The Surge

“We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this emergency broadcast. Please standby.”

A long droning beep startled Gemma, lounging on the couch in jean shorts and a T-shirt, trying to combat the summer heat. It was a Saturday afternoon in June, and she had been looking forward to watching her shows. Sighing, Gemma placed her cup of water on the coffee table and dabbed ineffectually at the wet spot on her shirt. She sat up and spared a glance towards the TV. Its screen was filled with static.

“Anna?” she called out. The word echoed in the threadbare apartment that consisted of a combined kitchen/dining/living room and two bedrooms that were so small they could be considered large closets. There was a thin rug in front of the couch and a small flat screen TV, bought on Boxing Day. The dining nook to Gemma’s right had a small circular table and two rickety chairs- inherited from her parents. On her left, there was a large window that was perpetually open in the summer and overhead was their only artificial light source. Previously there had been an additional lamp, but it had died last week. A new lightbulb hadn’t helped, and the two roommates had been forced to throw it out.

“What’s wrong?” The response was followed by footsteps, before a freckled face with a head of red curls peaked around the doorframe. Gemma swallowed involuntarily, pushing her long black hair behind her ear. She still couldn’t believe she was rooming with her long-time crush, and even more unbelievable was the fact that Anna didn’t seem to be aware of Gemma’s feelings for her.

Clearing her throat, she responded. “There’s an emergency TV broadcast. I thought you’d want to watch it.” She patted the couch cushion beside her. Anna darted over and plopped onto the sofa. Her airy flower print dress billowed around her as she settled in. A few moments later, the static faded and was replaced by a flushed face broadcaster.

“My apologies for the interruption. I’ll try to keep this brief. A meteor has been sighted and is predicted to fly past our planet. It will not physically make contact with Earth, but scientists are speculating that its magnetic pull could disrupt our electrical fields. This may result in some electrical outages in your neighborhood. Please remain calm. We have alerted the electrical companies, and they are prepared to deal with any disruptions, should they occur. We will-” All of a sudden the TV shut off, followed by their overhead light spluttering. A moment later and the afternoon summer sunlight streaming through the window was their only light.

“Wow.” Gemma said flatly.

“Wow is right,” Anna replied. “I didn’t expect it to happen so soon.”

“Yeah. There’s still a few hours of daylight though, so hopefully it gets fixed in time.” She picked up her phone. 3:05 PM. 30% “No bars.”

“Oh. Well, I guess the two are related,” Anna paused and looked around. “There isn’t really much else for us to do besides talk. We could go on a walk, but we’d have to take the stairs.” The two women looked at each other and shuddered. Their dirt-cheap apartment was located on the fifteenth floor, and neither of them were interested in braving the many flights of steps.

It had been a while since the two of them had sat down and simply talked. Their lives had been so busy the past few months. Gemma’s parents had both been diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, brought on by their deeply ingrained smoking habit. Overflowing ash trays littering their family home was a prominent memory of Gemma’s childhood. That and afternoons spent with her best friend Anna. She smiled at the thought but sobered at her reality. Her parents hadn’t lived very long after their diagnosis, even with the chemotherapy. The hospital bills had been sizeable, and she had been forced to sell their house. All their savings had gone towards funeral costs, and at the age of 21, Gemma had been left with lingering hospital bills, her student loan, an accounting degree, and nowhere to live.

Anna had been by her side the entire time. Her best friend had cooked her meals and forced her to shower. She had held her hand during the funeral and had offered to rent an apartment with her after the house had sold. Gemma had been ecstatic at the prospect, even if together their funds still didn’t amount to much. Anna had her own student loan to contend with, and Gemma knew the two of them would be living frugally for the foreseeable future.

As Anna regaled Gemma with her most recent failed dates, Gemma laughed and consoled at appropriate intervals. Ever since they had started attending university, Gemma in accounting and Anna in social work, Anna had been a serial dater. It was hard for Gemma, especially in the beginning, to watch her crush go on numerous dates. It had been even harder helping her through each subsequent breakup. Each time she had been tempted to confess her feelings. Anna was even bisexual! Gemma sighed inwardly. She had a mountain of debt and if Anna didn’t reciprocate her feelings, their friendship would suffer. Gemma knew she had to settle for what she had, a beautiful friend who had stuck with her through her hardest times.

At the moment, most of Anna’s dates didn’t want to date someone who worked such long hours. Being a social worker wasn’t glamorous, but it was steady work that paid the bills. It was at this point that Gemma apologized for not contributing as much to their shared expenses. Monthly payments ate up her paycheck and left her with less than she’d prefer to contribute to their home. Her accounting degree would prove to be worth it in the long run, but at present she was immensely grateful that Anna, her best friend, had stuck around to help. They got up periodically to get drinks and chips to snack on, but when 6 o’clock rolled around, the two of them were ready for a change of pace.

They took their time making dinner, not that they could afford anything fancy. Chicken, rice, and potatoes was on the menu tonight, but cooking and eating gave them something to do. A couple hours later, and there was barely enough light to see by. They had searched the apartment earlier and hadn’t found any candles or flashlights. By the looks of it, the two roommates would be turning in early tonight. Suddenly a crash outside shattered the silence and Anna rushed to the window.

“What’s happening?” asked Gemma, worriedly.

“I think…” she trailed off as another crash sounded, followed by angry yelling. “It’s like The Purge,” she whispered, clutching the windowsill.

“The Purge? What’s that? A plague?"

“No, it’s a movie. For 24 hours, all crime is legal. Right now, the power’s out, so security systems are down, and I guess people think they can do whatever they want. It’s the Surge,” she concluded with a sense of dread. Another crash sounded, followed by a gunshot and screams. Anna ducked down and covered her ears.

“Gemma!” she cried, shrilly. Gemma rushed over and wrapped her arms around Anna’s shaking body. She rubbed gentle circles on her back and held her close. “I’m scared Gemma.”

“It’ll pass, you’ll see,” she soothed, slowly rocking them back and forth.

“But what if someone tries to break in? What if the power doesn’t come back?”

Gemma took a deep breath. Deep down, she felt the same; she was terrified, but it was her turn to be strong for Anna. As the sounds of rioting continued to drift up from the sidewalk, she whispered into Anna’s ear, “I’ll be your light. We’re in this together, no matter what.”