EMP (The Districts Book 1) (4 page)

A faint tap on the glass of his bedroom window woke Nick from the shallow sleep that had finally engulfed his exhausted body sometime in the middle of the night. He looked to the window and saw Mike standing outside with moonlight splashing on his face. Nick didn’t know what to think. He was hesitant to speak to his neighbor, considering he had pulled a gun on Nick, yet something told him that he should.
Maybe he can give me some idea of what the fuck to do.

He got out of bed and walked toward the window. Mike pointed to his right, toward the back door of Nick’s house and disappeared into the shadows. Nick walked to the door and opened it. Mike came in, set his 9mm down on the kitchen table, pulled out one of the chairs and sat down.

“Take a seat,” Mike said.

Nick pulled out a chair across the table and sat down. He wasn’t sure what to expect. The gun was making him uneasy. He certainly wasn’t afraid of guns under normal circumstances, but this was about as far from normal as things could get.

“Sorry about earlier,” Mike said. “I was getting the truck ready and I didn’t want anyone in the neighborhood to see. The world is about to go to shit, Nick, and you have to be very careful.”

“Of other people?”

“Yes. As people begin to realize what has happened and that the power is never coming on again, they will begin to crack. Riots will erupt in every town and city as hungry and thirsty people fight for survival.”

Nick wondered if Mike knew something he didn’t—he seemed so certain that this was the end of everything.

“Do you know what happened?”

“It was an EMP attack. If I had to guess, a nuclear device was detonated in the atmosphere. Depending on the size of the device, there is a good chance that most, if not all, of the United States is dark for good.”

Mike’s conviction made Nick squirm in his seat. Even after what he saw and reading the article, there was a part of Nick that believed it was some sort of fluke and the power would be back in no time and the government would explain what happened.

“Isn’t there some sort of plan for
this
?”

“Yeah. Stock up on supplies and protect yourself and your food and water by any means necessary.”

“What about the government?”

“They didn’t plan for this. They knew this was a potential threat, but with the collapse of the economy, there wasn’t enough tax money to do anything about it.”

Nick knew he was in a bad spot if what Mike was saying was true. He lacked any sort of firearm and he was the sort of guy who only had old takeout and spoiled milk in his fridge at any given time. He really needed help from Mike, even if it were advice about what to do next. Nick hoped that it would be more than that.

“What should I do?”

“Well, since you’ve never mentioned it before, I’m assuming you didn’t stock up on food and water. What about a gun? Do you have a handgun or a shotgun or anything?”

“No, I’ve never owned one of my own.”

There was silence between the two men. Nick could see that he was quickly becoming of little use to Mike. He needed to think of something that would prove he was worthy of the help that Mike would be able to give him.

“I can shoot… I used to go with my dad to the range a couple times a month.”

Mike didn’t respond. Nick felt his gut wrench. He wasn’t sure if it was from not eating after breakfast or if it was from nerves or both. Mike drummed his fingers on the table and stood up.

“Grab whatever supplies you do have. Rope, batteries, canned food, bottled water and bring it to my back door.”

Mike picked up his 9mm from the kitchen table and left. Nick decided not to question the order from Mike and started to rummage through the kitchen drawers in a frantic search for batteries. He found two packs, one AAA and one AA before moving on to the cupboards. Just as he expected, they were nearly bare. He did manage to find a few packs of ramen noodles. Nick figured if things were really as bad as they appeared, eating expired ramen would be the least of his worries.

Nick did find some twine in the garage as he felt his way around and crashed into just about everything he owned. The rest of the house yielded little that he thought useful, and he was sure Mike wouldn’t find it useful, not to mention the search had been made astronomically harder without a light source. Nick gathered his batteries and twine and headed next door. With each step, he grew more anxious. He was praying that Mike would help him and take him wherever he was going, because without his help Nick knew that his chances for surviving were not good.

The backdoor of Mike’s house swung in as Nick lifted his hand to knock. Nick stepped inside and Mike closed the door behind him.

“Follow me.”

Nick did his best to follow, even though he had only been inside the house on one other occasion, and the two men went down the steps to the basement. Once they were down there, Mike sparked a lighter, lit a lantern and set it on a workbench against the far wall. Mike saw the look of confusion on Nick’s face and smiled.

“Oil lamp.”

Nick nodded in acknowledgement. He could never have imagined living in a time when an oil lamp was the best option for lighting a room. It seemed like a device from a lost era.

“What did you bring?”

Nick set the batteries, the twine and the packages of ramen noodles on the workbench and stood back. Part of him felt embarrassed. Mike seemed to be so well prepared for exactly what was happening. Mike inspected the packages of batteries, pulled on the twine and turned one of the packages of ramen over in his hand.

“Is that it?”

“Yeah… I never imagined that I would need supplies. I just assumed that I would be able to drive to the store and buy whatever I needed.”

“You need to shake that mentality. That way of living is gone. From now on you will have to survive off of whatever
we
can scavenge and the supplies that I have collected over the last few years.”

“We?” It was the word Nick had been waiting to hear.

“Yeah, tough times are coming. Having someone to watch my back and help scavenge is worth sharing my gear and food. We will both have a better chance together than if we were alone.”

Nick knew they did stand a better chance together, but he knew that Mike held all the cards and he could have easily chosen anyone else. For that, Nick felt fortunate and he promised himself he would do everything he could to help Mike.

“I can do that,” Nick said. “You’re right… we both need someone to watch out backs.”

Nick looked around the basement. He expected it to be full of supplies. The shelves that lined the walls were bare. He spotted a black gun safe in the back corner of the basement. The lamp didn’t provide enough light for Nick to see inside, even though the door was ajar.

“I’ve got the truck loaded,” Mike pointed at the safe, “except for the guns.”

Nick watched as Mike walked over to the safe and came back with a rifle and a pump shotgun and set them on the workbench. He made another trip and came back with an assault rifle and a revolver.

“What do you feel like carrying?”

Nick stepped up to the table and looked at the guns. His trips to the range with his dad as a teenager had consisted of shooting a .22 rifle at paper targets. One time his dad did let him shoot his 12 gauge shotgun and it was an experience he didn’t soon forget thanks to the large yellow bruise it left on his shoulder. Nick picked up the shotgun, it felt light in his hands and he lifted it to his shoulder. He put it back on the table and looked at the other rifles.

“Try the AR-15,” Mike said. He handed Nick the assault rifle.

It felt natural when he lifted it to his shoulder and pointed it at the wall.

“It feels… good. I like it. What about the other rifle?”

Mike shook his head. “That’s a .308, a hunting rifle. You don’t want that for personal defense, it’s for taking down something as big as a deer or an elk.”

Nick nodded and set down the AR-15 and looked at the revolver. Mike picked it up and handed it to him.

“Here, start with this and when we get a chance I’ll give you a few pointers on the other ones.”

Nick held the revolver at arm’s length. It felt good in his hands even if it seemed heavy considering its size.

“Just so you know, all of them are loaded right now and always will be.”

Nick nodded. It made him a little nervous. People were always saying to not leave guns loaded. He had a feeling that Mike’s reasoning was legitimate, especially considering the circumstances. Nick knew that if things got half as bad as Mike seemed to think they would, they would run into trouble eventually. Having the guns loaded if something happened would make it that much easier to defend themselves.

“The extra ammo is in the truck. There’s a box in the cab, in the glove box, and the rest is in the bed.”

They carried the guns upstairs and Mike turned the lantern off before leaving the stairwell.

“Sorry, we have to go dark until we leave. I don’t want anyone to see the light.”

Mike seemed a little paranoid to Nick. He wasn’t going to question him because he knew his best chance for survival was to stick with him and learn from the man who clearly had spent time and energy preparing for such an event. Nick felt fortunate that Mike was even willing to take him and was ready to do whatever Mike asked. The men went into the garage and loaded the guns into the truck.

“Go lock up your house,” Mike said. “I’ll do the same and pull the truck out and park in front of your house. Try to hurry. I want to get there before it gets light.”

Nick held his tongue even though he wanted to ask where they were heading.

He left the garage and made his way back through the house and out the backdoor. He heard the faint click of the door locking behind him and he headed for his own backdoor. Nick went into his bedroom, pulled his backpack out and filled it with three shirts and enough socks and underwear for a few days. The rest of the room in the pack was taken up by an extra pair of tennis shoes. He zipped it up before checking each of the windows in his house to make sure they were locked.

Nick locked the back door and pulled it closed behind him. He saw Mike’s truck parked in front of his house when he rounded the corner. Nick jogged to the truck, jumped in the passenger seat and shoved his backpack between his feet before buckling his seatbelt.

Mike shifted the truck into drive and took off into the darkness. Nick watched out the passenger window as they passed the darkened houses. He wondered if life would ever be the same again.

They drove through Boulder and headed north on highway 66. Nick had been on the road just once when his parents had insisted on taking him to Rocky Mountain National Park when he moved to the area. The park had been beautiful and very isolated. Other than that, his memories of the day were few. A profound sadness swept over him as he thought of his parents. Nick told himself that they would be alright and that he would seem them again. His gut twisted as he tried to convince himself.

“Where we headed?”

“I have a cabin,” Mike said, “just outside of Lyons. It’s pretty stocked up already and fairly isolated. With the supplies in the truck, we should be able to easily sustain ourselves for the next few months.”

Months? Is that how long this will last?

“When do you think the power will come back on?”

Mike was silent and it worried Nick. When he finally spoke, there was a stern tone to his voice.

“It won’t.”

“Never?”

“I don’t think so, Nick. I think this is permanent… I would be shocked if the power ever came back on again.”

The thought had crossed Nick’s mind. It was a scary prospect. Never having power again would change everything, he knew that.

“What happens next?”

“We focus on surviving, one day at a time. There is going to be mass panic once people realize that the power isn’t coming back on. There will be riots over whatever food is left and our country will once again be ruled by those with the most firepower.”

Riots for food?
Nick wondered if people were really capable of harming each other when it came down to it. His heart told him that people were better than that and they were capable of coming together in a time of need. His brain told him that people were still animals and when something of this scale happened, it was all about survival and people would be willing to do anything to protect themselves.

Mike turned off the headlights and slowed the truck to a crawl once they passed through the town of Lyons. There was enough light from the moon that he could keep driving. Mike turned off the main road onto a dirt road that was barely visible and looked more like the driveway to an abandoned piece of property. He stopped the truck in front of a small cabin and turned it off.

It wasn’t much, Nick vaguely recalled having a conversation about it with Mike at some point, a small log cabin that looked like it had seen its fair share of harsh Colorado winters.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Mike said as he climbed out of the truck. “You could never see all those stars in the city.”

Nick looked up. The pine trees surrounding the cabin reached for sky. There was a clearing above the cabin where he could clearly see the Milky Way. It was beautiful, Mike was right, and Nick had never seen anything like it. He was brought back to reality when he heard the door of the cabin creak open as Mike went inside. Nick lifted his pack out of the front and went inside.

Mike lit a lantern and looked over the supply shelf that stretched the length of one wall. The interior of the cabin was sparse. There was a loveseat along one wall, a supply shelf along another, a wood burning stove in the corner by the door and a single bed against the back wall. Nick set his pack down next to the loveseat and followed Mike back outside.

“Let’s get the truck unloaded and get some sleep. It’ll be light soon and we have a big day ahead of us.”

They unloaded the bed of the truck, which took up most of the empty floor space in the cabin. Mike handed Nick a bottle of water, which he gladly accepted and took a sip from as he sat down on the loveseat. Mike climbed under the covers of the bed, still in his clothes, and Nick adjusted the pillow on the loveseat. It wasn’t an ideal sleeping arrangement, it was much too small for his nearly six-foot frame, but he felt content and safe.

~~~

Nick woke up and looked around the cabin. It took him a moment to realize where he was and then it all came flooding back. A sense of sadness filled him as he thought about the day before… and his parents.

The supplies that he and Mike had brought into the cabin had been organized into piles in front of the supply shelf and Mike was nowhere to be seen. Nick stood up and stretched his cramped legs. He was already dreading sleeping on the loveseat and it had only been one night.

He walked outside and looked around. Mike had backed the truck in between two of the large pine trees and covered it with boughs to give it natural camouflage. Nick walked around to the back of the cabin and spotted Mike walking through the trees with an arm load of sticks.

“You need some help?”

Mike shook his head, “Nah, but you could chop some wood.” He motioned to a stump with an axe blade buried into it as he walked by Nick and disappeared around the cabin.

Nick yanked the axe free of the stump. He had never chopped wood, but had seen enough burly men in movies and on television that he figured he could do it. He picked up a large piece of wood off the ground and stood it up on the chopping stump. He swung the axe over his head and brought it down on the wood. The blade of the axe glanced off the wood and buried itself into the stump again. Nick wrenched it free again and prepared for another swing.

“Be careful.”

Nick lowered the axe and turned toward Mike.

“Don’t forget, there are no hospitals anymore. If you get injured, there is only so much we can do. A major injury, like hitting your leg with an axe, could mean death.”

Nick stood there and let the advice sink in. He knew Mike was right, it just wasn’t something he had ever considered. The world seemed to becoming increasingly dangerous with each passing minute. Mike walked over to Nick and took the axe from him. Nick stepped back as Mike brought the axe blade down onto the wood and split it in two. He split another log before handing the axe back to Nick.

“You can’t take anything for granted, ever again. The world is changing, Nick, and I don’t want to see you die from a stupid accident. The next few months will determine, ultimately, who will survive the aftermath of this attack.”

Nick put a log on the stump and swung the axe down. The blade cleaved the wood and he tossed the two pieces into the pile Mike had started.

“Why don’t you cut a few more and then come inside,” Mike said. “I’m going to fire up the stove and cook some breakfast.”

Nick split three more logs before burying the axe in the stump. He picked up the split pieces of wood and headed back into the cabin. Nick dropped the wood on the floor next to the stove. Mike grabbed a piece and pushed it into the stove before closing the door.

“When do you think the United States will receive foreign aid?”

“It won’t,” Mike said.

“What about China? They’re our biggest trading partner and we’re still a major world power. Won’t someone help us?”

Mike remained silent until he finished cooking. He scooped beans from the pot on the stove onto two plates and added a piece of bread to each. He handed one to Nick and sat down on the edge of the bed. Nick sat down on the loveseat and ate a spoonful of beans followed by a mouthful of bread. The last time Nick had eaten was breakfast the day before and it showed as he shoveled the food into his mouth. He finished the beans and bread and looked back to Mike, who had just finished and was setting his plate down on the bed.

“China isn’t going to help us. I actually think they might be behind the attack.”

Nick wasn’t sure what to think. China’s relationship with the United States had never been rock solid. Their economies, however, were very dependent on each other. Nick didn’t think that China would throw that away.

“Why would they attack us?” Nick said. “I just read an article, yesterday for the second time, that talked about potential threats to the United States and the author seemed to think that China wasn’t much of a threat right now.”

“Did a guy by the name of Howlins write it?”

Nick nodded in response and Mike let out a chuckle.

“He’s so full of shit. He has no idea what he’s talking about.”

“Who do you think attacked us then?”

Mike stood up and took his plate. Nick followed him as they walked out of the cabin and into the woods, away from the road. The sound of running water reached Nick’s ears just before they came out of the trees and he saw a small stream. Mike bent down on the bank and rinsed off his plate in the clear water and Nick did the same. Mike sat down on a rock next to the river.

“My best guess,” Mike said, “would be either Korea or China.”

“Not a Middle Eastern country or terrorist group?”

Mike shook his head, “They don’t have the capability to execute this kind of attack. Their nuclear programs are still in their infancy and their activity is closely monitored by the United States.”

“Does Korea have nuclear weapons capable of reaching the United States?”

“They didn’t have a long range delivery system, but once North Korea took over South Korea they gained the manufacturing capability and wealth to develop one. Since the Korean embargo, by China, no one outside of the country is really sure of what strike capability they posses.”

Nick looked at the water. If it were under different circumstances he would find it to be a great break from the daily grind.

“I guess I should have paid more attention to the news.”

“There’s no point. The news media only reported what the government approved. The only way to know what is really happening is to belong to a worldwide network of likeminded people.”

Mike stood up and walked back to the cabin. Nick wanted to press him and find out what he meant. He had a feeling Mike still knew more than he was telling him, but he was thankful that Mike had taken him in and didn’t want to jeopardize their relationship. Nick knew that if it was as bad out there as Mike said, he didn’t stand a chance on his own. He kicked a pinecone and watched as it landed in the river and started to float away.

When Nick walked through the door, Mike was pouring over the supply shelf and counting quietly to himself. Nick sat down on the loveseat and waited for him to finish.

“We’ve got enough food for about three months.”

“That’s good.”

Mike shook his head and sat down on the loveseat, next to Nick.

“It’s really not good, actually. I’m a little concerned. We’re only a few miles out of town, so I’m a little concerned about hunting. I don’t want to draw any attention to us.

Nick wracked his brain trying to think of a solution. His only idea was that they could drive, or hike, away from the cabin and hunt in a more remote location. He chose not to say anything because he felt like a child compared to Mike and was hesitant to make himself look even more incompetent than he had already in their first twelve hours together.

“Do you have any money?”

Nick pulled his wallet out of his pack and sifted through the receipts. “I have seventy-four dollars and... twelve cents.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking... we should head into town and try to pick up some supplies. It might be early enough that the store will be open, even with the lack of power, and they will still have some supplies left.”

“Is it safe?”

“It should be fine. It’s still early enough, the power has only been off for just over twenty-four hours and most people haven’t yet realized that it’s never coming back on, but I don’t want to dilly-dally, this is our only shot at getting more supplies. After this, our money will be worthless and there will be too much of a scrum for supplies.”

Mike pulled his 9mm from its holster, pulled the magazine from the gun and pushed it back inside before re-holstering it. Nick grabbed his revolver off the supply shelf, followed Mike outside and they got in the truck. Nick felt his heart racing as Mike started the truck and they drove toward town.

Once the truck was parked in the side lot of the town’s sole grocery store, Nick and Mike got out and made their way to the front door. The sign on the front doors read
Closed. No Power.
Nick, unsure of what to do, looked to Mike, but he was looking through the glass door.

“Come on,” Mike said.

Nick followed him around to the back of the store.

“What are we doing?”

“I just saw someone inside. He ducked out of sight when he saw me.”

Mike slammed his fist into the back door of the grocery store. Nick looked around, wondering if the loud thud it produced was heard by anyone. Mike knocked a second time. They heard the deadbolt turn and the door opened a crack.

“We’re closed.”

“I can see that,” Mike said. “Look, I won’t keep you long, I just need a few things and I have cash.”

There was silence from the man inside. Nick hoped, for the employee’s sake, that he would yield and let them inside. Not because he was worried about the supplies that Mike insisted they needed, but that Mike could resort to drastic measures should they be denied access.

“My manager said not to let
anyone
in.”

“There’s an extra forty bucks in it for you if you let us in. Hell, I don’t care if you happen to forget to tell your manager we were here and you forget to put the money in the register.”

The door swung open and the young man closed the door once Nick and Mike were inside.

“You have to be quick. I don’t want anyone else to see you here.”

“We’ll be out of here in five minutes.”

The young man nodded and went behind the counter. Nick followed Mike down the canned food aisle. The shelves were already nearly empty. Mike handed an armload of cans to Nick, who took them to the counter and went back for more. Once they cleared out the canned food, they went to the drink aisle and took every bottle of water. The store employee pulled out a calculator and added up their purchase while Mike bagged it.

“That’ll be three-hundred and fifty dollars.”

Nick looked at the young man, sure that his jaw had dropped. He could tell just by looking at what they grabbed that there was no way it was more than a hundred and fifty. Mike turned to Nick and motioned for him to get his wallet out. Nick handed his money to Mike, who took a wad of cash out of his pocket and set it on the counter.

“Keep the change. And don’t tell anyone that we were here.”

The young man’s eyes lit up at the pile of cash on the counter in front of him. Nick figured it had to be at least a thousand dollars, but given that Mike had told him their money wouldn’t be worth anything soon, it seemed like a cheap price to pay for the supplies and anonymity it had granted them.

Mike lifted half the bags from the counter and Nick took the rest. The young man let them out the back door and they headed for the truck. They tossed the bags in the back and jumped in. Mike pulled out of the parking spot and headed down the street. Nick saw a car pull up in front of the grocery store, in his mirror, as they turned the corner. He wondered if it was the manager, and if the kid would get in trouble. He knew it wasn’t any of his concern, but there was a part of him that worried what would happen to the kid when his manager learned he sold all of the supplies that would be of value in the coming months.