NightFall (6 page)

She suddenly remembered the radios.
Next to some boxes on the floor was a protective metal case with
several high-frequency handheld radios and one emergency hand-crank
radio inside. As a rule of thumb, Rob had usually kept the
handhelds charged. She grabbed the case and fled the room, hoping
there was nothing else she might have forgotten.

She opened the garage and
tossed her purse inside the Datsun.
Just
out of the shower, with her hair tied back, she was already
sweating. The thought of her next hospital shift crossed her mind.
She had to warn her co-workers and make the sure the patients were
OK. Rob. The kids. The hospital. It was too much to think about all
at once.

“
One thing at a
time,”
she told herself.

She knelt down next to the car and
opened the radio case, seeing three 50-mile GMRS/FRS two-way
radios, chargers, and the emergency chargers. Rob had a radio at
the store, and she hoped he had it on him. Familiar with how to use
it, she switched it on and stood up.

The bright sunlight shone
into the garage. She walked toward away from the Datsun and looked
around outside, relieved when she didn’t see anyone.
It was time to hit the road.

“
Rob. If you’re there,
answer me.” She waited. Nothing but static came through. “Rob. Are
you there? If you can hear me, let me know. I’m coming to the
store. Wait on me.”

She turned to open the car door when a
voice crackled on the other end.

“
Mila!”
Rob said.

“
I’m here,
Rob.”

“
You’re awake? Listen to
me. Something bad has happened. Just like we discussed. Looks like
an EMP.”

“
I know. I’ve got the
Datsun packed and ready to go. My car won’t start. We’re going to
have to drive into the city and get the kids.”

She waited for a response,
but only static came through.
“Rob?”

She walked back into the
garage and next to the driver’s side door when
she felt the presence of another person behind her. A shadow
entered. She spun around, startled. Her heart nearly stopped when
she saw the man, instantly recognizable and leering and smiling
with crooked yellow teeth.

“
Mila, are you there? I
lost signal.”
Rob
’s voice said.
“Hold on, I’m
coming!”

She was frozen in place, unable to
respond.

“
How ya doing?” the man
asked. She could smell his oil-stained mechanic’s jumpsuit from
where he stood.

“
Names, Chet.” That much
was evident by the name patch stitched on his chest.

“
What do you
want?”

Chet smiled wide and raised his arms
to the top of the garage, holding onto the small ledge. He began to
rock back-and-forth on his heels. She looked beyond the man and
hoped to see Ken. The revolver was in her pocket, she wasn’t afraid
to use it.

“
My car broke down about a
mile down the road that way,” Chet said, pointing in the direction
he had come from. “Can’t find anyone to help me. I saw you were
having a little car trouble yourself and thought that maybe we
could help each other.”

“
How exactly can we do
that?” she asked.

“
I’ll take a look at your
KIA, and maybe you can give me a ride into town.”

“
No thanks,” she
said.

Chet examined the
Datsun.
“Going somewhere in this
thing?”

Mila felt angry. Violated.

“
I don’t really think
that’s any of your business. I would advise that you call a tow
truck.”

“
Good idea,” Chet said.
“Can I use your phone? My battery died.”

“
I’m sorry. The power is
out throughout the entire block. Our phone isn’t
working.”

Chet lowered his arms and
took a step forward.
“You don’t like me,
do you?”

Mila felt the bulge of the revolver in
her pocket.

He noticed her growing
anxiety.
“I won’t take offense if you
don’t. But I would hope that you’re not judging me by my appearance
alone. I could really use some help.”

“
Again, I’m sorry, sir.
There’s nothing I can do.” She took a step toward the garage door
to close it just as he took another step in. Mila
stopped.

He looked at her and
smiled out of sheer amusement.
“There’s
plenty you can do. Trust me.

Unstoppable

Rob cautiously approached
the door outside where Bernie was standing with his face pressed to
the glass, pleading with Rob to let him in. Through the bars on the
door, he could see the sense of dread on Bernie
’s face. Rob unlocked the door and opened it slightly as
Bernie rushed in. He quickly closed and locked it again.

Bernie was out of breath. He held his
suit jacket over his shoulder. His white button-down shirt was
covered in sweat, as was his face. He leaned over, bracing himself
on his knees, gasping. Rob handed him a bottle of water.

“
All right. Take a breath,
Bernie,” Rob said, standing over him.

Bernie raised his head,
guzzled the bottle of water, and then wiped his mouth.
“I told you this would happen. We’re under
attack. It’s clear as day!”

Rob went over to the front
window and pulled the shades down, blocking out the sunlight and
prying eyes.
“That much is obvious, yes.
We’ve been hit with an EMP.”

Bernie stood up a little,
finally catching his breath.
“Whatever it
was, power’s out through the entire town.”

“
The
entire
town?” Rob asked.

Bernie nodded.
“It’s out at the court house, that’s for sure. I
went there, ready to report for jury duty when it happened. At
first, I’m thinking, no big deal. Then I saw the cars. All dead in
the water. Tried to call a cab, but the driver was just sitting
there in the middle of the road. Cell phones. Nothing. Computers.
Nothing. Then I thought about the local prison.” Bernie walked
closer to Rob with fear in his eyes. “How long do you think they
can keep
that
place under control?”

Rob nodded understandingly, and then
walked over to one of the aisles. He grabbed a camouflaged tactical
backpack and began loading it with supplies from the
store.

“
What are you doing?”
Bernie asked.

“
What does it look like?”
Rob asked, going down the aisle and tossing items inside his
bag.

“
Looks like you’re on a
shopping spree.”

Rob set the bag down on
the floor. It was nearly full.
“I’m
getting out of here. In two weeks, this town will be out of food.
The grocery store shelves will be empty. Without trucks delivering
food and goods, there’ll be nothing coming in.”

Rob pulled at both ends of
a draw-string, clinching the bag shut.
“The EMP has dismantled the power grid. From what I’ve read,
officials estimate a minimum of two months before power grids can
be repaired and back on line.”

“
So just like that, you’re
leaving?” Bernie asked, astonished.

Rob brought his bag over
to the counter and set it down. He went behind the counter, took
his non-functioning laptop and slid it into a cubbyhole.
“I have to get my family together. Then we’re
going to hunker down for as long as it takes.” Rob didn’t go into
too much detail. Bernie had a big mouth. However, he wanted to at
least set him in the right direction.

Bernie looked desperate and afraid,
and Rob never liked to see anyone like that. “Bernie. I want you to
take what you need from the store. Think of the basics. What’s
going to get you through the next two months? You and your wife.
Then I’d suggest you lie low until things blow over.”

Bernie was
flummoxed.
“I have a business to run.
Mortgage payments. You do, too. We can’t just walk away from
everything and hide in the mountains.”

“
Think about it,” Rob
said, placing a metal case on the front counter. “Things are only
going to get worse from here on out.”

Bernie seemed to get the
picture.
“It was the Russians, wasn’t it?
Just like I was saying before. They’re trying to start another Cold
War.”

Suddenly someone else banged on the
door from outside, causing Bernie to jump. Rob pulled another case
from under the counter, small and plastic. Inside were a 9mm
Beretta pistol and three full magazines. He opened the case,
keeping an alert eye on the door.

Mr. Clayton stood at the
door, frightened.
“Hey, Rob. Let me in.
Come on, no hard feelings, eh?”

Bernie looked back then at
Rob.
“Clayton? Nah, don’t let that asshole
in.”

Rob sighed and quickly
moved from the counter to the door. He unlocked it and let his
landlord slip in.
“What’s wrong? Car
doesn’t start?”

Clayton looked
exasperated. He took off his ball cap and wiped the sweat from his
forehead.
“Couldn’t even get the engine to
turn over. What the hell is going on out there?”

“
It’s an EMP,” Bernie
answered. “The Russians hit us real good.”

Clayton shifted and turned
to Bernie, giving him a funny look. Then he switched to Rob.
“What are they saying on the news?”

Rob walked behind the counter, where
his work stereo rested on a stool, powerless. He opened the
metallic case he had set down earlier, revealing a two-way GMRS/FRS
handheld and an emergency radio. He wound the radio’s hand crank as
Clayton and Bernie waited quietly. He tried both FM and AM stations
but received nothing but static.

“
Can I buy one of those
from you?” Bernie asked. Clayton jumped in and asked for one,
too.

Rob took a breath and
placed the radio back in the case. He spoke as he stuck the
handheld in his pocket.
“We’re closed. And
I’m locking up until further notice. You guys get what you need and
be on your way home, where it might be safer.”

Both men seemed overwhelmed. They
looked at Rob, expecting answers and solutions. But he had very
little to give.

“
Find your families and
stay close to them,” he reiterated. He glanced at Clayton in
particular. “And don’t forget that my lease doesn’t run out on this
place for another two months.”

“
Of course. I would never
do anything like that,” Clayton said sheepishly.

Another knock came at the door. Rob
was nearing his wits’ end with visitors. This time it was Carol,
the curly, red-haired woman who owned the book store.

“
Rob? Are you in
there?”

Bernie turned to the door
and rolled his eyes.
“Oh no. Not
her.”

“
Let her in,” Rob said,
tossing Bernie the keys. He then lifted his backpack onto the
counter, dug into his pocket, and pulled out the handheld radio,
hoping to hear Mila’s voice on the other end. But there was no way
to know if she was even up, let alone trying to reach him on the
radio.

“
Why the metal case?”
Clayton asked, referring to the container with the radios
inside.

“
Blocks damaging magnetic
waves,” Rob answered. Clayton looked intrigued.

“
Hello, Carol,” Bernie
said as he let her in. He locked the door and tossed the keys back
to Rob.

Carol nodded.
“Bernie.” She walked farther in, approaching Rob.
“People look really lost out there. None of their cars
work.”

Bernie stepped in with the
answer.
“It was the damn Russians, I tell
you. Hit us with an EMP.” He stopped and turned to Rob. “Isn’t that
right, Rob?”

Rob looked distracted,
fiddling with his handheld.
“I can say I’m
ninety-nine percent sure it was an EMP. Where it came from, there’s
no telling just yet.”

Carol scoffed. Her blue
blouse was darkened with sweat and her flimsy sandals didn’t look
strong enough to make any kind of long distance walk to
Nantucket city, where Rob knew she
lived.

“
From what I’ve read, it’s
much more likely that this was some kind of solar flare,” Carol
said.

Bernie threw his arms in
the air, frustrated.
“What are you talking
about? Rob said it’s an EMP, and he’s the prepper expert
here.”

Carol was
undeterred.
“The idea that a nuclear
electromagnetic pulse could disable vehicles and electronics is a
myth. Why don’t you try reading about it? The most you’re looking
at with an EMP is maybe a massive failure of power grids. NASA has
already estimated that a solar flare, striking the earth from the
sun, might hit within the next eleven years. How can you disregard
that?”

Bernie waved her
away.
“Ah, you don’t know what you’re
talking about.”