Darkness on the Edge of Town Read Online Free PDF Page A

miniature city in a bottle that Superman kept in his Fortress of Solitude.”
    Christy nodded. “Oh, yeah. I remember that now.”
    “Well, that’s how it felt outside. Like Walden’s been stuck inside a bottle and somebody turned the lights out on us.”
    She rubbed her arms and shivered. “It’s chilly in here.”
    “Yeah, it is. I could use some coffee. Some guy down on the street gave me a cup, but I could use more. I wish the power was on.”
    “We have that little jar of instant that my mom brought over before we got the coffee maker, but I don’t know how we’d heat the water.”
    “That’s okay,” I said. “Maybe a little later. Bad as I need it, I hate drinking cold coffee.”
    Christy got up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. When she returned to the living room, she draped a blanket over her shoulders and sat back down again. She fired up the bong, and we smoked for a while. Then I told her about everything I’d learned, the people I’d met, and Dez’s bizarre behavior. While we talked, thenoise out on the street increased, as more people woke up and discovered what was going on.
    “Did any of the other people say what they were going to do?”
    “A few,” I said. “Some of them were talking about leaving, trying to get to one of the other towns and see if they had power or knew what was going on. Some of the others were just going to stay put. I think that’s what we should do, too. Just sit tight and wait.”
    “Wait for what?”
    “I don’t know. For the utilities to come back on, at least. I mean, we don’t really know anything at this point, right? We don’t know if it’s safe to leave or not.”
    “We should go to my mom’s place. Maybe her power is still on. Maybe the news is saying something.”
    “I don’t think that’s a good idea, hon. I know you’re worried about her, but she’d want you to stay safe, and I think we have a better chance of keeping you that way if we stay here.”
    “You really think something terrible has happened?”
    “Maybe. I thought it was an eclipse, but they don’t normally last this long. I’m not saying it was something bad for sure, but let’s say it was indeed some kind of terrorist attack or natural disaster. Maybe the darkness is some kind of chemical cloud or something, or a volcanic plume. If we go into it, we could get sick.”
    “Do you think that’s what happened? Al Qaeda? The Sons of the Constitution? They haven’t done anything since they killed all those people on that reality show. Oh God, what if it’s them?”
    “I just said that I wasn’t saying that for sure, Christy. But whatever it is, we have to assume it’s dangerous. All the utilities are gone, and people are scared. That leads to panic, and if people are freaking the fuck out,the last place we want to be is on the road. So let’s just chill out and wait to see what happens. Help might show up. And if not, in a few hours, we’ll figure out what to do next. Okay?”
    “Okay.” She pouted.
    I headed into the kitchen and decided to make us both something to eat. I didn’t want to open the refrigerator door and let the cold air out, because there was no telling how long the power would be out and I didn’t want our food to go bad, so I settled on some dried fruit and a box of Cheerios from the cupboard. I mixed them together into cereal bowls for each of us and carried them back into the living room.
    “We’ll have to eat them without milk,” I said. “Sorry.”
    “That’s okay.”
    Christy’s dejected tone was gone. It felt good to see her smile again. It was a little victory, but an important one for me. In truth, I was starting to get a little scared. As males, we’re sort of genetically programmed to protect our significant others. When we don’t succeed, it’s a terrible feeling. You feel helpless and not worthy of their love, even if they don’t feel that way about you themselves. I wanted Christy to be safe, but I didn’t know what I was