They had been on the road for over three hours but hadn’t driven during the night as planned. Circumstances beyond their control had prevented them from making a quick midnight getaway. Christina opened the side door as Tobias and Paula crawled out, rubbing their sleepy eyes. The back of the van was packed full of luggage and supplies.
“Well, we made it,” Terrance said to Christina with a smile.
“We sure did,” she said with a straight face. She wasn't in smiling mode. She didn't see anything to celebrate. She was upset with Richie's defiance and his absence at the bug-out house. Terrance was in the midst of a losing battle.
They had spent a great deal of time trying to find Richie. Instead of fleeing in the late hours of the evening, Terrance had driven the van around town in one last attempt to bring Richie home. He did eventually remember how to get to Gabrielle's house, but neither Richie nor Gabrielle was there. Her mother answered—drunk and high—without any knowledge of their whereabouts.
Terrance wondered if Richie was intentionally trying to evade him. By the time he got back home, at around 2:00 a.m., he was out of ideas. He woke Christina to break the news. She said little, but he could sense resentment that he had failed to find their son.
At the bug-out house, James swung open the front patio door and walked down the steps into the yard where the van was parked. Mark and Janice followed, approaching the Robinisons with enthusiasm.
“I knew you kids would show up eventually,” James said.
Terrance turned around. “Who you callin' kids?” he asked. They shook hands and embraced with laughter.
“Good to see you, old friend,” James said.
“Back at ya', buddy,” Terrance added.
The kids leaned against the van, looking tired. Janice and Mark walked over to the van to greet Christina, Janice beaming and opening up her arms.
“Hello, Janice,” Christina said back, followed by a hug.
After welcome handshakes and hugs, they had the van of supplies to contend with.
“Hi, kids,” James said, holding a hand up.
Tobias and Paula nodded back. They slightly remembered James and the others, but felt uncomfortable and far from home. At the very least, they were tired.
“So where's Richie, your eldest?” James asked. Terrance and Christina grew silent. James felt as if he had just asked the wrong question. “I mean, is he OK?” he asked.
“He's fine,” Christina said. She walked over to where her children were standing by the van. “Come on, guys. Let's get your stuff and go inside.”
Terrance took a step toward James, Mark, and Janice and spoke quietly. “Richie ran off with his girlfriend, and I couldn't find him. He didn't want to come out here. It's kind of a sensitive topic right now.”
“I'm sorry,” James said.
Terrance waved him off. “No, it's all right. No harm done. Christina is just a little upset about it right now.”
“I understand,” Janice said with a concerned look on her face.
“I might have to go back and try to get him, if things get worse. If not, she'll never forgive me.”
“It's fine, Terrance,” James said, placing a hand on his back. “Let's get you guys settled in first. I'm sure everyone just wants to relax, have some food, and figure out what's going on.”
“You said it,” Terrance replied.
The group shuffled to the van and helped Christina and the kids bring in their luggage and supplies.
“Park it around the back with the other vehicles,” James said to Terrance. Terrance nodded and moved the van under the camouflaged canopy that slightly concealed the others.
James led Tobias and Paula to their room at the end of the hallway. They trailed behind him with backpacks on their shoulders and looked sadly into the room of three beds, three dressers, and a single framed picture of a potted plant on the wall.
Terrance and Christina approached them from behind and peered into the room. “You kids could do a lot worse, let me tell you,” Terrance said.
“It's a very nice room,” Christina added. “You both remember it from when we visited before, right?”
“Yes,” Tobias said with a sigh.
“How long do we have to stay here?” Paula asked.
“We don't know that just yet,” Christina answered, placing her hand on Paula's shoulder. “We're going to have to work together and make the most of things from here on out.”
Tobias stepped into the room and tossed his backpack on the bed in the far corner, near the window. “I call this bed,” he said.
“Hey!” Paula said, running at him.
“OK, you two. Get the rest of your stuff from the living room and quit messing around,” Christina said.
Tobias and Paula pushed each other and walked out of the door and down the hallway into the living room, where their luggage waited.
James turned to Terrance and Christina, standing in the hallway. “Your room is, of course, right next to theirs,” James said.
“Thank you,” Terrance said. “You've really kept up the place well. It's just how we always planned.”
Christina walked into their room and flicked on the light switch. Nothing happened. “No electricity? Did the EMP take everything out here too?” she asked in a slight panic.
“Yes and no,” James answered. “The power is out, yes, but I'm harnessing a small amount of energy from solar panels, enough at least to power the ceiling fans at their lowest setting. Two of the three outside generators are still in working condition, but I don't like to use up the fuel when we don't have to. Each generator has a muffler on it, limiting sound that could draw attention to us. So we're safe there. The necessary appliances, like the refrigerator, run off of 24-volt batteries, and the oven runs off of propane.”
“How's the well water running?” Christina asked.
“So far, so good.”
“And the septic system?”
“Like a charm.”
“Well,” Christina said. “That makes me feel a little better.”
“Also got some vegetables growing in the garden out back. Now that I have some more people, you can help me get some of these damn caterpillars that have been gnawing at everything back there,” James said.
“No pesticides?” Terrance asked.
“We're all natural around here, Terrance,” James answered. “Don't want to rely on artificial chemicals and pesticides. It would be just another thing we'd have to stock up on. I can show you some natural methods I've been using to keep the pests.”
Tobias and Paula walked past them to their bedroom. Christina watched as they claimed spots on opposite sides of the room. Paula's bed was near the door, Tobias's in the right corner by the window and closet. In the other corner was an empty but made-up bed intended for Richie. Paula stepped out of the room and looked down at the floor.
“Mom, do I really have to share a room with him?”
“We'll work out something soon, honey,” Terrance called out.
“Now you guys unpack, and then we'll eat,” James said.
Christina shook her head. “You don't know how hard it was to explain to Paula why the fast-food places weren't open.”
“Everything is going to be OK. You'll feel better after some of my world-famous Cook family ribs. I've had them marinating all day,” James said.
“What's the occasion?” Christina asked.
“Our reunion,” James answered. “Granted, I wish it was under better circumstances, but we've made it this far. We're going to get through this, guys.” He walked away and left Terrance and Christina so they could get situated.
The adjustment would be hard, even harder for their children. The kids missed their smartphones. They missed the Internet. They felt isolated and cut off from the world. The adjustment would take some time.
Mark and Janice helped James prepare dinner. They worked on the vegetables in the kitchen while James grilled hearty slabs of ribs, coating them with marinade and spices. Mark thought it
strange how much their “reunion” resembled the cookout tailgate party his neighbors were having. But they had all made it to the bug-out house and considered it worth celebrating. The alluring aroma of James's barbecue surrounded the house.
Mark’s mind as he peeled and diced potatoes into a pot of boiling water. He thought of home as Janice chopped peppers from behind at the counter. Mark then turned from the stove and went over to her.
“How's everything going?” he asked.
“Almost done.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “This is going to be good for everyone,” he said.
Janice stopped chopping and looked at Mark. “I hope so,” she said.
At sundown, the entire group sat around a large wooden picnic table, eating ribs, kebabs, potatoes, and vegetables. There was even sweet tea to wash everything down.
“Are you guys enjoying the food?” James asked Tobias and Paula, sitting at the other end of the table from him. They both looked up, chewing, and nodded with their mouths full.
Tobias attempted to speak. “It's good, Mr. Cook, thanks.”
“You can call me, James, Tobias.”
“OK,” Tobias said.
“And how are you doing?” Christina asked Paula.
Paula took a small and careful bite of ribs, set it on her plate, and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Fine,” she said.
“Enjoy it while we can. Not every meal is going to be like this,” Terrance said.
Christina placed her hand on the arm of his long-sleeved flannel. “Go easy on them tonight,” she said.
James set his ribs down and wiped his face with a napkin. “After dinner we'll all go in the basement and have a little talk. Good with you guys?”
“Sounds good to me,” Terrance said. The group went quiet except for the sounds of their chewing. The song of crickets surrounded them as the nearby fire popped and crackled. A quarter moon hung in the sky. There was a world out there, beyond the bug-out house. A world they eagerly awaited to rejoin.
After dinner, everyone was tired. They worked together to clean up, then planned to meet in the basement for some serious planning. Christina said goodnight to her children and assured them that one way or the other, they were going to go back home soon.
“What about Richie?” Tobias asked.
“We're going back to get Richie soon enough,” Christina said.
“So you're making Dad go back and get him?” Tobias asked.
Christina stood at their doorway, a dark silhouette, and tapped the wall with her fingers. “I'm not making your father do anything. We are a family. We have to stick together. He knows what he's doing,” she said. “Now good night. I love you both.”
“Goodnight, Mom,” they said in unison.
Christina walked off, leaving Tobias and Paula to lie in their beds, staring at the ceiling in their dark room. It was their first night in the bug-out house. It felt like summer camp, but worse.
James sat next to the radio set up in the basement, turning the knobs and trying to get a signal. Mark and Janice sat to one side of James, and Terrance and Christina on the other.
A single bulb in the middle of the room provided some modest overhead lighting. The tiny windows near the ceiling were open, making the room less stuffy. Their bellies were stuffed, and they were ready to talk.
Terrance began. “I was on I-75, headed to South Caroline, when my truck stopped running,” he said. “Everyone else on the highway had the same problem. I saw people taking their batteries out from the engine, hooking 'em back again, and even trading them with others. My cell phone was dead. Every cell phone was dead. I knew at that point what the issue was.”
“But your bug-out van started,” James said. “All of ours did. And that's good. Without them, we'd be as stranded as everyone else.”
“You just wait until martial law is declared,” Terrance said. “The government has been just waiting for a moment like this.”
Mark perked up. “That's exactly what I was telling Janice.”
James held his hand up. “Let's not get off track here. We all experienced the same things and can only assume that the rest of the state is reeling from it. However, Georgia isn't the only state that has been hit.”
Terrance and Christina stared at James, hanging on his every word.
“What are we looking at here?” Terrance asked.
James opened his notebook and read from it. “So far, I've been told South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. That's what I heard over the waves. People from all over.”
“Janice and I saw helicopters late the other night, flying over our neighborhood. They had spotlights on, like they were looking for someone, but then just flew by us,” Mark said.
James interrupted. “They were probably out of reach from the magnetic pulses.” He stopped and grabbed a nearby pen. “Let's go over what we're dealing with here.” He began jotting. “Power grids are down. Automobiles of all makes and models are inoperable. Television, computers, and laptops are out. Handheld devices and tablets no longer work. Most businesses are closed or are closing their doors. The grocery stores will be cleaned out in a few days. There is no access to our bank accounts or any way to get money. And we can expect, at the very least, two months before anything can be restored.”
Mark sighed in frustration. He didn't like what he was hearing.
James continued. “This is the second night of this, and so far, none of us have witnessed any emergency responses.”
“Things weren't looking too hot in Atlanta when we left,” Terrance said. “It was already starting. We heard shots fired right within our neighborhood. It was early afternoon, and Christina and I were going to stay one more day. You know, to look for Richie. I heard them shots, and I knew it was time to go.”
“I didn't see any police. Not one,” Christina said. “I walked outside and seen people marching down the street, young kids, most of them. They were walking around like they owned the place. Looked like pure anarchy.”
James turned the radio knobs again. “If you'll bear with me, I'm going to try to get a signal on the radio again.”
Static came over the radio, rendering any communication unintelligible. Then he passed a station without pausing. For a fraction of a second, they heard something.
“Wait! What was that?” Mark said. “Go back.”
James slowly turned the radio knob in the other direction. The voice came and went again.
“No, you just passed it!” Mark said.
“I know, hold on,” James said, slightly annoyed.
He turned the knob again, and a voice came through the speakers. It was hard to understand with all the static on the line. It was the voice of a male announcer and sounded like something being played over an old phonograph.
This is an emergency broadcast message: All residents in the area with power or means of radio transmission are expected to pass the information disseminated in this broadcast to others in their respective areas. Residents of affected areas that have means for radio transmission should monitor this station frequently for updates. And now, we bring you a national news broadcast already in session:”
“We're standing here in the Rose Garden waiting for the president to make his address following a series of strategic and well-coordinated strikes against the nation's power grids. Experts believe that the strikes consisted of nuclear missiles containing electromagnetic pulses, or EMPs. The origins of these missiles are not yet known. Military officials state that the attack was launched to weaken, confuse, and destabilize the nation by an enemy country or rogue terrorist organization.
The EMP attacks have not only decimated the power grid systems of several key areas, they have also reportedly destroyed the inner circuits of automobiles, cell phones, and other personal electronics. Early reports state that the attacks are widespread, but do not cover the entire continental United States. Washington D.C., for example, was not hit. Experts estimate that 70 percent of the
nation's energy resources have been disabled.”
James, Mark, Janice, Terrance, and Christina all looked at each other in stunned disbelief
“And now we will join the president, who has approached the podium, ready to speak.”
“My fellow Americans, we face a perilous challenge across our great nation, as several areas have been struck unexpectedly by what is known as an aerial electromagnetic pulse attack. Our government has been aware of this threat ever since the Cold War, and it seems that not too long ago, it only existed in science-fiction tales. But it is now a reality we must face. Reports indicate that 70 percent of the nation's energy resources have been disabled by these EMPs. That includes cars, trucks, cell phones, laptops, tablets, and anything that had run on an electric current. This presents a serious crisis concerning our hospitals, prisons, and schools, for starters, and we must be vigilant to get things back in working order. Of the several states attacked, this government is working with federal emergency personnel, military, and law enforcement to bring help to those who need it.
I would urge patience from all American citizens in this matter. If we descend into anarchy, then our aggressors win. We are at the highest levels of alert right now, and I urge all Americans to exhibit resolve and civility toward each other until we can bring the necessary repairs back to our power grid system. I intend to use all the resources of the federal government at our disposal to fix this issue and get the power back. We are fortunate that Washington D.C. was not among those regions hit. The government is still operational and can do its job. We are prepared for this crisis and will do whatever is necessary to maintain law and order. May God bless you all, and God bless the United States of America.
“Mr. President! Mr. President! Who did this?”
“Mr. President! When and where can people expect the support you speak of?”
“Mr. President!”
End Days Super Boxset Page 177