that contained the Warehouse, pump house, and City Hall.
Nine years ago, when the Department of Continuance first arrived in New Warren, they held a large meeting. Anyone and everyone who crammed themselves into the Warehouse remembered that day. It was when easy hope was promised.
With the full backing of the Federal government, as men and materials poured through town to begin the unenviable task of cleaning up a nuclear disaster twenty five miles away, transformers started to get replaced and dozens of trees were felled to make room for new transmission lines. A quick electrical grid was relinquished from the remaining infrastructure by driving in new power poles where needed or putting metal bracing upon the poles that were still in decent shape. This new power grid, however small, was connected to the large substation at the Plant, which was hooked up to the fuel tanker that had been trucked in.
The power was back on. At least, it was back on for those who willingly submitted to their new benevolent rulers. The water system, when compared to the work that went into restoring the power, was the hardest part and took far longer to complete. The town had boomed with the influx of free supplies, and people flooded back into the abandoned corner of the state looking for work.
Today, the generator was clicked back off and drained of all fluids once it had cooled down. The power would not be coming come back on. The Mayor and the Council members were the only people in New Warren who knew this fact with any kind of certainty. The work was completed in Detroit and New Warren was still technically inside the quarantine zone, The Department of Continuance, while receiving positive press for finally securing the Fermi II Nuclear Generating Station, clearly no longer had any vested interest in the area, and were pulling out to assist in other efforts.
Chapter 4
Daniel awoke to the sound of pattering, tiny feet. Rebecca was heading his way, failing at her attempt to hold in a belly full of laughter. He looked at his watch with the kind of unfocused laze that only early morning could bring to one’s eyes.
Nine thirty-something the glowing hands told him. Not so early after all.
He hardly remembered anything about getting up after Corrine left. There was nothing beyond the foggy memory of lying down again after putting the brace back in place on the front door.
Rebecca entered into the bedroom, giggling quietly while trying to sneak up on her father. “Daddy, someone is at the door,” she said very quickly, the words almost unintelligible. Completely unconcerned and no longer able to contain herself, her laughter bubbled over, oozing its way out of her mouth as she made her way to his side of the bed.
That’s when Daniel heard the hard knocking at the front door for the second time. He had still been partially asleep when he heard the earnest rapping before, misconstruing the noise to be part of Rebecca’s footfalls. Rocketing into an upright position and flipping the blanket away, he swung his legs off the side of the bed.
His mind started to race, ‘Where is my pistol? Who could that be?’
A third and more forceful banging inked some clarity back into him. Standing and reaching up into the highest shelf of the darkened closet, his hand zeroed itself right onto the butt of the compact black pistol. The relief was short lived, but it was still nice to find it where it was supposed to be.
“Excuse me, Rebecca,” Daniel called out, as he half-leapt, half-shoved his daughter out of the way. He was suddenly fully awake and very conscious of the fact he was only in his underwear, while at the same time brandishing a firearm and charging down the hallway.
Turning into the front room turned library, he skirted left of the front door and short half-wall that penned-in the small entryway. His intention was to try and steal a peek of the front porch through the large three-paned window that faced the street, which was covered by heavy, woolen drapes of the dullest gray. He was interrupted before the slow arc had led him close enough that he could poke a finger through, gaining a view of whoever was at the front door.
“Fucking open the damn door!” a female voice shouted.
“Is that Corinne? Why is she home?” Daniel asked the ether.
Complete clarity now.
He rushed to the front door and hastily removed the 2 x 4 that was