Aurora Sky: Blackout (Completed)

Chapter 6

Under the black sky, the friends and family travelled together on the long and winding road, passing the lakes and gravel mounds owned by a local aggregates, the open fields of farm land, and fallen telephone poles lining the roads towards the rural town of Petersburg.

Shattered glass and broken house fragments filled the yards and streets of the neighborhood. Some families gathered outside of their houses and into the streets together talking to each other and showing each other the white and gray patchy spots of skin forming on their arms and legs. Most of the townsfolk however had left their houses causing a small traffic jam on Petersburg Road, something Isaac had never seen before in this tiny town. A young police officer stood in the middle of the bustling street to assist directing the slow flowing traffic either in the direction towards the nursing home Isaac taught yoga at for his living on the northside of town or east to the Tri-State highway of I-275.

Hundreds of cars lined along with them on both sides of the road turning into the newly built facility near the river. The majority of the vehicles had shattered windows, windshields, and dents along the metal hoods and exteriors. While Isaac sat in traffic, he could make out his fathers forest green Chevy Tahoe break from the pack, making its way up the long weaving hill to the highway. His heart warmed when he saw more of his family doing the same. Over the next ten minutes, half the group had made it through the fray of vehicles. Finally, after a total twenty minutes of slow to no movement, Isaac had his turn to pass the police officers directing traffic into the Petersburg Nursing Home, twisting through the roads of the Petersburg hills and onto the on ramp of I-275.

The western highway was surprisingly empty with the exception of the group of cars Isaac knew. He could see his friends vehicles racing away in the miles of road in front of him in the small mix of others. While driving, he turned on the radio. Unfortunately nothing had changed. The same emergency broadcast played over and over to the same monotonous tune of the automated woman's voice. He kept it on nonetheless in case there was any change and important release of information.

As he drove over the bridge to Indiana, he saw that the smoke stacks from the two coal power plants of Lawrenceburg had toppled over and were ablaze. Everyone of them smoked black fumes and soot into the dark clouds that shadowed over the earth. He caught a glimpse of the Hollywood casino nearby while he crossed, the casino some of his other cousins were supposed to be at before his party. I hope Aaron and Andrew are fine. He thought to make a call to them to let them know not to come over to his house anymore, but then he remember he couldn't use his phone. He hoped they would be smart enough to know better than to come there anyways and would find some place safe to stay.

Suddenly from behind, a loud humming noise crossed over his head. Isaac's eyes trailed the speeding sound looking up at the sky where he saw four black military helicopters flying low towards the city of Cincinnati. Guess it was the right call to leave, he began to fear what the collateral damage could be from the attacks. He wondered if it was as bad here as it was in the other cities he saw on the news before the cable went out.

In great time, he had crossed from Kentucky, to Indiana, to Ohio. Isaac's exit was now around a mile in front of him. It appeared most of his family had made it through already, but near the exit he could make out the cars of his friends; Rob, in his dark gray Honda Accord, Warren, in his black Ford F-250, and Paul, in his light blue Chevy Impala, all heading left towards their homes instead of Isaac's parents. "Good luck guys, make it back safe," Isaac said aloud to himself. He turned right onto his exit at a steady speed, passing a few abandoned cars on the side of the road as he went.

About a half a mile ahead of him, he saw Arthur in his golden Toyota Camry passing the exit for Isaac's parents driving in the direction of his apartment downtown. "Good luck to you too, Arthur..." He prayed that Arthur wouldn't have much trouble getting in and out of the city, but the more he thought on it the more doubtful he felt Arthur would be able to make it out easily.