EMP (The Districts Book 1)

by Orion Enzo Gaudio

  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.

  Chapter Seven

  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 C
hina 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.

  “Don’t feel bad,” Mike said.

  “Huh?”

  “The kid. I saw your face. Don’t feel bad. This is a tough new world. This will be a good lesson for him, should he fight hard enough to survive what is coming.”

  Nick knew it was true. Mike had been right about everything so far and now wasn’t the time to question his judgment. He still felt for the kid. Nick knew that someone would get the supplies, and it most likely wouldn’t be the young man. He tried to think like Mike and to convince himself that they needed the food no matter how it might affect others.

  They were both silent the rest of the way—Mike watching the road behin
d and ahead of them and Nick thinking about how rapidly the world around him was changing.

  Chapter Eight

  A noise woke Sutherland, some sort of banging noise, and he rolled over to ask his wife to check on it. It wasn’t until he realized that she wasn’t in the bed with him that he remembered the previous day.

  He had waited in the conference room for Rodgers to come back, to give him some sort of news from the outside world, but she had never returned. He found his way to the living quarters and found an empty room sometime after midnight.

  The noise came again and Sutherland realized it was a knock on the door of his room. He got out of bed, wrapped the sheet around himself and answered it. He was greeted by the stern face of Rodgers.

  “Sir, we need to go over a few things.”

  Sutherland nodded and looked down at himself.

  “Give me five. I’ll meet you in the conference room.”

  She nodded and walked down the hall. He closed the door and put on his uniform. Sutherland wished he had something else to wear. He always thought it looked so gaudy and given the current circumstances, he hardly thought it was a situation that required his uniform.

  Rodgers was sitting at the far end of the table in the conference room when Sutherland walked in. They were alone in the room and there was a folder in front of the chair at the opposite end of the table from Rodgers. Sutherland took the hint and sat down across from her.

  “Sir, in front of you are the plans for Section M and District One.”

  “What’s District One?”

  Sutherland opened the folder and flipped through the pages, not really looking at what was inside, as he waited for Rodgers to speak.

  “We are in District One. As I told you yesterday, across the country there are seven bunkers with Section M presences. They are numbered one through seven. If you turn to the last page in the folder, there is a map with the locations of each bunker and the district that it is in.”