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hand-crank
radio inside. As a rule of thumb, Rob had usually kept the
handhelds charged. She grabbed the case and fled the room, hoping
there was nothing else she might have forgotten.
    She opened the garage and
tossed her purse inside the Datsun. Just
out of the shower, with her hair tied back, she was already
sweating. The thought of her next hospital shift crossed her mind.
She had to warn her co-workers and make the sure the patients were
OK. Rob. The kids. The hospital. It was too much to think about all
at once.
    “ One thing at a
time,” she told herself.
    She knelt down next to the car and
opened the radio case, seeing three 50-mile GMRS/FRS two-way
radios, chargers, and the emergency chargers. Rob had a radio at
the store, and she hoped he had it on him. Familiar with how to use
it, she switched it on and stood up.
    The bright sunlight shone
into the garage. She walked toward away from the Datsun and looked
around outside, relieved when she didn’t see anyone. It was time to hit the road.
    “ Rob. If you’re there,
answer me.” She waited. Nothing but static came through. “Rob. Are
you there? If you can hear me, let me know. I’m coming to the
store. Wait on me.”
    She turned to open the car door when a
voice crackled on the other end.
    “ Mila!” Rob said.
    “ I’m here,
Rob.”
    “ You’re awake? Listen to
me. Something bad has happened. Just like we discussed. Looks like
an EMP.”
    “ I know. I’ve got the
Datsun packed and ready to go. My car won’t start. We’re going to
have to drive into the city and get the kids.”
    She waited for a response,
but only static came through. “Rob?”
    She walked back into the
garage and next to the driver’s side door when she felt the presence of another person behind her. A shadow
entered. She spun around, startled. Her heart nearly stopped when
she saw the man, instantly recognizable and leering and smiling
with crooked yellow teeth.
    “ Mila, are you there? I
lost signal.” Rob ’s voice said. “Hold on, I’m
coming!”
    She was frozen in place, unable to
respond.
    “ How ya doing?” the man
asked. She could smell his oil-stained mechanic’s jumpsuit from
where he stood.
    “ Names, Chet.” That much
was evident by the name patch stitched on his chest.
    “ What do you
want?”
    Chet smiled wide and raised his arms
to the top of the garage, holding onto the small ledge. He began to
rock back-and-forth on his heels. She looked beyond the man and
hoped to see Ken. The revolver was in her pocket, she wasn’t afraid
to use it.
    “ My car broke down about a
mile down the road that way,” Chet said, pointing in the direction
he had come from. “Can’t find anyone to help me. I saw you were
having a little car trouble yourself and thought that maybe we
could help each other.”
    “ How exactly can we do
that?” she asked.
    “ I’ll take a look at your
KIA, and maybe you can give me a ride into town.”
    “ No thanks,” she
said.
    Chet examined the
Datsun. “Going somewhere in this
thing?”
    Mila felt angry. Violated.
    “ I don’t really think
that’s any of your business. I would advise that you call a tow
truck.”
    “ Good idea,” Chet said.
“Can I use your phone? My battery died.”
    “ I’m sorry. The power is
out throughout the entire block. Our phone isn’t
working.”
    Chet lowered his arms and
took a step forward. “You don’t like me,
do you?”
    Mila felt the bulge of the revolver in
her pocket.
    He noticed her growing
anxiety. “I won’t take offense if you
don’t. But I would hope that you’re not judging me by my appearance
alone. I could really use some help.”
    “ Again, I’m sorry, sir.
There’s nothing I can do.” She took a step toward the garage door
to close it just as he took another step in. Mila
stopped.
    He looked at her and
smiled out of sheer amusement. “There’s
plenty you can do. Trust me.
     
    Unstoppable
     
    Rob cautiously approached
the door outside where Bernie was standing with