Ray Gorham - 77 Days in September

Still feeling unsettled, Jennifer found her book and went outside to read in the backyard, hoping a good story would help take her mind off of Kyle and the power outage. Finding a lounge chair, she set it up on a sunny corner of their fenced in section of lawn, adjusted the headrest, rolled up her shorts, and sat back to both read and take advantage of the sunshine.

She had only read a few pages when she heard David’s distressed voice shouting for her. Not expecting him to return home until closer to dinnertime and with nerves already wound tight, Jennifer jumped up from her chair and hurried around to the front of the house. David was cutting across the neighbor’s property and running fast.

“Mom… you gotta… listen… to the… radio!” he said, trying to catch his breath as he came to a stop in front of her. He took a couple of deep breaths then continued. “Matt’s dad…. he listened on the radio…. the vice president…. he said we’ve been attacked…. and that people have been killed.”

Katy, Texas

Kyle sat in the front seat of Ed’s jeep, slowly turning the radio dial and scanning for any station that was broadcasting, while Ed searched the garage for batteries, flashlights and candles. Ed and Virgie had scoured their house that morning but only found a handful of candles, two flashlights, and several AA batteries, which were useless for the flashlights. In the backyard, Virgie was cooking up the meat from the freezer. Steaks were on the menu for lunch, along with barbequed corn-on-the-cob and fast-melting ice cream for dessert.

Kyle strained to catch any hint of a signal as he patiently tuned the radio, likely the Jeep’s original with its old-fashioned dial tuner that made his wrist cramp but allowed him to creep carefully through the frequencies. On the second scan through, as he was about to give up and go help Ed in the garage, Kyle found a signal. He turned the volume up and fine-tuned the station until he could hear an intermittent beeping followed by a voice announcing an emergency broadcast.

“Ed, come over here! I got something!” Kyle shouted, waving his arm to get Ed’s attention.

Ed put down the box he was carrying and hurried over to the Jeep. “What’d you find?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s the only signal I’ve detected. It say’s there’s going to be an emergency broadcast.”

They waited in silence for the broadcast to begin, with Ed adjusting the rubber seals around the door of the Jeep and Kyle chewing on his fingernails as the seconds ticked by. The announcer’s voice came back. “We have an urgent message from the Office of the President.”

There was a brief pause, then a voice. Kyle and Ed strained to hear over the static of the radio.

“ My fellow citizens,” the broadcast began. “This is Vice President Brent Hamilton. On Friday, Sept. 2, at approximately 4:08 P.M. Eastern Time, our country was attacked by enemies we have not yet identified. President Stewart was traveling at the time of the attack and is currently en-route to Washington. The target of the attack was the continental United States, and, by extension, the entire North American continent. A nuclear missile was detonated approximately three hundred miles above our country. The result of this detonation was an electrical storm that appears to have crippled our electrical infrastructure. This type of attack is referred to as an EMP, or Electromagnetic Pulse.”

“Damn,” said Kyle. “That’s really bad news.”

“ No one was directly killed by the blast, and there is no danger to the population from radioactivity, but the consequences of the attack are exceptionally serious and will be felt by everyone. The power generation and transmission capabilities of our utility system appear, at this point, to have been destroyed, or at best, severely diminished. Telephone and communication systems have also been destroyed. Transportation systems will be greatly limited due to our inability to pump and process fuel, control air traffic, and because of the direct effect of the EMP on the electronics of most motor vehicles and airplanes. We have received word of dozens of airplane crashes and stranded motorists, as well as inoperable train and subway systems. The degree to which our government and military have been affected is yet to be determined.”

“ This is a threat for which we have been preparing for over thirty years, and many critical systems appear to have survived the attack, allowing the government to function in a limited but effective capacity. The military is also intact and is prepared to restore order and defend the United States from any military threats. All available military units have been recalled and will return stateside as quickly as possible. We ask that all members of the National Guard report to their assigned locations as soon as possible. We have been in contact with our allies throughout the world, and they have pledged to do everything in their power to help us work through these challenges.”

“ This is a time for the citizens of this great country to come together and display the nobility of character that has helped make this the greatest nation in the history of mankind. Every effort is being made on your behalf to restore critical systems as quickly as possible, but even under the best of circumstances, it is a process that will take months and potentially years to complete.”

“ The bulk of the recovery is dependant on the determination, ingenuity and efforts of you, the American people. As citizens, there are things you must do to help. Do not panic. Continue to respect and obey the laws of the nation and your communities. Be judicious with your use of food and water. We are aware that there are uncontrolled fires burning in a number of communities across our nation. Use caution in your activities as it is likely that medical, law enforcement, and emergency services will be unable to provide assistance. We encourage you to gather in your neighborhoods and communities and to organize yourselves to help take care of each other. Finally, we encourage you to remember our Maker and to call upon Him for mercy and protection.”

“ America, of the many challenges our country has faced, this is the greatest one of all. It will take the determined efforts of every man, woman and child to recover and regain our status as the leader of the free world. It is an effort that will not be without obstacles and difficulties, but there are no other people on the face of this planet who are more able to deal with such a challenge. It is a challenge we must face and from which we must never shrink.

“ We will continue to broadcast information for you each day on these same stations. May God watch over us all. Thank you.”

The station was momentarily silent, then the beeping resumed.

Deer Creek, Montana

After hearing about the radio broadcast from David, Jennifer had hunted frantically for a radio that worked. Getting no response from the home stereo or car radio, she’d finally found an old, emergency, hand crank radio in the basement and was now sitting, winded and stunned, on the front porch steps. She flipped the radio’s power switch off, then reached out and braced herself against the house as a wave of nausea washed over her. There were so many questions she wanted answers to, so many details that had been left unsaid. She rubbed her temples with her fingers, pushing hard to dull the pain and to avoid getting ill. Tears welled up in her eyes as the possibility that Kyle might never come home again swirled around in her head. She struggled to her feet and felt David’s hand on her arm, helping her up.

“Mom, what does all that mean?” David asked, his voice more sober than she’d ever heard before. “When is Dad going to be home?”