A Mountain Of Beans

A magnetic polar reversal has left a gaping hole in the earth's protective magnetosphere, and harmful electromagnetic radiation from the sun has stricken the unprotected earth. All electronics, including electronics on cars and trucks, have been fried. Even transformers on power lines and batteries have been disabled.

All traffic on the freeway has come to a rolling stop. Pete, a trucker, is sitting on the freeway stopped, along with dozens of cars and other trucks. There is no way to know how big the affected area is--could be the size of a small city or county or could be half the planet facing the sun. There is no way to know and no way to find out.

Pete, an atheist, meets another trucker, John, a humble Christian family man. John's truck is loaded with canned beans, which gives them a food source. But there are dozens of other cars and trucks in the vicinity, and Pete and John know they cannot feed that many people for very long. Help may not come for days or weeks--may not come at all.

What do they do? Do they hoard the food, or do they pass it out to as many people as possible for as long as possible? Does help reach them in time? Do they survive?