The man screeched and nearly jumped out of his skin at my sudden appearance and dropped the rock.

"Please?" I added, letting the crooked twig fall from my hand. My arms shot up, palms facing forward.

He mirrored my position for a moment before dropping a hand to his chest.

"You scared the absolute Hell out of me, girl." He laughed nervously before continuing, head canted to one side. "Why are you in the bushes?"

I thought about moving toward him but hesitated. I had to be careful. I didn't know what was going on or why he was walking down a deserted road in the mountains but I was generally a terrible liar. Honesty would probably be the best choice given the situation.

"I-uh, I panicked. My car just died and I've been stuck here since yesterday."

He raised his brows, "Yours is dead too, 'eh? It's really happened then." His voice trailed off and his hands went to his hips, while a very concerned look spread across his face.

"What do you mean? What's happened?" I asked as I awkwardly lowered my hands. Maybe he wasn't as crazy as I had first imagined, only frustrated, confused and scared, just as I was.

"S.H.T.F." He said, like I should know what that meant.

The look of confusion on my face must have cued him in to my lack of understanding and he elaborated with an exasperated sigh. "Shit Hit the Fan, girl. It's the end of the world as we know it. The fall of our civilization."

"Wait, what?" I asked, my voice sounding more shrill and panicky than I intended. "How do you know that?"

"Climb up out of the ditch and I'll tell you." He said, motioning me towards him.

I shot him a skeptical look and considered. He was tall, well over six feet, and he had an athletic build, but he was easily twice my age with salt and pepper hair, graying beard stubble, and a bit of a belly. He wore sensible pants, sturdy shoes and a plain, puffy vest over a tucked in shirt. This man's entire look smacked of 'Outdoorsy Dad'.

"Look, I'm not going to hurt you. I have a wife and kids to get home to. I've been walking since before dawn and I'm thirsty, not to mention that earthquake. My nerves are pretty well shot. You got some water in that cooler you'd be willing to share?" He pointed to the window of my Jeep.

So he was after the ice chest and not my pack? Maybe he really wasn't crazy. He certainly seemed normal now that he was talking to me rather than himself. Plus he had confirmed my 'Dad' suspicions without my asking. Deciding to take a chance, I scrambled out of the bushes and pulled the car keys out of my pocket. "Ok, but no sudden movements."

He raised his hands and took several steps away from the car.

"I'm Amber, by the way. And I do have some water," I sighed, a little of the tension leaving my body then mumbled to myself, "I wish I woulda packed some frikkin' whisky though."

As I unlocked the passenger door he chuckled and introduced himself. "Ya got that right. I'm Dan."

Still eyeing him cautiously, making sure he stayed on the opposite side of the car, I reached in and jerked open the cooler. Several bottles of water, juice and a bag of candy I couldn't fit in my pack stared back at me. Pulling a water and juice out, I tossed them over the hood of the Jeep. He caught each one and nodded in thanks. I waited while he took a drink before asking again about how he knew it was the end of days.

"Well, have you not been paying attention to the news the last couple of years?" He asked, voice thick with incredulity.

I shook my head. I tried to ignore current events at all costs and with the exception of last summer's news research obsession, I hadn't watched the news in about two and a half years and I had completely dropped off social media. Not being so plugged in kept my stress levels low and the worst of my anxiety at bay. Not that I explained that to him, though.

Dan rolled his eyes but continued. "Things have been going from bad to worse for a long time and it's finally happened. The economy is in the toilet, the country, no, the world is in shambles. It was just a matter of time before something, natural or man made, happened to bring about a reset."

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

I shrugged and shook my head, "So, what does that have to do with both of our cars breaking down on the same road?"

"That, girl, is caused by an electromagnetic pulse. It could be some crazy country detonated a nuke in the atmosphere but I'd bet my eye teeth that it was a solar flare or coronal mass ejection. Judging by the northern lights and all the shooting stars last night, there is a ton of solar radiation in the atmosphere. A blast like that from the sun can take out every electronic component on the side of the planet that was facing it. Shoot, it might even wrap around most of the planet if it was large enough."

"So, you're telling me that we have basically been pushed back into the pioneer days?" I asked.

"Pre-pioneer days. Almost everything has vulnerable electronics in it these days and even the things that could possibly have withstood a pulse won't work because the entire power grid is probably shot. No trains, no telegraphs, no power, no running water, nothing. Think pilgrims, girl. We might as well be back in the dark ages."

"Damn," I whispered, "What about the earthquake though?"

"That, I can't say...except that maybe Mother Earth is pissed that we've been neglecting her these last couple hundred years?" He shrugged, "Coincidence, maybe? I dunno, but there have been some weird sightings in the news lately...from all over the world. Unexplainable things,"

I knew what he was referring to. The missing hikers from the national parks, the people found with injuries that wouldn't heal, possible animal attacks, even sightings of the 'Angel' escaping from a maximum-security research center in South America.

A muted chill tickled up my spine and I shuttered inwardly. That volcanologist had killed her career with the controversial theory that the killings and disappearances were linked to the cluster of earthquakes that happened around Yellowstone. And we had just been through an earthquake here. My mind quickly connected the dots. The entire Cascade Mountain range was volcanic and I was practically a stone's throw away from the most active volcano in the range. My mind reeled at the thought.

Dan trailed off and took another long drink of water before he continued. "I see your bag is packed. Were you planning on hiking out?"

Perceptive, wasn't he? "Well, I was going to head to the camp store down the road to try and make a phone call."

Dan grunted in response.

"You heading there too?" I asked.

"That was the plan," He nodded and continued, "Ya know, land lines probably aren't working either."

"No regular phones either?" My heart sank. How was I going to get a hold of my family and let them know I was alright?

"Nope. I mean, it's possible that they could work but those old school copper phone lines are being decommissioned. Pretty much every phone system is digital now, so it only makes sense."

I nodded flatly grappling with all of the implications of his words.

"I spent a lot of time watching videos on what an EMP would do to our electronics after all that crap with North Korea a few years ago. Opinions were split. Some people swore that everything electronic would be toast and others said cars and phones would most likely keep working." He shrugged. "Judging by the fact that both our rigs are dead in the water, so to speak, I think we know now." He took a deep breath and looked at the sky. "Your cell is dead too, right?"

"Yep." I sighed and looked up at the sky as well.

The clouds were moving fast and growing thick around the mountain tops.

"Ya know, I think the camp store has mountain bike rentals during the summer." Dan spoke mostly to the sky then turned back to me, "I'm not sure where they store them in the off season, but a bike is probably going to be the best way to get around from here on out. I'm going to stock up on what I can and get back to my family. The wife is probably worried sick."

I nodded. "I live with my mom. She has got to be beside herself. My little brother too."

He pegged me with a "kids these days" look and shook his head.

"Rude." I scowled. "I'm the oldest and I'm helping my single mother make ends meet. Not that I should have to justify my living situation to a complete stranger. Plus, I'm only twenty-two. Things are tough these days."

I dipped back inside the car and opened my pack. I sent a bag of jerky and an apple flying toward Dan's head which he caught.

"You're welcome." I snapped before he had a chance to thank me.

He droned out a long suffering "Thank you" before turning back towards the road. "Do you want to walk together? There's safety in numbers and some company could be a good thing."

I wasn't too keen on staying put alone, but walking with this stranger wasn't a great option either. He seemed harmless enough since we had been speaking, but something in my gut told me that I should wait a bit. Mom always told me to trust my gut. Your mind and your heart can absolutely lead you astray, but your gut will never do you wrong. Trust it. I had rationalized away gut feelings in the past and I had always wished that I had just listened.

Also, what if Dan was lying? Was I really going to bite into his story and swallow it hook, line and sinker? I was young, true, but definitely not stupid. I really needed a second opinion but I had no way of getting one, so I had to go with what my gut said.

"I'm going to wait a bit. It looks like it's going to rain and I don't have any rain gear."

I tugged at the shoulder of my hoodie and sighed. The ever-present cloud cover did seem to be hanging rather low at the moment so my decision came across more like solid reasoning instead of a hastily thought up excuse.

"Fair enough," Dan nodded, but I could see concern etched into the lines of his face.

The wind kicked up just then bringing a light mist with it and I shivered. "Yeah, definitely going to stay put until the weather blows over."

"Alright then," Dan sighed. "I'm not too thrilled with the idea of leaving you alone out here, you know. Just doesn't sit right. How about I send up a flare when I make it to the store assuming it still has supplies? Shouldn't take me more than four hours if I huff it." He tucked the water and juice bottles into the pockets of his vest.

"I'll keep watch." I said wondering if I would even be able to see a flare through the trees and misty rain.

Dan raised a hand as he walked away. "Thanks again for the snack and drinks," he said around a mouthful of jerky, shaking the bag. "I hope you and your family have some food stored up. It's gonna get really ugly in the coming months if you don't. There are only nine meals between peace and anarchy."

"Well, that's freaking chilling, bro." I called out to him.

"Just dropping truth bombs." He mimicked a mic-drop and resumed his overly fast walking pace down the road and around some fallen trees.

Another gust of wind blew through the area causing the bushes at the road's edge to sway. A shadow seemed to dip and move through them at the same moment and the scent of sulfur and earthy decay briefly brushed my nose. I cringed, the forest around me suddenly looking much more sinister than it had just a few short moments ago. A knot formed in my stomach while an icy chill tickled down my spine.

"Dan!" I yelled. "I have a bad feeling. Maybe you should wait too?"

"It's just the winds of change, girl!" He called in response turning to face me while walking backwards. "Keep an eye out for the flare!"

I reluctantly raised my hand and he turned back in the direction he was going. I watched him until he disappeared from view around a curve in the road then hastily got back inside the Jeep. Something felt terribly off.

The rain began falling in earnest streaking the windows of the Jeep and distorting the dark trees around me. Hours passed in an indistinguishable blur and as the rain darkened sky began to blacken with the coming of night, I unpacked my bag and settled in. There was no way I would be walking out of the forest before dark. The rain showed no signs of letting up either, not to mention the queasy, nervous feeling I had in my gut. I couldn't see anything in the forest around me but it felt like something was out there. Lurking in the shadows. Waiting. A deep and primal sense of unease gnawed at the pit of my stomach, and I shivered as I lay down to try and get some rest.