“Remember, get as much canned and dried food as you can get. Flour, beans, pasta, canned meats of all kinds, and coffee. We need a lot of coffee.”
“Got it.” They filled their carts in the food section in twenty minutes, paid their bills and left the store. Even more people had gathered and the dissatisfaction with the cash-only policy was growing.
“Let’s get out of here now,” Kate said, glancing nervously at the crowd. They attracted a lot of unwanted attention as they loaded the ATV. But, aside from some grumbling and staring, left without incident.
“This is just the first day and already everyone is getting edgy. This is only going to get worse when the town runs out of food,” Don said as they drove back up Williamson Valley Road. They were starting to see more ATVs moving as people began to realize they would start.
“What do you think will happen?”
“It will get violent within a few days. When the food runs out, people are going to fight over it and eventually start to leave town. Everyone here knows where the working farms and ranches are and they will flock to them for food. We are going to have to be prepared to defend ourselves before too long.” Kate looked at him in disbelief.
“I’m sorry, honey. I am just trying to prepare you for what is going to happen. I know you think I’m paranoid, but you saw what was going on in the parking lot. And, that is when people still have food at home.”
“I know,” she replied. “It’s just hard for me to accept that we are going to be living like a bunch of savages.”
Don turned off on the gravel road that led to his ranch and slowed down to reduce the dust signature of the vehicle. “Don’t worry too much. Things will get better when Bud and Ed get here.”
“They do have wives, you know.”
“I know that. But, my thinking is we will have to start keeping watch before too long and we really need more people. Especially people like them. They are both good shots, have good heads on their shoulders, and we will need help around here with the garden and getting all the solar panels replaced. We have all the spares we need to get power and water back, but it’s going to take a lot of hands and hours to get it all done. Both of them are good with their hands and pretty skilled.”
“When to you think they will arrive?”
“I don’t really know. The plan was for Bud and Mary to meet Ed and Ann at their place. They are supposed to ATV it up here on the old Black Canyon cattle trail. The real question is how long it will take them to get to the rally point, pack up, and get moving. It could be days. This happened during working hours and they all work, so most likely they are going to have to walk home to meet up.” Don shrugged once and turned his attention back to the road. A few minutes later they arrived and found Ben sitting on their porch.
“Everything go okay?” Ben asked.
“Yeah, things are quiet for now, but the storm is coming. Where are your groceries?”
“I dropped them at the house and came over here.” Don noticed that Ben’s Mossberg 12 gauge was resting against the wall and nodded his approval.
“Good idea. We should all stay armed from now on.” Don went into his house, walked to the gun safe in the den, and spun the combination lock. He opened the door and examined the contents. Four identical AR-15 Bushmasters lay in the clips in a neat row, two with red dot sights mounted on the rifles. Below them, four Glock 21 pistols, together with tactical holsters, lay at the bottom of the safe. Spare magazines, bricks of ammunition, and night vision googles completed the inventory. He grabbed two of the Glock pistols, strapping a holster with three magazine holders to his waist. Don went back to the front porch and handed the other to Kate.
“Is this really necessary?” Kate was a competent, if reluctant, shooter. She had a dislike of firearms, but shot with Don occasionally to appease his prepper mentality.
“Let’s just be careful.”
“I don’t intend to be unarmed from now on,” Ben said. “I saw those people at the Walmart, and I am guessing that things are going to get pretty rough before too long.” Kate sighed, but she strapped on the holster without further comment. Don was impressed with how quickly Ben had adapted to the new reality they faced.
“Kate, can you get dinner going? Let’s get everything we can out of the fridge and cook that up for tonight. We can use the grill. We have a lot of propane since they came and filled the tank last week. I’ll get some kerosene lanterns out of the barn and that will be our light. If you need water, I can get it from the hand pump and bring it to the kitchen.”
“We still have a lot of bottled water in the house, so I am good with that, but the lanterns will be handy. It would be nice to see our food.” Kate walked into the house and started getting dinner ready.
“You want to stay for dinner?” Don asked Ben.
“I think I better get back to my place and see if there’s anything else I need to buy tomorrow. I also need to feed and water the cattle and muck out the stalls. I moved them to the barn on my way here and they are not going to be open grazing until things settle down. I only have one bull and four cows. I can’t afford to lose them if things get any worse.”
“Ok, but feel free to come over any time you want. And, stay on your toes for the next few days.”
“Will do,” Ben replied. “I’ll swing by tomorrow and see how things are going.”
“Okay.”
Ben mounted his ATV and drove down the driveway. He stopped at the gravel road, waved once, and continued his journey home. Don watched him go with an increasing sense of foreboding. Something bad was coming his way, and he knew it was coming. But, he had no idea when.
CHAPTER TWO
Ed slept late that morning. He had just finished his five-day-on shift at midnight the previous evening, and came home dead tired. His job as a firefighter provided a good income and ample downtime for him to hunt, fish, and camp. He was grateful he chose that profession and found it rewarding. At times, especially in the blazing Phoenix summers, firefighting was the toughest job imaginable; but he took the good with the bad, and it was mostly good. His wife, Ann, was already at work at the hospital, where she was an RN, by the time he woke up. He sat up in bed, stretched once, and shuffled into the kitchen to turn on his coffee maker. When it did not come on, he pushed the button again with no result. He sighed once and then opened the cabinet door to see if he could find any instant coffee.
“Dammit,” he said when he saw there was no coffee in the cabinet. “I can't start my day without my Java.” He went back to the bedroom and entered the bath, where he rinsed his hair, brushed his teeth, and got dressed for the day. He then went to the garage and pushed the door opener, but the garage door remained stubbornly shut. He sighed again and stood for a moment, baffled, then decided to open the garage door manually and go to the nearest McDonald's for his coffee and breakfast. Pulling the car keys from a hook on the wall in the garage, he got into his Jeep Rubicon, turned the key in the ignition, and nothing happened. He quickly checked his cell phone, but it was dead also.
“Oh my God,” he said to himself. “It's finally happened.” Ed immediately thought of his wife, wondering how long it would take her to get home. It was a good eight-mile hike and, if she left the hospital quickly, she should be home before dark. They had planned for an EMP event, or something similar, for years, and she knew the plan was to come home. They would meet up with another couple that they had prepped with and go to Don's ranch in Prescott, where they had been stockpiling supplies for just such an event.
Ed walked through the open garage door, and saw several neighbors standing in the street, talking to each other in agitated tones. He walked over to the group, greeted each member by name, and said, “do any of you have any power?”
“Not me,” said his neighbor Frank.
“Must be a transformer that got blown out,” said Ralph.
“I don’t think so,” Ed replied. “A transformer would not affect my car or cell phone, and neither works.”
&nb
sp; “What do you suppose is going on?” asked Frank.
“I'm not really sure,” Ed replied. “It has to be something that affects all electronics. And, the only thing I can think of that would cause that is an EMP.” He briefly explained what an EMP was, and how it would knock out all electronic equipment. He urged his neighbors to get groceries and water, then abruptly excused himself and went back to his house. He felt his neighbors’ stares as he walked away, but ignored them.
Time was of the essence now and he needed to get ready to bug out when everyone arrived. He walked into the backyard and was relieved to find that his ATV powered up with no problem. Ed thought about picking up Ann, but they planned three different routes home from the hospital, depending on how bad things got. He had no way of knowing which route she had chosen. He decided to stay home and wait for her.
Ed went back into the house, opened his gun safe, and laid out two AR 15s and two Glock 21s that he and his wife had purchased in order to be able to share ammunition and gun parts with his prepper friends, Don and Bud. He couldn’t bring himself to part with his scope-mounted Panther .308, so he pulled that out as well and went to the garage to get two Condor assault packs and additional ammunition for the ARs and the .308. Going back to the safe, he extracted two sets of Armasight NVGs with two spare batteries for each and his solar charger. Ed decided to travel light on the trip to Prescott, taking only food, water, ammunition, and weapons. He piled them next to the assault packs in the kitchen and then went back to the safe and grabbed already loaded spare magazines for the ARs and the Glocks. Ed was, by far, the hardest core prepper in the group and he did love his gear.
He paused a moment to consider what else to load in the ATV and went back to the garage. He piled four MREs on top of a case of bottled water and carried them back to the kitchen. He then went to the den and pulled two walkie talkies from the charger, grabbed a handful of rechargeable batteries, and gathered up the charger base. Setting them on the kitchen table, he completed his packing by going to the bedroom and getting three changes of clothing for Ann and himself. He stuffed the clothing into a large garbage bag and again considered what else to pack, then heard a knock on the door.
“Hi Frank,” Ed said after opening the door.
“Mind if I come in?”
“Why don’t we just talk here?” Ed did not want Frank to see all his gear. While Frank was easy enough to get along with, he also had a tendency to talk too much about other people’s business.
“I just wanted to find out more about the EMP thing you described. Can you tell me when they can get the power back on?” Frank was trying to look over his shoulder, but Ed knew he wouldn’t be able to see the gear in the kitchen.
“I really don’t know. But, as I said, the best thing to do is to get prepared for a long period of time with no power or water. I would tell everyone to fill everything they have with water before they run out of pressure. I do mean everything. At some point, we might want have guards on both the corners that lead into our street. Things could get pretty tough.”
Frank paused to consider what Ed told him, then said, “I’ll tell everyone ASAP.”
“Now would be a good time.” Ed watched Frank knock on three neighbors’ doors, talk to them briefly, and then return to Ed’s porch.
“I heard you start your ATV. Can you give us a ride to the Fry’s? None of us have working vehicles.”
“Sure, but I have to wait for Ann to get home before I can leave.”
“Okay,” Frank replied. “Just come get me when you are ready?”
“Remember, I can only take three people, so you need to pick who it’s going to be.”
“Will do.”
Frank turned and walked next door to his house, where his wife greeted him on the step and they both entered the house. Ed knew that Ann would not get home until close to dark and, with luck, Bud and Mary would make it too. His plan was to head out first thing in the morning. Frank would have to find another ride.
CHAPTER THREE
Ann had chosen the second alternative route. It consisted of mostly going down side streets, avoiding main streets and avenues to the extent possible. She managed to find a bicycle a block from the hospital, apparently abandoned by someone who had used it to get home. At first, the streets were empty. But, as her trip continued, she started to see people standing on front porches and gathering in groups, probably discussing the power outage.
She turned down Cave Creek Road, a major street, for four blocks before going back into the residential neighborhood. She knew she would have no choice but to be on major roads from time to time. But, she had to ride on the main road when the subdivision roads did not go through. When she made the turn back into the subdivision, she noticed two young men, dressed like gang-bangers, who were pointing at her and talking with one another. She pedaled faster, putting as much distance between them as possible, before turning left and entering a street that consisted of several stucco homes, a convenience store, and a gas station. By this time, she was quite thirsty, so she stopped the bike and entered the convenience store, where an elderly man with silver hair who was apparently the storeowner greeted her.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“That’s okay,” She replied. “I'm just going to get a couple bottles of water.” She brought two small bottles to the counter and set them on the counter next to the cash register.
“That'll be eight dollars,” the man said.
“What?” She replied. “That's twice as much is it usually costs.”
“I know and I'm sorry, but I have no idea when I'm going to get resupplied so I have to make money while I can.”
“That's highway robbery!” She exclaimed.
“I'm sorry,” he repeated. “It's just business.” He shrugged his shoulders as though he had no control over the situation. Ann reluctantly paid the exorbitant price. She placed one bottle in her side pocket as she left the store, drinking the other on the spot. She got back on the bike and again began peddling down the side street. She rounded the next corner, feeling better after the water, where a man shouted from his porch at her.
“Hey, do you know what's going on?”
“Not a clue,” Ann replied, shrugging once as she passed the house. She continued peddling, but she was starting to tire and her speed slowed considerably. She decided to stop and take a rest under the shade of a tree in a small community park, and gratefully got off the bike. She sat, breathing deeply for ten minutes, when a woman around her age approached the park from a house across the street.
“You look tired. Do you want a bottle of water?” Ann pulled the second bottle out of her pocket and showed it to the woman.
“My name is Linda.”
“I’m Ann.”
“Why are you out in this?”
“I’m trying to get home from the hospital.”
“I’d offer you a ride, but my car won’t start and the power is out too. That’s never happened before.”
“Thanks for the thought, but I am only a few miles from home now. I just needed a breather before riding again.”
“I just hope my husband can make it home soon.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s on a business trip to Los Angeles.”
Ann thought about it for a moment, and then carefully said, “I am sure he will make it back. But, you should probably try to stay with relatives or something until then. Things might get a little dicey before this is over.”
“Yeah, I walked down to the Safeway around noon and people were really on edge. It’s not hard to imagine it getting tough if this outage goes on very long. The problem is we just moved here and I don’t really know anyone. So, it’s gonna be me by my lonesome until Ted gets back.”
Ann decided to cut the break short and get home as quickly as possible. After wishing the woman good luck, she cut through the park in order to save a few blocks on the ride. Ann estimated she could be home by late afternoon, due to the better time she was makin
g with the bike than she would have on foot. She was only a mile from home when trouble struck. A young obese man blocked her path. He had a bad case of acne and wore jeans and boots, and an evil grin.
“Nice bike,” he said, stepping into her path. “I’d like to take it for a ride.”
“Sorry, but I am on my way home. My husband is waiting for me.”
“I won’t be gone long.”
“Sorry,” Ann repeated. She began to pedal the bike around him, but he caught her shirt with one meaty hand, spun her around, and dragged her off the bike, throwing her roughly to the ground. He quickly picked up the bike and pedaled off in the opposite direction. Ann touched the bruise forming on her face and stood trembling with fear and outrage.
An hour later, Ann was limping down her street, almost home, when Ed saw her through the living room window, where he was keeping watch. By now, he was wearing the Glock. His AR sat by the door with two extra magazines on the table next to it. He opened the door, smiling, and then frowned when he saw the bruise.
“Are you okay?” He asked, the concern clear on his face.
“Yes,” she replied, moving into his arms and enjoying feeling safe for the first time all day. “I found a bike and some kid stole it from me about a mile away. The little bastard threw me on the ground and took off.”
“Thank God you got home safe. That’s all that matters to me right now. Did anything else happen?”
“A couple of gang-bangers spotted me getting off Cave Creek, and if I had been on foot, it could’ve gotten ugly. They were sizing me up for something. Either rape or robbery or both, I guess.”
“I love you honey,” Ed said, embracing her again. He pulled away, looking down at her soft brown eyes and brown skin. Ann was half-Hispanic and had the stunning good looks of a runway model. Ed was amazed that she saw anything in him as she could have any man she wanted. He was under no illusions about his looks. He wasn’t ugly, but his nose was too large and he had a large burn scar that ran up the right side of his face, the result of a house fire that very nearly cost him his life.
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