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As soon as Sean reached his cubicle, he immediately emptied the garbage bag on the floor and started rummaging through it. He laid everything out on the ground and started to make a mental inventory of what he had available. He had a pair of thick wool socks, military issue Poly Pro tops and bottoms, a pair of Realtree BDU style pants, a thick wool Swedish military surplus sweater, a long sleeve black t-shirt, a Realtree winter parka, a blaze orange hunting vest, a blaze orange fleece cap, two light gloves, a hand muff, a webbed belt, and a Realtree billed cap. After going through all the pockets, he found a Surefire LX2 flashlight as well as an LED light that clipped on his hat bill, a Leatherman in a leather pouch, a three-inch Kershaw Clash pocket knife, twenty-five feet of paracord which he used to pull his bow up to his tree stand, and a four foot strap that secured his stand to the tree.
Sean threw on his poly pros and his BDU pants, his wool sweater and his leather coat over top. He placed his gloves in his jacket pockets and the rest of his supplies back in the lower BDU pockets. As usual when he hunted, he placed the billed hat on with the fleece cap over top.
Just then, he felt eyes on his back and Sean turned to see Jeremy peeking over his cubicle. “This is for real, isn’t it?” Jeremy asked in a quiet voice.
“I’m afraid it is,” Sean said somberly. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to do what you said. I don’t really know what else to do and I agree with you on getting out of town. We’re going to head to my parents in upstate NY. They live a ways from the nearest town and there are a lot of farms in the area. It’s going to be a heck of a hike though. I never really thought about it before, but you’re probably right about how things are going to be. I just rented Contagion with Holly a couple days ago and although it was about a pandemic, the movie didn’t really make it out that bad.”
“Yeah, I saw that movie too,” Sean agreed. “Hollywood likes to glamorize things so the masses don’t panic. They try and make it all about the collective and everyone coming together to share all their food and supplies. But at the end of the day, the truth is that man’s nature will always seek self preservation first. That movie, Contagion, was pretty spot on until the end. Once the grocery stores were cleaned out and the military ran out of MREs, you could see the rioting over food starting. Shortly after that there is that scene about his neighbor being shot and his house looted in the middle of the night. At that point when society runs out of food, it will nosedive into anarchy and looting overnight and there is no coming back. In the movie, the government develops the antivirus and tells everyone ‘You’ll get your antivirus within the next year when your number is called. Stay in your house and don’t panic.’ The movie shows everyone elated and sitting around their houses happy and content. I thought, ‘Wait a minute here, I thought there was no food and people were starving.’ Just because there is an antivirus available six months from now isn’t going to change the fact that you or your kids haven’t eaten in a week. Things would have gotten a lot worse before they got better. In a pandemic situation like that, you have a lot more time before society starts to shut down. Vehicles still work, you still have lines of communication, and the interstate trucking industry would still be functioning until the rioting started to get really bad. But with an EMP it’s different, because it is instant. This is the worst case scenario for our country. It is going to be straight Mad Max in a couple months.”
Sean paused for a few moments. “It looks like you got quite a hike in front of you. If you’re going to be travelling that amount of distance, I would probably take at least two days gathering supplies and food. Take as much as you can. I would definitely get an extra shopping cart for your wife and son—he’s what, twelve now?” Jeremy nodded his head in confirmation. “Just make sure you hit the road first thing day after tomorrow and don’t forget: after day three, don’t travel through any towns. Give them a wide berth. Good luck, Jeremy. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.” Sean stuck his hand out and Jeremy took it in a firm shake. It was very awkward saying good-bye forever to someone you were just joking around with an hour ago. Sean gave him his best reassuring smile and Jeremy returned the favor before turning back to his desk.
Sean picked up the rest of his supplies and started walking back towards Gerald’s desk. He noticed Hannah heading towards the exit. She had a hooded sweater pulled up over her head and a thick warm wool coat on, but she had picked a bad day to wear a skirt. Sean noticed she had nylons on but it was still going to be a long cold walk home in the snow for her. He called out to her “Hannah, hold up!” She turned back as he turned and made his way in her direction. “I have an extra pair of my dress pants here that I’m not going to be using. They should at least cut the wind a bit.”
“Thanks,” she replied with a forced smile. Sean could tell she seemed pretty anxious. She probably wasn’t looking forward to the walk home in the snow.
“Actually, I have a better idea. Come with me real quick.” She followed him back to his desk where he said, “Have a seat.” She hesitated for a second then sat down in his office chair. Sean pulled a pair of scissors out of his desk and proceeded to cut the toes off his wool socks. They were too thick to squeeze into his dress shoes and would only cut his circulation off if he tried. That would leave him worse off than just wearing the thin dress socks he was wearing now. “Leggings,” Sean smiled as he held them up in the air. With a chuckle he said, “Louis Vuitton ain’t got nothin’ on me. Look at the nice big yellow stripe at the top!” Hannah laughed softly, but deep inside she was on the verge of crying. She believed what Sean had said in the conference room but didn’t even know where to start with her husband. How could she explain to him everything that was going on and would he even believe her? Where would they go? Both of their parents lived in California. Would she ever see them again? The endless questions swirled around in her head and she tried to force the tears down, but they came anyway.
Sean felt uncomfortable but put his hand on her arm and said, “Hey... easy there. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I can’t help you any further. I’m sorry that I don’t have all the answers for you. I’ve given you what I can in the short time we have. You are smart and your husband is a doctor. You guys are going to do fine. If you two are heading out to the country like I said, you have a huge advantage. You are travelling with a freakin’ doctor,” Sean said with a smile. “That is a huge skill that will be needed in the years to come. You guys are going to be just fine. All you have to do at this point is make him believe you. I’m sure that he loves you very much and that he will do just that. ”
“Thank you,” she said. “I’m just really worried about my parents.”
Sean remembered that Hannah had mentioned growing up in California. “I hope you get to see them again someday. I really do. But don’t let that get you down right now. You have to focus on surviving the next couple months. There will be plenty of time to think about them later. I know that sounds kind of harsh and it will be hard to do, but you have to try. It’s all about survival now.”
“Ok,” she said. She removed her shoes and took the leggings Sean had made and pulled them overtop her nylons.
Sean handed her his pants and turned his back to give her some privacy. “Once you get them on, put the belt on so I can make a new hole in it.”
After a brief second Hannah said, “Alright, I’m ready.”
Sean turned back around and she had a hold of the belt which stuck out a full foot in front of her. “Is it comfortable there?” he asked.
“Yeah, that feels about right,” she replied.
Sean grabbed the end of the belt from her and pulled his pocket knife out. She tensed for a second and he said, “Hold still.” He marked the soft leather with the knife then said, “Ok, go ahead and take the belt back off.” She pulled the belt off and handed it back to him. Sean placed the belt on his desk and worked his knife in circles drilling a new hole on the belt where he had marked it. He handed the belt back to her. “Here you go. Give that a shot.” He looked down at her feet while she threaded the belt back on. His pants were so long that she was standing on them. He reached into his desk and pulled out two large rubber bands. “Have a seat again real quick.” She sat down and Sean went to work blousing the bottoms of the pants like he used to do with his BDU’s in the military. Once he was done, he noticed the two inch heels on her shoes. “Those don’t look too comfortable for a long hike,” he said with a frown.
“They’re not,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Would they be better if I cut the heel off?”
“Probably.... Do you think you can?” she asked, dubious.
Sean pulled the Leatherman out of its pouch on his belt. “I can definitely try.” He opened it up and pulled out the saw. After a minute or two he handed her back her shoes without the heels. “There you go.”
She took the shoes and slipped them on her feet and walked a few steps away then came back. With a sincere face she offered, “Much better. Thank you, Sean.... Seriously, thanks for everything.”
He smiled and extended his hand. “Good luck, Hannah. You and your husband are going to be just fine.” She took his outstretched hand and shook it. Sean turned and left her there gathering her things. He made his way to Gerald’s desk and peeked over the edge of his cubicle wall. Gerald was sitting at his desk just staring at a blank computer screen. “Hey Buddy,” Sean said, startling him.
“Hey,” Gerald responded with a small smile.
“I’ve got somethin’ for ya.” Sean handed him his hunting coat. “It’s a good thing I procrastinated and left my hunting clothes in the truck, huh?”
“What about you? I can’t take your coat Sean,” Gerald said genuinely.
“It’s all good. I’ve got a pair of Poly Pros and a warm wool sweater on under my leather coat so I’ll be fine.” Gerald started to put it on but Sean stopped him. “I’d wear your leather jacket under it. Any extra layers are going to help.”
Gerald conceded, “You’re probably right.” He put his jacket on first and then the heavier hunting coat overtop. Next Sean handed him the hand muff, but Gerald objected again, “Sean you are going to need that, you can’t....”
Sean cut him off. “Gerald, don’t worry about it. Just take it. I’ve got gloves in my pocket and I promise you if my hands start to get cold we’ll trade off.” Gerald apprehensively took the hand muff and snapped it around his waist. He had to make a few adjustments for his smaller frame but he eventually got it to fit right. “Last but not least,” Sean said with a smile, holding up the long sleeved black t-shirt. Gerald just looked at him quizzically. “It’s your turban,” Sean chuckled. “When I was a kid, we used to tie shirts around our heads and faces to look like ninjas. It’s the best idea I’ve got for a hat, unless you have one?”
“No, I don’t...unfortunately,” Gerald said, looking at the shirt skeptically. “I guess I’m going to be a ninja for the walk home.”
“Here, I’ll show you.” Sean stepped around behind Gerald and slipped the shirt over his head. Placing the neck hole where Gerald’s eyes were, he pulled the sleeves back taught and wrapped them around his ears and head tying the sleeves in a knot on the front of his forehead. It looked like a balaclava with only his eyes exposed. “It looks beautiful,” Sean said with a grin. “You ready to go?”
Gerald put his hand up in denial. “You’re not seriously considering walking with me. I have to draw the line there. I’m only going to slow you down!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Gerald. I’m not leaving without you. Besides, I could use a little ninja to protect me.” They both got a good laugh out of that and it lightened the mood, at least for a moment. “Besides Gerald, I have a plan. Do you have your checkbook? We’re going shopping!”
SEAN’S HEAD WAS BENT into the wind and driving snow as he trudged along beside Gerald. They had been walking for about an hour and Sean was beginning to lose feeling in his toes. At this point, Sean was just focused on placing one frozen foot in front of the other. After a warm beginning to winter, Mother Nature had sure picked a great day for the first big snowstorm of the year. They passed through a maze of cars and fender benders as they walked. Some people were bundled up in their cars but most were empty. Every time they passed a car with someone in it, Sean couldn’t help but wonder what the heck were they thinking? Did they expect their car to just magically turn on? They were sitting in an icebox and it was just a matter of time before they froze. Sean turned his thoughts back to the task at hand. “How you holdin’ up there, buddy?” Sean asked, breaking the silence of the last few minutes.
“Not too bad besides my ears and my feet. My legs are pretty cold too, but they don’t really bother me. How ‘bout you?” Gerald asked.
“My feet are cold and my face hurts. This big German nose of mine feels like a wind sock,” Sean replied. Gerald laughed at that. Sean looked over and could tell the thin t-shirt material wasn’t doing a whole lot to protect his friend’s head and ears. Sean slipped off his fleece cap and handed it to Gerald.
“I’m not taking that!” Gerald said firmly.
“Oh, knock it off! Just wear it for five minutes to warm up, than you can give it back. Ok? ....Please?” Sean pleaded with his friend.
“Fine, five minutes. But after that you have to take it back!” Gerald insisted.
Sean didn’t respond but he definitely wasn’t going to argue that point. He could already feel the icy wind biting at the tips of his exposed ears. True to his word, five minutes later Gerald handed him the hat and Sean quickly placed it back on his head. As they rounded the top of the hill, Sean could almost make out the large Albertsons sign through the blowing snow. “Here we go. Let’s go over the plan one more time. Right next to Albertsons is that McGinnis Sisters Farmers market. Let’s try and work something out with the owner or manager there first. I think we’ll have a better chance than Albertsons for them to take a check or use a manual credit card imprinter. We’ll offer the manager a one thousand dollar check on top of the order. Last resort, I’ll take the time to lay out everything to them in trade for the food. We’ll see what happens.”
As they walked past Albertsons, Sean could barely see through the fogged up glass of the front windows but it looked like the entry way was full. With no security lights, it was probably pitch black deeper inside the store. Sean guessed that most of the customers and employees were just hanging out and waiting for the lights to come back on. As they came up to McGinnis Sisters, Sean turned to Gerald and offered with a smile, “You might want to take off your turban. It will probably detract from our credibility.”
Gerald pulled the t-shirt off his head as they approached the front of the building. When they tried to open the front doors, they were locked. Sean knocked on the glass doors, but nobody answered. He knocked louder and a few seconds later an elderly woman got up from a folding chair just inside the shadows and walked to the doors. “We’re closed.” Sean could see her mouth the words through the thick glass pointing to a hand written sign taped to the door.
“Can we please come in for a few minutes to warm up? We’ve been walking for over an hour and would also like to buy some supplies to take home.” Sean gave her his most reassuring smile and was sure she could see Gerald shivering. It wasn’t an act either. Sean could see the wheels turning in her head for a minute or two than she turned the lock and opened the door. A strong wind and blowing snow followed them inside as she locked the door behind them.
“My goodness it sure is nasty out there,” she started. “I’m just waiting till it blows over before I head home.”
“Thank you so much, ma’am. We are grateful to you. We’ve got quite a walk home today. Gerald here has to walk all the way back to Sewickley.”
“Gracious me!” she exclaimed. “That sure is quite a ways in weather like this. It’s the darndest thing with the power going out and none of the automobiles working.”
“My name is Sean.” He extended his hand after he pulled his glove off and shook her warm frail hand. “And this is my boss, Gerald.”
“I’m Betty; it’s a pleasure to meet you both,” she replied sincerely.
“So, Betty, I sure hope you don’t have far to walk home in this weather,” Sean said.
“Oh no, I just live a little ways down the road. I was sitting here and hoping it would let up a little first.”
Sean nodded in agreement. “That’s good to hear.” He paused for a moment then asked, “Is this a grocery store? This is actually the first time I’ve ever been in here.”
“Oh really? We specialize in fresher and more organic produce, but we’ve got most things the supermarkets have,” she answered.
“Uh huh,” Sean acknowledged as he looked over at Gerald. “It must be tough business with Albertsons right next door.”
“This store has actually been here for over fifty years, long before the big supermarkets came to town, and I’ve worked here for over twenty years now.... But yes, I do believe it has been harder on the owners in recent years.”
“That’s too bad. We’re losing a lot of these smaller, more customer friendly stores for the large chain stores and their buying power. It’s a tough dilemma.” Sean could see Betty nod her head in agreement in the dim light. “So how many McGinnis Sisters stores are there?”
“Ten now, although it used to be fifteen when I started. There’s still a store in Fox Chapel and Mt. Lebanon, but most of their other locations are over in eastern Ohio.”
“Oh okay. That’s good. You ever meet the owners?”
“Yes, once or twice. The company has been sold a few times since I’ve worked for them. The new owners are part of some large corporation out of Cleveland that own a few different types of businesses out there. The management lady was really nice though.”
Sean was processing all the information she was telling him and trying to figure out the best way to approach her. He figured that honesty was the best policy. “So are you the store manager then?”
“Oh no, Deary” she laughed. “That is too much figurin’ and countin’ for me. I am one of the assistant managers though.”
Sean let out a sigh and looked over to Gerald and back to Betty. “Betty, I’m going to give you some information that may be hard for you to believe and although you don’t know me from Adam, I truly hope that you will believe me. Something very bad has happened to our country. I used to be in the Air Force and have done years of research on this subject. America has been hit by a weapon called an electromagnetic pulse. That is the only reason why everything electronic isn’t working. This is a lot different than a power outage. If that were the case, the emergency lighting in here would still be on and the cars would still be driving down the streets. This weapon basically fried all the electronics across the United States. What I’m trying to say is the power is not going to come back on. That is the only reason why all these things could have happened at the same time. I’m guessing by your age you were probably born around the time of the great depression? This is going to be infinitely worse. Our whole society depends on technology including the transport of food and supplies from one state to another. Within four or five days there is going to be some major panic setting in and people are going to start running out of food. There will be massive rioting and looting the likes of which this county has never seen. You are a manager here; you realize how often the delivery trucks have to come to keep this store stocked. What happens when all of those trucks are inoperable? Without our country’s infrastructure a large majority of the people in the US are going to die of starvation, disease, looters, gangs, or the just the elements. Our generation isn’t like yours. We don’t know how to grow food or be self-reliant.” Sean trailed off for a second as he looked into the elderly woman’s eyes before him. He saw recognition and acceptance of what he was saying.
“I figured it was something bad,” Betty said sadly. “That is one of the reasons why I was just sitting here. I have had a dreadful feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since the lights went out.”
“Me too, Betty. Here is what I would like to do. Gerald and I would like to buy you some food and supplies. My friend, Gerald, here is the Vice President of a very large company that I work for. We’d each like to load up a grocery cart of food to take home to our family and pay for one for you as well. We will write you a check for one thousand dollars for your help and kindness in letting us in to warm up. We will also write a check to the McGinnis Sisters for three thousand dollars which will definitely cover any supplies we take. If I end up being wrong and the power comes back on tomorrow... and I promise you that it won’t, but if it did, then we will have done the right thing by your employers and they will have made some pretty decent profit. But the truth of the matter is that within three to four days, this store is going to be broken into and torn to pieces. There won’t be a scrap of food left, and I can assure you, Betty, that none of those people are going to be leaving a check. Without this food, my family, Gerald’s family, and your family as well will have a very hard time making it through the next couple months alive. What do you think?”
“I...I’m not sure. Are you sure about this pulse thingy?” She asked concerned.
Sean looked her straight in the eye and without hesitation and said, “Betty, I have never been more sure about anything in my life. I promise you that I am being completely honest with you. Over the next year, if the experts I’ve read are correct, eighty to ninety percent of Americans are going to die. I don’t want to be one of them and I don’t want you to be either.”
“What about my husband? He’s diabetic and needs insulin to survive. What is going to happen to him?” Betty asked concerned.
Sean could sense her starting to panic as other realizations set in. He thought quickly and replied, “Betty, what if I could get you a large supply of insulin? I can’t make any promises to what will happen when it runs out, but it will at least buy you some time. Would you help us then?”
“I was...going to help you anyways, but do you really think you can get some insulin?” The look of desperation in her face broke Sean’s heart. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to love someone whose life was now on a time clock.
Sean smiled softly, “I will try my best.” She took Sean off guard as she wrapped him in a warm hug, the type that only grandmothers know how to give. Sean hugged her back, trying to reassure her. After a few moments she broke it off and they went to work. They each grabbed a cart and with the help of Sean’s flashlights they went aisle by aisle, splitting supplies three ways. They cleared the shelf of salt, sugar, rice, beans, bleach, and a lot of various spices. They split up all the batteries, flashlights, and lighters then packed their carts to overflowing with canned goods. With limited room in the carts, they only focused on food with a long shelf life. At the end of the produce aisle there was a large display of various gardening seeds. Sean read over the packaging and was surprised to see that they were mostly non-hybrid seed. He felt pretty lucky as most of the larger supermarkets only carried the cheaper genetically engineered seed. Growing non-hybrid seed, oftentimes referred to as heirloom seeds, allowed you to harvest seeds from the plants and continue to re-grow them year after year. The genetically modified seed would only last two to three growing seasons before the seeds produced were useless. When they were done, they pushed their carts back to the front of the store where Gerald wrote out the check to McGinnis Sisters but Betty absolutely forbid him from writing her one. She took the check and slid it into the drop box on the safe.
“Looks like it’s time for me to make a try for that insulin.”
Gerald looked worried and said, “How do you plan on doing that?”
“I’m pretty sure Albertsons has a drive thru pharmacy,” Sean smiled.
“But what about all those people in the entryway?” Gerald asked concerned.
“I’ll figure something out, buddy. Do you need me to pick up a prescription for you?” Sean chuckled. “No, seriously. Do you need anything?”
“Not especially, but Anne has allergies so if you could grab a good supply of Benadryl for me, that would be great.”
“Sure thing. That was already on my mental list.” They walked to the front door. “Wish me luck and lock the door behind me.”
“Good luck!” they said in unison as Sean opened the door and stepped back out into the driving snow.
“I hope he’s ok and doesn’t get into any trouble over there,” Betty said with concern.
“I’m sure he’ll be fine. Sean is a very resourceful young man. Besides what are they going to do? Call the police? At this point there are no phones and there aren’t going to be police around for much longer. Besides, he’s a pretty big guy—I doubt anyone would challenge him.” Gerald smiled at Betty to reassure her, but inside he was worried for his friend.