by J. B. Craig
“And I’ll be welcome?” Pete asked.
“Of course you’ll be welcome, my hero. Why wouldn’t you?” Maria said. “Dad always said if SHTF, we should head out to Rock Harbor - my family’s place,” she explained. “And we can survive like they did in the 1700’s.”
“SHTF?”
Maria grinned. “Shit-Hits-The-Fan.”
After eating, the two traveling students latched the safety lock and put their guns on the side tables, with Maria’s rifle between the table and her bed. It wasn’t long before both fell asleep.
6. Chef’s Surprise
When the morning light woke her, Maria groaned, rolling over and making a futile attempt to bury her face in the pillow. Without a clock, it was difficult to know what time it was, but it felt early - she wished they’d remembered to close the drapes last night.
She glanced over to the other bed, where Pete was fast asleep. His face was slack with sleep, and he looked almost vulnerable, long lashes fluttering over bronze cheeks. Maria could admit to herself that he was cute - tall, dark and handsome had always been Maria’s type to some degree, but she’d never been able to respect lazy or stupid, so half the time anyone she might develop a romantic interest in would ruin it by opening their mouths. Instead, Pete had so far been practical, funny, and sweet. It figured that she’d finally meet someone she might like to get to know better in the middle of a complete blackout; that was about the way her luck ran.
Maria was already grateful for his help - he’d been protective without overdoing it, helpful without being pushy. He was thoughtful and friendly, but quiet - well-suited to her introverted nature - and while she knew she was quite capable of handling herself, it was nice to have someone to watch her back. Her dad had prepared her for the practical side of all kinds of emergency scenarios, but they had always seemed so far away. She’d never really even considered how it would feel to be totally in the dark, all of her normal lines of communication out. It was was isolating, frightening even, but was easier with Pete around. She was glad she didn’t have to do it alone.
Pete stirred, rolling onto his side with a quiet sigh, and Maria quickly looked away, hoping he didn’t catch her staring. Yes, he’d been looking out for her, but it seemed more like he was just that kind of guy. ‘Weird prepper daughter with a sharp tongue and a gun’ was, all things considered, probably not his type.
With a sigh, Maria got up and used the bathroom first. Resisting the urge to flush was weird, but better than hiking down to a soggy pond and getting more water. Pete could use the rest of it when he got up. By the time she’d cleaned herself up, Pete was awake, and quietly shuffled past her, did his business and flushed for both of them as Maria packed up their things.
Going down the motel stairs was easier than going up, but they grinned at each other as they hobbled a bit - they still had quite a ways to travel by bike, but one night of good sleep wasn’t enough to fully shake off the residual aches and pains. They went to the front desk, and the owner was awake as well, sitting in a chair and reading a magazine by the window.
“Good morning, kids,” she said. “Sleep okay?”
“Soundly,” Pete said, and Maria nodded in full agreement.
“Good. We usually offer continental breakfast, but given the circumstances, my cook didn’t show up,” she said. “But, I do have gas stoves in the kitchen - can’t offer you eggs because they got warm without any cold air in the fridge, but I do have some leftover things from the freezer. Got some sausage patties that’ll thaw unless they get eaten up, and some quick-mix pancake batter if that sounds okay by you two.”
“Sounds great, ma’am!” Pete said, and they all laughed when his stomach growled audibly.
“At least you’ve got your appetite,” the owner said. “Call me Margie, hon. Not sure I remembered to introduce myself last night.”
“We were dead on our feet; I’m not sure we would’ve remembered anyway.” Maria laughed, cheered by the thought of a hot breakfast. “Pete and Maria; you can guess which one’s which.”
“Ahh, a lady with a sense of humor. Pleased to meet you,” Margie said. “I’ll go get started on breakfast. Might be a bit of a ‘chef’s surprise.’ I want to cook what I can salvage from the freezer. I’ll pack you both a lunch, too.”
Maria and Pete exchanged longing glances. “That would be really, really nice. Thank you so much,” Maria said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”
Margie waved a hand. “Better it go in hungry mouths than go to waste.” Turning to Pete, she added, “If you want, there should be plenty of fresh juice in the machine. We just refilled it yesterday, so it should be fine to drink if you can get it out of the dispenser without the power. And help yourselves to any breakfast supplies you find.”
“Thank you. I’m sure we can figure it out,” Pete agreed. With a nod at each other, Margie disappeared into the kitchen and Pete opened the top of the juice dispenser.
While Pete was fiddling with the machine, Maria opened several cabinets until she found single-serve jam, butter, and syrup packets. She knew the sealed jam and syrup packets would be good, but she wasn’t sure how long the butter had been sitting out. “Margie?” she called, sticking her head into the kitchen and holding up one of the squares. “Do you think this butter’s okay?”
“Should be. They’re all single-serve, and they pack them to sit out for multiple breakfast sessions,” Margie said. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you,” Maria called, ducking back into the breakfast area. When she turned around, Pete was holding two bags of juice up triumphantly. “Oh, you got it!”
“Yep,” Pete agreed cheerfully. “Apple or orange?”
“OJ, please,” Maria said. She brought over some of the table glasses, and Pete poured six full of juice, squeezing it through the dispenser hose. “Figure we should have about two each, since it’ll be a long ride today,” he said, and Maria chuckled. “Don’t remind me.”
Shortly after, Margie came out with three plates, each piled high with hotcakes, bacon, and sausage. She sat down with them, and they swapped stories as they ate. Each of them had a different influence who’d taught them to be self-sufficient; Maria and her prepper father, Pete and his Oklahoma relatives, who fancied themselves old-time cowboys, and Margie and her husband, a Marine who’d helped her build and maintain the motel before he passed. If Maria closed her eyes, letting the feeling of a hot breakfast and good company soothe her frazzled nerves, she could almost imagine that she was back at the Penn cafeteria, grabbing a quick breakfast between morning classes.
After they began to get full, Maria said, “Margie, I don’t think you should stick around here much longer. People start to get antsy while we’re all waiting for the lights to come back on, city areas are going to get pretty dangerous, and you’re right off of the highway.”
No sooner had she finished her sentence than three loud ‘bangs’ echoed in the distance - gunshots. They all looked to the horizon, and then back at each other. “Maria and I came down from Penn, and it’s the same there. Maria and I are starting to fear it’s hit other places around us just as hard,” Pete said. “Do you have enough supplies? Someplace safe where you can go?”
Margie reached across the table and patted Pete’s cheek. “Son, you’re a good boy, and thank you. When John passed, I sold our house and moved into one of the units on the top floor. This is my home, and I’ll stay here.”
“You’re sure?” Maria asked, and Margie nodded. “Between the kitchen’s pantry and vending machines, I’ve got plenty of dry food, and John made sure I knew how to defend myself. I’ll be okay,” she said. “But hold on a second. Let me give you some things to take with you.”
Margie went into the kitchen and came back out with a grocery bag filled with goodies. “Margie, we can’t take this much,” Pete began to protest, but she waved him off. “These things would go bad anyway,” she said. “I put a big hunk of ham in there that should last a few days out of the fridge. There’s sandwiches,
a few packs of frozen sausages - those you’ll need to eat as soon as they thaw,” she instructed.
“We’ll be careful,” Maria agreed. She leaned over and gave her a hug. “Thank you so much, Margie. This will really help us out.”
Margie hugged her back warmly. “As long as you kids prioritize how you use it, you’ll get down the road a few days,” she said. “I only wish I had more dry goods to give you - I put some extra bread in there, but I’m afraid that’s all I could spare. Have to make sure I’m stocked up for myself and any stray visitors who wander in.”
“You’ve already done us an enormous kindness,” Pete said. He gave her a hug as well, and Maria bit her lip to hide a smile - he looked twice her size, but somehow she didn’t think Margie would appreciate it being pointed out. “You take care of yourself, Margie. Stay safe.”
After a final round of hugs and warm wishes, Maria and Pete dragged their bikes back outside and pulled out Maria’s map. “I’m guessing we’ve got about ten more miles to the next town - Elkton - and ten more to Perryville,” Maria said, tapping its name on the map. “I think we should try to make it there before we stop for lunch. You ready to get going?”
“Ready when you are, Maria,” Pete agreed.
7. The Susquehanna Military
The town of Elkton, commutable from both Baltimore and Philadelphia, fortunately came and went without incident. While they saw more vehicles along the way, they were clearly abandoned, their owners presumably having left to get to shelter. Aside from giving brief directions to several lost travelers, the miles passed smoothly and quietly. Since most of the commuters were likely still stuck out on the highways or in their offices, most of the people they passed by were retirees or mothers with babies in strollers, their faces pinched and worried.
Around early afternoon, Maria whistled ahead to Pete, the sound carrying loud and clear without the constant hum of electronic devices. He looked back at her, circling back to her side once it was clear that she was slowing to a stop. “Lunch break?” she asked, and he nodded easily, using his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
The nearby street signs indicated that they were just outside of Perryville, so while they were going a little slower than Maria would’ve liked, they were keeping a good clip and she wasn’t afraid to admit that she had desperately needed food, water, and a break from the bike seat. Maria had Margie’s grocery bag hanging from her handlebars, and pulled out lunch from it for the two of them. They put together four sausage sandwiches - since they hadn’t counted them as part of their initial supply, there was no need to ration them, and she figured they’d both be plenty hungry after the morning’s long ride with heavy packs.
As Maria and Pete finished up their lunch, they planned their next stop. They’d have to cross over the Susquehanna River to get through the next few towns. “When we start getting tired, we can see if we can find another place to stay for the night around here,” Maria said. “Things might get more dangerous as we start getting closer to Baltimore. I don’t want to tackle any densely populated areas without a full night’s sleep, if we can help it.”
After another few miles, they came to the edge of the bridge Maria intended for them to cross. When they arrived, they were stopped by a young soldier guarding a big green Army truck. The soldier had a close eye on the rifle strapped to Maria’s backpack. “He’s jumpy,” Pete murmured, and she nodded.
As soon as she got close enough to hear him, he shouted “Halt!” Another soldier came from around the back of the truck. Both were armed. After a tense moment, the older soldier grabbed the front of the first soldier’s rifle and pointed it at the ground, in their general area but not directly at them any longer.
Maria and Pete dropped the kickstands on their bikes and walked over, their hands in the air. “Afternoon, sir,” Pete called to the younger soldier. “We’re on our way to Baltimore. Were hoping to cross the bridge here.”
“He probably doesn’t go by ‘sir,’ Pete,” Maria corrected, gesturing to the younger man.
The older man chuckled, visibly relaxing a bit. “You got that right,” he said to Maria. “No sirs here, only sergeants. You serve?”
“Not me personally, no,” Maria said. “My dad was an E-6 during Desert Storm.”
“Oh, yeah?” he asked. “What MOS?”
“Uh…” Maria racked her brain. “I don’t remember the number. Something-Bravo. They had him doing demolitions.”
“Maybe 12-Bravo? That was how they used to refer to combat engineers,” he said, and Maria nodded. “Yep, that sounds right.”
“Well, next time you see him, thank him for his service,” the sergeant said. “Unfortunately, I have to ask you guys to turn back around. I’ve got orders to keep civilians off the bridge.”
“We’re trying to get her back to her family, and we need to get through Baltimore,” Pete said. “Can I ask what’s going on? We’re both traveling from Penn, and everything’s down. We’ve been looking for power for miles. We only vaguely know where we are. We’ve pretty much been relying on paper maps and hope.”
“Well, you guys are just outside of the base we’re stationed at, APG,” the sergeant said. “Aberdeen Proving Grounds. We’re here to secure the base, but most of us have been ordered to head to Baltimore to try and restore a little order. Apparently it’s pretty bad, since we’re not allowing folks to cross without the proper documentation, and we’re supposed to be warning all civilians away. The city’s out of power, and it sounds like people are starting to panic. Places are getting looted; people are taking food and water from wherever they can get it.”
Pete and Maria exchanged a worried glance. “We’re okay on supplies for today, but her family’s all on the other side of the city,” Pete said. “We can skirt the city, but we’ve still got to cross somewhere.”
“Hey, Private,” he called to the other soldier. “Can you get these guys a few MREs? We got a vet’s daughter who’s trying to get home.”
When the private was behind the truck, the sergeant said, “Look, you can’t cross here, but there’s a railroad bridge downstream that is currently un-guarded. That won’t be the case once we get more troops. How far are you going?”
“My uncle lives near Annapolis,” Maria said. “We were hoping to find somewhere with power before then, but if you’re saying that Baltimore’s out of commission, too-”
“I don’t know about Annapolis,” he said. The private returned with a box in his arms. “Wish I had a better answer for you. Here - you guys know what these are? Meals Ready to Eat. Stick these in your packs, just in case.”
“Thank you,” Pete said, opening his bag for the other soldier. “What in the hell caused this? You guys have any idea?”
“Above my pay grade,” the sergeant answered. “We had a colonel show up, but all we got were orders. Your guess is as good as mine, but - you said you guys came from up near Penn?” He shook his head. “To knock out power on this massive of a scale, my money is on an EMP.”
Pete and Maria thanked the soldiers for the MRE’s, and what info they could share. Following the sergeant’s directions, they cut across a few blocks and got close to the railroad bridge he had pointed out.
As they approached, Pete stopped Maria. “Maybe we should hunker down until it gets dark, then cross,” he suggested. “Just to be on the safe side. And I don’t know about you, but my feet could use a break.”
“My ass could use a break,” Maria groaned. “I’m trying to tough it out, but I swear to God, this was not what I signed up for.”
Pete laughed. “In that case,” he said, “Let’s go find us a soft spot to sit.”
Finding a peaceful spot near the river seemed to naturally draw out conversation - Pete and Maria spent the next few hours resting on the grassy embankment and swapping stories about themselves. Pete talked about growing up in Oklahoma and being one of the few black families in the small town of Ardmore. He thought the tension was one of the reasons that his parents split up,
a divorce that left both of his parents broken-hearted and bitter. He said that things had just started to settle down, with both of his parents starting new families, but new families meant new priorities - and new children to pay for.
It seemed like both of Pete’s parents believed in Pete in their way, but they’d also made it pretty clear that he’d have to make it on his own in the world. At 23, he was most of the way to graduation. “My goal is to graduate with my BS in Biology and Pre-Med degree with as little debt as possible. After that, I was thinking maybe Med School, and a whole pile of debt. Now? Who knows.”
Maria explained that she had figured out early that while she was a natural student, she liked school only so far as its ability to secure her a job after graduation. She too was concerned about carrying exorbitant student loans - her family was comfortable enough to help her with the tuition and books that her merit scholarship and job didn’t cover, but not wealthy enough to pay her way. With her and her twin brother Jared both going to four-year schools, she didn’t want to be a financial burden for any longer than she had to be. With that in mind, she’d taken a full course-load of AP classes in high school and participated in all of Penn’s inter-sessions, and would be graduating with her Bachelor’s in Business after only three years.