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

and manually unlock the door. When she slid behind the wheel and turned the ignition switch, it had no effect whatsoever; there was not even the click of the starter relay.
    “I guess we won’t be cruising around town in this,” she said, almost apologetically.
    “Yeah, too bad you didn’t get that VW Bug you wanted. I’ll bet it would still run.”
    Just as he said it, as if to prove his point, they heard the sound of an engine winding out and saw a dilapidated diesel work truck weaving its way up the street around the stalled cars and their stranded drivers. It looked to be a relic from the ’60s, if not older.
    “Nothing electronic under the hood,” Grant answered when Casey gave him a questioning look. “People with old vehicles like that are in luck, but the problem is, the roads are so clogged up with all the new ones that they likely won’t be able to go anywhere. We’re better off with our bikes.”
    “I suppose, as long as we don’t need to go far. Hey, I need to see if my roommate Jessica came home. Do you want to come up to my apartment with me to check? Then we can go ride around some if you want.”
    “Sure. There’s certainly no hurry. Not much else I can do anyway.”
    Casey was grateful for this unexpected turn of events that gave her an opportunity to hang out with Grant. She hoped it didn’t show in her body language because she was embarrassed for him to know that it mattered to her. She led the way up the stairs and unlocked the door. “It’s going to be hot in here without the AC, but at least it’s not summer yet.”
    “Yeah, it’s actually pretty pleasant today. Usually when the power goes out down here, it’s because of a hurricane, and in hurricane season, it’s always hot.”
    “I want to hear more about what it was like here after Katrina, if you ever have time to tell me about it.”
    “Sure, I’ll be glad to, but we got out ahead of the worst of it and didn’t come back for a long time.”
    “I can’t imagine what it must have been like to lose your home and everything in it.”
    Grant just shrugged and said that wasn’t the worst part of it. He said that growing up the way he did he was used to being uprooted and moved to new places. As a result of that lifestyle, he said, he didn’t have a lot of possessions that he was attached to, like most people did. The worst part was that all his close friends had moved out of New Orleans and even out of the state after they were displaced and none had come back. He was essentially alone on campus, and though he had new acquaintances in his graduate classes, none of them were people he spent time outside of class with. He promised to tell her more about Katrina soon, and said that what he learned in the aftermath of that storm might come in handy considering what had apparently happened now.
    It was obvious that Jessica was not in the apartment, and Casey could see no sign that she’d been back. She told Grant that she must still be at her boyfriend’s place or else had gone straight to campus from there without coming by the apartment.
    “What about yours?” Grant asked.
    “My what?”
    “Boyfriend, significant other, or whatever.”
    “No, I’m afraid not. I haven’t really dated since I started classes here. I just didn’t need the drama with all the work I have to do. I thought I would end up with my high school sweetheart, but he dumped me when he went to LSU.”
    “That was a dumb move on his part, I’d say.”
    Casey blushed. “Thanks, but it happens to everyone, I think. That’s why I haven’t bothered again for now.”
    “I know what you mean. I keep myself free too these days. If not, I couldn’t do all the traveling I do between semesters.”
    Casey started to say something but reconsidered. She was lost in thought for a moment but suddenly changed the subject. “If we can’t get the news on TV or the radio, and cell phones are not working either, how are we supposed to find out more about what