by Miles Maresh
Chapter 2
David Bell was a 48 year old resident of Pittsburgh. He was married to his 39 year old wife Jennifer. The couple had 2 children, a 16 year old daughter Judy, who lived at home and a 21 year old son, Barry, who was a junior at Stanford University in California. David had retired from the Army after a 20 year stint in the Special Forces, and now owned a bar in suburban Pittsburgh. The bar was a favorite among David’s military friends, but it also was a popular neighborhood bar in the working class neighborhood in which it was located. David owned a house in the same neighborhood as the bar. The house was modest consisting of only 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It did sit on 2 acres of land and was secluded from neighbors by distance and stands of trees. David had built the house himself with help from friends who had specialized knowledge. David and his friends were preppers, and the house sat on top of a hidden shelter attached to one end of the finished basement. The shelter had been stocked with prepper supplies for many years. It was planned to be a supply for his farm in northern Pennsylvania, but in the event of an actual nuclear attack, the shelter would protect his family from fallout and radioactivity for an extended time.
Jennifer had been happy when David left the military. She had been tired of moving around and living on different military bases. She did not mind David opening a bar although she had a more traditional job as an emergency room nurse in a local hospital. She joked that after bar fights they could send the victims to her to get patched up. Of course David’s bar, while not fancy did not have the type of clientele who got into fights and caused conflict. She loved her house and her neighborhood. After living in cramped military quarters for so long, it was nice to have a larger house where they owned the land it was located on as well. She was well aware of the hidden shelter and helped David rotate food supplies to keep the freshest in the shelter while the rest was used in the kitchen. Like most wives, she thought her husband had gone overboard with his prepping, but as hobbies go it was harmless, and in the back of her mind she feared it might matter someday. As a military wife she had learned long ago to respect the preparation of the military and David’s continued stockpiling was not a concern to her.
Judy was happy to be in Pittsburgh. Until 6th grade she had attended schools on military bases, and although the discipline and order of those schools was evident, they were not highly academic for motivated students like her. She was proud of her big brother, Barry and his plan to be an English professor was admirable, but her own goals were more influenced by her mother’s profession. Judy hoped to be a doctor and the high school in her Pittsburgh neighborhood had the AP and Honors classes she need to start working towards that goal. She knew of her father’s prepper ideas and had been briefed on what to do if an apocalyptic event ever happened. She was supposed of go home and go into the shelter until they figured out what had happened. She was also not to tell any classmates about the hidden shelter. With social media, if one person found out about the supplies, the whole world might converge on them if a major event like an EMP ever occurred. Judy had also been to the farm. Although she enjoyed visiting her grandparents it was not the lifestyle she favored. Like most of her classmates Judy though apocalyptic events were only things in science fiction. If she mentioned preparing for one she would be even more of a social pariah.
In addition to the house in suburban Pittsburgh, David owned a farm in conjunction with his parents. The farm was 100 miles north of the city and very isolated. It backed up to a national forest and was not on any paved roads. Several security gates were on the dirt roads leading to the homestead. The house was expansive, consisting of three floors and a full basement. In addition there were mobile homes at strategic locations around the main house. David had three brothers and one sister who all had families and were expected to go to the farm in case of emergencies. Even though David’s siblings respected his military service they were not preppers and thought of the farm as a nice vacation spot, but not as an area they expected to live.
The farm was self-sufficient. Although the growing season was short in the high latitudes, the land was fertile and ready for planting. Because his parents lived alone on the farm they only took care of the animals, and other than a garden, they did not farm the land themselves. The national forest at the back of the farm had a ready supply of game, and several freshwater streams meandered through the area with excellent fishing. One stream, a tributary of the Allegheny River ran through the farm itself. David’s brothers lived in Eastern cities and his sister lived in Houston, Texas. David had given each family a satellite phone as a Christmas gift, but with their reliance on cell phones the gifts were mostly forgotten and not put in faraday cages as David had suggested. At least all the phones had easy to use solar chargers and should be able to start working if their cell phones were ever fried. It would be a relatively short journey to the farm for his brothers, if they could get out of the congested cities quickly. Unfortunately they all drove fancy newer cars loaded with computer components including the ignition that would no longer work after any EMP event. David suggested older vehicles that would still work regardless of conditions, but his brothers thought his fears were baseless and believed their big SUVs were safe and would work no matter what happened. His sister’s husband worked on a ranch in Texas and already had an older full sized pickup that David thought would surely be EMP resistant. That was good, because Texas was a lot further from the farm than his brothers’ locations. Of course, David’s son had a longer journey then anyone, and David had always hoped that he would graduate and take a job closer to home. He knew Barry had a Jeep that was EMP resistant and just hoped that he would be able to hold onto it. The longer it took him to get across the country, the more likely it would be that others would try to take his vehicle away.
Chapter 3
Barry and Megan decided to wait until dusk to begin their journey. Even though it was getting dark, there were still many people out in the streets as there was no electricity inside. He knew as soon as it became obvious the Jeep was running, the noise would attract people. Most people were not desperate for supplies yet, but many wanted transportation and working vehicles were in short supply. Because they lived near many other college students, Barry’s Jeep was not the only vehicle running and as he watched the streets he noticed young men arguing and fighting over working cars. Some were even attempting to take the EMP free vehicles from their owners by force, and the situation worried Barry. He kept his vehicle in a garage at the back of his apartment complex. His father had suggested the garage, Barry thought it was unnecessary, but his father offered to pay for it, and Barry was glad he had it now. He had no misconceptions of making it all the way to Pittsburgh in his Jeep, but he didn’t want to lose it in his first 5 miles on the road. His father had already told him “If someone tries to take your Jeep by force, you should let them have it. Just take your bags, the sat phone and go.” Barry planned to let them have it all right. He had his Sig Sauer in strict violation of California gun laws and he would not hesitate to protect himself and Megan with it. If anyone was brazen enough to attempt to take his vehicle, he did not believed they would stop with that. His main goal was to avoid other people as much as possible, but he was an excellent shot and would protect his girlfriend and possessions with complete retaliatory force.
Barry had loaded the back of the Jeep with MREs, water, a siphon pump and a go-bag for himself, and one for Megan. Each go bags consisted of energy bars, fire making equipment, a small first aid kit, water filters, a multi-knife, a compass, rope, wire, pepper spray and a lightweight thermal blanket. Not nearly everything they would like to carry, but if they lost the vehicle they needed things they could carry with them as they retreated from the scene. In the vehicle Barry had already placed sleeping bags and small tent and he added all the supplies acquired from the Safeway. Because Megan did not want to carry a firearm, Barry had trained her on how to use the highly illegal Taser he placed in her bag. She now asked if he had another gun but Barry onl
y had the one. He wished she had asked him earlier, but he was sure he could get one for her at some point.
Barry and Megan loaded the jeep and left the garage at 1:00 AM. Because the Jeep was a 4 wheel drive vehicle, they had mapped a lot of dirt roads and unpaved areas they could take to avoid crowds of people. To get out of his immediate area around the university he had to travel streets that were usually congested with running vehicles. With most cars still sitting where they had died, he had to swerve around the deserted cars and it slowed him down more than he felt was safe. With unruly students already roaming the streets, Barry’s trip out of the area would be more harrowing than he thought. As they pulled around the apartment, Barry saw one of his neighbors frantically waving him over. Barry did not dislike the man, but the Jeep was full. Megan and their supplies took up every square inch of room. Barry also noticed a group of teenage boys he did not know. They were standing across the road eagerly viewing the Jeep, the visible supplies, and Megan. Barry ignored his neighbor’s pleas and wheeled around him then accelerated to get out of the area. Once out of the Stanford area, Barry stayed on residential streets and only encountered a few people, mostly who were just surprised to see a working car. The pair made good time until they reached a traffic jam of deserted cars. They were backed up at a freeway Barry had to cross to reach the outskirts of town where he could transition to dirt roads. As he stopped and viewed the scene, Barry and Megan observed a rough looking group of young men and women, breaking the stalled cars, obviously looking to steal any possessions left behind. Barry had stopped the Jeep well short of the traffic jam, and decided to find another crossing. As he turned the Jeep around, the thugs noticed him and started shouting and running after them. Barry’s Jeep easily outpaced the runners, but two men jumped on motorcycles and raced after the pair. They also had a pistol and took a couple of wild shots at the fleeing Jeep. Barry raced the vehicle around a corner, stopped the vehicle and told Megan to drive down the street while he waited in the shadows with his Sig Sauer. When the bikes came around the corner they saw the Jeep down the road and accelerated. They did not see Barry as he unloaded his pistol into the chests of both men. Their motorcycles crashed and if they weren’t dead from Barry’s shots, they were certainly mangled from the wreck. Barry thought it was really a shame to destroy working motorcycles after an EMP, but it couldn’t be helped. It did make him think though. If they could not make it all the way across the country in the Jeep, many smaller motorcycles did not have computer chips and might be effective alternate transportation. What Barry wanted to avoid was the weeks of walking across the country. As days went on and people started to run out of food and water, Barry thought being on foot would be a death march. The pair found another underpass where Barry was able to drive the Jeep up the embankment past the stalled cars. There were a few people standing and watching, probably hoping the Jeep would overturn. Barry successfully made the transition back to the road and they raced away to the residential neighborhoods that would lead to the dirt roads north of the city.
Chapter 4
When the lights went out at 10:00 AM Pittsburgh time David Bell was still asleep. As a bar owner he typically did not get to bed until about 4:00 AM and usually slept until about noon. When he woke up and found the power off he was not concerned and thought it was simply a power outage. When the satellite phone started ringing he became more concerned. He kept the sat phone inside a faraday cage in his office and usually did not use it often except to keep it charged. All of David’s immediate family had satellite phones, along with several of his prepper friends. If his phone was ringing it might mean this was more than a simple power outage. No one was likely to call his sat phone just to have a conversation. Like most people, David had a smartphone and as he grabbed the satellite phone he noticed his android was dead When David answered the phone it was his prepper friend Jim Allen. Jim lived full time in his prepper equipped cabin high in the Rocky Mountains. Jim said “What have you heard?” David responded “Just woke up and found the power off. What’s going on?” Jim paused and then continued “Get your family together. It is not a power outage. Am EMP has hit and the shit is about to hit the fan. It is at least not nuclear. A coronal mass ejection from the sun fried all circuits in the Western Hemisphere and most in the East. Once the public realizes what has happened the streets will not be safe. Even more troubling is the fact that North Korea does not believe it is a solar flare. Kim Jong Un claims that it is a nuclear EMP launched by the United States and he is threatening to launch his entire nuclear arsenal. We don’t know how effective his missiles will be, but the West coast and Washington D. C. are likely targets.”
Jim paused, he knew David’s son went to Stanford University in California. David said “I’m going to call Barry and my brothers. Barry needs to get out of California, and Evan out of Washington D.C. Their families will be safer at my farm and I need the manpower to defend the site. You are welcome to join us.” Jim was a licensed pilot and had an older model Cessna without computer chips. He said “My cabin will be safe for a while and I will try to hold on. Once residents of Denver flood into the mountains, I will probably need to leave. My plane is secured in Durango, and most other pilots won’t even realize it still works. Send Barry to me and I will fly him to your farm.” David said “Barry is bringing along his girlfriend.” Jim said “That’s fine. My plane is large enough and I am also planning on bringing along a lady friend. I just have to convince her the power is not coming back on and find her in the city.”
Barry called his father again once he reached rural areas and could safely stop the Jeep. His original plan had been to stay north of populated cities and take a direct route to Pittsburgh. It was still soon after the EMP, and he hoped people were not leaving the cities yet. He knew that most people would run out of food and drinkable water within 3 days. With no deliveries to the stores they would already be overrun by people seeking supplies. Because their debit cards no longer worked only residents with cash could purchase what little supplies was still in the stores. This would cause people to take actions they would never consider in their everyday lives. Looting from stores, instead of letting your family starve seemed less like a crime, and people rationalized that when the power came back on in a few days they would pay back the stores. Most people believed that the government would swoop in with FEMA trucks and fix all the problems with the power. Barry knew that the government had no backup plans to rebuild the power grid. With most transportation down, they could not move parts to the affected area even if they had them. Because the affected area was the whole country and Europe besides, there was no one that could help. FEMA could only help if the country had unaffected areas to provide supplies. If North Korea was attacking us, it would also mean we were at war, and the government would have to be concerned about that, instead of restoring power grids to civilian areas. Most parts to repair power lines were not produced in enough quantity even if they could be moved and installed. He related to his father that his journey out of town had not been without conflict, but he was now in a rural area.
Barry’s father told him to head to his friend’s house outside Durango. Barry had met Jim before and considered him eccentric, but he had provided Barry with his Sig and thought he could provide a suitable weapon for Megan. A plane flight to the farm seemed too good to pass up. Even though he had gotten out of town, the journey to Pittsburgh would only get harder as people ran out of supplies. The Jeep was loaded with the provisions they would need, but that made them a target as the working vehicle itself also did. They had to get through Nevada and Utah, but both states were sparsely populated and had many back roads he could take. He was concerned that the plane would not be working, but his father assured him that Jim bought the plane specifically for this type of situation. David told his son that there was room in Jim’s plane for Megan as well, and Jim was bringing along his lady friend. They planned on staying at the farm as well. Jim’s cabin in the Rockies was a preppers dream, but it was no
t defendable by Jim himself even with his massive arsenal of weapons. Getting to the farm with all of David’s siblings showing up would give them enough people to defend the site once the cities ran out of food. Although he had met Jim, Barry had never been to his cabin and David gave him Jim’s sat phone number so he could call him once he reached the area. He knew that GPS would not be working any longer but Barry had topographical maps in his Jeep. He figured he could make the trip in one long day of driving if they did not run in to any trouble. David assured Barry that Jim would not leave without him unless it was absolutely necessary. David had always thought it was more likely that an apocalyptic event would not be a nuclear war, but an EMP of some sort He never thought North Korea would use an EMP as a pretext to a nuclear war but that was exactly what had happened. At least he had convinced Barry and his girlfriend to leave California, David did not believe North Korea had the nuclear capability to hit the east coast, but he would keep track of it. He had 3 brothers that lived on the eastern seaboard, including one that lived and worked in Washington D.C.
Jim was also going onto Denver to pick up another friend. He had been dating Kaitlyn for several years and they had discussed marriage. Kaitlyn was a 34 year old financial analyst. Jim was 52 and the two had met when Jim had his stock portfolio managed by Kaitlyn’s firm. When he took early retirement Jim cashed in all his investments much to Kaitlyn’s dismay, He bought the cabin in the mountains and kept the rest of his wealth in gold. Kaitlyn knew he was a prepper, but as a Colorado resident it was not unusual and she considered it a hobby she could deal with. Despite their age difference she was attracted to Jim by his personality and obvious intelligence. Not many former Army Rangers could reinvent themselves as astute investors and that is what Jim had done. Jim knew Kaitlyn was going to have trouble dealing with the conditions back in Denver. He was mad at himself for not giving her a satellite phone, but he figured he could find her and get her out before things got too bad. The hardest part would be to convince her to join him in the journey. She probably thought things would be back to normal shortly and she wanted to be around to keep her job. Jim had only the word of his prepper friends on what had happened, but without out power and working vehicles it should be obvious. Jim thought that if he waited until Barry and Megan showed up they would back up his contention that the worst had actually happened. He knew that his lady would join him in the cabin while Denver deteriorated but he was not planning on staying too long. The more he thought about it the more it became obvious that his cabin would not be safe for long. David’s compound with additional manpower would be a better place to ride out the crisis. His plane was in a locked hanger in Durango, but Jim was worried that someone would break in and figure out that the plane still worked. He knew it would take Barry over a day to reach him so he decided to take off for Denver while he was waiting. He would tell Kaitlyn she just needed to come to the cabin for safety. She had been to the cabin before and loved the scenery but didn’t understand why he had bought one that was so difficult to find.