Restoring Order: An EMP Survival Story (EMP Crash Book 7)

by Kip Nelson

  “Now, I believe you wanted to talk,” Flint said.

  Grace smiled at him and the two of them moved away, leaving the rest to explore the ship, while Grace kept a couple of people on land just in case.

  Grace and Flint walked away to stand at the entrance to one of the warehouses. The opening dwarfed them, just as Flint dwarfed Grace. Yet, she knew that if he tried anything, she would be able to deal with it.

  “So, what's your plan now?” Grace asked.

  “We didn't really have one. We hoped it was just our ship, and that when we got back to land, we'd find everything working just as it always had. We kinda thought that something had gone wrong when nobody came looking for us. We were carrying a lot of cargo, so if we went missing a lot of people would have lost a lot of money. We started to give up hope, but I'm glad to see that at least we aren't the last people alive.”

  “Not just yet,” Grace said, “but yeah, it's been a hell of a time. You've missed out on a lot. I can't tell you much of what happened around the world, because I don't know, but a lot has changed. There's plenty of time to fill you in on that later, and I know someone much better at it than I. He'll want to meet you.”

  “Oh really?”

  “We have a settlement, a place called New Haven. We're trying to rebuild society and put the world back together. Our leader, Mack, encouraged us to look for new people who may want to join. We're still new and getting back on our feet, but it seems like you have some skills that could be useful, and it seems as though you and your men could use a place to stay. There aren't that many safe places in the city anymore.”

  “Seems that way. But how do you know I can trust you?” he said. Grace cocked an eyebrow.

  “I could have shot you when you first came ashore. Nobody really has any reason to trust anyone in this world, other than it's the way we all can get the most benefit. I have no reason to kill you just yet. It wouldn't do me or New Haven any good, and if you threaten us, then we have plenty of guns and ammo to come and send you back to sea. Except this time without a boat. The best way out of this is for us both to trust each other a little bit and see what happens.”

  Flint sized her up for a few moments, then rubbed his thick beard as he pondered her words. “I guess it's better than staying here. I'd like to see this New Haven, see what people have been up to in my absence. It'd be nice to see people actually prospering rather than falling apart.”

  “You can bring a few of your men with you as well, if it makes you feel safer.”

  Flint nodded, and the two of them went to work at separating their groups to create a fair exchange. Grace was pleased with the way it was going, but she still wasn't entirely convinced Flint was as noble as he claimed. These men had been lost at sea for months, and Grace was well aware how much that could change people. So, she kept a close eye on Flint and his men, and her hand never drifted far from her gun.

  When she called up to the ship for Tristan, he sighed when he came down the rope ladder.

  “We're going back to New Haven,” she said. Tristan's look was a picture of disappointment.

  “No, not yet, why?!” he said.

  “Because your mom will kill me if I leave you out here,” she explained, but that wasn't good enough for Tristan. He pleaded with her to let him stay on the ship and, despite her better judgment, Grace relented.

  “I promise that if Mom gets mad, I'll square it with her. I promise, you won't be to blame at all,” he said, although Grace didn't think Maggie would see it that way.

  But Tristan had had too much sorrow in recent times, and if this made him happy and excited, then perhaps it was worth it in the long run. Besides, Grace trusted the other people she left behind, and knew they would keep Tristan safe. With that settled, she moved out with Flint, along with some things they had managed to scavenge from the warehouses.

  Chapter Twenty

  Mack was surprised when he was told about Grace's return, and that she had brought with her some sailors. They had come through the front entrance, and when Mack arrived they were roaring with glee at meeting new people, especially at the sight of plenty of women. Grace and Luis were standing together, but when she saw Mack she came over to talk to him. She brought with her one of the men, who, from the way he was standing, Mack took to be the captain.

  “Mack, this is Flint,” Grace said.

  Mack held out his hand and noted how strongly Flint shook it. Mack looked in the captain's eyes and saw a grim determination. Judging from the man’s appearance, it was clear he and his men had been through a lot. From simple observation, Mack assumed they had been lost at sea, although he didn't let on that he knew until Grace gave him the update.

  “And where is the rest of the patrol?” Mack asked.

  “They stayed behind, along with some of Flint's men, to go aboard the ship. Flint said some things aboard could prove useful. So, it seemed like the best idea, and I wanted to bring him back here to meet you.”

  “She's certainly a big fan of yours. It's a pleasure to meet you. She said you could fill me in on everything that's been happening since we were lost at sea. I'm looking forward to hearing about it.”

  “And I'm looking forward to hearing more about you. You must have a few stories to tell,” Mack said.

  “That I do, although I'm not sure you'll want to be hearing most of them,” he said.

  In the background, there was some squealing as one of the sailors had been a bit too enthusiastic when it came to being happy to see women. Mack looked on disapprovingly.

  “Would you mind asking your men to control themselves while we have a talk? I understand you've been away for a long time, but we do still have rules here, and I don't like any of my people to feel uncomfortable.”

  “Of course, my apologies,” Flint said.

  He walked over to his men and told them to stop. Meanwhile, Mack was glad to be left alone for a moment with Grace.

  “What do you think about him?” he asked.

  “Seems genuine. I wasn't sure what to do at first, but there were only a handful of them left out of a crew of hundreds. I didn't have the heart to turn them away, but I've made sure that we keep the guns and the numerical advantage. I told the ones I left there to be careful. I'm not taking any chances, but they've been lost at sea for so long. I couldn't just leave them to fend for themselves. Besides, I figured they'd have some useful skills if we wanted to involve them in New Haven. I hate to think of what they went through out there, all alone with nowhere to go,” she said, glancing across at the sailors.

  Flint returned to them and Mack smiled. Grace bid her farewell, leaving them to it. Mack led Flint up to his office in City Hall, and Flint was suitably impressed. While on the way there they spoke idly about certain matters. Flint expressed his admiration for everything Mack had built, but when they reached his office it was all down to business. Mack was well aware that Flint was an unpredictable man. He had been lost at sea for months, and that could do strange things to a person. So, he had to be on his guard.

  “I've been wanting to know exactly what's been happening since this all first happened. Grace has told me bits here and there, but she said you'd fill me in,” Flint said. Mack took a seat and told the story that was becoming all too familiar to him.

  “An EMP went off. The world went dark. We don't know who did it or why. At first, I thought it may have been an attack on America, but there hasn't been an invasion, at least not that I've seen. Figured it must be the whole world, but I haven't been able to get any confirmation. We've focused on trying to put society back together. This place already existed when I got here. We've been through a lot. There are other groups that want what we have, and we've fought them all off.”

  “If you're trying to intimidate me, I can assure you it's not necessary. We're tired, and all we want to do is find a good place to settle down and relax. I don't want to start a war. Frankly, I don't have the energy for it.”

  “I was just giving you the facts, telling you wha
t the world is like now. I'm trying to make people see that we can work together to make a good future for us all, but some people only want to take what they can get for themselves.”

  “But what happened to the city? Why is it so deserted? There were hundreds of thousands of people here. If the country wasn't attacked, then what happened to them all?”

  Mack shrugged. “I wish I could answer your questions. I wasn't in the city when the EMP hit. From what I've heard, there were huge riots. Other people tried to leave the city and find safety somewhere else. When I got here, the place was like this. When I saw you, I was hoping you'd have some information for me. Have you sailed from England?”

  “No,” Flint said, chuckling.

  “We just did a short run, but were caught out at sea. We've barely seen another soul. The sea is a big place.”

  “Barely? You mean you did meet other people?”

  “Yeah, people who sound a lot like the ones you met. That's how we lost a lot of our crew. They attacked us in the night, tried to take over our ship. They were nothing but bones, really. They caught us by surprise and took a lot of us out, but we managed to fight them off. They didn't know what had happened. Seems as though nobody does. Maybe it's not important, maybe the only thing that matters is that it happened.”

  “What matters is how we react to it and what we do next,” Mack said.

  “I thought if anything happened the government would at least have a handle on it,” Flint said.

  “I don't even know if there is a government anymore,” Mack replied.

  “There are only citizens left. I'm hoping that, in the future, we'll be able to establish communication with other settlements like New Haven and start building a brighter future, but for now, I'm just focused on getting us through the winter.”

  “Aye, it's gotta be a tough thing to face. We were almost on our last legs there. It was lucky we managed to get back to shore when we did. Much longer on that ship and we'd have been in serious trouble.”

  “How did you survive for that long?”

  “We're resourceful men. There were fish in the sea, and some of the cargo crates had food. When you must survive, you always find a way to do it,” Flint said, and there was a dark gleam in his eye that set Mack's senses tingling.

  “Let me ask you, Flint, what is it you want?” Mack said, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest.

  “Beg your pardon?”

  “What is your plan? Where would you like life to take you?”

  Flint puffed out his cheeks. “I'm not sure, really. I think right now we'd just like a sanctuary, a safe place to regroup and get used to being around people again. I don't have to tell you that it was difficult to keep morale up when there were so few of us. Even though it was a big ship, we still kept running into each other and getting on each others' nerves. I think a break from each other would do us some good, and a change of clothes, and a shave,” he said, laughing heartily. Mack joined in the laughter, too, but then it subsided as Flint became more serious.

  “But thinking long-term, I don't know. We all became sailors because there was something about the sea that called to us. I don't think we could give that up, and even now I don't know if we could stay on land, even though it is the safest place to be. We all are men of the sea.”

  “I envy you. Perhaps when the time comes you will be the ones to go exploring the world again and find out what's happening in other countries.”

  “Perhaps, but I'm envious of you as well. While I may well indeed explore the world again, you are rebuilding it, and will get to see it come to fruition. It seems as though the future for both of us is going to be filled with adventure.”

  “It seems that way indeed. Well, I would be happy if you and your men would like to stay in New Haven while you settle back into life and decide what you want to do in the future. We do like everyone to contribute, though. So, I'd appreciate it if you would speak to Grace and find ways in which you can help us while you’re here. We always can use more ‘hands on deck,’ so to speak,” Mack said, flashing him a smile.

  Flint took the joke with good humor and shook Mack's hand again, thanking him for the warm welcome. He said, indeed, he and his men would be more than willing to help out wherever they could.

  The sailors threw themselves into the settlement of New Haven, meeting as many people as they could, injecting a lot of life and noise into the settlement. However, not everyone in New Haven was amenable to their presence. When Mack met with Maggie later that day, she had a lot to get off her mind.

  “I've been trying to keep an eye on them, but it's hard when there are so many of them. I've had a lot of complaints about the noise. I've spoken to them a few times, but they don't seem to be getting the message,” she said.

  “You have to give them a bit of leeway. They have been lost at sea for a long time.”

  “I understand that, but I have to keep some kind of order. I think Grace should have checked with us before bringing them back here.”

  “You're annoyed with her for leaving Tristan behind, aren't you?”

  “He's just a kid! He doesn't know how to handle himself. What if these sailors aren't what they seem?”

  “We can't go around assuming the worst of people all the time. What if they are exactly what they seem?”

  “I just don't like it, that's all. I have a bad feeling about all of this. I don't think they fit into New Haven, and they seem only to be interested in causing mayhem.”

  “Spoken like a true sheriff,” Mack said, his eyes twinkling, but Maggie didn't see the humor in it.

  “I don't know why you're finding this so amusing. If they're dangerous, you've not only let them into New Haven, but you've left our people down at the docks with them as well. What better way for them to infiltrate this place than to act as our friends? I'm telling you, Mack, I've got a bad feeling about this. There's a fine line between sailors and pirates, and I don't think we should be as trusting as we are.”

  “I appreciate your concern,” Mack said, in a more even tone, “and I know you're worried about Tristan. Grace is a good judge of character, and you know she wouldn't have left him there if she thought it was going to be dangerous. If they do try anything, we're more than capable of handling it. So, let's see how it goes. We may just have made some new friends, and they might be able to show us how to sail properly so we can move up and down the coast.” Mack's words seemed to placate Maggie, but he took her concerns to heart.

  Back on the ship, which Tristan had been told was called the USS Southampton, the young man was having a great time. He was being shown so many things on the ship, and his face was almost permanently set in a wondrous expression. The sailors were friendly, despite their gruff appearance. They were happy to teach him and the rest of the patrol about the ship, giving them a tour of the bridge and the deck. Tristan was eager to learn as much as he could, engaged by a thirst for knowledge and something new. In fact, he felt so comfortable with the sailors that he let his grip on his weapon slacken, and soon almost forgot he had it with him at all. On a few occasions, he had to be reminded of his duty, and he sheepishly took hold of it again. However, soon enough, something else distracted him, and he let his rifle fall to his side. Before he was led away from the main party, he failed to notice a glance that passed between two of the sailors.

  One of them offered to show him something down below. He was so distracted by the ship, and disarmed by the friendly nature of the sailors, that he didn't think anything untoward was happening. So, he chatted happily as he descended into the bowels of the ship with his rifle hung loosely from his waist. He didn't notice how silent the sailor behind him was, or how the sailor's face was plotting Tristan's downfall. Neither did the young man notice the man's clubbed fists come up. However, he did notice the striking blow that rained down on his head, and the dull thud that came from him falling to the floor.

  His mind was dazed and the metal was hard against his body as he fell to the
floor. Two heavy boots stepped around him, then another blow struck his head. His eyes closed and everything went black. The last thing he felt was the rifle being taken, and the last thing he thought was how he had failed to do his duty.

  Find out what happens in part eight! Coming Soon!

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