“You manage to reach anybody on that radio of yours?” Nate asked. “Anyone who could shed some light on what’s happening?”
“No pun intended,” Dakota said, giggling as she took another bite.
“I’m hesitant to say. You seem like fine people and I’d hate to worry you any more than you already are.”
“The truth is always the best medicine,” Nate said, believing every word of it. “Even if it hurts going down.”
“Well, then,” Guy replied, tweaking one bushy eyebrow. “I suggest you brace yourselves for some pain. Seems it makes the most sense to start locally. The city of Chicago is a frozen mess.”
“Is that like a hot mess?” Dakota asked, crossing her arms.
“Sorta,” Guy replied. “Except much worse. From what I was able to learn, by the second day, any semblance of authority had completely broken down. Not even the bad weather could curb the looting. Gangs took to the streets with impunity, settling scores with rivals and taking anything they wanted, including the lives of those caught out in the open. The first few days were near-constant fighting.”
“A turf war,” Nate said. He knew these streets and had worried about what might become of them if the worst ever happened.
“That’s right. Beneath that was the predictable kind of crime wave you’d expect under these circumstances. And in the beginning, whenever the cops showed up, they’d be fired upon and either killed or driven back. Once the snow reached your thigh, they just stopped patrolling altogether.”
“Chased out of town,” Dakota said.
Nate tossed the deer bone and leaned back. “Saw the same thing in Rockford. Only there, corrupt cops were the ones leading the criminals.”
Guy laughed, steam billowing past his lips like cigarette smoke. “I haven’t heard anything about bad cops. The few who remain are holed up in the northern part of the city in what’s been called the Green Zone. Near Arlington Heights.”
“Ah, they retreated to the rich neighborhoods,” Nate said, brushing the snow off his gloves. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“It shouldn’t,” Guy said. “So, while the cops haven’t left, they’ve effectively ceded over ninety percent of the city to the criminal elements. Gangs have been banding together, forming ever larger groups. They’ve also been dipping their toes into niches that never used to exist, raiding any source of food and water and then selling it for anything of value.”
Nate shook his head in disgust. “I can’t believe the National Guard hasn’t been deployed.”
“I’ve seen them,” Guy conceded. “I’m not sure if the command and control infrastructure’s been disabled, but the few groups I’ve seen trying to regain order are attacked with even greater ferocity than the police. At first, the criminals were only using pistols and the occasional rifle. Now assault weapons are the norm along with Molotov cocktails. My neighbor was an old Russian guy. Had to be ninety years old. Told me how as a child, he’d lived through the Siege of Leningrad of 1941-44. He described how people had resorted to eating horses and when those ran out, they ate their pets. Before long, there was nothing left to eat but each other. Chicago isn’t quite there yet, but rest assured it’s on its way.”
Nate felt his guts coil into a tight spring. He was starting to wonder if the pain from hearing the truth was such a good thing after all. “My family’s there now. Bused out via Rockford.”
Guy listened and nodded. “Any idea when they might have arrived?”
“My best guess is the day before yesterday. Why?”
“Well, I’m sure you can imagine, without running water, the shelters in the city started filling up pretty fast. Just about every sports stadium, concert hall and even museum was being used to house people. Predictably, FEMA was caught completely flat-footed and proved more useless than in any other disaster―at least they have in Chicago. Maybe they’re slaying it down south.”
The skepticism on Nate’s face spoke volumes.
“Yeah, highly unlikely,” Guy said. “I couldn’t agree more. Turns out the Red Cross and Doctors without Borders have really stepped up to the plate. That is, when the gangs haven’t made their lives a living hell.”
“Wasn’t so long ago a news special spoke about how members of those charities were often targeted by terrorists and militants,” Nate said. “Hard to believe Americans are behaving the same way.”
“Well, believe it. It was one of the reasons I hesitated saying anything at all. You hear enough stories of the depravity going on there and it’s enough to neuter any faith you had left in the human race.”
“Sometimes I think they deserve what’s happening,” Dakota said, her features flickering in the waves of heat rising from the fire. “Let the most depraved among us kill each other off.”
“Have at it,” Nate agreed. “But not before I pluck my family from the meatgrinder.”
“That’s exactly what it is,” Guy said, his index finger aiming at Nate. “A meatgrinder.”
Without any real communication systems available to help coordinate the evacuees, it was hardly a surprise they’d sent innocent people into such a dangerous environment. Chicago was virtually surrounded by nuclear power plants, most of them tasked with powering the city. As a handful of those nearby had begun melting down, shelter in place had no longer been a realistic option for anyone within the exclusion zones. Were it not for that, Nate and his family would surely still be back in Byron, reinforcing their home from theft and stretching their provisions.
It hadn’t been enough to sabotage the electricity. The masterminds behind the attack had decided to strike when most of the country was bracing for a massive winter storm. Even after plunging in the knife, they couldn’t help twisting the blade by sabotaging nuclear plants across the country.
“Since you’ve already scared the crap out of us,” Dakota said, her belly full with food and raw, electrified nerves, “you might as well fill us in on what you’ve learned about the rest of the country.”
Guy’s gaze fell to the burning logs as Nate threw on a gnarled chunk of wood. “I’ll start by saying most of what I’m about to tell you is rumors that have been swirling faster than they ever did over broadband. Seems the internet’s been replaced by the good old-fashioned radio wave.”
“Oh, lovely,” Nate scoffed. “The only good thing to die in all this is already coming back from the dead.”
“Amen, brother. But with the disclaimers out of the way, all of North America’s gone dark and worst of all, no one knows why or who’s behind it.”
Nate’s back straightened. “I can venture a guess on both counts. I mean it should be simple enough to figure out who’s got the most to gain by America getting knocked off. The barbarians have breached the gates and they’re burning everything down, just like they did in Ancient Rome.”
Guy grinned. “That may be so. You see, ever since junior high, I’ve been something of a student of history. Those barbarians you mentioned, the ones often given credit for destroying the glory of Rome—well, would it surprise you to learn that most of them weren’t bloodthirsty savages wearing horned helmets? Some plundered and raped, sure. But most of them wanted one thing.”
“Food?” Dakota said, licking the grease off her fingers.
Guy shook his head. “They wanted to be Romans. Just look at all those European kings who followed. Some didn’t even try to hide it, like the Czar of Russia. Czar means Caesar.”