The Pulse: A Novel of Surviving the Collapse of the Grid by Scott B. Williams Read Free Book Online

would happen? We still don’t know the full extent of it. This could be a lot bigger than we think. It could have affected the whole country, or even the entire planet.”
    “I didn’t know the sun could do all this. Has it happened before?”
    “Maybe it has, just not since people have had electricity. It wouldn’t have mattered before that.”
    “Is this dangerous?” Casey asked. “I mean, can’t the sun, like, burn up the planet or something?
    “No, I don’t think so,” Grant laughed. “I should say, not right now anyway. Of course it will eventually, when it expands and burns up every planet in our solar system, as scientists say all stars do, but that’s a few million years down the road, I believe.”
    “That’s comforting. So, what are we supposed to do now? No electricity, no cell phones, no WiFi…how do we find out how bad this is?”
    “All we can do is go have a look around. Hey, since we can’t go to class, do you want to go see what we can find out?”
    “Sure, I guess so,” Casey tried to sound nonchalant, hoping Grant couldn’t tell there was nothing she would rather do than hang out with him for a while. “Where will we go?”
    “I don’t know, maybe off campus a bit, see if the power is out in other parts of the city. You’ve got a bike, right?”
    “Yeah, it’s locked up over in front of Dinwiddie Hall.” Casey knew Grant had one. She had passed him in her car a couple of times far from campus, flying down city streets, weaving in and out of traffic like a New York bike messenger. Looking at him, anyone could immediately see that he was in great shape. “I won’t be able to keep up with you, though, on my heavy mountain bike.”
    “We don’t have to go fast,” Grant said. “I won’t run off and leave you, I promise.”
    “Hey, can we just go by my apartment first and at least check my car? We won’t know for sure that it won’t start unless we try it.”
    “Sure thing; it won’t hurt to try. Where do you live?
    “It’s not far. Over on Webster Street just a couple of blocks this side of Magazine.”
    Grant walked with her back to where she’d left her bike, and then she pushed it along as they walked to get his where he’d left it near the library. When they rode off the campus together and turned onto St. Charles, there were so many people standing and walking in the road and on the sidewalks that they had to slow to a near-walking pace to avoid hitting them. Stalled vehicles were still blocking the lanes everywhere, most with their hoods up and their frustrated owners talking with each other and wondering what to do next.
    “These cars haven’t moved since I came by on the way to class,” Casey told Grant.
    “This is unbelievable,” he said, as he scanned both ways at the first cross street they came to. There’s not a moving car in sight. Good thing we have bicycles.”
    “Yeah, I never drive my car to campus anyway. It would be too crazy trying to park. But when I have to get around town, it’s nice to have it—especially since I can’t ride insane miles on a bike like you do.”
    “I just like riding, especially since the weather’s so good here most of the time. And when I’m here during the semesters, I rarely leave the city anyway, there’s just no time. Grad school’s like that.”
    “I can imagine,” Casey said.
    They turned onto Calhoun Street, dropped a couple of blocks down from St. Charles to avoid the snarl of cars and people, and soon reached Webster Street, where Casey lived. Six blocks farther on, Casey pointed out her car parked on the street near the stairs that led up to her apartment. They pulled the bikes up beside it and Casey dismounted and rummaged through her backpack for her keys. When she found them she looked at Grant with a shrug.
    “You might as well try it, at least,” he said.
    Casey first tried the electronic door opener on her key, but nothing happened when she pushed the button. She had to use the key itself