The E.M.P. Chronicles (Book 1): 458 Miles & 24 Days

by McTatey, Zayden (Oz)

  Oz panicked and reached for his phone to call Nicki. He quickly realized that his phone didn’t work. This time there was no lit screen. Absolutely no power. He hit the power button several times before realizing the phone was dead. His mind shifted to Nicki and the kids. Had they experienced the same thing? Were they scared? Would Cali and BJ realize they needed to head home? Would Nicki and Randall shelter in place until he arrived home? Many questions, no answers. Oz knew he had to rely on his training. It was time to act.

  12

  Bugging Out

  OZ KNEW BEFORE HE BUGGED OUT HE NEEDED TO HAVE A conversation with his team. His mind was made up. He was going to bug out no matter how crazy it sounded, or if it was. But first, he needed to let his team know what he saw happening and explain why he was leaving. He needed to say his final farewell just in case this event was truly as bad as he imagined. He had his supervisors gather the team in the main conference room. The conference room was next to large windows that allowed the sun to freely shine through. With a thoughtless stare, Oz took notice of employees entering the conference room with their heads down. No smiles but an occasional handshake to show there was still civility.

  “At least for the next week or two,” Oz thought.

  He saw looks of confusion and knew there would be many questions. And so, he began his unprepared, unplanned end of the world speech.

  “First, like many of you, I can’t reach my family. I thought my computer catching on fire, the lights and power fluctuating, and then the loss of power was scary—and it is—but not as scary as not knowing about my family. I don’t know if they’re going through a similar event or if they’re fine. The same questions I’m sure you have. I want to give you my thoughts on what’s happening and share how you need to act.

  “First, I strongly feel that we’ve been hit by some type of electrical event. I hope I’m wrong, but I feel I’m not. I have no idea if it was a cyberattack, EMP, or a combination of the two. The equipment in the plant failed followed by the power grid. This was a deliberate attack and not a coincidence. Cell phone services are down to the point where our local emergency services can’t contact one another. The fire department told Jake they can’t contact anyone.

  “After this meeting, I encourage each of you to go home and make sure your family is safe. After you know they’re safe, you and they will need to shelter in place. In other words, stay in your house for as long as you can before you venture out. If these events last more than two weeks people will be completely unprepared. Unprepared people will need water and food. When they don’t have food, they will come to your house and ask you. As harsh as this sounds I encourage you to NOT give them food or supplies of any type. I’ve thought about this answer for many years and here’s the reason why: if these events last longer than one week you and your family will need that food. You’ll eventually run out unless you’ve prepared. The moment you feed others they will keep coming back to you and asking for more and more. They will tell others you have food and before you need know, you’re feeding more people than you realize.

  “Next, after you leave our parking lot head immediately to stores such as Dollar General®, Dollar Tree®, and yes even auto part stores. Auto parts stores will have water and even snacks that you can load up on. Your grocery stores like Walmart, Kroger’s®, and Publix® will be packed with unprepared people. It will be chaotic. You don’t want or need to be a part of that. People won’t necessarily head to the smaller dollar stores. Load up on the basics like beans, rice, flour, peanut butter, canned vegetables, medical supplies, feminine products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, baking soda, salt, and bottled water. Buy what you can afford. If you go to these stores and there’s no power, add up the cost of the items your buying on a piece of paper, add nine percent for tax, and then add an additional ten percent for the person behind the register. Tell them to keep the extra ten percent when the power comes back on. This ensures you get what you need and compensates them for their troubles. From there, head to the lumber store and purchase sheets of wood which you can use to secure your windows and doors. This won’t be the greatest security but it’s something.

  “Then, sit down with your family and discuss how you plan to survive, yes survive, if the power outage lasts more than three weeks. Why three weeks? Because you can only live for three weeks without food. Again, people will be hunger and will act in ways you’ve probably never experienced. That’s when I expect neighbors to turn on neighbors. The neighbor you’ve known for twenty years will do absolutely anything to get food for his or her family. This includes killing you and your family.

  “Next, secure your house to the best of your ability. Use the wood you purchased or any other material you have on hand to barricade all entrances. Then, take inventory of your guns and ammunition. Know exactly what you have and use it wisely. Gather your medical supplies in one location and take an inventory of those, too. Know what you have and what you can and can’t treat.

  “Set up a security detail next. To the best of your ability set up a 24/7 watch detail. This will give you and your family advanced notice if something or somebody could jeopardize your safety. And finally, be aware. Every time you step out of your house be aware of your surroundings. Always and constantly check your environment. Put your head on a swivel. Know your environment.

  “My hope is that the power will come back on. My hope is that you and your family will not need to implement anything I have discussed. I don’t mean to scare any of you, but I want you to be prepared. God bless each and every one of you and your family, be safe.”

  As Oz stared into the crowd he only saw blank faces. No expressions. No further words needed to be spoken. No one knew how to respond. One by one they exited the conference room and headed to the parking lot. Oz turned to his leadership team, shook each of their hands, and wandered back down the hallway to gather his personal belonging before heading to his car. As he exited the side door he wondered if he would ever be back in Georgia, let alone this job. After all, he just scared the hell out of his team. He would probably be fired if the lights came back on.

  Standing in front of his car he pushed the door-unlock button on his key fob, but nothing happened. He pushed it again; still nothing.

  “No big deal,” he thought. “The battery is probably dead.”

  He inserted his key into the door lock and stepped inside the vehicle. He immediately noticed that there was no dinging. No overhead or dash lights. No annoying seat belt sign.

  “Oh, no,” he stated as if talking to someone.

  He sat in the driver’s seat, closed his eyes, fumbled to insert the key into the ignition, and turned the key. Nothing happened!

  Oz was now at a point in his training that he had never experienced. He had mentally prepared for this moment in time but to physically be sitting in a car that wouldn’t start after experiencing a power outage and some type of cyberattack was crazy.

  “The stuff you only read about in books,” he laughed.

  He was now scared. He turned his head to look at the back of his car where he saw his folded bicycle. Was it time to start riding home? Should he give it one more day? Maybe the power would come back on. After all, he didn’t want to look like a fool riding a mountain bike down the highway.

  As he was staring at the mountain bike he heard a knock on his window. It startled him. He saw Jake and Susan. Susan was the second-shift supervisor. They were desperately trying to get his attention.

  Oz stepped out of his car but before he could say a word Susan exclaimed, “They won’t start. None of the cars in the parking lot will start. We’ve checked the batteries and nothing. Oz, it’s like you said. At first, I didn’t want to believe you. I didn’t want to hear what you had to say. But it looks like it’s true.”

  Oz looked at Susan and Jake and gave them a look of sincerity and understanding. Jake and Susan, just now, at this moment, realized what Oz knew for years, tha
t something major was going to happen to the United States. The only piece of information Oz didn’t have was when or how it would happen. Now he knew. Oz walked to the employee parking lot and saw small groups of his employees huddled together. He wondered what they were saying. He wondered what they would do. He knew that most of them were not prepared.

  “They probably don’t have money to go to the store. They lived paycheck to paycheck,” he thought to himself.

  Some of them were so out of shape they would most likely not be able to walk home. He grabbed Jake and Susan and told them to leave the plant open for those who chose not to walk home.

  “It’s better to give them an option as opposed to not having one,” he told Jake and Susan.

  As Oz stared at his team huddled in the parking lot, he wondered if he should approach them and talk to them. After all, he was the Plant Manager. That’s what good leaders do; take care of their team. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. He knew that there were no more words to be spoken. He had said his goodbyes in the conference room and there was literally nothing he could do. He knew that he had priorities just as they had priorities. The difference was he was acting on his priorities. He was leaving to be reunited with his family. He was heading to Kentucky where he had everything he needed: food, water, heat, shelter, and protection.

  Oz turned and walked away. It was now time to begin his journey home.

  13

  The Journey Home

  OZ LIFTED THE HATCHBACK ON HIS SUBARU OUTBACK™ AND pulled the Columba mountain bike out. He paused for some time before he pulled the release on the bike. He was pondering what his journey would be like. Would he run into trouble? Would he have the endurance to ride or walk 458 miles? Would he be able to find water along the way?

  “Too many questions,” he thought to himself. “Time to get back to reality.”

  Upon pulling the frame release lever, the bike frame swung open and the front and rear tires were now in their proper position. He tightened the frame release lever which locked the frame in place. He then loosened the handlebar lever that allowed the handlebars to rotate 90 degrees to the proper position. He turned to the seat, loosened the lever, raised the seat and locked it into position. His last task was to flip the pedals 90 degrees to a normal position. He pressed on each tire to check for inflation.

  “Who would have ever of thought to make a mountain bike that could fold in half? Pure genius,” he sighed.

  Without thinking he took the reflectors off the spokes on each tire and removed the reflector on the front of the bike. He fully inspected the bike for anything that would reflect light. The last thing he wanted was to be riding at night and be discovered because of light reflecting from the bike. He wanted to be silent and stealthy. With the mountain bike fully assembled and inspected he changed his shoes. There was no way he would survive in his loafers on a trip that could take up to one month. He opened a small tote stored in the back of the car that had critical supplies. He removed a pair of Danner® tactical boots. He put the boots on and zipped them up. He then reached back into the car and took his SOG Seal Pup Elite tactical knife and a magazine pouch with two extra 9mm Glock magazines and slid them through his belt loops securing them on his right-side belt. He opened his Bug Out Bag and grabbed his Glock17 which he removed from the inner waistband holster. He placed the holster on the left side of his belt. Oz knew that being left-handed gave him a slight advantage. That’s why right-handed boxers often struggle against left-handed boxers; they never see it coming. Oz then picked up the Glock and chamber-checked the gun to verify it was unloaded. He immediately racked the slide which loaded a round in the chamber. He chamber-checked for a second time to visually verify the gun was loaded. He removed the magazine and made sure it was topped off and there were no signs of visual damage. He reinserted the magazine and holstered his weapon.

  “Glock, knife, magazines,” he said to himself as if he was going down a mental checklist.

  He then took everything out of the back of his hatchback to gain access to the spare tire compartment. That is where he stored his Ruger PC Carbine 9mm takedown. He took both halves of the Ruger, the forend assembly and action, and carefully twisted the two sections together until he heard a ‘click.’ As he had done with the Glock he verified the rifle was empty. He verified yet again that the rifle was empty and dry fired the weapon in a safe direction. He was testing functionality. Everything worked as expected. He then slapped a Glock magazine into the magazine well and racked the slide. He checked the breach to make sure the rife was loaded and when he saw a Hornaday® Critical Defense round chambered he smiled. He removed the magazine and made sure it was topped off and there were no signs of visual damage just as he had done before. He reinserted the magazine, pressed the gun’s safety and carefully placed it on the passenger’s rear seat. Oz loved the Ruger PC Carbine 9mm takedown. It was easily hidden in his car with the true advantage being that it came with an adapter for Glock magazines. Oz had confidence knowing that if he were to get into a firefight he could transition between handgun and rifle and use the same magazines in each weapon. To finish the task, he retrieved the Meprolight® 21 sight from the car’s center console and placed it on the rails of the rifle. He took the cover off and made sure the reticles illuminated as they should. The Meprolight 21 used a fiber optic collector system during the day and a miniature self-powered tritium light source at night. This meant no batteries. Oz took a brief minute to admire the weapon he just assembled. In less than two minutes he went from rifle pieces to a fully functional self-defense weapon.

  “Now, the fanny pack” he whispered.

  Prior to placing the fanny pack around his waist, he did a thorough inspection to make sure everything was accounted for.

  “Datrex emergency food bars, Life Straw, night vision monocular, binoculars, first aid kit, pre-1964 coins, cash, flashlights, Swiss Army knife, AA batteries, notebook, and a Space Pen. Check,” he said out loud. He placed the fanny pack around his waist, facing forward, and tightened the straps. He then grabbed his Bug Out Bag and did a quick but thorough inspection to make sure everything was in its place. He double checked to make sure items were evenly distributed. Bulky gear and items not needed until he stopped were stored in the bottom zone. Heavier, dense items were stored in the core zone. Bulkier items he may need while riding his bike were stored in the top zone. Essential items he would urgently need were stored in the accessory pockets while he used the tool loops and lash-on points for oversized or overly long items. He pulled six Glock magazines out of his Bug Out Bag and loaded them with ammunition that was stored in the tote in his car. He placed the six fully loaded magazines in a front pocket of the bag which would allow for easy access. He placed it across his back, snapped the support straps in place, and removed any slack in the straps.

  He retrieved his North Face® all-weather jacket from the car and secured it to his Bug Out Bag. He jogged in place for ten seconds to ensure nothing was moving, making noise or would fall off.

  “Good,” he said as he sighed a breath of relief.

  Oz now had a decision to make. He could jump onto 75 North which would take him directly to Atlanta. Once through Atlanta he would continue north to Chattanooga, Tennessee where he would get on 24 West. From there it was straight to the Kentucky border. This was the easiest and most direct route. He knew if he took this route the possibility of finding food and water along his journey would be easier since stores along the highway might still be open. If they would not take money he had items he could use to barter. Though this was a quicker route, in the back of his mind he also knew that the next three days would be a true test for society. With no communication from the federal, state, or county governments there were many questions. The main being would people remain calm or would the panic start early? He bet on the later and that with no power or cars there would be no law enforcement. Those with lower morals or those in gangs would see an immediate benef
it in a world with no power and law enforcement. If he could get through Atlanta with no issues, the rest would be easy.

  “Ok then, the main highway it is,” he told himself.

  Oz jumped on his bike, turned down Gardner Street and within a mile was on the overpass to 75 North where he stopped before entering the highway. In both directions, he saw individuals and families surveying their surroundings. Some were looking at their car hoping they would mysteriously start. Some had the hoods up on their car and were inspecting their vehicle. Others had their hands on their hips and eyes closed, looking down as if praying.

  Oz could only imagine what they were saying, “Please God, let me get home,” he thought.

  A chill ran down his spine. All those people, stranded. They had no clue. His heart sank as they too would have to make a hard decision. Do they wait for help or do something else? And if they did something else what would it be?

  Wanting to be able to see further in the direction he was headed he reached into his fanny pack and took out his collapsible binoculars. As he peered in the direction of the northbound lane all he saw was stalled vehicles as far as the binoculars would allow. Several minutes later he saw a vehicle driving on the outer part of the highway used by emergency vehicles.

  “Now that’s a beast?” he blurted.

  As he looked at the vehicle he noticed it was a Chevy Suburban. As he looked closer he noticed the winch on the front bumper and that the Suburban was lifted two to three inches. The Suburban had a roof rack with four, five-gallon gas cans on top in addition to two more mounted on the back bumper. Oz estimated the Suburban to be from the 1980-1984 era.

  “No wonder it’s running. It has no electronics. It’s 100 percent mechanical,” he said as his lips moved but no sound came out.