Neighborhood Watch: After the EMP

by EE Isherwood

  “Alright, everyone, let’s do as Frank says,” Luke said in a low voice.

  Once the group continued on, I jogged to the back corner of the house across the street from Evelyn’s place. It belonged to the two workaholics we hadn’t seen, yet. The backyard was filled with young trees of many different types, most I didn’t recognize, which made it seem like an arboretum. The foliage gave me plenty of cover to watch the pair of men.

  I watched for a few moments until I saw the two men emerge from the ground cover at the edge of the woods. I gripped my shotgun, aware that I’d made a big deal telling Luke I wanted to hold off using it as long as possible. However, I was prepared to defend my friends with whatever level of violence was required.

  The pair of men went around a large tree behind Trevor’s property line, then they changed directions and came into his grassy backyard. For a split second, I was torn about what to do. There was a certain cosmic justice to allowing strange men to tangle with the smarmy young guy and his frat buddies. However, I knew I wasn’t going to let harm come to any of my neighbors, even those I found distasteful.

  Ready for anything, I cut across the yard until I was closer to the mystery men. I watched as they approached Trevor’s pool and headed onto his huge screened-in recreation area.

  “Aw, shit,” I said under my breath. I recognized the lead guy as my asshole neighbor.

  Wherever he’d been, I had no doubt Trevor had caused problems for someone. He and his larger partner walked with purpose the whole way, as if they were attempting to get inside before someone spotted them.

  I was the someone he was likely avoiding.

  He’d have no idea I wanted to avoid him, too. I’d made sure the two men weren’t strangers looking to rob a house, so I’d done my neighborly duty, but pressing my luck by jumping out and questioning the hothead about where he’d been would bring me nothing but frustration.

  Trevor’s behavior reinforced the idea I’d need to keep a close eye on him whenever possible.

  I let the pair go inside the house, then I reversed course through the shaded yard, keeping plenty of cover between myself and Trevor’s windows. I didn’t want him to see me, since he would never believe I’d gone behind his neighbor’s home so I could protect his own property. The concept of being a good, concerned neighbor was alien to the kid.

  When I got to Luke’s place, he’d gotten almost everyone in the garage as I’d suggested. Even Evelyn and her husband Ben were there. The faint sound of a barking dog came from inside Luke’s home, as if the animal knew something was happening outside.

  “Where’s Penny?” I asked.

  “She ran home to be with her daughter,” Carmen replied.

  It made perfect sense. If she thought there was a threat to the street, the mother wouldn’t hide in a garage while the child was alone. She’d gone to provide security, especially since I’d given her the revolver.

  As I’d touched on a few minutes earlier, there was so much we needed to do. In addition to the roadblocks and guard stations, we could really use an all-clear siren, so residents knew the threats were gone. Also, I didn’t like the idea of putting everyone in a single garage. If the EMP effects lasted for more than a few days, we needed to set up multiple strong points and defensive positions.

  “You okay, Frank?” Luke said in a sympathetic voice. “Who were those guys?”

  “It was just Trevor,” I said in a matter-of-fact tone. “He and his pal were off doing god-knows-what while we’ve been working hard to get your kids. I didn’t ask where he was, but I’d bet anything they weren’t visiting a local church.”

  “So we’re safe?” Melanie asked.

  “For the time being,” I reasoned. There was a fine balance between being paranoid about deadly threats lurking in every shadow and the more realistic possibility no one even cared about our street. Reading all those books had given me insights into what bad situations were possible during disasters, but I had to temper such fictional knowledge with reality. Life wasn’t like those books, where all of society broke down in a few hours. Even criminals would take time to figure it all out. I had to remember not to throw too much negativity on my neighbors. “We can get back to preparing ourselves for tonight.”

  I looked out Luke’s garage, to the east. We had a few more hours of June sunshine, which gave us plenty of time to prepare for the darkness of night, but I was also getting hungry.

  “Does anyone feel like a big barbeque tonight?” I asked.

  “Is now the time to be having a party?” Evelyn replied.

  “I never thought I’d say this,” I answered, “but we have no choice other than to throw a little party for ourselves. The meat in our freezers isn’t going to last more than a couple of days if the power doesn’t come back on. Our only course of action is to fire up the grills and feast before it rots.” Almost every book I’d ever read about EMPs started with a barbeque, and in a way I’d been trying to avoid it, hoping the power would flick back on by some miracle, because having the barbeque would signify we were really and truly heading into a serious crisis.

  “I call dibs on the brats,” Tyler blurted.

  “Who says we’re having brats?” his sister asked.

  “Mom keeps a stockpile in our downstairs freezer. I call dibs on at least four of them.” The kid rubbed his hands together, excited at the prospect of dinner.

  “This is the first time in my life I don’t have access to a propane grill,” I stated. “I haven’t had time to buy one since I moved in.”

  “I’ve got one,” Ben replied.

  “So do I,” Luke answered. “I can wheel it around to the front. We can grill right here on the driveway, if that’s what you had in mind?”

  “That’s exactly what I had in mind,” I smiled. “Ben, if you can roll yours over, we could use two.”

  “I’m on it,” Ben replied.

  “Ben, no,” Evelyn whispered to him. “We need to keep what we have.”

  The garage got uncomfortable for a few seconds.

  “Frank’s right,” Ben finally answered. “We need to cook it before it goes bad. You and I can’t possibly eat all we have in two days, so we should share it with everyone else. Trust me, dear, this is the best way for you and I.”

  Evelyn shook her head but didn’t argue with him.

  “Come, dear,” Ben said to his wife. “Let’s go get the grill.”

  Ben gently took her arm and walked toward their home.

  “I’ll bring some meat and beers,” I said to the others in a cheerier voice.

  I got Carmen’s attention. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

  “Sure, what’s up?”

  I pulled her away from the activity in the garage, so I could speak with her in private.

  “I didn’t want to ask this in front of the others because I don’t make it a practice to talk about anyone when they aren’t around, but I’m having some problems figuring out Evelyn. She isn’t really a team player.”

  “Believe me, we’ve all noticed,” she chuckled.

  “Well, I had an idea I wanted to fly by you. Would you be willing to grab Penny and then invite Evelyn to grill the meats together? I don’t know if this is the problem or not, but maybe having some women friends would make her feel more included here.”

  “You might be right, but what makes you believe I’m the woman for the job? She hates me the most out of anyone on this street.”

  “She does seem to have something extra for you. What did you do to earn that? Did you curb stomp her flower beds?”

  I laughed at my joke, but she remained subdued.

  Carmen closed the distance between us and whispered. “She thinks me and her husband once had a fling…”

  It took me a few seconds to process her words.

  It would be super unusual for a woman who could pass for J-LO in her prime to hook up with a seventy-something dude like Ben, especially since he was married, but I’d seen a lot of weird relationships over the years, so
I knew better than to ask for details. I waited for her to continue, which I could see she wanted to do.

  “And no, nothing happened between us. That would be gross. I’m in my… late twenties.” There was a twinkle in her eyes, as if she’d just subtracted five or ten years from her age. “And he’s got to be at least seventy-five. It would be like going out with my abuelo. My grandpa.”

  “So why does Evelyn have it in her head that you did?”

  “My mom lives hours away in Miami, and I get lonely living here in my big house.” She spoke in a more reflective tone of voice. “Getting out of the house is necessary when you live alone, you know?”

  I nodded. Even a quick trip to the library was better than sitting inside all day.

  “So, I try to be friendly to everyone I meet. A few times, while outside washing my car or watering my lawn, I spoke to Ben. I was only being neighborly, and nothing ever happened. At all.”

  “That sounds normal,” I remarked.

  “To you and me it does, but not Evelyn. She’s the opposite. She’s always inside and never comes out. Never goes anywhere with her husband. I think he’s lonelier than I am, even though he’s married, which is why he was so anxious to chat with me.”

  My eyes studied her expression.

  “Stop looking at me like that.” She playfully slapped me on the shoulder. “My dad died a long time ago, so talking to Ben was like a little reminder of what it was like to have a caring father. Nothing physical ever happened between us, I promise. He stood by my mailbox, and we talked.”

  “I trust you.” I held up my hands in surrender. “But why doesn’t his wife?”

  “You know how older guys are,” she giggled a bit. “He probably told her we talked about lawn fertilizer and car tires, which would have made any wife immediately suspicious. He probably never thought to tell her the truth about our conversations.”

  “What did you guys talk about, if you don’t mind me asking?” Given the age difference, I was curious what they had in common.

  “We mostly talked about money, actually. I came into some dinero after my divorce, and my mother knows nothing about investing. Benjamin has a portfolio and has done quite well for himself. He seemed to enjoy giving me pointers, and I appreciated the help.”

  “And now Evelyn wouldn’t believe anything you said to make it right.”

  “She’d only hear how I was trying to steal her man. The accusation is in her voice every time she and I talk.”

  “Well, I guess that changes things, but we can’t give up on her. Would you still mind getting Penny and explaining a little about what we need? You can stay clear of Evelyn by being the gopher for a while.”

  “The gopher?” she said with surprise. “What is this?”

  “She’s the person who goes for things. You can bring over the meats, condiments, buns and bread, and that sort of stuff. While you’re gone, it will give Penny and Evelyn time to get to know each other. Maybe Penny can succeed where the rest of us haven’t been able to break through…”

  Carmen didn’t seem happy, but she wasn’t angry, either.

  “Fine,” the woman sighed. “I’ll do what I can to play nice. She’s the one with the problems, though, not me.”

  “You’re a lifesaver,” I exhaled.

  “Yeah, well, you owe me one.” She winked before leaving.

  I watched her walk away for a moment before hurrying back to the garage. Luke had already wheeled his giant gas grill from the backyard, and he’d set it up in the middle of the driveway. Ben tinkered with a smaller grill he’d brought over from his place. Tyler and Rainey had gone inside, as had Melanie, leaving me and Ben alone.

  “Ben, we haven’t formally met. I’m Frank Douglas.”

  We shook hands.

  “I’ve seen you driving around in your old pickup truck,” he replied, “though it’s nice to put a name to the face.”

  “Well, you won’t see me in the pickup much anymore because I just bought a new Corvette.” I pointed to the orange car in my garage. “Then again, you won’t see me in any car for now, since we can’t get them started.”

  “Yeah, I saw all the stopped vehicles as I came back home through the canal system. Every street is a lot like ours, as best as I could tell.”

  “I’m glad you made it back here without any incidents.” He’d only been a few canals away when we’d found him in his boat, so it wasn’t a long ride back, but I was happy to see him and his working boat motor had returned unharmed. “We need every able-bodied person on our street to help prepare for potential trouble.”

  He held up an open beer bottle as if to say ‘cheers.’

  “I’m glad you made it back, too. I overheard Melanie and the kids talk about you. It seems like you have a fan club. Hell, even Evelyn said nice things about you.”

  “Really?” I asked with surprise. “I didn’t think she even liked me.”

  He chuckled in a polished way, as if the statement was one he heard a lot. “Trust me, she doesn’t like anyone. I’d hoped my retirement would make things better, but I’m starting to think she just hates living in Florida. I think she wanted to move to Arizona to be closer to her sisters.”

  “Sisters? Are they as…”

  “Pleasant?” he suggested.

  I shrugged, glad I didn’t have to finish my thought.

  “They’re both peaches. I love being around them. I just don’t love the dry heat of the desert, you know? Plus, I’ve always lived here. I plan on dying here.”

  Benjamin was instantly an important resource. Someone who’d lived in the area all his life would have insights that would help us down the road, so I looked at him with an appraising eye.

  “Hey, Ben, what would you say to taking a few minutes and having a quick meeting with me and Luke?” I wished Levar was home, since I hadn’t spoken to him in a meaningful way, either, but having Ben with us would be a start.

  Luke came out of his garage carrying a huge pair of tongs.

  I walked down the driveway, which gave me a view of the upper story of his house. “Luke, when you get the grill lit, me and Ben would like a word.”

  “Sure thing. I’ve already got it going. We’ll be at grilling temperature in ten or fifteen minutes.”

  “That’s more than enough time. But first, I’m looking to get some elevation. Can you tell me if that upstairs window can open?” I pointed to a raised window on his top floor.

  He gave me a knowing look. “Follow me.”

  A minute later, the three of us filed through the window onto the roof. We climbed to the summit and had the view of the surrounding neighborhood I was hoping for.

  “Guys, I wanted to talk to you both in private because we’ve now got a bunch of kids and, uh, delicate women down there.” I spoke in a low voice, so no one on the driveway or in the garage could hear us.

  Ben still carried his bottle, but he pulled a can of beer from his pocket and handed it to me.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  He made a second can appear from another compartment of his cargo pants, then he handed it over to Luke.

  “How many do you have in there?” I asked with a laugh.

  “I figured we’d need them if we’re discussing serious things,” Ben answered.

  I sat next to him while Luke sat on his other side.

  Ben sucked on his bottled beer before replying to me. “I know you wanted to get me alone because you’re talking about Eve. You don’t have to sugarcoat it for me. She talks tough, but deep down she’s afraid of everything and everyone. In fact, I’m surprised you got her out of the house before I made it home.”

  “Can’t you talk to her?” I asked. “Get her to calm down a bit and maybe lay off Carmen?” I wasn’t going to reveal what Carmen had told me in confidence, but my suggestion should have been clear. The woman’s bad attitude could soak through to the others and bring them down. The last thing any group needed during the end of the world was interpersonal problems.

  “We’ve b
een married for 35 years.” He chuckled with a touch of sadness. “You think I haven’t tried? I’ve heard she’s worse when I’m not around, and she has some issue with Carmen I can’t figure out, but it shouldn’t be a big deal now that I’m back. From here on out, I’ll watch over her and keep her from becoming a problem until the lights come back on.”

  “Well, here’s the thing,” I said. “I think this might go on for a lot longer than any of us thinks. A big EMP like this has wiped out this part of Florida, for sure, but there’s no reason to think it didn’t take the rest of America with it. At this point, best case, other countries come to our rescue. Figure several weeks until they arrive, and because we’re on the coast we’ll have a jump on everyone else. However, worst case, other countries tend to their own issues, and leave us to survive on our own. We might see millions of dead come winter, millions of others migrating south on account of the cold, and, worst of all, possibly years of living like we’re in the 1800s.”

  “My God,” Ben whispered.

  Luke and I had already discussed the possibility, so he showed less reaction, which reminded me how glad I was to have him around. He didn’t have the survival skills of the heroes in the books I’d read, but he was a fast learner, a solid listener, and seemed like a good dude. I was lucky he was the first person I’d met.

  “Wait a minute,” Ben replied. “How the hell do you know all this? Are you with the military or a government agency or something? I’ve seen plenty of disasters living in hurricane country, and I’ll grant you this looks bad on the surface, but how can you know what’s going to happen in days, weeks, or even years?”

  I’d been getting variants of the same question from all my neighbors, so I had an answer at my fingertips. “I’ve been reading books about stuff like this since I was a kid. The end of the world scenarios fascinate me. I’ve read a ton of stories about EMPs, which have results exactly like what we’re seeing here. Loss of power, communications, computer chips, and so on. EMPs require high technology and know-how to get them into the atmosphere above a target, so if we’re suffering the effects, it means someone was successful at it.”