Brenda’s face was flushed, and she looked at the ground. “I’m sorry for my husband’s bad behavior. He’s pigheaded and thinks he knows it all. He’s wrong this time. Can we stay with you?”
Tom took a deep breath and moved his hand from his gun. “Of course, you can stay with us, and Jim is welcome back if he can behave and contribute to the group.”
Granny B wrapped an arm around Brenda. “You and your kids are welcome to stay with us, and we don’t hold his antics agin you.”
Granny B caught Tom. “I’m proud of you, son. You held your temper but stood up to the bastard.”
“I know I’ve been a bear since Gwen died. I didn’t need this crap to keep me stirred up.”
“Son, just focus the anger and energy on getting us home safely. Tom, your wife, has been dead for over two years. I know you remember the good times with Gwen, but you need to remember that she was depressed at the ranch. I hate to say it, but she was going to give you an ultimatum the day she died. She asked me what would happen if she told you it was her or the ranch, but you couldn’t have both.”
A frown smothered Tom’s face as he turned to face his grandma. “What did you tell her?”
Granny B swallowed. “The truth. I told her the ranch was in your blood, and if she loved you, she’d never ask that question.”
“Was she going to leave me?”
“I think so.”
“I felt something was growing between us. Gwen had been very distant for a couple of months and found no joy at the ranch. Her whining to go to town was getting on my nerves. I loved her so much but was starting to not like her.”
Granny B wanted to change the topic. “These people need a strong leader, and you’ve got the job.”
“Granny B, you’ve always been our leader.”
“Tom, these people won’t listen to an old woman. Son, it will get worse when we encounter people who will want to take advantage of us. I’d like you to stand strong without losing your temper. We all need someone we can look up to and think they’ll keep us safe. You didn’t sign up for the job. Still, you have it.”
They walked north for a couple of miles and then turned east to skirt the city. There were only a few farms, orchards, and several large nurseries north of Dixon. The land was flat, and the tallest things Tom saw were utility poles. He could see some industrial complexes south toward the city, but mainly farmland.
Tom only saw a couple of people and waved back at them when they waved from a distance. One man rode up to them on an old four-wheeler. He raised his hands to show he wasn’t armed.
“Do you know what happened? I see smoke rising all over Dixon, and our phones, cars, and tractors don’t work.”
Tom was wary of everyone now, so he kept his hand close to the butt of his pistol. “I think we were attacked by some kind of nuclear EMP blast.”
“That might explain the huge bright light and sonic boom we heard. Why are the electronics dead?”
Tom scratched his jaw. “An electromagnetic pulse is an energy that passes through the air and fries electronics. I can’t explain it much better than that.”
It hadn’t dawned on the man that his world was about to take a turn down the drain. Tom wanted to help but didn’t know what to say. “Sir, stay away from the cities and prepare for the worst. Gather as much food as you can.”
“Ya really think it’ll get that bad? Surely, they’ll get the power back on in a few days.”
Both of them turned to face the distant city when gunfire split the silence. The shots rang out for a minute and ceased as quickly as they’d started. Tom pointed to the town. “No, they won’t get the power back on any time soon. The transformers have also been fried. Look at that one. See the charring?”
“We saw several on fire, but they can replace them, can’t they?”
Tom replied. “Most utility companies only have a few dozen transformers like that one and only one or two of the huge ones that supply a neighborhood. The large ones are manufactured in China and Korea. It takes months to get one from the manufacturer.”
“But FEMA or the government should have supplies.”
Tom knew he should back away and not argue with the man. “Stay away from the cities. In about two days, they’ll become a lawless quagmire of looting, gang killings, and death. If you have a truck or car from the early 70s, they might run if you haven’t replaced the points and condenser with electronic ignition. Good luck. We have to go.”
The cool temperature was welcome and didn’t tax them too much. The smell of citrus filled the air from the orchards but didn’t cover the rancid odor of burning plastic and tar. Tom noticed everyone was drinking quite a bit of water. Sam had even poured some on a handkerchief to wash her daughter’s face.
Tom knew their bugout bags contained the Sawyer MINI water filtration devices, which could filter over a hundred thousand gallons each but didn’t want to use them until absolutely necessary.
He kept then moving until they were safely past Dixon and hid behind an abandoned shop on the north side of Highway 80 and Lincoln Highway intersection. According to the fading paint on the sign, the building had been a small machine shop many years ago. Tom sat on the ground in the shade of an orange tree. “Take ten minutes, and then we’ll move on. I need everyone to understand that we might have stretches
