by Hunt, Jack
Before she could ask, Rita put a hand over the phone and yelled. “Hank. Hank!”
She was kind of hoping Rita would assist her but either way would work.
“Who is it?” a muffled voice said.
“Sara Gray. She’s stranded.”
“Oh, Sara…” he said in a seductive way. A second later he got on. “Sara Gray. In a little trouble, I hear?”
She brought him up to speed and he immediately jumped on it. “Landon’s away? Well, isn’t that troubling. Don’t worry. I have an old classic truck that is working. How? Don’t even ask but I think it’s got to do with all these new automobiles having computers. That one doesn’t and I had it out on the road only twenty minutes ago, giving Jake a lift back to his business.” He burst out laughing. “Can you believe that? I towed Jake Parish’s vehicle back to his business. You should have seen the looks we got.”
“I bet,” Sara said. “So can you help?”
That was all that mattered to her.
“Give me the location. I’ll be there in ten.”
No sooner had she given it and hung up than Janice said Arlo had a vehicle that was starting, but he was hesitant to take it out with the weather being as bad as it was.
“Not a problem. I made an arrangement with Hank Thomas.”
“Hank Thomas?” Arlo said entering the kitchen with a scowl on his face and rubbing his hands on a greasy looking cloth. “That good for nothing better not step foot on this property.”
“Oh you settle down,” Janice said. She looked at Sara and rolled her eyes like she was used to his off the cuff remarks. “Look, hon, as long as you have a ride, that’s good to know. While you’re waiting come and have a cup of tea and tell me about what Landon’s been up to lately.”
She took a seat and Janice poured her a cup. As she began talking, her mind went back to that night Landon struck Hank in the face.
This is going to be one uncomfortable ride home.
8
The single-engine plane that hurtled towards the earth was just one of several they saw disappear into the surrounding forest. Seconds later, a large 747 commercial airliner nosedived into Maggie Valley, tearing through the town and erupting in a fiery blaze. It all happened at once, instantaneously lights went out, his phone shut off and their ATVs coasted to a standstill. What came next was a series of explosions that rocked the valley. Russ’ initial thought was some kind of terror attack. No power. Vehicles shut off. Planes crashing into the earth. It had all the hallmarks of an attack by some foreign group. Russia, China, North Korea and even Iran had been gunning for America for years, looking for ways to bring them to their knees. Was it possible they were behind it?
“Holy shit!” he cried out, climbing off his ATV and hurrying over to the rocky bluff that overlooked the nearby town. They’d just finished dumping the cruiser into the forest and disposing of the officer’s body when he’d got word from the pilot that they should be landing shortly and to look out for a white and blue plane.
They’d seen it roar overhead before it disappeared.
“What the hell is going on?” Morgan yelled, out of breath and panicking as he made his way over through the worsening storm. The weather had deteriorated since earlier that afternoon. Their jackets were now covered in snow.
“I think I know,” Tommy said, his face a picture of seriousness.
“Well?” Russ asked.
“I mean, I think I know.” He looked at a loss for words as if gripped by shock.
“Tommy. Tommy!” Russ bellowed trying to snap him out of whatever daze he was in. He gripped his arm and shook him and he seemed to come back. “What is it?”
“Some kind of EMP strike.”
He wiped snow from his forehead.
“A what?” Russ had never even heard the term but he assumed it was caused by another country.
“It could be one of several things, a coordinated attack by another country, a solar flare or a nuke.”
“Ah man, I knew it. I fucking knew it,” Morgan said balling his fists and pacing up and down. “Our government has screwed us over. I’m telling you it’s to do with that idiot they made president. His big mouth has got us in this trouble and now look at us.”
Another explosion, followed by another and all three of them instinctively ducked as if they were expecting a bomb to drop on their head. Russ needed to know more. He grabbed Tommy by the jacket. “Solar? EMP? What the hell are you talking about?”
Tommy groaned and ran a hand over his face as they crouched near a grove of trees. “It could be caused by a scud missile fired from a ship. Seriously? Have you not been following the news?”
“Who the hell has the time?”
“Obviously not you. Anyway, that’s just one scenario. There could be a number of things that have caused it. One of which is that solar storm they were expecting to have.” He looked back at them and they had blank faces. “Man, you two really need to pick up a paper, turn on the news, browse the internet. Holy crap.”
“Yeah well, not everyone got the education you did,” Morgan said pulling out a cigarette and lighting it to calm his nerves. Russ took one.
“You don’t need a university degree to open your eyes and ears.” He groaned. “Look, back in 1859 there was this massive solar storm that created an electromagnetic pulse. It was referred to as the Carrington Event after the guy who witnessed it, Richard Carrington. Anyway this coronal mass ejection blasted the earth and created what was known as a geomagnetic storm. The largest one they’ve ever had. The aurora was seen all over the world. To cut a long story short, power lines caught fire, some exploded and telegraph systems were messed up. It ended up that over five million people were thrown into darkness because of it. Now if we had an event like that today, no one would be able to deal with it. We are too reliant on our technology, smartphones, ATMs, internet, batteries, the list goes on. Most of today’s world is electronic and cars are computerized… so, boom, a solar flare erupts and now everything we have relied on will vanish.” He took the cigarette Morgan had given him and lit it, sucking on it and puffing quickly. His hands were shaking as he continued. “There was this news piece the other night about NASA warning that a monster solar flare could hit us in the next few years.”
“Few years. Then why the hell has this just happened?”
“Solar flares happen all the time. It’s just that most aren’t at the level of what was seen in 1859 and some don’t even hit the earth. Take July 2012 for instance — a similar storm to the Carrington happened where the sun unleashed two massive clouds of plasma that missed the earth. I remember the physicist saying that had it hit, we would have been picking up the pieces. When this kind of stuff happens, satellite communications can be crippled, and there is usually some kind of severe damage done to the power grid leading to widespread blackouts, disabling anything that’s plugged into a wall socket and hell, even toilets won’t flush because they rely on electric pumps.”
“You sure know a lot about this,” Russ said.
“What, just because I work for Cayden or chose to drop out of college, I’m supposed to know nothing?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I find it fascinating.”
“Fascinating enough to prepare for it?” Russ asked, hoping he would say yes.
“Well let’s not go that far,” Tommy replied grinning. His grin soon faded as he looked back at the town far below and the inferno that had all but destroyed the buildings. “You see that down there. If this is what I think it is, that will be happening all over the world. Planes going down I mean. They say there are over 8,000 to 20,000 planes in the air at any given time, with around 3,000 over the United States. Bring those down and forget bombing a country, commercial and private airplanes will do it for you.”
At the high elevation of almost 5,000 feet, the darkness was lit up with pockets of orange, the result of downed planes, crashed vehicles and buildings that were now on fire.
Tommy exhaled hard. “Again though, that
might just be one of the reasons why this has happened. The other is a nuclear attack and without communication we’ll be hard pressed to know for sure, and really, I don’t think it matters right now.”
“Okay but what will be working?”
“I know what won’t. There will be no lights, ATMs, internet, television, refrigerators, microwaves or even hospital equipment. Sure, some places will have gas generators and that might last for a while but with no transportation running, those gas stations won’t be filled up, and that goes for grocery stores.”
Russ got up and paced. “No. You make it sound so bleak. Whatever this is, our military will deal with it. I give it a week and things will go back to normal.”
Tommy laughed but said nothing.
“What are you laughing about?”
Tommy made his way back to one of the ATVs. “You think the military is going to deal with fried circuit boards?” he said showing Russ that the ATV wouldn’t start. “You think they are going to swoop in and save the day? Even if they could do something, it will be too late. We will see a breakdown of society. It will happen fast. Maybe not today but events like this offer opportunity for men like Cayden. And you can be damn sure he will milk this bitch for all it’s worth.”
Russ shook his head in frustration. “Well, speaking of Cayden, he will go ape shit when he discovers the drop never happened.”
Morgan walked over to him. “Never happened? How many times has he not received a drop?”
“Never.”
“Exactly. He’ll think it’s happened regardless of this shitstorm. And you know who’ll get the brunt of it?”
A sink feeling occurred in Russ’ stomach. “Us.”
“Bingo!” Morgan let out a yell and kicked a piece of wood across the ground.
Russ had to think and fast. Maybe this could be exactly what he needed. A way to reset. No power. No transportation. No communication. They were miles from the small town of Ryerson. “The plane overshot us, crossed over Maggie Valley and disappeared out of view somewhere over the Pisgah National Forest. The chances of it being in one piece are slim to none. I say we go back and tell Cayden. He’ll understand. I mean it’s not like we’re making this shit up. Hell, Dustin might not even be alive.”
Both of them stared back at him stone faced.
“That’s a long way to travel by foot,” Tommy said looking beyond Maggie Valley.
Morgan unleashed his anger on the ATV, kicking it a few times until it tipped over. “Damn it. Damn it!”
As they made their way down from Ghost Town in the Sky, Russ was curious to know what might have survived. “Are you sure nothing will be working?” he asked. Tommy glanced at him, removing a cigarette from the corner of his mouth. A howling wind battered them on all sides. They leaned into the barrage of Mother Nature’s fury.
Tommy emitted an exhausted sigh. “Some things might. Old vehicles before they were computerized should be still functioning. Anything that was kept inside a Faraday cage.”
“A what?”
“It’s a cage that is made of conducting material, you know like wire mesh or metal plates. Essentially it shields whatever’s inside from external electrical fields. Though I imagine the only people who would have those are the die-hard preppers and survivalist freaks who are paranoid that the sky will fall on their heads.”
“Well I guess they were right,” Russ said.
Tommy pulled a face. “I guess they were.”
“What kinds of things do people put in those?” Morgan asked, as if someone like him would have thought about it. Hell, when he wasn’t doing jobs for Cayden, he was probably browsing internet porn, drinking, having sex or getting high.
“Like you care,” Russ said, snorting.
Morgan narrowed his gaze as they walked down Rich Cove road which wound through the forest.
“Two-way battery-powered radios, CB radios, portable radios, LED flashlights, cell phones and so on. Basically any electronics they want to use after.”
As they strode, Russ began to slow, squinting into the darkness. “Looks like we’ve got company.” It was hard to see at first but then lights flicked on and bounced on the road. “Are those cops?”
There were two of them. Russ looked at Morgan. “That cop you killed. Did he call for backup before he went down?”
Morgan looked back at him but before he could say anything, Russ darted off the road down the slope into the forest. “You fucking idiot! This is why I told you not to bring a gun. Now look at the shit you’ve got us in.”
“He would have arrested us,” Morgan said trying to justify his actions. “I can’t go back to the pen. I can’t,” he said.
“Well you just might.”
“You know, with the lights out,” Tommy said, “all manner of shit is gonna start happening. Now it’s a long walk back to Ryerson. Those cops will be armed. I say we…”
“No. Absolutely no.”
“Russ. There are three of us and only two of them. Morgan’s armed. We distract them and Morgan comes up from behind and…”
“Kills another two cops? Are you both crazy?”
“You want those pieces?”
“I want to stay in one piece,” Russ shot back.
They were taking cover in the thick brush and boulders that surrounded the road that wound down into Maggie Valley.
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world,” Morgan said. “I think Tommy’s got a point.”
“Of course you would think that. You just want any reason to kill cops.”
“Well you weren’t the one who was beaten up by two of them, or had evidence planted in your pockets.”
“You killed the convenience store guy, Morgan. That shit was all you. Stop making excuses.”
“Ah screw you. I’m doing this.”
Morgan rose.
“No, no you are not.”
Russ got up to stop him but Morgan was too quick. He fired a hard right hook to his face knocking him to the ground, then jabbed his finger in his face. “You want to bitch out. Fine. But stay the fuck out of my way.” With that he gave a nod to Tommy and gestured to where he was going to circle around. Tommy looked down at Russ and extended a hand but he just slapped it away and got up wiping blood from his split lip. He was tired of these losers. Tired of being Cayden’s lap dog. Tired of finding himself at the bottom of the barrel scraping to survive. Tommy hesitated for a second or two before climbing the slope back to the road. He cast a glance back to see if Russ was coming but he just gave a cold stare back.
It was one thing to sell drugs, and be involved in illegal activity, another to kill innocent people. This wasn’t him. He considered for a second alerting the cops, giving them a fighting chance, but that would only backfire on him. He sighed hard and climbed up the snowy bank to the road. A hard, cold wind whipped at his clothes. It was freezing outside.
“Hey,” Tommy said, lifting a hand to the cops. They shone their flashlights at him and one of them pulled a gun, bringing it to eye level. “I’m unarmed. My friend and I here have a home nearby. You know what’s going on?” There was at least a good fifty yards between the cops and them. The cops scanned the tree line, as if expecting some kind of ambush. They weren’t wrong. Had the cop Morgan shot managed to call in for backup before he died? Russ glanced off to his right, squinting and trying to see if he could spot Morgan. Would he shoot from the tree line or step out onto the road?
“You got ID on you?” one of the cops said.
“Nope.”
“You with anyone else?”
“No, I just told you, we came from a home just back there.”
“What’s the address?” one of the cops asked as they closed the distance. His partner had his hand on his gun but hadn’t taken it out.
“The address?”
“You see, we got a call from an officer for backup before the lights went down. He said there were three men up at Ghost Town in the Sky theme park.”
Tommy shrugged. “I don’t know anything about
that. Like I said, we just…”
Right then a figure emerged from the darkness, a flash of a muzzle, the crack of another round and both officers dropped. Morgan hurried over and finished off the one that was still alive. If asked at a later date when he thought the future had changed forever, it was in that moment that Russ knew his world would never be the same again.
9
You’ll never make it back…
Wind howled, bringing a solid wall of snow in her face as she looked up the mountain. Beth had used a snapped piece of metal to pry loose the man’s legs which were trapped beneath the seat in front of him. After pulling him clear of the wreckage and bringing him to rest under a pine tree, she trudged away from his unconscious body, and returned to search for more survivors. There were none, at least none she could see. The weather had got far worse, and the sound of explosions echoing in the distance only added to the feelings of unease.
The only way to survive was to camp on the mountain. If the survivor was still alive in the morning, she’d drag him back to the cabin. Right now she needed to stay warm, get out from the weather and batten down. Her hands were freezing and snow had got into her boots, soaking her feet and making them feel like they’d been dipped in ice cream. No matter how fast she brushed snow from her goggles they would be covered with another layer within seconds.
It had been at least an hour since the plane went down. She’d managed to set up her tent in a small clearing a good distance from the wreck just in case it exploded. She didn’t think it would as the weather had almost put out the fire but still, she preferred to be safe than sorry. Icy build-up frosted her eyebrows and water dripped down her back from sweat after assembling the tent in record time and dragging the stranger inside. She zipped it closed and removed her hood, gloves and boots then went through her bag to find her extra socks. Under the glow of her headlamp, Beth gazed at the man who’d been out cold ever since he’d asked for help. Outside, gale force winds punished the tent causing it to flap. She rubbed her hands together trying to stop the paralyzing cold from freezing her blood. Beth had used the extra thermal blanket in her bag to wrap the man. He looked like a giant burrito bundled up in the silver blanket and brown sleeping bag. She’d also tucked the bag under his legs to elevate them slightly.