far to go?’ Georgia asked, for he had suddenly looked unwell, as though he were about to faint. ‘Which was not surprising in this heat,’ she thought.
‘Just over to Waldo.’
‘Not so far then,’ she said, and then added, ‘can I get you a glass of water?’
He nodded. ‘That would be much appreciated.’
She knocked on the door, ‘Rebecca, open up.’ She heard the bolt slide back and Rebecca peered round the door.
Georgia hastened into the kitchen, and filled a glass with ice cold water and took it back outside to where the man was waiting. He gulped it down and then wiped the back of his hand across his mouth as he handed back the glass.
‘Thank you for that,’ he said. He turned to walk away and then stopped, ‘be careful, this could get real nasty if it’s what I think it is.’ This last part, he half said to himself as he began to walk away.
‘What do you mean? What do you think it is?’ she called after him, but he did not appear to have heard her and kept on walking up the hill.
‘Hey Mister,’ she called very loudly, ‘what do you think has happened?’
For a moment he kept on going, and then suddenly he stopped, calling over his shoulder, ‘I think we have an EMP.’
An EMP? What did he mean? Then understanding dawned as the words registered in her mind. An EMP. He was talking about an Electro Magnetic Pulse.
Chapter Three
Georgia’s legs were threatening to give way, so she abruptly sat down on the doorstep. She felt hot and sweaty and yet icy cold all at the same time. Squirrels were scampering in the branches above her, rustling the leaves. She watched dully as an acorn fell onto the concrete near her feet, bounced once and rolled down the driveway disappearing into the gutter.
‘An EMP,’ he had said. An EMP! Georgia thought numbly, still trying to wrap her mind around it. Oh my God, someone had finally done it. It was unbelievable.
Indisputably the T.V. and radio stations were always full of reports, insights and updates on the looming threat of such an attack. But everyone knew that it was just scaremongering, bordering on fake news, probably with the sole aim of bolstering viewer ratings and sales. And like practically everyone else, she had only half listened, and she had never taken any of it too seriously, knowing in the back of her mind, that it was not something that was ever actually going to happen.
She felt panic rising within her. She was not prepared for this! After all, until a few moments ago it had seemed like a perfectly normal day, with a perfectly normal power cut and now some stranger had casually informed her that in all likelihood an EMP had been set off and …,
Georgia suddenly felt dizzy and realized she had been hyperventilating. ‘I need to calm down and think,’ she said to herself as she began to breathe more slowly, taking measured breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. She was very aware that the children, now watching her through the window, would need to be reassured that everything was okay.
She struggled to remember what she knew about EMPs. She knew that a high altitude nuclear blast set off above Kansas City, could wipe out the entire national power grid and every single electronic device across the whole of the U.S.A.
‘It was ironic really,’ she thought, ‘that they always mentioned Kansas City, just where she happened to be living.’ It used to make her mad, it was as though the newsreaders were holding up a target and explaining to the enemy, aim here for best results!
EMPs were not about mass slaughter, she knew that much. They were about eliminating a nation’s entire infrastructure, in seconds, with the least amount of damage. If that had really happened wouldn’t there have been something on the news last night, about tensions mounting? Reporting, with a real sense of fear and urgency? And why hadn’t warning sirens been set off?
The more she thought about it the more unbelievable it became and the more ludicrous the whole idea was. Really, what was she thinking? That an EMP had really been set off and this is the end of the world as she knew it?
Georgia laughed aloud. How dramatic she was being. She needed to stick with what she knew. The power was out. The motorways had come to a standstill. Actually, she did not really know that either. She hadn’t seen that for herself. After all, maybe the guy was crazy. What was she thinking, listening to him? He had looked dazed and confused. Maybe he was crazy and that was how he always looked. He had walked over her lawn and asked to use her phone. Who did that, in this day and age? Obviously, he was deranged.
Feeling very relieved at her conclusions Georgia went inside. It was bedlam. With kids clamoring to know what had happened, and dogs leaping up to greet her with wild abandon, even though she had only been gone fifteen minutes or so. She sat the children on the sofa. ‘Okay,’ she began, ‘it seems there has been s
ome sort of accident on the freeway and….’
‘Is Dad okay?’ Jamie interrupted.
‘Yes of course he is, he’s probably still at work, not on the freeway at all.’
‘What about Mummy,’ Deedee wailed.
‘I am sure she is fine too.’ Georgia said.
‘So, is the accident why the power went out?’ Rebecca asked.
‘Yes,’ Georgia reassured her, ‘I am sure that is what happened and from what I can gather the freeway is blocked.’ She wasn’t lying, it could be why the power went out.
‘Gridlock,’ Jamie said.
‘Oh,’ Rebecca cut in, ‘that could take a long time before the repair men can fix the power then.’
‘And if the freeway is blocked, Mum might be late getting here,’ Jamie added.
‘Exactly what I was thinking,’ Georgia said (having completely forgotten that Lydia, Nathan’s ex, was due to arrive at five), ‘and it could be that Dad, and Auntie Maggie will also be a little late, and if Auntie Maggie is really late, you might be having a sleepover, doesn’t that sound great Deedee?’
Deedee stared at Georgia, clearly horrified at the thought. ‘No it doesn’t sound great, ‘cause if I went home I could watch the Princess Diaries.’
Georgia opened her mouth to say something and then decided there was really nothing worth saying.
Later they all sat outside, eating hotdogs, cooked on the gas grill and playing tag, joined enthusiastically by the dogs. The power did not come back on, and when dusk fell and the first lightening bugs came out Georgia went inside to find candles.
‘Okay kids, I need you to all have showers and into pajamas. Mind you are quick, because there might not be much hot water left, and it will be dark soon. Jamie, you first, meanwhile Rebecca and I will see if we can find a pair of pajamas that will fit Deedee.’
Jamie was in and out of the bathroom so fast that Georgia could have sworn that he had not even turned the shower on, but when she helped him button up his pajama top, he smelt sweetly of soap.
Rebecca was in there for ages, finally Georgia banged on the door, ‘come on Rebecca. Hop out now!’
‘I can’t yet,’ her voice sounded muffled, ‘I am washing my hair.’
‘Of course, she is,’ Georgia thought to herself. ‘Why did I even think that she would have a quick shower?’ Then it was Deedee’s turn.
‘Now what?’ Georgia thought. ‘Do I let her shower on her own? Do I get in there and wash her?’ She compromised, letting Deedee wash herself, as she stood on the other side of the shower curtain, a thick fluffy towel ready.
‘Can I sleep in your bed tonight?’ Jamie asked a little later.
‘Well of course,’ Georgia said,’ it is a sleepover, so we will all be sleeping in the master bedroom tonight.’ There is no way that I am letting three children and three dogs have lit candles, unsupervised.
‘I want my mummy,’ Deedee said.
‘And I want Nathan,’ Georgia thought to herself, but aloud she said, ‘course you do, but this is so much fun, imagine if you were at home, you would be in bed asleep by now.’
‘Yes,’ Rebecca added, ‘and no dogs licking you.’
‘It is sure going to be crowded when Dad gets here,’ Jamie giggled.
Georgia tucked everyone into bed, rearranged pillows and then leaned over and blew the candles out; wishing fervently, as she slid under the covers next to Deedee, that Nathan would turn up, and it would be overcrowded.
Georgia lay in the darkness, terrified by her thoughts and straining to hear anything that might be happening outside, but all she could hear was the rhythmic breathing of three sleeping children and the gentle snores of three Boston terriers.
What was really happening out there? She tried to imagine the chaos, smashed cars, broken glass, and people on foot, moving along the edge of the freeways still trying to reach home after many hours of walking.
Why were there no sirens? No ambulances, no police cars? Was Nathan okay? Had he stayed at the office or was he walking home? How long would it take him to get here? Forty miles, wasn’t it? She wished she could MapQuest it, then she would know exactly. So if someone walked…, how many miles did someone walk in an hour? She realized she had no idea. Would it take Nathan a day? Two days?
She considered leaving the children for a short while and stealing out into the night to walk down to the end of the block. There she could look over the freeway and see for herself what was happening. She decided against it. It was too risky to leave the children alone. She would go down in the morning after breakfast. But by then, the power would no doubt be back on and….
She felt her skin prickle with fear. What if it wasn’t back on? What if it was an EMP after all, then what? And at what point should one start to panic? It would be stupid to be alarmed if it turned out to be a simple power cut. But what if it wasn’t?
Far off in the distance, as she was drifting to sleep, she thought she heard some shots, and then silence. However, it was a long way off, and really she was not too sure that that is what she was hearing and…, mid way through the thought, Georgia fell asleep.
Chapter Four
July 12, Day 2
Georgia awoke the next morning to the urgent pawing of dogs that ‘needed to go’. ‘Just a few more minutes,’ she groaned, as she pulled the covers up over her head. She felt exhausted. It had been a very long night.
Hot and muggy without the A/C, the kids had slept restlessly, waking her frequently as they tossed and turned. Each time they woke her up, she wondered if the power had come back on, and reached her arm out into the blackness, to try the bedside lamp. The second or third time she did this she knocked over the candles, sending them clattering to the floor.
There had been an instant upheaval of bedding and pillows as children and dogs had woken up, clamoring to find out what had happened. Eventually everyone had calmed down, and gone back to sleep; except for Georgia. Finding it impossible to get back to sleep herself, she eventually crept out of bed to see if Nathan had come home Still clinging to the forlorn hope that he had tiptoed in late and finding them sleeping, decided to bunk on the couch.
The dogs redoubled their efforts to rouse Georgia. Hiding under the covers made no difference to them. They knew she was awake now and were determined to get her up. She sighed in defeat. ‘You win,’ she murmured, as she gently pushed the dogs off her and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, being careful not to wake the sleeping children. After the night they had all had, the longer they slept the better.
She dressed quietly, and headed to the kitchen to unlock the dog door, followed closely by the Bostons. Then she hurried back to the bathroom. (The dogs weren’t the only ones that urgently had to go.) Behind her was the familiar flip flip sound of the dog door as Ant and Badger shot outside, followed by a dull thunk. ‘And that will be Millie, Georgia thought, yet again misjudging the return of the flap. ‘No wonder the kids call her Silly Millie.’
She tried the light switch as she passed it, without any hope, but she tried it anyway. Nothing. More than twelve hours now.
As she sat on the toilet staring at the bath, but not seeing it, her mind was racing. Nathan was not still not back, but that made sense, for she realized that logically he would have stayed back at the office, waiting for everything to get back up and running, for the traffic to clear.
She was beginning to think that this power outage was really wide spread, perhaps even statewide. In which case, Lydia, coming back from her Buddhist retreat (in Kentucky of all places), was bound to be late. More than likely the power outage in Kansas City would have caused incoming flights to be redirected out of state. And with a bit of luck Lydia’s flight had been redirected to Barrow, Alaska. And Maggie? What had happened to her?
She flushed the toilet and pulled her jeans back up. Just how long was this going to last? She had never heard of an outage lasting this long, not in Kansas City anyway. As she washed her hands, it occurred to her that perhaps she should save water, n
ow, while there was still a steady flow.
If the power stayed off much longer, they were bound to run out. After a quick search for suitable water containers she decided the simplest solution was to simply fill the bath, so she gave it a thorough rinse, put the plug in and turned both taps on. The bath having filled, she walked into the lounge and crossed over to the bay windows to see what was happening outside.
The day had a grayish pall to it. Here and there were thick tendrils of smoke, spiraling up into the sky, and smudging the scattered clouds. The street was oddly silent. There was not a single person anywhere but the car that had stalled in the road, had been moved. At some point someone had pushed it to the curb. Its hood was still up, the universal sign that it was waiting for roadside assistance.
She wished she knew what time it was, but guessed, by the height of the sun, that it was well past nine. She peeked once more into the master bedroom. The children were still sleeping, the girls curled up together. Deedee sucking her thumb and Rebecca’s long hair, now a tangled mess, spread out over the pillows. Jamie lay on his back, arms splayed out, his pajama top rucked up showing his white tummy rhythmically rising and falling. ‘She would let them sleep a little longer,’ she thought. But right now, what she needed more than anything, was a coffee.
Out of habit, she flipped on the coffee machine, knowing even as she did so, that it was not going to work. She was right, it didn’t. She went out into the back yard and lit the gas barbeque and placed a small pot of water on it. While she waited for it to boil, she placed ground coffee in a stainless steel jug. She would strain it through a sieve and that would have to do.
There was still nearly half a gallon of milk left in the fridge. Cautiously, she sniffed it. ‘It seemed okay,’ she thought. But it wouldn’t be for much longer.
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