By Way of Autumn
by Jacqueline Druga
Returning home from her weekly visit with her incarcerated stepdaughter, Tess Lordes pulls over the family car on the mountain highway ten miles outside of her small town of Falcon’s Way, California. It is a brief, unscheduled stop that saves their lives. Cars lose control and crash around Tess and her two children just before a blinding light envelopes the entire sky. No sound of an explosion. No blast waves. In an eerie silence the western sky is transformed into an inferno. The unexplained phenomenon extinguishes all power and disables communication. Although unscathed, it doesn’t take long for things to fall apart in Falcon’s Way. Law and order in the quaint town quickly evolve into chaos and violence. Without phones, radio or television, no one knows what has happened. Soon enough, those in Falcon’s Way learn the fiery event is only the first of many devastating and heartbreaking occurrences that sweep through their town. Tess’ number one priority is to keep her family alive and safe. To her, staying in Falcon’s Way is the means to do so. But is it? Being in the dark breeds so many questions. Was the event isolated or global? And are Tess and the others better off standing their ground or is time truly running out? Not just for Falcon’s Way but for mankind. **