EMP PITCH BLACK
A Prepper Fiction Novel on Surviving A Power Grid Collapse
an action-packed dramatic story by Above Average Joe
© This ebook is licensed for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author. Copyright © 2015 Above Average Joe. All rights reserved.
Survival Academy is an outdoorsmen’s journey to educate himself and others on how to lead, prepare and protect his family. Through the use of short stories and interactive entertainment, he provides a unique all-in-one resource for emergency preparedness information, survival tactics, escape & evasion training, the latest and greatest gear for men in their sixties who want to be self-reliant.
About Above Average Joe
From being a fisherman, outdoorsman, engineer and survivalist, Dr. Joe Taylor has seen many different aspects of life. He is also a 9th degree black belt holder in Isshinryu Karate and has attained top positions in renowned handgun, shotgun and rifle shooting competitions. Today, apart from working for NASA, he also enjoys writing survival stories depicting realistic situations with creative outcome.
I always love to be emailed comments and questions. I love your feedback. If you don’t understand something in the story, please email me and I will clarify anything you want to know in the saga. You can reach me at [email protected]
PREFACE
Doing full justice to the title, the novel unravels a creative futuristic story of 2016, which depicts the fall of the USA as a superpower nation in the face of attacks hurled by both mankind and natural disasters. Survival becomes a remote possibility as the use of Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) Machine wreaks havoc all over.
EMP PITCH BLACK –A Prepper Fiction Novel on Surviving A Power Grid Collapse
Darkness has engulfed the whole of the USA, stalling daily life of all the people. The problems start taking shape when the Electro-Magnetic Pulse weapon is used. Adding to this the Mother Nature also does not spare the country of its wrath. Buildings, elevators, subways and train tunnels as well as stations are absolutely dark with no sight of light. People stuck there in darkness are struggling to come out of it.
But nobody can predict what will happen. Would people succeed in finding out ways to survive? Nothing can be said with certainty. What is visible or evident at the moment is only tragic loss of civilization. However, to know what destiny has in store, one has to read this novel to the end.
There is drama, emotion, pain and much more in the plot to keep readers hooked until the climax is reached. All the settings and situations are brilliantly defined, creating a strong visual impact on the mind of a reader. Language is crisp and clear and most importantly, apt for the plot. In simple words, it’s an amazing work.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
Prologue
The earth is hopeless. An overwhelming force is coming and we are running out of time; as civilization fall apart around us and our planet is on the verge of destruction. Do we have time to get away and find new habitable worlds? Can the human race escape extinction? Can we be spared from the reign of evil?
It seems like science fiction but it’s not. For the most, it’s just like a comic book story about the end of the world, no turning back, we have to escape Armageddon, and we have to evacuate earth. All of this is but the normal recourse of self-preservation of wanting to live because of being too scared to face death. For now, the earth had already lived for the last eight billion years and with this, if earth’s inhabitants die at a certain point, earth also does have its fight through mortality at a time which someday certain.
One hundred thousand years ago, our sun was devastated by an intense explosion of gamma ray which its residual effect was caused by the untimely extinction of two orbiting neutron stars. The effects were so colossal and far more imaginable as the impact generated immense explosion within the sun’s surface whose strength created newly produced protons that has gradually intensified overtime penetrating our sun’s surface thereby creating a huge sunspot that stained our sun’s glaring beauty. Setting its aim towards earth, a coronal mass ejection or widely known as CME resulted thereby releasing massive amounts of solar fragments into space.
Ninety-four million miles from earth, the face of the sun pumps out enormous quantity of heat and light into space. Sporadically gigantic explosions throw out much more than this. These are solar storms. When these storms hit earth, they have slight effect on living things but the vast global networks that hold up our lives can function as a conductor directing the vicious power of the storm and hammering out all electrical power. Two or three days without it is an annoyance but months or 100 years of darkness is extraordinary. Literally the loss of power in a massive scale plunge us back to an era before technology even existed ---- turning back our civilization from where it started.
The threat of earth’s extinction was still made as classified information suppressed by the government and science tycoons to prevent a stampede of panic. Instead they proceeded to shelter themselves to shelter naïve enough to announce the truth to everyone. Little do we know that a large part of our population never knew about the upcoming genocide that each of us will face. And now that the drastic effects of the CME had already took the toll of wrecking havoc unto the earth, the once lively civilized cities filled with lights and life as well as latest technological innovations and advancements turned black leading us back to the time where history did not exist.
Now, earth is trembling to deterioration into becoming inhabitable: airplanes flying a thousand feet high failing straight down towards the earth like the kamikazes gallant dive for honor but this time, plane crashes happen due to derailed airline radio communications. Bullet trains slowed down and some are derailed, elevators shut down on a falling state and worse the worldwide economy, health systems, communications, transportation and the fundamentals like light and heat would all collapse if scientists predict the earth is hit by a “perfect solar storm.” Our increasing reliance on technology makes us more susceptible to the damage the big ones can cause.
Every era, every civilization and every life has a moment of beginning and an end, a moment of being born and a moment of dying; a moment of rejoicing for the enjoyment of the liberty to life and a moment of devastation due to somebody’s untimely passing; be it be too soon or too late, pain still creeps in bringing a bountiful harvest of life’s opposite terms. Everything in this earth runs and dwells in opposite terms which the human race must always be prepared for because no one knows when that time will be.
Like a tree that has a cycle in a circle of life that settles no finite boundaries, green leaves bloom in the spring, withers in the autumn and dies on the winter just like men, who lives and dies. Little do we know that the threat of mortality covers the very earth, the only that we have. Earth, like us has a life span too. For this reason, we can conclude that our earth will someday cease its existence.
Is this the beginning of the end?
Chapter 1
It is a sunny day when I woke up. Truly, seeing the sun’s rays touch the grain of my face brought me life despite the threats of total annihilation. With planting agricultural crops formed in as a habitual passion, I dropped to pick some tomato seedlings for my
garden. Obviously, as an avid farmer whose humble abode is far more secluded but not isolated, my separation from the rest of the civilization gave me the serenity to build on my craft and dedicate it to all. Hello, I am Ryan Nelson, just like you, an ordinary average Joe taking up the challenges of maintaining a normal life despite impending adversities.
As I traverse the road with serenity; gravel and dried clay soil creeping up my shoes, I looked up with content bringing up with me tomato seedlings on my left hand and two cases of bottled water on the other arm, tucked at arms strength. I further tighten my grip on the plastic black cellophane were my newly picked tomato plants were stored, put down the cases of bottled water down the ground as I grabbed the hem of my shirt with my right hand and wipe it all over my face. The exposure of my toned abdomen reveals fragments of sweat lined up fast dripping between the manly divisions of my six packs proves the effects of amplified body heat due to absolute and extraneous long distance brisk walking. I didn’t even notice the sweat dripping out the contour of my face until I felt a sudden sting that pinched my eyes ---just sweat. I stopped and went to the roadside as the pain persisted. I set the tomato plants and the two cases of bottled water aside safely being cradled by grass as I then instinctively got a bottle of water from the two cases I picked up. I then simultaneously held the bottle with my left hand and then twisted its cup by my right hand on a swift counter clockwise motion to open. The squeaking sound of the breaking of the plastic seal indicates that it’s ready. I bent slightly forward extending my whole head with my face facing down towards the ground. I then poured water to my right hand and put it in my right eye.
The pain subsided and I felt relief. Inasmuch as I would want to do an alternative face wash, I decided to place the resalable cap back again and turned it clockwise to close instead. The plastic grooving didn’t match at first but I pulled it though! I almost forgot that I must conserve water at all times. I then stomped my feet to knock of soil residues off the spikes of my shoes and continued walking towards home. I held the two cases of bottled water clipped solid under my right armpit while taking a strong clasp of the plastic cellophane were my newly picked up potato seedlings were tucked in with safety. The wind slaps into my face; its touch created a mix of the comfort of a cooling taste of natural drying aroma soothing the pain that I felt a few minutes ago. As I turned back, I saw my footprints turned into mud. I almost seemed to forget that that was where I stood to rinse my eyes.
I left the place with a relaxing sigh as I can see the horizon slowly and gradually exposing the façade of our abode. Alternate average walking steps increase as I get nearer. I know that my wife, Farah is waiting for the goods I have in my possession. I hope she had something else for me --- “Chicken Adobo” would be a nice watering price for my mandibles to muster and for my stomach to grind.
As I slowly got nearer and as the distance to my house got closer, I stopped and looked back with my head in synchronization with my eyeballs as it went from left to right seemingly conducting a no brainer window shopping survey of my property; it was my own one hundred eighty degree excursion just to look around and be thankful to of a vast farm land I have with an average two storey wooden house, painted in white with a chimney exhaust at the top just like a church’s bell free. Adjacent to my residence is a two-storey barn, made out of pure redwood, painted in full Red. This was so because Farah and I am an avid fan of Clark Kent’s farm in Smallville, Kansas. A tractor is parked within the barn’s reach covered with steel traces canapé to shield it off from rain, snow and heat. Livestock such as chicken, rabbits, cows and goats for dairy production turkeys are stocked inside for commerce and consumption purposes. These achievements that we gained made me continue to live on in a scenario of hopeful beginnings that even the threats of an untimely Armageddon did not even cause an emotional tremor.
I then went to my truck just parked across to safely put the two cases of bottled water inside the iced cooler. This is what we do--- keeping the ice in, so that we could handle hot temperatures while outside. I then went back on my house’s direction to take a full time rest from a hard day’s work.
I left the facade of our simple but bountiful home with a smiling sigh ---- a facial gesture that expresses contentment of how blessed my family is. Nature calls, and yes, I heard my rumbling stomach wanting to devour edibles. The scent of that famous Filipino dish, fumes of evaporated scent turned into non-pollutant smoke generating mouth watering odors that defied the odds of culinary recipes. yes! Adobo!
I took a grip of our aluminum screen door t have it open. I put the tomato plants on the corner table and went directly to the kitchen. I then went near to Farah, to kiss her like any husband will do.
“Hello, Sweetie, what’ s in for lunch?” I asked Farah with a naughty hungry look.
“Oh, just that Chicken Adobo thing you requested.” Farah glanced with a smile. Just sit back and relax because it’s almost done. Just a little pepper to keep it spicy and …
“And what?” I looked at Farah with a hungry look.
“…and you are going to consume a lot of my cooking and this will make you love me more.” She grabbed the hem of her apron and wiped the sweat dripping on her face.
“That will surely be because the only way for a woman to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
She then gets a hold of a pot holder to carry the Pyrex bowl to the dining table to serve.
“Special delivery for the king right on target,” Farah displayed her beautiful smile at me that eased the stress that I felt after a long walk.
My ticklish wife, Farah then placed the bowl on to the center of the table. I just can’t wait to get a first taste of what she had cooked. I then dipped the serving spoon into the recipe and then put it to my mouth. The aroma was certainly beyond heaven. I never knew that she would a master chef in an instant. To my amazement, I kissed her in delight. it was so freaking delicious. In just a matter of minutes, the bowl were the adobo was displayed was literally gone in a blink of an eye. That fast. It was really fast.
I left Farah to wash the dishes and sat in the sofa. I turned my TV on setting the channel to CNN. The footage features overseas news showing the simultaneous stoppage of Japanese bullet trains, some were derailed causing many injuries to several passengers. A Japanese scientist was interviewed and said
“A massive solar flare, a solar storm perhaps, must have hit us causing an electromagnetic pulse. No other cause can be pointed out of this moment.”
I turned the TV off and a flashback of my recent memory came in a flash. I could still remember the stoppage of cars while I was bringing my goods. It was weird, really weird. I then looked at the window. Distant smokes like camp fires are visible from afar thinking about my truck left parked across Wal-Mart.
My three German shepherd dogs, Kevin, Keyshia and Dusty suddenly barked in simultaneous fashion. Their deep base barking sound resonate the decibels of my six shitzu lap dogs to charge in. I looked in closely wandering why their tail wags to greet someone. Ah! It’s just our dear old neighbor, Sheldon Hill, a dependable and honorable family man who was devastated after losing his home through an unexpected conflagration. I decided to come out the house to give him some hospitality and meet him in the driveway.
“Hey Ryan, what’s up?” Sheldon lifts his right hand signaling a give me five action.
“I’m fine man.” I then lifted my right hand to meet up with Sheldon’s and as our hands meet, fingers in between we simultaneously clenched our hands and give each other a manly hug with our left hands tapping each of our backs then resume our positions --- standing at each other’s length.
“My circular saw run off with power, while as was working on my porch railing. I was on the point of finishing the cutting and suddenly this bombshell happened, what a frustrating day indeed.” Sheldon stares at his carpentry gadget with a sad gloomy face.
“Didn’t you try the utility pole? You can grab some extension wire and plug it there” I told Sheldo
n pointing my finger to the direction of the utility pole.
“I tried it already and there is nothing, I must stop everything first and wait. May be this is just a minimal power interruption that me be fixed any minute now.”
It seems that my good friend Sheldon, does not know the precipitating factors regarding these power blackouts and what is causing it and thus, find the urgency to tell him, not for gossip but for truth starting at my recent experience which is scary than strange.
“I went to town hours ago to pick up some tomato plants for my garden and cases of bottled water for supplies. Cars suddenly stopped in the middle of the street in unison, traffic lights malfunction and as I look around, everything that has metal and is supplied by electricity stopped functioning.” My speech halted on a slow pace as I saw Sheldon’s facial muscles crumple.
“What?” Sheldon’s face turned sour and his voice squabbled in a conventional husky tone. “How the hell did those cars stopped in simultaneous fashion?” “Are you on drug hallucination, Ryan? Are you talking about the Ninja Turtles or something?” Sheldon replied sarcastically with a fake unsustainable laugh.
“I am not on crack buddy and I am serious as cancer. This is not the cartoon show and I am sure of that. I even walked home because the transportation’s weird unreasonable shut down.” I answered emphatically to counter his sarcasm. “I am on the belief that we are either hit by a solar flare or maybe someone has popped out to do some nuke testing near the States. I even saw on TV that the bullet train in Japan stopped all of a sudden which caused its derailment.” I paused as I saw Sheldon’s mouth, eager to jump in the conversation without even waiting for me to finish talking.
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