by Hayden James
The engine roars became louder as the vehicle was getting closer. Liam muttered to Prue, “I have a funny feeling about the noise. Let’s get off the road here.” Liam grabbed Prue’s arm and led her toward the sidewalk, closer to the abandoned buildings on the edge of the town.
They continued walking, but Liam felt more secure that they could take shelter at a moment’s notice. As Liam suspected, the noise of the engine was not a good sign as a vintage jeep came up behind them. “What ya’ll have in those bags?” a voice asked from the opened window of the jeep.
Liam didn’t make eye contact but knew that if gun shots came from the second floor of the apartment building where they made a stop and the stop sign, then there was much more that this group of hoodlums were capable of. “Just keep walking,” whispered Liam to Prue.
“I hope they get the idea that we don’t want anything to do with them and move on,” replied Prue, holding on to Liam’s arm.
Out of the corner of Liam’s eye, he caught the muzzle flash from the opened window. “Get down now” shouted Liam as he pulled Prue into broken store front window of the building they were in front of.
Both Liam and Prue ducked below the windowsill of the large display window that must have been broken weeks ago by looters. Liam took out the gun that Mrs. Grandy sold him from his waistband and returned the gun fire.
The vintage jeep stopped in front of the vacant store front where Prue and Liam took cover. Liam watched as six people came out of the jeep, surrounding them, guns drawn. “This is not good. We are vastly outnumbered,” he whispered to Prue. As he kept watch, he noticed Prue appeared to be petrified. He reached his arm and put his palm on her knee. “We are going to get out of this,” he affirmed. She nodded.
Liam loaded the spare handgun and passed it to Prue, sliding it on the floor. Thankfully for both of them, Dwight loaded Liam up with ammunition and the extra handgun. They could withstand to have a standoff and a shoot out for a week, easy with the amount of ammunition Dwight sent them off with.
“It will be a long night,” whispered Liam. “Be ready to be on guard for a few hours.” Prue nodded, looking at him.
Bullets came through the display window, which had only shards of glass along the border. Prue crouched down below the window, on one side of the window, not even looking at the assailants who shot at them.
Liam kept watch, keeping his eye the six men. Two were behind two different light posts in front of the store, two stood behind the jeep, one behind a wall of the neighboring store, and another behind piled up plywood across the street that laid against the stores on that side of the street.
Liam returned the fire at the two behind the light posts as they were the closest and most threatening of the group. Liam shot them, but the post fully covered them. Liam’s best bet was to get them while they were about to take fire, since they had to come from out of the post to take a shot.
“Missed him again,” said Liam, reluctantly and frustrated that he could not hit one of the shooters who had to completely come out from their cover to shoot at Liam and Prue.
Prue appeared to have her wits about her now and could look at the window at the shooters. She aimed for one who was behind the Jeep. Liam watched her out of the corner of his eye and saw her with a steady hand and hit the shooter who came from behind the hood of the Jeep square in the chest, knocking him back. “Great shot!” Liam shouted. Prue gave Liam a smirk and went back to taking cover under the windowsill.
Liam maintained his watch and saw the two shooters who were behind the light posts run down the street, both making a mad dash. He watched both men attempt to fire their weapons, with no luck before darting down the street. “Must have ran out,” he muttered. “And then there were three.”
Taking precision to aim the gun at the back of the Jeep, Liam fired. He hit the shooter, with the only part of his body exposed, his forehead. Liam shot the man square between the eyes, killing him instantly.
More fire exchanged between both sides. As Liam reloaded his gun for the fourth time, he said, “We have enough to go all night.” After a few more hours of fire exchange, the other two ran away when they ran out of ammunition.
This time, Liam wanted to ensure they would no longer be followed. He climbed out through the window and shot one dead in the back, killing him. The other, he shot in the leg, and that stopped him from running. He hobbled, holding the back of his leg as he urgently made his way down the street. “Don’t think they will be following us,” shouted Liam to Prue who still took cover behind the windowsill. Liam left Chewy with Prue while he made his offensive move, wounding and killing the shooters, ensuring they would no longer come after them.
Liam returned to Prue and helped her out of the storefront. She could barely move as her leg was stiff from not moving it for some time. The inflammation also made it difficult for her to move her leg.
The pair continued down the street, with Prue limping with her infected leg. Liam knew at this moment that they were at least two days out from Spartanburg.
Chapter Four
Rachel Conner
Birmingham Way
Tucker Hollow, Tennessee
11:26 AM
“What are their names again?” Rachel asked William as they approached the house of Dwight’s closest neighbor. The pair had trekked quite far, as Dwight’s closet neighbor was ten miles away. They had traveled eight of the miles, and the heat was wearing on them. Instead of riding bikes, horses, or taking the van, the opted for a mode of transportation that would allow them to be the least noticed.
“Their names are Tom and Dana,” answered William.
“Oh, Tom and Dana what?” Rachel barked, getting frustrated by walking all the way in the middle of the day.
“Anderson. Tom and Dana Anderson,” answered William. The tension between the pair was mounting as Rachel was tired of having to constantly squash the blow ups between William and Dwight. Most of the time, Rachel knew that her role in the family was to be the peace keeper, especially after William’s mother died, but with the added pressure of the anarchy that seemed to take over the world as they knew it, she had hoped that both of them would find common ground, at least sooner than they had been.
They arrived at the property of Tom and Dana Anderson and walked up the walkway to the front door. Rachel knocked on the door and was instantly greeted by Dana, “Yes?” Dana said as she opened the door, appearing startled at the sight of Rachel and William. A sinking feeling came offer Rachel as she noticed the alarmed look on Dana’s face when she opened the door. It seemed as though Dana was on edge. After looking at the pair for a while, with excitement Dana said, “Will! I haven’t seen you for years. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well, considering. Thank you,” answered William.
“You must be Rachel, I believe we met during the funeral for Will’s mom,” said Dana as she turned to Rachel.
“Yes, I’m sure we met. That week was very tough for all of us,” replied Rachel.
“I have no doubt, both of you, please come in,” responded Dana, opening the door for both William and Rachel and after they entered, she took a moment to survey the front of her property before shutting the door.
“You seem on edge, Dana,” started William. “Is everything all right?”
“Well, no it’s not. But I’m not sure if I can get into it with you,” answered Dana stoically.
Rachel interjected, “I can assure you, if I you will say what I think going to you say, we’ve been having the same problems. Dwight told us that at one time, you guys were friends and we’ve come here to maybe join forces.”
“I see,” responded Dana even so, appearing as though she did not trust them. Tom must have heard voices in the living room as he joined the conversation that was taking place.
“Oh hey, William. I thought you might have come to help out your dad,” said Tom as he held out his hand and shook William’s. “How have you been?”
“Been good. We arrived last
week with the kids. We were just speaking to Dana about maybe joining forces and pulling our resources,” replied William.
“That might not be a bad idea,” answered Tom, appearing to be intrigued by the proposition. “You know, things have not been good around here. People like your dad and me have been preparing for something like this for a long time. And now we have the meddling—”
Right after Tom’s began his explanation to William about potentially joining forces, Dana interrupted. “Tom, don’t you think we should discuss this privately,” she said with a stare right into Tom’s eyes.
“Dear, we were at this man’s mother’s funeral. If we can’t trust these two, we can’t trust anyone and this world is just not worth it,” countered Tom to Dana with a stern voice.
Dana nodded. “Here, sit down,” she said as she pointed to the couch. “Would you like any coffee, tea?”
“No, but thank you,” answered Rachel.
William and Rachel took a seat on the couch and Tom and Dana sat in armchairs adjacent to the couch. “Let’s talk softly,” started Tom. “I’ve been wondering if anyone has been eavesdropping on our conversation,” he whispered. Rachel and William nodded and gave each other a look.
Dana started, speaking in a soft tone so her voice would not carry through the walls. “Things have been very hectic since this whole thing has started. Before the EMP or CME, whichever it is, I already didn’t like Mayor Elisa. She just rubbed me the wrong way. And that henchman she appointed as Sheriff, that overweight creep that does all of her bidding has been driving Tom and I insane,” explained Dana.
“That’s right,” confirmed Tom. “Four days ago, I caught Murphy lurking around our property. When I asked him what he was doing on my property, he said that there was a rumor going around town that Dana and I were preppers. And he wanted to find out the status of our resources for inventory purposes. I just told him we had what we needed, and we wouldn’t be joining in with the community.”
“Interesting,” replied William. Rachel noting the odd way the Sheriff had been medaling with everyone’s resources.
“Right, isn’t that peculiar?” Tom asked.
“Extremely,” answered Rachel.
Tom continued, “Now, Dana has been monitoring the Ham radio. It’s a hobby she picked up before this whole thing started. Dana has been monitoring this thing daily.”
“That’s great!” William exclaimed. “I’ve dabbled with the HAM radio. Some nice people helped me learn how to operate it. We learned a few tidbits here and there,” added William.
“Oh, like what?” Dana asked.
“We learned that this whole power outage was a result from China timing a HEMP attack alongside a natural occurring coronal mass ejection. They must have had that planned for some time,” explained William.
“I’ve heard similar rhetoric,” confirmed Dana. “But the issue is, that no one knows for sure.”
“It’s the only thing that has made sense,” argued William.
“Right, it is the only explanation that would completely do in our power infrastructure like it has but are you aware of how orchestrated something like that would need to be,” countered Dana.
“Oh, believe me, I well know of that fact,” William shot back. “But what other explanation could there be? If it was either of those by itself, one could take out all of our power towers nationwide, but it would not fry our cell phones and small electronics. That means the electromagnetic radiation had to be massive.”
“Bigger than massive,” relented Tom. “On another level of anything we have seen or could have predicted.”
Rachel chimed in, “At the moment, what has caused it doesn’t seem to be as important as how we are going to survive it.”
“Rachel has a point,” confirmed Dana. “We are only speaking of speculation and what if’s. That does not help us out with the threat that seems to be coming from our own Town Hall.”
“Right. Let’s discuss things we have control over, if we have to fight off the Chinese at some later point, well, let’s cross that bridge when we get to it,” Tom echoed Dana’s sentiment.
“Before I forget,” interjected William. “What is your handle?”
Dana answered, “WX5DRA”
“Great!” William answered. “Mine is WAC6T. I’ll ping you when I get home. That way we can communicate if disaster strikes.”
“Good, that will be great to connect with you there,” answered Dana. “I’m sure Murphy is not on the HAM, as it would not benefit him and his socialist endeavors,” she added.
Tom confirmed, “Right, that is a great idea, William. That way we can exchange information without having to send a messenger. That’ll really come in handy if one of us needs help.”
The two sets of neighbors continued exchanging information for a few more hours, catching up on their adventures since the pulse hit.
Rachel interrupted when the conversation died down and said, “We do have to get going.”
“Oh, of course,” answered Dana.
“We are going to speak to a few more neighbors and arrange their alliance with us,” answered William.
“That’s a great idea,” said Tom. “You can let Dana know which neighbors joined in on the HAM radio later on. But please use discretion when approaching others. This is a sore subject for most, and if the powers that be catch wind of this, there could be a dust up.”
“Right, I will,” answered William, shaking Tom’s hand as him and Rachel headed out the door.
Rachel and William left the Anderson residence and over to the next neighbors, several miles from the Anderson’s house.
The two made sure to stay away from the center of town, speaking to the neighbors who were around Dwight’s property. Rachel did not want the Sheriff or the Mayor catching wind that they were forming an alliance that would ultimately counter the efforts they were attempting to have rooted in the community.
Some neighbors that Rachel and William spoke to were hesitant to the idea of going against the Sheriff and Mayor. They were careful how they approached the topic, not knowing how people would react to their undercurrent of power they were forming.
William and Rachel made their way up to another house and knocked on the door. “Who is it?” a voice said from the other side of the door before opening it.
“We are Rachel and William Conner,” answered Rachel.
The door opened, and the woman inside asked, “How can I help you?”
“Uh, hi!” Rachel said. “Are you Tanya?”
“Yes, how did you know that?” Tanya asked.
“Tanya and Earle Yates. My father-in-law, Dwight Conner gave me your name,” answered Rachel.
“Oh sure, come on in,” answered Tanya, opening the door to her neighbors and allowing them in. “I was having a cup of tea in the kitchen, care to join me?”
“Of course,” answered Rachel.
“Thank you,” responded William. Tanya opened the door, and the pair walked in and followed Tanya to the kitchen. They both had a seat at the table while Tanya went outside to get the kettle from the campfire she had going in the backyard.
A few moments later, Tanya came back to the kitchen table. She found a tea bag and said, “I just had enough hot water for one cup. Give me a second, and I’ll get the other one heated.”
As Tanya gathered the tea bag and the sugar for the tea, she asked, “Oh, what does Dwight want now? Seems like he is always trying to stir up drama of some sort.” Tanya rustled through the cabinets, which appeared to be bare, finally finding the sugar she was looking for. “If it’s not with our town’s precious food bank, it’s with some sort of order the Sheriff is trying to set up so we are all better off,” elaborated Tanya as she handed William the cup of tea.
William started, “Oh, I don’t need any tea, I wouldn’t want to be a—”
Rachel interrupted, “Will has a sore throat, he could use the hot water to soothe his throat, and I’d like a cup of tea as well.” William gave her a weir
d glance as if he did not know what she was doing but went along with it, anyway.
“Give me another minute or two,” responded Tanya as she got a bottle of water out from the cabinet and headed back outside to the campfire.
Rachel was already getting the impression that Tanya and Earl would not be interested in joining their alliance. While Tanya was outside, Rachel took a peek in the pantry. There, she saw the entire pantry was bare. They are getting low on food, unless they had another stash somewhere. However, given that this was a rural property, it was clear from looking in the backyard that the Yates did not have a garden or raised animals. What were they going to do? Rachel stealthily made her way back to the kitchen table, hoping that Tanya did not see her snooping around.
Tanya came back inside after heating the water for the second cup of tea. “Here you go,” she said as she handed Rachel her cup of tea.
Rachel started the conversation once again, in an attempt to sway the Yates into joining their alliance. “Dwight is just trying to protect the resources he worked for,” countered Rachel. “Don’t you want to keep everything you worked for and not give it to everyone?” Rachel asked.
“Well, Earl and I think it’s a great thing. This is the type of community that we have always wanted. Where everyone shares everything they have and everyone cooperates together,” answered Tanya.
William confronted Tanya and her ideology, “But, what if you worked all your life so that you would have everything you needed in case something like this happened?”
“Wouldn’t you want everyone to live in peace and harmony, with enough that they needed?” Tanya asked.
As Tanya gave her counter arguments, Earl came up from the living room and stood in the doorway. “I think you two better get out of here,” seethed Earl staring straight at William.
William answered, “Thanks for your time.” William, he stood up from the kitchen table as did Rachel. He put his arm around Rachel and guided her out of the house and down the driveway.