The Days That Followed by Gosack Hailey

Author:Gosack Hailey [Hailey, Gosack]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Post-Apocalyptic | EMP
Published: 2021-02-08T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Carrie – The Drop

September 11, 2025

There is only one thing that could improve my mood this morning: coffee. I would give almost anything to be able to go through a drive-through and order a large steaming latte with stevia. Wishful thinking aside, I feel lighter today. Perhaps it’s the presence of a plan or the lightened conscience provided by sharing with those in need. Or maybe it’s simply the birds chirping, the sun shining, and the reassurance of food and water on my back. I have noticed that the mornings are becoming more brisk.

I cross another day off a wall calendar this morning that I swiped from my coworker Lynette’s desk. It’s a calendar full of kittens. I’ve been marking days off since the first morning. It’s a countdown, perhaps, or just a mundane task that makes things feel more normal. Anyway, today is September 11, 2025. The afternoons are still sweltering. I’ll need to avoid exerting myself too much in the heat of the day given my limited supply of water, but for now, I’m only focusing on the positive while I move about the quiet, deserted freeway.

I wrote down two different sets of directions to get to Cal’s: the back roads and the main thoroughfares. When I stepped out this morning, my gut instinct led me away from the residential streets and to the freeway. It’s been mostly uneventful. I passed someone sleeping in a car. That was the first thing that added to my mounting uncertainty about my choice. The second is that all the cars make it seem like I’m walking through a graveyard. It puts me on edge.

I’m lucky the office was located in South Jordan, which sits to the south of the main city, Salt Lake, and Harriman is further south. While there are still a lot of cars serving as ghostly reminders of the sheer masses of people that live in the city, it’s somewhat comforting to feel like I’m walking away from the more densely populated areas. The eagerness to escape what’s behind me carries my legs forward with long, purposeful strides.

The sun is up now. While I don’t have a way to tell time exactly, an estimate will do. Given the sun’s position now, I’d say it’s 10:00 or 11:00 a.m. My skin is beginning to burn, and the heat reflecting back from the pavement is making me weary. I begin looking for a nice place to take a shade break. After looking around me, I hunker down beside a pickup and sit with my back pressed to one of its tires. I enjoy a long pull of my water.

I hear a crinkling sound behind me, and I freeze with my water halfway to my mouth. Hearing it again, I bravely look under the truck in the direction of the sound. It’s only an empty chip bag, moving noisily across the pavement in the slight breeze that’s just picked up. I take a deep, relaxing breath of relief as I put my water away and sit back to enjoy the weak tickle of the wind on my face.

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