second then turned and stalked to his room, closing the door quietly behind him. For some reason that made it seem all the more odd to Matt, who'd been expecting a slam.
Now seemed like a great time to get out of the apartment and go shopping, but as he left the dorms and campus grounds behind he couldn't help but wonder about other medical problems. Mental issues were certainly serious, but what about people who required insulin or dialysis or chemo or other critical treatments? What about people waiting for transplants? For now it would just be missing their meds, but once the power went out would the government have enough fuel to power whatever backup generators hospitals needed to keep running?
It wasn't just starvation or violence, the death toll from those reliant on modern medicine was going to be devastating as well.
Those thoughts put Matt in a bleak mood as he walked the distance to the store, and he felt a sudden urge to call his parents. He pulled out his phone and dialed his mom's number, who answered within moments of the first ring. “Honey, is everything all right?” she demanded in a frantic voice.
He closed his eyes and opened them again. She'd called at least three times a day during the last week, usually in response to some news story she'd seen about violence erupting in a nearby city. “Nothing like that, Mom. I just wanted to call ahead and let you know I'm coming home.”
“Thank God,” she said. “What with Trev having left a week ago and still not here I've been extra worried about-”
“Hold on,” Matt interrupted. “Trev isn't there yet? He left the morning after the attack!”
“Oh I know, it's a terrible story. Apparently he ran out of gas less than a third of the way home and had to walk, but then he injured his leg and that slowed him way down. Last I heard from Lewis his phone had died but he was going to take it slow to avoid any more accidents. It's amazing how such a small thing can become so serious, isn't it?”
Matt was getting more and more experience with small things becoming serious. “Yeah. I hope he makes it safely. But anyway I just want to do a few things up here and then I'll be heading down. I'll let you know when I'm almost there.”
“Okay honey. I'll get your bedsheets cleaned and have a hot meal waiting for you.” His mom paused, then continued in a hushed voice. “I've had word from Mayor Anderson's office that our area's power plant is running critically low on fuel. Even with all the City Council announcements about cutting down to strictly necessary appliances and only using lights at night, and to add to that Officer Turner's warnings about fines for disobeying the new policies, people are still not reducing their consumption. I just wanted to let you know in case the house is dark when you arrive, so you won't be worried.”
That news did worry Matt, although not for the reasons she thought. It seemed like Aspen Hill wasn't immune to all this trouble either, which meant going home wouldn't be some magical cure to all his problems until the government solved this disaster. Intellectually he'd known the reality of things, but it was still a bit of a shock to hear.
“All right, Mom. I'll try to get some candles and flashlights for us.”
His mom's tone turned surprisingly stern. “Oh we're all right with that for a few weeks. You just worry about coming home, honey. I'll finally be able to get a decent night's sleep not having to worry about you up there where a riot might start any minute. Between fretting over you and April and the boys it's a wonder I'm not bald from stress.”
They said their goodbyes and Matt hung up, not liking the reminder about riots. He sort of wished he'd thought to bring the Glock Trev had given him. It had stayed in his room since he'd gotten it because it was prohibited on campus and Matt spent all his time there, but he had a feeling it might've been a good idea to bring it along.
Or was it? He didn't have a
Now seemed like a great time to get out of the apartment and go shopping, but as he left the dorms and campus grounds behind he couldn't help but wonder about other medical problems. Mental issues were certainly serious, but what about people who required insulin or dialysis or chemo or other critical treatments? What about people waiting for transplants? For now it would just be missing their meds, but once the power went out would the government have enough fuel to power whatever backup generators hospitals needed to keep running?
It wasn't just starvation or violence, the death toll from those reliant on modern medicine was going to be devastating as well.
Those thoughts put Matt in a bleak mood as he walked the distance to the store, and he felt a sudden urge to call his parents. He pulled out his phone and dialed his mom's number, who answered within moments of the first ring. “Honey, is everything all right?” she demanded in a frantic voice.
He closed his eyes and opened them again. She'd called at least three times a day during the last week, usually in response to some news story she'd seen about violence erupting in a nearby city. “Nothing like that, Mom. I just wanted to call ahead and let you know I'm coming home.”
“Thank God,” she said. “What with Trev having left a week ago and still not here I've been extra worried about-”
“Hold on,” Matt interrupted. “Trev isn't there yet? He left the morning after the attack!”
“Oh I know, it's a terrible story. Apparently he ran out of gas less than a third of the way home and had to walk, but then he injured his leg and that slowed him way down. Last I heard from Lewis his phone had died but he was going to take it slow to avoid any more accidents. It's amazing how such a small thing can become so serious, isn't it?”
Matt was getting more and more experience with small things becoming serious. “Yeah. I hope he makes it safely. But anyway I just want to do a few things up here and then I'll be heading down. I'll let you know when I'm almost there.”
“Okay honey. I'll get your bedsheets cleaned and have a hot meal waiting for you.” His mom paused, then continued in a hushed voice. “I've had word from Mayor Anderson's office that our area's power plant is running critically low on fuel. Even with all the City Council announcements about cutting down to strictly necessary appliances and only using lights at night, and to add to that Officer Turner's warnings about fines for disobeying the new policies, people are still not reducing their consumption. I just wanted to let you know in case the house is dark when you arrive, so you won't be worried.”
That news did worry Matt, although not for the reasons she thought. It seemed like Aspen Hill wasn't immune to all this trouble either, which meant going home wouldn't be some magical cure to all his problems until the government solved this disaster. Intellectually he'd known the reality of things, but it was still a bit of a shock to hear.
“All right, Mom. I'll try to get some candles and flashlights for us.”
His mom's tone turned surprisingly stern. “Oh we're all right with that for a few weeks. You just worry about coming home, honey. I'll finally be able to get a decent night's sleep not having to worry about you up there where a riot might start any minute. Between fretting over you and April and the boys it's a wonder I'm not bald from stress.”
They said their goodbyes and Matt hung up, not liking the reminder about riots. He sort of wished he'd thought to bring the Glock Trev had given him. It had stayed in his room since he'd gotten it because it was prohibited on campus and Matt spent all his time there, but he had a feeling it might've been a good idea to bring it along.
Or was it? He didn't have a
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