Ed rocked forward and bumped hard against the table, knocking his cup to the ground and causing Virgie to jump in her chair as the glass exploded on the ground. “What are you talking about?” Virgie asked, ignoring the broken glass. “A year? A decade? If ever? You’re joking, right? I can hear someone mowing their lawn as we speak. If a stupid lawnmower works, why can’t they fix the power?”
“It’s not a joke, Virgie. There’s nothing I’d like more than for this to be a joke, but I’m completely serious,” Kyle replied, trying not to let his own frustration and fear show. He understood how dire the situation was and was beginning to grasp the overwhelming challenge he had ahead of him to get home, yet Virgie and Ed seemed stuck on how long it would be until they could use their coffee maker. “Virgie, something simple, like a lawnmower, will work because it’s just a spark plug on a short wire. No electronics involved. I would expect basic things, like generators, old farm equipment, and a lot of older cars will be alright because they use cables and mechanical systems, but at some point, even if they work, all those things are going to run out of gas. Our refineries and gas stations, all that stuff, require electricity and computers to operate. We are in an unbelievably bad situation, and getting mad at the government isn’t going to put food on the table. I’ve been going over this in my head ever since the airport. Think about it, how long did it take us to get our country to where it is?”
“Since 1776, if you go all the way back, even before that, isn’t it?” replied Ed.
“That’s right, the better part of two hundred and fifty years. During most of that time, other countries left us alone, didn’t even pay us much attention until we were too big for them to do too much about us. Add to that the fact that we’ve developed most of the world’s technology, so we’ve always been ahead of these countries that’ve resented us. Over time, a lot of countries have come to hate everything we stand for. Hell, half of our own citizens don’t seem to like what we stand for. Now, in the blink of an eye, we’ve been put in a position where we’re third world, and they’ve got the power. I don’t see most of them doing much for us.
“Sure, we’ve got a few allies: Australia, England, Canada, maybe some others like Israel. But Australia is an ocean away with only a tenth of our population, Britain is tied tight to Europe and most Europeans barely tolerate us, and Canada’s likely been crippled by the EMP just like we have. I don’t know that we’ve ever been in a position this serious. I hope I’m missing something and that you’re right, but I’m trying to be as honest as I can. I guess it probably depends on where you live, but I think it’s likely a year before we see any power coming back, and that’s just the first step.”
“How are we supposed to survive for a year without power?” Virgie asked. “We won’t be able to do anything, and our food will go bad. And we’re supposed to go through a summer without air conditioning? I don’t think so,” she said, crossing her arms across her chest, her defiance on display. “This is America, not the third world. There’s got to be something that can be done.”
“Virgie!” Kyle said, raising his arms and voice in frustration. “An EMP destroys everything! It’s not like it just trips a big circuit breaker that can be turned back on. Power plants will need to get new computers and new turbines, and most will need to be rewired. And that’s if they haven’t burned down. Transmission lines will need to be replaced, and we’ll have to do all of it with most cars and trucks needing to be fixed first. We don’t keep spare parts for every piece of equipment a power plant needs, just a few critical pieces scattered around the country. We have millions upon millions of miles of power lines that might need to be replaced. Who’s going to do that when no one can get to work and everyone is busy trying to find food? Your fridge, your computers, your vehicles are all dead, and all the wiring in your house likely needs to be replaced. Anything in a grounded metal box might be safe, but the rest is toast. You guys are amazingly lucky to have a vehicle that doesn’t rely on computer chips to operate, but how are you going to get gas once the tank is empty?”
“You don’t make very pleasant dinner conversation, you know,” Ed said, his expression blank and his voice lifeless.
“It’s never been my strong suit. How much food do you have?” Kyle was all business now, his patience having worn out.
“I cooked all the steaks,” Virgie answered. “There are still three left.”
“No, Virgie, not for lunch. I mean in your house. How much food do you have if you can’t buy anything from the store?”
“I’ve got a little bit in the pantry. Why?”
“I’m thinking that we need to find a way to get some food, and as quickly as we can. Think about it. Vehicles are dead, so nothing is going to be delivered. Power is out, and there are a whole lot of people in an area that’s not very big. How’s anyone going to eat?”
“Are you saying we’re going to starve to death?” Ed asked, his voice steady and matter-of-fact, his brown eyes darting back and forth between Kyle and his wife.
Kyle wasn’t sure how to read the look on Ed’s face, but he could see that his own sense of urgency was having an effect. “I’m saying that things are going to get bad in a hurry. People are going to start panicking, if they haven’t already. Anyone that knows anything about an EMP realizes how bad of a situation we’re in, and everyone else will figure it out soon enough.”
“So what do you recommend we do?” Ed asked. “Rob the grocery store?”
Kyle nodded. “I don’t know what else we can do, Ed. What are we going to do in a week or two when we’ve eaten everything in the house? I’d gladly pay, but my wallet burned up in the airplane along with everything else I own. I don’t think anyone will be at the store to take your credit card, but we can take it with us. If people haven’t started looting yet, they will soon enough.”
Ed rolled his eyes and let out a snort. “I bring you to my house, and now you try and get me to rob the supermarket? You’re insane, Mr. Montana cowboy. We don’t do that kind of thing in Texas. Maybe you do in Montana, but not here,” he said, his voice rising as well. “I don’t even know your last name, and you want me to go on a crime spree? You are out of your stinking mind!” Ed emphasized the last sentence.
“I don’t do that either, thank you very much,” Kyle said sharply. “I can’t believe that I’m suggesting such a thing, and under normal circumstances, I can guarantee you I wouldn’t. But these aren’t normal circumstances, Ed. We should have parted company yesterday in Denver and never seen each other again. I just want to survive and figure out a way to get home. If you have some generous neighbor who’ll provide for you, then you’re good. But if not, then we need to figure something out.”
Ed leaned forward, resting his face in his hands and rubbing his forehead. Kyle could hear him breathing heavily, but he wasn’t saying anything.
“Ed,” Virgie said softly as she reached out and rubbed his leg. “I think Kyle’s right. I’m scared. If it’s half as bad as he says, we won’t make it a month. You know we don’t cook much. We’re going to be getting hungry in a few days, maybe a week, then what’ll we do? I want to survive.”