Power Outage by Douglas H. Plumb
Chapter 12
Paul and Lisa came back up the driveway a few hours later. Everyone was sitting outside and quietly watched as they pushed the bike that pulled the trailer that carried Emma's body up the driveway. Lisa explained that Dave was down there and was investigating what these guys had been doing, and that he had found four bikes and two tents and all kinds of supplies. She said Dave was going to question the man who they believed shot or was an accomplice to the man who killed Emma and was keeping him down there for now. Dave was going to stay there the night and expected to see Emma's brothers or father the next morning to see the evidence of what had happened.
Dan went over to pull back the sleeping bag cover that was wrapped around Emma's body and looked at everyone and said "Its her.". They all went over to look briefly, quietly, almost everyone in tears.
Susan handed Dan the letter, he opened it and walked over to the porch, read through it quickly and went to stand on the porch and began to read it to everyone.
July 11 2004,
Dad, Mom, James, Darius, Bob, Susan, Jennifer, Lisa, Dave, my cousins, aunts and uncles, friends.
Bob said I had to write this letter before we left to take me home. I guess if you are reading it Bob was right. When the power went out these people became my family. I wouldn't have survived without them, especially Susan and Bob. They have a good shelter and they welcomed me into it without asking for a thing in return. They always treated me well and they don't need anything from us.....
The letter went on to tell them about what happened to her when the power went out and about the shelter but with no mention of electricity. The letter was five pages long. Dan stopped to wipe tears from his eyes periodically as he read it in front of everyone. When he finished reading the letter, Lisa volunteered to explain what happened to Emma. Dan excused himself, stepped down and Lisa went up on their porch, taking Dan's place and explained to them what had happened that day.
After Lisa explained everything, Paul got another one of Emma's cousins, Jake, and two ready packs to ride down to meet Dave and they immediately left.
Lisa was introduced to Emma's two brothers, James and Darius. Susan and Lisa were lead inside while James and Darius took care of Emma. James said that the funeral would take place the following day and after Paul and Jake came back with Dave and the accused.
Lisa and Jennifer were shown empty rooms for them to stay in and Emma's family brought their ready bags to their rooms. They were to eat soon and went down into the living room to join the others in mostly silence. They sat around and drank water while a couple of women they hadn't yet been introduced to prepared a cold meal of meat and fresh vegetables in the sunlit kitchen. Later they sat down with Emma's father, brothers and family at a long candle lit table and ate in mostly silence and in shock and without introductions. Lisa and Jennifer excused themselves and sat outside to leave the family alone when they finished eating.
Darius came out shortly after to find them sitting on the porch and said they were welcome inside, Darius said "just like Emma said". Darius walked them around and formally introduced them to his and James wives and the others. Lisa remarked that one of the women that made the meal looked like his mother from the picture she saw in the living room. Darius agreed, saying she was just a neighbor and it was just an odd co-incidence.
Lisa told some of them about her and Dave, Jennifer and Bob and about their shelter. She said that Bob would take this pretty hard and that Jennifer probably would too. She said that Dave would have lots to tell them about what was happening outside normal civilization with people he called the Red Shirts when he got back.
They were all very curious about the Red Shirts. Dan set a meeting for this the day after the next at the stone and said that he would ask Dave if he could speak formally of his experiences with these people and that he had been expecting to hear about things like this.
Lisa asked him about the stone and if it was actually called the Philosophers Stone. Dan said that it was, so she asked more about it and he said that now was not the time. She would see it soon, if she stayed.