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

by McTatey, Zayden (Oz)

  Randall, there’s a chance I may not be home, or it may take me some time to get home. If that’s the case, you’re the man of the family. Your mother and sister will rely on you and will need you more than you can imagine. Be strong in everything you do. Be strong for your family.

  I love you very much, now GET HOME!

  Love, Dad

  Randall was sad as he thought of his dad. Oz was in Georgia and without a car, Randall knew it would be weeks before he made it home. Of all people who would make it home, it would be Oz and Randall knew it. Randall put the letter back in the backpack, zipped the compartment, and placed the backpack over his shoulders. He locked the car doors, turned and began his walk home.

  The walk home for Randall was surreal. The first thing he noticed was how quiet everything was. There were no sounds of engines roaring or airplanes flying overhead. There was no sound of his high school friends revving their car engines. There was no music blaring. There were only droves of now useless cars blocking the road along his route. What was strange for Randall was to see the different reactions of the people he passed. He saw women comforting their children who had grown impatient from sitting in the car. He saw an older couple looking aimlessly at an oxygen bottle before turning to look at one another. He saw a woman crying as she threw her phone on the ground. He saw a young couple having sex in their car as he walked by. He saw an overweight man profusely sweating as he walked to some unknown destination. Randall reflected on some of the lessons his dad had tried to teach him. When Oz explained the behaviors of how people would react in an SHTF, he focused on the fact that over time most people would turn into animals and become predators. He never mentioned that there would be sadness, concern, crying, lack of hope, or even the possibility that someone in his family could be killed.

  “I’m not ready to be the man of the family,” he groaned.

  16

  Listening to the Voice in Your Head

  AS WAS TYPICAL FOR CALI, SHE WOKE UP FOR HER 8:00 A.M. class, attended class, and then headed back to the apartment for a nap.

  “The life of a college student,” she thought as she rolled around to see what time it was after waking from her nap.

  She pushed the side button on her phone to check the time and noticed it didn’t light up. She pushed the power button and nothing.

  “Dang it,” she said. “I forgot to charge my phone.” As she roused herself out of bed she plugged her phone into the cord on the nightstand and looked to make sure it was charging. She was perplexed when she still saw that the phone wasn’t charging.

  “I’ll take a shower instead,” she said talking to herself.

  She walked into the bathroom and turned the light switch on.

  “The power’s out,” she said when the light did not turn on.

  Cali would not be defeated and instead took a shower in the dark. Out of the shower and dressed, it was time to head to her 3:30 p.m. Anatomy and Physiology class. As she left her apartment she noticed other students milling around. She gave a friendly wave and headed to her car. As she approached her car, she pressed her key fob to unlock it but noticed the car’s lights didn’t flash as was customary. She pushed the key fob again and surrendered to the fact that the battery had died.

  “Irony,” she thought to herself. “My cell phone battery dies, my key fob battery died, let’s hope my car starts.”

  She unlocked the car door with her key, inserted it into the ignition, turned the key, and nothing. If Cali learned anything from Oz it was to always be aware of your environment. She stepped out of the car and saw her friend, Autumn.

  “Cali, I need some help. Can you jump start my car? It won’t start,” Autumn said.

  “That’s weird,” Cali said. “My car won’t start either.”

  Autumn was excited and yelled, “No class! Time to party! Let’s head back to the apartment and let the fun begin.”

  Cali just smiled. She knew in the back of her mind something was wrong. None of what she experienced added up.

  “Autumn, I’m going for a quick walk. I’ll be right back,” Cali said as she headed up the street.

  Cali took notice of the shops, traffic lights, cars, construction equipment, and noticed one thing: nothing was working. Anything with a motor had stopped. Anything requiring electricity had just quit working. She stopped to think for a moment. She thought back to a time when her dad insisted that the entire family shelter in place at the house. He made sure that the house was secure and that he and Nicki were armed. It was only for a day, but he was concerned that a criminal on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list might be on the run in the area surrounding the town. He had been following the news and monitored the police scanner. Oz only wanted to ensure the safety of his family. Sure enough, the escapee was found and captured within five miles of their house after killing a family of four.

  “He listened to the voice in his head,” Cali said.

  Cali went back to her car and pulled out her Bug Out Bag. She found the letter her dad had written and took several minutes to read it. With Bug Out Bag in hand and a new sense of purpose, she walked back to her apartment.

  Once inside she said, “Autumn, something’s not right. The power’s out but it’s different this time. I’m not sure why. I feel like I need to get home. Why don’t you come with me? Worse case is we walk four hours for no reason at all.”

  Autumn was quick to respond, “Cali, we’re going to party. Everything will be fine. Now, grab the vodka and let’s go next door.”

  Cali knew what she had to do. She looked at Autumn, gave her a hug and said, “My dad would want me home. I’ll see you in a couple days.”

  Cali turned, picked up a few things from her room, and headed to her car. There was still plenty of daylight left and she took note that no one was panicking. She placed her Bug Out Bag across her back and headed toward the highway. The walk would take no more than four hours and it would be best to take the highway. It was the quickest route. About ten miles from her house she would take the back roads to their doorstep.

  17

  4:20 PM

  IT WAS 4:20 P.M. WHEN BJ WOKE UP. THE LIFE OF A GRADUATE student in Biology was difficult; so, he thought. For the last eight hours, he had been stuck in a greenhouse measuring, recording, and analyzing plant data. As part of his thesis research, he had to crossbreed different species of marijuana plants with a focus on breeding plants that would maximize the production of cannabidiol (CBD) oil.

  BJ was a new breed of scientist focusing on the medicinal and healing properties of this illegal plant and, more specifically, CBD oil. Having Crohn’s disease, BJ personally knew the powerful effects of CBD oil and knew it would benefit others. He sat up in bed and looked around. Slow to open his eyes he immediately reached for his cell phone to check the time. When the screen didn’t immediately light up and display the time he thought nothing about it; after all, he would run the battery down to the 1 percent level before plugging it in to charge.

  “BJ!” Scott yelled. Scott was BJ’s best friend and roommate.

  “The power’s out,” he said frustrated.

  “Well, then,” BJ yelled back. “Time to get more sleep.” BJ threw the blanket over his body and closed his eyes quickly falling back to sleep without realizing he would wake up to a completely different world.

  18

  Neighbors—Be Cautious

  RANDALL HAD BEEN WALKING FOR ABOUT FIVE HOURS WHEN HE made a right turn onto the long drive that led to their house. As he did, he noticed their neighbor, Frank, standing outside with a beer in each hand. Frank Zire owned the house closest to the McTatey’s house. Not only was Frank their nearest neighbor, but he was also a person Oz had been leery of. Frank was in his mid-forties, married, and they had one son. Frank was about 6’5”, in relatively good shape, a chain smoker, and was often seen drinking. Even though Oz never had a reason to not like Frank, he was always w
eary and paid attention to where his neighbor was at all times.

  Nicki, Randall, BJ, and Cali didn’t even notice him as far as Oz knew but Randall always wondered if Frank worked. Not that it mattered but he was always home. When Oz was mowing the front half of his property he would frequently talk to Frank. Oz was continually feeling Frank out and would often ask off-the-cuff questions to see how Frank responded.

  Over the years Oz concluded that he and his family didn’t need to fear Frank, but they did need to be aware and perhaps at times cautious. Oz never saw aggressive or challenging behaviors from Frank but his behaviors and answers to his questions highly suggested there was more to the man than could be seen. Oz would often loan Frank tools and even allowed Frank to go into his garage when he wasn’t home. Though Oz was protective of his prepping endeavors, he still needed to be a good neighbor. Oz felt that if he didn’t occasionally allow Frank onto his property, Frank would become suspicious and even question Oz on his activities. After all, Oz was constantly bringing in construction materials, water containers, generators, and other odd equipment that was visible to his neighbor.

  The garage was a ‘normal’ garage but was well stocked with tools of all kinds. The one visible concern Oz had when Frank entered the garage was the gun safe. Larger than most, the safe weighed 1,200 pounds and contained a few shotguns and one AR-15. The saving grace was that Oz had stored most of his ammunition and guns throughout the house in various locations. Oz was smart enough to know you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

  19

  Randall Home Alone

  AS RANDALL WALKED UP THE DRIVE THE ONLY THING HE COULD hear was the sound of Benny. Benny was the sixth member of the family; a Maltipoo who weighed a mere twelve pounds.

  Randall opened the front door to let Benny out. Benny was excited to see Randall who was confused and sad at the same time from the day’s events. Randall took a quick glance at the driveway and noticed there were no cars. On any normal day, the driveway would have at least three parked cars and someone yelling that they were blocked in. Today there were no cars and no one was yelling. There was only he and Benny.

  Randall sat down on the front step and pulled his dad’s letter out of the Bug Out Bag and reread it again.

  “If you are the first-person home, go to the safe in the garage and grab the Red Binder that is labeled ‘SHTF – Elevated Threat Manual.’ Read it, then reread it and FOLLOW all directions. This binder contains directions on how to secure our house,” Randall read out loud.

  He stood up, unlocked the garage door and walked to the safe. He punched in the security code and the door didn’t open. Maybe he made a mistake? He punched the code yet again and nothing.

  “Well, the electronic combination lock was hit as well,” he said as he looked at Benny.

  His dad made sure the family was aware of the location of the hidden skeleton key to the safe. Randall walked to the back of the garage and moved a sheet of plywood propped up in the corner. Oz had cut out a small section of the concrete floor which he used to hide small important items. Randall knelt down and with a pry bar lifted the cutout concrete block from the floor. Sure enough, there was a plastic Ziplock bag full of keys. The safe key was easy to identify because it was about four inches in length and looked different from all the other keys.

  He stood up and walked to the safe where he removed the electronic combination lock by lifting it straight up. Once the electronic lock was removed, Randall saw a slot that the key could be placed in. With the key inserted, Randall twisted the key and the safe unlocked. He returned the key to the plastic bag and replaced the concrete slab. He put the sheet of plywood back and walked back to the safe. His dad was very well organized, and Randall immediately saw the red binder which was in between several other binders. He pulled the binder out, grabbed a chair, and sat down. In big font, the words ‘SHTF—ELEVATED Threat Manual’ was plastered on the front cover of the binder.

  “Benny,” Randall said. “You definitely can’t question what this manual is. Our dad thought of everything.”

  Randall opened the binder and began reading out loud as if he was telling Benny a story:

  SHTF—Elevated Threat Manual

  To whomever in my family is reading this, use these instructions when the SHTF or there is an Elevated Threat. It could be anything from riots in Nashville to a disaster in South Dakota that could affect the family.

  If you’re reading this manual, it’s because you’re afraid or scared and you want security. Let that be enough to ACT and NOT wait. TAKE ACTION. Don’t talk yourself out of taking action. Don’t let NORMALCY set in!

  There are two parts to this manual:

  1 – 5 are tasks to complete immediately; within hours of the SHTF and only if possible and if safe.

  6 – 14 are items to complete to secure the house.

  Arm yourself—At a minimum, you need to carry a handgun with four extra magazines. Use an outer waistband holster (one that goes on the outside of the belt). Rack the gun and make sure it’s loaded. Never carry a gun that is not loaded. Carry the extra magazines in a front pocket so that you can easily and quickly get to them.

  Cash—If possible, go to the bank and withdraw $2,500 - $3,000 in small bills. If the bank is closed or you’re unable to withdraw money, go to an ATM and try to withdraw the maximum amount. I think there may be a $600 limit. As a backup plan and prior to leaving the house, take $2,500 cash from the safe and place it in your front left pocket. Yes, your front left pocket. Take small bills ($5, $10, $20). Use this cash only if you’re unable to take money out of the bank or ATM.DRIVE THE SUBURBAN! It is 100% mechanical, no electronics.

  To start the Suburban push the glow plug button for 10 seconds. The glow plug button is located on the lower panel to the right of the steering wheel. To find it, place your finger in the middle of the steering wheel and run it down past the steering wheel and on to the beige panel. Now, move your finger to the right where there will be two switches. The glow plug switch is the one that requires you to push it in. A red light on the dash will come on. Push and hold the button for 10 seconds then start the Suburban.

  ****GO WITH 2 PEOPLE IF POSSIBLE (2 is safer than 1) ****

  Supplies—If there are no crowds, go to Walmart and get as much as you can from the attached inventory list. Use a credit card or debit first. If credit or debit cards cannot be accepted, use the cash you got from the bank first, the cash from the ATM second and the cash from the safe last.SAFETY ALERT: If it’s NOT safe to go to Walmart for whatever reason, go to Dollar General, Walgreens, and CVS. Use the same attached inventory list to purchase what you can. If it’s not safe, don’t go, and DON’T WORRY. We’re prepared. Getting additional items is just a bonus.

  IMPORTANT NOTE: If you go to Walmart, Dollar General, Walgreens, and CVS and the power is out (meaning the cashiers can’t accept credit or debit) you will use cash. Purchase the items on the attached list and help the cashier manually add up the total cost of the items. To the total cost, add 9.5% for tax Plus 10% for the cashier to keep (it’s like a bribe). Tell the cashier to keep the extra 10% for inconveniencing them.

  Gas/Fuel—While the Suburban is warming up, LOAD ALL GAS CANS INTO THE BACK OF THE SUBURBAN. You will fill them up on your return trip with gas, diesel, and kerosene (red, blue, and yellow plastic containers).Red containers are for unleaded gas

  Blue is for diesel

  Yellow is for kerosene which can be found at many gas stations and smells like dieselThe kerosene fuel is used for the kerosene heaters which are in the garage.

  When you get home, add fuel stabilizer that you purchased at the store (if you couldn’t find it, I have some in the garage) to each gas and diesel container. The gas and diesel should now be good for about one year.

  You’ll need to get grandma and grandpa if they haven’t arrived at our house within two days. As I’ve said before, go in pairs and take the Suburban
. Take the route that goes past Beech High School. There are more back roads and fewer houses and people. Use your judgment, but it’s probably the safer route.While at grandma and grandpa’s take as much as you can carry in the Suburban. Take all construction material, wood sheets, nails, drills, screws, electrical wire, tape, glue, tools, food, medicine, blankets, pillows, all guns and ammo, batteries (including car batteries and lawn mower battery), and whatever you think will benefit the family. IMPORTANT NOTE: Once complete with the above, do not leave the house. Be prepared to Shelter-In-Place while determining if it’s necessary to Bug Out. It’s going to be tough. People will get desperate and hungry. EXPECT people to steal and take what they want by any means that are available to them.

  I need you to understand that our friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and people we trust will not be the people we knew. When people are scared, hungry, thirsty, and afraid for the welfare of themselves or their family, they will do everything up to and including killing to survive. Always be cautious of everyone. The only ones you can trust is family. I will say it again. If they’re not family, be on the alert. Behaviors to look for: failure to make eye contact, shaking hands, hands in pocket, hands reaching inside the waistband or jacket, telling you one thing but contradicting themselves, looking around all the time, nervous behaviors, wearing tactical or bulletproof vest, carrying a weapon including a knife, even wearing camouflage clothes. Behaviors YOU NEED TO HAVE AT ALL TIMES: be aware of your surroundings, keep a weapon on your person, use the buddy system when leaving the house or property, silence, be discreet in all your actions, blend into your environment (gray man or gray woman).