She downed the water, almost in one gulp. She wasn’t in bad shape for a woman her age. But she wasn’t in such good shape that the bike ride she’d just finished was a piece of cake, either. It had kicked her ass. Especially the last couple of miles. And the incline up Misty Plain Drive, that final kick in the teeth, was like pouring salt in a wound. She hoped Linda and Jordan didn’t struggle as much as she had.
She tried the radio to see if anyone else was on.
“Scott, this is Joyce. Are you on?”
Nothing.
“Linda? Jordan?”
Nothing for a few seconds. Joyce was getting ready to turn the radio back off when it sprang to life.
“Joyce, this is Linda.”
“Linda, where are you?”
“I’m sitting in a deserted car a couple of miles from the house. My bike was stolen. I’m okay, though. I should be there about nine o’clock or so. Are you at the house yet?”
“Yes. I just got here. Zach is here too. You should be very proud of him, Linda. He followed his instructions to the letter. He’s turning into a fine young man.”
Zach was listening in from Scott’s bedroom and couldn’t help but break in.
“Hi, Mom. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, honey, I’m fine. And good job! I’m so proud of you!”
He grinned from ear to ear.
Joyce got back on.
“Linda, have you heard from the other guys?”
“No, I’m afraid not. I’ve been trying off and on to get hold of Jordan, but he’s been off the air for awhile now. I hope he’s okay. I think Scott is probably still out of range.”
“Yes, I agree. I’m going to leave my radio on all the time now that I’m at the house. When they call in, are there any messages you want me to pass on?”
“Just tell them to be careful and give them my love. I’m heading back out in a minute, and I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay, be safe.”
-37-
Joyce was certain that Scott was feverishly working his way off the mountain to them. She wasn’t worried about him. Jordan, on the other hand, weighed heavily on her mind. They had grown quite close during the previous months. And although he wasn’t her son, she pretty much considered him so.
She went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator just long enough to remove a few things. A package of bologna. A jar of mayonnaise, another of mustard. A head of lettuce and a couple tomatoes. She laid everything on the counter and closed the door quickly, to keep most of the cold air inside, and spent the next ten minutes making a dozen sandwiches. She wrapped each of them in plastic zip-lock bags and returned everything but two of the bagged sandwiches to the refrigerator.
Then, on a lark, she opened the door one last time and took out a third sandwich, and two cans of Coca Cola.
At the top of the stairs, she called out to Zachary.
“Are you hungry, sweetie?”
“I’m starving.”
She handed him two of the sandwiches and a soda and said, “Sit on the bed and take a break. I’ll stand at the window and watch.”
Between mouthfuls he asked, “Joyce… are you scared?”
“Of what, honey?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Of all the violence that’s going to take place, I guess.”
“Well, not really. I mean, I suspect that most of the bad people out there think this is something going on with the power company. Most people probably think the lights are going to come back on any time, like they’ve always done before. I think that possibility will keep most of the bad guys off the streets tonight. There will probably be some looting, but I think they’ll hit the stores, not the homes. I mean, the stores can’t shoot at them, but homeowners can. I don’t think it’ll get dangerous in the neighborhoods for at least a few nights. And we’ll be long gone by then.”
“I’m worried about my friends.”
“Oh, I know, honey. I’m not going to try to make light of the situation. It won’t be easy on them. They’ll have a much harder time of it than we will. But they’ve all got parents and other loved ones who will help them get through it.”
“Is it true that people will have to grow everything they eat from now on?”
“Well, not right away, but eventually. I mean, there’s a lot of food out there now, in people’s cupboards, and in the supermarkets. No one is going to starve right away. But there’s no way to make more of the kinds of foods you find at the supermarkets. Or a way to get it there. So after a few days or weeks, it will start to run low. And then people will have to start making some pretty tough choices. Either to steal it, or to find a way to make their own.”
The radios squawked once more.
“Dad, Mom, Joyce, Gooberhead. This is Jordan. Is anybody out there?”
“Go ahead, Jordan.”
“Joyce, is everybody okay?”
“Yes, dear. Are you getting close?”
“Yes, ma’am. I can’t talk long, I see someone coming up ahead. We had to take a detour, I’ll explain later. We should be there in an hour or so. Gotta go. I’ll call again when I can.”
Joyce looked at Zachary. They had the same thought, but only Joyce voiced the words.
“Did he just say ‘we?’”
Zach shrugged his shoulders and said “Yep. Twice.”
He finished his second sandwich and asked, “Want me to take watch again?”
“Yes, please. It’s starting to get dark, and I need to get the candles lit.”
She left Zach in the upstairs bedroom and made her way back to the kitchen, where she collected a lighter and made her way around the house, lighting the candles that Zachary had put out earlier. She saved Scott’s bedroom for last, and told Zach, “I’m going to leave this room dark for now, sweetie. That way people on the outside can’t see you from the street when you look out the window. Is that okay with you?”
“Sure, no problem. Joyce, what do you think Jordan meant when he said ‘we?’”
“I don’t know, honey. Maybe he has a mouse in his pocket?”
Zachary found this incredibly funny and laughed. It was the first good laugh he’d had all day.
Joyce asked, “Is your radio on?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’m going downstairs to prepare the weapons and start making preparations to evacuate. Call me if you see anyone coming near the house. And for sure call me when you see your mom or brother approaching, so I can let them in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Then he smiled and said, “But be sure you tell Jordan he has to leave his mouse outside.”
At that moment, Duke began to bark in the back yard.
Joyce said, “You stay here. I’ll check it out.”
She walked across the hallway to the bedroom at the back of the house.
Blowing out the candle in the center of the room, she proceeded to the window and pulled the drapes to one side. Then she raised up the corner of one of the blinds and peeked into the back yard.
Duke, a four year old black lab, was barking at the neighbor’s cat, who was perched atop the fence mocking him.
She reclosed the draperies, relit the candle, and eased back to Scott’s room.
“He’s just barking at the cat next door. It’s nothing to worry about. I hope they go at it for awhile. His barking will scare off anybody we don’t want back there.”
“There’s somebody coming up the street.”
Joyce stood behind him and looked over his shoulder. It was a man she’d never seen before.
“Do you recognize him?”
“It might be Mr. Garcia. He walks kinda the same way. Kinda hard to tell without any streetlights.”
In the moonlight, Joyce could make out something in the man’s hand. She couldn’t tell what it was, though. It wasn’t long, like a rifle. It was more square, like a…
Zach beat her to the punch.
He said, “He’s carrying a briefcase.”
They watched as Mr.
Garcia, an insurance salesman, walked up to the front door of his house across the street. For him it was the end of a long walk, from his car that had died several hours before and several miles away. They watched as his wife opened the door and hugged him, a lit candle in her hand. Then they disappeared inside their darkened house and closed the door.
-38-
Joyce went downstairs to Scott’s office. She went into his closet and moved several boxes out of the way, until she came to a long gun case hidden behind them.
The combination was Scott’s birthday, 1227.
She opened the case and removed five weapons that were nesting on the soft gray eggshell foam inside. Two AR-15 rifles, and three 9mm handguns. She put all the weapons aside, closed the case, and returned it to the corner of the closet.
The ammunition was stored separately, but she knew where it was too.
She walked up the stairs to Scott’s dresser and pulled the bottom left drawer completely out. Months before, Scott had removed the locking mechanism that prevented it from being pulled too far out. It was the only drawer in the dresser that could be completely removed.
Joyce set the drawer off to one side. Then she reached inside the void the drawer had left, and felt the carpeted floor beneath the dresser. And on the left side of the space, up against the inside end panel of the dresser, she felt the magazines. Two each for the AR-15s, two each for the pistols. She pulled them out and set them aside. Then she returned the drawer to its original location.
She carried the magazines back to Scott’s office and loaded the weapons. She didn’t chamber any rounds, though, or take them off safe. She’d wait until there was a bigger threat. And she hoped it wouldn’t be necessary, that they would make it back to their mountain hideaway without being challenged.
Once done, she went into the same file drawer that Zachary had pulled his folder from earlier.
She smiled when she noted that he’d left the drawer wide open. Zachary had a thing with open drawers. And leaving the toilet seat up. Jordan was the same way. Must be a teenage boy thing.
The light from the candles was no longer sufficient. Joyce reached up and turned on the small miner’s light on her forehead, then looked through the folders at the back of the drawer. She found one that was bright yellow, her favorite color. It was marked with her name and a little heart.
She opened the folder and removed a single sheet of paper, written in Scott’s handwriting.
Dear Joyce,
If you’re reading this, the solar storm has happened, and the EMP has come. I know this is a stressful time for you. I need for you to be strong. The boys will take their cue from you. If you don’t panic, they won’t either.
I don’t know where I will be when the power goes out. All I can tell you is that I will be there as quickly as I can. However, if I am not there within twenty four hours, then something has happened to me. If that is the case, then I want you to do the following:
Go into the back yard, to the wooden storage building. Open the front doors, and you’ll see what appears to be a large metal cage with plywood behind it.
It is the front door to a very large Faraday cage, and the door is hinged at the bottom. When it is opened, the front will drop down to make a ramp for the two all wheel drive Gators on the inside.
On the side of the storage building is a wooden ladder. Take it to the front of the Faraday cage with a knife.
Climb up the ladder and you’ll find that the top of the door is tied to the metal at the roof by four plastic electrical ties. Snip those ties. Then move the ladder out of the way and you can lower the door. Please be careful. I installed two restrainers to keep it from opening too quickly, but it can still hurt you if you don’t get out of its way.
The Gators are ready to go. I’ve checked them out every four or five days for over a year, and they’re in good working order. Start them up and drive them into the yard.
In the beds of the Gators you’ll find several things. Each one will have two five gallon containers of diesel. You’ll need the extra fuel to make it back to the compound.
Also in the beds you’ll find a box of AA batteries and five sets of night vision goggles. You’ll need them because I want you to drive at night. There are also sleeping bags and tents in case you don’t make it the first night. Once you get away from the city the area is heavily wooded. You can get away from the power lines and disappear into the woods, where you can safely camp during the day and wait for the darkness to return.
Follow the power lines that run behind the house. There is a road that runs through the center of each tower. Just stay on that road and head north.
The towers are numbered on the left side with reflective tape. With the night vision goggles on, the numbers are easy to see. After you pass tower number 20050, the next dirt road on the left will connect with the access road to the compound.
This part is important, honey… If I didn’t show up, there was a good reason. It probably means somebody took me out. If I’m not there, you have to be extra cautious. I know you can shoot, and so can Linda. Be on your toes and watch out for other people. Assume anyone you encounter is a bad guy. Don’t hesitate to shoot to defend yourself.
As for the Gators, they creep very well. If you put them in drive and let them crawl, they are almost silent. It is slow going, but is much safer. That is probably the safest way to get you there.
I hope it’s a moot point. I hope to be there helping you and that we all come back together. But if I don’t make it, I have faith in you, honey. You can do this. I know you can.
Good luck. I love you.
-Scott-
Joyce wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She could do this without Scott, sure. But she didn’t want to. She’d developed quite a love for this man over the last few months. Losing him now was not an option she wanted to consider.
She put the note aside when she heard Zachary yell, “Joyce, it’s Mom!”
Joyce rushed to the foot of the stairs and answered, “Okay, honey. Yell when she’s in the yard and I’ll open the door to let her in.”
Linda, trudging up the hill toward the house, was exhausted. It was the most taxing thing she’d done physically in twenty years. Every bone in her body hurt. The last mile had seemed like ten, and under her breath she cursed the developer who decided to build this set of houses on a long uphill street.
As she neared the house, she put her radio up to her mouth to announce her arrival, but it was a wasted gesture. As if on cue, the front door opened. She practically fell into the comforting arms of Joyce.
“Boy, am I happy to see you.”
Joyce helped Linda to the dining room table and brought her a sandwich and bottle of water.
“You and I can talk in a bit,” she said. “Right now I’m going to go relieve Zach so he can come down and keep you company while you eat. I know he’s been missing you a lot.”
-39-
After Linda ate and rested, she and Zachary joined Joyce in Scott’s bedroom. The three shared idle talk and discussed things they needed to do in the coming hours.
Zachary uttered the question, “I wonder when Dad is going to call.”
His words must have held magic. Mere seconds later, their radios sprang to life once again.
“Can anyone hear me? This is Scott.”
The signal was weak and full of static, but his words were clear.
Joyce looked at Linda, who smiled and nodded her head in Zachary’s direction.
Joyce said, “Go ahead and answer, Zach.”
“Dad, this is Zach. Are you okay?”
“I’m good, little buddy. How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine, Dad. Everybody is here except for Jordan. Where are you?”
“I’m still about fifteen miles out, son. I’ll be there in an hour and a half. Have you heard from Jordan?”
“Yes. He should be here any time.”
“Good. Would you call me back when he gets there so I’ll know everyo
ne is safe?”
“Sure, Dad.”
“Thank you. You’re doing good, Zach. Very good. You be sure and protect those silly women down there for me, okay?”
Zach looked at his mother and then at Joyce. Both smiled.
“Okay, Dad. Will do.”
“Ask them both if they have anything they want to talk to me about.”
Linda shook her head no. Joyce said, “Just tell him to be careful, and that everything is okay here.”
Zach relayed the message, word for word.
“Thank you, son. I’m so very proud of you. And I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Dad. See you soon.”
Joyce left the two of them alone and went back downstairs to finish preparing the weapons. She went back to Scott’s office closet and took a box from the shelf. She placed the box on Scott’s desk chair and opened it, then removed belts and holsters for the handguns and slings for the rifles. There were also extra magazines and four boxes of bullets.
The belts were military surplus, olive drab web belts that the army had used for generations. Scott said he preferred them because of the range of accessories they carried. Like a policeman’s belt, you could attach pretty much anything to them, from extra ammo pouches to canteens to flashlights.
Each belt contained a holster and three pouches for extra ammunition. Joyce began filling the magazines, then placing the full magazines into the pouches.
Once finished, she put one of the belts around her waist and adjusted it. Snug, but not too tight. She was surprised at how heavy it was.
She put one of the handguns into her holster and secured the flap over it. Then she holstered the other two guns and carried one belt, along with an AR-15, up the stairs to check on the other two.
“How are things going up here?”
“Fine. Nothing going on.”
“Good. That’s what I was hoping.”
She leaned the AR-15 against the headboard, next to the window, and handed the extra web belt to Linda.
Countdown to Armageddon Page 15