Zero Hour: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (The Blackout Series Book 2) (17 page)

“We’ll watch his expressions and body language,” replied Colton. “Remember one of the first rules of negotiation—assess your adversary. If he appears angry, let me deal with it. If his demeanor exudes sadness or fear, speak to him. But under no circumstances, Alex, should you leave with him. We need to be crystal clear on this.”

“Yes, Daddy,” said Alex. “I should’ve listened to you and Mom yesterday, but I didn’t. Now look.”

Colton wiped a few tears from Alex’s cheeks. He began to wonder if it was a mistake to bring her today. Colton thought Alex could calm Jimmy down if he appeared at the HPA in a hostile mood. He wanted to avoid a confrontation with the teen.

As they entered the HPA meeting, Colton immediately noticed Wren standing in the middle of the room with his wife and daughters. This was the first meeting attended by Christie and the girls. As Wren was introducing his family to the neighbors, he caught Colton’s attention and nodded upward, with a slight smile. Colton’s dislike for Wren had become so strong that he wasn’t sure if the gesture was a sign of a thaw in their chilled relationship or one of those
aha-I-gotcha-now
looks.

After the exchange of some pleasantries with the attendees, Wren got down to business.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming today,” started Wren with his wife and children by his side. “First, let me thank you for making Christie and the girls feel welcome. Circumstances have changed, and I feel better having them with me at all times.”

Many of the neighbors mumbled their agreement and looked around the room. Colton noticed the smaller numbers, and he was sure the others did too.

“There is a lot of news to report today, and I’m sorry to say that very little of it is good,” continued Wren. Colton heard Alex suck in her breath as she reached for his hand. “The other night, in an unfortunate accident, Gene Andrews was shot. He and his wife did their best to treat the wounds themselves, but infection set in and began to spread through his body. They attempted to walk to the new FEMA facility at 100 Oaks Mall, which, as we all know, was an annex to Vanderbilt Hospital before the collapse of the electric grid. Sadly, I’m told they never made it and Gene died before they got to Hillsboro Pike.”

“We’ll pray for his wife,” said one of the neighbors.

“Very tragic,” said another.

“The tragedies continue,” interrupted Wren. “Sometime yesterday, Adam Holder was shot and killed in his home.” Unconsciously, Colton pulled Alex into his side with his arm around her shielding her from any threats.

People in the room gasped and then the room erupted in conversation. Husbands and wives hugged one another. Mothers brought children closer to them. But Colton immediately looked around the room for Jimmy Holder. He wasn’t there.

“What about the boy?” asked one of the neighbors.

“I discovered Adam’s body yesterday afternoon,” replied Wren. “The back door was open, and there wasn’t any sign of a forced entry. Jimmy was missing. Other than Adam’s body, there was no other evidence of looting or theft.”

One of the female neighbors spoke up from the rear of the room. “Didn’t he and Jimmy have a strained relationship? His wife confided in me once about this. Apparently, Jimmy was never comfortable being adopted by Adam.”

“I’ve been told this as well,” said another neighbor.

Alex rose on her toes to whisper to Colton, but he knew what she was going to say. It was best to remain passive at this moment and allow the speculation to run its course. These neighbors were developing a narrative that placed the blame for the killing on Jimmy Holder—unwilling, troubled, adopted stepson.

“What’s done is done,” interrupted Wren. “I felt it was my obligation to look through their home, as we don’t have any active law enforcement, much less crime scene investigators. I did find some indication that Jimmy favored his real father, who lives in Antioch. Adam has mentioned to me that their relationship was
troubled
. At this point, there is no reason to speculate further. A couple of us removed Adam’s body and buried him in the backyard. The house is locked and secure.” Colton gave Alex a squeeze of reassurance, who immediately relaxed against him.

Wren handed his wife a printed flyer, and she gave it to a woman standing near the front. “These flyers have been circulating around the neighborhood. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the gist. FEMA and the National Guard, per the President’s martial law declaration, has begun to enforce compliance on a house-to-house basis. At this time, their efforts are concentrated to our west, where the fires have threatened homes on the other side of Belle Meade Boulevard near Highway 100.”

The flyer was passed around the room and the general reaction of most residents was to shake their heads. Colton knew what the declaration provided, and he knew what the President’s intentions were—level the playing field to make everyone equally weak, vulnerable, and dependent.

“Are you saying we should comply with this?” asked a neighbor in the front of the room.

“Not necessarily,” replied Wren. “That’s a personal decision you’ll have to make. I just wanted to give everyone a heads-up to be aware of the potential increased military activity in our neighborhood soon. If you have weapons or excess food and supplies, you might want to conceal them from discovery.”

A man in the rear of the room challenged Wren. “Shane, with all due respect, how do we know they’ll be real military?”

It was a logical question in light of the confrontation the other day between Colton and Wren. Colton decided to help out.

“You’ll know because they’re more apt to be polite—before they take your food.”

“What about this requirement that we evacuate to a FEMA camp?” asked another resident.

“Here’s what I’ve heard,” replied Wren. “When they enter your home, they will assess your conditions. If you appear too weak to sustain yourself, then you will immediately be loaded into a military transport and relocated to 100 Oaks or one of the local stadiums or shopping malls in the city.”

“Do you mean, like, a football stadium?” asked a woman in attendance with a child. “How would that work?”

“You’ll probably sleep in a FEMA tent like after Superstorm Sandy,” replied a resident standing next to her.

“You’re kidding, right?” replied the young woman.

“Nope. Do you remember all of those refugees at the Superdome in New Orleans after Katrina?” the man asked. “Within forty-eight hours, the Dome was packed with thirty thousand people with no power and not nearly enough supplies to take care of them. The only thing FEMA got right during that fiasco was the massive eighteen-wheeler refrigerated trucks used as makeshift morgues.”

The group attending the HPA meeting broke out in conversation among themselves. Colton saw the reality settling in for all of them. They were struggling to survive in their homes, but the thought of becoming a refugee scared them more. Some didn’t want to leave their homes only to die in a FEMA camp. Others argued that the government would find a way to take care of them like always.

“Okay, everybody,” started Wren. “Once again, this is a decision that you have to make that is best for you and your family. But there is something else I need to bring to your attention that might influence your options.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve had a few of you approach me about a situation taking place just to the north of us at Glen Eden Drive and Hobbs Road,” replied Wren. “Apparently, there is a well-organized group of criminals going street to street and looting. They are very methodical, and their procedures leave no doubt about their penchant for ruthlessness. It is a potentially dangerous situation for all of us if they are moving this way.”

Once again, more murmurs flared up between the neighbors. Colton heard one man exclaim, “I’m outta here,” as he left the building. Most of the residents questioned why the National Guard didn’t do something.

Wren continued. “I need a couple of you folks who live on the north end of the neighborhood to scout their activities and report back to me at my home as soon as possible. We need to ascertain their intentions. If they are moving in an organized fashion toward us, we’ll face a dangerous situation very soon.”

Wren finished up the meeting by recruiting his scouts and saying goodbye to a few residents who said they were going to the FEMA camps after hearing today’s update. Colton took Alex by the hand and began to lead her out of the HPA house when he heard Wren’s voice.

“Mr. Ryman, may I speak with you before you leave?” asked Wren.

Mr. Ryman? Oh boy, here we go
.

Chapter 29

DAY TEN

4:00 p.m., September 18

Ryman Residence

Nashville, Tennessee

“I don’t trust him,” said Madison forcefully as Colton tried to explain Wren’s attempt at extending the proverbial olive branch. Following the HPA meeting earlier, Wren apologized for getting off on the wrong foot with Colton and his entire family. He even used his wife and children to warm up to Alex. Alex responded favorably to the gesture and was unaware of the obvious ploy employed by Wren to soften the tensions between the two families. However, on the walk home from the HPA meeting, Alex’s spirits were lifted considerably.
That was a good thing
.

“Maddie, I agree that we have to take baby steps with him,” said Colton. “But, I genuinely believe he’s scared. I’m sure he knows why Andrews was shot. He probably also knows Holder was with Andrews that night.” Colton took a long drink of water before continuing.

“Holder’s death is another matter. I’m sure he blames Jimmy, although he might believe I’m involved with his death after our confrontation at the HPA meeting the other day. He may be afraid of me. Who knows? Regardless, his sidekicks who gave him strength are gone now.”

“But why you?” asked Madison, exhibiting some fear in her voice, which explained her hostile attitude toward the proposed unholy alliance with Wren. Notwithstanding the fact that the Ryman family was directly responsible for the deaths of Wren’s collaborators, joining the HPA leadership team seemed to be a death wish.

“Why not me?” asked Colton. “Why not keep our friends close, but our enemies closer. Also, we are facing a number of threats to our neighborhood now. Despite the rain, as you can tell by the smell of smoke, the fires are still burning to our west. As the winds pick up, they’ll continue to head our way.”

The Rymans, sitting on the front steps together, were momentarily distracted by a group of people walking in the middle of the street. Pushing everything from baby strollers to shopping carts, the people appeared lethargic and disoriented. The refugees, who seemed to be headed for 100 Oaks, didn’t make the effort to look in the Rymans’ direction.

After seventy-two hours, the human body entered into a phase in which it started to break down protein in muscles. The brain needed energy to function, so it sought out glucose from the body. The muscles broke down further in order to feed the brain. This process began to accelerate, zapping the average human being of energy and weakening their immune systems.

After seven to ten days without food, the average person would become virtually incapacitated. While some studies have shown the body might survive up to twenty-one days without sustenance, that period was lessened considerably due to dehydration. In third world nations, where electricity and nutritional supplements were scarce, the number one cause of death was a protein-energy malnutrition characterized by edema, a distended belly, and irritability.

Colton continued. “The military is stepping up its efforts to confiscate supplies and weapons. They’ll be banging on our front door soon. Compare the way we look to those folks down on the street. Our clothes are clean and we appear to be well fed. If we have to open up our cupboards and pretend we’re starvin’, they ain’t gonna buy it.”

“So what are we supposed to do, starve ourselves?” asked Madison.

“No, but we need to rough up our appearance a little bit,” replied Colton. “I’m afraid we’re standing out too much.”

“Fine, but what does this have to do with Wren?” asked Madison.

“Nothing, exactly, but just our overall situation,” replied Colton. “We’re threatened by the fires and the National Guard. Now there’s this new gang of looters to the north, who are systematically moving through the neighborhood towards us.”

Madison squirmed on the hard brick pavers. The subject matter also made her uncomfortable. Colton didn’t want to scare his wife, but she needed to understand why he felt compelled to join forces with Wren and the neighbors.

Initially, Colton felt a lone-wolf strategy was the best approach to surviving. They had more food and supplies than others. The bulk of the unrest was still in the city, although it was now getting closer based on the increasing number of residents opting for the nearby FEMA camps.

However, the wheels seemed to be falling off the wagon of their community, and the go-it-alone approach might lead to a certain death. Banding together with the neighbors to ward off their most imminent threat from the north might ensure their survival.

“How close are they?” asked Madison.

“Only about a mile, but they seem to be taking their time moving our way,” replied Colton. “Wren sent some scouts out today to watch their activities. He’ll get a report back and discuss it with me tomorrow.”

Madison remained quiet for a moment. Alex hadn’t said a word during the entire conversation. Colton couldn’t determine if they were digesting his words or if their attitudes were shifting. He had to provide his family a steady mix of reality and optimism. Poor mental health, whether through malnutrition or loss of hope, would lead to their downfall. It was critical that they all keep a positive state of mind.

First of all, it was essential to situational readiness. A distracted mind made you vulnerable to surprise. A poor state of mind could result in letting down your guard and, therefore, exposing yourself to attack. In this dystopian world, they had to constantly be prepared to defend themselves against potential threats. Colton had to keep the girls in this survival mind-set without breaking their spirit.