SEVEN DAYS

by James Ryke

  The answer was slow in coming, but finally, $urvivalpimp responded. “First of all, solar storms have a different effect than a nuclear device that’s activated high in the stratosphere or HEMP (high-altitude electromagnetic pulse), as they’re commonly known. There are three stages in a HEMP device: E1, E2, and E3. Solar storms typically only generate the E3 pulse, which is much slower, so they are not as powerful as a HEMP. And second, despite the extra hardening, the individuals who are planning this attack seem to think it will work just fine. My source says that the rocket is actually composed of a series of rockets. The first several projectiles will explode high up in the stratosphere to create a dense ion cloud. Then the nuclear explosion will take place, creating the EMP pulse. The ion cloud acts as a reflector and channels the EMP downwards, quadrupling its power, much like how a sound wave is amplified and reflected off a curved object.”

  This point did ring true with Rick. Years back, when he was still working for the CIA, he had happened across a brief that was asserting a similar idea. The purpose of the brief was to provide several contingency plans in case a terrorist group or unfriendly nation attempted to take out communications by destroying American satellites. The brief contended that if the right type of explosives were set off in the stratosphere, they could create an ion cloud, which in turn could be used as a temporary satellite. Similarly, Rick supposed, the ion cloud could be used to channel the power of the EMP in a specific direction, like a shape charge.

  “That’s an interesting idea,” Rick typed.

  “It’s more than an idea.”

  “How sure are you of this?”

  “I know that the EMP rocket exists. I am less certain about the amount of devastation the planted bomb on the East Coast will cause. I know there’s a bomb somewhere in the East, but I have no idea what kind of bomb it is.”

  “How much time do we have?”

  “Alea iacta est—the die is cast. The rocket is built. The bomb is planted.”

  “What are they waiting for?”

  “It’s as good as anyone’s guess. It all depends on how the President reacts. If he’s willing to let things go, then maybe they’ll never use ‘them.’ If he tries to go all Lincoln, then soon. As soon as he makes an executive order and sends out the Army. The West Coast’s plan only works if it’s enacted before the President deploys the military.”

  “The Western States will be declaring their independence within the next few weeks.”

  “How do you know that?” $urvivalpimp asked.

  “I know.”

  “Then you’re already too late. Save who you can.”

  Rick opened his email and briefly typed this new information into a letter. He jetted it over to Jacks without even bothering to encrypt the message. He then grabbed his phone and fumbled through the contacts until he reached the name, Chass Savage. Six rings later, Chass answered.

  “Hey, bro, what’s up?”

  “Chass, how are you?”

  “Hmm…not the greatest. I haven’t heard from you for a while.”

  Rick nodded. “The phone works two ways, kid. If you haven’t heard from me, it’s because neither one of us has called.”

  “Take it easy, tough guy,” Chass replied. “You haven’t called me ‘kid’ since before Mom and Dad died—so don’ start now.”

  “Listen, Chass, something important has come up.”

  “Hey bro, if you’re calling about the money I owe you, I don’t have it. You’re going to have to wait in line like everybody else. But, I’ll pay you back by the agreed-upon date.”

  “We passed that date three months ago.”

  “Bro, don’t go all gangster on me. Hey, listen, I’ll get your money back. Just chill. I’ll get your money back by—”

  “—I’ve never asked you for a dime of the money you owe me. And you can keep it—consider it a college graduation gift.”

  “Ah, ok,” Chass said with obvious contempt in his voice. “Well, I don’t need your charity. And now, just like Isaac, you’re going to start riding me about college.”

  “What are you talking about? I thought you finished college. You were in your last semester. That’s what the loan was for: Your last semester of tuition.”

  “Man, you sound just like Pastor Isaac. Listen, Rick, I’m a grown man, I don’t need advice. I don’t need anything from anybody.”

  “What happened to the money I lent you?”

  “You mean the money you invested with me; you’ll get your money back soon—and with interest.”

  Rick slapped his forehead. “Listen, forget about all of that. I don’t care if you finished your schooling or not. Everything has changed. I need you to meet up at Isaac’s house.”

  “What are you talking about, bro? I just started my own business; I can’t leave it now.”

  “The United States is about to collapse.”

  Chass shook his head. “I don’t think you heard me: I’m starting my own business, and I can’t leave. If you have any hope of getting your money back, you’ll let me work my magic.”

  “Listen,” Rick said evenly, “I’ve got an offer for you: If you get on that red death trap you call a motorcycle and come up to Isaac’s house, I’ll forgive all of the debt that you owe me.”

  “You already did forgive the debt—you said it was a college graduation gift.”

  “It would’ve been if you had graduated college but, since you didn’t graduate, you still owe me.”

  “You can’t do that,” Chass hissed.

  “I think I just did,” Rick replied, “but if you get your skinny butt up there, I’ll forgive the debt.”

  “What is this really about?”

  Rick took in a deep breath. “I can’t explain now. Take an hour to pack everything you can and get up there. Take care.”

  “Wait,” Chass whispered. “I need gas money.”

  “I thought you were an adult, and you don’t need anything from anybody.”

  “It’s just a loan. You know I’m good for it.”

  Rick rolled his eyes. “I’m going to throw a couple thousand dollars into your account. If you can make it to Isaac’s house by tomorrow afternoon, I’ll forgive that debt too.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Bye—” Rick began to say, but he quickly realized Chass had already hung up on him. “That little punk.”

  NINE

  Day 1

  The sudden crash of shopping carts from somewhere behind him made Isaac jump. He glanced around nervously, scanning for the source of the noise. Instead, he spotted his wife, who had gone back to the car to retrieve her purse. The sight of her sent a wave of anxiety through his body. The only time he could ever remember being so nervous was before a fight in fifth grade. He remembered the feeling of sweat in his palms, the high pitched voices all around him shouting “fight…fight!” Some people are encouraged by this feeling, fed by this adrenaline rush. Isaac, for the most part, was sickened by it. He won the fight—mostly because neither kid knew what they were doing, and Isaac happened to punch right when the other kid tripped. He doubted he would have such a victory today. He had tried to picture his wife’s reaction to what he was about to tell her. Certainly, they had struggled in the past, but all of those things seemed like nothing compared to now. He hoped that his selection of a public place might prevent her from going completely crazy.

  They had gone to the local grocery store in hopes of finding a few items at a discounted price. Grocery stores had changed from what they once were. Massive price hikes in food production, in part due to increasing fuel and energy prices, forced corporate profit margins down until they barely existed. Small shops that grew organic or specialty products were the first to close down—local grocery stores quickly followed. Only companies with little overhead survived. Dark, dingy stores emerged where the fancy ones had once been. When lights burned out in these places, they were not replaced; when shelves became dangerous to the public, they
were not thrown out; when vermin infested the store, traps were not purchased. Those companies that tried to keep to their old standards eventually ran themselves into the ground. Food was priced only slightly higher than what the grocery store purchased it for. Stores slowly began offering fewer discounts and coupons until they stopped altogether. Now, the only time something was on sale was when it was about to go bad. Once a week, these items were gathered in one part of the store. On those days, Mrs. Savage did all of her shopping.

  Isaac was sure that there were better places to drop the bad news to his wife, but with two children at home, it was hard to find a private moment.

  And it’s not as if she’s making this any easier, Isaac thought, surprised by the anger flowing through him. Between her constant phone conversations, her reorganization of the women’s group, her involvement in the PTA, and everything else she does, I never have a chance to talk to her. If she had been more concerned about her husband, she would have figured this out by now. Why is it my responsibility to handle all of this? He let the anger burn in his heart for a few seconds longer. He finally closed his eyes tight and took a deep breath. “We’re losing the house.”

  Mrs. Savage pushed the cart with little noticeable difference. “Hopefully, they still have those stale Cheerios for sale. We have a big arts and crafts activity next month for the children. Of course, they always leave a mess, but they’re so much cheaper than buttons or beads. Even macaroni has become too expensive—and too bad, it would have worked so much better.”

  She pushed the cart past Isaac, almost running over his shoe in the process. The Pastor frowned. He knew she had heard him—she had to have heard him. Despite the crowded and cramped grocery store, besides the constant noise of people shuffling around them, Isaac had spoken loud enough for anyone within a few feet to hear. The people all around him had reacted to the news; one of the older ladies even took the time to fix a sympathetic look on her face.

  Isaac’s shoulders slumped, the wind knocked out of his lungs. “Rosemary.” This time his voice had returned to its good-natured tone—the anger completely absent from his voice. “Honey, did you hear me? We need to come up with a plan. We need to make some decisions.”

  She pushed her cart harder down the aisle, awkwardly forcing herself past two ladies that were fighting over a dented can of chili. She continued to shop, occasionally glancing at a printed list of expired foods. She grabbed several items as she went, thoroughly inspecting them before placing them into her cart. Her movements were sporadic and choppy, as if her body could not quite understand what her mind was telling her to do.

  Isaac caught up to his wife, which took a considerable amount of agility. He tenderly grabbed her arm and pulled her close, forcing her eyes to face his. It was an odd moment, much like their first kiss. The confusion all around them slowed for a few seconds before Isaac spoke again.

  “We need to make…other arrangements. We need to plan for the immediate future.”

  She turned around, her lips slightly pursed. “I…I… I need to see if there’s any powdered milk left.”

  Isaac let her slip out of his arms. He would have stood there for several long moments, or maybe even followed her around the aisles, but a squelchy voice from an intercom interrupted his actions.

  “Customer Isaac Savage you have a call holding for you at checkout.”

  Isaac looked up towards the roof, trying to locate the source of the voice. He scratched his head, “A phone call?” It was not until his wife disappeared that his mind was able to focus. He had never been paged at the grocery store before—not in the five years he had been coming to this specific store. The kids are the only ones that know where we are. There’s no way they would call if it wasn’t something serious. Jacob must have done some crazy stunt. Images of his son’s rebellious friends began to flash through his mind. They aren’t bad friends—just… misguided. And Jacob will do just about anything to impress his friends. His walk turned into a jog, and then the jog to a run. Before he had reached the cash register, he was in an all-out sprint. Why did I cancel our cell phone service? This is precisely why we need to have cell phones. It had been two years since anyone in their family carried a cell phone. Despite competitiveness driving the price of cell phone plans down to almost nothing, they were still a luxury that most could not afford. It made life difficult, especially for his wife, who before lived and died by the use of the phone.

  “I’m Isaac Savage,” he said as he reached the register. Between the beeps at the register and the noise all around them, the only word the employee heard was “savage.” The cashier shrieked and threw her hands up, as if she was being robbed. Her movement was all so mechanical, it seemed she had been robbed several times before.

  Like a mindless robot, the cashier spoke. “I don’t have any 100s, 50s, or 20s. I deposit those after every transaction that I make….”

  Isaac’s face went red. He took a deep breath before he spoke. “I’m sorry…I’m not robbing you. My name is Isaac Savage, and I had a phone call. You just paged me.”

  The cashier nodded towards the phone but still kept her arms up. As Isaac picked up the phone, he quickly realized he had no idea how to work it. The cashier’s mood slowly turned from fear to annoyance. She punched the keys into the phone, opening the line for Isaac to speak.

  “Hello?”

  “I don’t have much time to talk.”

  “Rick?”

  “Yes, something is about to happen….”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It would take too long to explain.”

  “What? Why? What are you talking about? What’s happened? I haven’t talked to you for over six months.”

  “It’s been three months—I called you on your birthday. But listen up, this is important. I need you to buy some things for me. Do you still use your old email?”

  “My old email?”

  “Yeah, what is it—something like holyshepard at Gmail dot religion.”

  “Yeah, I still check that one.”

  “Good. I just activated an order of supplies that’ll be at your house within thirty minutes—hopefully, that’s enough time. I’ll attach the invoice to your email so you can verify that everything is delivered. I also need you to pick up a few things that I couldn’t order. The list will also be in your email. Buy those items as quickly as you can. It would be best if you and your wife divide the list between the two of you.”

  “I don’t have money to buy anything? What sort of things are we talking about? Where are you?”

  “Isaac, I don’t have time to explain anything. Just buy everything on the list.”

  “I don’t have money.”

  “I’ve just deposited money into your account.”

  Isaac rubbed the back of his neck and looked down. “Why? What is going on, Rick? Where are you?”

  “I met with a friend today who opened my eyes to some troubling things. I’ll explain everything to you shortly. This is the most important thing I’ve ever asked you to do. This is a matter of life or death.”

  Isaac nodded. “All right, sure, I can pick up some things.”

  Rick’s phone started to get scratchy. “Each item on the list has a few suggestions where they can be purchased in your area. Don’t feel obligated to buy the stuff from specific stores—just get the stuff. Get everything on the list as quickly as possible.”

  “How much stuff is being shipped to my house?”

  “About twenty-thousand dollars’ worth. There will be twenty water barrels in the shipment as well. See if you can get Jacob to fill them while you and your wife are shopping. I placed five thousand dollars in your Wells Fargo account for everything else.”

  Isaac shook his head. “Five thousand dollars? Why so much? And how did you know I had a Wells Fargo account?”

  “I’ll give you a call in a couple of hours to see where you stand on the list.”

  “All right, I guess.”
>
  “Take care, brother. This is of the utmost priority.” Rick hung up the phone, his chest tight with tension. He turned towards Mr. Zhao, who had just entered. “Listen, you’re a good man. The world would be a better place if there were more like you. Do you have family close by?”

  “Just me and my wife,” the corners of Mr. Zhao’s mouth sunk as he spoke. “No kids. We tried all sorts of herbs, but still no kids. My wife has a book with pictures of the most effective positions but—”

  “Hey,” Rick put up his hands, “no need to explain. Well, that makes things easier.” Rick looked out the office window and happened to catch a glimpse of his still-smoldering house. It’s going to be everyone for themselves. He’ll end up dead; his wife too. This whole neighborhood will be swarmed by marauders and refugees. They don’t even have a clue what’s waiting for them. Rick frowned. He finally decided on something, stood, and stepped closer to Zhao. “Something big is about to happen. It will change everything. Get as much food and water as you can, just in case things take a turn for the worse. There’s a chance it won’t happen, but there’s an even greater chance that it will.”