36 Hours: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (19 page)

“Just a hunch, wait here and lock the door. Also, pay attention.”

Madison jumped out of the truck and went inside. She approached a bored clerk, who was also scrolling through one of her social media accounts. To save time, Madison asked her if she had any toy guns or BB pistols.

Without looking up, the indifferent clerk pointed toward the rear of the store and said back wall. Madison found a wall section of Daisy and Crosman products. She bought a Crosman Airsoft rifle, which resembled an AR-15, and two Taurus PT-111 look-alike BB pistols. She didn’t bother with the BBs, as that was not the purpose of these
tools
.

On the way to the checkout, she grabbed some black model spray paint. Madison, frustrated at her inability to acquire real weapons, did the next best thing—she improvised. The BB guns she purchased were realistic replicas. With the spray paint, she could cover the distinctive bright orange muzzle tips if they couldn’t be removed altogether. If the situation arose, the Rymans could bluff their way out of a potentially deadly standoff.

Chapter 34

6 Hours

5:22 p.m., September 8

West End

Nashville, Tennessee

Things had gone too smoothly. Madison and Alex were very pleased with the items they picked up in the three stores. A little over an hour ago, they’d traveled this route from their house, past Belle Meade Country Club, and encountered very little traffic.

When she reached a Metro Nashville police officer, he refused to provide them an explanation and told her she’d have to turn around and find another way to her destination. Belle Meade Boulevard was closed. When Madison pressed him for more answers, he became angry and actually placed his hands on his service weapon. This frightened Madison, and she immediately maneuvered the Suburban into a three-point turn and headed back to US 70 South.

“This is stupid,” said Alex. “Our house is less than two miles from here. We have to go all the way around Belle Meade.”

“It is stupid, but I don’t know that we have a choice. It’s getting late, and I really wanted to get home and settled before dark. I’m sure your dad will be home soon too.” Madison pulled into the parking lot at Harding Academy and thought for a moment. She could go left a few miles and work her way around Percy Warner Park, then back up north on Hillsboro Pike. Or about a mile up, she could catch Woodmont Boulevard over to Green Hills and come down that way. They still had several hundred dollars available. There might be a store open that could add to their supplies.

“What’s the plan, Mom?”

“It’ll be shorter to go up and over,” she replied. “We’ll head back up to the scene of the crime and then take Woodmont over to Green Hills. Madison pulled out onto US 70 and navigated north toward the Kroger store where they had shopped earlier in the day. At the Belle Meade Boulevard entrance, several police cars blocked the road, and traffic came to a standstill as people rubbernecked the scene. Alex stretched her neck to look down the street.

“I see that yellow crime scene tape. It’s stretched across the road about one hundred and eighty yards down.”

As a talented golfer, Alex was very accurate on distances within three hundred yards. Madison followed the traffic and inched toward the Woodmont interchange. After twenty minutes, she realized she’d made a mistake and wanted to do a U-turn towards Percy Warner Park. But now the traffic on the southbound side was bumper-to-bumper.
What a mess!

Madison was blocked in and couldn’t move. She decided a last stop in the Green Hills area was out of the question. She should’ve known—
pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered
. At this point, she focused on getting them home safely. Lynnwood was just ahead. She’d turn right there and work her way through the neighborhoods to their house. Suddenly, her adventure was becoming a chore.

A young man startled Alex by beating on her window, causing her to shriek.

“Hey, ladies! How are you this fine day?” said another man, who was grabbing the roof rack of their truck and shaking it. Madison looked around and immediately wondered where they came from.

Her first reaction was to honk the horn. She wanted the cars in front of her to move so she could get away from the thugs. The loud blast had no effect on the surrounding vehicles, but it did seem to anger a third man who joined his friends. He was wearing a bandana as a mask around his mouth. The image on the bandana resembled a skull.

One of the men stood on the side rail and attempted to open the rear passenger door, causing Madison to panic. She lurched the Suburban forward, almost hitting the bumper of the Toyota in front of her. As she did so, the man on Alex’s side of the truck flew off onto the pavement and rolled into the curb.

Madison quickly weighed her options. She was blocked in on the left side, front and rear by cars—many of whom joined in the frustration by slamming on their horns. There was a three-foot-tall slave fence erected along the open field to their right, but it had withstood one hundred fifty years of traffic, from horses to vehicles.

First used by Scottish immigrants in the eighteenth century, slave fences sprouted up all over the country as a way of creating a barrier to hold livestock. If a farmer’s cattle got out and caused damages, they would be held liable. On a second offense, the farmer would have to pay double damages. They were built to last.

Madison was afraid to tear up the drivetrain or flatten a tire by ramming through it. Her only option was to bull her way down the shoulder, except for the fact that a lamppost stood in the way.

“Mom, what are we gonna do? They’re not leaving.”

“I don’t know, can you—”

But Madison was startled by one of the men, who used the tire to catapult himself onto the hood of their car. He began jumping up and down, waving his arms and hollering, “It’s the end of the world! The end is near! Woo-hoo!”

Now Madison was pissed. She threw the truck into reverse, and the man lost his balance, bounced on his back, and rolled off the hood of the Suburban to the ground. He tried to regain his balance and stand up, but fell against the trunk lid of the Toyota in front of them.

For the second time that day, Madison used her bumper. She slowly inched forward and pinned the man to the back of the Toyota. The Toyota driver rolled down his window and started waving his arms.

Now the hoodlums were frightened. They were running around the front fenders of the Suburban, banging on the hood of the SUV, shouting for Madison to back up.

“Mom! You’ll kill him!” Alex was frantic. She leaned up in her seat and looked over the hood at the man, who appeared to be losing consciousness.

“Why shouldn’t I?” asked Madison. Just as she was about to put the Suburban in reverse, the Toyota driver spun the tires and lurched forward, which unpinned the thug. He fell onto the pavement in a heap.

Traffic began to move and Madison laid on the horn once again. This time, the men helped their friend to the shoulder and propped him up against the fence. He wasn’t moving.

Madison gunned the accelerator and headed for the shoulder, frightening the two men, who jumped over the fence to safety. Madison had no intention of hurting them. It gave her one more opportunity to teach them a lesson.

Once she cleared the last lamppost, she drove two wheels on the pavement and two wheels on the grassy shoulder. She then roared onto Lynnwood Terrace towards the house.

She looked in the rearview mirror to make sure nobody was following them. Alex looked frantically in all directions as well. They were in the clear, so Madison loosened her grip on the steering wheel.

“You know I was just kidding about the Thelma and Louise thing this morning, right?” asked Alex.

Madison ignored the question and gripped the wheel—doing fifty as she roared past the thirty-mile-per-hour sign on Westview Avenue. After a moment, she calmly asked, “Do you think I killed him?”

She’d lost track of how many laws she had broken that day.

Chapter 35

5 Hours

6:00 p.m., September 8

Oval Office, The White House

Washington

If the walls of the Oval Office could talk, the American people would have a much better understanding of how their government worked. A lot happened within the confines of the famous bowed walls designed at the request of President William Howard Taft in the early twentieth century.

Within the confines of the President’s personal workspace, domestic and foreign policy was reviewed, advisors were consulted, legislation was signed, and occasionally, events required the President to address the nation via television and radio.

In the two hours prior to the announced address, the President’s husband was flown in from Chappaqua on Long Island, the national security team was assembled, and advisors from across the entire governmental and political spectrum were summoned. The President was going to address the nation regarding the impending geomagnetic storm.

The conversations had become contentious several times. The national security and law enforcement advisors insisted upon full disclosure and an announcement of maximum readiness. The political and domestic advisors cautioned against unduly frightening the public, pointing to a mass suicide that occurred in South America earlier in the day by some religious zealots.

A compromise, of sorts, had been reached upon the suggestion of the President’s husband. A series of executive orders were drafted and executed by the President in anticipation of a worst-case scenario. The public, however, would be told a watered-down version of the potential impact AR3222 would bestow upon the nation later that evening. Prepare for the worst, without frightening Americans.

The President settled in behind her desk. Flanking her to the viewers’ left was the United States flag. To the right stood the official flag of the President of the United States, which consisted of the presidential coat of arms on a dark blue background.

The producers of the event admonished the attendees within the Oval Office to find a seat and quiet down. The President adjusted her suit as she looked into the teleprompter above the camera. She was given the ten-second countdown.

“My fellow Americans, tonight, I address you, and millions of others around the world, regarding a significant space weather event that might affect all of us. There have been a lot of misconceptions bantered about, as well as fearmongering among many in the press and on Capitol Hill.

“Our nation is blessed with some of the most talented scientists and astronomers in the world. Through their efforts over many decades, from the first time we launched a rocket into space until Neil Armstrong uttered those famous words—that’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind—as he stepped on the lunar surface in 1969, our nation has led the world in space exploration, and monitoring.

“Today, we have been alerted to a significant space weather event emanating from the Sun. I will not delve into the scientific findings and the probabilities at this time. We will be disseminating a summary to the news media, and we ask that the media act responsibly in its reporting.

“Whether this particular solar event will hit the planet directly or deliver a glancing blow is yet to be determined. My staff has prepared a graphic, which is being shown to you at this time, so that you can better understand the basics of solar activity. It is also available on WhiteHouse.gov.

“I will say this, your government is prepared for every possible contingency as this solar flare approaches our planet. For years, contingency plans and continuity of government directives have been in place to protect the American people in times of crises. Today is no exception. We are here to protect you and to do our part in the event of a required recovery operation. But there are things you can do to help us, our first responders, and your neighbors.

“Out of an abundance of precaution, I have declared the entire nation except for Hawaii to be in a state of national emergency. There are several common aspects of what this entails, which I will advise you of now.

“First, stay home. Leave the roads open for first responders to assist those in need. Toward that end, I have instructed the Department of Homeland Security to issue a nationwide curfew of dusk. I urge you to comply with this simple request and be in your homes or another secure location as night comes.

“Second, listen to and comply with the orders of state and local law enforcement. This solar event will impact different parts of the country in different ways. If you don’t follow the instructions that apply to your particular part of the nation, you are likely to be injured or find yourself in the way of law enforcement activities.

“Third, as commander in chief, my highest priority is to protect our nation from all threats, foreign and domestic. Toward that end, I have recalled our American troops to American soil for the purposes of assisting law enforcement in the event a recovery effort is necessary. The military’s traditional role will be repurposed to assist the Department of Homeland Security in every means necessary to achieve order in the streets of America.

“Fourth, I have executed an executive order that immediately freezes consumer prices across the board. This will apply to everything from hotel rooms to food, gasoline, and essential services. No American should become a profiteer in times of national distress.

“All of us should work together. Share your resources with one another. After you have ensured your own safety, consider the health and welfare of your neighbors. Your government will be there to help you through this potentially trying time.

“Thank you. Godspeed to each and every one of you, and God bless America.”

Chapter 36

4 Hours

7:00 p.m., September 8

Ryman Residence

Nashville, Tennessee