Survive the Day Boxset: EMP Survival in a Powerless World

by William Stone

  With the gangbangers charging in from behind, Hatfield tried to take one more look back before racing away. But even that was cut short by the big man waving him away, his face as wrinkled by annoyance as pain.

  With no other choice, he turned and ran. He didn’t have much of a head start, but Cecil would make sure he had a bigger one. As he sped away like the wind, Hatfield felt himself swimming in too many emotions at once. Sadness, fear, rage. But also gratitude. He’d find a way to make sure the captain didn’t die in vain. It was the very least he could do.

  With his head low and his strides long and rushed, he scurried through the bushes and trees on his way to Jade’s bunker, hoping to keep from getting spotted. He didn’t dare look back, but the fact that he couldn’t hear anything behind—footsteps, breath, gunshots—meant he’d live long enough to make it there.

  Nathan didn’t like being roused out of sleep for a late-night runaway—and an old one at that. After getting there, he wondered if it was worth it. The guys had him surrounded as he stood there, hands on his knees, black substance falling from his mouth, eyes drained of life. “Okay, old-timer. You dragged us out of bed pretty early. For that, you’re going to pay.”

  The guys said nothing and did nothing. With his head down, he started back to the compound.

  Zan walked up to him, stooped to meet his eyes. “Who else was with you, old man?”

  The old guy said nothing, keeping his face stoic.

  Nathan also stooped. “You know, Grandpa. I was going to kill you here and now, but I think it might be a good idea to wake everybody up and make an example of you. And when I say everybody, I mean everybody. The kids in that place, the women. Everybody. I think they all need to learn what happens when you try to escape.”

  The old man tightened his jaw, eyes on fire. He clearly didn’t like the idea of exposing kids and women to a gruesome session of torture. But this only intensified Nathan’s desire to do it. He leaned in closer and spoke with an exaggerated pout. “What’s the matter, Grandpa? Don’t want to expose those delicate creatures to something… untoward?”

  The old man spat on him, getting his weird-looking black spit on his chest. In a fit of rage, he shot the man twice. His elderly body shook for half a minute, then curled up into nothing. Nathan wasn’t happy that he had wasted the opportunity for public slaughter, but he couldn’t stop staring into the guy’s eyes. Something about the hardness of his face seemed calm, prideful. He shook his head, puzzled by it.

  “Son of a bitch,” Nathan said casually. “I kind of liked this shirt, too.”

  28

  When Jade let Hatfield inside, her face seemed horrified, confused.

  “I’m sorry to come back, seeking a favor so soon, but I’m prepared to make a trade.” He pulled out a packet of rice and a few containers of condensed milk.

  “Anything you need is yours,” she said. “As always, we appreciate the help.”

  “Great!” he said, moving through the dark hallway toward the cabinet where he spotted the medicine. “We could really use anything you could spare.”

  “We can spare quite a lot,” she said. “It’s only the three of us, not like all of you in the compound.”

  “Good.” He stashed bottles of medicine away, then headed back to the door, opening it to a sliver and stealing a glimpse outside. “Are your kids doing okay?” he asked, not taking his gaze away from the sliver.

  “Yes, they’re just fine. They’re asleep right now, of course, but yes, they’re doing just fine,” she replied, her voice loaded with a little panic. “Were those men—those bad—after you? Is that why you’re being so cautious?”

  He turned, wondered if she could take the awful news, then decided she could. “They’ve taken over the compound, Jade.”

  She gasped. “My God!”

  “They don’t know I’m here. And I’m not sure how I’m going to get back without them knowing what happened.

  “Maybe you’re better off just staying here. That seems to me to be a lot safer than risking everything back there.”

  “No. It’s safer, but I have to go back. The place needs me.”

  “Well… good luck to you, but just understand that if you change your mind, we’re here. The food may have to be stretched a little, but we’re fine with that. We’re always ready to bring people in who need it.”

  He gave her shoulder a soft stroke, then turned back to the door, taking another peek out. “That’s good to hear, thank you.” It was hard to tell with nothing but moonlight illuminating the horizon, but it seemed his path back to the compound was clear. He said, “Take care, Jade,” then jetted outside, ducking low in the tall grass before he could hear her reply.

  He kept moving quickly and quietly, seeing and hearing nothing between him and the compound. Once there, he crept closer, paying particular attention to the guard by the fence.

  It was the same guy as before. He looked exhausted and not happy to still be on duty, but for the moment, he was wide awake. Hatfield was stuck, unable to find a way past him. Climbing the fence without being noticed wasn’t possible. It was too loud and too difficult to do without being seen. He’d need another way.

  In the distance, straight ahead and far to the guard’s other side, there was a tree that hung just over the fence. If there were any way he could get there without being spotted, he could probably climb it, then hop the fence and get inside the back door. But he’d need something to pull his attention away.

  Hatfield pulled out his gun, thought about firing into the air to distract him. But the idea seemed less clever the more he considered it. The guard would probably be able to tell roughly where the shot was coming from. He needed something that could serve the same purpose but without the tell-tale noise.

  A fist-sized rock bumping against his knee gave him the answer. He lifted the stone, aimed it for the compound roof near the front, far away from the tree hanging over the backyard, and threw it.

  The toss wasn’t a strike, but it was close enough. It tagged the roof with a clank and—as he’d hoped—yanked the guard’s attention toward the front of the compound. When the guy scrambled over to see what that sudden sound was, Hatfield raced toward the tree. He climbed it faster than he’d ever climbed anything and swung himself over the fence, landing with a muted thunk.

  From there, he sprinted to the back door, guessing it wouldn’t be locked because the gangbangers wouldn’t have bothered with the endless exchange of keys. He had guessed right. Hatfield slipped inside, then darted down a hallway into the bathroom, catching his breath.

  Now came the biggest challenge. Getting back to the bedroom without being seen or heard. This would be tricky because he wasn’t sure who was up and who was asleep. It didn’t seem possible that the entire gang could be asleep so soon after they’d sent everybody after the captain.

  Outside there were voices. They closed in quickly.

  With the violent swing of the door, a new face was revealed. It was Nathan, their leader, his face stern as usual. A few others stood behind him.

  Hatfield tried to stay calm, groping for words to explain his presence in the bathroom.

  But it turned out he didn’t need to. Nathan said, “Here he is, guys! I guess this is where he was all along.”

  Shrugging his shoulders, Hatfield said, “Where else did you think I was?”

  “Don’t worry about that. You just make sure you keep doing as you’re told. We’ll always have more work for you. And as for your wife and daughter… we’ll make sure they have plenty to do as well. And I don’t mean digging in the garden.”

  The rage ate at him. Nathan’s face suddenly looked like it needed a face buried in it. He got close to him and seethed, “What have you done to my family?”

  “Nothing. Yet. But the more trouble you cause, the more likely you are to push us in that direction,” he said, sending Hatfield’s rage back to him. “Is that understood?”

  No answer. It wasn’t easy to choke back his anger.


  Nathan asked again, his tone mocking. “Is that understood?”

  Hatfield held back his vitriol and nodded obediently, then watched the thugs march away.

  Without delay, he raced into the bedroom, finding Jess, Justin, and Tami asleep. But there was something about their body language—an uneasiness in their position, the way they tossed about—that suggested their sleep wasn’t restful.

  And he got no sleep at all.

  Instead, he stared at the ceiling all night, with his head invaded by way too many thoughts. Things were spiraling out of control. Hatfield found himself in a situation where it was his job to make everything right.

  The next morning, everyone woke up with faces dragging. Before getting out of the bed, Jess turned to her husband gingerly and asked, “Honey, did you hear about Cecil?”

  He nodded. “I was there right before he got captured.”

  They embraced without another word on the subject.

  As was becoming their custom, the gangbangers charged inside the room, loudly demanding the family get into the kitchen and get to work. When they stormed out, Hatfield gave everybody’s face a scan.

  They seemed nervous, but not their spirits hadn’t yet been broken. They were strong, and they had each other. It made him proud to know it took more than a little intimidation to break the will of the Hatfields.

  Still, he had concerns. “Has everybody been okay for the last few days?”

  No immediate reply, then Justin said, “Well… not really, but we’re still alive, right? I guess we should be grateful for that.”

  With a wry grin, he told his son, “You don’t look so grateful.”

  “I’m trying, Dad,” the kid answered. “We’re all trying.”

  He stroked Justin’s hair. “Look, guys. I’m in charge of this compound now, but I haven’t forgotten that my first duty is to you all, my family. What we’re going through is no picnic, but I promise you, one way or the other, it won’t last. Do you hear me?”

  Everyone nodded.

  “Right now, what I need from you is to show me how strong the Hatfields can be. And I promise you, we will be free.”

  The kids nodded again, this time with more spirit. But Jess tilted her head, unsure what her husband had in mind. He gave her a slow nod that said, Trust me. We will get out of this. She nodded back, her eyes still a little uncertain.

  Another series of angry pounds at the door startled everybody again. This jolted the family up and out into the kitchen, where they got to work right away.

  29

  The kitchen work that morning was even more grueling than the previous day. Today, they all seemed preoccupied with getting everything clean. It was clear that there was no real purpose to the work being tasked to the homesteaders. The work was assigned for the sake of cruelty. Nothing more.

  A gangbanger—the big, bearded one—waved Hatfield over to the stove. He pointed to it. “I want that spotless. You hear me?”

  “But it was just cleaned a few days ago,” he protested. “It doesn’t need cleaning.”

  The guy sent razor-sharp eyes to him, then took off his left boot, reached it inside the oven, and banged it against the sides until all the caked-in mud tumbled to the oven floor. He casually slipped the boot back onto his foot and said, “Looks like it needs cleaning to me.”

  Hatfield swallowed hard, struggling once again to keep his rage under control. “Yes, sir.”

  As the gangbanger stormed off, he got to work.

  With his family out of sight, he kept his ears alert, checking if he could hear anything to let him know all was well. But he couldn’t detect anything.

  From behind, he heard a soft voice. “Hi,”

  He turned, finding Grace, scraping away at a dish. “Hello, Grace,” he said, making sure to keep his voice low. “Good to see you again.”

  “You really mean that?” she asked. Her demeanor seemed fragile, like a child approaching her dad with an admission of guilt. “The three of us weren’t really sure how the rest of you would receive us after everything that happened.”

  “We don’t blame the three of you if that’s what you mean. You did what you had to do.”

  She nodded, then managed a weak smile.

  “Besides,” he added. “If it’s redemption you seek, you’ll have a chance for that soon.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice soaring to a dangerously high volume that attracted the stare of the gangbanger on duty.

  “Shh! Just wait. I’ll give you all details later.”

  With the gangbanger in charge a little distracted by a friend stepping toward with a steaming test tube of liquid. Hatfield didn’t think anything about it, figuring it was just some kind of homemade alcohol. But with the distraction in place, he ducked down another hallway, hoping to see what his family was up to.

  At the end of the hallway, he found Jess backed into a corner. The bearded gangbanger had her boxed in, his hands firmly planted against the wall as he pressed against her ear. She tried to push him away, but he wasn’t budging.

  Hatfield’s instincts balled both hands into fists. He charged into the corner, seeing his wife give him head frantic shakes. This was a warning to her husband not to be so impulsive. “Uh… sir.”

  The gangbanger turned, rolling his eyes as if he didn’t appreciate the interruption. “What is it?”

  The impulse to push an angry fist deep into this guy’s skull hadn’t fully faded. He took a deep breath and paused. Finally, he spoke. “I’m done cleaning the oven.”

  “Bullshit. You couldn’t have finished that quickly.”

  “I did, sir. I’m a fast worker,” Hatfield said. He didn’t mention that his reason for working so quickly related to his family’s safety. No way would he trust his wife and kids around these animals.

  “Wait here!” the guys yelled. Then he stormed away.

  Once alone, Hatfield leaned closer to his wife. “Did he hurt you?”

  She shook her head no, but her eyes said something different.

  “Are you sure?”

  “He scares me. All of them do. But no, they haven’t hurt me… yet.”

  He embraced her, easing her head under her chin. He could feel her desperate sobs rattle both of their bodies. His mind was working overtime now, devising a way out, a way to never have to deal with these people again. “Just remember what I said. I need you to stay strong for the kids. Can you do that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. It won’t be long.”

  She yanked her head away, brought their eyes into contact as if trying to read him. “What does that mean?”

  “It means just what it sounds like. This won’t last forever.”

  “Honey, I don’t want you to do anything crazy. We need you. The kids and I need you, and now that the captain is gone, the compound needs you.”

  “I understand that.”

  They embraced again, and another question snapped into his head. He pulled some pills out of his pocket, held them up discreetly for her to see.

  “What sort of impact would these have on a body?”

  Once again, she gazed into his eyes, worried now. “Why?”

  “I just need to know.”

  “Well, this one,” she said, indicating a large bottle, “is an anti-bacterial medication. The other two are sedatives.”

  “Sedatives, that means it puts you to sleep, right?”

  “With the right dosage, yes.”

  He nodded, his eyes dancing with a plan.

  “Trevor, even if you were trying to use it to poison these people—number one, you’d need a lot more than one bottle to have enough for everybody.”

  “What could one bottle do?”

  “Well, it could—”

  From behind, a stern voice sliced into their conversation. “The oven looks like crap! Get back there now, and keep cleaning!”

  Hatfield said nothing, quickly angling his body to conceal the drugs he and Jess were looking at. Speaking his mind obvious
ly wouldn’t be a good idea. Then he noticed something in the bearded gangbanger’s hand. The same thing he saw the other guy drinking in the kitchen. A long test tube containing a steaming liquid. He turned, discreetly tucking a bottle into his wife’s pocket and covering the action by pretending to hug his wife. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to give my wife a little embrace before I—”

  “I do mind! This is not a honeymoon suite. Now get out of here and get back to work.”

  “Yes, sir.” He gave his wife a subtle nod and got one in return. Then he was back to the kitchen working on the oven and not sure how concerned he should be about what was happening in the hallway.

  As he finished cleaning the stove, the need for a plan became clear. So he began to construct one. First, he compiled a list in his head of the best shooters at the compound, based on the observing he’d done of various guys taking turns at target practice. He’d need good shooters, and he’d need reliable help. And more than anything else, he needed people who were as determined as he was for the situation to change.

  Once again, he took note of another gangbanger guzzling the homemade brew. An idea began to take root.

  Later in the evening, the Hatfield family gathered at bedtime. Jess had nothing to say about problems created by the bearded gangbanger. But the vaguely remorseful look on his wife’s face told him everything he needed to know. She could always handle herself in tough situations, no question about it.

  The family shared a brief prayer, then went to be in darkness and silence, an ominous pall hanging over them. Out of nowhere, he said, “This place isn’t safe for you all.”

  “It’s not an ideal setting,” Jess said, “but we’ll survive. Just like you said. We just have to be strong, and we have to know that we have each other.”

  “Yes, but don’t forget what else I said. This can’t last forever. And it won’t. I’m going to try to arrange things so the three of you can wind up in a safer place.”