The Switch (4 page)

He pushed back the tent door
flap to find the river had risen during the night and was within a yard of the
tent. Luckily all of his gear was on ground higher than the tent and the rain
had stopped. He looked at the sky to see the static electricity had also
stopped. The sky was as blue as he had ever seen.

As he took down his tent and
rolled his sleeping bag he wondered if the storm had brought the power outage
to an end. If it had ended the static electricity, maybe it would correct what
had stopped the electricity.  He was anxious for an answer, so he quickly
packed his gear and pushed the bike up the hill to the highway.

He pedaled south at a fast
and steady pace. When he saw a sign indicating gas stations at the next exit,
one mile, he pumped the pedals faster. He was not sure if he really wanted the
power to come back on. On one hand he would be able to call his family and find
out if they were all ok. But it would also end his adventure and mean he would
have to return to work sometime in the near future.

Just before he reached the
exit he noticed a section of woods just north of the highway that was
smoldering from a fire. The ground was black and the smell of burned wood was
very strong. He stopped and looked closer at the site. He could see pieces of
metal scattered across the ground and in the trees. It looked like something
had exploded and his curiosity overwhelmed him.

He leaned his bike against a
guard rail and walked across a field to the woods. As he neared the burned
trees he could see the scattered metal pieces were from a crashed airplane. He
walked through the woods looking at the destruction and death. Something shinny
caught his eye and he looked closer to see a gold ring lying on the ground. He
picked it up and found a black burnt finger still attached. He dropped it back
onto the ground as his stomach churned. He bent at the waist and threw up.  As
he staggered backwards looking down at the finger he noticed a wallet on the
ground.

He dropped to his knees and
picked up the wallet as he wiped his lips.  He stayed on his knees starring at
the finger for several seconds before he opened the wallet. It was full of cash,
mostly one hundred dollar bills. He counted two thousand one hundred dollars.  He
thought about the situation and what he should do. If the plane had crashed
when the power failed two days ago, and still no one had come to investigate,
no one would probably be coming at all. The debris and people would lay for
weeks, months, or maybe forever. He looked around again at the debris, if he
did not take what he needed to survive, it would go to waste.

He put the cash in his pocket
and threw the wallet on the ground beside the finger. He stood up and continued
his search of the debris. Before he left the woods he had collected nearly five
thousand dollars in cash from various wallets and purses but he was still sick
to his stomach and needed to get to the nearby exit to find something to drink
and eat.

He reached the exit and coasted
into the gas station. Everything was dark, there appeared to be no power. He
walked up to the door and found that the glass had been broken. It appeared
someone had thrown a concrete block through the glass to break into the store.

He stopped at the door and
hollered, “Hello.” He waited a couple of seconds and did it again, “Hello,” but
still there was no answer.

He bent low and went through
the door to find the inside of the store had been looted.

There was still plenty of
merchandise on the shelves, but someone had clearly robbed the place. He moved
quietly and slowly as he looked in the office area and in the restrooms to be
sure no one was there. When he was sure he was alone he gathered a loaf of
bread, some peanut butter, jelly, chips, four bottles of water, two cans of
sardines, a can of baked beans, and a box of doughnuts. He placed everything
inside a bag he took from behind the cash register and sat the bag on the
counter. He went into the men’s room and took care of business. The restroom
was filthy but at least he could sit down and not have to squat in the bushes.

Before he left the store, he made
a search for towels. Luckily he found a small towel in the wash closet. He
carried it outside and wrapped it around the handlebars of the bike.

He sat down on the curb of
the sidewalk and had a breakfast of doughnuts and warm water. As he ate he saw
no activity in the area, he seemed to be the last person alive.

Before leaving he noticed a
hose on the side of the building. He turned the knob of the faucet and was
pleased that it functioned. Because the store’s restroom was so filthy he used
the water from the hose to brush his teeth and washed his face and arms.

As he was about to get onto
the bike he saw a pay phone on the outside wall near the end of the building. He
picked up the receiver in hopes there might be a dial tone, but that was not
the case, it was dead.

He placed it back on the hook
and said, “So be it, it is back to the highway.”

He pedaled south and weaved
between the abandoned cars. He could not get the thought of the finger and dead
bodies from the plane crash from his mind.

He saw only three people the
entire day that appeared to be traveling.  All were walking together north
bound on the opposite side of the highway. He waved to them as he passed but he
did not slow or talk to them. They were wearing backpacks and smiling and seemed
to be enjoying the changes in the world. He did see many people along the way
who were still waiting at their vehicles, but none other than those three and
himself were traveling.

He thought to himself how
helpless most people were. He expected that many would not live long if the
power outage was permanent. Too many seemed to be waiting for someone to arrive
to help them. If they waited too long, they would starve to death.

As he passed some people
waiting beside their vehicles, he took the time to rest and talk to them. The
conversations were all nearly the same.

“Have you heard anything? How
long do you think this will last?”

He could see the panic in
most peoples’ eyes. He did not attempt to give advice except once. As he rode
past a very young couple, maybe in their late teens, he noticed that they had an
infant baby. He stopped and talked to them for nearly thirty minutes. They were
obviously frightened and had no idea what had happened or what to do. He told
them what he expected to happen and made the suggestion that they move on as
soon as possible to the nearest farm house for protection. He told them about
the gas station food and not to wait too long or it would all be gone.

The girl held the baby tight
to her chest and leaned on her young husband’s shoulder. She said, “I think he
is right, we can’t stay here any longer.”

John told them about a
farmhouse he had seen on the west side of the highway about two miles north. “I
did not see anyone around that house when I passed. Maybe it will be empty and
you can get in and find some food. I suggest you call out to anyone that might
be inside before you go in, be careful.”

He watched as they gathered a
few belongings from their car and begin walking north.

The line of abandoned cars
and trucks was endless. There were dozens of them every mile. He had traveled
the highways of the mid-west for years, but he had never realized just how many
cars were on the highways. 

As he pedaled along, he rode
close to the windows of many of the cars so he could look inside. He saw an
occasional one that was loaded to the max as if the people were in the process
of moving. As he rode past those cars, he pulled a door handle to see if they
were unlocked. He thought there might be something inside one that he could
use. But unfortunately nearly all were locked.

About half way up a long hill
he stopped his bike beside a semi-truck that had the Wal-Mart name on the side.
He stood straddling the bike starring at the side of the truck wondering what
might be inside. He thought about maybe finding a rifle and shells or food
inside.

The truck’s cab was locked
and there was a giant padlock keeping him out of the trailer. Even his pry bar
would not get him past a lock that size. As much as he wanted to get inside the
trailer, he did not have the energy to try to beat his way inside.

His routine was much the same
for the next couple of days. He replenished his food at stores along the
highway exits. Every store he checked already had the door or windows broken and
people had looted what they needed. The food supply was getting thinner, but
there was still plenty there.

He figured that people who
broke in were only taking what they could carry.  Since there were not many
houses near the remote exits, there may not be too many repeat looters. Mostly
the food was going to people like himself, who were passing through.

He reached the outskirts of
St Louis on the fourth day. The close proximity of his daughters and grandkids
gave him new energy. He rode as quickly as his tired legs would allow across
the Missouri River into St Charles County.

His daughters lived a mile
apart in the same subdivision and he coasted around the corner into the
subdivision at about three in the afternoon. As he pedaled through the
neighborhood he saw people in the streets and in their yards. Although many
waved as he rode past, he spoke to no one except to ask one man if the electricity
had come back on.  The answer was what he expected, “No.”

Chapter 6

As soon as he turned the
corner onto his youngest daughter’s street, he saw his twelve year old
grandson, Cameron, in the yard. He Called out, “Hey Cammy!”

Cameron recognized his
grandpa and ran to greet him. John got off the bike and gave Cameron a tight
hug.

“Where’s your mother?”

Cameron said she was inside
and he led his grandpa in the front door. Lynn was standing in the kitchen at
the sink washing dishes. She turned to see her father and let out a soft scream.

“Boy, am I glad to see you.
We have been so worried about you.”

John asked, “Is everyone ok?
Have you heard from Renee? Are they ok?”

Lynn put down the dish and
hugged her father. “Yes, everyone is fine so far. We are running out of food.
How long is this going to last? What are we going to do?”

He did not hesitate with his
answer, “We are all going to Alabama where I can feed everyone.”

“How will we get there?”

He took her elbow in his hand
and walked her to the front door and pointed to his bike parked on the lawn.

“Oh Jesus. We are going to
ride bikes five hundred miles to Alabama?”

“Yes, I just rode three
hundred miles from Chicago, it was not too bad. Do you know if Renee is home?”

“She should be. She has no
way to go anywhere.”

“I am going over there to
talk to her and David. I know Cameron has a bike. Do you still have the ones we
gave you and Lance for Christmas last year?”                                                                                                                                  

“Yes, and they are both still
like new. He never rode his before he moved out.”

He looked to Cameron, “Good,
get them out of the garage so I can check them when I get back.  I am going to
Renee’s to talk to her and David. You might want to begin gathering some things
you will want to take with you. But remember; take only what you really need. I
will be back in a couple of hours. If I can get them to agree, I think we
should leave tomorrow.”

“Why so soon?”

He looked up the street to
his right and then to his left. “As time passes and the electricity does not
come back on, people will get more and more desperate. There is no telling what
will happen or how long the food will last. We need to get to the safety of the
lake as soon as we can. Personally, I think the outage may be permanent.”

He gave both Cameron and Lynn
another hug and got back onto the bike and pedaled towards his oldest
daughter’s house.

There was shock on four faces
when they saw who was knocking on their door when his two granddaughters opened
it with Renee and David standing behind them. He bent down and gave the girls a
fast hug and kiss. He smiled at nine year old Megan, “Wow, have you gotten big
in the past few months. Look at Ashley, you are only six, and you look like you
are twenty.” Both girls smiled and blushed.

David was grinning when he
asked, “How in the hell did you get here?”

John pointed at the bike. “I
rode in from Chicago.”

He turned to Renee and asked
how they were doing under the circumstances.

She looked as if she might
cry as she said, “I am frightened. We are running out of food and have no way
to go anywhere. We don’t know what is going on or what to do.

He listened patiently before explaining
what he knew and what he wanted to do.

David seemed surprised and
Renee looked confused. Before they could say anything, John explained his
thoughts of no more jobs, and phones, no computers and no need to worry about
the bank loans. There would be no one to collect. He told them to think about what
it would be like in St Louis in January with no heat and no food.

He went on to challenge how
they planned to eat and take care of the kids. When John finished his speech,
David looked at Renee and with a hint of disagreement they agreed that going to
Alabama sounded like a good idea.

John asked, “Do you have
bikes?”

David responded, “Yes, we
have four and we still have child’s seats attached to two.  We will have to
carry Ashley in one of the seats but Megan will probably want to ride her own.”

Renee patted the top of
Megan’s head, “Well, I don’t know how long she will last before she changes her
mind, but we can start out that way and change her to the other kid’s seat if
we have too. We can use that seat for luggage until then.”

John said, “Here is the plan.
I am going to go back to Lynn’s to get her and Cameron ready. We will ride over
here tomorrow morning ready to start. You get your stuff together and we can
all leave as soon as we think we have everything set.”

David asked, “What do you suggest
we bring with us?”

“Take only the basics. With
Ashley and maybe Megan on the back of your bikes, there won’t be much room. You
will need blankets or sleeping bags, clothing, tooth paste and stuff like that,
stuff you absolutely have to have.  Take some medicine for the girls, important
things like that. And bring all of the cash you have. I’m talking about the bills,
no need for the coins, too heavy.”

David added, “We have backpacks
we can use.”

“Great, that will help. Pack
as light as possible and be ready in the morning. I need to get back to Lynn’s.
I’ll see you in the morning.”

It was nearly dark when he
got to back to Lynn’s. He walked into the house to find Cameron and Lynn going
through family pictures. Lynn looked up with tears in her eyes. She did not have
to say what was bothering her. John knew she did not want to leave her home or
her belongings.

“Listen Lynn, I know you don’t
want to leave, but there are no other real options. Box up the really important
stuff that you want to save, that you can’t take with you. I‘ll hide it in the
attic. If power ever comes back on, we can come back and get it.”

She looked up, “What about my
job, Cameron’s school?”

“Right now, there is no job,
there is no way for people to get to work except walk, and with no electricity
you could not do your job even if you could get there.  Cameron’s school won’t
be open for the same reasons.

He took a long breath and
continued.

“Your job now is to survive,
and do home schooling for Cameron. There are going to be a lot of changes
coming, some won’t be so nice. But if you think about it, we all may be better
off in the end. There will be no bills to pay, no time schedules, our only concern
right now is to continue to be able to stay safe and eat. When we get to the
lake, we should have no trouble finding food. The house will be a little
crowded, but we will be ok. There won’t be very many people there. You know not
many people live around us. The houses closest are weekend retreats and will
stay empty. If the owners don’t show up there in a few weeks, you can move in
and take over, no one will care. I have a canoe, and a jon boat that we can use
to fish. The bass boat and pontoon boat won’t be of much help, but the little
ones will get us to the fish. I have hunted around the lake for over ten years.
There are deer, squirrels and turkeys there so we will have meat too. I have
guns, bows and ammo. No one will go hungry. We will be much better off than
most people. Especially those that are stuck here in the big city.”

She tried to smile, “It
sounds like you have this all planned out, like you are looking forward to it.”

He tilted his head slightly
and raised his eyebrows, “I am. I think we are about to find out what life is
really about. Most of the stress for us should be gone. There is one big issue
I still have not figured out yet; how to get a horse, and maybe a buggy and a
plow.”

For the next couple of hours she
picked through belongings and made decisions on what she would pack on the
bikes.

John took the bikes from the
garage and used a hand pump to inflate the tires to the proper pressure, check
the chains and tightened a couple of bolts. He packed things into two athletic
bags, and a small travel bag and tied them to the bikes with rope.

It was after eleven by the
time they finished and he was exhausted. It had been another long day and his
legs felt heavy. He had wanted to take a shower before he tried to sleep but
when he sat on the couch to rest for a few minutes first, he fell asleep.

When he awoke he guessed the
time at about five a.m. He was still on the couch and had a blanket over his
chest. Lynn had apparently covered him sometime during the night.

He got up and went to the
bathroom, took a shower and brushed his teeth. The cold water made for an
uncomfortable and fast shower but was refreshing. As he dried he noticed that
some of the stiffness in his knees was gone. He was surprised at how well his
legs and lower back felt after the miles and miles of pedaling.

At the first sign of daylight
he awoke and went to Cameron’s bed and gently shook his shoulder. “It’s time to
get up big boy.”

The boy almost jumped out of
bed with the excitement of the trip overwhelming him.

John knocked on Lynn’s
bedroom door, “Up an at’em Lynn. Your sister will be waiting.”

They ate a fast dry cereal
breakfast and were on the bikes headed towards David and Renee’s within
minutes.

As they rode along the
deserted morning streets Cameron was smiling from ear to ear.

John felt the cracks in the
pavement under his tires and watched the boy rotate his pedals.

He said to Lynn, “This is
going to be an adventure for sure.”

David was in his driveway with
their bikes nearly loaded as they coasted to a stop. John looked at the bikes
and admired the job David had done. He had canvas duffle bags and sport bags
tied to the front and rear fenders with pieces of cord and bungee cords. The
bags looked to be jammed full and secure.

He asked, “What all did you
pack?”

“Three blankets, a light
weight tent, extra clothing and food. We don’t have any rain gear so I brought
trash bags to pull over our shoulders if it rains.”

John asked, “Where are the
weapons?”

David grinned and displayed
the 9mm pistol hanging on his belt under his sweatshirt. He pointed to the
corner of the garage where John saw the .22 rifle on the hood of the car.

“I have only a couple of
dozen rounds for the nine and two full boxes of fifty for the .22.”

John walked towards the .22. “That
should be more than we need. I will carry the rifle. Is it sighted in? How long
has it been since you shot it?” He picked up the rifle and put his head and
right arm through the leather sling letting the rifle rest on his back.

“I shot it about a month ago
and it was dead on at fifty yards. If you miss with it, it’s your fault.”

Renee came out of the house
with the girls and locked the door behind her. David put a helmet on Megan as
John lifted Ashley into the seat on the rear of his David’s bike.

Megan stepped through the
frame of her bike which had a pink basket connected to the rear fender behind
the seat.

John said, “I don’t think
money will do us much good, but did you bring all you have?”

David said, We have about
$300.”

Lynn said, “I have $253.

John did not tell the exact
truth about how much he had. “I have over $500. That makes us rich. Let’s get
moving. We are burning daylight.”