EMP Crash (Book 2): The Path Ahead (An EMP Survival Story)

by Nelson, Kip

  “I plummeted down and hit the water with a crash. I felt it stinging my wounds and I tried to get my bearings, but the only thing around me was water and my arms hurt too much to swim. I opened my eyes and saw the figures standing above me, looking down at me. One by one, they all pulled out their peckers and started relieving themselves in the water. And all I could do was watch.

  “I've taken some beatings in my time but this was something else. I'm surprised they didn't finish me off, but I guess they liked the idea of me drowning. And I would have if you hadn't come along. I tried to fight it, tried to stay conscious and swim, but the current took me away. The last thing I saw was the sun in the sky, after that I was at the mercy of the river, and it delivered me to you.”

  “And it sounds like Mr. Smith's lack of attention to detail could cost him. If he runs such a tight ship as you say then the fact you have survived could be a weakness we could exploit, if it was needed,” Mack said.

  “Trust me, you're better off not even thinking about him. Stay on your course to the city, get away from him and his group.”

  “I hate the idea of turning my back on all those people who need help, though.”

  “If they really wanted to help then they could help themselves, but they're cowards who won't do anything to help someone else in need. All they care about is having food in their bellies and clothes on their backs.”

  “I know, and I know we don't have the manpower to take on the group, but I just wish we could make a difference. Mr. Smith sounds like the type of person who needs taking down a notch.”

  “That he is, but in this world you have to take care of yourself first. There's no sense in seeking out danger when it's not called for.”

  “I just know how much power corrupts, and if Mr. Smith is going to continue in this vein then he's going to cause a lot of problems for a lot of good people. You must know how he operates, though. What can you tell me about his camp?”

  “Promise me you're not going to do anything stupid,” Saul said narrowing his eyes at Mack.

  “I promise, I just want to know. Honestly? I've been having trouble coming to grips with this new world. Anyone can seize power, and I don't like it. I want to know how a man like Mr. Smith operates so I can be prepared for anyone else who does the same. Because I'm sure he's not the only one.”

  “Well, I don't know how he got organized so quickly but he bullied people into giving them supplies. Guns were the first things they got, which gave them an advantage over most people. It's easy to give up things when you're staring down the barrel of a gun. They've set up a camp just about,” at this point Saul got up and looked down the river in the direction from which he had bobbed along, “it's hard to tell seeing as I don't know how long I was going down the river for, but it's probably a few miles over the other side of the river. They found a clearing and set up a lot of tents and even started building huts.

  “The more people they have the more they can put to work, but they don't have much in the way of seeds or farming equipment. So they mostly have to steal their food from other sources. They have a few wagons and horses, and a lot of bikes. Other than that, they're on foot. Their main strength is their manpower. They have so many people working toward the same goal that it's difficult even to get to Mr. Smith, and even if you could, there are people who would take over. But the guns always are going to be the big problem. They got a lot of ammo from a military bunker they hit recently. I remember when they came back, they were so hopped up on excitement because they actually had taken on some soldiers and won. They started thinking they were invincible. I think that's when I knew things were going south. If they could take out a military installation, well, the world really had changed.”

  When Saul mentioned the bunker Mack winced for his fallen comrades, and hated the idea that Mr. Smith and his gang had run rampant through the forest, taking whatever they wanted without fear of punishment or being caught. He knew it was for the best to move onto the city and away from this gang, but there was a part of him that couldn't let go of the need for justice. However, what Saul told him was frightening as Mr. Smith had managed to build up a strong army, and it was difficult to see anybody being able to challenge him. His thoughts turned to Willie and his family, who were unknowingly waiting to be another one of Mr. Smith's conquests. Mack only hoped that they were spared the same fate as befell the soldiers in the bunker.

  “What about the people who follow him, the ones he trusts with guns? I'm assuming the more people they welcome into the community the harder it gets to manage them, even if they are scared of guns. And if he's getting into these fights he must lose men as well. How does he replace those under his command?”

  By this point Saul had taken back his seat, basking in the sun. “Whenever people join the community he sizes them up and adds a select few to his army, but only the ones he chooses himself. He claims it's so everyone is represented, but really it's just so everyone gets their hands dirty, and nobody has a clean conscience. Most of them share the same sick sense of duty, but others were bullied into it, and they don't have the strength to stand up to Mr. Smith anyway.

  “The way he runs the place it's a case of if you don't join them then you're exiled, and I guess most people are willing to look the other way. The thing is, in this world people are scared, and scared people are desperate, and when they get desperate they follow people like Mr. Smith who seem to have things all figured out.”

  “So what are your plans now? You survived a brush with death; where are you going to go?”

  Saul rubbed his jowls. “I don't rightly know. I'm not really a planning kinda guy. I tend just to go wherever the wind takes me. I might start walking away from Mr. Smith and his lot, see what else is out there, see if I can't find a little place of my own where I can while away the years and hopefully just live in peace.”

  “Well, if you like you can travel with us for a little bit. We always can use the company, and if you're going in the same direction anyway we might as well go together.”

  Saul considered Mack's words for a few moments. Although he was used to being a lone wolf there was something appealing about going along the road with a few other people, especially since he had almost just died.

  “I think I might just take you up on that offer, at least until my clothes have dried. I don't have much in the way of weapons either. But I gotta make it plain right here and now; I'm my own man and I don't take orders from anybody.”

  “Noted,” Mack said, and extended the hand of friendship out toward Saul.

  They stayed by the riverside for a little while longer as Saul waited for his clothes to dry. The others filled up their water bottles. Mack looked down the river and thought about Mr. Smith and what they group was doing at that very moment. Then, he tore his eyes away and the group moved along down the river, on the way to the city.

  Chapter Five

  As they walked, Luis and Grace hung back a little as their new companion made them uneasy. Saul was a large, imposing man with a stern expression on his face and he wasn't exactly good-humored, but Mack didn't let that stop him. He wanted to know more about this man. Although he had faith in his abilities to profile people he still liked to know if he was accurate. So he wanted to know if his initial impressions about Saul had been correct.

  “So, did you know these woods well?” Mack asked.

  “A little. I've been in the area for a while. Came up on a job and decided I liked the place, so I hung around.”

  “Oh yeah? What did you do?”

  “I was in construction. Actually helped build a bridge along this river after the old ones just weren't up to the task anymore.”

  “You weren't a nine-to-five man then?”

  Saul snorted. “Hell no, that life was for chumps. Swallow you up and leave you a lifeless husk. No, I like being out in the open air and working with my hands. My favorite part of the job was looking at something and knowing that I had built it, that it was only standing because of me.
”

  “So you liked the sense of accomplishment that came with it?”

  “Yeah, exactly. Back where I was from people didn't really amount to much. And given the way I was when I was younger, nobody held out much hope I'd turn out to be anything more than a drunk, even my parents.”

  “So you wanted to prove them wrong?”

  “Saw a lot of my friends make a lot of mistakes and I didn't want to be like them. I was one of the fortunate ones, I guess. Never really settled down, though, didn't like staying in one place for too long. But yeah, I wanted to show people a man could do anything if he set his mind to it.”

  “And now you're here.”

  “Same as you. But I bet we took different paths.”

  “Not so different as you might think. There were certain expectations of me as well, and I didn't know my place in the world. Guess I liked to drink a little too much in my youth as well. If I hadn't gotten my act together my life could have been very different.”

  “What made you change?”

  “I joined the army,” Mack said, laughing when he noticed Saul was rolling his eyes. “I know. It's not exactly your scene, but it straightened me out.”

  “I never really got along with orders.”

  “Neither did I at first, but the great thing is that once you rise up the ranks you get to be the one giving orders.”

  Saul scoffed. “There's always someone else higher than you. No, I liked being my own boss and deciding my own hours. You only get one life and you have to be a master of your own destiny. Otherwise, you end up regretting things.”

  “So you don't regret anything?”

  Saul's eyes flickered. “I guess we all regret something at some point in time.”

  “What was her name?” Mack asked. Saul laughed.

  “You are good, I'll give you that. Her name was Barbara. It was a long time ago. I was young and should have known better, but I was a fool and lost the only good woman I've ever known. Maybe I wouldn't have drifted so much if I'd have settled down with her, but there's no use of thinking what could have been. What about you? Do you have a woman?”

  “Yeah, Anna, but she's back home and I'm here. I'm going to try finding my way back to her.”

  “Good luck with that, you'll need it.”

  “I know.”

  “What about those kids? You think they've got what it takes to survive in this world? They're not exactly the same as you and me. We've been through life. We know how ruthless and unforgiving it can be.”

  Mack cast a quick glance over his shoulder to see that Luis and Grace were watching them warily. “You know what? I think they do. I wouldn't have made it this far without them. We make a good team. You should try trusting other people sometime. I don't think anyone is going to make it through this world alone.”

  “Maybe not, but you can't go trusting everybody. There's only one rule here, do unto others as they would do unto you, only do it first.”

  “I'll have to remember that one,” Mack said. “So you really think you'll be able to survive on your own? That you'll be able to find some secluded place where nobody will bother you? Aren't you worried about any stray people coming across your path and taking what's yours? Or more people like Mr. Smith?”

  “There always are going to be people like that. I wouldn't just settle down anywhere. I'd like to find a cabin in the mountains somewhere, or someplace forgotten. I figure most people aren't going to have the skills to survive in this climate. As long as I can make it through winter I'll have my pick of places to stay.”

  “I don't think you're giving people enough credit.”

  “Then you've lived in a different world than me. Do you really think that when winter sets in people will have been able to adapt and set up shelter and provisions to last them through the cold months? It's going to take enough effort for them just to make it through the summer. Sure, I bet you'll get a lot of groups that will be able to find some comfort, but the vast majority? It's not even the conditions that are going to be the end of most people. Think about the emotional toll. There are small kids and babies out there who won't be able to last. How do you think their parents are going to be able to handle losing them?

  “Then you have the fear of being alone, the fear of losing the world that you knew. There are no more hospitals, no more comforts that we're used to. Most people aren't used to living this kind of life that that's going to hell. Might be sad to say it but by this time next year the population will have dropped dramatically. Me? I'd prefer to be on my own. I don't want to risk being with a group of people when one of them loses their minds.”

  “But you're forgetting that we are a social species. Will you really be able to handle being isolated from the rest of humanity? I know you might think you're able to now, but what about after you're spent a few months with only yourself for company? Maybe you're the one who is going to lose his mind?”

  “Then it's probably better that I'm away from other people. I'm bad enough when I'm sane,” Saul said without a hint of humor in his voice.

  “Maybe things are going to get worse before they get better, but I have to hope that we're going to make it through this. We stood together as a country once before, and we can do it again. We just need to be brave and conquer our fears, that's all. And the three of us are proof of that. We come from different backgrounds, but we can work together to try making it through this.”

  “Like I said, good luck,” Saul replied.

  Mack was pleased he had been on point with his profiling of Saul and was intrigued that in some ways they were different sides of the same coin. Both of them had a strong sense of discipline, although Mack's had been instilled into him from the army, whereas Saul's seemed to have been a product of his childhood and his need to prove people wrong. And while Saul had a bleaker view of humanity than Mack did, it was entirely pragmatic and Mack couldn't outright say he was wrong. As a matter of fact, Mack hadn't paid much attention to what they were going to do to survive winter, and it showed that Saul had a keen intellect when it came to surviving.

  He wasn't wrong, either. There would be many people who would be ill-prepared for just how harsh winter was going to be without central heating or preserved food. He would have to keep his thoughts on a plan for that. While at the moment he felt it was still best to take one day at a time, he knew how quickly time could slip by. He didn't want to turn around and see it was suddenly winter and they had no plan for how to survive.

  The quartet continued walking, being careful to watch for any sign of trouble. After their initial conversation things quietened down. At one point Mack dropped back to have a word with Grace and Luis, inquiring about their quietness, and they gestured toward Saul. Mack told them he didn't think they had anything to worry about from him.

  Saul stopped suddenly and pointed across the river.

  “That's where they threw me down,” he said. The others stopped, too.

  It was strange to think that across this wide river there were other people, a threatening presence to innocents in the forest. They were so close and yet so far away, for there wasn't a bridge along the river for a while yet. Even then, according to Saul, their camp still was some distance away. Mack felt his fist clenching as his sense of righteousness wanted to find a way across the river and demolish Mr. Smith's infrastructure, but he had to be smart about it. He had Grace and Luis to think about, and Anna as well. There was no sense endangering them with a foolhardy mission. He already had done that back at the farm and they had been fortunate to escape with their lives.

  Perhaps Saul was right and it was best simply to leave it be, but was that the first step in betraying his principles? He'd always followed orders and knew how to be true to his duty, but this time there was no high power giving him direction. He was on his own, and he was going to have to make his own way. While he had been given leadership training, this was a challenge for Mack. He was torn between two missions; that of trying to return to his wife, and of doing the rig
ht thing no matter what the cost.

  Was it so wrong to be selfish in the new world and prioritize his own safety? It wasn't a question he was sure he had the answer to, but he was sure he would spend a lot more time thinking about it.

  They began moving again, and Grace and Luis were still hanging a few steps behind. Mack knew Saul had noticed, but he figured the big man had been used to people making up their minds about him. When Luis and Grace spoke it was in low, hushed voices so only the two of them could hear each other.

  “Do you think Mack made the right call in inviting him along?” Luis said.

  “I don't know. I'm still suspicious of this whole story. We've had too many run-ins with this group, and now we just happen to come across someone who was a part of it? Seems a bit unlikely,” Grace said, her mind used to seeing conspiracies wherever she looked.

  “What are you saying, that he found us on purpose?”

  “It's a possibility. We certainly wouldn't see a dying man as a threat and we'd feel obliged to help him out. It's the perfect way for them to get information on us. He could be leading us to a trap right now.”

  “It was a pretty convincing performance then, the way that he was drowning,” Luis said sarcastically.

  “I never said that it was a good theory. I only said I had my suspicions, but stranger things have happened.”

  “Like what?”

  Grace shot him a look. “Maybe I'll tell you one day.”

  “Well, I don't think he could have faked that but I'm not sure I trust him. Did you see the way he reacted when I mentioned the mental hospital and the prison? Do you think he could have escaped from one of them? Maybe he's one of those people who think they're someone else, and he's not really Saul at all. But he has the kind of look of a criminal, doesn't he? I could imagine him killing someone. I don't think he'd be in jail for petty theft, it would have to be something big.”