The Road Home by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 16

Sitting in the living room, they became silent as each searched themselves for a solution—what would be the next step? The passage of time slowed to the imperceptible crawl of freezing ice as the afternoon turned to evening. Exhaustion soon overtook the group in their attempt to consider a plan in the face of the unthinkable. Finally, Eli spoke up about the possibility of a rescue operation.

“Hey,” he began, “Do you think the government will put together some kind of evacuation? I mean, they have to do that, right?” Jackson, however, was more realistic and replied with far less optimism.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he began. “The government doesn’t give a shit about us. They only exist for themselves. So, I don’t think anyone’s going to come and rescue us.”

“But what about the jets?” Eli responded. “The military’s got to be everywhere by now. What about them?”

Now, Maya spoke up with something no one wanted to hear.

“I don’t think that’s why the military’s here,” she began. “They’re probably here for crowd control and quarantine, and I’m guessing that anyone who tries to leave the city will probably be shot. Do any of you remember Utilitarianism? The good of the many outweighs the good of the few.” Fear quickly spread over the group, knowing that should they so much as go out for groceries, they could be met by men with guns drawn. There was plenty of food in the kitchen, but they were now forced to confront the inevitable possibility of starving. They needed a survival plan and turning to Aurora, asked for suggestions, but still upset over the crisis that brought her career to ruin, her mind had gone blank. The sooner she accepted their circumstances, the sooner her mind would clear and begin generating ideas for their survival. “Okay,” Nathan began. “I guess Aurora’s gone dark for a while. Anybody have any ideas?” It was determined that even a short-term plan was better than none, but it was the plan itself that eluded them. Struck with inspiration, Eli offered an idea.

“How about this,” he began. “We wait here for a couple of days until things quiet down. Then, we go out at night—two at a time—to the nearest grocery store and get what we need. Of course, we’ll have to walk. We don’t want to attract attention, and it’ll be easier to hide if we have to. What do you think?”

The idea of going out at night in Tacoma was bad enough, but going out with a military presence and others focused on their own survival left the group unsettled. But everyone agreed that no matter how frightened they were, some things had to be done, and the risk involved in acquiring food and water was better than starving. “Sounds good,” Maya said. “But I think we should figure out the details before we go out there. And waiting a couple of days is a really good idea. We’ve got enough food for the next few days, but I also think we should keep the lights off. We don’t want anyone seeing us and trying to break in.”

Although Aurora was still caught in a mental haze, everyone agreed. Considering the potential success of their plan, Jackson began thinking about how they would get out of the city and where they would go. But this was not the time to bring it up. Only after they had procured what they needed for the short term would a plan of escape be considered, and every detail would have to be accounted for.

As if by some cruel act of God, no sooner than they agreed on how to get the food they needed, the power went out, leaving Tacoma in an unsettling blanket of darkness. As graduate students, they had become accustomed to the conveniences of modern life. Power was necessary to operate not only lights and heating but computers, scientific equipment, and a host of technological instruments. Without power, there was nothing, and the group was soon to accept it as part of their new reality. But the life that had been imposed itself on them would also offer far more difficult challenges and some would be unrecoverable, and the first of those challenges was living in darkness.

They agreed not to go out during the day for fear of being apprehended by authorities. Not only were the roads busy with the sound of military vehicles, but the air seemed to be in constant motion with military helicopters and jets. When there was a quiet moment, the shades of the living room were closed so as not to be seen by outsiders—including the military. Everyone took turns sitting in the front of the living room, occasionally peeking out from the sides of the shades, watching for any activity. They debated as to who would take the first watch, but Maya soon grew tired of what had quickly erupted into bickering. All they wanted was sleep and fully intended to take their turn at the front windows, but no one wanted to be first. Frustrated, Maya volunteered to take the first watch, allowing the rest of the group a well-needed rest, but after a few minutes of silence, Aurora walked into the room.

“Maya?” she said.

Her voice sounded meek and childlike, but was enough to startle Maya out of her skin. “Jesus Christ,” she said. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Sorry,” Aurora replied. “Can we talk?” Aurora could manage herself in the woods, but it was the sudden attack of chaos that frightened her, and she preferred her life to be predictable. Seeing the fear on Aurora’s face, Maya sat up, and putting an open hand on the floor, invited her to sit.

“What’s going on?” Maya asked. “I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

Aurora sighed deeply as she gathered her words. “What’s going to happen to us?” she asked. “To be honest,” Maya began. “I have no idea. I think we’re just going to have to wait and see.” Over the next few minutes, Aurora leaned down and, placing her head on Maya’s knee, drifted off to sleep. What would happen next would be both terrifying and unpredictable, taking everyone by surprise.