Solar Flare Apocalypse

chapter 1

Auther's note, Thank you for reading. . If you would like to comment, I would love to hear what you think!  I've got lots planned out for this book, I do hope you like it. I apologize for the shortness of the first few chapters, after I am done introducing you to my main characters, the chapters get longer.

                                                             Thanks for reading, Cindy

_________________________________________________________________________

Jen Parker stepped out the back door and was greeted by a beautiful fall evening, the warm sun making her brown hair look red. She turned on the hose to soak her herb garden, hoping to keep it green a little longer. She looked around at what she called The Best Town Ever. North Webster, a small town in Indiana, quiet, and with a friendly personality. She could think of a lot of places she wanted to visit, but she wouldn't want to live anywhere else. 

The red brick house was behind the Community Center, and across the street from Webster lake.  She turned to look when she heard the blast of the Dixie Boat's horn, and saw the town's restored paddle boat taking a load of families on a tour of the lake.

Her husband's contractor truck pulled up and she waved. A tall man with the beginnings of a winter beard got out and gave a wolf whistle. Jen laughed and set down the hose to give him a hug.

"Where's ma' dinna?" He asked in a silly growly voice. Jen pushed him away and pointed to the kitchen door. " In the oven, I was just waiting on you and Max."

They walked up the steps and into the kitchen. "Max will be here soon, I'll put supper on the table." Jen said, slipping on hot pads.

She took the chicken and dumplings out of the oven, and stuck the potatoes in the micro wave for a few seconds. She put the salad on the table and turned on the kitchen TV to hear the news.  Yellow warning banners rolled across the bottom of the screen and men with Dr. in front of their names were looking concerned. Jen turned up the volume. "... Massive solar flares have been coming off of the sun's corona, and we can expect to see possible widespread loss of power. F.E.M.A. is advising that every household take precautions in case of an emergency situation. 

A list of things to do rolled down the screen. Jen read along with a worry line on her forehead. Three day's supply of water, food that doesn't need to be cooked, first aid kit, a wind up radio. The list went on and Jen mentally check marked the items. Matt came out of the bathroom with water droplets still on his hair and beard. He reached around Jen and turned off the TV. "Are you worrying?" He asked. 

 "Of course I am, it's the federal government. We're on a level yellow alert!" She retorted.

Matt made a face and said, "Exactly! They never get anything right. How many times have you gotten all excited about a blizzard warning from the National Weather Service just to be disappointed the next day when we ended up with three inches?"

Jen decided to ignore him and sat down at the table. She started serving dinner, knowing that it would stop the disagreement. It did. Matt joined her, his one track man mind now onto food.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, until the kitchen door banged opened and their youngest son Max came in. Tall and handsome, like his Dad and brothers, he was the only son still at home. 

Matt called out, "We waited on you, like one pig waits on another."  

Max laughed and joined them. Jen pointed to the sink, and Max went back to wash before helping his father make sure there were no leftovers to put away.

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------