Instant Darkness Read online

  Their dad stood up. “The bag you left in the car was the one with your clothes?” he asked.

  Rae Ann nodded, her eyes wide and fixed on her father’s face.

  “There’s no point in looking at me like that,” their dad said. “This is your doing, not mine.” He stuffed the doll and elephant back in and zipped the bag closed. He stood up and handed the bag back to her. “Let’s keep moving. But I’m not carrying that bag when you get too tired or sore to walk.”

  Rae Ann took the handle and dragged the bag behind her, tears welling in her eyes.

  “It’s okay, Rae,” Corey said. “I’ll help you with your bag.”

  She wiped her nose with her sleeve and stopped crying, giving him a half smile.

  They were coming to an intersection ahead, a traffic light blinking yellow. There were more buildings visible now, more signs of life. A car from the right came to a stop before making its way forward again, in the direction of the interstate. Then, as Corey watched, a transformer on the corner fizzed and popped, and the light went dark. The car, which hadn’t passed out of sight yet, stopped dead in the road. Then, a moment later, the car started and moved forward again, but the traffic light remained dark.

  When Corey, Rae Ann, and their dad reached the intersection, they looked down the road to see a traffic jam. Several cars were stuck in the way, and their owners were out of the vehicles gesturing at the autos that were still running but stuck behind them. Other people were trying to snake their way through the cars that were stopped on the road.

  “Should we go help them push the cars out of the way, Dad?” Corey asked.

  “No, son,” his dad said. “I don’t think we should get involved. We’ve got a long way to go, and frustrated people can be difficult to work with. We’ve got Rae to think of. Let’s keep moving.”

  They crossed the road and kept moving on, but Corey couldn’t help thinking that it was wrong not to help. It wouldn’t have taken them long to push the cars to the side of the road. He noticed that there were more people on the street now. Lots of people whose cars wouldn’t run anymore, and the people whose cars were working had to weave around the people on the road.

  As he watched, a group of walkers surrounded a car and tried to get the driver to stop. They wanted a ride. But the driver was afraid—Corey could see it in his face, still visible through the crowd of people. The man revved the engine, and when the group didn’t move, he pressed the accelerator to the floor, scattering the people in front of him.

  No one looked severely hurt. Corey watched them get to their feet and start forward again, but he was worried now. A hard pit grew in his stomach as he began to see what fear did to people, how dangerous the world was at this moment.

  The grid had just collapsed, and people were already panicking, causing even more chaos. Perhaps they knew of the struggles to come, and how terrible things would truly get…

  Corey wondered how these people would get to where they felt safe. How would they survive? And, come to think of it, how would he, Rae Ann, and his dad do these things? Would they make it as far as Vermont? Or would something awful happen to them out here on the road?

  He walked close to Rae Ann, keeping an eye on the people that they passed. Walking between Rae Ann and the strangers made him feel better. More in control. But he encouraged her to get closer to their father, so that she was protected on two sides and he could be sure that no one came up behind them and snatched her. Not that he had any idea why anyone would take his sister, but he’d heard of such things, and he wasn’t taking any chances.

  He kept an eye on the people around them, watching as people passed by.

  As long as no one came too close, they’d be fine.

  He noticed that his father was doing something similar, leading them away from the people around them. Staying well away from the tight packs of men that seemed to gravitate to one another. Friends on the same road, finding each other. There were no friends here for the Caulfields. And Corey thought they’d better remember that.

  8

  When the road turned from pavement to dirt, Nick felt uneasy, but it was maybe ten miles down the road that Nick’s stomach really began to churn.

  They’d been walking through Mount Kearsarge State Forest for a while now, Rae Ann on his back and Corey carrying her suitcase, since one of the wheels had developed a flat spot. And while there had been some traffic—cars that still ran, bicycles, motorcycles, and even a pedal-powered auto—it had remained relatively light. There hadn’t been crowds since they’d left the more populated areas around exit nine behind.

  Now, as they reached Kearsarge Regional High School, and the road turned to pavement again, there was a sudden influx of people. People were sitting in their cars in the high school parking lot, and Nick wondered why. Had they been sitting there for the last five hours? Then it occurred to him—this was a high school. People were probably here when the power went out, for sports events and other community gatherings. And more people appeared to be coming.

  “What’s happening, Daddy?” Rae Ann asked from his shoulders. “Why are there so many people here?”

  “I already told you, Rae,” Corey jumped in. “This is it. No more power. Everyone is in big trouble, and they know it. They’re all scared. That’s why we have to get to the Pattersons’ ref—”

  “Corey!” Nick snapped. “Let’s not broadcast it, son.” He glanced around. Plenty of people would happily follow them to a safe haven. There were a lot of panicked people around here.

  “Hey,” a guy across the street called, apparently having spotted someone he knew. “FEMA is setting up a station at the New Hampshire Country Club. I’m going up there.”

  “Where?” “What did he say?” A chorus of questions sounded around them. People started moving past the high school, moving north.

  At the same time, there was a shout from the school, and a dozen people were running out the main doors, their arms full of supplies. Food from the cafeteria, toilet paper and paper towels from the janitor’s closets. They were looting the high school.

  Nick shook his head. Didn’t they know that they were going to end up back here when there was no water and no food anywhere else? They were robbing themselves of future supplies.

  The crowd carried them along, pushing them toward the FEMA station. But Nick did not want to end up there. Just another small family in a sea of families, so when the crowd veered right, up Kearsarge Valley Road, Nick guided his family further up N Road, away from the crowds.

  “Why aren’t we going to the FEMA station, Daddy?” Rae Ann asked.

  “Yeah, Dad, are we going the right way?” Corey added.

  “We need to stay away from the crowds,” Nick told them. “Crowds are dangerous, and I don’t want us to get stuck in the middle of a riot, or have our supplies stolen. We have a goal, and this road is taking us toward our goal. I know it seems strange to be going away from all the people, but believe me, we don’t want to be stuck there.”

  “We’re still headed toward the Pattersons’?” Corey asked.

  “We are still headed northeast, son,” Nick said. “We can’t do more than that for the time being.”

  “But you are sure, right?” Corey insisted. “This is the right way?”

  “Yes, Corey,” Nick said calmly, smiling at the boy. “This road follows the freeway almost all the way to Vermont. It’s going to be a long walk, but maybe tomorrow we’ll get lucky, and someone will give us a ride.”

  “How many of the cars do you think have stopped running, fifty percent?” Corey asked.

  “Truthfully, it doesn’t matter. Without electricity, there will be no pumping the gas from the service stations, so if they didn’t stop running today, it’s just a matter of time. I’d admire those people who still have bicycles—they can get around their communities, at the very least.”

  “I liked that car where all the people were pedaling,” Rae Ann said. “It looked like fun, and you wouldn’t have to worry about
falling off.” Rae Ann fell off her bike a lot, in Nick’s estimation. He still hadn’t got her steady on it. A pedal car was probably really attractive to her.

  “You’ll get better on your bike,” he said to her. “Don’t worry.”

  “But my bike is back in our garage. I’m not going to see it for a while, am I?”

  “There will be other bikes, Rae Ann,” Nick said.

  She sighed. “Okay,” she said, as if he were sending her to bed half an hour early.

  “Bikes are fun,” Corey said. “You can get places fast.”

  “They may be fun for you,” Rae Ann said. “You didn’t scrape all the skin off your leg falling off yours.”

  “Dad told you to ride in pants and shoes—I heard him,” Corey said. “You wouldn’t have hurt yourself so badly if you’d listened.”

  “Okay, Corey,” Nick said. “That’s enough. Rae Ann knows what happened and why. Did Emma send her location before the internet died?”

  Corey checked his phone. “No. Maybe they hadn’t gotten there yet,” he said. “But she sent the address, and I got the directions. If my phone doesn’t die—”

  “Turn it off for now, son,” Nick said. “It’s not like you’ll be getting any texts. We’ll look at it again when we get to the little town that’s close to the Pattersons’ place—Fenton, I think it is. For now, let’s save your batteries, okay?”

  “Okay,” Corey said and powered off his phone.

  Nick could tell it bothered his son to be out of contact with his friends, but he was just going to have to adapt. They’d been thrown back in time and would have to learn to live with simpler amusements and make friends with the people at hand. There was just no other choice.

  “Daddy, can I have a snack?” Rae Ann asked. “Louise is hungry.”

  “In a little while, sweetheart,” Nick said, “when we stop to rest.”

  Rae Ann sighed again and rested her head on top of his, her legs sliding so her knees were bent over his shoulders. He kept a hold on her ankles and glanced at the silly princess shoes. She was going to have to grow up faster now. Too soon, and it made him sad. It was his job to protect her, but how could he protect her from this? Bad choices in a world like this could be deadly. A blister could get infected, and there would be no medicine to give her except what was in the first aid box. Then he remembered the medical kit was still in the car. How could he have missed something so basic?

  “Where do you think we’ll sleep tonight, Dad?” Corey asked. “In somebody’s barn, maybe?”

  “We’ll have to see what the end of the day brings, Corey. But be happy it’s not raining, because we might be stuck sleeping outside.” Nick shook his head. If only they hadn’t lost the car.

  “Would our car still be running?” Corey asked, as if reading his mind.

  “I don’t know, Corey. It had electronic ignition and other computers in it. But some cars seem to be able to run, while others don’t. And I don’t know enough about the science to know why. Maybe if I was an electrical engineer, but my area of expertise is materials. I just don’t know if the guy who stole our car is now just as stuck as we are.”

  “I hope he is,” Corey said. “It would serve him right.”

  His son was quiet a minute.

  Finally, Corey added, “I wish I’d slammed the car door into him, Dad. We might have been able to get away.”

  “I wish I’d done things differently too, son,” Nick said, “but I didn’t. There’s no point in worrying about it or blaming yourself. We’re all still alive and in one piece—if you don’t count Rae Ann’s suitcase—and that’s something to be thankful for.”

  “But how are we going to make it all the way to Central Vermont? It’s a really long walk.” Corey sounded depressed. “It could take us weeks.”

  “If we get stuck, tired, and hungry,” Nick said, “then we’ll stop at a FEMA site and rest up. I don’t like the idea of being in those crowds, but if we have to, we will. We’ll rest as many times as we have to, and eventually, we’ll make it.”

  “But couldn’t we ask for a ride? Flag down one of the cars that are still moving?” Corey asked.

  “I’m not sure that’s safe, Corey. What if they didn’t take us to where we wanted to go? What if they stole our stuff or tried to hurt Rae Ann? No. I don’t think we’ll be catching a ride. But when we get into a more populated area, we’ll start trying the cars that have been abandoned. Someone might have left a car that still runs. We could catch a break that way.”

  Corey nodded. That seemed like it was acceptable to him. Thank goodness, Nick thought. He needed the boy on his side to get through this.

  Abram started to relax when they finally turned onto the dirt road that led to his property, skirting the nearby town of Fenton. Three miles down this road, then half a mile up the drive, and they’d be home free. You just never knew what was going to happen when you traveled during an emergency. But all the people they’d run into had been ordinary. Vermonters were accustomed to working together as a community, taking care of their neighbors and doing what it took to keep everyone alive and well. Most of them lived in small enclaves, towns, and villages where, if they didn’t know everyone, they knew almost everyone. They certainly knew their neighbors, and that’s what counted most.

  The dirt road was relatively smooth, as they weren’t uncommon in Vermont and were very well taken care of, but when he pulled into the drive, he had to slow way down. The winter had left it pockmarked with potholes, and the spring rains and the melting snow had washed portions of it away. More than once, the women in the back gasped, complained, or cried out in pain as he hit a pothole and their heads hit the roof. Perhaps he should have gotten a different model, but this Land Cruiser was really the best for what they needed—once they were here.

  He hadn’t offered for anyone else to drive, and maybe that was selfish of him. He hadn’t had to spend any time in the back, as his wife, daughter, and sister-in-law had. But, as he knew the way, and wasn’t afraid of driving through the cars stopped dead on the highway, it was probably for the best. He wouldn’t put it up for a vote, though. He knew better than to ask his wife and daughter if his decisions were the correct ones. Better to ask forgiveness than permission.

  They navigated a bend in the drive, and there was the compound laid out before them. He had to stop and open the gate—Gary was here somewhere, but Abram didn’t really expect him to come running just because they had arrived.

  “Should I get the gate?” Shelly asked.

  He shook his head. It had a lock on it, and only he and Gary had a key. But he didn’t say that out loud, since then the women would all want a key as well. They would feel trapped if they knew they couldn’t walk out the drive to the road. The compound wasn’t fully fenced yet, and if they walked through the woods, they could eventually get around the fence, but that was rough going. And he wasn’t about to tell them about it. The less anyone knew about the details of this place, the better off they would all be.

  Beyond the gate was a pole barn where chickens and Guinea fowl were housed. They also kept some supplies there, the decoy supplies used to fool thieves into thinking they’d gotten all that was here. One hoped that it wouldn’t come to that—they didn’t want to lose those supplies—but it was a loss they could afford to take, especially if it fooled the interlopers into thinking that’s all there was.

  Past the pole barn another quarter of a mile, they came to the garage, and Abram parked the Land Cruiser in one of the large bays. The old farmhouse lay down the hill from the garage and Abram could see that Gary had been installing the functional shutters on the windows. They resembled the decorative shutters that could be seen on houses all over Vermont, but these were steel and nearly impossible for an intruder to get through. The doors were steel, too, making the home almost impenetrable when locked down. That was one of those places they had not skimped on funds.

  A noise was coming from the outbuildings—barns and sheds that lay lower down the hill tha
n the house and off to the east—so Abram figured Gary must’ve been down there working. He’d go find him in a while after he’d settled Shelly, Maggie, and Emma in the house.

  He led the women down the path to the front door of the house that Gary had kindly left unlocked for them. They piled their luggage in the entryway and went back up the hill for the other supplies they’d brought with them.

  “Emma,” Abram said, “come upstairs. I’ll show you your room. You too, Maggie, if you don’t mind.” He led them up the stairs, catching a whiff of the stale air, and showed Emma to a room on the right at the end of the hall. Her room spanned the side of the house, with views on three walls. It was a light room with a high ceiling, and he thought Emma would like it.

  Maggie’s room was at the other side of the house, similar to Emma’s except it faced the north and the views were of the hill and the garage, and the light wasn’t as bright. Still, it was a large room, and he thought Maggie would be satisfied.

  The four rooms in between Maggie and Emma were smaller by more than half, and although they did have views, there was only one window per room. There was also a full bathroom, fed from a water cistern mounted on the roof and fed from a spring further up the hill. The gravity-fed water system didn’t need a pump. It was one of the things Abram had appreciated about the place when he’d been shopping for a compound. There was a least one system that they didn’t need to find a way to power.

  He left the women upstairs and went down to show Shelly their bedroom. It was a smallish room but had two large windows overlooking a line of apple trees that separated the house from a large pasture that used to be a hayfield. Past the grassland was the edge of the forest that surrounded the property for miles around. They were an oasis of sun in an ocean of green. Plenty of space for growing food, existing fruit trees, and outbuildings for farm animals and working.

  He left the house and strode to the garage to get the cans of gasoline he had strapped to the back of the Land Cruiser and haul them down to the shed, where they were storing all kinds of fuels, and then he went in search of Gary.