The E.M.P. Chronicles (Book 1): 458 Miles & 24 Days

by McTatey, Zayden (Oz)

  He continued to watch the Suburban drive away and took notice of how many stranded individuals were trying to flag the driver down; some nearly getting run over before they realized the driver was not going to stop.

  “At least somebody was prepared,” he said out loud.

  Oz placed the binoculars in the fanny pack, zipped the pouch, and turned ready to begin this part of his adventure.

  Oz jumped on his bike and drove down the ramp to enter 75 North. It was only a matter of minutes before he was forcefully stopped by a man who jumped in front of him. The man, appearing to be in his fifties, was overweight but wore professional looking clothes. It was obvious he used hair spray to hold what little hair he had remaining in place.

  “Hey, I need information on what the hell is going on?” he said with anger.

  As the man spoke, Oz could tell he was a smoker. Every time he opened his mouth Oz felt putrid vapors entering his nose. As if the world ending was not bad enough, he had to now smell the breath of a desperate, unprepared pain in the ass.

  “What’s going on? What happened to the cars?” the man demanded.

  “How would I know?” Oz said briskly.

  “Because you look like you’re ready for the world to end,” the man snapped and continued. “You have your backpack on and you’re carrying a rifle. What the hell?” he finished.

  “Get out of my way and don’t touch me if you value your life,” Oz commanded.

  “I just want answers and you look like you were prepared for something. So, tell me what’s going on,” the man said as he stepped closer to Oz.

  With his left hand ever so slightly touching his Glock, Oz said, “This will be the last time I tell you to move and get out of my way.”

  Oz immediately saw a glimpse of fear in the man as they stared at each other eye to eye. The man raised both hands in the air and slowly backed up as he stuck his middle finger up at Oz. Neither man spoke another word. Oz quickly assessed the situation and rode back up the ramp to the overpass.

  “Two minutes on the highway and my first confrontation,” he silently thought.

  With one eye still on the man he had just confronted, Oz looked at his map yet again. It was clear that he would have to use secondary and back roads to get home. If people were scared and confused now he knew it would get worse as the hours passed by.

  The facts were straight forward. People can only live three seconds without hope, three minutes without oxygen, three days without water, and three weeks without food. If the man he just confronted was like most people, they would be dead in less than a week which meant it was only a matter of days before the survival instinct innate in humankind turned on. Once the survival instinct kicks in, people have no boundaries. They’ll do whatever they have to do to survive and ensure the survival of their loved ones which includes killing with no remorse.

  “First,” Oz thought to himself “I need to disassemble the Ruger. That was the first thing that man saw. I need to be a gray man and blend into my environment. I need to do my best to not stick out.” Oz ensured the rifle safety was on before pressing the release mechanism on the rifle and twisting, the rifle separated into two parts: the forend assembly and action. They could now be easily carried in his Bug Out Bag out of sight of others. If needed, he could quickly assemble the two pieces and the rifle could be back in action within ten seconds.

  Oz chose to take Highway 41 until he reached the city of Ashburn, Georgia. Highway 41 ran parallel to the main highway separated by a fence and significantly fewer cars. Though the fence was easy to jump over, it would at least be a barrier of sorts. Once at Ashburn he would decide to either stay on Highway 41 or find an alternate route.

  Oz chose cities as ‘waypoints’ along his route. By using cities as waypoints it would ensure he was traveling in the right direction as well as give him a rough understanding of how long he had been traveling. Ideally, he would follow Highway 41 to Atlanta and detour around the city, head to Chattanooga, and straight north to Kentucky.

  Mentally, Oz reviewed the plan again and noted the advantages of following Highway 41. One major advantage was that it was a small two-lane highway used by local commuters and therefore, in theory, he would have limited interactions and avoid what he had previously encountered. In addition, there would be plenty of woods, fields, and ponds along the way; after all, this was the country. Woods meant cover for hiding as well as hunting whereas ponds meant water and even fishing. Open fields would allow him a line of sight in the direction he was headed. He would still pass houses and people but once in the country, he felt he had more options as compared to traveling in the open. He could stay low and move with caution. Without over complicating the situation, Oz jumped on his bike and headed down Southwell Boulevard for a few miles where he turned north onto Highway 41.

  He stopped, brought his binoculars to eyes, and scanned the road ahead.

  He saw cars stopped on the highway but not nearly the amount he experienced on north 75. He would have to ride through the town of Tifton, Georgia on his way to Ashburn but given the time and the fact that people were still digesting what happened, he felt comfortable that he would not experience trouble; at least for tonight.

  As Oz rode through the town of Tifton he could see people gathered in groups talking. Men were angry and women were crying. Kids, being kids, just played. They had no knowledge of what happened or more importantly, what was about to happen.

  As Oz drove past the buildings he thought to himself, “Those are the ones who will survive. The kids, they have the best chance of surviving. Once they get over the fact that there will never be Xbox® and Fortnite™ again they will adapt and overcome. They won’t have the mental roadblocks adults have.”

  Oz noticed a few candles and lanterns being lit as the town was being consumed by the night. It was an eerie feeling. As early as eight hours ago he was working on a computer and enjoying hot coffee. Now there are no computers and he would have to start a fire for hot water and, hell, he didn’t even have coffee. Eerie! Once past the town, Oz rode for two hours before deciding to make camp. Of all the things to forget for a bike, a headlamp shouldn’t be one of them. He had his flashlights but needed something brighter, something with more lumens that would be easy to mount to his bike.

  “How stupid could I be?” he said as he looked down at his feet. “I could be riding now and instead I have to stop. No light means no travel. Not even the moon to help.”

  This was upsetting to Oz as his plan was to sleep during the day and travel at night. He wanted to remain hidden as much as possible during his travels. With no options, he moved his bike fifty yards into the woods and pulled his hammock out and hung it between two nearby trees. He pulled an emergency blanket out of his Bug Out Bag and placed it on his hammock. He cut two twenty-foot lengths of paracord and threw them over a tree limb. He then tied his Bug Out Bag to one rope and his fanny pack strap to another. He hoisted each of them up so they were sufficiently off the ground where an animal could not get them and a human would not see them. He then tied the other end of the ropes off on a tree. He checked his left side for his Glock and smiled upon touching it. Regardless of where he headed or what he did, the Glock would be his companion for life.

  He slowly leaned back in his hammock, covered himself with his emergency blanket, and tried to relax. It was hard to relax. There was nothing but quiet and noises that he didn’t recognize. Sure, the crickets were easy to identify but what about the other high-pitched noises he heard.

  “Are those cicadas?” he thought. “What are the noises wrestling in the leaves?” It would be a long night.

  14

  Medical Failure

  AS A CHARGE NURSE AT HUBBARD COUNTY HOSPITAL, NICKI was always on the move. It wasn’t easy work, but it was rewarding. She enjoyed working with geriatric mentally ill patients and early in life knew it would be her calling. Her schedule was balanced wi
th family life and working three, twelve-hour shifts, 2:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. every weekend was convenient. Her schedule gave her time during the week to keep the family affairs in order as well as to attend all of Randall’s sports events.

  With Oz working out of town, Nicki not only had her routine but she had to now make sure that the bills were paid on time, all financial affairs were in order, do the shopping, coordinate repairs to the house if Oz wasn’t in town, and make sure she attended all family events in his absence. With no family of her own in Kentucky, Nicki felt fortunate to have Oz’s family to visit every weekend. They had adopted her as if she was one of their own. Nicki missed Oz and it was hard coming home to an empty bed but knew his absence was only for the next couple of years. It was simply something they as a family had to do.

  “He would do anything for our family,” Nicki said to herself as she picked up the medication for Mr. Johnson in Room 204. “I love that man,” she whispered.

  As Nicki picked up the medication and scanned the barcode label into the computer she noticed the computer screen flicker before going blank. Not thinking much of the situation, she moved to the workstation to her left and continued where she left off.

  “Funny,” she said as she placed the medication bottle down. “This computer isn’t working either,” she sighed.

  She picked up the phone to call IT but there was no dial tone. She walked around to two other work stations when she noticed the lights begin to dim. Within seconds the lights returned to full brightness.

  “Holly,” Nicki said in a loud voice, “did we lose power? It looks like we’re running on generator power. And by the way, the computers aren’t working. Can you run down to IT and get help?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Holly said as she briskly turned the hallway corner and headed to the IT cubicles. Holly was a Certified Nursing Assistant who had worked with Nicki on the same shift for several months.

  Nicki took a moment to peer out the window.

  “None of the fluorescent blue security light beacons are blinking and the street lights are all off. The hospital never turns off the street lights. They’re on 24/7,” she thought.

  As she continued to look out the window it appeared that the entire surrounding area had lost power but thanks to a generator, the main hospital had power. She picked up her phone to call Randall when she quickly realized she didn’t have cell service.

  She immediately thought of Oz and knew he would say something like, “It’s the end of the world. Aren’t you glad we’re prepared? I told you it was coming!” but she quickly dismissed the thought.

  She headed back to check on Mr. Johnson when Holly appeared.

  “Nicki, IT has lost all systems,” Holly said. “Every computer system in the hospital is down. The IT Supervisor told me that they had bigger fish to fry than our problem. She said the mainframe computers were smoking. As if that weren’t enough, I saw John from the Admin area with a fire extinguisher in his hand pointed at his computer. I can only assume his computer was on fire. Doesn’t make sense, does it?”

  “Holly,” Nicki said. “I’ll be right back. Watch the patients for me and tell them there’s nothing to worry about if they ask.”

  “Will do,” Holly responded.

  Nicki headed down the hall, took the stairs to the first floor, and went out the side door. She unlocked her phone and tried to call Oz again. Nothing. She rebooted her phone and called again. Nothing. No signal. Beginning to get somewhat worried, Nicki remembered Oz describing EMPs to the family. She wished she had paid more attention. Worry set in as she was unable to reach Oz, Randall, BJ, or Cali. She walked to her car and pushed the fob to unlock the door. Nothing. She pushed the fob again. Still nothing. She removed the key from the fob housing and opened the car door. No lights, no dinging noises, nothing.

  Nicki put her foot on the brake and pushed the button to start the car. It was dead. Nicki’s worry now turned to fear; fear for her family. The moment she could use her cell phone she would call Oz and the kids to make sure everyone was fine.

  As Nicki was sitting in her car, she was glancing at the hospital’s main entrance when she saw the lights shut completely off. She stepped out of the car and couldn’t see one single light on inside or outside the hospital. What before was a well-lit hospital, even in the day, was now void of all lights. Nicki closed her eyes and listened. She did not hear one single car or the generator which was running thirty seconds ago. There was only silence.

  Before she returned to work she grabbed the Bug Out Bag Oz prepared for her. She never opened it before but knew Oz had put a lot of thought into what items were placed in the backpack. She opened the main compartment and found a letter protected in a Ziplock bag. She opened the bag and pulled the envelope out. On the front of the envelope it read:

  “To the Love of My Life, open only in an emergency. I Love You. Oz.”

  Just reading that brought some relief to her as she opened the envelope and read the letter:

  Nicki,

  If you are reading this letter then I know you’re scared and in a bad situation. I just hope the Stuff hasn’t Hit the Fan. I want you to read this letter in its entirety and then re-read it. It’s the exact same letter I placed in each of the kids Bug Out Bags. You know how I like to be consistent.

  First, let me tell you that your safety is priority one. Be aware of your surroundings and constantly, I mean constantly scan your immediate area for danger. Head home!!!! If it’s safe to travel during the day do so but be cautious. If you question your safety only travel at night and hide during the day. IF TRAVELING AT NIGHT PUT ON THE CAMOUFLAGE PANTS AND LONG SLEEVE SHIRT. I want you to put the hat on and use the hair ties I’ve included to put your hair up. I want you to blend in or be a gray woman.

  Second, get home. I’ve included maps, in the Velcro compartment on the very back of the Bug Out Bag. These are just in case your car doesn’t run or the highways are impassable. ALWAYS use back roads where possible.

  Third, if possible, travel with a buddy from the hospital or wherever you are (no men!). Only use someone you trust. You have several good colleagues you work with so I’m hoping this is not an issue. DO NOT bring home an army of people. We do not have enough food to feed everyone if this disaster lasts for years. If your friend needs a little persuasion, and the Stuff truly hit the fan, tell them we will take care of them and to the best of our ability get them home.

  Fourth, your Bug Out Bag contains many things to keep you safe, warm, and fed. You have:

  Keltec® PMR-30 with four magazines fully loaded with .22 Magnum

  Outer Waist Band holster for Keltec PMR-30

  Belt (for holster)

  First Aid kit with many different supplies including feminine products

  Baofeng radio (when you’re close to the house contact us on Channel 1)

  3 flashlights

  3 Mountain House freeze-dried meals

  4 US Coast Guard water pouches

  Life Straw (use to filter water from a creek or a questionable source)

  Waterproof matches, blast match, cotton balls, char cloth, lighters, twine, and candles

  Two knives (on the outside of your BOB)

  Light (headlamp, glow sticks, and Stream Light flashlight)

  Emergency blankets

  Writing tools (Sharpie and Fisher Space Pen) with a notebook

  Fifth, if you are the first-person home, go to the safe in the garage and grab the Red Binder that is labeled ‘SHTF—Elevated Threat Manual.’ Read it then re-read it and FOLLOW all directions. This binder contains directions on how to secure our house.

  If you get in a bad situation I want you to FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE. Do not give up. Pull hair. Kick or hit guys in the nuts. As hard as you can, push your finger through someone’s eyeballs. Punch someone in the throat as hard as you can. Get your finger in your attacker’s ear and
push as hard as you can. FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE!!!!

  Nicki, I love you very much, now GET HOME!

  Love, Oz

  Nicki began to cry as she read the letter and truly knew Oz loved her. Though she hadn’t paid as much attention to prepping as she should have, Oz never gave up. He took care of her. At that moment she found the courage and strength to get home safely but first felt it best to return to work and hope the power and cell phones turned back on before the end of her shift.

  As the end of Nicki’s shift approached, she looked at her phone with hope. She was disappointed when she saw the ‘no signal’ icon appearing but was not deterred from calling Oz. As she pushed the button to call Oz her heart sank when nothing happened. The situation became direr when her colleagues who would relieve her and her team did not show for their shift. It was a rough shift without power and when Nicki next saw them, she would have a story for them. She would share with them the challenges of running a medical floor with no power especially in the evening as darkness set in. Luckily Nicki’s floor did not have critical care patients or any patients on life-saving equipment.

  Angie, Nicki’s supervisor, approached Nicki and asked if she would stay over until the night crew showed up. Nicki knew that they most likely would not be showing up any time soon.

  “Nicki,” Angie snapped. “I really need you to stay over until we get relief. As a nurse, you can’t leave the patients in a time of need. No one from the night shift has shown up,” she finished.

  Nicki, unsure of what to do, asked Angie if she could take a quick break; she wasn’t feeling well.

  “Of course,” Angie said.

  As Nicki walked to the breakroom her mind was running a million miles a second.

  “What would Oz do?” she thought to herself.

  She knew Oz would not wait. Even if he was wrong, he would act in a manner that would ensure the safety of the family. He would not wait for others to act. He knew that if the Stuff Hit the Fan the sooner you reacted the safer you would be. Nicki knew exactly what to do.