She knew she shouldn’t close her eyes, but she couldn’t help it. Just like when she found herself in the car with a really bad driver, sometimes Maxine just couldn’t take it. So she closed her eyes for a second or longer, letting the panic wash over her while she was in the dark. Somehow this was easier. Today was no different; she had been up at 2 am again listening to the rough snoring of her partner. Feeling the sweat on the sheets, thinking again that she should change them in the morning. Tossing and turning didn’t work so eventually Maxine took to the Internet.
It was September 11th so once she cruised past the posts on remembrances and stories of loss she started to hit the current stuff. The article that drew her in was one about a solar storm projected to pass by earth, potentially knocking out power grids and cell phones.
Holy shit. Power grids. Visions of chaos, looting, violet crime, ran through her mind. She played it out. When? She read the article and found that this Friday was the date. Maybe morning, maybe later in the day. Fuck. The morning commute would really suck. No one would get anywhere. She realized her partner was going out of town Friday. He would get stuck, unable to reach her. She felt her breath quicken. No cell phones, traffic piled up on the 80. Chaos. Life changing. Horrible. She reeled her mind back like drawing in a tape measure. It was September 11th; she was in bed, 3:32 am. Power on, cellphone working.