Aftermath 1/4
One
"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone"
April 25, 2015 (2 NT)
Outskirts of Topeka, Kansas
From the diary of Allison Iraheta
Once upon a time, I was famous. I don't know what this has to do with anything, or what fame will be like in this world. But I think it's important for you to know. Because I was famous, I had to pretend to be someone else. It is after all, part of the circumstances of your birth, so I suppose me being famous somewhat leads to you being born, if you think about it enough.
Right now I'm in an abandoned bookstore, which despite the thick layer of dust, has survived the last two years with no intrusions. If I could I'd pile every book in the wagon Hannah rides in and bring them along. As it is we've marked it on the map. Just in case. We may have lost a lot of things, but knowledge is something we cannot lose.
Shit that sounded stupid. Sorry, kid, guess your mom has gotten profound on you.
Robert and Deidre are at the door. I think, just maybe, they might make it work. I also think they'll see us to Arkansas and turn back to help the revolution. I don't know for sure. Kris and Hannah are curled up not far from me. Hannah holds onto a book that I am almost certain is coming with us.
I still expect to wake up tomorrow in my bed in LA and tell myself this was the weirdest and longest dream ever. Before, I used to dream of very normal things. Well, for someone like me. A Grammy. Critical recognition. Jive Records begging to take me back.
Now the dream is almost always the same.
Outside the window the Northern Lights are just appearing, a faint blush in the California sky. I remember how the scientists couldn't explain why they were everywhere. But no one was scared or anything. Then the power outages started, and spread, on and off, as if testing different areas. I'm sure with time; there may have been a pattern. By then, things had already begun to fall apart. The plane crash in Bitburg. That's when it all began.
In the dream, I am bouncing Hannah, her giggles filling my house. Cale rolls his eyes at me when I give him a look, but he doesn't flinch. I laugh, and remember that's why I like him: he tolerates all of me. Kris and Adam are by the TV, discussing something that I know I'm going to have no choice in. I may be an adult now, but I'm still their baby sister.
Then all of our phones ring.
This isn't unusual. But somewhere inside me, deep within the dream, there is a desperate voice telling me it is nothing, that these are normal phone calls, that my life will go on the way I think it should.
Katy is not on the phone with Kris. Flights have not been permanently been cancelled. LAX is not a mob scene. We don't have to figure out a new way to go somewhere safe.
Brad isn't calling Adam to say he's stuck at the TV studio. People aren't already flocking to the newsroom to see if the President meant it when he said he was enforcing martial law.
Cale isn't on the phone with Ryland, talking about how they are going to revise the crazy plan he and Kris and Adam have developed over the last day. With flights cancelled, something was going to have to change.
My mother isn't leaving a voice mail on my phone. I didn't answer because I thought I was going to be able to call back. She isn't in New York City with my sister. I don't like to think about that. Not considering the stories that have come from the few survivors of big cities.
I look around the room, and Cale shrugs at me. It's the best apology I'm going to get. I can't blame him, his loyalty to Kris outweighs any sort of relationship we have (and I'm still not sure what that is, exactly,) and that is one of the things I find very attractive about him. But a little knowledge would have been nice.
Kris wants to go get Katy, but Adam gently reminds him that someone has to take care of Hannah. Cale volunteers to go with Adam, looking surprised as he does. Suddenly I'm sitting with Hannah in my lap and saying nothing, because there is no way Adam and Cale won't gang up on me and make me stay with Kris. I know where to pick my fights and this one isn't worth it.
Sometimes, I wish I'd said something, and we'd all gone together. I often wonder how it would have been.
Adam is out the door with hugs and a smile. Cale takes longer, making sure he remembers how to get to the farm in Arkansas. Then he and Kris hug forever and a day.
The dream sometimes gets as far as Kris's house in Santa Barbara. Sometimes it ends right after the phones all ring. Mostly, it's right after Cale kisses me goodbye and tells me he'll see me later.
I haven't seen him since.
I wonder what he'll think of you.
*
Reports from various media sources
February 25, 2013
The unusual display of the Aurora Borealis is baffling scientists. It seems to be spreading beyond Germany and towards the rest of Europe. There have even been claims of sightings in the lower United States, as yet unconfirmed. Scientists are working to figure this out, but in the meantime, say that while unusual, this display is perfectly safe for everyone to see.
February 28, 2013
Increased cases of random power outages have raised the concern of leaders around the world. While no one is confirming it, the coincidence of the rare and elongated appearance of the Aurora Borealis cannot be ignored. We will continue to investigate as reports come in, so please remain calm and patient.
March 1, 2013
While no one can yet tell us the exact details on the plane crash this morning in Bitburg, we do know this: no contact has been made with Bitburg officials since last night. Also, preliminary investigations say that the electrical systems of the plane are in working order, but simply quit. What this means is yet to be determined.
March 2, 2013
Address of the President of the United States of America 7 PM EST
My fellow Americans.
We have been witnessing an unprecedented spectacle for the last few days. I have been in awe of nature's wonder. I, like you, have also been worried, wondering what it all means.
I am going to be honest with you, and the truth is frightening. We don't know. The best scientists in the world are working all hours of the night, trying to find answers as to what exactly is going on. But those answers take time.
Until then, we have to take steps to protect ourselves from undue harm. In light of what happened this morning in Germany, I and other world leaders have chosen to suspend all air travel until we can figure out the problem. I know that means a lot of people are separated from their families. I've spoken to the airlines and they are doing their best to find alternate transportation for all of you.
Please do not panic. As far as we know, this is a temporary phenomenon that will pass. But until we can determine what is happening, when it will end, and how to fix it, my priority is keeping citizens safe. As a cautionary measure, I have enacted martial law.
I plead with everyone to use caution, act safely and responsibly, and use common sense in this time of unease. We will get through this. We will prevail.
Thank you, good night, and God bless.
There is no evidence to any degree whether the President survived the events after.
March 3, 2013
Excerpt from early morning religious program.
"And when the power goes out, has anyone else noticed what is happening. Have you tried your back-up generators? Have you tried your guns?"
The man behind the pulpit nods.
"That's right, this isn't some sort of electrical interference. This is the will of our Lord God. He has chosen to punish us for our sins. He has chosen to put us at our basest level. We must pray for forgiveness, must pray that we survive the chaos to come, and when we make it through, we will know that we are His children again."
*
March 4, 2013
Hollywood, CA
It takes two days to get from Santa Barbara to Cassidy's place in Hollywood. Cale doesn't want to relive a few of those moments, especially when they had to abandon the car. He has no idea what the rest of the world is like, but if LA is any indication, it's going to be a long, tough road.
But everyone is waiting there, so there is one positive.
"Did Kris send you or did you volunteer?" Katy says to him.
Cale grins. "I volunteered so he wouldn't come himself. You know how he is."
Katy smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. There is a bruise on her cheek, and her wrist is wrapped in a makeshift brace. Cale doesn’t ask, but he has a feeling the trip from LAX to Hollywood was more than eventful.
"So do we try to drive out of here?" Cassidy says, looking around the room.
Cale doesn't know most of these people. He knows their names, but he isn't sure that they will take his word for anything.
"Actually, staying away from cars may be a good idea," he says finally. "I mean, Adam and I had to abandon his because it stopped working. At least temporarily. Who's to say that it won't happen again?"
All eyes in the room are on him.
"Why would you say that?"
Cale looks at Tommy. "Well, when we were talking yesterday, Ryland and Drew and Kris and I, one thing kind of struck us. You know the plane crash right? Well it didn't happen until after the power outage. Plus we heard, and it's hard to say if it is true, that the plane had no working electronics at all. So we think that maybe the plane flew over the area without power and-"
"Wait," Tommy says, "are you saying that you think the power outage caused the plane crash?"
Cale nods. "The day before the plane went down, all the TV reporters in the area were complaining of terrible reception. And all the videos from there were spotty. It's possible that something about these Northern Lights is even less normal than we thought. That's what all the reports are saying. At least, before I left Kris's house."
"They are still saying it. But is it going to last though? Can't we just wait it out?"
Cale turns to Cassidy. "We could. But food isn't something we have a lot of on hand. And if it does last, it's going to take awhile to walk to Arkansas."
"Why Arkansas?"
"The farm," Katy interrupts. "Kris bought land there years ago. We built a house there, but then we decided to come here again, so Daniel raises horses and does some farming. Kris and I sort of split time. His mom and dad actually moved there last year, and they bought a few more acres and are thinking of starting some sort of apple tree farm thing. Is that about right Cale?"
"Yeah," Cale says. "Plus a lot of the land around there is for sale, so if the Allens act fast enough… I’m not saying I have all the answers, but maybe we should think about sitting out the worst of the riots here, and then try to move out before the power leaves completely. If I'm wrong, we're still in LA. If I'm right, Kris is going to wait at his house for at least a week after the power goes out permanently. So we should be fine."
Cale looks around the room, relieved to see that everyone nods in agreement. He isn't even sure of what is going to happen himself, but he hopes the theory is wrong. That this is just temporary.
*
March 6, 2013
Santa Barbara, CA
Ryland and Drew are out on another scouting trip, scouring Kris's neighborhood for anything they deem useful. Sharon, Ryland's wife, sorts through things Ryland and Drew hauled from their 'collections', an assortment of sharp objects that make Kris reassess exactly how well he knows the Steen brothers.
Andrew is the only one acting as if everything is normal. He sits on the couch, strumming the chords to "Is It Over", trying to change something, although Kris isn't sure what.
He and Allison are attempting to watch TV, although the picture has been going in and out. It's all pretty bad, but Kris is trying to figure out exactly when the power is going to go out by how it has spread elsewhere.
It's hard because communication is sketchy at best. Cell phones are almost useless at this point. Kris had been able to talk to Katy briefly yesterday, but that was all. The internet is either not working at all or sites are crashing with desperate floods of people trying to say their goodbyes.
Never mind how he had cried at the tweets he had received before shutting off his phone.
"So swords, huh?" Allison asked.
"Yeah, we figure if the electricity keeps going, and whatever it is can take down a plane, then we should be prepared," Kris says. "Plus Ryland and Drew dabble in that thing, um,"
"The Society for Creative Anachronism," Andrew supplies. "Plus they love all that camping down to earth stuff. So we have ourselves three experts. Three and half if you count Kris's missionary days as experience."
"Hey look, the news!" Allison says. "But why are they reporting from Ohio?"
Ryland and Drew return just in time to find out that all contact with the East Coast has been lost.
"How long?" Allison whispers. "How long until-"
"Two. Three. Maybe four days. I just hope the others decide to leave LA before the power goes out. Because as bad as it sounds now, it's only going to get worse," Ryland says, putting a hand on Kris's shoulder before going outside to help his wife.
*
March 7, 2013
Allen farm, Arkansas
Kim Allen has always been fairly practical. She's raised her boys to be the same way. So when Kris called her and told her the plan, she rolls into action without thought.
Her first visit, as much as she doesn't want to ask for the help, is to the church. She likes the people who go there, and she has to admit there is a certain sense of belonging. However, Pastor Franklin Grater is not her favorite person.
She also knows that without the church, a lot of people may die. So she picks up the phone, hoping it will work. The dial tone is there, a reminder of everything that may be lost in the next few days.
"Franklin, this is Kim Allen. Yes, I'm doing just fine. Actually I have a proposal for you."
Kim steels herself. Even the devil was an angel for a time
*
March 8, 2013
Outskirts of LA
Katy reaches the building just behind Adam. She breathes slowly, even though her lungs are burning.
"I thought you were in better shape than that Allen," Adam teases her.
"I don't work out with a personal trainer."
"True. It's even hard for Brad to keep up with me most days."
"I can go all night long," Brad says, grinning, and shifting Bowie in his arms.
"And so the lewd jokes begin," Danielle sighs.
"I always was corrupting the youth," Adam says, looking at his son.
"I'm pretty sure Bowie understands none of this yet," Danielle says.
"True."
Katy leans against the wall for a moment. Outside… Outside she can hear screams and gunshots. The megaphones from the military and the police had stopped sometime yesterday. She could turn around and see LA burning, watch as people streamed aimlessly from one part of the city to another. She keeps waiting for a director to yell cut, for everyone to smile again and talk about lunch, or gossip, or coo over the baby.
But it isn't a movie.
She is going to go home.
She is going to see her husband and child.
She is going to survive.
Katy thinks, after everything she and Kris have been through, this isn't too much to ask.
*
March 9, 2013
Santa Barbara
Allison wakes before the sun comes up, so she can still see the faint blush of the Northern Lights. She reaches for her phone automatically, and remembers. It's all gone now. She sits up in her bed, rubbing her arms. From what little TV they could get, the theory was still act of God or act of alien. Either way didn't matter to her, because there was no power. No technology for that matter. The Steens-Ryland, Sharon and Drew-had been doing any number of experiments since the power went out, but any modern science seemed to be gone.
Allison remembers watching them clean the gun, the dry clicks resonating in the still air. Kris had spent the day packing some important items, memorizing things he could not take. They had promised the others a week.
After all, the walk didn't get any shorter.
Allison wants to go back to sleep, but she knows she won't. She worries about what's coming, how they'll survive. She thinks of the clicking of the gun.
At least with a bow and arrow, people will have to aim.
It doesn't make her feel any better. Instead, she stares at the sky for awhile, waiting to see what the first day of the rest of the world is going to be like.
*
March 16, 2013
Santa Barbara
"You promised her that you would leave as well, Kris," Ryland says.
"I know. I-"
Kris sighs and shuts his eyes. "I hoped they'd make it in time."
"They'll get here. And we'll catch up eventually. But there just isn't the food supply here for all of us to stay. Anyway, Cale owes me money," Drew says. "He has to be alive."
Kris laughs. "I'm not sure he can repay you."
Drew shrugs, and everything is in motion. Ryland and Sharon are double checking the packs. Kris tucks a family photo in a plastic bag and adds it to his. Andrew is bringing a guitar, but Kris knows he has those in Arkansas. Hannah will be enough for him to carry without adding anything else.
"We're doing this, aren't we?" Andrew asks.
"Yeah. I guess we are," Kris says.
"Who knew when we first started playing together, that it would be Ryland and Drew that saved our butts?"
"I always thought it would be Lizzie."
"Where was she, anyway?"
"Vacation. Bahamas I think."
"Ah."
It is already a sort of thing now, not to talk about people who you knew you would never see again. Like Torres, at a gig with his other band somewhere in Mexico. Allison's mom, in New York. And so on.
They've decided to walk. They had thought of taking biking trails all the way, but with unpredictable weather and lack of medical facilities, walking seems the safest bet. Kris looks at Ryland and Drew again and shakes his head. He remembers the talks on the road, their former college adventures as members of the SCA. Kris hopes they remembered enough to save everyone's lives.
Kris looks back at his house as they walk down the road. Drew stood in the doorway. He'd promised to wait until August. If Adam and the others didn't show by then…
Kris lets out a breath. He doesn't want to think like that. It's too early for despair. So he concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other, and praying that somewhere, not too far away, his wife and friends are okay.
*
March 17, 2013
Northeast of LA
Adam shifts Bowie in his arms. Luckily, he's still in the sleep all day stage of his life, so not much has bothered him in trying to get to Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, their small group has had to divert eastward. The 101 would have been better, but the 101 was a choked mass of cars and people just sitting. Sitting and waiting for something to change, someone to come save them. Cale had tried to convince some of them to come along, but mostly, they just looked forward, hands gripping the wheels of the car.
Adam shuts his eyes and opens them again. He isn't too sure that wouldn't have been him, if he didn't have somewhere to go. Cale and Tommy are consulting the road map again, trying to figure out the best way to Kris's house. Katy tries again to convince everyone to just start heading to Arkansas. Adam agrees, because when Kris makes a promise, he keeps it. Cale is on the fence, and everyone else votes to check, just in case. Adam doesn't like it, but he respects that the group should get a vote.
Cassidy and Brad are having some sort of conversation by an abandoned car, although Adam is sure he doesn't want to know. Brad smiles at him, and waves merrily. Adam motions down to their child. Brad rolls his eyes.
Adam grins to himself.
"You doing okay?" Danielle asks.
"Yeah. I've got my beautiful husband, an adorable baby. Two of my old friends, more of my new, and I'm about to become a farmer in Arkansas. I'm great."
Danielle laughs. "This is why I love you. You just roll with it all. You think Arkansas is ready for you?"
"Well, it is Kris's farm, so I think we'll be okay. Actually, I've been there once. His mom and dad live there full-time now. It's actually nice. If they can hold onto it and make it work, I think it wouldn't be such a bad place to live."
"Good."
"How about you?" Adam asks. "Are you okay?"
Danielle gives him a half smile. "I will be. I know I'll never see him again. But I have my friends. And given the two men I've met from Arkansas, they grow them pretty nice there."
Adam put his free arm around her shoulder. "That they do."
"Are you talking about other men?" Brad says, walking over.
"Hey, just because I married you-"
"Shhhh." Cale says, looking down the road. "Company coming. Looks military."
Adam looks in the distance, and watches as a group of three men approaches. He catches movement out of the corner of his eye, and he knows that the three in front of him are just there to talk.
"Who's the leader of this group?" the tall one asks.
"None of us are. But I can speak for them," Adam says.
"Good. We're gathering refugees in a camp just outside of Fresno, trying to reorganize and relocate those who wish to leave the state."
"Well, we already know where we are going."
"Everyone has to check in."
Adam watches as more soldiers slowly emerge from all around the group. They all have weapons ranging from baseball bats to one wicked looking axe.
"Ah. Well, have you been to Santa Barbara yet? We have friends there."
"There is a team out that way, yes."
"Then we'd be more than happy to come," Adam says.
He looks at Cale, who nods slowly in understanding. No one else has seen the other soldiers yet. But the threat is plain. Hopefully Kris is at this camp too, and they can figure out a plan from there.
*
March 19, 2013
Near Lancaster, CA
Kris has never seen a Wal-Mart this empty. It's been scavenged pretty thoroughly, but they pack a couple carts full of supplies. Ryland figures the carts can wheel around most anything, and the cans of food would be valuable as trading items.
Kris can't help but wander the aisles a little. He picks up a few things for Hannah, and then stares at electronics for awhile. He idly looks at the back of his last album. He can sing every song from memory. Except for that, the music doesn't exist anymore. That seems worse than anything else.
He looks at jewelry, and an idea occurs to him.
"Kris, let's get going," Sharon says.
"Yeah. Coming," he responds. "Hey Alli."
Allison turns and looks at him. "What?"
"Um. Don't take this the wrong way, okay? But here."
Kris hands her a couple of boxes. Allison opens them and looks inside.
"I don't understand."
"I don't know everyone out there in this world, but I do know the world just got a lot smaller. That means people probably got smaller minded. And maybe if we run into unfriendly people, they might want to know if we have any single women for them to marry them off. And-"
Allison looks at the rings in her hand. "Oh."
"I just figured in case we did run into a problem, that Hannah likes you well enough, and you both have brown eyes, that-"
"I didn't think of that," Ryland says.
"Me either," Sharon adds.
"Honestly, I didn't think of it till I passed the jewelry counter and they had a wedding set like mine. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have them around."
Allison nods. "As a fully self-supporting woman who has a brown belt, I should say fuck off. But at the same time, I agree. So thanks."
Kris nods. He looks back at the shopping center and shivers. He knows it's all going to be like this, abandoned buildings and quiet towns. Roads full of abandoned cars. People mad with power. People desperate to get the power back. People on the side of the road, staring into space, because they cannot process the enormity of what has changed. And so on. Kris wants to stop and mourn, to figure out where he fits in this new world. But he has to get his daughter to safety. Alli to safety. Everything else can wait.
*
March 22, 2013
Makeshift hospital, Fresno, California
Katy looks around and shivers. There are a lot of people here. It might take a long time to get through them all. There's a constant buzz of noise, and she's reminded of the airport, of how she barely made it out before things became too chaotic. She wonders if the airline employee who let her out the back door because he was a fan made it out of LA before the power went out.
"So what now?" she murmurs.
"We try and find your husband," Adam says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Then we get the hell out of here."
Katy nods and looks to Cale. "Probably should get you to plan it."
"Me?"
"I know all the college stories," Katy says. "If anyone can plan their way out of anything it's you."
"But I don't have Kris."
Katy frowns.
"No. But I'm pretty sure that Tommy could help."
"I didn't do it," Tommy says as he walks over from the perimeter. "What did I do?"
"You are going to plan a way out of here with Cale."
Tommy looks at Cale. "Alli says you're good people, so I suppose you'll do."
"Thanks," Cale says.
Katy watches them walk away. "Do you think Kris is here?"
Adam looks away for a moment. "I don't know. Part of me hopes so, part of me doesn't."
Katy leans into him for a moment. "Yeah, me too."
Adam squeezes her shoulder. "Anyway, Kris is too small for the scouts to see anyway. I'm sure the grass on the side of the road is already taller than he is."
Katy can't help but giggle. "Stop it."
"Can't help it. Anyway, I'm glad you’re here. Someone has to change Bowie's diapers."
"Adam Mitchell Lambert!"
"Fine. Let's start walking through this mess and see if we can find your husband. Mine too, as he seems to have wandered off."
Katy nods and for a moment, if she ignores the smell of unwashed people, and the guards on the perimeter, it's almost as if she's gone camping again. She's gone camping and is taking a walk to stretch her legs.
She knows it's an illusion, but for a moment, it's nice to pretend.
*
March 24, 2013
Just outside Adelanto, CA
Allison stares at the cloud of smoke. It's far enough away to be doubtful, but she's almost sure that it's LA burning.
"They got out in plenty of time," she says to herself.
"Maybe they started ahead of us because of the fires. They couldn't get to Kris's house on time and went on down the road," Andrew says.
"Yeah."
Allison continues to stare. It's almost too much to watch, and she worries the fire will spread too fast and too far. She worries about a lot of things. She still carries her phone in the hopes she can listen to her mom's voice mail just one more time.
She worries that New York is just like LA, that her mom and her sister are caught in the riots and the burning. She hopes they have already died. Which only makes it worse, because no one should have to hope that, but she does.
"Hey," Kris says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You know where my dad is right now?"
Allison shakes her head. "Isn't he with your mom?"
"Nope. He was doing some charity work when this all went down. He was in Rwanda the last I heard. So I either hope he made it to Europe like he said he was going to try, the plane crashed in a fiery ball, or he found a quiet little pocket of nowhere. Because otherwise, I don't want to think about it. I know you're worried about your family, but it's okay to think what you are thinking. I have a feeling we all are."
"My parents were in D. C.," Andrew says, "doing the tourist thing. I'd rather them dead than wandering the streets lost and hungry."
Allison sighs "I don't want to think of my mom and my sister. But I see that and I keep imagining them hurt. And then it's an easy step to my friends. You think Adam and Cale and everyone are okay?"
"I don't know. I do know they’ve got a good shot at it, about as good as any of us. I'm not saying we shouldn't hope, because I mean after all, I just told you I hoped my father was dead. But at the same time, I know that they have a plan to follow."
Kris shrugs.
Allison nods. "Yeah. I get it."
She has to hope about something, but the road is too uncertain, and the world is too unknown. So she might as well pin her hopes on people she knows and loves.
*
March 29, 2013
Fresno
"Look, we've checked in, our friends aren't here, we're ready to go. I don't understand the problem," Katy says, her arms crossed.
"The problem is that you and your snippy friends don't realize what kind of threats you pose to the world. There is quarantine for a reason," Captain Robins replies. "I have my orders."
"From who?" Danielle presses. "The world is gone, there are no more orders. Just because you are better supplied, and better armed, doesn't mean you're right."
"No. But it does mean I'm in power. And I say there is quarantine."
"None of us is sick!"
Katy smiles at the roar of agreement from the small band behind her.
Then, a sneeze. For all she knows it was dust, or slight allergies. But the one sneeze is enough for the captain to cross his arms, and for the people behind Katy to dissipate. Later she hears more, and there's a ball of fear in her stomach, a nagging worry that she might never leave California after all.
When she begins to sneeze the next day, it's panic. And so on.
*
April 16, 2013
Barstow, CA
Andrew DeRoberts has been on a lot of journeys. He's come from the middle of Ohio, of all places, to touring the world with the best people he has ever known. Now he sits on Interstate 40, watching as Ryland and Sharon worked through some sword technique with Kris and Allison.
"Bet you never thought you'd be stuck with me," he says to Hannah, who watches her father intently.
She gives him a lopsided grin. Andrew laughs and looks down the road. He doesn't know where the road leads, beyond Arkansas, and a chance at life. He knows that it's going to take time, and that the likelihood of all of them surviving is so small, it breaks his heart.
Because this is his family now.
Andrew has been on a lot of journeys, none more uncertain than this. Hannah giggles as her father falls down. She looks at Andrew, who smiles back.
"All right DeRoberts, your turn to get your ass kicked!" Kris says as he walks towards them.
"Language!" Andrew says, shaking his head. "Katy will kill you if she hears Hannah saying ass."
"What ass, Daddy?" Hannah asks.
Andrew looks at Kris and they both laugh, with Hannah watching on.
"You explain," Andrew says, walking over to Ryland and Sharon.
He looks back for a moment, delighting in Kris's desperate attempt to explain the word ass to his daughter.
*
April 22, 2013
Fresno
Adam feels fine. He's never been healthier in his life. This would be the perfect time to escape.
Except everyone else is sick.
Well, in various stages of it at least. Brad and Bowie just have the sniffles. Tommy is in the fever stage. Danielle is attempting to cough up a lung. Cale is somewhere in between stages. Katy and Cassidy though, are bedridden, pale and listless and in the tent that someone has nicknamed 'the Morgue'. Mostly because people go there to die.
Adam watches a group of nurses-some refugees, some soldiers-scramble to help as much as they could. But it is chaos so far.
He can't believe how quickly things have spread, how bad they seem. He wants to help but doesn't know how.
That's when one of the nurses, Grace, approaches him. "You want to help?"
He nods. "Please."
"We can't keep accurate records. And I know it sounds like a waste of time, but I think it would be nice if we could keep a list of the dead. For those of us with families we think might be alive, it might be nice."
Adam thinks of Kris and Allison, somewhere on the road to Arkansas. "I think it's a great idea. Where do I start?"
Grace smiles, "First, you learn everyone's name. How are you with memorization?"
*
April 30, 2013
California-Nevada border, near Topock
Kris looks across the invisible line in the road. Once he steps over it, he has truly left California. He isn't sure how it makes it more real, after everything he's already seen. Not that much, except for a few travelers in the distance, just as wary as them.
Then there are the Eaters. Kris remembers huddling in a dark empty house and listening to people-they were people, still-screaming as they passed through, looking for food. There have been warnings, 'Avoid the Eaters' spray painted on road signs, but no one had understood what it meant. Kris had managed to keep his lunch down when he realized what kind of food, that it was people they were eating and now every remain of a fire they find is approached with caution and the hope the bones left behind are animals. He still doesn't understand, when there are grocery stores full of canned goods to be raided, but he supposes that everyone took the loss of power differently. He tries not to think about it too much, especially when eating meat, or else he will sick up. He's heard of cannibalism, knows what it is conceptually, but seeing it firsthand…
They have settled for the night, Sharon keeping an eye out for now. It isn't cold enough for a campfire, but it's good practice for them to start one every night.
"You know," Kris says slowly, "Cale and I used to have this thing. In college. We called it a campfire confessional. We all had to admit to something no one else knew about us. It was supposed to be a bonding thing. But it was also fun sometimes."
"I remember these," Ryland says. "You two used to look at each other and laugh about it all the time. Remember when Torres admitted how he kept his hair so nice?"
Andrew laughs. "Oh my God we teased him for days. That was the best part of that tour."
"I'm game," says Allison. "Who goes first?"
"You, since you spoke up first," Kris says, leaning back against his pack.
Allison grins. "Oh cool. Hmmmm. Oh I have a good one!"
Kris looks at her, and steels himself. Allison spent a lot of time with Adam, so they both have a habit of being very forthright.
"I slept with Cale."
Kris blinks. Shakes his head. "What?"
Allison's grin widens. "I slept with Cale. Well sleep-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa I do not need to know details, thank you," Andrew says.
"Was that a good one?" Allison asks.
"Don't pretend to be innocent," Kris says. "That was just about right. Um. I mean I know you two were on the flirty \possible dating stage. I mean I only know because, well, I have eyes. But I didn't think it was serious. This is new."
Allison laughs. "Well, um. It sort of just kept happening? In a weird romantic comedy sort of way? Shit. This wasn't supposed to be serious."
Kris looks at her. "You like him, don't you?"
She nods, tears in her eyes. "Yeah. He's super snarky, and mellow, so he kind of calms me down, you know? Ah fuck. We were going to tell everyone we were dating soon. We just wanted to figure it out first. I mean, it isn't supposed to be anything. I just liked flirting with him backstage last year and then all of a sudden…"
Kris walks over and puts an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, he's with Adam. If the two of them can't figure out how to survive in this crazy world, what chance do any of us have?"
She nods. "Can it be someone else's turn?"
"I could go. But it's more serious stuff."
"Go for it Kris. Let's all be depressed together," Allison says.
He doesn't know why he has to say it, but he also knows that his life and his daughter's depend on the people around the campfire, so he knows he needs to be sure of them.
"Ryland and Andrew know part of this, but not all."
Andrew and Ryland look at each other. Then Ryland's eyes narrow.
"Kris-we never asked-"
"And I appreciate that. I do. But I want to get it out there." He looks at Allison, then at his sleeping daughter. "I spent the entire second year of my marriage in couples counseling."
Allison stiffens. "Kris? But you and Katy are, like perfect."
Kris shakes his head. "Well, we're definitely stronger. We worked on a lot of things."
"But why? Is that what you've never talked about?"
Kris nods, and the quiet night seems even emptier.
"It was my fault," he says. "I fell in love with someone else. Not out of love with Katy. Just in love with someone else."
He keeps talking, if only to not look at his friends' faces. "I mean, Katy was the one who even figured it out. But I knew it was all on my side, so we decided to work on things. And now we have Hannah, and even though sometimes I wonder, I think things turned out okay."
"The other person-"
"I'm not saying who it is."
"I know," Andrew says. "But did you ever tell them?"
Kris laughs. "Oh no. I may have done a lot of brave things in my life, but I don't think that could ever have happened."
Andrew nods, and begins to tell some story about college and drunkenly kissing his best friend, which gets them laughing again.
Allison squeezes Kris's hand. "I know."
Kris smiles. "I figured you would."
"You're practically my brother. I know all your secrets."
"Not all of them. But close to it."
They sit like that into the night, Kris feeling solid again, hopeful instead of wary of the days to come.
*
May 10, 2013
Fresno
Cale pushes Adam back down. "Stop trying to get up man, you're way too sick."
"Baby's crying."
"Bowie's fine. Katy and Brad have everything under control. Just lie down and get better."
Cale rubs his arms. He hopes he isn't relapsing. That's the worst part of all of this. Not the sickness itself, although the list of the dead is too long for Cale to even contemplate. Adam doesn't even know that Cassidy died three days ago, and that Danielle is so frail that the nurses have declared her dead at least twice already.
He doesn't understand how it spread so quickly, or what it is. The nurses are struggling to treat symptoms before asking too many questions about the disease. But that most of the soldiers are healthy strikes Cale as odd. But he can't say anything; for fear that they'll take him out in the night and kill him, then say he died of a relapse. So he is silent.
Cale has some hope: Kris isn't here, so at least they escaped. Cale thinks about them, wonders if they are okay.
Mostly though, he tries to keep living. So he can see them again.
*
May 18/9, 2013
Flagstaff, AZ
Kris leans into the bars and sighs. He has paced the length of the cell more times than he would like to count.
Allison, Sharon and Hannah are just across a small walkway, Hannah crying for him.
"Please. Just let us go."
The tall man in the police uniform turns and looks at Kris. His name is Ernst, no other name.
"Do you think being polite would make it go away? One of you took the light. You must admit it and submit to your well-deserved punishment."
Kris shakes his head. "None of us did this! We aren't even from here! I can show you my driver's license, if you want!"
Ernst shakes his head. "Someone took the light. Until it comes back, we must all pay for the sins that took it away. My people have already sacrificed some of their own. Now others must do the same. Would you like me to choose? Would that make it easier?"
"No," Kris says. "I'm the-"
"Wait," Andrew says, pushing Kris out of the way. "It was me. I should be the one you punish."
"Andrew. No."
Andrew looks at Kris and leans to whisper in his ear. "Look, as far as I can tell, everyone around here is pretty healthy. I saw the stocks when they escorted us in. At best, the one with the wicked looking whip will to beat me and leave me in the open for a day. At worst-I don't know. But you have too many promises to keep to sacrifice yourself. I'm just along for the ride. So shut up and sit down okay?"
"Andrew-"
"No. I won't allow it. If you leave the room now, what will Hannah think then?"
"That was low. Low and dirty and not fair at all."
"That's the only way I play," Andrew grins. "Come on Ernst, I want to face the music already."
"Good. Come, we shall proceed immediately."
Later, Kris tries to pretend he doesn't hear the screams. It tells him Andrew is alive. But nothing else. He can't bear to think of what these people have done. He looks at Allison, who holds her hands over Hannah's ears and crying herself.
"What do you think-?”
Ernst walks into the room then. "The light is not back. But you have paid your passage. You leave Flagstaff in the morning."
"Where's Andrew?" Kris asks.
"He is being treated by our local doctor. He will be fine."
"He doesn't sound fine."
Ernst comes to the bars, eyes burning. "Do you wish to pay extra passage?"
Kris shuts his mouth, and clenches his fists. He wishes a lot of things right then, but it doesn't change the situation. So he lets his hands relax and he steps back.
"That is what I thought."
Kris does not sleep, despite the quiet. When he sees Andrew that morning, as they are pushed out of town, he almost turns around. Andrew can't speak, he's trying to concentrate on not fainting, his arm cradled in a sling. Kris's eyes keep going back to Andrew's hand, where Andrew's hand used to be, trying to get the thought in his head that Andrew would never play again, and he cannot do it.
Kris begins to wonder if they should have ever left California, but it's too late to turn around. The cost has been high enough already.
*
May 22, 2013
Fresno
Katy wanders from tent to tent, delivering supplies as best she can. Most of the military is still alive. They've had the most up to date immunizations, so it makes sense. But the thing-and Katy has neither bothered nor cared to find out the name-going around the tent city has already mutated once and gone through the campers again. She often wonders when it will get to the point of making the soldiers sick too. She waits impatiently for that day. And then asks forgiveness for thinking it, because she cannot wish it on anyone.
She hasn't been sick since the first round, but Katy also knows she came very close to dying that time. Perhaps it means something. She doesn't know for sure.
Grace, one of the nurses, smiles at her when she brings some purified water.
"Thank you. For everything ."
"I have to do something," Katy says. "I mean, Adam has the list, Cale and Tommy are off befriending the soldiers, Brad keeps Bowie occupied, and the others are still recovering. If I sit around all day, I'm going to start thinking about where my husband and daughter are, if they are alive, and whether or not I'll ever see them again. So here I am."
Grace nods. "Well, you want to learn basic medical care? There's only the five of us and any extra hand is welcome."
"I've done the basic first aid course. And I have a one year old, so bodily fluids are not an issue. So yes. Please."
Grace smiles and beckons Katy over.
*
May 27, 2013
Sanders, AZ
Ryland has done a lot of things that people wouldn't expect of him. Going from a ska band to a pop star. Getting married. Learning how to sword fight.
Burying his friends is something he has never considered.
They can't leave a marker, for fear the Eaters might dig it up, searching for another source of food. Ryland has seen it at least three or four times, small groups of the cannibals digging in graveyards, looking for whatever they can find. They cover it up with other debris instead. Kris puts the guitar case on top.
"I don't think I could ever play it," he says.
"I don't even know what denomination he was. If he was any," Ryland says.
"I don't think it matters. Any words are better than none."
They all look at the pile of useless junk, and Sharon speaks first.
"I didn't know you as well as I would have liked," she says. "But I know that you were loved. That you had an unending passion for what you did. And you made others happy."
She looks at Ryland and squeezes his hand before walking away.
Allison looks around for a minute. "I remember the first time we met. I thought you were hot, and it was so unfair that there were so many hot guys in Kris’s band. And I kind of got to know you through Cale, and I think you were pretty cool. He thought you were amazing, and sometimes we would talk about the music, and it would always be 'Andrew says…’ Thank you, for being such a good friend."
Ryland looks at Kris, who shakes his head.
"I don't know what to say," Ryland says. "Except that your wit and wisdom will be missed. That I can't think of anyone who would have been more excited about what is to come. Because you embraced change, whether it was in music or in life. And I'll miss that."
Kris nods and looks at the guitar. "I'm a big believer. I'm active in my church. So faith is not something I usually struggle with. But knowing that someone like you is gone hurts me more than I would like to admit. Shakes my faith. You, my friend, were the better man, and I hope someday I can repay you. I hope somewhere in heaven, you are having the most awesome jam session ever."
Kris picks up the guitar. Before all of this, it was probably worth a nice used car. Kris lifts it over his head and smashes it into the ground, ignoring the discordant final chord it makes before splitting apart. He puts the scattered remains on the junk pile and turns back to Allison.
Ryland looks at Kris for a moment, and then one last time at the shopping cart, trash can and remains of a guitar covering Andrew's grave, then turns to move on.
*
June 1, 2013
Fresno
Katy still keeps looking at the tent flap. Adam and Cale are sitting outside, singing together, watching for soldiers to come by. There is a plan in place now, one that is all risk.
"I get to pick a straw too. Don't you even dare ask me to stay back. I can help with first aid just as much as the nurses," Katy says, looking at the room.
"Fine. I'll make it easy. I'll stay back with Bowie. He'll make less noise if it's me or Adam anyway. Plus I hate getting my hands dirty," Brad says, pretending to flip back his hair.
"Whatever," Katy laughs. "You take every chance to be dirty you can get."
"Mrs. Allen!"
They are all laughing now, the scattered few that have agreed to try and leave. They outnumber the soldiers, so hopefully…
Katy looks at the tent flap. Tomorrow she gets to start making her way home.
*
June 3, 2013
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque looks abandoned. There are plenty of signs that it once had people. And a residual smell that says Eaters have been through. Other than that, no one.
Kris cannot shake the feeling of being watched though. He shifts Hannah in her carrier and looks around. He's better at seeing things, but there is nothing to be seen.
"We're going to go peek in the city. Blow the whistle if anything comes up.," Ryland says as he and Sharon head into the city proper.
Kris nods and grabs the baseball bat he has been carrying. He isn't proficient enough yet with one of Ryland's friends' swords to even consider carrying it. But the bat feels familiar. Safe.
It's pretty warm out, and Hannah fusses for her mother again. Kris sings a lullaby under his breath to soothe her, keeping his eyes on their surroundings. He sees people. More than two.
"Alli."
She looks at him, then down the road.
"You think friendly?" She says hopefully.
Kris watches them for a moment, sees weapons in hands, and says, "No. I think it might be a wise idea to use that ring."
Allison nods, reaching in her pockets. "You think Ryland's seen them?"
"I hope so. But for now maybe we should be traveling alone."
"Definitely."
"Good morning," one of them calls out.
They are in uniform. Sort of. They all have what looks like modified leather shirts on, with chain mail vests. They are all carrying different weapons, but they carry them in a way that tells Kris they know how to use them.
"Morning," Kris says. "How are you?"
"Good. Where you headed?"
Kris shrugs. "Wherever the road takes me. I wouldn't recommend Flagstaff. They killed my wife's brother."
"Noted. We're from the Federated State of Colorado. General Craig Johnson has things well under control in Denver. Perhaps you would like to come there."
Kris looks at the man, who looks meaningfully at the sword in his hand. Kris isn't stupid enough not to get the look.
"Well, Alli, you've always said you'd like to learn to ski," he says.
Alli smiles back. "Yes. That would be nice to learn."
"I'm Kris," Kris says. "Kristopher Cook."
He doesn't know why he lies, except that he knows he is unrecognizable with his attempt at a beard and shaggy hair. Allison's hair has long lost its color, so anyone who would have known them before would have been hard pressed to figure it out.
"Dennis. Captain Dennis Hendricks. Where are you from originally?"
"Santa Barbara. One of my neighbors. Um. Robert Glass. He said he was headed Colorado way. Maybe you know him?"
"Name doesn't ring a bell, but we have a large citizenship. Your wife is Alli, I presume?"
"Yes," Kris says, grabbing her hand. "And this is Hannah. Looks just like my mom, God rest her soul."
"Pleased to meet all of you. Have you seen anyone else around? I swear I heard noises in the city."
Kris shakes his head, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Ryland in the shadows. Kris swallows. "No. No one else. I wish I had a guide, but no."
"Well then, why don't you walk with us, and we can start talking about how you can contribute to the General's plan."
Kris and Alli follow them, away from the city. Kris looks back, and shakes his head. It's the only message he can give before he is sucked into another conversation.
*
June 8, 2013
Fresno
Brad watches as things fall into place. He knows that sometimes, his persona can be what people see, so people think of him as flighty, and inconsequential. But deep down, he's a showman, so watching everything unfold is as fascinating as it is scary.
Of course, there is a hitch. No show is complete without at least one. The soldiers agree that it's time to leave, but no one can know what has happened here. Brad isn't surprised, as Cale has been long running the theory that whatever disease floated around camp, was given to them. The soldiers are probably minor functionaries, low level grunts on a power trip, and they are caught in the middle.
When the fighting begins in earnest, Brad and a few others take the scattered children to keep them out of the way. When the soldiers see this, some begin to follow. Brad turns. He knows he's made a promise, but he's not going to let anyone near his baby. He screams at them. He's pretty proud of how frightening it is.
"One of you. Five of us. ?"
"Two of us."
Brad turns to Katy. "Thought you were nursing or whatever."
"You think I haven't changed enough diapers to at least be an honorary aunt? Plus I'm not needed right now. Seems to me you need the help."
"We ain't gonna hurt the kids."
Brad turns to the soldiers. "Please."
He looks at Katy. "What's that song of your husband's? Live Like We're Dying?"
Katy grins. "I'm not sure he ever meant it for us, but what the hell."
Brad nods and they charge. It's mostly luck and surprise (and the arrival of other refugees) that gets him through. He has a long gash on his arm, but it's not too deep.
"Well, Mrs. Allen, I don't think we did too badly."
Brad looked around.
"Katy?"
He finds her sitting on the ground, face pale, hands covered in blood. The fighting has moved on, and Brad can't form the words to call for help. He kneels beside her.
"Katy?"
"I'm fine. ," Katy says.
Brad shakes his head. "You're bleeding pretty badly there, Mrs. Allen."
"I am, aren't I?"
"I'll go get a nurse."
"Don't."
Brad stops from standing. "I-"
Katy bends over. Brad hears a few choice whispers.
"Language, Mrs. Allen."
She smiles. "Love-"
She bends over again, and doesn't get back up. Brad puts his fingers to his throat, but the amount of blood now soaked through her clothes tells him all he needs to know.
"Fuck this," he says. "Fuck all this."
He looks around, and sees no one. "I'll be back. Make sure you get taken care of."
He doesn't turn back as he searches for the others. When he finds the children, he sits with Bowie and rocks back and forth until Adam finds him.
*
June 17, 2013
Boulder, Federated State of Colorado
Allison doesn't like this. She knows there is no choice, but it doesn't make it better. She knows a lot of things, just by watching.
She knows that getting out of Denver will be hard.
She knows that as chauvinistic and horrible as she thought Kris's ring idea had been at the time, it is the best thing he has thought of since his last album.
She knows that she will become a better actress than she has ever imagined.
But there is just as much she doesn't know. How they will escape. Whether or not they'll make it to Arkansas. If she will ever see the others.
Allison looks around, sees that Kris thinks the same as her. But they've already survived so much. This is just one more roadblock. And then they can go home.
Allison breathes in and steels herself. After Flagstaff, she knows she has seen the worst in people.
She hopes.
*
June 30, 2013
Fresno
Adam looks at the small group. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"
The leader looks at him and shakes his head. "No. I have family in Denver. Plus, it's better that the list goes as far as it can. I mean, we all lost so many people. This may give some closure."
Adam nods and watches them go. He looks at the camp, decorated with more graves than he's ever seen before. Some of them are too fresh. Too unnecessary.
"What do I say when we get to Arkansas, Cale? How do I tell him?"
Cale looks at Adam. "The truth."
"The truth," Adam laughs. "Hi Kris, I got your wife out of LA, then got her killed in an unnecessary fight."
"We all volunteered. If we waited much longer…"
"I promised to get her back."
"So did I," Cale says. "So did I."
Adam nods, and looks at his copy of the list he had started. He knows all the names by heart; he's recopied it too many times.
But Katy's name stands out.
He tucks the list in his pocket, and looks away from the camp.
"Let's go," he says.
PART TWO
"Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone"
April 25, 2015 (2 NT)
Outskirts of Topeka, Kansas
From the diary of Allison Iraheta
Once upon a time, I was famous. I don't know what this has to do with anything, or what fame will be like in this world. But I think it's important for you to know. Because I was famous, I had to pretend to be someone else. It is after all, part of the circumstances of your birth, so I suppose me being famous somewhat leads to you being born, if you think about it enough.
Right now I'm in an abandoned bookstore, which despite the thick layer of dust, has survived the last two years with no intrusions. If I could I'd pile every book in the wagon Hannah rides in and bring them along. As it is we've marked it on the map. Just in case. We may have lost a lot of things, but knowledge is something we cannot lose.
Shit that sounded stupid. Sorry, kid, guess your mom has gotten profound on you.
Robert and Deidre are at the door. I think, just maybe, they might make it work. I also think they'll see us to Arkansas and turn back to help the revolution. I don't know for sure. Kris and Hannah are curled up not far from me. Hannah holds onto a book that I am almost certain is coming with us.
I still expect to wake up tomorrow in my bed in LA and tell myself this was the weirdest and longest dream ever. Before, I used to dream of very normal things. Well, for someone like me. A Grammy. Critical recognition. Jive Records begging to take me back.
Now the dream is almost always the same.
Outside the window the Northern Lights are just appearing, a faint blush in the California sky. I remember how the scientists couldn't explain why they were everywhere. But no one was scared or anything. Then the power outages started, and spread, on and off, as if testing different areas. I'm sure with time; there may have been a pattern. By then, things had already begun to fall apart. The plane crash in Bitburg. That's when it all began.
In the dream, I am bouncing Hannah, her giggles filling my house. Cale rolls his eyes at me when I give him a look, but he doesn't flinch. I laugh, and remember that's why I like him: he tolerates all of me. Kris and Adam are by the TV, discussing something that I know I'm going to have no choice in. I may be an adult now, but I'm still their baby sister.
Then all of our phones ring.
This isn't unusual. But somewhere inside me, deep within the dream, there is a desperate voice telling me it is nothing, that these are normal phone calls, that my life will go on the way I think it should.
Katy is not on the phone with Kris. Flights have not been permanently been cancelled. LAX is not a mob scene. We don't have to figure out a new way to go somewhere safe.
Brad isn't calling Adam to say he's stuck at the TV studio. People aren't already flocking to the newsroom to see if the President meant it when he said he was enforcing martial law.
Cale isn't on the phone with Ryland, talking about how they are going to revise the crazy plan he and Kris and Adam have developed over the last day. With flights cancelled, something was going to have to change.
My mother isn't leaving a voice mail on my phone. I didn't answer because I thought I was going to be able to call back. She isn't in New York City with my sister. I don't like to think about that. Not considering the stories that have come from the few survivors of big cities.
I look around the room, and Cale shrugs at me. It's the best apology I'm going to get. I can't blame him, his loyalty to Kris outweighs any sort of relationship we have (and I'm still not sure what that is, exactly,) and that is one of the things I find very attractive about him. But a little knowledge would have been nice.
Kris wants to go get Katy, but Adam gently reminds him that someone has to take care of Hannah. Cale volunteers to go with Adam, looking surprised as he does. Suddenly I'm sitting with Hannah in my lap and saying nothing, because there is no way Adam and Cale won't gang up on me and make me stay with Kris. I know where to pick my fights and this one isn't worth it.
Sometimes, I wish I'd said something, and we'd all gone together. I often wonder how it would have been.
Adam is out the door with hugs and a smile. Cale takes longer, making sure he remembers how to get to the farm in Arkansas. Then he and Kris hug forever and a day.
The dream sometimes gets as far as Kris's house in Santa Barbara. Sometimes it ends right after the phones all ring. Mostly, it's right after Cale kisses me goodbye and tells me he'll see me later.
I haven't seen him since.
I wonder what he'll think of you.
*
Reports from various media sources
February 25, 2013
The unusual display of the Aurora Borealis is baffling scientists. It seems to be spreading beyond Germany and towards the rest of Europe. There have even been claims of sightings in the lower United States, as yet unconfirmed. Scientists are working to figure this out, but in the meantime, say that while unusual, this display is perfectly safe for everyone to see.
February 28, 2013
Increased cases of random power outages have raised the concern of leaders around the world. While no one is confirming it, the coincidence of the rare and elongated appearance of the Aurora Borealis cannot be ignored. We will continue to investigate as reports come in, so please remain calm and patient.
March 1, 2013
While no one can yet tell us the exact details on the plane crash this morning in Bitburg, we do know this: no contact has been made with Bitburg officials since last night. Also, preliminary investigations say that the electrical systems of the plane are in working order, but simply quit. What this means is yet to be determined.
March 2, 2013
Address of the President of the United States of America 7 PM EST
My fellow Americans.
We have been witnessing an unprecedented spectacle for the last few days. I have been in awe of nature's wonder. I, like you, have also been worried, wondering what it all means.
I am going to be honest with you, and the truth is frightening. We don't know. The best scientists in the world are working all hours of the night, trying to find answers as to what exactly is going on. But those answers take time.
Until then, we have to take steps to protect ourselves from undue harm. In light of what happened this morning in Germany, I and other world leaders have chosen to suspend all air travel until we can figure out the problem. I know that means a lot of people are separated from their families. I've spoken to the airlines and they are doing their best to find alternate transportation for all of you.
Please do not panic. As far as we know, this is a temporary phenomenon that will pass. But until we can determine what is happening, when it will end, and how to fix it, my priority is keeping citizens safe. As a cautionary measure, I have enacted martial law.
I plead with everyone to use caution, act safely and responsibly, and use common sense in this time of unease. We will get through this. We will prevail.
Thank you, good night, and God bless.
There is no evidence to any degree whether the President survived the events after.
March 3, 2013
Excerpt from early morning religious program.
"And when the power goes out, has anyone else noticed what is happening. Have you tried your back-up generators? Have you tried your guns?"
The man behind the pulpit nods.
"That's right, this isn't some sort of electrical interference. This is the will of our Lord God. He has chosen to punish us for our sins. He has chosen to put us at our basest level. We must pray for forgiveness, must pray that we survive the chaos to come, and when we make it through, we will know that we are His children again."
*
March 4, 2013
Hollywood, CA
It takes two days to get from Santa Barbara to Cassidy's place in Hollywood. Cale doesn't want to relive a few of those moments, especially when they had to abandon the car. He has no idea what the rest of the world is like, but if LA is any indication, it's going to be a long, tough road.
But everyone is waiting there, so there is one positive.
"Did Kris send you or did you volunteer?" Katy says to him.
Cale grins. "I volunteered so he wouldn't come himself. You know how he is."
Katy smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes. There is a bruise on her cheek, and her wrist is wrapped in a makeshift brace. Cale doesn’t ask, but he has a feeling the trip from LAX to Hollywood was more than eventful.
"So do we try to drive out of here?" Cassidy says, looking around the room.
Cale doesn't know most of these people. He knows their names, but he isn't sure that they will take his word for anything.
"Actually, staying away from cars may be a good idea," he says finally. "I mean, Adam and I had to abandon his because it stopped working. At least temporarily. Who's to say that it won't happen again?"
All eyes in the room are on him.
"Why would you say that?"
Cale looks at Tommy. "Well, when we were talking yesterday, Ryland and Drew and Kris and I, one thing kind of struck us. You know the plane crash right? Well it didn't happen until after the power outage. Plus we heard, and it's hard to say if it is true, that the plane had no working electronics at all. So we think that maybe the plane flew over the area without power and-"
"Wait," Tommy says, "are you saying that you think the power outage caused the plane crash?"
Cale nods. "The day before the plane went down, all the TV reporters in the area were complaining of terrible reception. And all the videos from there were spotty. It's possible that something about these Northern Lights is even less normal than we thought. That's what all the reports are saying. At least, before I left Kris's house."
"They are still saying it. But is it going to last though? Can't we just wait it out?"
Cale turns to Cassidy. "We could. But food isn't something we have a lot of on hand. And if it does last, it's going to take awhile to walk to Arkansas."
"Why Arkansas?"
"The farm," Katy interrupts. "Kris bought land there years ago. We built a house there, but then we decided to come here again, so Daniel raises horses and does some farming. Kris and I sort of split time. His mom and dad actually moved there last year, and they bought a few more acres and are thinking of starting some sort of apple tree farm thing. Is that about right Cale?"
"Yeah," Cale says. "Plus a lot of the land around there is for sale, so if the Allens act fast enough… I’m not saying I have all the answers, but maybe we should think about sitting out the worst of the riots here, and then try to move out before the power leaves completely. If I'm wrong, we're still in LA. If I'm right, Kris is going to wait at his house for at least a week after the power goes out permanently. So we should be fine."
Cale looks around the room, relieved to see that everyone nods in agreement. He isn't even sure of what is going to happen himself, but he hopes the theory is wrong. That this is just temporary.
*
March 6, 2013
Santa Barbara, CA
Ryland and Drew are out on another scouting trip, scouring Kris's neighborhood for anything they deem useful. Sharon, Ryland's wife, sorts through things Ryland and Drew hauled from their 'collections', an assortment of sharp objects that make Kris reassess exactly how well he knows the Steen brothers.
Andrew is the only one acting as if everything is normal. He sits on the couch, strumming the chords to "Is It Over", trying to change something, although Kris isn't sure what.
He and Allison are attempting to watch TV, although the picture has been going in and out. It's all pretty bad, but Kris is trying to figure out exactly when the power is going to go out by how it has spread elsewhere.
It's hard because communication is sketchy at best. Cell phones are almost useless at this point. Kris had been able to talk to Katy briefly yesterday, but that was all. The internet is either not working at all or sites are crashing with desperate floods of people trying to say their goodbyes.
Never mind how he had cried at the tweets he had received before shutting off his phone.
"So swords, huh?" Allison asked.
"Yeah, we figure if the electricity keeps going, and whatever it is can take down a plane, then we should be prepared," Kris says. "Plus Ryland and Drew dabble in that thing, um,"
"The Society for Creative Anachronism," Andrew supplies. "Plus they love all that camping down to earth stuff. So we have ourselves three experts. Three and half if you count Kris's missionary days as experience."
"Hey look, the news!" Allison says. "But why are they reporting from Ohio?"
Ryland and Drew return just in time to find out that all contact with the East Coast has been lost.
"How long?" Allison whispers. "How long until-"
"Two. Three. Maybe four days. I just hope the others decide to leave LA before the power goes out. Because as bad as it sounds now, it's only going to get worse," Ryland says, putting a hand on Kris's shoulder before going outside to help his wife.
*
March 7, 2013
Allen farm, Arkansas
Kim Allen has always been fairly practical. She's raised her boys to be the same way. So when Kris called her and told her the plan, she rolls into action without thought.
Her first visit, as much as she doesn't want to ask for the help, is to the church. She likes the people who go there, and she has to admit there is a certain sense of belonging. However, Pastor Franklin Grater is not her favorite person.
She also knows that without the church, a lot of people may die. So she picks up the phone, hoping it will work. The dial tone is there, a reminder of everything that may be lost in the next few days.
"Franklin, this is Kim Allen. Yes, I'm doing just fine. Actually I have a proposal for you."
Kim steels herself. Even the devil was an angel for a time
*
March 8, 2013
Outskirts of LA
Katy reaches the building just behind Adam. She breathes slowly, even though her lungs are burning.
"I thought you were in better shape than that Allen," Adam teases her.
"I don't work out with a personal trainer."
"True. It's even hard for Brad to keep up with me most days."
"I can go all night long," Brad says, grinning, and shifting Bowie in his arms.
"And so the lewd jokes begin," Danielle sighs.
"I always was corrupting the youth," Adam says, looking at his son.
"I'm pretty sure Bowie understands none of this yet," Danielle says.
"True."
Katy leans against the wall for a moment. Outside… Outside she can hear screams and gunshots. The megaphones from the military and the police had stopped sometime yesterday. She could turn around and see LA burning, watch as people streamed aimlessly from one part of the city to another. She keeps waiting for a director to yell cut, for everyone to smile again and talk about lunch, or gossip, or coo over the baby.
But it isn't a movie.
She is going to go home.
She is going to see her husband and child.
She is going to survive.
Katy thinks, after everything she and Kris have been through, this isn't too much to ask.
*
March 9, 2013
Santa Barbara
Allison wakes before the sun comes up, so she can still see the faint blush of the Northern Lights. She reaches for her phone automatically, and remembers. It's all gone now. She sits up in her bed, rubbing her arms. From what little TV they could get, the theory was still act of God or act of alien. Either way didn't matter to her, because there was no power. No technology for that matter. The Steens-Ryland, Sharon and Drew-had been doing any number of experiments since the power went out, but any modern science seemed to be gone.
Allison remembers watching them clean the gun, the dry clicks resonating in the still air. Kris had spent the day packing some important items, memorizing things he could not take. They had promised the others a week.
After all, the walk didn't get any shorter.
Allison wants to go back to sleep, but she knows she won't. She worries about what's coming, how they'll survive. She thinks of the clicking of the gun.
At least with a bow and arrow, people will have to aim.
It doesn't make her feel any better. Instead, she stares at the sky for awhile, waiting to see what the first day of the rest of the world is going to be like.
*
March 16, 2013
Santa Barbara
"You promised her that you would leave as well, Kris," Ryland says.
"I know. I-"
Kris sighs and shuts his eyes. "I hoped they'd make it in time."
"They'll get here. And we'll catch up eventually. But there just isn't the food supply here for all of us to stay. Anyway, Cale owes me money," Drew says. "He has to be alive."
Kris laughs. "I'm not sure he can repay you."
Drew shrugs, and everything is in motion. Ryland and Sharon are double checking the packs. Kris tucks a family photo in a plastic bag and adds it to his. Andrew is bringing a guitar, but Kris knows he has those in Arkansas. Hannah will be enough for him to carry without adding anything else.
"We're doing this, aren't we?" Andrew asks.
"Yeah. I guess we are," Kris says.
"Who knew when we first started playing together, that it would be Ryland and Drew that saved our butts?"
"I always thought it would be Lizzie."
"Where was she, anyway?"
"Vacation. Bahamas I think."
"Ah."
It is already a sort of thing now, not to talk about people who you knew you would never see again. Like Torres, at a gig with his other band somewhere in Mexico. Allison's mom, in New York. And so on.
They've decided to walk. They had thought of taking biking trails all the way, but with unpredictable weather and lack of medical facilities, walking seems the safest bet. Kris looks at Ryland and Drew again and shakes his head. He remembers the talks on the road, their former college adventures as members of the SCA. Kris hopes they remembered enough to save everyone's lives.
Kris looks back at his house as they walk down the road. Drew stood in the doorway. He'd promised to wait until August. If Adam and the others didn't show by then…
Kris lets out a breath. He doesn't want to think like that. It's too early for despair. So he concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other, and praying that somewhere, not too far away, his wife and friends are okay.
*
March 17, 2013
Northeast of LA
Adam shifts Bowie in his arms. Luckily, he's still in the sleep all day stage of his life, so not much has bothered him in trying to get to Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, their small group has had to divert eastward. The 101 would have been better, but the 101 was a choked mass of cars and people just sitting. Sitting and waiting for something to change, someone to come save them. Cale had tried to convince some of them to come along, but mostly, they just looked forward, hands gripping the wheels of the car.
Adam shuts his eyes and opens them again. He isn't too sure that wouldn't have been him, if he didn't have somewhere to go. Cale and Tommy are consulting the road map again, trying to figure out the best way to Kris's house. Katy tries again to convince everyone to just start heading to Arkansas. Adam agrees, because when Kris makes a promise, he keeps it. Cale is on the fence, and everyone else votes to check, just in case. Adam doesn't like it, but he respects that the group should get a vote.
Cassidy and Brad are having some sort of conversation by an abandoned car, although Adam is sure he doesn't want to know. Brad smiles at him, and waves merrily. Adam motions down to their child. Brad rolls his eyes.
Adam grins to himself.
"You doing okay?" Danielle asks.
"Yeah. I've got my beautiful husband, an adorable baby. Two of my old friends, more of my new, and I'm about to become a farmer in Arkansas. I'm great."
Danielle laughs. "This is why I love you. You just roll with it all. You think Arkansas is ready for you?"
"Well, it is Kris's farm, so I think we'll be okay. Actually, I've been there once. His mom and dad live there full-time now. It's actually nice. If they can hold onto it and make it work, I think it wouldn't be such a bad place to live."
"Good."
"How about you?" Adam asks. "Are you okay?"
Danielle gives him a half smile. "I will be. I know I'll never see him again. But I have my friends. And given the two men I've met from Arkansas, they grow them pretty nice there."
Adam put his free arm around her shoulder. "That they do."
"Are you talking about other men?" Brad says, walking over.
"Hey, just because I married you-"
"Shhhh." Cale says, looking down the road. "Company coming. Looks military."
Adam looks in the distance, and watches as a group of three men approaches. He catches movement out of the corner of his eye, and he knows that the three in front of him are just there to talk.
"Who's the leader of this group?" the tall one asks.
"None of us are. But I can speak for them," Adam says.
"Good. We're gathering refugees in a camp just outside of Fresno, trying to reorganize and relocate those who wish to leave the state."
"Well, we already know where we are going."
"Everyone has to check in."
Adam watches as more soldiers slowly emerge from all around the group. They all have weapons ranging from baseball bats to one wicked looking axe.
"Ah. Well, have you been to Santa Barbara yet? We have friends there."
"There is a team out that way, yes."
"Then we'd be more than happy to come," Adam says.
He looks at Cale, who nods slowly in understanding. No one else has seen the other soldiers yet. But the threat is plain. Hopefully Kris is at this camp too, and they can figure out a plan from there.
*
March 19, 2013
Near Lancaster, CA
Kris has never seen a Wal-Mart this empty. It's been scavenged pretty thoroughly, but they pack a couple carts full of supplies. Ryland figures the carts can wheel around most anything, and the cans of food would be valuable as trading items.
Kris can't help but wander the aisles a little. He picks up a few things for Hannah, and then stares at electronics for awhile. He idly looks at the back of his last album. He can sing every song from memory. Except for that, the music doesn't exist anymore. That seems worse than anything else.
He looks at jewelry, and an idea occurs to him.
"Kris, let's get going," Sharon says.
"Yeah. Coming," he responds. "Hey Alli."
Allison turns and looks at him. "What?"
"Um. Don't take this the wrong way, okay? But here."
Kris hands her a couple of boxes. Allison opens them and looks inside.
"I don't understand."
"I don't know everyone out there in this world, but I do know the world just got a lot smaller. That means people probably got smaller minded. And maybe if we run into unfriendly people, they might want to know if we have any single women for them to marry them off. And-"
Allison looks at the rings in her hand. "Oh."
"I just figured in case we did run into a problem, that Hannah likes you well enough, and you both have brown eyes, that-"
"I didn't think of that," Ryland says.
"Me either," Sharon adds.
"Honestly, I didn't think of it till I passed the jewelry counter and they had a wedding set like mine. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have them around."
Allison nods. "As a fully self-supporting woman who has a brown belt, I should say fuck off. But at the same time, I agree. So thanks."
Kris nods. He looks back at the shopping center and shivers. He knows it's all going to be like this, abandoned buildings and quiet towns. Roads full of abandoned cars. People mad with power. People desperate to get the power back. People on the side of the road, staring into space, because they cannot process the enormity of what has changed. And so on. Kris wants to stop and mourn, to figure out where he fits in this new world. But he has to get his daughter to safety. Alli to safety. Everything else can wait.
*
March 22, 2013
Makeshift hospital, Fresno, California
Katy looks around and shivers. There are a lot of people here. It might take a long time to get through them all. There's a constant buzz of noise, and she's reminded of the airport, of how she barely made it out before things became too chaotic. She wonders if the airline employee who let her out the back door because he was a fan made it out of LA before the power went out.
"So what now?" she murmurs.
"We try and find your husband," Adam says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Then we get the hell out of here."
Katy nods and looks to Cale. "Probably should get you to plan it."
"Me?"
"I know all the college stories," Katy says. "If anyone can plan their way out of anything it's you."
"But I don't have Kris."
Katy frowns.
"No. But I'm pretty sure that Tommy could help."
"I didn't do it," Tommy says as he walks over from the perimeter. "What did I do?"
"You are going to plan a way out of here with Cale."
Tommy looks at Cale. "Alli says you're good people, so I suppose you'll do."
"Thanks," Cale says.
Katy watches them walk away. "Do you think Kris is here?"
Adam looks away for a moment. "I don't know. Part of me hopes so, part of me doesn't."
Katy leans into him for a moment. "Yeah, me too."
Adam squeezes her shoulder. "Anyway, Kris is too small for the scouts to see anyway. I'm sure the grass on the side of the road is already taller than he is."
Katy can't help but giggle. "Stop it."
"Can't help it. Anyway, I'm glad you’re here. Someone has to change Bowie's diapers."
"Adam Mitchell Lambert!"
"Fine. Let's start walking through this mess and see if we can find your husband. Mine too, as he seems to have wandered off."
Katy nods and for a moment, if she ignores the smell of unwashed people, and the guards on the perimeter, it's almost as if she's gone camping again. She's gone camping and is taking a walk to stretch her legs.
She knows it's an illusion, but for a moment, it's nice to pretend.
*
March 24, 2013
Just outside Adelanto, CA
Allison stares at the cloud of smoke. It's far enough away to be doubtful, but she's almost sure that it's LA burning.
"They got out in plenty of time," she says to herself.
"Maybe they started ahead of us because of the fires. They couldn't get to Kris's house on time and went on down the road," Andrew says.
"Yeah."
Allison continues to stare. It's almost too much to watch, and she worries the fire will spread too fast and too far. She worries about a lot of things. She still carries her phone in the hopes she can listen to her mom's voice mail just one more time.
She worries that New York is just like LA, that her mom and her sister are caught in the riots and the burning. She hopes they have already died. Which only makes it worse, because no one should have to hope that, but she does.
"Hey," Kris says, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You know where my dad is right now?"
Allison shakes her head. "Isn't he with your mom?"
"Nope. He was doing some charity work when this all went down. He was in Rwanda the last I heard. So I either hope he made it to Europe like he said he was going to try, the plane crashed in a fiery ball, or he found a quiet little pocket of nowhere. Because otherwise, I don't want to think about it. I know you're worried about your family, but it's okay to think what you are thinking. I have a feeling we all are."
"My parents were in D. C.," Andrew says, "doing the tourist thing. I'd rather them dead than wandering the streets lost and hungry."
Allison sighs "I don't want to think of my mom and my sister. But I see that and I keep imagining them hurt. And then it's an easy step to my friends. You think Adam and Cale and everyone are okay?"
"I don't know. I do know they’ve got a good shot at it, about as good as any of us. I'm not saying we shouldn't hope, because I mean after all, I just told you I hoped my father was dead. But at the same time, I know that they have a plan to follow."
Kris shrugs.
Allison nods. "Yeah. I get it."
She has to hope about something, but the road is too uncertain, and the world is too unknown. So she might as well pin her hopes on people she knows and loves.
*
March 29, 2013
Fresno
"Look, we've checked in, our friends aren't here, we're ready to go. I don't understand the problem," Katy says, her arms crossed.
"The problem is that you and your snippy friends don't realize what kind of threats you pose to the world. There is quarantine for a reason," Captain Robins replies. "I have my orders."
"From who?" Danielle presses. "The world is gone, there are no more orders. Just because you are better supplied, and better armed, doesn't mean you're right."
"No. But it does mean I'm in power. And I say there is quarantine."
"None of us is sick!"
Katy smiles at the roar of agreement from the small band behind her.
Then, a sneeze. For all she knows it was dust, or slight allergies. But the one sneeze is enough for the captain to cross his arms, and for the people behind Katy to dissipate. Later she hears more, and there's a ball of fear in her stomach, a nagging worry that she might never leave California after all.
When she begins to sneeze the next day, it's panic. And so on.
*
April 16, 2013
Barstow, CA
Andrew DeRoberts has been on a lot of journeys. He's come from the middle of Ohio, of all places, to touring the world with the best people he has ever known. Now he sits on Interstate 40, watching as Ryland and Sharon worked through some sword technique with Kris and Allison.
"Bet you never thought you'd be stuck with me," he says to Hannah, who watches her father intently.
She gives him a lopsided grin. Andrew laughs and looks down the road. He doesn't know where the road leads, beyond Arkansas, and a chance at life. He knows that it's going to take time, and that the likelihood of all of them surviving is so small, it breaks his heart.
Because this is his family now.
Andrew has been on a lot of journeys, none more uncertain than this. Hannah giggles as her father falls down. She looks at Andrew, who smiles back.
"All right DeRoberts, your turn to get your ass kicked!" Kris says as he walks towards them.
"Language!" Andrew says, shaking his head. "Katy will kill you if she hears Hannah saying ass."
"What ass, Daddy?" Hannah asks.
Andrew looks at Kris and they both laugh, with Hannah watching on.
"You explain," Andrew says, walking over to Ryland and Sharon.
He looks back for a moment, delighting in Kris's desperate attempt to explain the word ass to his daughter.
*
April 22, 2013
Fresno
Adam feels fine. He's never been healthier in his life. This would be the perfect time to escape.
Except everyone else is sick.
Well, in various stages of it at least. Brad and Bowie just have the sniffles. Tommy is in the fever stage. Danielle is attempting to cough up a lung. Cale is somewhere in between stages. Katy and Cassidy though, are bedridden, pale and listless and in the tent that someone has nicknamed 'the Morgue'. Mostly because people go there to die.
Adam watches a group of nurses-some refugees, some soldiers-scramble to help as much as they could. But it is chaos so far.
He can't believe how quickly things have spread, how bad they seem. He wants to help but doesn't know how.
That's when one of the nurses, Grace, approaches him. "You want to help?"
He nods. "Please."
"We can't keep accurate records. And I know it sounds like a waste of time, but I think it would be nice if we could keep a list of the dead. For those of us with families we think might be alive, it might be nice."
Adam thinks of Kris and Allison, somewhere on the road to Arkansas. "I think it's a great idea. Where do I start?"
Grace smiles, "First, you learn everyone's name. How are you with memorization?"
*
April 30, 2013
California-Nevada border, near Topock
Kris looks across the invisible line in the road. Once he steps over it, he has truly left California. He isn't sure how it makes it more real, after everything he's already seen. Not that much, except for a few travelers in the distance, just as wary as them.
Then there are the Eaters. Kris remembers huddling in a dark empty house and listening to people-they were people, still-screaming as they passed through, looking for food. There have been warnings, 'Avoid the Eaters' spray painted on road signs, but no one had understood what it meant. Kris had managed to keep his lunch down when he realized what kind of food, that it was people they were eating and now every remain of a fire they find is approached with caution and the hope the bones left behind are animals. He still doesn't understand, when there are grocery stores full of canned goods to be raided, but he supposes that everyone took the loss of power differently. He tries not to think about it too much, especially when eating meat, or else he will sick up. He's heard of cannibalism, knows what it is conceptually, but seeing it firsthand…
They have settled for the night, Sharon keeping an eye out for now. It isn't cold enough for a campfire, but it's good practice for them to start one every night.
"You know," Kris says slowly, "Cale and I used to have this thing. In college. We called it a campfire confessional. We all had to admit to something no one else knew about us. It was supposed to be a bonding thing. But it was also fun sometimes."
"I remember these," Ryland says. "You two used to look at each other and laugh about it all the time. Remember when Torres admitted how he kept his hair so nice?"
Andrew laughs. "Oh my God we teased him for days. That was the best part of that tour."
"I'm game," says Allison. "Who goes first?"
"You, since you spoke up first," Kris says, leaning back against his pack.
Allison grins. "Oh cool. Hmmmm. Oh I have a good one!"
Kris looks at her, and steels himself. Allison spent a lot of time with Adam, so they both have a habit of being very forthright.
"I slept with Cale."
Kris blinks. Shakes his head. "What?"
Allison's grin widens. "I slept with Cale. Well sleep-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa I do not need to know details, thank you," Andrew says.
"Was that a good one?" Allison asks.
"Don't pretend to be innocent," Kris says. "That was just about right. Um. I mean I know you two were on the flirty \possible dating stage. I mean I only know because, well, I have eyes. But I didn't think it was serious. This is new."
Allison laughs. "Well, um. It sort of just kept happening? In a weird romantic comedy sort of way? Shit. This wasn't supposed to be serious."
Kris looks at her. "You like him, don't you?"
She nods, tears in her eyes. "Yeah. He's super snarky, and mellow, so he kind of calms me down, you know? Ah fuck. We were going to tell everyone we were dating soon. We just wanted to figure it out first. I mean, it isn't supposed to be anything. I just liked flirting with him backstage last year and then all of a sudden…"
Kris walks over and puts an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, he's with Adam. If the two of them can't figure out how to survive in this crazy world, what chance do any of us have?"
She nods. "Can it be someone else's turn?"
"I could go. But it's more serious stuff."
"Go for it Kris. Let's all be depressed together," Allison says.
He doesn't know why he has to say it, but he also knows that his life and his daughter's depend on the people around the campfire, so he knows he needs to be sure of them.
"Ryland and Andrew know part of this, but not all."
Andrew and Ryland look at each other. Then Ryland's eyes narrow.
"Kris-we never asked-"
"And I appreciate that. I do. But I want to get it out there." He looks at Allison, then at his sleeping daughter. "I spent the entire second year of my marriage in couples counseling."
Allison stiffens. "Kris? But you and Katy are, like perfect."
Kris shakes his head. "Well, we're definitely stronger. We worked on a lot of things."
"But why? Is that what you've never talked about?"
Kris nods, and the quiet night seems even emptier.
"It was my fault," he says. "I fell in love with someone else. Not out of love with Katy. Just in love with someone else."
He keeps talking, if only to not look at his friends' faces. "I mean, Katy was the one who even figured it out. But I knew it was all on my side, so we decided to work on things. And now we have Hannah, and even though sometimes I wonder, I think things turned out okay."
"The other person-"
"I'm not saying who it is."
"I know," Andrew says. "But did you ever tell them?"
Kris laughs. "Oh no. I may have done a lot of brave things in my life, but I don't think that could ever have happened."
Andrew nods, and begins to tell some story about college and drunkenly kissing his best friend, which gets them laughing again.
Allison squeezes Kris's hand. "I know."
Kris smiles. "I figured you would."
"You're practically my brother. I know all your secrets."
"Not all of them. But close to it."
They sit like that into the night, Kris feeling solid again, hopeful instead of wary of the days to come.
*
May 10, 2013
Fresno
Cale pushes Adam back down. "Stop trying to get up man, you're way too sick."
"Baby's crying."
"Bowie's fine. Katy and Brad have everything under control. Just lie down and get better."
Cale rubs his arms. He hopes he isn't relapsing. That's the worst part of all of this. Not the sickness itself, although the list of the dead is too long for Cale to even contemplate. Adam doesn't even know that Cassidy died three days ago, and that Danielle is so frail that the nurses have declared her dead at least twice already.
He doesn't understand how it spread so quickly, or what it is. The nurses are struggling to treat symptoms before asking too many questions about the disease. But that most of the soldiers are healthy strikes Cale as odd. But he can't say anything; for fear that they'll take him out in the night and kill him, then say he died of a relapse. So he is silent.
Cale has some hope: Kris isn't here, so at least they escaped. Cale thinks about them, wonders if they are okay.
Mostly though, he tries to keep living. So he can see them again.
*
May 18/9, 2013
Flagstaff, AZ
Kris leans into the bars and sighs. He has paced the length of the cell more times than he would like to count.
Allison, Sharon and Hannah are just across a small walkway, Hannah crying for him.
"Please. Just let us go."
The tall man in the police uniform turns and looks at Kris. His name is Ernst, no other name.
"Do you think being polite would make it go away? One of you took the light. You must admit it and submit to your well-deserved punishment."
Kris shakes his head. "None of us did this! We aren't even from here! I can show you my driver's license, if you want!"
Ernst shakes his head. "Someone took the light. Until it comes back, we must all pay for the sins that took it away. My people have already sacrificed some of their own. Now others must do the same. Would you like me to choose? Would that make it easier?"
"No," Kris says. "I'm the-"
"Wait," Andrew says, pushing Kris out of the way. "It was me. I should be the one you punish."
"Andrew. No."
Andrew looks at Kris and leans to whisper in his ear. "Look, as far as I can tell, everyone around here is pretty healthy. I saw the stocks when they escorted us in. At best, the one with the wicked looking whip will to beat me and leave me in the open for a day. At worst-I don't know. But you have too many promises to keep to sacrifice yourself. I'm just along for the ride. So shut up and sit down okay?"
"Andrew-"
"No. I won't allow it. If you leave the room now, what will Hannah think then?"
"That was low. Low and dirty and not fair at all."
"That's the only way I play," Andrew grins. "Come on Ernst, I want to face the music already."
"Good. Come, we shall proceed immediately."
Later, Kris tries to pretend he doesn't hear the screams. It tells him Andrew is alive. But nothing else. He can't bear to think of what these people have done. He looks at Allison, who holds her hands over Hannah's ears and crying herself.
"What do you think-?”
Ernst walks into the room then. "The light is not back. But you have paid your passage. You leave Flagstaff in the morning."
"Where's Andrew?" Kris asks.
"He is being treated by our local doctor. He will be fine."
"He doesn't sound fine."
Ernst comes to the bars, eyes burning. "Do you wish to pay extra passage?"
Kris shuts his mouth, and clenches his fists. He wishes a lot of things right then, but it doesn't change the situation. So he lets his hands relax and he steps back.
"That is what I thought."
Kris does not sleep, despite the quiet. When he sees Andrew that morning, as they are pushed out of town, he almost turns around. Andrew can't speak, he's trying to concentrate on not fainting, his arm cradled in a sling. Kris's eyes keep going back to Andrew's hand, where Andrew's hand used to be, trying to get the thought in his head that Andrew would never play again, and he cannot do it.
Kris begins to wonder if they should have ever left California, but it's too late to turn around. The cost has been high enough already.
*
May 22, 2013
Fresno
Katy wanders from tent to tent, delivering supplies as best she can. Most of the military is still alive. They've had the most up to date immunizations, so it makes sense. But the thing-and Katy has neither bothered nor cared to find out the name-going around the tent city has already mutated once and gone through the campers again. She often wonders when it will get to the point of making the soldiers sick too. She waits impatiently for that day. And then asks forgiveness for thinking it, because she cannot wish it on anyone.
She hasn't been sick since the first round, but Katy also knows she came very close to dying that time. Perhaps it means something. She doesn't know for sure.
Grace, one of the nurses, smiles at her when she brings some purified water.
"Thank you. For everything ."
"I have to do something," Katy says. "I mean, Adam has the list, Cale and Tommy are off befriending the soldiers, Brad keeps Bowie occupied, and the others are still recovering. If I sit around all day, I'm going to start thinking about where my husband and daughter are, if they are alive, and whether or not I'll ever see them again. So here I am."
Grace nods. "Well, you want to learn basic medical care? There's only the five of us and any extra hand is welcome."
"I've done the basic first aid course. And I have a one year old, so bodily fluids are not an issue. So yes. Please."
Grace smiles and beckons Katy over.
*
May 27, 2013
Sanders, AZ
Ryland has done a lot of things that people wouldn't expect of him. Going from a ska band to a pop star. Getting married. Learning how to sword fight.
Burying his friends is something he has never considered.
They can't leave a marker, for fear the Eaters might dig it up, searching for another source of food. Ryland has seen it at least three or four times, small groups of the cannibals digging in graveyards, looking for whatever they can find. They cover it up with other debris instead. Kris puts the guitar case on top.
"I don't think I could ever play it," he says.
"I don't even know what denomination he was. If he was any," Ryland says.
"I don't think it matters. Any words are better than none."
They all look at the pile of useless junk, and Sharon speaks first.
"I didn't know you as well as I would have liked," she says. "But I know that you were loved. That you had an unending passion for what you did. And you made others happy."
She looks at Ryland and squeezes his hand before walking away.
Allison looks around for a minute. "I remember the first time we met. I thought you were hot, and it was so unfair that there were so many hot guys in Kris’s band. And I kind of got to know you through Cale, and I think you were pretty cool. He thought you were amazing, and sometimes we would talk about the music, and it would always be 'Andrew says…’ Thank you, for being such a good friend."
Ryland looks at Kris, who shakes his head.
"I don't know what to say," Ryland says. "Except that your wit and wisdom will be missed. That I can't think of anyone who would have been more excited about what is to come. Because you embraced change, whether it was in music or in life. And I'll miss that."
Kris nods and looks at the guitar. "I'm a big believer. I'm active in my church. So faith is not something I usually struggle with. But knowing that someone like you is gone hurts me more than I would like to admit. Shakes my faith. You, my friend, were the better man, and I hope someday I can repay you. I hope somewhere in heaven, you are having the most awesome jam session ever."
Kris picks up the guitar. Before all of this, it was probably worth a nice used car. Kris lifts it over his head and smashes it into the ground, ignoring the discordant final chord it makes before splitting apart. He puts the scattered remains on the junk pile and turns back to Allison.
Ryland looks at Kris for a moment, and then one last time at the shopping cart, trash can and remains of a guitar covering Andrew's grave, then turns to move on.
*
June 1, 2013
Fresno
Katy still keeps looking at the tent flap. Adam and Cale are sitting outside, singing together, watching for soldiers to come by. There is a plan in place now, one that is all risk.
"I get to pick a straw too. Don't you even dare ask me to stay back. I can help with first aid just as much as the nurses," Katy says, looking at the room.
"Fine. I'll make it easy. I'll stay back with Bowie. He'll make less noise if it's me or Adam anyway. Plus I hate getting my hands dirty," Brad says, pretending to flip back his hair.
"Whatever," Katy laughs. "You take every chance to be dirty you can get."
"Mrs. Allen!"
They are all laughing now, the scattered few that have agreed to try and leave. They outnumber the soldiers, so hopefully…
Katy looks at the tent flap. Tomorrow she gets to start making her way home.
*
June 3, 2013
Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque looks abandoned. There are plenty of signs that it once had people. And a residual smell that says Eaters have been through. Other than that, no one.
Kris cannot shake the feeling of being watched though. He shifts Hannah in her carrier and looks around. He's better at seeing things, but there is nothing to be seen.
"We're going to go peek in the city. Blow the whistle if anything comes up.," Ryland says as he and Sharon head into the city proper.
Kris nods and grabs the baseball bat he has been carrying. He isn't proficient enough yet with one of Ryland's friends' swords to even consider carrying it. But the bat feels familiar. Safe.
It's pretty warm out, and Hannah fusses for her mother again. Kris sings a lullaby under his breath to soothe her, keeping his eyes on their surroundings. He sees people. More than two.
"Alli."
She looks at him, then down the road.
"You think friendly?" She says hopefully.
Kris watches them for a moment, sees weapons in hands, and says, "No. I think it might be a wise idea to use that ring."
Allison nods, reaching in her pockets. "You think Ryland's seen them?"
"I hope so. But for now maybe we should be traveling alone."
"Definitely."
"Good morning," one of them calls out.
They are in uniform. Sort of. They all have what looks like modified leather shirts on, with chain mail vests. They are all carrying different weapons, but they carry them in a way that tells Kris they know how to use them.
"Morning," Kris says. "How are you?"
"Good. Where you headed?"
Kris shrugs. "Wherever the road takes me. I wouldn't recommend Flagstaff. They killed my wife's brother."
"Noted. We're from the Federated State of Colorado. General Craig Johnson has things well under control in Denver. Perhaps you would like to come there."
Kris looks at the man, who looks meaningfully at the sword in his hand. Kris isn't stupid enough not to get the look.
"Well, Alli, you've always said you'd like to learn to ski," he says.
Alli smiles back. "Yes. That would be nice to learn."
"I'm Kris," Kris says. "Kristopher Cook."
He doesn't know why he lies, except that he knows he is unrecognizable with his attempt at a beard and shaggy hair. Allison's hair has long lost its color, so anyone who would have known them before would have been hard pressed to figure it out.
"Dennis. Captain Dennis Hendricks. Where are you from originally?"
"Santa Barbara. One of my neighbors. Um. Robert Glass. He said he was headed Colorado way. Maybe you know him?"
"Name doesn't ring a bell, but we have a large citizenship. Your wife is Alli, I presume?"
"Yes," Kris says, grabbing her hand. "And this is Hannah. Looks just like my mom, God rest her soul."
"Pleased to meet all of you. Have you seen anyone else around? I swear I heard noises in the city."
Kris shakes his head, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Ryland in the shadows. Kris swallows. "No. No one else. I wish I had a guide, but no."
"Well then, why don't you walk with us, and we can start talking about how you can contribute to the General's plan."
Kris and Alli follow them, away from the city. Kris looks back, and shakes his head. It's the only message he can give before he is sucked into another conversation.
*
June 8, 2013
Fresno
Brad watches as things fall into place. He knows that sometimes, his persona can be what people see, so people think of him as flighty, and inconsequential. But deep down, he's a showman, so watching everything unfold is as fascinating as it is scary.
Of course, there is a hitch. No show is complete without at least one. The soldiers agree that it's time to leave, but no one can know what has happened here. Brad isn't surprised, as Cale has been long running the theory that whatever disease floated around camp, was given to them. The soldiers are probably minor functionaries, low level grunts on a power trip, and they are caught in the middle.
When the fighting begins in earnest, Brad and a few others take the scattered children to keep them out of the way. When the soldiers see this, some begin to follow. Brad turns. He knows he's made a promise, but he's not going to let anyone near his baby. He screams at them. He's pretty proud of how frightening it is.
"One of you. Five of us. ?"
"Two of us."
Brad turns to Katy. "Thought you were nursing or whatever."
"You think I haven't changed enough diapers to at least be an honorary aunt? Plus I'm not needed right now. Seems to me you need the help."
"We ain't gonna hurt the kids."
Brad turns to the soldiers. "Please."
He looks at Katy. "What's that song of your husband's? Live Like We're Dying?"
Katy grins. "I'm not sure he ever meant it for us, but what the hell."
Brad nods and they charge. It's mostly luck and surprise (and the arrival of other refugees) that gets him through. He has a long gash on his arm, but it's not too deep.
"Well, Mrs. Allen, I don't think we did too badly."
Brad looked around.
"Katy?"
He finds her sitting on the ground, face pale, hands covered in blood. The fighting has moved on, and Brad can't form the words to call for help. He kneels beside her.
"Katy?"
"I'm fine. ," Katy says.
Brad shakes his head. "You're bleeding pretty badly there, Mrs. Allen."
"I am, aren't I?"
"I'll go get a nurse."
"Don't."
Brad stops from standing. "I-"
Katy bends over. Brad hears a few choice whispers.
"Language, Mrs. Allen."
She smiles. "Love-"
She bends over again, and doesn't get back up. Brad puts his fingers to his throat, but the amount of blood now soaked through her clothes tells him all he needs to know.
"Fuck this," he says. "Fuck all this."
He looks around, and sees no one. "I'll be back. Make sure you get taken care of."
He doesn't turn back as he searches for the others. When he finds the children, he sits with Bowie and rocks back and forth until Adam finds him.
*
June 17, 2013
Boulder, Federated State of Colorado
Allison doesn't like this. She knows there is no choice, but it doesn't make it better. She knows a lot of things, just by watching.
She knows that getting out of Denver will be hard.
She knows that as chauvinistic and horrible as she thought Kris's ring idea had been at the time, it is the best thing he has thought of since his last album.
She knows that she will become a better actress than she has ever imagined.
But there is just as much she doesn't know. How they will escape. Whether or not they'll make it to Arkansas. If she will ever see the others.
Allison looks around, sees that Kris thinks the same as her. But they've already survived so much. This is just one more roadblock. And then they can go home.
Allison breathes in and steels herself. After Flagstaff, she knows she has seen the worst in people.
She hopes.
*
June 30, 2013
Fresno
Adam looks at the small group. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"
The leader looks at him and shakes his head. "No. I have family in Denver. Plus, it's better that the list goes as far as it can. I mean, we all lost so many people. This may give some closure."
Adam nods and watches them go. He looks at the camp, decorated with more graves than he's ever seen before. Some of them are too fresh. Too unnecessary.
"What do I say when we get to Arkansas, Cale? How do I tell him?"
Cale looks at Adam. "The truth."
"The truth," Adam laughs. "Hi Kris, I got your wife out of LA, then got her killed in an unnecessary fight."
"We all volunteered. If we waited much longer…"
"I promised to get her back."
"So did I," Cale says. "So did I."
Adam nods, and looks at his copy of the list he had started. He knows all the names by heart; he's recopied it too many times.
But Katy's name stands out.
He tucks the list in his pocket, and looks away from the camp.
"Let's go," he says.
PART TWO