Righteous Gathering: Book 1 of the Righteous Survival EMP Saga

by Timothy Van Sickel

  "Janie," I say, "We need to get to the Reserve Center for Zach, then we are going to pick up your kids at school. We're all going to the farmstead like we planned. I drove past the school about an hour ago. All the kids were on the lawns, like a fire drill. So your kids are okay."

  Janie looks at me, some fire starting to burn in her eyes. "Son of a bitch! Those bastards in Washington, Those bastards! We all knew this was coming! Those bastards!" She exclaims. "Send my husband all over the world to stop this shit, and do they keep us safe here at home! Noooo! So now this shit sits at my front door! Why! Because our leaders were too afraid to call an extremist an extremist, while sending my husband off to fight them, but only if they get shot at first. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit!"

  Janie has already set the baby in the pack-n-play and has started packing things from around the kitchen, very methodically. She has pulled out a few cloth shopping bags and is loading them with what I can see are important items, especially from a mom's point of view.

  "Janie," I say, "We have the van outside. We have to get you and Zach and the five kids in. That’s going to leave the rear seat area available. Pack clothes and boots and any things that are dear to you. I don’t know if we can be back any time soon. Pack as if we will never be back."

  "Mark," Rebecca barks, "Don't get her all alarmed!"

  "Honey," she says to Janie, "I'm here to help you, it will be okay."

  "Okay, my ass!" Janie barks. "Those bastards!" She stops and starts to cry, "I have five children…. they just stopped the world, from what you say" sobbing, "what about my children…. oh God, what about my children…"

  Rebecca turns to me, "Get Georgeann home. We'll be ready to go when you get back."

  I return to the van. I tell Georgeann since the highway seemed pretty clear I can take her to town, but not through town. This will put her only about a mile from her home and her kids, she can walk from there. I explain that if I tried to take her through town there would be too many dead street lights with stalled cars, and the highway is divided by jersey barriers. If the highway is blocked by traffic, I can’t turn around. I would be stuck there, unable to help Becca and my family. She understands.

  Five miles into town and the highway is relatively clear. I pull off at the last exit, dodge around some cars stopped at the light and get ready to make the U-turn that will take me back to Janie's house.

  "Georgeann," I say, "you have to walk from here, but it's not far. This has all just started, so most people will think it's just a power outage. You should be safe for now. Stop at your house and make sure everything is okay, then go directly to the school and get your kids."

  "Mark, I'm scared. What you all been sayin' don’t sit right. Things are going to get bad, aren't they?" she says.

  "Things are going to get bad, yes, Georgeann. But the Lord told me I could help you, so I did. The Lord has a path for you, follow it. Find friends and neighbors you can trust, form a bond, work together, and pray." I pull out my wallet, "Here's a hundred dollars. After you get the kids, go to the supermarket and get rice, dried beans, pasta, salt and a couple bottles of bleach, too. When you get home, fill up your bathtub, and anything else that holds water, garbage cans, jugs. You need water, food and protection. Worry about that." I want to tell her, "For the next two weeks it's going to be horrible. Then for two months it's going to get worse. Make it through that and you'll be okay." But I don’t have the heart to.

  I let her out and finish the illegal U-turn to head back to Janie's. No honking horns as I swerve past stalled cars and a few pedestrians, but a few raised fists, and one fingered salutes.

  ===============================================================

  I arrive back at Janie's about twenty-five minutes after I left. A couple of bikes and older model cars and trucks were on the highway. Other than that I have seen nothing moving by civilians. Apaches and Blackhawks are coming and going from Murtha Airport and one big military transport airplane has landed. The airport is way at the top of the hill, and everyone sees what comes in and goes out. The civilian class transport for the bigwigs at Flight 93 must be dead so they are bringing in hardened military aircraft to move them out, I suppose.

  Back at Janie's things are moving briskly. I am sure my wife and Janie had a good cry and prayer, then got up and got moving. Katie, Janie's mom, is there, too. "Bring clothes, and any meds the kids need, we got food."

  "On it!" is the response I get.

  "Winter clothes, too."

  "On it, start loading, old man," my wife responds.

  "Janie, what about Johnie's asthma meds?"

  "I got three months of inhalers and six months of pills. After that…” she stops and looks at me. I give her a hug.

  "He is a strong kid, there are homeopathic things we can try," I console her.

  "I know, I know," she says. "The clean air of the country will do him well too."

  Looking at all the duffels and bins that have piled up, I get worried. They got two bikes and a bike trailer sitting right there in the garage.

  "Janie, have you tried Zach or Rocco's bikes?" Rocco is Janie's dad, and a very solid guy, in many ways.

  "No! Do you think they might work? Oh my God!"

  "I've passed several on the road, give them a crank!" I exclaim.

  Janie grabs the keys for both bikes and jumps on her dad's 2010 Goldwing. Looking at us, she turns the key … and nothing happens. "Crap," Katie exclaims.

  "It must have some electronic ignition stuff in it," I say. "Try the old Sportster."

  Janie hops on the Sportster her dad gave her when she turned eighteen, and turns the key….brrrrmb, brrrmmmmb brrrm brrrmb brrrmb! The old bike starts up and begins to purr.

  "Awesome!" I exclaim. "We got another ride! Hook up the trailer to the van for the overflow stuff and we'll take the bike with us."

  Katie mutters something under her breath, and all of a sudden I realize how self focused I have become, how selfish.

  "Katie, forgive me. That was Rocco's bike. And you all will need it. You all need something that runs. I'm being so selfish, I'm just caught up in the moment. I'm so sorry."

  "No," Katie says. "That was Janie's bike and now it's Zach's bike. Rocco will be home from the shop. He'll get something running, we'll be okay."

  Rocco owns a salvage yard and auto repair business. As I think about that I realize he has several dozen older model cars and trucks, and just as many bikes sitting around. Katie is right, he is probably putting something on the road right now. He and I had talked about situations like this, and he offhandedly said he would have something running quicker than I could figure out that my stuff wasn’t running!

  "Mom, you say that like you are going to stay here," says Janie

  "Honey, your dad will be home soon. He'll get the Goldwing runnin', too, I am sure, that’s his baby. Mark and Becca are right though, you need to get the kids and head to their farm. I'm going to wait for your dad. We have to check on your sister as well. Don't worry dear, we'll be okay. We'll be out to the farm too, soon," Katie says with confidence and compassion.

  "So Mark," Katie says to me pointedly, "don’t you go worrying about me and Rocco. We can take care of ourselves. You get Janie and the kids out of here safely. If we need to, we'll be out. And use the bike and trailer for heaven's sake!"

  I hook up the bike carrier to the van and we all start loading bins and duffels.

  "Mark, we have to figure out what to do about Britt and Kenny," my wife says, as she places a bin of toiletries in the trailer. "I'm most worried about Britt. If she worked today, she is miles from home, and that pharmacy is going to be a bad place to be once it gets dark. Those druggies will be targeting her store, they'll figure this out soon enough. They’re smart. They'll take the opportunity to raid that place, I know they will." The concern and anger in her voice is very apparent.

  "You're right dear, she's in the middle of the main shopping district and in a pharmacy. When the looting does start, she's in the
bull's eye." I look at the Sportster, but in my 56 years on this earth, I have never ridden anything bigger than a moped…. I look at my wife, who I am sure knows my thoughts.

  "Janie, we need you to go check on Britt." Becca states, matter of factly.

  Looking up from a bin she is repacking to hold more winter clothes, Janie says, "What?"

  "We need you to take the bike and run over to Aid-Mart, find out if Britt is working today. That place will be ripe for looting soon, and if she is there, we have to get her home," I say. "We can finish up here, we need you to do this."

  "Oh, hmm, what? Go get Britt? No! No! No!" She responds looking around at all that has been packed, thinking about all that needs packed.

  Becca steps forward and hugs her. "Janie, we love you like our own daughter, but Britt may get stuck in a bad place, we need you to go help her. We have come to help you, we need you to do this. We need you to help her. Katie, Mark and I will finish up here. Janie, I can't let my daughter be caught up at that drug store, you have to help her out. You have to do this. If she's not there, you can come right back. You wont be gone but a few minutes."

  Janie looks around and sees how we have come to help her. She realizes now is her time to help too. With determination she responds, "That place will get bad. We need to get her out of there. You’re right, the druggies will be the first to start trouble. Um, okay, what's the plan?"

  "If she worked today, she's at the Aid-Mart, by the supermarket on Scalp Avenue. Grab the bike and take the back roads as much as you can. Park as close to the store as possible, even on the sidewalk in front of the store if you have to. Make sure you lock up the bike. Is Zach's 9mm here?"

  "Yeah, it's locked up in the gun safe, I was just going to start loading the guns into the back seat." Janie replies.

  "Take the 9mm with you, with two extra clips. You shouldn't run into any traffic that you can't dodge around. And you shouldn't run into any trouble you can't talk your way out of. But don’t let anyone take that bike. It's your only link to us, and Britt's only hope of getting home to Kenny and her kids."

  Janie takes a deep breath, "Okay, not what I wanted to hear, but I get it. So, do I bring Britt back here?"

  "That would be the easy solution, but we're not going to get easy solutions today. We may not get easy solutions ever again," I say sadly. "You'll need to take her home. Kenny and the kids will be worried sick if we take her with us and they don’t know where she is. You'll have to take her home, to Roxbury. Do you know the route to take?"

  "I'll go down Eisenhower, and up Franklin into Roxbury."

  "That’s exactly right, you'll skirt around town that way. Come back the same way, but take Krings Street and Belmont through Geistown. It should be quicker and you should be able to scoot around any traffic jams. Does that work for you?" I ask. She nods yes, I can tell she is processing it all through her head.

  Rebecca comes out with the 9mm, spare clips and a shoulder holster. Janie straps it on and puts on her leather riding jacket. "Check to make sure you can draw that pistol, honey," Rebecca says. "Mark had me practice, and it can be a little funny depending on the jacket you're wearing."

  Janie grimaces, and does a few practice draws. "I don’t like this one bit!" she says. "I'm not Wyatt Earp." She takes a deep breath. "Is this happening? Lord be with me."

  "The Lord will be with you, Janie," says Rebecca. "You can do this. We are family. We are here for you. We need you to be there for Britt and Kenny, too."

  "Janie, while you are at the drug store, pick up anything you think will be helpful, especially for the kids. Stuff that will fit in the saddle bags, cold remedies, vitamins, Tylenol, Benedryl, whatever you think we may need. Here's three hundred dollars. Hopefully they will take cash. Honey, give her anything you got," I say to Becca.

  I take a deep breath and turn to Rebecca. "Rebecca, what about your RA? Can she get you anything that will help? Your meds are going to run out. Maybe we can even get Britt to get a few things from behind the counter… but…. "

  Rebecca stops me "No, Mark, that will have us looting the drug store before the druggies do. We have been blessed. God will lead us on the path we need to follow. That path is going to be hard, I know that, you know that, but let's not compromise our values. That's a path we cannot go down." Turning to Janie, she says, "Get Tylenol and Tylenol PM, the generic stuff is fine, Honey." Once again, as strong as I feel in my faith, my wife proves to be stronger. With her pure selflessness, she is my rock. But Rheumatoid Arthritis is a debilitating disease, and I worry mightily about her health in the days to come.

  Turning to Janie I say, "Janie, you gotta get going. If Britt is not at the store, come straight back. If she is, take her home like we planned. Let her know we will pick up her and her family tomorrow, and they need to be ready to go. Follow the route we talked about. If you are not back in two hours we will come looking for you on that route. So stay on that route, got it?" She nods yes with a bit of attitude. She's ready to get this done so we can go get her husband and kids.

  "As soon as you're back, we'll go to the reserve center and get Zach, then we'll go get your kids," I assure her. She nods, then heads out, peeling some tire as she turns onto the main road.

  Chapter 6 Electricity, June, 2016

  I stand staring, somewhat baffled, at the battery rack, wiring, and control panels for the solar system we just finished installing. "So Paul," I say, "how do we go about giving this system a test run?"

  Paul responds, "Actually, we can't do a full test today. But we can see by the power meters that everything is working. Final hookup to the grid has to be done by the power company. They have to test the grid disconnect system to ensure you're not putting juice back onto the grid in case they have to fix the lines."

  "Yeah, that would be bad, I get that."

  Paul adds, "They also will certify the system and install their gizmos so they can reimburse you for any power you put back on the grid, for the power they have to buy from you."

  "That part I like," I say. "I'll take advantage of that program. But the $3,000 subsidy for the solar system, I just can't do that, Paul. I might as well go around to thirty of my neighbors and put a gun to their head and tell them each to give me $100 so I can put in a solar system. It's not morally right. Yeah, sure it's a government program, but where do people think that money comes from?"

  "You actually would need to put a gun to their kids' head, because it all adds to the debt that will fall on their kids' shoulders," Paul replies. "But I think you should take the money anyway, Mark. The whole system is going to collapse, so take advantage of the handout while you can."

  "That's occurred to me, believe me. But I still hope we can turn this ship around. If we actually get a president that will roll back all these cumbersome rules and regulations; the stupid programs, like paying to install solar panels, or worse yet, paying millionaires to invest in windmills, maybe then we can get this economy rolling again.”

  "But forget that, dude," I continue. "What about this power plant! Let's give this thing a test drive. I'm pumped to see if this actually works. Walk me through it again."

  My oldest brother, Paul, would be classified as a geek. He has an electrical engineering degree from Penn State as well as an MBA from Carnegie Mellon and a computer masters degree of some sort from MIT. It's all way over my head. But he is way cool, loves to fish and hunt and likes to build things. We have a summer place in Canada and it is completely off the grid due to the power plant he designed. So I have complete trust that what he has helped me install is going to work.

  Paul starts off. "Okay, first you got six solar panels on the roof, their peak capacity is about 1400 watts. See here, on this display is how many watts you're generating. Right now you're generating 1260 watts. That charges your deep cycle batteries over there. When the batteries are fully charged the power will then flow into the AC/DC converter and then to the inverter. The inverter sends AC power to the house. If you are producing more energy than you are u
sing, the inverter sends the juice back out on the grid.

  "This display right here shows how much charge your batteries have. And this one shows how much power you are using. These displays are all hardwired to the remote display in the house, so you can see what's going on without coming down here."

  "This is way cool, brother!" I say with excitement. "So we are generating 1200 watts right now, awesome! The whole place has LED lighting, including spots. They pull less than 10 watts each, I could run every light in the house. Okay, but what about my fridge and pump? They're the heavy power sinks, right?"

  Paul laughs out loud. "I told you. You'll need to expand this system, probably triple it to run the pump and fridge. The fridge draws about 750 watts and the pump another 1000 watts. And when your pump starts up, it draws about 2000 watts or more. This is just a starter system, but you got all the basics you need to expand.

  "Look, Mark, we all know you and Becca are working on making this place a safe haven, where we can all come if it all goes to hell. And you've done a hell of a lot of work to get there, but this system is only a starting point. Everything you have here, though, is expandable. Eve and I have been talking about it, and we are going to double your solar panels and your battery bank. Six more panels and twelve more batteries will be here in the next few weeks. You got everything in place, adding on is almost like building with Legos. We just add on."

  "Whoa, brother! That's quite generous! Thanks! You know you all are welcome here if it goes bad. That’s mainly why I keep upgrading the old farmhouse. To have room for you and Eve. John and Jan, too.

  "But back to the power system. I knew that we couldn't run the fridge, kinda. But we got to have enough juice to run the fridge. We keep Becca's meds in there. No fridge is not an option. And that pump starting thing is scary, too. Do those twelve batteries have enough juice to handle that?"

  "Right now it's iffy, but with what Eve and I will add, it will cover it. But you need to look at the gravity feed water system we talked about. A water tank in the hayloft will feed the new house and the farmhouse. That will really cut down on how often the pump kicks in. And better yet would be to put in a gas-powered pump to fill the tank. Then you would eliminate the pump from your electric power consumption completely."