In the pantry he found a box of Bisquick and some maple syrup to go with the two eggs and bottle of beer he had found in the refrigerator. The griddle heated on the old propane stove while he mixed two eggs, about half the beer, and a teaspoon of sugar in a mixing bowl, using a whisk. He poured Bisquick into the bowl until it peaked well above the liquid and mixed that in. The final step was adding beer, as needed, until the batter had a pourable, but thick consistency. Any beer left in the bottle would go toward early-morning-stress-relief for the chef.
Now that the griddle was hot, he poured the first batch of beer pancakes. When bubbles started to appear on top he flipped the half-inch thick pancakes. He soon had a platter of hot cakes, maple syrup, and butter sitting on the kitchen table; a feast he hoped would brighten the day.
Ela came in as the aroma of the sizzling batter penetrated the living room, "Morning, what are you making that smells so good?"
"My hunting-camp breakfast . . . beer pancakes," Gus replied and smiled at Ela. "Because Abe preempted my planned menu while camping, I decided to make it this morning. You hungry?"
"I wasn’t, but I am now. Beth is unconscious, I think. I tried to wake her, but couldn't."
"I figured that; she didn’t look good earlier when I got up to put wood on the fire. We’ll just have to keep her as warm and comfortable as possible. See what happens, I guess."
"Is that fresh coffee I smell?" Ela’s interest honed in on the percolator just now starting to perk. She went over to the stove for a closer look at this new way to make coffee; she’d seen it of course, but not tried it.
"Yup, the cups are set out if you want to pour us a cup when it’s ready."
"How do I know when it’s ready?" Ela asked, while peering at the pot.
"Not really sure of the correct way. A friend of mine says more than eight minutes of perking makes campfire espresso. I just watch the dome, somewhere past watery-brown usually works, but I’ve only done this while camping; anything tastes good then. Use your best guess," Gus said with a shrug.
After a minute or two Ela found a hot pad and poured two cups of coffee that looked a lot darker once in the cups. She noticed some coffee grounds in the brew, but the delicious aroma made that easy to overlook; taking a small slurp off the top, it tasted perfect.
Once they sat down and started to eat, the pancakes disappeared quickly; they ate like there might be no tomorrow.
"That was a first for me, never heard of beer pancakes. They were delicious," Ela said finishing up. "Thank you."
"They're quick, easy, and hot, but the secret is waiting until everyone is hungry. Then they're even better."
"Worked on me. I'll clean up in here."
~~~
After breakfast Gus used the snowmobile to pull the attackers’ frozen bodies into an unheated shed. There they would be safe from scavengers and preserved until he could tell the Sheriff what happened.
Before he rolled them up into another of Al’s blue tarps, he searched the bodies. Each one had a wallet with an employee ID card for the dude ranch just up the canyon; he would talk to Beth about that if she regained consciousness.
He knew the resort catered to well-to-do people from Hollywood and the entertainment industry, so it could be a robbery or kidnapping plan using the storm as a cover. The perpetrators probably knew they could count on zero response from law enforcement while the road remained unplowed. Seeing a possible motive and opportunity for high-stakes criminal activity meant nothing to him, but it added worry. Whatever it was that they had inadvertently walked into yesterday, he needed to find a way to walk out of today.
Still, it puzzled Gus that the highway wasn’t open yet, days after the storm hit. If there was one thing Coloradans knew how to do, it was how to plow snow off the highways. He had never heard of a main thoroughfare being closed for four days. Especially one that wealthy people depended on.
He heard a noise and looked up to see Ela coming from the house on a run. The next catastrophe had arrived it seemed; he hurried to meet her. As soon as she saw Gus coming out of the shop, she stopped and turned back toward the house, waving at him to follow her.
Beth lay on the floor in front of the couch with her feet kicking; her arms had tangled in the blanket and stretched it taut as they flailed around. Her eyes, as well as her jaw, were clenched shut; she looked rigid.
"What do we do?" Ela asked.
"Keep her from hurting herself until the seizure passes, and try to hold her head steady." He walked around to Beth’s head. "How about if I grab her shoulders and lift her enough for you to slide one of those couch cushions under her upper body, then we can duct tape some pillows around her and the cushion, to immobilize her?"
"Where’s the tape?" Ela asked.
"In the kitchen."
She was back just as Gus figured out how he would, as gently as possible, maneuver Beth's body. He got up and stepped over Beth, and then went to his knees straddling her. After grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around her upper body, he lifted her. Ela slid the cushion under in a flash. Then they sat her up enough to pass the roll of tape around her chest and upper arms first. Padding her head with rolled towels, they then carefully taped the towels to the cushion around her head.
As soon as they were done Beth's body relaxed. Thinking that she had died they both franticly started feeling for a pulse, before noticing that she was still breathing. Feeling relieved that Beth rested comfortably, they decided to bring a mattress in to get her off the cold floor, and to avoid the risk of her falling off the couch again.
By noon the temperature was up to near freezing, the sun was out, and roofs began shedding their snow. Warmth from the fireplace was finally reaching the kitchen where Gus and Ela warmed up some canned stew for lunch. Two bites into their meal they heard an approaching motor that sounded like a snowmobile.
Andy, Jennifer, Tye & Reb - East Texas
From the throat clearing and the movement next to her, Reb knew her husband was preparing to get out of bed, and she wanted to talk with him before he did.
"Well?"
"No power and a cold north wind is still blowing," Tye answered.
"Thanks for the weather report; we'll talk more on that later. I think your daughter has her heart set on that man."
"Appeared to me you were fawning over Andy more than our daughter at supper. Good thing, he's obviously trying to hide how attracted he is to Jen. By talking to you, whenever his mouth isn't full, means he isn't staring all moon-eyed at her. But quit shoving so much food in front of him, or he'll swell up like a sick pup."
"Love-sick pups, both of them. I could tell the moment they walked in, couldn't you?"
"Reb, the first time I saw them together it was obvious to everyone but them. Since then they've been in some serious situations and have come through for one another. That little speech Andy gave last night put us on notice—he's here to steal our daughter's heart."
"Can't steal what's freely given. Now we're all watching each other and getting used to the idea like we would a pair of new boots. Got to break them in around the house a few days before a night out dancing."
"Humph, well I need to dance on out and see if there is any life left on the farm. Are you going to let Jen take the lead in the kitchen, so she can show Andy how well we did as parents?"
"Maybe I will go along with you, and leave them to fix us breakfast. Where are we going?"
"Not far, just to take a look at the cows and see what's frozen around the place; this is one heck of a cold front. Bundle up good."
~~~
Andy awoke on the couch in the living room to a warm hand covering his mouth. As soon as his eyes opened Jennifer smiled and whispered in his ear, "You getting enough to eat around here?"
"I'm hoping your mom will adopt me."
"Be careful, she considers you a blank canvas for her culinary arts."
"What are you doing up in the wee hours?"
"My folks are already up, I heard them earlier. Befo
re they come out I just wanted a moment alone to tell you how much you're appreciated."
"I like to be shown how much I'm appreciated."
"For now you'll have to take my word on it. You've got about ten minutes before pots and pans are rattling in the kitchen."
~~~
"Ten minutes are up and there're no pots rattling. Where are your parents?"
"Out somewhere. They got up early and left without telling me," Jennifer said, walking back into the kitchen from checking on them. "Dad goes out every morning to check on the livestock, crops, or something, so that's not unusual; Mom going with him is."
"A mystery on the family homestead. What would happen if I started cooking breakfast while it plays out?"
"We'd eat sooner? I brought my emergency radio, I'll find out what the rest of the world is doing, and what the weather has in store for us, if the interference is gone."
Jennifer sat at the kitchen table turning the crank handle to build a charge for the radio, watching Andy all the while. He busily gathered ingredients, then he found cookware and utensils from various cupboards and drawers in her mother's kitchen. He moved with confidence and an efficiency of motion that belied his actual size. When he looked up and smiled at her she looked down and found the radio more than charged. In fact, the handle used to wind it up had cracked.
~~~
On their way back to the house Reb grabbed Tye's arm, pulled him to a stop, and pointed, "Look."
Tye looked where his wife pointed and through the windows saw Jennifer sitting at the table, with Andy at the old gas stove, then he turned to his wife saying, "How many times have I said she's too bossy? Proves I was right about that."
"Watch him, he's washing as he goes. You should take notes," Reb said.
"We've been married almost thirty years, it only took Jen knowing Andy a week to get him trained. Maybe you should take notes," Tye answered and nudged Reb to start walking.
~~~
Jennifer looked around at the noise then back at Andy, "They're back, but I didn't get a weather report, I think the radio has had it. How's breakfast coming along? Can I help?"
"Maybe set the table? Condiments? Coffee is ready too," Andy said, busy at the stove.
Jennifer smiled at her parents as they walked in and asked, "Where've you two been so early?"
"Half way to Oklahoma and back, can't afford to sleep in like you youngsters," Tye answered.
While Tye bantered with his daughter, Reb eased into the kitchen with a watchful eye. She noticed how few pieces of cookware Andy used and that he wiped the counters as he went along, constantly moving, washing, drying, or checking something.
Andy looked up to see Reb watching him and smiled, "The most important skill I learned while bike trekking is putting things back in the exact place I found them, so I think your kitchen is safe."
"You found everything okay?"
"If you could get a couple of serving dishes it would be a big help. My timing is off and I'm overcooking some things," Andy said and then turned back to the stove.
At the table Jennifer and Tye sipped their coffee and watched Reb hover around Andy; they imagined her to be consciously restraining herself from elbowing her way to the stove. Andy kept her busy helping him, even asking her opinion on if the dishes were spiced to the family members' tastes. Soon it became evident that Reb and Andy were enjoying cooking together, which prompted a raised eyebrow from Jennifer as she looked at her dad and whispered, "We've created a monster."
"We? This one's on you, Missy. That's your boyfriend in there charming my wife, and making the men folk look bad."
"You think he's reached boyfriend status in a week? Anyway, men look manly in the kitchen; a news flash to you Dad, I know. Maybe they'll team up to do a cooking show and make us rich."
Reb and Andy came to the table each carrying a platter of steaming food, "What are you two over here snickering about?" Reb asked.
"How funny it is to have ice in East Texas," Tye answered. "I won't ask what you two were laughing about while stirring the caldron in there; might ruin my appetite. Smells good though."
As they ate their conversation revolved around the cold front and the radio interference occurring at the same time.
"Is it a conspiracy or a coincidence?" Reb asked.
"Unless whatever 'it' is clears up soon, we may never know what exactly happened, only that it did," Jennifer answered for all of them.
"Someone's coming and it looks like a County Sheriff truck. Any of you wanted criminals?" Reb asked.
Tess & Eric - Corsica River, Chesapeake Bay, MD
"You are truly an eccentric woman to be out for a swim so early in the morning!" Eric greeted Tess.
Tess grabbed a handhold on the side of Eric’s kayak with a surge of relief, "Are you here to help or joke around?" Tess somehow had a difficult time communicating with Eric, and she wondered why sending a barbed response to a would-be rescuer took precedence in her mind over being rescued.
"Just taking care of my tenants like any good landlord. If you can haul yourself aboard, please do," Eric answered, deciding his earlier attempt at levity had fallen on deaf ears, or maybe it was just bad timing? Whatever, now he just wanted to get this over with and back to his house.
"Thank you!" Tess slowly started pulling herself onto the kayak as Eric shifted his position to counterbalance her weight. When she was aboard and seated in front of him, facing forward, she faintly heard him over the chatter of her teeth.
"Well done," he said, and without speaking another word he turned on the electric motor and steered toward where he thought Robin might be. Again the FLIR found the sailboat by the temperature differential between the boat and the river's surface, once his memory got them close enough. Eric pulled up to the stern of the sailboat, "Consider yourself rescued and safely delivered to your little boat."
"Duly noted. I am in your debt."
"Consider the debt satisfied when the storm passes and your journey takes you elsewhere," Eric said, and he left Tess climbing aboard Robin in the dark.
The coldness in Eric's parting shot pushed Tess even closer to hypothermia. Stiff and unbalanced she struggled aboard Robin. Once below deck she shed her wet clothing, dried off, and crawled under a warm, dry blanket. She shivered herself to asleep without a thought of how well Robin's secondary anchor, tossed out of the dinghy just before she followed it into the water, would hold in a sudden blow.
~~~
After a hot shower on his return to the house, Eric frowned as he remembered the less than friendly parting when he had delivered Tess to her boat, his intentions of being friendlier to her had gone awry. He was disappointed, but not surprised, with how their verbal exchange had gone. In his experience antagonistic attitudes, once exhibited between two people, exist like a transmission's low gear. When the going gets tough, shifting down often becomes damn near impossible to resist.
While eating breakfast in the wee hours of the new day, he went over his plans to survive the next week to ten days. Like everyone else he wasn't able to get any news or weather updates, but unlike most he was privy to what was happening, and he was prepared to hunker down until the smoke cleared. In the next few days a recovery could start, if there was going to be one; though he doubted it would happen. The chances of stopping the upcoming human die-off declined with each day essential services were cutoff to them, and day three had just passed for many; people had grown desperate. They were cold, hungry, but above all else—well armed.
~~~
Just after 7:00A.M., to the west of Washington, D.C., near Dulles International Airport, a developing band of unusually strong storm cells approached from the west.
As the storm cells moved eastward at speeds near 30 mph, funnel clouds formed. A tornado briefly touched down in Bowie, and another near Silver Springs, causing enough damage and debris to close streets and roads in the area. Almost instantaneously, area-wide traffic jams developed around the swaths of tornado damage. Police and emergenc
y vehicles only added to the traffic chaos, their sirens considerably louder than the car horns of stationary vehicles surrounding them. Panic set in. Tempers began to flair.
Associated with the fast-developing storm system, strong wind gusts and damaging hail assaulted a broad area of expensive real estate on the northern edge of Washington, D.C. Hail came down thick enough to block traffic on area streets and highways and hard enough to damage vehicles and buildings. Due to sodden soil from the previous days of rain, strong wind gusts knocked down trees and power lines in a wide band of destruction across northern Maryland and into southern New Jersey.
At 8:57A.M., a tornado touched down across the Severn River from Annapolis, MD. It continued east crossing the Chesapeake Bay directly over and closely paralleling U.S. Highway 50 and the William Preston Lane Junior Memorial Bridge. The winds sufficiently damaged the only bridge across the northern Chesapeake Bay, so that highway officials indefinitely closed it to all road traffic for repairs.
Massive storm damage to the local electrical grid would keep the Salem Nuclear Power Plant off-line indefinitely. Restoring power to the millions of households and businesses, from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., would take weeks. Meanwhile, traffic gridlock expanded exponentially outward from storm ravaged Northern Maryland. Infrastructure damage from winter storm Abe, and associated cyber attack damages, now affected five densely populated states: Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, in addition to the District of Columbia. Any resemblance to normalcy disappeared from the landscape around the devastated areas. Columns of smoke and the sounds of sporadic gunfire rose in the air.
At 9:25A.M., the southernmost and strongest storm cell in the band developed a rotation. The funnel, generated by the cell, touched down one mile west of Eric’s property, moving rapidly to the east. A few seconds later a large horse barn exploded, giving the funnel a large debris cloud, appearing halo-like around the point of its destruction.
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