“My group has been prepping for this very day,” George announced. “I’m outta’ here. I’m ready to live this out at home, not here where there’s no supply of food, water, or basic necessities. The last place I want to play a real game of survival is the damn swamp.”
Wolf looked like he was finally ready to give his opinion when Fred held up his hand, stopping the others from jumping to George’s same conclusion. “We’re far enough away from the city that it’s unlikely for it to have hit us out here. A nuclear bomb, detonated above the atmosphere, seems more feasible,” he said, rubbing his chin. He nodded as if he had figured out what they were dealing with. “A massive E3 could be the culprit, but it could have been E1 or E2 pulses. We won’t know until we get back to the city and find out how widespread this is. Did anyone see anything in the sky?”
Everyone looked at each other, shaking their heads. Everyone had been too busy focusing on surviving to be paying attention to the sky.
“A nuclear bomb!” a woman groaned, and Regan tried to remember if her name was Sally or Cindy. Either way, she looked like she was about to cry, which was the last thing Regan wanted to deal with. Regan took a step back as the woman sank down on a rock, drama written all over her as she continued, “Wouldn’t that have killed us already or created nuclear fallout? I don’t see anything falling from the sky.”
Regan felt nauseated. She knew enough about a nuclear bomb to know that it meant widespread death. The death wouldn’t be immediate for those on the outskirts of the impact zone. It would be slow and miserable and painful.
She glanced around, taking another step back from the group as Wolf bent to keep the woman in front of them from going into a full-out panic. Tabitha’s skin was ashen, and Geno looked like he was going to up and run off into the swamp. The man’s eyes were darting all around. It was terror she saw. Regan’s eyes moved back to Fred. He didn’t look terrified, at least, which gave her a modicum of comfort.
Fred shook his head at another comment even as Regan’s focus went back to him. “No, the nuclear part is not an issue. It’s the EMP that will cause problems. If it is a massive EMP with E3 pulses, which will fry the transformers that make up the main power grid, we could be in trouble. It would be a widespread power outage. It could stretch across the country, depending on how many blasts there were and how close to the ground they were detonated. When we walk out of this swamp, we’ll be walking into the dark ages. Back to the days of candles and horses for transportation.”
Regan glared at him, not liking his doom and gloom attitude. It couldn’t possibly be that bad. This was more of that drama she hated so much. It had to be.
Geno stepped forward. “Let me look at that generator. I bet I can get it fired up.”
“You probably can, but what’s the point? Nothing is going to work,” Fred replied.
“Let him try,” Tabitha answered. “You don’t know if you’re right. It could be the generator has a problem. Once he gets it running, we can figure out how to charge those walkies.”
Fred bent down and picked up a cord running from the camera that was plugged into the generator. “Assume it was an E1 pulse. See this? This cord acted like an antenna in a lightning storm. The pulse would have hit the camera and run through the cord, frying everything as it went, and slammed into the inverter on that generator. It’s toast.”
Tabitha gave him a warning look. The much taller man actually looked intimidated and dropped the cord, stepping out of the way for Geno.
Regan watched as Geno messed around with the generator, letting the rest of the group’s mutterings fade into the background. The fading sunlight combined with the heavy canopy from the skyscraping trees was making it difficult for Geno to see, which he soon made sure everyone knew was why he couldn’t fix it. The man wouldn’t admit Fred was right, and Fred was shaking his head as if to say he’d told him so, but was polite enough to keep his mouth shut.
Geno cursed and stood up. “I can’t get it.”
Fred raised an eyebrow and looked as if he was going to respond, but Wolf gave a slight shake of his head, effectively shutting him down.
“What are they doing?” Tabitha asked, watching as several of the other contestants started stuffing their backpacks with supplies from the emergency locker that had been kept on set.
“Hey!” Wolf called out when he turned his focus to what Tabitha had pointed out. “Slow down! No one is going to run off into the swamp on their own. That’s too dangerous. Those supplies are for all of us.”
George spun around. “Guess what, man? Your little show is over. We’re not hanging out with some wannabe survivalist that thinks because he’s Native American he knows all there is to know about surviving the apocalypse. I’m going home. The rest of you should do the same.”
Regan watched as Wolf took a deep breath. She knew he was trying to stay calm. Wolf was proud of his heritage; it was something that had often been featured on past seasons of his show. Many of the skills he lived on had been passed down through generations. George was a jerk and she hoped Wolf wouldn’t let him bully any of them into something that wouldn’t be fair or make sense in the long run.
“George, wait,” Wolf said, his voice low. “It’s dangerous out there. Most of you don’t have the skills to make it on your own. How do you plan on getting home?” he asked the group.
Everyone exchanged looks as if the idea had never occurred to them. Suddenly, the extent of what this might mean hit Regan hard. If the EMP was really the cause of the power outage the group was seeing the effects of, they wouldn’t be able to catch a flight or even rent a car.
Regan realized, in that moment, that she needed to stick with the expert. The one she trusted in this environment. She had to stay with Wolf long enough to get out of the swamp. Once she made it into the city, she could set out on her own then. Blending in was something she did very well, and it seemed like a much safer bet than trying to stick with a handful of people. She could get lost in a large crowd, where she’d only have herself to worry about. But here in the swamp… that was something else.
“Let’s make camp here,” Wolf suggested flatly, his voice loud enough to stop everyone. “There’s tents set up. Forget sleeping outside and take the shelters we’ve already got. We’ll get some food, pair up, and set out in the morning. It’ll be safer if we stay together.”
Recognizing the intelligence of what he’d said, Regan leaned back against a tree and did what she did best; she watched people. She gauged the various facial expressions and immediately figured out who was splitting off from Wolf and who was staying. For her part, there was no way she was pairing up with anyone. She’d sleep alone. Tabitha was the only one she liked, but her husband Geno was kind of a jerk. He was loud and had that Italian mobster thing going for him. Regan could feel the man’s dislike of her, too. She didn’t know why, but she was rarely wrong about things like that.
“We’re leaving,” George announced.
“What?” Wolf asked. “It isn’t safe, George. It’s going to be dark soon.”
The stubborn old man shook his head. “You’re not in charge. Mary here wants to go with me.”
Wolf looked pissed, but Regan just watched. Would he put up a fight?
George and Wolf exchanged a long look, and it was a little like watching two dogs circle each other. Who would make the first move? Finally, it was George who broke the stare, taking a bag and walking out of the camp with Mary in tow.
Wolf took a deep breath and looked down to the ground as if making his own decision, but his voice was confident when he spoke again. “I’m asking everyone else to stay put. Stay the night. It isn’t safe out there. The sun is already setting. Moving through the swamp is too risky. We’ll crash early and rise with the sun, and move then.”
No one else made a move to leave. Wolf seemed satisfied as he glanced around, and Regan watched as he handed out some meager meals from the emergency supplies and then headed into the outhouse on set. She decided to make her
bed on one corner of the stage after she ate her granola bar and dried fruit, and settled in there after the others had paired off. Sleeping under the stars was fine with her if they were all sticking to this area, and definitely better than being crammed into a tent with people she didn’t know or like. Claustrophobic, she hated small spaces, especially small spaces shared with strangers.
“You sure you don’t want to sleep in a tent?” Wolf sat down beside her. “I’m in the interview tent. There’s plenty of room.”
“No thanks, I’ll be fine out here.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself. Load up on the bug spray. There’s some in the supply tent. I’d suggest you grab some now before someone gets greedy.” With that, he stood and walked away from her, leaving her alone with her thoughts once again.
With darkness descending, Regan again looked around their makeshift camp. Everyone had split off into smaller groups and holed up inside the production tents. She was the one alone. Nothing new there. The others were talking in hushed whispers, apparently suspicious of everyone else and arguing over supplies. She wasn’t getting sucked into that until she was out of the swamp, she’d trust that Wolf knew what he was doing. For now, she covered herself in bug spray from the supply closet, again, and settled into her space on the stage. There, she took off her wet socks, using a pack of wet wipes to wipe down her feet before letting them air dry.
Her nighttime routine finished, she looked up at the stars and wondered about what was happening beyond the swamp. She wasn’t a prepper. She could survive, of that she was certain, but she knew nothing about EMPs or any of that stuff. She didn’t have a stockpile of anything in her apartment, either. There was nothing to be done about that now. She lay back and closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep.
When she woke early the next morning, it was to the sound of Wolf cursing.
She sat up and brushed down her short hair, hoping the stupid bangs she had gotten right before the start of the competition weren’t sticking up in twenty different directions. That had been a mistake. In a moment of weakness, she’d let one of the producers talk her into some short haircut that was supposed to make her look edgy. Her hair barely reached her shoulders in the choppy layers, and the new bangs drove her nuts.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she sat up groggily, watching as he stalked around the area in front of the stage.
“They’re gone, and they raided everything. Even took the few guns we had in case of an animal attack. You didn’t hear anything?” he growled.
Regan stood up, rubbing her eyes and looking at the cases of supplies strewn about. “Oh my God,” she whispered, realizing they had essentially been robbed and left to die in the swamp.
“I knew that guy would convince them to run,” Wolf mumbled under his breath. “Mark and his ideas. Him and those girls are idiots. Damn fools.”
“Who’s gone?” Regan asked.
“You’re here. Fred’s here.”
“That’s it?” she asked, not hiding the panic in her voice. Without waiting for an answer, Regan sprang into action, grabbing as many essentials as she could find. Tabitha came out of the tent she’d shared with her husband a moment later, and Regan glanced up to acknowledge her. Upon seeing her, she felt slightly better that it wasn’t only her and the two men left in the swamp. So, three people had left during the night, including the woman named Cindy or Sally.
She gave Tabitha a look of warning. “A group left, and they took almost everything.”
“No,” she breathed out. She turned and popped her head into the tent. “Get up, Geno!”
Regan took a second to look around. Geno, Tabitha, and Fred had always been her direct competition in the game. Only, it wasn’t a game any longer. She wasn’t sure if it was a good or a bad thing that the only people left were also the strongest competitors. Regan knew she had made the right choice, even as Wolf moved off to the side and began conferring with Fred. This group of people was smart, and if anyone could survive, it was the five people left standing on set.
“They all left? Tabitha asked in disbelief. “Those two young ladies—did they actually set out on their own? Or go with Mark?”
Regan shrugged. She’d barely interacted with any of them. “I guess so, together or separate.”
Tabitha paled, glancing to her husband. “Maybe we should look for them.”
“No,” Wolf cut in. “They made their choice. We can’t save everyone. We have a long road ahead of us. With all of us working together, we’ll be okay.”
He’d looked at Regan as he spoke. She glared back defiantly.
Fred was also moving around now, digging into empty boxes and kicking over crates. It was only the five of them, and with few supplies left since it looked like a lot had been commandeered by those who’d disappeared during the night. She watched Tabitha pick up a first aid kit, open it, and slip it into her bag.
Tabitha glanced up and nodded her head. The simple gesture said a lot. Tabitha had her back. Regan had needed to use an EpiPen on her first day on the set. She had been stupid enough to kick over some dead wood and been stung and Tabitha had been the one to slam the needle into her leg. Regan had realized then that Tabitha probably knew a lot about the medical histories of all the contestants.
“Listen,” Wolf said, waving everyone over. “Gather whatever you can find. If you have two of something, share with someone else. I can’t tell any of you what to do. However, I need you to understand how dangerous it is out there. We checked this area ahead of time, and became familiar with it before you arrived. What we’ve been doing out here the past couple weeks is not the same as surviving in the swamp at large. We don’t have somebody ready to swoop in and save you if you get into trouble, and we’ve got some real ground to cover. I suggest the five of us stick together. We’ll get back to town and figure out what to do then.”
Tabitha and Geno were looking at each other. Fred had clearly already made up his mind to stick with Wolf. Regan figured he’d better, as the guy couldn’t find his way out of a paper bag. Being book smart was not the same as being street smart. How he’d managed to get on the show was a mystery. Climbing Mount Everest, as he had made sure she knew he’d done several times, was not the same as surviving on your wits and skills in the swamp.
“Then what do we do?” Geno asked.
“We keep moving,” Wolf replied. “I have a place we can seek refuge in, should you want to.”
“Where?” Geno asked.
Wolf hesitated. “It’s an island. My father and daughter are there. If you want to come along, I’ll be happy to have you. If not, suit yourself.”
“What if we don’t want to go?” Regan asked.
The man’s piercing gaze made her take an involuntary step back. “You can stay. We’ll divide up the remaining supplies. If you think sitting in the swamp is better than going to my island, that’s your choice. It’s the wrong choice, but yours to make. Surviving on your own is not a good idea. I hate to be blunt about it, but you’ll die.”
Her mouth fell open. Her immediate reaction was to tell him where he could take his suggestions and opinions, but she knew better. She hadn’t meant she’d stay here in the swamp only that she might not go to his island. Regardless, he had a point. She wasn’t a complete idiot.
“Well, then, I’ll guess I’ll be tagging along,” she snapped. “That doesn’t mean I have to go to your island, Wolf,” she added under her breath. She knew she needed them to get out of the swamp, but once she was back on more familiar ground, all bets were off.
With their options and the immediate plan laid out, everyone moved to begin gathering what supplies they could. Regan checked the supplies in her own bag before searching the tents. She wanted more socks, specifically. Her feet were not in good shape after everything she’d put them through yesterday.
3
Far too little was happening for Regan’s taste, and it was making her crazy. Wolf felt the need to methodically check every box and crate. Everyone else see
med to be at a loss as to what to do, instead waiting for their leader to give the order to go. It was clear from the shifting feet and glances that the group wanted to go as soon as possible, but Wolf was taking his own sweet time.
“Aren’t we going to leave?” she asked irritably. “You said we need to take advantage of the daylight.”
“Yes, but once we leave this set, we’re not coming back. We need to take every useful thing we can find.”
“Aren’t we already doing that?” she protested.
He shrugged. “No, we looked for prepackaged supplies. We were looking at the obvious. Now, we need to look at the not-so-obvious. Everything you see here could be used in some way out there,” he gestured wide with his arms before turning back to another pile of discarded equipment.
“How long do you plan on staying in this swamp?” she demanded.
He eyed her closely, not bothering to stand from what he’d been doing. “You rode in here in a Jeep. We are going to be walking out. I don’t think you know what you’re up against.”
She rolled her eyes. “I think you’re still in game mode, playing up the drama and danger. Be real, Wolf; how long do you think it’s going to take us to get out of here?”
“I don’t know, Regan. It takes as long as it takes. What if someone is injured? What if we have to change course? There’s been a lot of rain, and it’s going to make walking out tough.”
“Fine, what are you looking for?” she pressed. “I’ll help and then we can get moving.”
He smiled at her, but it wasn’t exactly a friendly smile. It was a smile she had seen before from her caseworker when she’d been young. It said she needed to relax and let the grown-ups take care of things. That had never worked out well for her in the past, and never again would anyone else be in charge of her fate. Her life was in her hands. It had been that way since she’d run away from her last foster home at the age of fifteen.
Surviving the Swamp (Survivalist Reality Show Book 1) Page 3
