Absolute Darkness - A CME Survival Thriller

through the papers. “Hey, Sam?”
“Yeah?”
“Where did you put the map?”
It wasn’t like I really need a map. I knew how to get home, but having one always made me feel a bit more at ease.
Sam giggled. “We don’t need a map, silly. We have phones.”
“Right,” I said, closing the glove compartment.
She didn’t need to know I’d pick one up when we stopped for gas. I mean, of course, she was right, but I’d feel better having one even if she thought it was silly.
I closed the passenger door and reached into my pocket. My fingers squeezed around the keys even though I knew they were there.
“Oh my God.” Olivia pressed her palms together, finger pointed to the sky. “Who am I going to talk to?”
“It’s only for a few weeks,” I said, giving her a quick hug. “You’ll study for your exams, and we’ll be back before you know it.”
Sam was staring at her phone. “You know, the three of us text more than we see each other the way it is. You two are always so busy.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Olivia asked. “You are the one that is always gone.”
“Sorry, I take good care of my daughter,” Sam said, tilting her head to the side. “One day, you’ll see what it’s like.”
“Not for a long time yet, I hope,” Olivia said with wide eyes.
Sam blinked several times. “Yeah, sometimes things don’t always go according to plan.”
“Anyway, I just like knowing I have the option to see you. If I needed either of you, you’d be there in a heartbeat, and that’s not going to be the case.” Olivia sniffed.
“Poor Livie,” Sam said. “You won’t even miss us. If you text me, I’ll pretend I’m at home.”
“I’ll know Mel isn’t there. Her apartment right down the hall will be so quiet,” Olivia said. “What if I need to borrow sugar?”
“Liv! We’ve been neighbors for like three years, and you never once asked to borrow any sugar,” I said with my hands on my hips.
“Which means I must be really low on sugar, and I’m going to need some really soon,” Olivia said, biting back a small smile.
Sam raised a brow. “Oh yeah, you definitely need sugar. And I need sugar. Even Mel, after that ordeal with Elijah, needs sugar.”
“Let’s not talk about him,” I said, shifting my eyes to a random person crossing the road down the block.
Elijah was someone I still thought I saw everywhere. Getting away, even though it was to work, had its benefits.
“Okay,” Olivia said, scrunching up her nose. “Wine, then. Who will I borrow wine from?”
“You’re the one that always supplied the wine,” I said, raising a brow.
“You’re right. You guys need me!” Olivia said, hugging us both simultaneously.
Sam rolled her eyes but smiled at the same time. “You’ll be fine. I promise we’ll talk soon. All right, Mel, you ready?”
“I guess so,” I said, opening the back of the SUV again. I checked my bags to make sure I’d put them all in the back. “Maybe I should take another quick look around the apartment.”
“You already did that twice,” Sam said.
“I’ll go in and check everything is turned off and unplugged,” Olivia said.
I exhaled slowly and closed the back of the SUV. “Okay. Thanks. Oh, and take care of my plant.”
“You have a plant?” Sam asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Yeah, that succulent by the window,” I said, biting my lip.
Sam laughed.
“I will check on it every day,” Olivia called from the sidewalk, waving with both hands. “Drive safely. Call when you get there. Actually, call before you get there!”
Our plan was to drive straight through, only stopping for gas and food. It was going to be a long trip by car, but I needed to drive in case there was anything I’d want to bring back home.
I sat down in the firm driver’s seat. The SUV had a clean pine scent and only a few thousand miles on it. At least the long drive would hopefully be a comfortable one.
I placed my hands on the steering wheel and put the keys into the ignition. I stared at the road ahead. Was I ready?
“You have to turn the key,” Sam said.
“It’s been a while since I drove, but not that long,” I said.
“Having second thoughts?” Sam asked. “I’m sure you could force your brother to deal with it somehow.”
I shook my head. “He didn’t even come to the funeral. He’ll let the house rot before going to deal with anything. I need the money, if there is any, more than he does, and he knows it.”
“Want me to drive first?” Sam asked.
“I got it, thanks,” I said as I turned the key. The engine rumbled to a soft start.
We both waved to Olivia as I pulled away from the curb and drove down the street.
When I’d been home for the funeral, I’d seen the house. It had been in complete shambles. Sam had volunteered to come to help me, but I don’t think she grasped the gravity of the situation.
My mom was a moderate hoarder. I wasn’t even sure if three weeks would be enough time to clean everything to get it ready for sale. If anyone would even buy the place.
“Well,” Sam said, clapping her hands. “I, for one, am glad to be leaving. Good bye, Massachusetts! Hello… what’s the place called again?”
“Door County,” I said.
“Hello, Door County!” Sam said as she rolled down the window and squealed.
I told her once that it was roughly an eighteen-hour drive, but I didn’t feel it was necessary to remind her. We’d be there before we knew it, and then I’d have to get to work.
We hadn’t been on the road more