EMP Escape: EMP Journey Book 2

by Miles Maresh

  Chapter 7

  Jim knew Barry and his friend were unlikely to arrive soon, but he kept his sat phone with him as he left for Denver. Without Kaitlyn having a sat phone, an oversight he still regretted, he was going to assume she had sequestered in her apartment. She surely knew he would come for her, and would want to be in a location he could find. He knew with her job as a financial planner, there was little need for her services in the emergency even if power had been on at her firm. Because Denver was probably erupting in chaos by now, Jim decided to take his motorcycle and not his truck. He needed to maneuver around stalled cars, and if he had to go on foot the bike would be easier to hide. He left at dawn and there were a lot of people out. Jim knew they didn’t have to work, and were starting to run out of food and water. He didn’t know if they would want his ride, but he was openly carrying a 457 Magnum in a holster on his hip and a Sig Sauer rifle in a scaffold on the bike. Jim didn’t want to shoot anyone, but he was also not giving up his bike. He was not going to walk back to the Rockies, or make Kaitlyn walk that far. He hoped the show of force would keep people from doing something stupid.

  Even though Jim was openly armed, the streets of Denver were crowded with people. With the power out, no one was going to work, and even though most people assumed the government would come in and fix everything, they could not explain why their cars and cell phones died. The few people that knew this was a long range problem, would be the only ones not in the streets. If you were close to a secure shelter that had supplies there was little to be gained from putting yourself at risk. Jim would not be openly making his way through the city himself, if he did not have someone to protect. Jim did not see anyone else driving working vehicles and without his obvious weaponry, he knew that people would try to take his bike from him. He glowered at anyone that approached him and kept his pistol and rifle ready for use.

  One person thought he could stop Jim. He stood in the road directly in Jim’s path and held up his hand like he was some kind of traffic cop. Jim did not want to run him over, so he slowed the bike to a stop as he pointed his Magnum at the man. There were too many people watching the event closely and Jim did not want to shoot all of them. He told the man in the road “Step aside, or I will put a bullet in your head.” The man laughed and said “If you do, you’re dead. My friends have guns pointed at you. Get off the motorcycle and we will let you live” Jim had been perusing the crowd as he pulled up and he did not believe there was any threat. As a retired Army Ranger he was approaching this rescue as a military mission and he was encased in bullet proof leathers and a helmet. Even if the man did have help, most bullets would not pierce his defenses, and if shot at he just had to make sure he stayed with the bike. He shot the man point blank in his face and then jumped off the bike and used it as a shield while he scanned onlookers for gunmen. The crowd scattered when they noticed the smoking 457 in Jim’s hand He saw no threat and assumed it did not exist. No other gunshots rang out and he assumed the man had been bluffing as he suspected. He got back on the bike and continued his trip through Denver.

  Kaitlyn lived on the 17th floor of a luxury mid-rise condo in downtown Denver. Jim drove his bike to the top of the parking structure which was on the fifth floor. He wedged the bike between two inoperable SUVs at the edge of the structure where it would be hard to notice. He still took the keys and incapacitated the bike by removing the distributor cap. Taking his guns and a small backpack, Jim headed for the stairwell. It needed a key code to enter but someone had already placed a brick in the doorway to keep it open. Jim was glad to get in so easily but he worried that other outsiders might have entered the building. He took the stairs as fast as he could while remaining silent with his footsteps, He did meet one probable resident heading down. The man started to say something, then saw the guns and the look in Jim’s eyes. He hurried down without a word. When Jim reached Kaitlyn’s apartment he was relieved to find she was still at home. She threw her arms around him and kissed him passionately. When they broke their embrace she said she was sorry for doubting his prepper ideas. He did not know how much she knew about the scope of the problem, but she could see many of the things he had warned about if an EMP ever hit. Kaitlyn said “Is this it? Is this the EMP you warned me about?” Jim replied “Yes, I have been on Ham radio and satellite phone communications. It’s actually a natural CME, but North Korea is blaming us and has threatened to attack. The entire Western Hemisphere lost all power except for shielded devices and those without computer components.” She replied “Will your cabin be safe? People are going crazy around here looting stores, and going door to door looking for food. People I don’t know came to my door and I pretended I wasn’t home. When they tried to break the door down I shouted I have a gun!” “Do you?” asked Jim, knowing the answer. When she replied that she was bluffing, Jim said “We will have to take care of that when we get to my cabin.” He knew that she did not like guns, but in this new reality, he thought she would be more receptive. Kaitlyn nodded her head and continued “The water stopped running and the sewage has backed up. I remembered what you said and filled both bath tubs with water.” Jim said “This is a long-range thing. My cabin will be safe but not for long. A friend of mine has a large farm north of Pittsburgh. I helped him build it and set up the defenses. He has offered us a place to stay. His son and his girlfriend are going to fly there with us. I will stay in the cabin with you if you want, but it is too close to Denver and will be hard to defend with only the two of us.” Kaitlyn said, “Of course I will go. Are you sure your plane still works?” Then she saw the incredulous look on his face and added “Never mind, that was a stupid question.”

  Kaitlyn threw some clothes in a backpack. Jim told her to pack light because they were on a motorcycle. She already had some clothes at his cabin, so she did not have to take much. They went out to the rooftop parking structure and Jim noticed contrails in the sky. He didn’t think any commercial flights would be flying, then he realized the contrails were from rockets heading into the atmosphere. Kaitlyn also saw what he was looking at and said “Are we at war?” Jim replied “North Korea, thinks we caused this. They are wrong, but obviously launched at us. The missiles we are seeing are countermeasures designed to incapacitate their nukes. We don’t know what they are truly capable of, but all evidence is that they can only reach the west and east coasts. Denver should be safe, unless we have misjudged North Korea’s capability. Kaitlyn knew that Jim had been a Major in the Special Forces and had military contacts that most people did not have access to. As they rode out of town many people were staring at the sky and panicking. Everyone thought the contrails were from incoming missiles, but Jim knew inbound missiles were unlikely to get this far inland, at least while North Korea was launching them. If China became involved, their nuclear capability was more evenly matched with the United States. Jim was relieved that we at least had the technology left to knock some enemy missiles out of the sky. Jim knew the Korean missile program had not been dismantled despite what their idiot ruler had promised, but he did not believe they had the technology to defeat U.S. countermeasures. Of course, if they were successful at all, he thought the current president would reduce North Korea to a radioactive hole in the ground. Unfortunately a nuclear reprisal against North Korea would send some fallout towards China. Jim hoped the president would take that into consideration before he acted. Jim was used to unconventional warfare and he knew we could incapacitate North Korea and kill their leader without a nuclear strike. Because people were in such a state of shock, Jim and Kaitlyn were able to get the bike out of town and back to his cabin. Jim encountered one large group of people blocking the road, but a barrage of automatic weapon gunfire over their heads scattered the crowd. Jim called Barry on the sat phone and informed him that he was ready for him. Rather than showing up at his cabin he gave them directions to the small private airstrip in Durango where He kept his plane. He was glad to hear the pair was halfway across Utah and had not encountered much trouble after leavin
g Nevada where they had to shoot it out with fake cops.

  Chapter 8

  Evan Bell took his brother’s warning to heart. As an attorney with the U.S. Justice department he had little reason to think the prepping his brother liked to do was necessary. It seemed like David was hoping anarchy would happen, something Evan worked to avoid in his everyday life. However, when his Lexus would not start, and his electronic devices all died, Evan recalled some of the conversations he had with his older brother. When David called him he learned that his situation was much worse than the EMP he suspected. David told him it was actually a Coronal Mass Ejection but he was warned that Kim Jong Un blamed the U.S. for the event. Evan knew that the dictator was unhinged enough to follow through on his threats. No one high in the government believed that Kim had actually disposed of his nuclear weapons. It was much more likely he had hidden his program to have U.S. embargos lifted. Evan immediately wanted to warn all his friends and co-workers but David advised him that if word got out there would be a panic. He needed to focus on getting out himself and hope that Kim failed to hit D.C. David did know that Washington was less likely to be within range of North Korean missiles and the military countermeasures might work as well. He hoped the capital would be spared, but Evan could hurt his own chance of saving his family if he told all his friends. One person putting this threat on social media could cause a panic and the exodus leaving the city would be enormous. Evan did not have a working vehicle, His Lexus had been dead when he tried to drive home after the power went off. His wife and 10 year old son did have mountain bikes he had gotten for recreation. Although they were not meant to be transportation he had purchased very nice bikes, because he liked first class things in every aspect of his life. It pained him to leave his nice house and life but he had to get his family to safety.

  When Evan told his wife Sandy, that they were going to ride bikes to Pittsburgh she thought he was nuts. Only after he explained the North Korean threat did she agree. Evan’s son Mark was only ten years old. They did not want to make him scared so they agreed to not mention the threat. They would just tell him they were going on a long bike trip. Sandy also agreed not to call all her friends and tell them to get out of town. Although it seemed cruel to doom people to die in a nuclear holocaust, the threat might not even be real, and if the information got out it would cause a panic. Evan lived in suburban Alexandria. It was a 245 mile trip to Pittsburgh and another 100 to the foothills of the Allegheny National Forest where David’s farm was located. Evan and Sandy could have probably make it in 3 days of riding, but with a 10 year old son, they knew it would take about a week. Their main focus was getting far enough away early to escape any nuclear blast. He did not know how soon Kim planned to act but the sooner they got away from Washington the better. Evan pushed the pace the first couple of days and by the 3rd day of riding they were across the Pennsylvania state line, more than 100 miles from Washington D.C. No one paid much attention to people riding bikes. There were a few working vehicles on the road, and Evan understood from his brother that older vehicles did not have computer chips and were immune to EMPs. David had tried to get him to buy a vehicle like that but Evan liked big, modern cars with all the luxury and technology he could get. From all the attention working vehicles were getting, Evan was actually glad he did not have to protect one. He had already observed several attempted carjackings as his family silently rode by on bicycles.

  By the time Evan’s family had been riding bicycles for four days his ten year old son Mark was getting tired. He had been a trooper, but just did not have the energy to keep going. Evan believed they were far enough away from the capital for safety and he agreed to stop and rest for a day. They were still 50 miles south of Pittsburgh and there were ample woods where they could be concealed. The family had lightweight sleeping bags and rudimentary camping supplies. On David’s advice, Evan had acquired some MREs, but they were almost out now, and the last of their water was also approaching. Evan told his family to stay out of sight and he took the empty canteens and headed off to the nearby town of Wilkinsburg. He knew stores might not be open, but Evan had some Krugerands that he had taken with him on the journey. He did not have a firearm, but several times on the trip he had wished he was armed as bystanders had looked at his family and supplies with interest. If he could trade a krugerand for a gun and some food, he was sure he could get water from streams near his campsite. He did have purification tablets and a water filter. David had given him a rudimentary go bag for Christmas a few years back and it was now paying dividends. He entered the town through a back road. Because the town was not on the interstate, they were not likely to be inundated with travelers, but if they were concerned about sharing resources, Evan wanted to get what he could and retreat back to his family. He was surprised to find a drugstore apparently open for business. It was dimly lit by emergency lights and Evan heard a generator running. There was a sign out front that said “cash only”. Evan was sure his gold coins would be viewed as cash so he approached the store. At the door stood an armed police officer and Evan nodded at him as he went in. The police officer nodded back and apparently thought he was a local resident. Evan was able to buy water and a supply of granola bars. The clerk at the front, called the manager when Evan asked if he could pay with a krugerand. The manager greedily eyed the gold coin and said he was not providing change. Evan said this is worth $1200, I will want more food. The manager gave him another case of granola bars and said “The prices have gone up, Take it or leave it.” Evan was not happy with the deal, but he feared they knew he was not a local and were taking advantage of him. He still had to feed his family and agreed. As he left the police officer at the door said quietly “Are you a local resident?” Evan confirmed that he was not “No my family lives up north. We ran out of food.” The police officer responded “We’re not supposed to let non-residents buy supplies, but I won’t say anything. Keep your family safe.”

  When he got back to his wife and son, Evan got some water from a nearby stream and boiled it over a campfire. He had a filter where he could drink the water straight from a stream, but they needed water for the road. Tomorrow they would head northeast to bypass Pittsburgh and head for the Alleghenies. If small towns were already curtailing supplies, large cities were probably in much worse shape. Evan called David on the sat phone and said he was getting close. As he put the phone away a huge flash of bright light came from the South, and he knew instantly what it was. He told his son and wife to not look at the light and the family crawled under sleeping bags. Evan knew they would not be killed instantly, but he had no idea how far the shock wave would carry. After a few minutes the wind and pressure died down and they came out and looked to the south. In the pre-dusk sky a huge mushroom cloud was still building over Washington D. C. Mark said “Is that what I think it is?” Sandy told him “Yes, but we are far enough away to be safe”. Evan realized that millions of people had probably died in the blast and he felt somewhat guilty for not letting them know. His friends and co-workers had no doubt perished. Evan’s family was only alive because his prepper brother had warned them. Sandy asked “Do you think the president and the government survived?” Evan knew the military had EMP proof vehicles and had already moved everyone in the line of succession out of the capital. He told Sandy angrily “the government knew about this ahead of time. They took care of themselves, but not the citizens.” He wondered how many cities had been hit, and if North Korea was to be counterattacked. He called David back on the sat phone and relayed what he had seen. The farm was too far away to see the mushroom cloud, but David had already heard from his Ham radio friends that Los Angeles had also been hit. Apparently there were more strikes, but they either missed their targets or were shot down by U.S. defenses. David confirmed that the radiation would not reach Evan’s current position unless the wind shifted. He urged Evan to get up to the farm as soon as he could. While he was probably safe from the radiation, the nuclear attacks on the country was sure to cause a panic. Ev
an broke camp and the family rode bicycles north into the night for hours. They eventually stopped from exhaustion and Evan was fairly sure they were far enough from the fallout to rest for several hours.

  Chapter 9

  David continued to get reports from around the country. The EMP had not fried Ham radios and many preppers were using them to spread news of the CME and the North Korean nuclear attacks, David was glad that his brother Evan, had gotten out of the Washington D.C. area where he lived. He was unnerved by the fact that they were still close enough to see mushroom cloud, but he knew the prevailing wind patterns would not send the radiation north. Through his military contacts David found that the president had survived and ordered a retaliatory strike against North Korea. This was worrisome because they shared a border with China. Any retaliatory nuclear strike would negatively affect both countries. Fallout would likely carry into China which had many more nuclear missiles than North Korea. Also because the Eastern Hemisphere was not as affected by the EMP, China was no doubt in better shape than the U.S. While the United States military was still operational, a war with China was no way to help the country recover from the loss of its power grid. David knew retaliation to North Korea was necessary, but he hoped the military would use conventional forces. The last thing we needed was for China to launch its nukes also. They were much more powerful than North Korea, and a nuclear holocaust seemed likely to affect everyone if China felt threatened.