The Planck Factor - Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Jessica

My first thought was of Mom and Dad. They lived in the bedroom community of San Rafael and often ventured into San Francisco. The Golden Gate Bridge would be the most logical way in for them.

It must have been a serious threat for the authorities to shut down the bridge. There were other bridges one could take, but the route was substantially longer. And the traffic would be a commuter nightmare. The ferries would make out well.

Fortunately, my Dad could telecommute and Mom worked as a librarian at the College of Marin in Kentfield, so she didn’t have to cross the bridge. I was grateful for that, plus the fact that San Rafael is 30 miles north of the city.

I changed the channel quickly, trying to put the matter out of mind. I already had enough to worry about. I didn’t need to dwell on disasters that might befall my parents.

After a time, I finally landed on a channel with a movie. An old one, from the looks of it. I turned the sound low enough to hear it, but soft enough so it wouldn’t keep me from drifting off. Eventually, I did just that.

I woke to hear the phone ringing. It felt like I’d been asleep for only ten minutes, but the light shining through the crack in the curtains told me otherwise.

I picked up. “Hullo,” I croaked.

“Jessica? It’s me.”