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

by McTatey, Zayden (Oz)

  26

  Family First

  RANDALL SHOOK NICKI BY THE SHOULDER AND STARTLED HER out of a deep sleep.

  “Mom. Mom,” Randall whispered.

  Nicki quickly jumped up and reached for her Springfield XDS. Before she could unholster the weapon, Randall placed his hand over hers.

  “Mom,” he said. “Everything is okay; at least for now. You were startled that’s all.”

  Nicki recovered and peeked out the window. The sun was out. She did a quick scan of the front yard looking for Frank.

  Looking at Randall she said, “I can’t believe I fell asleep. Randall, we can’t do that. Someone needs to be awake and on security detail at all times. I’m sorry.”

  “Now you sound like dad,” Randall said.

  “I sure hope so,” Nicki said with a smile and then continued. “You said you read dad’s manual. What do we need to do next?” Nicki asked.

  “He wants us to move the guns and food inside the house.”

  “Makes complete sense. If we don’t, we stand a chance of them being stolen and a good chance it will be by our good neighbor Frank.”

  Nicki pulled out four boxes of 00 buckshot and replaced the shotgun shell she had ejected earlier.

  “The shotgun is one of the best weapons you can have when you’re in close contact with someone. It has a wide shot pattern and will almost always hit its target. You are to never leave this house alone. Do you understand, Randall?”

  “Yes, but that goes for you too, mom,” Randall responded.

  “Fair enough,” Nicki replied and continued. “Let’s get the rifles, shotguns, and handguns in the house first. I will stand by the corner of the Suburban while you and Cali unload the safe and place everything in the house. We’ll let Benny outside, too. He’ll tell us right away if Frank is around,” she finished.

  It took Randall and Cali about twenty minutes to remove all guns and ammo from the safe and place them in the house.

  “Done. Food’s next,” Cali told her mom.

  As Nicki was standing guard she saw movement in the trees ahead of her, but Benny wasn’t growling. Being nervous, she pulled Randall and Cali over to her side and turned her back so that if someone were watching and listening, she would not be heard as she whispered to them.

  She put her head down and said in a low tone, “I’m not sure if we’re being watched but I recommend we stop for now. I don’t want to take the chance that someone knows what we have. We’ll unload the food tonight when it’s dark. I can hide easier and it will be harder for someone to figure out what we’re doing.”

  “Fine by me,” Randall said.

  Nicki locked the garage and the three went inside.

  Nicki read Oz’s manual and now understood the importance of having constant security. She sat Randall and Cali down and the three agreed to a plan. The three would pull eight-hour security details and should the one on security duty not be able to stay awake, they would awaken the next on duty who could fill in for an hour or two while they slept. They would work as a team.

  “What about grandma and grandpa?” Randall asked Nicki.

  “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that too,” she said.

  “It’s ironic that they’re only forty minutes away but compared to several days ago, it’s not a simple drive,” Randall responded.

  “Frank, we’ll have to drive by his house as we head down the drive and he’ll know we’re gone. He’ll most likely rob us blind,” Nicki said with an air of caution.

  “We have to get grandma and grandpa regardless. I’ll stay home and you go get them?” Randall said in a questioning manner.

  “No, I’ll stay home,” Nicki said. “You and Cali drive to their house. We need to be reasonable. If Frank tries anything I have the most experience with a firearm; you two don’t. This is going to sound absolutely crazy, and I can’t believe I’m even saying this but, the three of us need to put on one of dad’s bulletproof vests and wear those military helmets we used to make fun of.” Nicki said as she rolled her eyes.

  “You’re scared, aren’t you mom?” Randall said in a serious tone.

  Holding Randall’s hand, she explained, “Yes, I am baby. I’m scared for our entire family. We may never experience the life we used to live. We may now be living in a much more dangerous world and the sooner we understand that the better. The power has been out for several days and we have not seen or heard from anyone at the county, state, or federal level. I shot two men and last night, almost a third . . .” Nicki continued to say before Randall cut her off.

  “You shot two men last night?” he said in disbelief.

  Nicki began to cry when Randall grabbed her in a big hug and said, “If you shot them then they were going to kill you or hurt someone else. I know and love you mom and know you did it for the right reasons. There’s no guilt in what you did.”

  Nicki embraced Randall in an even bigger hug and continued, “Randall, our goal is to get the family together and figure out this mess—how we’re going to survive together—and that means we need to have each other’s back at all times.”

  “Grab your shotgun, mom. I’ll need cover when I start the Suburban. So you know, I’m going to floor it down the drive and we’ll head straight to grandma and grandpa’s without stopping. If Frank is in the way then he’ll become a permanent part of the Suburban’s front grill. I will not stop for anything or anyone,” Randall said with determination.

  Nicki went downstairs and came back with three Baofeng UV-5R dual band two-way radios and headsets. She turned them on and turned the selector on each to the channel labeled ‘McTat1.’ This was a programmed channel that Oz had placed on all their two-way radios. It was a channel that was not easy to monitor and would allow privacy in conversations within the family.

  “From now on we always have radios with us and our headsets on. Randall, leave this radio on until you leave our property and you’re safely on the crossroad. Turn it back on about five miles before you get to our house and make contact with me so I can provide cover if necessary,” Nicki said looking very concerned.

  Nicki grabbed the shotgun, scanned the area, noticed Benny wasn’t barking and gave the all-clear to Randall and Cali who jumped in the Suburban.

  Randall pushed the glow plug button and started the vehicle. He let it warm up for thirty seconds before heading at full speed down the drive. Nicki intently watched as he drove down the drive and could soon hear that he made it onto the cross street.

  “Mom, no sign of Frank. We’re safely on the road headed to grandma and grandpa’s. Be safe and we love you,” he said into the radio.

  “Love you, Randall. Love you, Cali,” Nicki responded.

  Randall turned the radio off and was on his way to pick up his grandma and grandpa.

  27

  Ever-Changing World

  WITH VERY LITTLE SLEEP, OZ AWOKE THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE sunset. He opened his Bug Out Bag and removed a pouch of Mountain House chili mac, his butane/propane stove, and a collapsible pan to heat water. He pulled out two four-ounce Datrex emergency water packets and poured them into the pan, lit the stove, and waited. Several minutes later, he poured the boiling water into the Mountain House pouch and waited five minutes before eating.

  “Better than home cooking,” he laughed.

  While eating, he looked at the map and decided he would stop near the town of Perry, Georgia. In daylight, the ride was around five hours but at night it was only a guess.

  “Six to eight hours,” Oz murmured to himself.

  At Perry, he would have three options one of which was to scope out 75 North and see how feasible it was. His last two options were to take highway 341, which ran to the west of 75N or simply ride over the overpass and continue on highway 41 North which ran east of 75N.

  With night setting in, Oz was packed and ready. He turned on his newly mounted flashlights
and headed onto the highway.

  After four hours of riding, Oz knew something didn’t feel right. His eyes had sensed motion ahead of him and the hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up. He quickly turned off the flashlights mounted on the handlebar and brought the bike to a stop. He could make out movement several hundred feet in front of him, but his eyes hadn’t fully adjusted to the dark after accidentally glancing into the flashlight. He froze. It was silent and pitch black.

  “Do I go offensive or defensive?” he thought. “Offensive wins.”

  He lifted his sagging shirt over his Glock which gave him quick and easy access to the gun. He rolled the bike over to the side of the road and carefully set it down on its side. He felt the bike would be safe while he scouted the area ahead of him. After all, it was dark. Who would see the bike? He drew his Glock in his left hand and slowly began moving forward. He would walk forward ten feet and then do a quick check to the right, left, and behind him for any sign of movement. He moved forward another ten feet and did his checks.

  In a matter of minutes, he was about 100 feet from his bike when he could make out two shadows quickly dart to the side of the road and into the woods. He could hear their footsteps as leaves crunched and twigs broke. They were running fast. Unsure of what to do, he stopped and assessed his situation. He was not about to follow whoever ran into the woods. It was most likely a trap and to make it worse he had no knowledge of the lay of the land. Running in the woods at full speed would be suicide. He would most likely injure himself and that’s the last thing he needed. Instead, he crouched down on the road and watched and listened, ready to react.

  It was only minutes later that he heard someone yell, “Enjoy your walk you dumb ass!”

  He could barely make out two individuals riding away on his bike. One was sitting down while the other was standing tall with his feet on the bolts of the frame.

  Oz took aim with his Glock but given the distance and darkness, it was a guess. He slowly lowered the gun and realized that he would most likely waste bullets and draw attention to himself if he were to shoot. This was the second critical mistake he made in the last two days.

  “At least I was smart enough to keep my Bug Out Bag and fanny pack on,” he thought as he clenched his teeth.

  As he reached down to touch the fanny pack he realized he had a night vision monocular in it. He sighed knowing he should have used it and because he didn’t, it cost him his only means of transportation. If he had used the night vision monocular he could have easily seen the two thugs and prevented this incident. He needed to be smarter in his actions. Three days on the road and Oz had seen the world change bringing out the worst in people. It was time to switch tactics.

  28

  Saving Family

  RANDALL AND CALI ARRIVED AT GRANDMA AND GRANDPA’S without incident just as the sun was setting. As he drove, he noticed that nothing had changed from the day he walked home from school. There were still broken-down cars and a few wondering people on the roads.

  Randall pulled the Suburban into the driveway and felt to make sure his Springfield XDM was easily accessible. He and Cali stepped out and quickly looked around. From the windows, Randall could see the neighbor’s watching them but wasn’t concerned. They were good people who would soon be desperate but today, he would not worry.

  Cali and Randall walked up to their grandparent’s door and knocked. His grandma, Connie, peeked out the side door glass window before answering the door. She ushered them in the house and gave them a big hug.

  “Hi, grandma,” Randall said with excitement.

  “Hi, g’ma,” Cali said.

  “Where’s grandpa?” Randall asked.

  “He’s not feeling good. He’s been throwing up and has a fever. We tried to go to urgent care, but the car won’t start. Can you take us there, please?” his grandma asked.

  “Grandma, the power is out across the city and maybe even the state,” he said.

  Randall had a decision to make. He could take them to urgent care, or even the hospital, but Randall felt confident it would be useless; after all, his mom worked in a hospital and had to walk home.

  “Grandma, let’s get grandpa in the Suburban and take him to our house. My parents have medication and, as weird as this sounds, my mom has stuff to start IVs. I’m nervous and you should be, too. Mom walked home from the hospital yesterday. We need to be wary of people we encounter. They’re going to want what we have.” Randall finished.

  “What do you mean people ‘will want what we have,’ Randall?” his grandma asked.

  “Grandma, it’s been three days since the power went out and people are freaking out. Our neighbor tried to break in our house and I honestly think he would have hurt Cali and I. Remember, my dad told us that when people begin to run out of food and water that they’ll get desperate? Well, they’re panicking not to mention we’re the only ones who have a running vehicle.”

  Randall looked out the window and saw several neighbors milling around. He turned to his grandma and said, “Let’s get grandpa in the Suburban and leave right away. Take only what you need and pack in the next five minutes. We need to leave.”

  “Randall, grandpa’s not feeling good as I said before. Let’s stay the night and leave in the morning. Hopefully, he’ll be feeling better,” she said.

  Randall knew his mother would be worried but agreed with his grandma that it was probably best to spend the night and leave early the next morning. Randall and Cali went into their grandparents’ room where they saw him sleeping. He, in fact, was not looking good. They didn’t wake him up but let him sleep while his grandma began packing their clothes.

  “I’ll be back in a minute,” Randall said to Cali.

  Randall went into the garage and opened the overhead door. He drove the Suburban inside and lowered the garage door. He looked around his grandpas’ garage and began loading tools, boards, sheets of wood, and other supplies he thought they could use or would need. He then went into the pantry and loaded everything into the Suburban. He went through his grandpa’s closet and found two shotguns and ammo that he placed in the Suburban. Randall knew he would not sleep that night but instead, he would pull guard duty.

  Early the next morning, Randall gently awoke his grandparents and Cali and told them it was time to leave. He and Cali helped his grandpa sit up.

  Randall whispered, “Grandpa, I’m going to help you into dad’s Suburban. We’re going to our house.”

  His grandpa acknowledged him and placed his arm around Randall’s shoulders. Randall walked his grandpa to the Suburban after descending several stairs leading to the garage. He opened the Suburban door and with one hand made sure the passenger seat was fully reclined. His grandma placed a pillow on the seat as Randall and Cali helped their grandpa in.

  Once their grandpa was comfortable, Randall slid the seatbelt across his lap until he heard a click. He placed his grandma’s luggage in the Suburban, helped her into the vehicle, and opened the garage door. He started the Suburban and began to back out of the drive when he saw several neighbors opening their doors.

  Without further thought, Randall pointed the Suburban in the direction of his house.

  Just as his mother had requested, Randall turned the radio on and called for his mom.

  “Mom, it’s Randall and Cali. We have grandma and grandpa. We’re about five miles away.”

  As soon as he finished he heard, “Thank God. I was worried about you two. You were supposed to pick them up and come home immediately,” Nicki said as her voiced quivered.

  “Randall, slow down. I’m headed outside. I’m going to take up a security position and be ready for Frank just in case he decides to be a jerk. Give me a couple minutes.”

  “10-4, mom,” Randall said as he slowed the Suburban down.

  Nicki left Benny in the house while cautiously hiding near a row of trees by the drive.
From here, she could see down the entire length of the drive and, with the sun rising, she would be able to see Frank if he tried something stupid.

  Within minutes, Nicki could see the Suburban turn onto the drive and, just as quickly, saw Frank open the sliding glass door located at the back of his house.

  Nicki didn’t take any chances and stepped out onto the drive where she placed the reticle of the rifle’s scope on Frank’s chest. Frank definitely saw her. He looked in her direction and flipped her off before going back in the house.

  Connie could not believe what she just saw. She saw her daughter-in-law pointing a rifle at their neighbor. Connie turned to Randall and said, “Randall, what is going on? Why is your mom pointing a rifle at your neighbor? Is she okay?”

  Randall looked at his grandma and said, “Grandma, I love you, but you and grandpa will need to change your behavior. The rest of the world already did.”

  29

  The Screams of Despair

  OZ WOKE UP THE NEXT MORNING AND DREADED THE FACT THAT he was now walking; at least until he found alternate transportation.

  His best estimates suggested he was about four to six hours away from Perry by foot. The plan was to get started immediately but stay off the road. From now on, he would travel during the day and sleep at night but needed to remain camouflaged and concealed to the best of his ability; a much harder challenge during daylight hours.

  His main concern was what would happen when others saw he had a Bug Out Bag and fanny pack. He had no doubt they would want both and would take them by force if necessary. He decided to travel in the woods that ran parallel to the highway. With downed branches and other obstacles in the way, traveling through the woods would be a challenge as well as much slower.