was a new kind of panic and it set people off in a different way. I’m sure most people knew by now that this just wasn’t a normal power outage.
As the traffic thinned I breathed a sigh of relief and sped up to get home as soon as I could. Unfortunately, there was a traffic light that was out at a 5 way stop that people were trying to get through and it was a mess. People were honking and cussing at each other. You’d have thought we were in the middle of New York City with the way people were acting.
I sat patiently waiting as the lines of cars took turns going through the intersection.
My mind went back to what my boss had said.
An attack on the grid. I didn’t think to ask what kind of attack, not that it really mattered. Whoever attacked us, we were now at war with them.
War. Here. Now.
My stomach started to ache and my chest tightened. I could feel my anxiety rising and I hadn’t even made it to my turn in the intersection yet.
I tried to shake off the feeling and turned on my radio trying to find any station that was broadcasting. Most of it was an eerie dead air with the exception of a few stations that were reporting what they knew.
… Anyone who can go home is encouraged to do so. Do not waste fuel going places that are not necessary. Until we know when the power will resume, it is best to save the gas for use in an emergency. If we don’t have power by tonight, please remember to check on your neighbors. It is supposed to get pretty chilly out there, and there was talk of some kind of storm heading our way in the next few days…
Taking a deep breath, the cool air of fall felt good after a blazing hot summer. The breeze helped to relax me as we inched closer trying to gauge who was next to go through.
Just before my turn to go through the intersection, two people decided it was their turn and punched their engines in anger, leading to a crash right in the middle of the lanes. It wasn’t like they were going fast enough for anyone to get hurt, but it did enough damage to their cars that they would need to be in the shop for a while.
A rather large black man jumped out of his entangled Cadillac and began to yell expletives at the guy in the new F150. He was cursing and kicking the truck as everyone else tried to inch their way around the two vehicles.
Out of the F150 stepped a big red headed man in overalls. His clothing didn’t suit the look of his truck. He appeared a bit hillbilly but the truck was spit shined.
Before I knew what happened, they were both out of their vehicles in the middle of the road screaming at each other.
“What the hell is wrong with people?” I said out loud to myself, just shaking my head and looking around to see if there was another way to go around.
It was at that time that things began to go in slow motion. Just like in the movies.
The Cadillac guy pulled a pistol out of his back and began to shoot at the F150 guy. The F150 guy turned to try to run but didn’t make it far before he fell to the ground.
“What the hell?” I said as I quickly crouched down into my seat, only allowing my head up high enough to peek over the dashboard. Damn, I needed my gun.
Just then, the F150 guy rolled over and had pulled a pistol out of his front pocket. With a couple of rounds, he took down Cadillac man. Now, they both lay in the middle of the road, bleeding out.
For a moment, no one else moved. And no one got out of their vehicles. It was just too dangerous. Everyone just sat in place for a few moments. Almost as if to give a moment of silence for what had just happened.
Anxiety rolled through my body. I began to feel hot and my throat was dry.
I needed to get home to my Katherine. I was half-way there and it had already been an hour to go 4 miles.
I’m sorry I doubted you, Kat , I thought to myself. She had always said to be mindful, that we should be preparing for “just in
As the traffic thinned I breathed a sigh of relief and sped up to get home as soon as I could. Unfortunately, there was a traffic light that was out at a 5 way stop that people were trying to get through and it was a mess. People were honking and cussing at each other. You’d have thought we were in the middle of New York City with the way people were acting.
I sat patiently waiting as the lines of cars took turns going through the intersection.
My mind went back to what my boss had said.
An attack on the grid. I didn’t think to ask what kind of attack, not that it really mattered. Whoever attacked us, we were now at war with them.
War. Here. Now.
My stomach started to ache and my chest tightened. I could feel my anxiety rising and I hadn’t even made it to my turn in the intersection yet.
I tried to shake off the feeling and turned on my radio trying to find any station that was broadcasting. Most of it was an eerie dead air with the exception of a few stations that were reporting what they knew.
… Anyone who can go home is encouraged to do so. Do not waste fuel going places that are not necessary. Until we know when the power will resume, it is best to save the gas for use in an emergency. If we don’t have power by tonight, please remember to check on your neighbors. It is supposed to get pretty chilly out there, and there was talk of some kind of storm heading our way in the next few days…
Taking a deep breath, the cool air of fall felt good after a blazing hot summer. The breeze helped to relax me as we inched closer trying to gauge who was next to go through.
Just before my turn to go through the intersection, two people decided it was their turn and punched their engines in anger, leading to a crash right in the middle of the lanes. It wasn’t like they were going fast enough for anyone to get hurt, but it did enough damage to their cars that they would need to be in the shop for a while.
A rather large black man jumped out of his entangled Cadillac and began to yell expletives at the guy in the new F150. He was cursing and kicking the truck as everyone else tried to inch their way around the two vehicles.
Out of the F150 stepped a big red headed man in overalls. His clothing didn’t suit the look of his truck. He appeared a bit hillbilly but the truck was spit shined.
Before I knew what happened, they were both out of their vehicles in the middle of the road screaming at each other.
“What the hell is wrong with people?” I said out loud to myself, just shaking my head and looking around to see if there was another way to go around.
It was at that time that things began to go in slow motion. Just like in the movies.
The Cadillac guy pulled a pistol out of his back and began to shoot at the F150 guy. The F150 guy turned to try to run but didn’t make it far before he fell to the ground.
“What the hell?” I said as I quickly crouched down into my seat, only allowing my head up high enough to peek over the dashboard. Damn, I needed my gun.
Just then, the F150 guy rolled over and had pulled a pistol out of his front pocket. With a couple of rounds, he took down Cadillac man. Now, they both lay in the middle of the road, bleeding out.
For a moment, no one else moved. And no one got out of their vehicles. It was just too dangerous. Everyone just sat in place for a few moments. Almost as if to give a moment of silence for what had just happened.
Anxiety rolled through my body. I began to feel hot and my throat was dry.
I needed to get home to my Katherine. I was half-way there and it had already been an hour to go 4 miles.
I’m sorry I doubted you, Kat , I thought to myself. She had always said to be mindful, that we should be preparing for “just in
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