said, “have you heard anything about when the power is coming back on?”
Nathan took a long drink of water and looked down at the table. Sandra could tell he was avoiding the question… she just didn’t know why.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Nathan finally looked up at her. The joy that had been in his eyes moments earlier was gone and replaced by sorrow. It worried Sandra… she knew something was terribly wrong.
“The thing is… I… I only know what I heard from others, so I don’t know if it’s true….”
Sandra held her breath. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he believed what he had been told, but was feeling bad about telling her.
“Nathan… just tell me. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
He nodded and Sandra could see his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed.
“I know you’re not. Things… things out there are bad, Sandra. In the last couple of days I’ve seen things I never thought I would. The world is going to shit and people are acting like it’s the end of days.”
Sandra wasn’t even sure how to react to that. She knew something had happened which was obvious from when she went to Loveland… but that hadn’t revealed much other than people seemed to be on edge and the power was out.
“What did you hear?”
“We… we caught a ride from a guy just outside of Greeley. He said there was an attack… that someone dropped a nuclear device on the United States.”
Sandra wrinkled her forehead. She didn’t think it made any sense. The United States had been a different place the last few years, but the people are strong and the military was still one of the largest in the world.
“It… it doesn’t make sense,” she said.
“It does, though. Think about it… he said that it would cause some kind of electric magnetic thing, which is what wiped out all the electronic devices.”
Sandra thought back to the large flash in the sky. She had convinced herself it had been in her mind, but now that Nathan explained it… it started to make sense.
“Holy shit,” Sandra said.
“Yeah….”
“My god… what… what should we do?”
Nathan shrugged. Sandra suddenly felt lost. It was the first time since her parents died that she was so unsure of what she was supposed to do.
“I don’t have any answers,” Nathan. “We came here because you were the only person around here I could think of that I wanted to see.”
Sandra smiled even though her heart wasn’t in it. She was glad to see Nathan, but she felt like she just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep forever. She stood up from the table and walked to the kitchen window. Sandra did nothing more than look out the window, lost in her thoughts, for the better part of an hour. Manuel and Nathan, realizing she was in shock, sat at the table and waited for her.
She eventually turned back to the men. The color had returned to her face, which Nathan was glad to see, and she walked over to the table. Sandra put her hands on the curved back of the chair and took a deep breath.
“Well… if what you say is true… then we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
“How so?” he said.
“I guess we need to get ready for whatever is coming,” Sandra said.
“Yeah? What did you have in mind?”
“Well… I guess we should expand the garden… that should be the first thing. Right now it can grow plenty of stuff for the three of us, but I have a feeling there might be more mouths to feed very soon.”
Nathan nodded. Sandra didn’t even consider what she would do if more refugees came to her farm… she already knew she would take them in just like Nathan and Manuel. She also knew that if what Nathan had told her was true, they all stood a better chance if they stuck together.
Sandra sighed and smiled at Nathan. She had a feeling deep in her gut that times were going to get a lot tougher and they could use all the help they could get.
“You’re right,” Nathan said. “What we have to work with right
Nathan took a long drink of water and looked down at the table. Sandra could tell he was avoiding the question… she just didn’t know why.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Nathan finally looked up at her. The joy that had been in his eyes moments earlier was gone and replaced by sorrow. It worried Sandra… she knew something was terribly wrong.
“The thing is… I… I only know what I heard from others, so I don’t know if it’s true….”
Sandra held her breath. She could tell by the tone of his voice that he believed what he had been told, but was feeling bad about telling her.
“Nathan… just tell me. I’m not a little girl anymore.”
He nodded and Sandra could see his Adam’s apple move as he swallowed.
“I know you’re not. Things… things out there are bad, Sandra. In the last couple of days I’ve seen things I never thought I would. The world is going to shit and people are acting like it’s the end of days.”
Sandra wasn’t even sure how to react to that. She knew something had happened which was obvious from when she went to Loveland… but that hadn’t revealed much other than people seemed to be on edge and the power was out.
“What did you hear?”
“We… we caught a ride from a guy just outside of Greeley. He said there was an attack… that someone dropped a nuclear device on the United States.”
Sandra wrinkled her forehead. She didn’t think it made any sense. The United States had been a different place the last few years, but the people are strong and the military was still one of the largest in the world.
“It… it doesn’t make sense,” she said.
“It does, though. Think about it… he said that it would cause some kind of electric magnetic thing, which is what wiped out all the electronic devices.”
Sandra thought back to the large flash in the sky. She had convinced herself it had been in her mind, but now that Nathan explained it… it started to make sense.
“Holy shit,” Sandra said.
“Yeah….”
“My god… what… what should we do?”
Nathan shrugged. Sandra suddenly felt lost. It was the first time since her parents died that she was so unsure of what she was supposed to do.
“I don’t have any answers,” Nathan. “We came here because you were the only person around here I could think of that I wanted to see.”
Sandra smiled even though her heart wasn’t in it. She was glad to see Nathan, but she felt like she just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep forever. She stood up from the table and walked to the kitchen window. Sandra did nothing more than look out the window, lost in her thoughts, for the better part of an hour. Manuel and Nathan, realizing she was in shock, sat at the table and waited for her.
She eventually turned back to the men. The color had returned to her face, which Nathan was glad to see, and she walked over to the table. Sandra put her hands on the curved back of the chair and took a deep breath.
“Well… if what you say is true… then we have a lot of work ahead of us.”
“How so?” he said.
“I guess we need to get ready for whatever is coming,” Sandra said.
“Yeah? What did you have in mind?”
“Well… I guess we should expand the garden… that should be the first thing. Right now it can grow plenty of stuff for the three of us, but I have a feeling there might be more mouths to feed very soon.”
Nathan nodded. Sandra didn’t even consider what she would do if more refugees came to her farm… she already knew she would take them in just like Nathan and Manuel. She also knew that if what Nathan had told her was true, they all stood a better chance if they stuck together.
Sandra sighed and smiled at Nathan. She had a feeling deep in her gut that times were going to get a lot tougher and they could use all the help they could get.
“You’re right,” Nathan said. “What we have to work with right
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