Powerless (EMP Survival Book 1)

by Emily Garnet

  She tightened her lips. “I don’t think they’re all looney. The only thing I think is crazy is that they’re willing to go on television and reveal the preparations they’ve made. It makes them a target for anybody who’s made a list and kept track of people on the show. I mean, to be honest, until right now, I kind of thought maybe they were all loony, but mostly for that reason.”

  She let out a deep breath. “My father is king of the crazies. He was convinced something was going to happen, though he wasn’t prepping for a specific event. Henry’s just an all-around prepper, wanting to be ready in case anything happens, whether it’s a natural disaster, or something like a HEMP. His philosophy was to have everybody in the family as prepped as he was.

  “Before my mom died, we had a semi-normal childhood. She reined in some of Henry’s crazier tendencies and let us be kids. I was twelve when she died, and Lacey was seven. After that, it was more like living in a military school than a home. Dad homeschooled us, and he also trained us in weapons, defense, and preparation. I hated every minute of it, and I ran away as soon as I was legally able to.”

  Matt looked shocked. “How come you never told me any of this?”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t like to talk about it. I don’t talk to my father at all these days, and it’s even driven a wedge between me and Lacey. She thinks I’m too hard on Dad, and I think she’s too easy on him, accepting how he stole her childhood from the time she was seven to turn her into a freaking soldier.” She almost spat at the bitter taste in her mouth. To this day, she couldn’t get past the resentment she harbored toward her father. Even if he might be right, he’d still stolen so much of her life from her because of his fears that she couldn’t forgive or forget it.

  “So, you did everything he said until you didn’t have to anymore?”

  Ivy managed to laugh. “Oh, not at all. I don’t know how many times I was charged with insubordination.”

  Matt stumbled to a halt, putting a hand on her shoulder so she had to fully face him. “What? What does that even mean?”

  Her lips tightened. “Just what it sounds like, and that’s talking back to your commanding officer. Dad spent four years in the Army, and it shaped him in a way that I don’t understand. Insubordination led to loss of privileges, extra chores, and even loss of food. One time, he locked me in solitary in the basement for two weeks. That was the time I was trying to escape the compound when I was sixteen. I packed my stuff and planned to run away, and he caught me.”

  Matt scowled. “No wonder you don’t talk to him. Was he physically abusive?”

  Ivy hesitated, not certain how to answer. “I’m going to say no, mostly. There was one time he lashed me, but I actually deserved that one.”

  His eyes widened. “How can you deserve to be lashed? With a whip?”

  She nodded, a squiggle of guilt in her stomach. “I really did have it coming though.”

  He shook his head. “No kid deserves that.”

  She shrugged. “I deliberately shot him in the shoulder.” She turned away from him and kept walking. As he caught up with her, clearly speechless, she said, “I was aiming for his heart.”

  “Holy…” He trailed off before he could curse. “Why would you do that?”

  “I was angry, impulsive, and a teenager. I was sick of him yelling at me to improve my aim, so I decided to show him how good my aim was. Thankfully, I wasn’t nearly as good as I thought, and realized what I was doing as I did it, but I couldn’t stop myself from squeezing the trigger. He made me dig out the bullet and taught me how to treat a gunshot wound with the supplies he had on hand, and then he gave me five lashings the next day when he was recovered. After that, he never talked about it again, and neither did I.” But it was an incident that still haunted her to this day.

  “That’s messed up.” He put his arm around her shoulders. “You know I still love you though?”

  She leaned against him for a moment, resting her head on his shoulder. “I know. For what it’s worth, my aim’s much better now. If I have to shoot someone, I probably wouldn’t hit their shoulder.” There was a hint of bravado in that though, since she hadn’t picked up a firearm in ten years. She’d once been a crack shot, but as soon as she fled the compound, she had left all that behind her.

  She’d made a definite attempt to banish everything Henry had taught her. She even deliberately kept no more than a day or two worth of food in her apartment. Now, she shook her head at her own idiocy. She should’ve grown up and moved on long ago, instead of carrying the baggage of the past. But maybe the things her father had taught her would get her and Matt out of Las Vegas.

  They walked a little farther before Matt pulled out his phone. “Are you calling your sister?”

  He shook his head. “I thought I’d get us a map out of here.”

  She stopped, pressing against the cement barricade lining the area they were walking. She hopped up on it, patting the place beside her for Matt to do the same. After he joined her, she said, “If you get one, download it, or keep it open on your phone. Most cell towers only have a generator that lasts eight to twenty-four hours, depending on where they’re located, and the budget allocated to backup.”

  He frowned. “Come to think of it, shouldn’t this HEMP thing have fried the Internet too?”

  “It probably scrambled a good part of it, but there are still servers and relay stations working, no doubt. It’s the same with cell phone towers. Their main power source would’ve been knocked out, so they’re all running on generators right now. Generators don’t kick on until the main power goes off, so they’ll continue to work, at least for a while, until they run out of fuel. Of course, some the generators will have been damaged, or just not come online. It’s going to be spotty whether you get service. And if you do, it won’t be forever.”

  He looked grim as he pulled up Google maps, and she held her breath as she waited to see if it loaded. It did, and he was able to get their route plotted. He took a screenshot and saved it to his phone before closing it out. They sat there for a longer moment as he dialed his sister Sophie’s number in Salt Lake City. Even from where she sat beside him, she could hear the “all circuits are busy” message, and she put an arm around his shoulders.

  “It won’t connect. Do you want to try Lacey?” He handed over his phone as he made the offer.

  She took it, having to spend a moment focusing on recalling the digits. It had been saved in her various cell phones for so long that she was afraid she wouldn’t remember for a minute. Then it clicked, and she dialed. She wasn’t at all surprised to get the same message about the circuits being busy, so she hung up the phone and passed it back to him with a sigh. “Same.”

  “I guess we keep going and try to make it out of Vegas.” Matt sounded unsure.

  She nodded and slipped off the short cement wall. “Yeah, let’s keep moving.”

  She put her arm through his so they could stay together, and they walked for a couple of blocks, perhaps more, before the heat started to increase. A few steps farther revealed they were approaching an area engulfed in flame. The building across the way was on fire too, and even the palm trees on the median had caught fire as well.

  “Let’s get off The Boulevard and try to skirt around some of the fires.” At Matt’s nod, she turned around, and they didn’t have to fight their way through people pushing forward. Apparently, other people had realized the situation as well.

  At the next block, they turned left, finding themselves still in the bustle of The Strip. They must’ve walked at least two miles before they started to enter fewer commercial areas, though there were still plenty of businesses here. There were some apartment buildings interspersed, and the maintenance wasn’t quite as nice, and it certainly wasn’t as glitzy as The Strip would be with all the lights on.

  They’d gone a couple of blocks when Ivy caught the familiar sound of gunfire, though she hadn’t heard it in a decade. Matt was frozen, so she grabbed his hand and tugged him closer
to a car, where they both crouched down. She glanced around the edge of the car, seeing chaos in this neighborhood.

  Some people were running, their possessions in their arms, or a few loaded onto kids’ wagons, and even one industrious man pulled a bike trailer like he was a rickshaw driver. Those people didn’t concern her, other than their clear panic to escape. The ones who really worried her were the ones clearly looting. There were smashed windows, and several people had congregated in an electronics store on the corner. She shook her head at the stupidity of stealing electronics that probably wouldn’t function for months or years without a working power grid.

  The gunfire came again, and she identified it coming from a third-story window. The person seemed to be firing at random, but fortunately wasn’t aiming at the ground. At least not yet. Right now, they were just shooting surrounding windows. She jerked her head to the right, where there was another street. “Go that way. We need to get out of this guy’s range, and we need to get a gun.”

  Matt looked stunned at the thought, but his feet moved when she nudged him to run. At a crouch/run, they made it to that street and ducked down, walking a couple more blocks before they emerged into a different section, where at least no one was visibly shooting yet.

  “We don’t really need a gun, do we?” Matt sounded nervous as he said it, forcing a laugh.

  “No, we don’t need a gun. We need more than one for each of us.” She wouldn’t be deterred as she scanned the street ahead, hoping to see a pawnshop that sold guns. Being Vegas, they were sure to stumble upon one sooner rather than later. Pawnshops did well in Vegas, since desperate gamblers were always ready to sell something to fund their next casino trip.

  Chapter Three

  Matt was discombobulated. That was a word his grandmother used to use, and it seemed to fit the situation just perfectly. He felt off-kilter and completely out of his element. Mostly, he was clinging to the hope Ivy was wrong. It sounded like she’d had a messed-up childhood, and surely that was filtering her perception of current events.

  He couldn’t grasp the idea that someone had attacked the United States and delivered a weapon that could paralyze the electrical grid for months or years to come. It was the stuff of fantasy, if not lunacy. It didn’t happen here, not in America. They were supposed to be safe. How could this happen when the US outspent all other countries combined when it came to defense?

  He did his best to keep up with Ivy as she darted in and out the various niches, sometimes stopping to crouch down behind a car before proceeding forward. He heard no evidence of gunfire here, though this neighborhood was just as chaotic with people trying to flee, and the occasional theft happening.

  He couldn’t believe how people had deteriorated already. The power had only been out an hour or so, and here they were panicking, or worst of all, stealing. Not even scavenging for things they could actually use in a power outage, like food or water, but big-ticket items that might never work again, if Ivy was correct.

  He couldn’t accept that, but he also couldn’t leave her. If she was convinced this was happening, she could put herself at risk doing crazy things. He’d just weather it with her, and when the power came back in a few hours or days, they’d have a good laugh together.

  As they paused near a car, he cleared his throat, asking hesitantly, “Would it be better to make our way back to Caesar’s Palace and our buses? Our security will be there, and we can get out of town faster.”

  She almost glared at him, and her irritation was obvious. “If newer vehicles don’t seem to be running, and I haven’t seen one yet, do you really think our two-year-old tour buses are going to work with all the fancy gadgets they have?”

  When she phrased it like that, he felt like an idiot. He didn’t like that feeling, but he bit down on his tongue to keep from snapping back at her. He couldn’t say he was a fan of this side of Ivy. She was normally relaxed and laidback, and he only hoped that side of Ivy would come back soon. “I don’t know, but we could see.”

  She huffed a sigh of irritation. “Do you really want to go back to The Strip? You know how busy it was, and there were fires up and down the place.”

  He pointed to an apartment building on the corner that was ablaze. “There are fires here too.”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “We have more room to maneuver around here. The only way I’m going back to The Strip is if I can’t find a pawnshop off-strip.”

  “Why are you looking for a pawnshop?”

  Ivy huffed a sigh. “Guns, remember?”

  He tensed. “I really don’t think we need those.”

  Ivy shrugged again. “Then feel free not to get one.” Her voice softened slightly. “Look, I get it, Matt. You’re not used to anything like this, and you’re still clinging to the hope that everything will go back to normal. It’s fine to have hope, but don’t let it cloud you to reality. We need to get out of the city, and we need to be able to defend ourselves. It’s only going to get worse, I promise.” She ended her statement by patting him on the shoulder in a reassuring fashion.

  Matt stopped arguing. He still wasn’t completely convinced she was accurate in her assessment, but it seemed pointless to keep disagreeing. If it made her happy to trek through Vegas with a gun, he was there to support her. That’s what best friends were for, and Ivy was like his older sister.

  His younger sister still lived in Salt Lake, and he regretted that he hadn’t been able to get hold of Sophie yet. He forced his thoughts away from her, not wanting to contemplate how a power outage like this stretching on for months could affect Sophie and her little family.

  After some more of Ivy’s duck-and-cover routine, they finally reached a new block, and she let out a satisfied grunt. His gaze moved to where she was looking, and he saw a pawnshop. The sign below Kenny’s Kove said “Guns, Jewelry & Gold.” He was still unsettled at the idea of buying weapons, but he followed her over to the shop obediently.

  The metal gate was closed, but they could see someone at the counter. He had a light that illuminated the store in front of him but shielded most of his form. There was a handwritten note they could read through the gate that said to ring the bell for admittance. It looked like it’d been written with florescent paint and was new.

  Ivy pressed the button that looked just like a doorbell, but the man was already on his way toward the door. He didn’t open it for them. Instead, he pressed something on his side, which must’ve been an intercom box, because they could hear his voice clear and crisp. The intercom system must run on its own battery and hadn’t been connected to the power grid, same as the doorbell.

  “What do you want?”

  “Guns,” Ivy said forcefully.

  The man eyed them for a moment before lifting his keys and unlocking the door. He pulled the chain gate up just above waist level, so they had to duck to come inside. As soon as they were past it, he pushed it down again and secured the lock before closing the main door and locking it as well.

  Matt thought the guy might be slightly paranoid, but on the other hand, he had seen a ton of looting tonight already. When he saw the gun on the man’s hip, he held his hands out at his sides, very obviously showing he had no weapon.

  The man didn’t seem to notice though. He was too busy staring at Ivy. It was clear he recognized her by the avid adoration on his face. “You’re Ivy Gerard. Oh my god, I never thought I’d get to meet you in person.” He thrust out his hand roughly in Ivy’s direction. “I’m Kenny. Welcome to my shop. How can I help you, Ivy?”

  Matt grimaced at his familiarity, but it wasn’t uncommon in fans. They all felt like they knew Ivy, or even sometimes him, so they were casual and comfortable. It was usually uncomfortable for Matt, but Ivy typically handled it well.

  Even now, in the throes of her concern, she thrust out her hand and shook his. “Hello, Kenny. Like I said, we need some guns. It’s a madhouse out there.”

  Kenny nodded, stroking the pencil-thin beard that lined his jaw. He was a robust and heavyset
man. His eyes practically disappeared in his chubby face, but he had a warm and friendly smile, and he seemed inclined to help them, so that was all that mattered. “What kind of guns are you looking for?”

  “The simpler the better. There’s no telling how long this will go on, and I’m not equipped to repair a more complicated gun like an AR15. I’m thinking maybe just a bolt-action rifle, and a basic handgun, like a revolver, instead of a semi-auto with magazines.”

  Matt’s mouth gaped open. He had no idea what she was talking about.

  Kenny frowned, stroking his beard again. “I understand what you’re saying, but I think you’d be better off getting a couple of other weapons too. Get some more advanced equipment for protecting yourself right now, and then maybe stash some of the simpler weapons. Are you planning to get out of the city?”

  Ivy nodded, looking just a little hesitant to share their plan. “We are. It’s not safe here in Vegas.”

  Matt waited for her to say something more, but she didn’t tell the other man anything about her suspicions of a HEMP or advise him to get out of the city, as she had done for others. Maybe she was waiting to see if he actually helped them.

  “You know I’m supposed to run a background check on all handguns, right, Ivy?”

  Ivy nodded. “I understand. I’m happy to fill out the forms, but I hope you understand that we really can’t wait for the actual process. I assume your computers are down, so you can’t do an instant background screen?”

  He shook his head. “They were some of the first to go, probably because they were plugged in. It looks like some kind of electromagnetic pulse to me.”

  Matt stiffened at the words, and dread sank into his stomach. If more people than Ivy believed that might be the case, it strengthened her argument. Since he didn’t want that to be a reality, he’d like to reject the idea entirely, and hearing someone else talk about it was unsettling.