Absolute Darkness - A CME Survival Thriller

right out of the ground.
The thunderous sound began to fade before we could even get inside. It hadn’t taken long to pass overhead.
“Was that a plane?” I asked.
“Couldn’t be,” Sam said, still holding my arm. “It would be too low.”
The boom of whatever it was smashing into the lake nearly knocked me off my feet. I held out my arms to steady myself.
“I think that was a plane,” I said slowly.
Sam and I exchanged a long, horrified look in silence. My breathing slowed, but my heart was still racing.
“I need to get my medicine,” I said.
“Yeah,” Sam said. “Are you sure we shouldn’t just get our things and find a hotel? We can come back first thing in the morning.”
“Fine,” I said.
I was afraid to leave, but I was also scared to stay. The sky freaked me out, and a plane had just crashed into the bay. There was a feeling in the air I didn’t like… the creepy, spine-tingling feeling right before a really bad thunderstorm. Although this was different. We didn’t know what was going to happen.
Sam reappeared with both of our bags. “Let’s go.”
We walked side by side to the car. Sam opened the passenger’s side door and tossed the bags into the backseat before sitting down. She shut the door and curled her knees to her chest, hugging herself into a tight ball.
I put the keys into the car and turned them, but nothing happened. The dashboard lights didn’t even come on.
“What are you waiting for?” Sam asked, shaking her foot. “Oh,” she said, letting her legs drop to the floor. “Your medicine.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Well, yes, but that isn’t the problem.”
“Problem?”
I tried the keys again. Nothing.
“The battery must have died,” I said, resting my forehead on the steering wheel.
“Is that even possible?” Sam held out her palm. “Let me try.”
“Sam,” I groaned. “I know how to start a car.”
“Humor me,” Sam said.
I gave her the keys, and she leaned over. As I expected, nothing happened.
“Huh,” she said. “Well, I guess we’re stuck here then.”
“I’m not sure what we should do,” I said, leaning back my head back. “It’s too dark in the house.”
Sam blew out a breath. “Do you have your phone? Is there someone we can call?”
“Umm… like a mechanic?” I said, reaching into the back to retrieve my phone from my backpack. “They probably won’t come out until morning anyway.”
“I guess,” Sam said. “I just hate this feeling.”
“Me too,” I said, tapping the button at the side of my phone. “That’s weird.”
Sam’s wide eyes turned to me. “Now what?”
“My phone won’t turn on,” I said, repeatedly pressing the button.
“Out of battery?”
“No, I was charging it as we drove,” I said, holding up the white cord. “Do you have your phone?”
Sam dug into her back pocket and pressed the button. “Mine isn’t working either.” She looked into my eyes. “I’m starting to get a little freaked out.”
“Starting?” I asked, gesturing toward the glove compartment. “Would you mind passing me my medicine?”
“Only if I can have one,” Sam said with a frown as she passed me the bottle. “Kidding, of course.”
“I know,” I said.
Sam sat back in her seat. “Did your mom have a phone?”
“I canceled it.”
She rubbed her hands together and sighed. “Guess we’re camping then?”
“Guess so,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck as I looked up at the sky. “House or car?”
“Car,” Sam said, reclining the seat. “Definitely car.”
Sam reached forward and pressed the button to lock the doors. She sighed heavily as she laid back down, curling into a tight ball.
“I hate camping,” Sam mumbled.
“Have you ever gone camping?” I asked.
“No, because I hate it,” she snapped.
I unscrewed the lid and popped one of the pills into my mouth. My lips curled around the nearly empty bottle of water I had in the cupholder. The warm water didn’t make it easy to swallow the medicine.
“Think your mom has a flashlight in there somewhere,” Sam asked.
“Probably,” I said, watching the colors swirl in the sky. “The batteries are probably dead, though.”
“Do you think she has spare batteries somewhere in there?” Sam asked.
I blew out my cheeks. “Probably. Why? It’s not like we can hunt around in the dark.”
“I know.”
“Don’t worry,” I said, resting my hand on her shoulder. “We’ll get this all figured out in the morning.”
Sam’s eyes glowed in the darkness. “Of course, we will, but what if I have to pee?”
“Try not to think about it,” I said. “You could always squat.”
“Oh, dear God. I’ll try not to think about it.”
We both relaxed as best as we could into our seats. My eyes would close, but they never stayed closed for long.
I was exhausted from the trip, but my heart was still racing, and my mind was buzzing.
Pins and needles started to crawl up my leg. When I shifted my weight around, I noticed Sam’s mouth hanging open. She had somehow managed to fall asleep.
I yawned and looked up at the sky, hoping the swirling colors would put me out. A shiver ran through me as I quietly tried to find a comfortable position.
My spine straightened when a light flickered in my side mirror. I tightened my fists as I ducked down as low as I could.
The light bobbed as it moved across the yard. A pale-yellow beam flashed into the back window.
There was no doubt about it. Someone was coming.

6
I lightly shook Sam and covered her mouth. She grumbled and swatted at my hand.
“Stop,” she said.
“Sam! You need to wake up,” I whispered. “Someone’s coming.”
She blinked several times as she looked into my eyes, trying to determine how serious I was. Her