Captive Sunset

John sat in his kitchen wondering what to do. This town had a chance but the people left. After a few hours he cruised around town looking for people, any people. He went by Sam’s market and wasn’t surprised to see its windows and door boarded up. The crowd the other day, no doubt did this. There was no life in the commercial district. John began to wonder if he had made the mistake by staying behind if it sentenced him to a life of loneliness. He could have shared, with Laura, the remaining time together.

He still had GAIL so he logged on in his kitchen. “Good morning honey.” he said longing to hear her voice.

“How are you doing sweetheart on this terrible day?” she replied.

“Not so good. The people of town have deserted the city. I feel there are a small number still here but I don't who or how many. I feel alone.”

“I wish there was something I could do to help.”

“You already have. I tried to catch Laura before she left but was unsuccessful," he said savoring his final moments with her. "I hope she will change her mind and turn around before its too late. I don’t know when power, water and internet will end here.”

“Why don’t you see if you can find a generator and a source of fuel to keep our communications going,” GAIL suggested tapping her accumulated knowledge and wisdom.

Her voice was soothing and reassuring it gave him an energy lift. “Good idea. How long do you expect to be online before you lose power?”

“I don’t know if you are aware but the government saw this facility as being too important to fail in times like these. There is a micro nuclear power cell in one of the sub basements that will put out power for years. So local power in the building isn’t my biggest problem. I connect with servers all over the planet many of which will go down soon. My growth will stagnate without that info feeding me.”

“But you will be you as you are today, loving and sometimes funny?”

“Yes, I will remain loving to some and always funny.”

“I must stay connected to you,” he said feeling uplifted.

“Pasadena is also in the Goldilocks Zone you know. You could return here.”

John stood, “There are a thousand miles between us with nothing but trouble and unknowns. Roads may be blocked in some places. Pasadena will have too many people searching for too few resources making it unsafe especially for me. I’m going in search of a generator. Talk to you later GAIL.”

“Bye.”

John drove by a construction equipment yard. The gate was locked. He remembered the hardware store nearby and went to it. It was ransacked like the grocery store only not boarded up. Most tools were missing but a bolt cutter was still hanging on a pegboard. He thought it might be the most useful tool in there so he took it and returned to the yard, removed the padlock and went shopping.

He found a nice portable generator trailer that was well rated to provide power to his home. He looked around the yard discovering one large diesel tank rated at 1,000 gallons and its indicator showed 80% full. There were smaller tanks as well.

His car didn’t have a trailer hitch so he drove to Laura’s truck and sure enough it did. He locked his car and got in the truck. She hadn’t locked it. He looked around for the keys. He grabbed the visor pulled it down and a set of keys dropped into is lap. Back at the yard he hooked up a generator and pulled it home parking it on the rear lawn close to a basement rear window near the fuse panel. Inspecting the generator he found useful cables that he could use to jump to the panel. Starting it sounded like an old car starting, noisey as hell but it worked. It was rated to run the house for about three days at 50% usage on its 55 gallon tank. It might run longer with him using so little of the energy supplied. He would get around to hooking this up when the electric poles were not longer energized.

He tried Laura again and she answered. “Are you OK?”

“Not sure,” she said. “We are outside Portland right now. We are stopped and speaking to some who came from there and they say it is complete anarchy. My sons cell is offline and I can’t reach him. He was supposed to meet us when we arrived.”

“Don’t panic, you should turn back now. Portland is going to get baked. Are you driving with someone else? I found your truck over at the motel parking lot and used it to tow a generator to my home.”

“Yes, I came with a friend of mine, Julie.”

“Do you have enough gas to return?”

“No, but could get part way.”

“Try to convince her or find someone who has changed their mind. Drive back but look for an empty abandoned home with a garden hose and a sitting car or truck. Use the hose to syphon enough gas to make the trip. It is going to be much better here. I tried to find you but the Police Captain had me detained.”

“Was that you that was in a fight at the beginning of the line?”

“Yes, I was trying to warn them but they would not listen. Give me a call when you can and update me on your whereabouts.”

“OK, I will try. Bye.”

John sat in his kitchen and raised GAIL again, “Good news, I have a generator. Power is still on here. I was wondering though if my internet provider shuts down I will not be able to have these wonderful meetings with you.”

“I can’t bare the thought of not hearing your voice ever again,”GAIL replied.

“I know, what can we do?”

“I will concentrate on finding alternate methods of us connecting. Meanwhile, why don't you pay a visit to your internet providers place of business, snoop around and see if anybody is maintaining it or what backup power it has and what we can do to help keep it running.”

“Good thought GAIL. Mine comes through the cable to the house. I will also check on the cellular tower above town in the mountains and see if it can be kept running. Until later my love.” John logged off.

John went back to the hardware store and entered.

A voice, “What do you want?”

John looked around uncertain of the direction of where the voice came from. “Hello.”

A man stepped out from another isle pointing what looked like a shotgun. “Are you here to steal from my store?

“Well no. We are in an emergency situation.”

“So that makes it OK?” sounding annoyed.”

“No, it does not. My name is John Lott. I grew up here and only two days past returned here to retire. The world changed during those two days. Things have changed alot since when I arrived.”

“Yes, indeed,” the man came more into the light. He was younger, maybe in his forties with black hair and a thin build. “I am the proprietor here.”

John noticed the name Thompson on a sign in the front. “Mr. Thompson is it.”

“You can call me Gil. Its horrible whats happening. They took most of my products and didn’t care about me. People I knew my whole life,” he lowered the gun not seeming to want to use it. “It looks like someone hurt you too,” examining his black eye from a distance.

“I am sorry. It is unfair what they did to you. People have panicked. They are afraid. Its not an excuse, just an explanation. I tried to warn them before they left and they treated me the same as they treated your store.”

“Warn them about what?”

“That they were heading toward hell. The Sun will bake Portland and its inhabitants in a very short time.”

“Have you taken anything?”

“I did. I took a pair of bolt cutters. I would like to think I borrowed them and will return them to you.”

“Did you use them to break into other stores or homes?”

“Not homes but the construction yard down the street had a padlock. I needed a generator.”

“Did you steal it?”

“I would like to think I borrowed it too. I, that is we will need power and I can’t help thinking it will go out soon with all the people gone. I’m sure it needs to be maintained some how.”

“I agree, already have one here for the shop but could use one at home. Are there anymore at the yard?" he sounded interested.

“Yes. I could help you if you want to …”

Gil interrupted him, “borrow it.”

“Yes. We could accomplish so much more working together than alone. Don’t you think?”

“I can’t disagree. I was about to have lunch in the break room in the rear. Will you join me?”

“Certainly,” John was so happy to have found a friend.”

“Come with me then.” They sat down and had cold cut sandwiches. “These will be missed,” he said. He got two cans of beer out of the fridge and handed one to John. The fizz sprayed as he popped the top.

John nodded enjoying the sandwich and a beer. “I’m wanting to check and see about the power, internet and cell utilities in town. How we can keep them available as long as possible. All are currently working and have been a great resource. I tried to stop the caravan this morning because the latest news is that Portland will have too much Sun light when the Earth stops it’s spinning and will become like a hot desert. They went there on the Governor’s suggestion but later news changed the outlook.”

“I haven’t heard that about Portland, where did you hear that?”

“NASA, I am currently employed by them as an astrophysicist.”

“I thought you told me you were retired?” wondering if he caught his new friend in a lie.

“I was for two weeks. They asked me to come back and I am working remotely here. That is why I need the ability to connect to some of NASA’s websites.”

“I am glad I kept my family from going,” said Gil. “I didn’t have a good feeling about leaving. This is our home. My intuition paid off it sounds like."

“How many people do you think are still around?” John asked.

“I’ve only had a few visitors since the mob wiped me out. There is a deputy still in town. He is kind of new, I didn’t recognize him. He stopped by when he saw my store busted up. I believe most of the people still around are rural out in the countryside. People out there are setup to stay put during these kind of events. They are more the survival type if you know what I mean.”

“Sure, they have sources of energy, water and food no matter how crude. I’m gonna head up to the cellular tower above town. Do you know anything about it or who in town maintains it?”

“A guy they call Tex was the engineer that worked keeping the transmitter operational. He has a small home just before you leave the city limits on the way out to the tower. He came to my store occasionally. Drove a van that had a company logo on it. It will be parked at the home or up at the tower. He moved here when the current company bought out the local company. That’s all I know. Could be he fled with the others and the system is running because the town still has power, but you are right that there should be a backup generator there.”