text: Blackouts don't happen everyday. All of Eagle County has come to a standstill , something that even the COVID-19 couldn't pull off 17 years ago. Three hours of no electricity can never mean anything good especially in a city with no proper government , organization or sense of community. Marge and the kids have never been without the internet for even half as long as this and are already starting to feel the need. Since all the drones are down no one received their daily dose of MSH ( Mental Stability and Health ) Pills nor their weekly essentials basket. Crime in the County is pretty much the only thing that is a certainty here and no lights , cameras or the tyrant AI Guard is definitely going to make things dangerous. Marge has been struggling with PTSD ever since the Civil War around 14 years ago and goes crazy without the MSH pills unless she keeps herself occupied. The kids have that taken care of almost all the time but right now I feel its only making things worse. Screams from panic attacks across the street breaking the eerie silence sent shivers down her spine. That coupled with the kids fear of darkness is surely going to tip Marge over. Ive seen Marge at her lowest and I know how hard it is to get her out of there. Furthermore , if shes absent even for one second , the kids are toast. Before the war, me and Marge absolutely loved going down to woods and camp by the river bank. The cool water kissing our feet would bring us calm while the world turned against each other. The chirping birds and the rustling leaves would propel us into song and fill us with a feeling of glee. The kids would loose their mind every time they saw a fish or butterfly or anything that didn't run on a battery. Even though the world was falling apart around us for just a few hours everything seemed happy, joyful and all are worries would just fade away. It was a thing of beauty, although those days are long gone, me and Marge still recall those heavenly times, in this dark age, we crave for days like those. I was lost in thought thinking about those fond memories when i heard the horrifying shriek my one true love would make every time she remembered the terrible, frightful days of war. I knew what i had to do , there were no pills available to turn our back on, no way to call for help as for some reason even our phones were dead. I could clearly see the only hospital in the neighborhood was suffering from a power outrage as well. There were no cars moving although that's a rare sight anyway since everything nowadays is done on the phone. There was still nothing moving across the land, going down the apartment and leaving the safety of our safe walls is practically suicide but it was a risk i was willing to take. 84 floors below us and 200 meters away from the elevator door lay an abandoned indoor nursery dome with a few trees and couple of squirrels.It wasn't much but i knew with the right tools i could give Marge something special and bring hope back into her mind. I told Quinn to keep an eye on his mother for me and tell her to bring him down to Nursery dome when she wakes up after i gave her our last MSH pill which probably gives me around an hour to whip up some magic. The toolbox my father gave me on my 14th birthday was stashed away deep in the over the head kitchen drawer along with the candles and some other old junk. The AK 47 we were given for the war is always within a meter distance of me and the spare magazines were in the bedroom drawer. The lantern me and Marge made out of nothing but some wood , oil, a candle and our bare hands during the war stood on the bedroom side table collecting dust to remind us of the horrors of the war, to make sure we never go down that path again.Lily cant live without her retro Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack which i stashed with a water bottle, pocket knife , lighter, deodorant, a useless phone and a pipe completed the list of things i needed before leaving the safety of our 4 walls. I grabbed Lily by the hand tighter than a baby holding his teddy bear put on my retro limited edition Heelys, kissed marge and Quinn goodbye and the two of us head out into the darkness alone much like me and Marge did several years ago not to fight for society or overthrow the tyranny but just save each other and those who we truly cherished. Our footsteps echoed through the pitch black corridors filled with screams into the staircases whose doors to my surprise were locked up with an antique Pin Tumbler lock , i told Lily to get a good look at the rare sight and then step back as i pulled the wrench out of my tool box. Two good hits and we were in. A quick brisk walk got us to the 60th floor within minutes without much hassle. Across the corridor lay the express ramp built for the disabled with a synthetic surface and a glass roof which would curl around the outside of our massive apartment like a constrictor around a human arm was the quickest way to reach the ground and exactly what my Heelys were made for. As we breezed through the dark sky i realized this was the 1st time in years I had stepped outside. Even though it was totally dark and I could see nothing but the ramp ahead thanks to the lantern I could still tell the difference. 20 years ago around this time the streets would be buzzing with, musicians, homemakers, employees sports persons , people from all woks of life just living together without fear, with a lot of responsibilities and uncertainties but with freedom. Today everyone's a hostile to everyone , no one even dares to think of trusting a stranger and walking out into the open with only an AK 47 along with a 9 year old daughter is practically suicide. Luckily i had a plan, and even though there were going to be some difficult hurdles to overcome , the vision I had in my mind had to become a reality. It was up to me to keep Marge in her right mind. On the ground we realized the AI Guards that are oppressive 24/7 were inactive which was great news for us as i no longer had to reason with them to let me out. Outside the marvel of a building things seemed off. There were no guards constantly establishing their authority, no crooks trying to salvage some wealth , no mysterious groups trying to make me join their cults, it was quite , a bit too quite. I covered the lantern with my shirt to avoid catching any attention and the two of us reached the Nursery without any problems and initiated my plan. I put my tool box down, handed Lily the lantern inside the dome, told her to shine it towards the trees where i started digging, not too deep, but just enough for the water flowing through the pipe that i had attached to the sprinklers to form a stream. I spread the dug out soil around the stream to make sure the water wouldn't escape and my miniature river bank was ready. Lily realized what i was creating and immediately jumped and screamed in exhilarating joy. I scrambled to her as fast i could and covered her mouth with my fingers. After hearing the child's scream everyone's eyes would've turned towards us, even though the light was well covered within the dome i didn't want to take any chances. I picked up my toolbox, Lifted Lily into my forearms , covered the lantern with my shirt again and the two of us paced away as silently as possible and stationed ourselves behind a few large bushes around 40 meters away. 10 minutes passed and no one had arrived which was a great sign but Lily then started scratching my bare chest. I brushed my hand through her brown hair and soft face. It was wet, Lily was crying but i knew there was no way she was frightened or tensed , i reached for the backpack to let her play with the turtles 3D weapons on the bag and then it hit me. I had left the bag near the sprinkler, this was the worst mistake i could have possibly made and the situation now felt terrible. Lilys sense of calm was now out the window but i was able to comfort her just enough. Even though she was crying , she wasn't making any sound. One problem was partially taken care of but another much bigger one arose. The sound of the water flowing through the pipe had stopped , someone had turned the sprinkler off, we were not alone. I grabbed a stone lying on the ground and threw it as far left from the dome as possible and hoped that that would lure the person away. A few minutes passed and Lily was pretty much piercing through my skin now, the wind got stronger and the night quieter, I couldn't tell if it was scientifically possible for things to get any quieter. I had to set the dome up for Marge no matter what , it wasn't a choice. I placed my hand on Lilys shoulders, gave her the covered lantern, looked straight into her eyes and told her to stay put and call for me if she heard anything move or saw anything flash. I grabbed the wrench from the tool box tucked it into my pants and prowled towards the sprinkler. There was no one there , no backpack either , the dome was left untouched as well , I was relieved. The crook was probably satisfied with the many utensils in the Backpack. I prowled back to Lily faster than a cheetah running after a gazelle and after seeing her play with Leonardos Katana my heart dropped. An old man stood tall right behind Lily armed with a MAC-10 shining light over my daughter. I told the man i didn't want any trouble and would give him anything he wanted if he just left us alone. My left arm was behind my back clenching the wrench ready to pounce on any given second while i begged with my right hand. The man said in a Throaty voice but wheezy tone " son , I'm on my last legs , the last thing id want to do is harm your angel, I've sinned my whole life , sometimes to survive , sometimes because of innocence. " I saw him move his arm towards Lily and my instincts kicked in , the wrench was now inches from his face but Lily was hugging my leg. This man really just handed Lily back to me and even gave her her backpack without causing us harm in anyway. I apologized immediately and quickly retracted my tool. The man then told me he would've been dead if he was in my shoes. We got everything we needed , but i still didn't trust the man. What if he was part of a group or a clan and would inform them of our vulnerability, or what if he wasn't alone and people were watching us this very moment. There was no way i was going to let him leave my sight and my brain finally kicked in. I asked him what he was doing here and about the blackout. He told me he was looking for his son who had run towards this dome. I asked him why he would bring his son out at such a dangerous time , he told me they were leaving this place for good, i asked him why they would leave as the rest of the nation is probably in a worse state , he then asked me if i had observed the awkward silence and boredom across the neighborhood , he went on telling me how all the clans and groups had all left yesterday under the radar , he continued to talk about the fishy things taking place recently and i listened keenly until Lily pulled on my trouser, she quickly moved her head to the right to tell me to look at the bush. The bush was moving and my eyes were now sternly on the man, if it was any surprise ambush or anything tricky i would blast his eyeballs out with the AK. The man said in an authoritative tone " Trevor !, come here this instant boy ! ". The man wasn't lying , it was his son. He was a little kid ,an absolute goofball but i still wasn't trusting him. I figured if i had my eyes on the two of them at all times things couldn't go south. I told him i was trying to make a camping spot and would appreciate it if he would help. He told me his name , Tyson , the two of us shook hands each with a hint of suspicion and the 4 of us got to work. With two adults working things were set pretty fast. The artificial river looked fabulous, the dome provided a great view of the night sky and its endless stars while the now trimmed grass was as cozy as a sleeping bag. The roof of the dome was fixed with a one way mirror allowing no light to leave the dome. The nuts from our apartment would kick some life into the squirrels and the kids would take care of everything else. Only one issue remained, which i had around ten minutes to solve. What to do of Tyson. Tyson hadn't done anything wrong so far and was pretty much too old to be of use to anyone. While cleaning the dome i observed Tyson and Trevor , Tyson clearly fought for the other side during the war which seemed pretty ironic , his coat was screaming his political views to the world while Trevor was probably the first kid Lily had probably ever shared her backpack with. I had made my choice , Tyson was trustable as long as he was within my sight. Marge and Quinn arrived just as i made my decision. Marge knew instantly when her eyes fell on the river bank. We walked into the dome and it felt like eternal bliss. That was until she saw Tyson. The smile was wiped clean of her face , she pulled her knife out and was about to threaten him but i stopped her. I told her to look at Lily , I hadn't seen Marge like this since the day i proposed to her 14 years ago. Eternal bliss was an understatement now , Marge hugged me tighter than Lily hugging her backpack at night and i held her feeling more than love, for the first time in a long time it felt like there was something to look forward to in life. Not just hiding in fear and salvaging of scraps but there was hope , hope for a better tomorrow. The nuts Quinn brought along really got the squirrels out of their shells and the running water really did kiss our feet just like the old days. The kids were having the time of their lives showing each other the many faces they could made. Tyson fell asleep staring into infinity and beyond while the stars continued to twinkle. Me and Marge hadn't felt this good in a very, very long time. The outside world did not matter to us, we were surrounded by each other and a few gems of life , it couldn't be all that bad. We held hands and came up with games the kids could play together, argued about who would be the smarter kid, planned a massive recycle of the old junk we have been storing in the kitchen into kids appliances, we realized something tonight. This little camping trip showed us that even though we may have lost hope in society, humanity, faith, or even in each other our kids hadn't and they like Trevor are not alone and we owe it to them to at least try and make their life better than a living hell. We fell asleep in our little dome filled with a new found optimism and desire. Sadly our profound sleep was cut short when Tyson woke us up quite hastily. We could feel the floor shake, it felt like a stampede was approaching us , but how ? so many people had left and who would dare leave their homes during this dangerous time. I put my ears to the ground and i knew instantly. I told Tyson to stop the sprinklers while i killed the lights. It was definitely an army marching towards us, Marge knew it too we had been in this situation before, 15 years ago , the lantern got us through something like this once before and it was going to assist us this time too. My stupid brain finally clicked again when i realized that this wasn't just a blackout it was actually an enemy EMP strike. But who would do this ? people of both sides live here and and eagle county isn't really worth much either. As the vibrations grew stronger, the chants got louder, they were not speaking English , it was an enemy from overseas trying to capitalize on a broken, divided nation. If this had happened yesterday me and Marge would have let them put us out of our misery but today is a different day, a new day , a new dawn , a new beginning for we have three weapons no piece of metal could ever match Hope , Desire and Family.