Chasing the Dark: The Demon Inside

by A. P. Texan

  “Yes please.”

  Reaching over the side of the bed I get the tape off of Officer Adams wrists, followed by the cuffs. After he is unshackled, I toss him a bag of Doritos and beef Jerky.

  Rubbing his wrists Adams Speaks up, “Looks like one of a few things is going on. You people have completely lost your minds and the whole lot of you will soon be in jail, two, you are ahead of the curve and getting out of town before all hell breaks loose, or three I am still asleep, and this is all a really bad dream. Would you be so kind as to inform me of which it is?”

  “This country has been attacked by someone,” I start to explain, “We have no idea who or how, but we know exactly what happened. Life as we know it in this country is over. A world with no electricity no modern micro technology. We have basically been sent back to the 1800’s. At around 0430 yesterday morning one or more nuclear warheads were detonated at high altitude, At least 200-250 miles high, this released a massive electro-magnetic pulse large enough to knock out our power grid, fry everything with microelectronics as well as take out our low orbit geosynchronous satellites.”

  “There is no coming back from this anytime soon.” Robert adds, “This country wasn’t prepared for this even though the government was repeatedly warned by multitudes of scientists. All of the large transformers that control our power grid are gone, and only a few where in storage. On top of that they aren’t manufactured here they would have to be brought in from overseas. Most experts estimate a minimum of 15 months to START repairing the grid. And they predict a die off in the first year of 90% of the US population. We have 15 people in our little group that means statistically 2 of us will be dead sometime in the next 12 months.”

  I continue the narrative as Adams sits in the bed of the truck wide eyed and astonished.” What our plan is to load up on as much gear, food and water as we can and get out of town. Most people have less than a weeks’ worth of food in their house. And grocery stores don’t keep more than three days. We have already started to see civilization break down right here in our own neighborhood. People, demanding we help them simply because we knew what was going on and were somewhat prepared for it. If we stay any longer all hell is going to break loose and I for one don’t want to be anywhere near it. My only goal is to keep my family safe and alive. And if I have to kidnap a cop or kill people I will and have.”

  Adams blinks his eyes a few times then swallows and speaks up,” Let me see if I got this straight. The country has been attacked. We are back to the Wyatt Earp days and you’re a survivalist group headed out of town to wait it out and survive.”

  Robert looks at me and shrugs his shoulders. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”

  “Okay Officer Adams, you know our story so now tell us yours.” I tell him

  “Well.”, he starts, “when this went down, I was on patrol, I was on the Southlake Keller Line just off 1709. Something happened with the car and my steering locked up and the breaks were completely FUBAR, the pedal went straight to the floor. Lucky for me the engine had died so I was already losing momentum, but the car went off the road straight into a tree. It must have knocked me unconscious because when I woke up it was daylight out my Airbag was laying in my lap and the doors to my unit were all open. I got out of the vehicle and tried to radio for assistance but of course I got nothing. I checked the car, and everything was gone. My issued M4, vest, first aid kit, hell even my snack bag was gone. I’m pretty sure the only reason I still had my sidearm was because I was unconscious on top of it, I had no idea what was going on so I started walking. I had been walking maybe a half hour, and heard a woman scream. Of course, I still had no idea what was going on so I ran to investigate. What I found turned my stomach, just thinking about it makes me nauseous.”

  “What did you see Charles asks, returning with the tea.

  “Listen man, I spent three tours, 18 months in the sandbox, six months in Iraq, and two six-month tours in Afghanistan. What I saw here in Keller was worse than anything I ever experienced over there. No offense but I'm not verbalizing it now. Anyways back to my story. I have been wandering around the last two days trying to figure out what was going on. I was always taught your watch doesn’t end until you have been relieved, and I still haven’t been relieved. That’s when I ran into you and your lady Ninja.”

  “You said you did three tours”, Robert asks” What branch were you?”

  “Army, 3rd Ranger Battalion, I was a Ranger Sniper. I did a total of 10 years just got out last year on medical as a Staff Sergeant, been here in Keller as a cop for about 8 months.”

  “Alright Adams stay where you are, we will be right back.”, I tell him

  Charles, Robert and I walk over to the front porch of the house and have a hushed discussion.

  Charles speaks up first,” Dad, we need to invite him to The Farm.”

  “I tend to agree, Robert what is your thinking?”

  “I agree, I have a wife and baby to think about and anyone with that sense of duty around is a plus in my book. More trained fighters means more safety.”

  “Okay, I’ll do the talking let’s go” I say as we walk back towards the truck.

  I pull out my knife again and cut the tape on his legs. “Okay Ranger you’re in. If you want to come? SP is in an hour are you REDCON one.” I say this in order to see if he is a legit vet. An army Veteran would know that SP means start point which means we will be rolling out and REDCON one is Ready Condition 1 which is ready to roll out.

  “Yes, Sir I’m interested. However, sir my kit and go bag are back at the house. I’ll need a little time to gather my stuff. However, I will not miss movement.”

  “First of all, don’t call me sir I was a Sergeant First Class, but you can call me Chase. Second, you won’t miss movement because we won’t let you. Leave no man behind, Hooah. Lastly where is home?” I say with a smile

  “Hooah TOP, home is about two miles south on 377 take a left at the light and it is in that housing addition there.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a neighbor that likes early morning jogs, would you?”

  “Blonde hair, about 5’5?” he asks

  “That’s her”

  “Barbra, man that girl is dense, but she is HOT. How do you know her?”

  “I ran into her yesterday morning when I was walking home from my truck. She flagged me down to ask if I knew what was going on. I told her and she refused to believe me calling me crazy. I told her to meet me at dollar general tomorrow if she decided to listen to me. But since we had a change of plans and are heading out tonight, I won't be able to. Charles why don’t you go with Officer Adams.”

  “Let me stop you right there. If what you are saying is correct, I’m not an officer anymore.” He swallows the last of his tea then continues,” If what you are saying isn’t true than I am abandoning my duties and therefore am no longer an Officer. I was a Staff sergeant so you can address me by my rank, or you can call me Nick.” He reaches his hand out to shake mine.

  I reach out to his hand and we exchange a firm handshake, “Nice to meet you Nick, this is my son Charles, and my neighbor Robert, I call him Bob. Charles go with Nick have him show you Barbara’s House. Introduce yourself as the son of Chase, the guy she met on the street. Tell her if she wants to live and not starve to death, she is welcome to join us. If she says yes, make sure she has plenty of clothes and take anything usable from her house. If she says no, then leave her.”

  “She is living with her parents while she goes to school at North Texas.”, Tony says, “You going to bring them to?”

  “If they want to come sure. I’m not leaving anyone who is willing to listen and help us. Make sure they know this isn’t a free ride and they will pull their own weight at the farm or they are out.”

  “You got it dad, Nick you ready.”

  “Yeah, let’s go. Chase, Thanks.”

  “Hope there is no hard feelings about the whole hogtied with Duct tape thing” I say in response. We shake again and they
head off in the Kubota.

  After they leave, I clap Robert on the back as we start towards the house. “Hope we got enough food for everyone?”

  “Exactly what I was thinking but I’m pretty sure we got enough for a good while. As long as we can supplement it with Meat from hunting or the Farm Livestock.”

  Chapter 4- The Farm

  Family is not about blood. It is about the people to your right and left, front and back. It is about the people you would die for because you know they would do the same for you.

  2200 12 September 2021

  Keller Texas

  I wake up from my nap feeling refreshed. It might have only been about an hour and a half but I needed it. I stretch my back then make a couple quick twists to get my spine to pop and realign itself. With all the candles and lamps packed up, the house is dark.

  “Charles and Nick back yet?”, I ask the room. But it appears to be empty and no one answers. I reach down next to the recliner grab my carbine then sling it across my chest and head for the door.

  Outside I see everybody sitting in folding lawn chairs of assorted colors in a circle talking.

  “Looks like y’all are having a party and apparently I wasn’t invited.” I announce

  Everyone turns to look at me as I walk up to the group. “We wanted to let you sleep Amor, you looked like you needed it.”

  “Thanks, I have been pretty worn out, I guess it’s the stress of the whole situation”

  “Mr. Williams, Thank you for trying to warn me; I should have listened to you and not just called you crazy, I’m really sorry” Barbara says from her spot in the circle. “And thank you for not abandoning me and sending Nick and Charles to get me. They are my Knights in Shining Armor”

  “You're welcome, but please don’t call me Mr. Williams. I feel old enough the way it is, please call me Chase. Where are your parents? Nick told us you were living with them.”

  “Oh, they are in Europe. They were there for their anniversary. At first, I was super worried about them and didn’t want to leave because I wanted to wait for them but then Charles explained to me that this blackout is only in the US, so I know they are safe over there. I didn’t want to be home all by myself and starve to death, so I decided to tag along. But don’t worry MR. UM Sorry, Chase I won’t be any trouble and I promise to pull my own weight”

  “So, are we ready to Load up?” I ask

  In response I hear a chorus of “yes”, “Yep” and “Let’s do it”

  The party breaks up and everyone grabs their chairs then heads for their vehicles. We decided Dad, Mom, Rusty, Cynthia and Linda would ride in the Airstream. Robert is driving the Chevy with Natalie and Elizabeth, I’m driving the Ford with Sandy, and Savannah. Charles is driving the Kubota with Isabella, Christine and Laura. The Kawasaki has Barbara with Nick driving. The Ford has the cargo trailer, and the Chevy is pulling the Airstream Camper.

  2330 12 September 2021

  Hwy 114 Wise County Texas

  The Farm is only about 35 or 40 miles away but loaded down with gear and supplies combined with the slower UTVs it takes us a little longer than normal to get there, but there are no issues along the way. We decide to wait till tomorrow to let Calvin and Kerri know we are here. They have given us permission to use the farm whenever we want so it isn’t like we are trespassing. I’m sure they will be happy to see us. Maybe not all 17 of us. But after we explain what’s going on, I’m sure they will be fine. I’m leading our little convoy and turn off the road on the private drive. I key my Radio and call Robert who is the last vehicle.

  “They always leave the main gate open. So just leave it. If they see it closed it might set off alarms and I don’t want them coming in guns blazing tomorrow morning.”

  “You got it”

  We follow the gravel drive as it winds through the trees and we get to the first gate. Sandy jumps out and opens it using the headlights to illuminate the lock.

  “Robert be sure to lock this one back or we might not have any cows in the morning”

  “Roger”

  We pull through the gate and after a few hundred more yards we see the barn up ahead. One more gate between us and it. After a few more minutes we are at the heart of the Farm. A large 40x40 steel barn with two roll up doors one front and one back each with a walkthrough next to it. About a hundred yards behind that is an old pole barn probably built in the late 1890s or early 1900s. Meaning it is approximately the same age as the Cabin sitting next to the barn. The Cabin was built by the original homesteaders in 1880 and the family remained in it till 1976, when Calvin’s father bought the 200-acre property. They now run about 30 head of cattle on it as well as a couple horses, a donkey, and a little Shetland pony. We pull up in front of the barn and I tell everyone to head inside and make themselves as comfortable as possible. I get in my bag and find my head lamp. The trailer on the Kubota has the two generators in it so I have Charles drive it over to the power pole that sits between the two structures.

  “Okay here is what we are gonna do. We are going to pigtail one of the extension cords and wire it direct to the meter box. However, we are going to pull the meter and wire into the downstream side, so we aren’t feeding back into the grid.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “I’m going to get the box ready I need you to take one of the Extension cords and cut the female end off of it. Then strip the outer sheath back about six inches. There should be three wires green, black and white. Green is your ground; black is hot, and white is return. Strip each of those back an inch or two.”

  As he gets started on that I go to the box and snip the small wire tie off the lock with my Leatherman then raise the cover exposing the meter. I grab the meter give it a small twist to unlock it then pull it from the box. Then using the Philips head of my Leatherman, I unscrew the panel to expose the inside of the box and see exactly what I’m looking for. The downstream wires are connected to the Meter socket by brass screws and brackets. I loosen these up and wait for Charles to finish up. He hands me the Extension cord and I show him what I am doing.

  “You see this round bracket with the four sockets on it? That is the meter socket. I don’t know if that is its actual name but that’s what I call it. This upper portion is the upstream this is where the electricity comes in off the grid. It goes through the power lines at several thousand volts. Then inside that transformer it is reduced to 240 volts. It passes through the wires to this box where it activates the meter, and they measure the amount you are using. With the meter pulled, we are no longer connected to the grid. What we are going to do is wire this extension cord in then we can power the well, the barn and the cabin. With the other generator we will power the Camper” after just a few minutes we have the extension cord wired in and the generator fired up.

  “Okay let’s get everyone settled in and get some sleep tomorrow is going to be another long day.” I say and pat him on the back as we walk back towards the front of the barn and head inside. “Cynthia, does dad have enough bottles to last till morning or do we need to unload the condenser”

  “He is good till morning; in fact, we could probably kill the generator for tonight I’m sure everyone wants to sleep anyways. That way we can conserve the fuel.”

  “Okay sounds good. I’ll go shut down the generator, you guys can pull out the lamps and flashlights. For now, everyone can sleep in here. Mom, Dad and Rusty take the Camper. I recommend we all get some sleep; tomorrow is going to be a long day we will have to clean out in here and the cabin, unload organize and inventory everything we got and then I will show everyone around”

  Sandy grabbed our sleeping bags and mats and headed over to one corner while I went outside to shut down the power. I hit the kill switch on the generator and then reach in my pocket for a smoke and my lighter. I take my time enjoying my smoke in the peace and complete quiet of the area.

  “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for another day. We have managed this far and with your divine guidance we shall continue
to survive. Amen”

  With that I head back into the barn to get a few hours' sleep. I find Sandy already in a corner curled up fast asleep. So, I take my boots off and curl up next to her and I'm quickly overtaken by sleep myself. Seems like I’ve only been asleep a few minutes when I feel someone lightly kicking my leg

  0700 13 September 2021

  The Farm

  “Wake up sunshine!”

  I open my eyes to see Calvin standing over me, a big smile on his face. Calvin and Kerri are in their mid-sixties, and two of the absolute nicest people I have ever met. I met Calvin about 6 years ago in the Texas State Guard. And we have been friends ever since. However, I have only started coming up to the Farm for the last year or so and we have become more like brothers than friends. Kerri, his wife is a sweetheart who loves to take care of people.

  “Hey Calvin, sorry we kind of invaded your place hope you don’t mind. But with what’s going on this seemed the best plan.”

  “We said you were welcome anytime and we meant it, now more than ever. I can’t believe it actually happened; I know you had talked about it but it actually happened. Someone has attacked this country and literally brought it to its knees. What do you think is going to happen next?”

  “Well first I’m going to get up and figure out where my French press stove and coffee is, then I’m going to start the generator get me some water and make some coffee.”

  “Jackass, I mean what do you think whoever did this has planned.”

  “If it was me”, I’m talking as I put on my boots and buckle my battle belt back on, “I would wait about six to eight months and then I would bring in troops to secure what was left of the population. Then use them as slave labor to start rebuilding the power grid.”

  “That’s what I was thinking as well.”

  “Would you two not talk so loud, the rest of us want to sleep some more” Sandy says from her place on the floor.