“I have ordered the immediate recall of all military personnel from overseas locations. Our armed forces stand ready to defend the country and are in the process of testing all equipment and systems. They will have a plan on my desk in the next two weeks to begin efforts to restore power and other infrastructure as quickly as possible. I ask that all National Guard personnel report immediately to their duty stations. The same is true of all first responders, including fire, police, and hospital staff. As many of you know, we are facing difficulty responding to emergencies. Many first responders are unable to respond to calls for help. Fires burn in many cities that cannot be extinguished. Police, for the time being, have little mobility due to inoperable vehicles.
“However, our recovery depends on you, the American people. For now, I ask that you remain calm and assist your friends and neighbors in need. Share what you have in terms of food and water. Most of all continue to respect the rule of law and obey local law enforcement. We need the best effort of every American to recover from this crisis, and we will. We will recover from this devastating blow. We are a resilient people who have overcome many obstacles. We will return to greatness again, and we will find out who did this to us, and they will be punished.
“I ask each of you to pray for our great nation. We will report to you further as we progress with our efforts to stabilize the situation. Please listen to your radios for further information and updates.
“May God bless you and may God Bless the United States of America.”
“Well there was nothing uncertain about that,” Ed said grimly.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The mood was glum after the speech. They sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. They now knew that the worst-case scenario had, in fact, occurred. There would be no easy path back to normalcy. While they all expected that to be the case, hearing it from an official source seemed to hammer it home in a way that seemed more real and immediate.
Eventually they got ready to sleep, stripping down to their underwear. They had camped together often and modesty was not an issue. Ed turned the camp light off and they all attempted to put the speech out of their troubled thoughts. Bud had moved quietly behind a bush, on the opposite side of the trail, where he could see both sides of the narrow path. He sat quietly with his AR across his lap with his back resting against a small tree. Slowly his eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he was able to see that the trail remained empty. Shifting his weight, he settled in and began to think about the day’s events. He concluded that they had been lucky, but they also did everything right.
Then, he thought about a report he once read that calculated the majority of the American population would die in the wake of any EMP event. The scenario was grim. It showed a die-off of more than eighty percent of the population within the first year, mostly due to starvation and violence. Suicide rates would skyrocket, as starving people gave up and ended their misery.
It further calculated that the remaining people, in such a weakened state from starvation and lack of medical care, would suffer a second die-off. It would occur when illness from unclean water and contaminated food would take the remaining ten to fifteen percent of the population.
The report went on to speculate that a migration would occur from the large cities to the more rural areas. It further stated that there was no way to know, by area or region, where the starving people would turn. It was generally agreed that the rural areas would quickly become flooded with a starving populace. Survivors would flee the violence and lack of food found in large cities. It projected that, in a very short period of time, lawlessness would grow out of control, and gangs would form to scavenge for food in the rural areas. Later, the gangs would become larger and more violent, and eventually they would fight for control of areas that would then become something akin to small dictatorships or even a feudal society, where peace-loving farmers and ranchers would be forced to turn over their food assets or die.
The report also speculated that FEMA and other government agencies would attempt to establish camps for food distribution to more easily supply people who had nowhere to go, or those with no source of food. It projected that the FEMA camps would very quickly run out of dry and canned food, and eventually be forced to turn to military rations. It stated that the military might well resist any attempts to confiscate their food stores and thereby put their soldiers in the same position as the more general populace.
At the conclusion of the report, the authors speculated that a two-year recovery, with even minimal levels of power generation, transportation, and telecommunications availability, was a gross underestimation. It stated that the many millions of miles of transmission and telecommunications lines throughout the country, as well as the lack of ability to produce parts needed to replace those disabled by the EMP, would likely require a massive foreign aid effort at the outset. By the time all the needed parts and supplies arrived to bring all the networks back to life, they would face a shortage of skilled technicians. Many of them would have died in the interim.
Bud remembered scoffing at the document. He felt it underestimated the ability of the American people, and its military, to overcome any challenge. Now, every word of the report seemed much more likely to occur than not.
A quiet rustling of bushes brought Bud to full alertness. He knew the sound came from the left, the uphill side of the trail, and again narrowed his eyes. His night vision googles sat as his side. He chose not to use them because they narrow a person’s vision to a very small area, and the light was sufficient to see fairly well without them. He quietly stood, bringing his AR to the low ready, when a doe bolted across the trail and disappeared into the woods on the other side of the path. Bud sighed once and resumed his seat. He struggled to stay awake and vigilant, but his mind continued to wander. Finally, sleep overtook him and he fell into a troubled slumber, not asleep, but not quite awake either.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Ed quietly rose from his sleeping bag and made his way into the brush to relieve himself. He noted that Bud was asleep on his bag, and wondered how he managed to get into the camp without waking everyone up. He tiptoed to his ATV and quietly began rummaging through his gear to find a box of crackers for breakfast.
Every muscle in his body was sore; sleeping on the ground, together with the bone-jarring ride yesterday, took a toll on his body. Ed wondered how he managed to let his conditioning lapse over the years. In the end, it was a predictable story. Like the vast majority of the American people, he worked long hours, and the time left was taken with cooking, home repair, and all the other things necessary to maintain an orderly lifestyle. Exercise fell to the bottom of the priorities, and he was now paying the price for succumbing to the apathy that he should have defeated. Ed knew that being in good physical condition was a large part of staying healthy and being able to withstand the rigors of whatever lay ahead, and he resolved to work out every day once they reached the ranch.
He moved to the bluff overlooking the city and gazed down at columns of smoke continuing to rise off the desert floor. He wondered if his house would burn in the conflagration. It was home for ten years and he considered it the home of his dreams. It was not large or filled with expensive furniture, but a place where he and Ann had lived together joyfully for a long ten years. The thought of losing the house was troubling, although he knew there was virtually no chance they would ever live there again.
“Uggggg.” He turned to see Mary struggling to her feet, groaning in pain.
“Sore?”
“I feel like I was beaten and left for dead.”
“If it helps any, I feel the same way.”
“God, that ground is hard.”
Two more moans, and the group was all up for the day. The others made off to the woods to take care of morning business, and Ed set the box of crackers and four water bottles on the flat rock that overlooked the valley. They sat in silence and ate breakfast.
“I would kill for a cup of coffee,” Ann said.<
br />
“We have coffee in the MREs,” Bud replied. “I’ll get the heating pouches and make a cup for everyone.” He returned in a few minutes with two cups for the women and went back and got two more for Ed and himself. They sat on the rock, sipping the coffee and finishing the crackers.
“Starting a day without coffee is like getting a tooth pulled without Novocain,” Ann sighed.
“No kidding,” Bud replied.
“I hope Don stocked up on coffee,” Bud said. “I didn’t even think about it.”
“No worries there,” Mary said. “We have forty pounds of whole bean and a case of freeze dried at the ranch.”
“Thank God,” Ann replied.
“I suppose we should get moving,” Ed said.
“I need some time to stretch and wake up,” Mary said.
“All right, Bud and I can load up while you guys limber up.”
They loaded the ATVs while the women stretched, moaning the entire time. They both did yoga twice a week at the YMCA, and were moving through a series of positions that would be impossible for the men. Bud looked at Ed and shrugged. “I’m not built that way,” he said.
“I didn’t know anyone was.”
“You want to get a look at the map before we leave?”
“We better.” Ed pulled the map from his pack and laid it on the hood of his ATV.
“Seems like we have about twenty more miles of easy going,” Bud said.
“Seems so, but it is going to get rough for twenty miles after that.”
“Where do you want the rally points today?”
“Let’s space it ten miles, by our odometers. We get two stops before the climb really gets tough, so let’s try to make good time and keep the stops short.”
“That works for me, but may not for our wives.”
“They will be fine.”
“I guess so, but if this is hard for us, it has to really difficult for them. None of us is ready for this level of physical activity. We all need rest.”
“We’ll have plenty of time for that later. Right now the mission is to stay focused on the task at hand,” Ed said, ending the conversation with a grim expression.
They finished loading the ATVs in silence, and then tied their loads down and got into the vehicles. They both started the engines as the women moved toward them and arranged themselves in the passenger seats. Ed looked at Bud and said, “I'll take the lead today. Let's keep the spacing the same.” He turned the ATV in a wide circle and started down the small path toward the main trail that would take them north and into the higher elevations. Stopping at the intersection of the trail, he looked both directions, and pulled onto the trail, starting yet another uphill climb toward Prescott.
They passed through thick stands of cedar and noted, for the first time, the area seemed entirely unlike the desert floor. They made good time as they moved up the twisting trail, passing by cleared areas that were used as camping grounds for backpackers and horseback riders. The trail, built on the apex of the terrain, featured views that were breathtaking. The desert floor lay below them, and the rugged features of the mountains were ahead. They resisted the temptation to stop at one of the many scenic overlooks and enjoy a moment of admiration of their surroundings. Although the path was getting steeper, it was well maintained and free of rocks and brush.
They made good time, averaging somewhere around 25 miles an hour, and Bud was becoming more optimistic that the trip would be an easy one, and they would arrive in plenty of time.
As the ride went on, both Bud and Ed noted that the stiffness and pain was beginning to recede. When they reached the top of a hill that appeared to be higher than most of the surrounding terrain, they stopped and Bud used binoculars to glass the trail ahead. He did not see anyone on the trail, but noted more campgrounds and other signs of human activity in the area. He wondered at the fact that they had yet to see anybody along the trail, but was grateful for the good fortune of not having any further encounters that could lead to violence.
After a half hour of steady climbing, they stopped the ATVs at another hilltop and again glassed the trail ahead. It was still clear of any human activity. They were at the ten-mile mark on the trip, so they shut down the ATVs and enjoyed a moment of silence.
“Let’s take five,” Ed said. “And I do mean five.”
“We are making good time,” Ann replied. “You don’t need to worry so much. We’re doing fine.”
“We are for now, but this is going to get a lot tougher in a few more miles.”
“Okay, let’s get hydrated and take a potty break,” Bud said. He reached into the cooler and pulled out four bottles of water, then passed them out. They stood on the side of the trail, admiring the views and slowly sipping the water.
“How are we doing with the water?” Ann asked Mary.
“We’re good for at least two more days. We have a case and a half left and the temperature is going down, so we won’t need as much.”
“How about the food?”
“We still have eight MREs and the beef stew.”
“We might have to make a fire tonight and eat the stew.”
“We should save the MREs for last,” Mary added.
“I hate those things.”
“Of course, Ed and Bud grabbed all the ones that have beef entrees.”
“Of course,” Ann replied. “What else would they do?”
Mary giggled and, for the first time, Ann noted that she seemed to be getting back to her old cheerful self.
“It’s good to hear you laugh,” Ann said.
“It’s been a few days,” Mary admitted. “I guess I’m just tired of being scared and worrying about the future and my parents and friends. It’s exhausting and I am tired of it.”
“The guys seem to be taking it well. I don’t think either one has said much about the situation since it started. I have to believe they feel the same as us.”
“I guess they are so focused on the trip that they don’t have room for anything else. But, it is kinda worrying. You would think, at some point, they would want to talk about it.”
They both looked over at Bud and Ed, who were again studying the map, tracing fingers over the next portion of the trail and discussing the challenges that lay ahead. They then moved to the hilltop and again glassed the route.
“Ladies, come over here and take a look at this,” Bud said, handing the binoculars to Mary. She noted that around ten miles ahead the terrain changed dramatically, becoming vertical and the trail smaller and rocky.
“That looks pretty challenging,” she said.
“Let me see,” Ann said. She briefly glassed the area, saying, “well, we knew it was going to get tougher before we got to the forest. How many miles of that do we have?”
“It looks to be twenty miles, more or less,” Ed answered. “And, we’re going to have to crawl through it. If we have an ATV breakdown, we are in a world of hurt.”
“Don’t even say that,” Ann admonished.
“Yeah, don’t jinx us,” Mary added, handing the binoculars to Bud, who again used them to survey the path ahead.
“Did you see that spot where the trail disappears?” Ed asked.
“Yeah, but it looks like it picks up again to the west.”
“We need to keep an eye on that from each hilltop. I don’t want to lose the trail and have to backtrack.”
“Yep.”
“That might be the trail to the west, but we need to know for sure.” Ed sounded concerned.
“Well, we may as well get going,” Mary said. “We need to stop in a few hours, make a fire, and eat the stew.”
“Let’s stop at the next rally point,” Bud said. “We can eat, rebalance the loads for the steeper climb, and take a break there before this gets really tough.”
“That works,” Ed agreed.
They all stretched, and again arranged themselves in the ATVs. Ed was in the lead, with Bud trailing, as they started up the hill. The incline was getting slightly steeper, b
ut the trail was still well maintained and free of rocks and clutter. Ed brought the ATV to a speed of twenty-five miles an hour. As they climbed up the hill, Mary looked off in the distance, and saw that the cedar and low bushes were changing to the taller pines and spruce indigenous to the mountains. It was also getting noticeably cooler, and Ed felt a chill as the wind increased in velocity. They were traveling downhill, after topping one of the many hilltops along the route, when Ed suddenly pulled over and stopped his ATV. Bud pulled off the trail, maintaining his distance, grabbed his AR, and started walking toward Ed’s ATV.
“What's wrong?” Bud asked, holding his AR in the low ready position, and glancing around nervously. He thought there must be some threat to get Ed to stop on the main trail.
“I don't know exactly. But it smells like the engine’s getting hot,” Ed replied. “Damn,” he continued, “I hope I didn’t jinx the thing when I talked ATV breakdown back there.”
“Me too. We really need both ATVs. One would be totally overloaded with all of us in it.”
“Well, let's give it a few minutes to cool down so we can check the radiator without getting burned to death. We may as well have lunch while we wait.”
Bud agreed, and then walked back to his ATV. After explaining the situation to Mary, they drove up and parked next to Ed. “Ladies let's go ahead and have the stew,” Bud said. “We can stop here and eat. By the time we are done, the ATV should cool down and we can check the radiator.”
“What do you suppose it is?” Ann asked, worry etched plainly on her face.
“No idea,” Bud replied. “It might just need water. Let’s hope for the best,” he finished.
Mary grabbed two cans of stew from the back of the ATV while Bud began to build a fire. “I want something that will burn hot and fast,” Bud said. He dug two holes, six inches apart, and connected them with an underground passageway to allow air to be sucked into the fire, making it burn hotter and faster. He then got twigs and small branches and placed them in one hole while Ann opened the cans.
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