Absolute Darkness - A CME Survival Thriller

it was locked. The backyard was completely dark except for a pale glow from the fingernail-sized moon.
I let the curtains fall back into place as I walked down the hall and turned on the bathroom light. Sam’s excited voice filled the air, which helped give the empty home a bit of life. The feeling that something was going to jump out at me faded… slightly.
The bathroom was the least cluttered room, but even the counters had empty toilet paper rolls and boxes of tissues stacked a foot or two high. There was makeup on the counter that my mom probably hadn’t touched in at least fifteen years.
“Baby girl, I miss you soooo much,” Sam said as I stepped out into the hallway. “I’m sorry, daddy had to wake you, but I just had to see you.”
“It’s okay, Momma,” Dott’s sleepy voice said sweetly.
“I should put her back to bed, Sammie,” Jameson said. “Glad you got there okay. We’ll talk tomorrow, okay?”
I didn’t have to look at Sam to know she was frowning.
The door to the spare bedroom opened halfway. I flicked on the light and backed out when I saw the room completely filled with junk.
At the end of the hallway, the last two rooms were my bedroom on the right and my mom’s on the left. Both doors were open. My hand felt cold and tingly as I brought it up to flick on the lights to my mom’s room.
The bed was made, and there wasn’t anything on it. There was a path through the junk that led to the bed, but the rest of the floor space was filled with containers and clothing, and toys from when I was a child.
My room wasn’t too bad. There were random items piled against the walls, but there was more walking space. It was like she’d only just started filling my room with items before she passed.
I left the light on and walked down the hall. Sam was staring at her computer screen.
“How’s Dott?” I asked.
“The cutest,” Sam said. “Just checking on some work things quick.”
“No problem. My room is the last door on the right. No rush, just letting you know,” I said, picking up my plastic bag of items from the gas station. “If you want, I can attempt to change the sheets on the bed.”
Sam’s eyes widened. “I don’t think that will make any difference.”
I emptied the bag of items onto the counter and opened the microwave door. It squealed on its old rusty hinges. The microwave had been the same one that had been in the house all my life. I wasn’t even sure if it was safe to use it.
I tossed the food in and set it for two minutes. A yawn stretched my mouth wide. I hadn’t even realized how tired I was. Driving for so long had been exhausting.
There was a loud thud that felt as though it shook the house. The lights and the microwave shut off instantly.
“Ouch!” Sam howled as something crashed to the floor in the darkness.
Crackles and pops came from the outlet where the microwave was plugged in. Sparks burst out and caught nearby papers on fire.
Flames rapidly multiplied. It wouldn’t take long for the house to burn to the ground. And maybe that would be for the best.
Sam shook my arm. “Mel! Do something!”

5
I reached down under the sink, grabbing the fire extinguisher, which thankfully was still there. It was a gift from my brother after he’d moved out.
I pulled the pin and squeezed the handle. The white powder put out the fire almost instantly.
“I’ve never had to do that before,” I mumbled, staring into the darkness. I couldn’t see anything except for the distracting orbs of light that moved with my eyes.
The room was pitch black.
“What the hell was that?” Sam asked.
“A fire.”
She groaned loudly. “I know that, but why? My laptop zapped me. I threw it on the floor.”
“Guess something short-circuited or something?”
“So, what do we do now?” Sam asked. “Hotel?”
My heart was pounding. I exhaled slowly, trying to calm myself.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea with this solar storm or whatever it is that’s supposed to hit tonight,” I said, setting down the extinguisher.
“We can’t stay here,” Sam said, dramatically coughing. “Too much smoke.”
The darkness hid my rolling eyes. Any smoke from the small fire had already found its way out of the poorly insulated home.
“I can’t think,” I said, stepping past her.
I needed my medication before I started to hyperventilate. Panic was on the verge of exploding, and I needed to contain it.
“Where are you going?” Sam squeaked. “Don’t leave me in here alone!”
I turned around, grabbed her hand, and pulled her with me out of the house. My feet stopped after three steps onto the yard.
I gasped at the sky. Bright blues, greens, and reds danced and swirled far over our heads.
“What is that?” Sam asked. “Aurora Borealis?”
“I’m not sure, but I don’t think so,” I said, tempted to pivot and go right back inside. We could find a closet to hide in and wait safely until morning. “Maybe it’s from the solar storm.”
“That doesn’t look like anything we need to take shelter from,” Sam said with a shrug. “If you ask me, it’s kind of pretty.”
There was a faint but sharp whistling sound in the distance. I turned toward the sound, but I couldn’t see anything.
“Do you hear that?” I asked as the sound grew louder and harsher.
“How could I not?” Sam asked, tugging on my arm. “We should go back inside.”
The sound was so loud I covered my ears and crouched. It felt like the earth was shaking, and the trees around us were going to get ripped