Breakdown: An EMP Survival Thriller (The EMP Terror Series Book 1)

by J. R. Tate

  “The side of the plane is helping keep pressure on the wound. I can’t tell how bad it is but I’m scared that if we move you, you’ll bleed out. Isn’t there a major artery in the leg?” Jake sat up and closed his eyes to stop the world from spinning.

  “Yeah, I think so,” Colin replied, the frustration evident in his tone of voice. “What if the plane is making me bleed more? The pressure is pushing the blood out?”

  “I wish I knew, Colin. I’m not a doctor. I’d hate to make the wrong decision.”

  Colin swallowed and ran his hand down his thigh. “How’s it look back there?”

  Jake gripped what was left of the airplane yoke, so tight that his knuckles ached. “Not good. Five, maybe six survived. Becky is okay. The rest of the flight crew isn’t.” He’d never be able to wipe the death and destruction from his memory. “Trees ripped up the cabin and the wings on the plane are gone. I’m not sure how we managed to miss it up here in the front since most of the damage happened behind the cockpit. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never believe it.”

  “Was it a full flight?”

  Jake nodded. “It was.”

  “Son of a…” Colin trailed off. “Surely they know we went off radar. They can pinpoint where we were located when it happened.”

  “Yeah, they can.”

  “So, where the hell are they?” Colin yelled out, mainly from frustration and pain. It was something Jake was wondering too.

  “Becky estimates it’s been a little over an hour and a half since we went down.”

  Colin clenched his jaw and closed his eyes again. “I know our flight path had us going over the rural mountainous states, but come on. This is America. It’s not like we crashed into the damn ocean or something.”

  Jake shared Colin’s frustrations. Reaching for the radio, he tried to send another mayday call out but he had the same luck as before. All ways of communicating outside of the crash site weren’t working. Their radios were likely damaged in the crash, but why were their watches not working? Jake couldn’t figure that part out.

  “What do we do now, Jake?” Colin asked, opening his eyes again.

  “I’m going to get the survivors out of the cabin and on the ground. I think I will start going through luggage - maybe someone packed something useful to assist with our injuries. With the wide range of people on the flight, it’s possible, right?” Jake forced a smile and nudged Colin, though the other man didn’t have the same reaction to his plan.

  “Do what you need to do. I’ll be sitting right here. I’m not going anywhere.” Finally, a small smile parted Colin’s lips until both men were laughing. It was an odd sentiment but a good release - Jake needed it before he went back and faced all of the death in the cabin.

  “We’ll get you out. I’ll be back with a solution.” Jake patted Colin’s arm and nodded. “I won’t be gone long.”

  It was a good distance from where the passengers were at in the cabin down to the ground. A healthy person might have been able to jump down but those that were still alive were in poor health. Moving them was iffy as it was - making them jump down from over six feet, jolting their already tired bodies could prove to be even more detrimental to what they were already dealing with.

  Jake considered the evacuation slides that usually deployed in times of emergency. Just like with everything else on the aircraft, they didn’t deploy. He inspected the front cabin door closest to the cockpit. It had been torn up in the crash and what was left of the slide had been ripped up with no chance that it would even hold air. Every window exit and the back cabin door were the same story.

  “We gotta get the survivors down to the ground and off this plane,” Jake said to Becky, keeping his voice low. “I don’t know if jet fuel is leaking or what else could happen, but there’s no reason to stay on here. The safety is compromised.”

  Becky nodded. “It’s a long way down to the ground.”

  “I know. Any suggestions on how to get down would be appreciated.”

  Jake walked halfway down the aisle, stepping over bodies of people who weren’t lucky to make it through. Emotions caught in his throat and he blinked back the warmth that gathered in the corners of his eyes. The wing was no longer connected to the right side of the airplane but it had somehow managed to get propped up on the side, wedged between a tree and the fuselage. There was a small gap between the side of the plane and the wing but it wasn’t wider than two feet at most. They could use the wing as a makeshift slide to get down. The left side of the plane was not an option - it had scraped along a row of trees and there were no means of exit against the shrubbery.

  “Listen up, everyone!” Jake spoke loud over the wind that continued to rustle through the trees. “We’re going to need to exit the plane on the right side. Step off the edge and shimmy down the wing. It isn’t connected to the plane anymore but luck is finally on our side - it’s wedged just enough to use as our evacuation slide. We’ll need to move quickly. I’m not sure how long that wing will hold with our weight on it.”

  He combed through the cabin again, helping a young child get off of the floor. He and Becky also assisted with the few that remained that had life-threatening injuries. The wing wobbled as they scooted down to the ground. It scraped against the side of the plane, the metal on metal contact rubbing together, the sound unpleasant like nails on a chalkboard, only twenty times louder.

  Going back up the wing was the biggest challenge - an upward climb on a slippery slope with nothing to grab onto for bearings. It took Jake several times and he finally took a running start, his boots gripping the metal surface just enough to grab onto the jagged edge of the damaged plane so he could pull back into the cabin. His head throbbed from the abrupt movements but he had to make sure there was no one left behind that was still alive. He wasn’t a doctor and he feared leaving people behind. What if someone was alive but unconscious? It’d take time but he needed to check pulses. He had done a quick job before but this time, he needed to be more thorough.

  Becky wasn’t able to help him. She went down the wing and just like him, struggled to make her way back up. He was glad he got back inside - if there was no way to climb back up, Colin would be left alone in the cockpit with his leg pinned. Jake had promised he would be back.

  Stopping at each body, Jake checked for a pulse. If he couldn’t find one in their neck, he checked their wrist. If the person was obviously dead, he’d move on without wasting time - those were the hardest bodies to come across. One man clutched onto his young son, both their eyes wide open and glossy, staring in different directions. A college aged girl still had her phone gripped tightly in her hand as if she was planning to call someone in the midst of the crash.

  Jake began to second guess himself. What if he missed a pulse? What if someones was weak enough that he couldn’t detect it? He tried to remind himself to take his time and double check. It was disheartening that everyone he came across didn’t have one. There had to be more survivors. Moving toward the back of the plane, he held his breath as he continued, hoping he’d find at least one more person who had made it through.

  It was horrible to think it but if someone’s pulse was that hard to detect, if help didn’t come soon, there would be nothing they could do for them. He had to hope they weren’t feeling any pain and would die peacefully in their unconscious state. Reaching the very back, he checked the last person and had the same luck - he didn’t find another survivor. The death around him was overwhelming and frustration coursed through him. Where in the hell were the rescue teams? The wind was a little high but nothing that would hinder a rescue effort to fly in. Maybe not as much time had passed as they had estimated and he was being impatient but seeing all of the dead bodies was like pouring salt on an open wound.

  Swallowing the bile in the back of his throat, he went back to the spot they were using as an exit, checking to make sure Becky was handling everything okay on the ground. She was tending to a small girl, the same one who had asked him where
her mother was.

  “You good down there?” Jake yelled down.

  Becky nodded and gave him a thumbs up. “We’re fine.”

  “I’m gonna go check on Colin.” He didn’t want to have to make the climb back up the wing before getting Colin down.

  Climbing over the large trunk again, his mind raced as it desperately tried to think up a way to get Colin’s leg free. Patting the co-pilot on the arm, Colin opened his eyes and squinted from the rays of sun that shot through the greenery above them.

  “I told you I’d come back.”

  Colin shook his head and forced a low, raspy laugh. He was probably thirsty and for the first time since the crash, Jake realized he was dehydrated as well. Scanning over the scene in front of him, he made note of the location of Colin’s leg and what two factors had him pinned.

  “Any ideas on how we’re gonna get your ass outta here?”

  Colin tried to move his leg again and cringed. “I thought you were worried about blood loss.”

  “I am. Hell, I don’t know what to expect, Colin.” Jake drove the heel of his hand in his eye, rubbing it. “I don’t know when help is coming and I’d feel better if we got everyone off this plane. You’re the last survivor left and I can’t just leave you up here.”

  “Okay. Do what you gotta do, Jake.”

  Jake took off his belt and made a tourniquet around Colin’s leg before releasing the pressure against it. He had learned it from basic first aid training in the military, as well as listening to Alice’s stories from work. Having to actually apply it was challenging.

  Jake looked at the massive tree trunk he had to scale multiple times going from the cockpit to the cabin. There were large branches and he could use one to wedge and lift the control panel off of Colin’s leg. There were several large branches that were knocked loose from impact and he pulled at one, snapping it to have its size to give them more leverage.

  “I’m going to wedge this near your leg. When I push up on it, try to slide your leg out.”

  Jake inserted the branch, making sure not to get it too close to Colin’s leg. He put all of his weight on it, pushing it downward. It snapped almost instantly, causing Jake to crash to the floor. It wasn’t the biggest branch to choose from and rather than ruminate on the failed attempt, he searched for a bigger one that would still fit under the control panel.

  “Here we go again. This one seems a bit sturdier.”

  Colin nodded and Jake repeated the task. The branch held strong and he pushed as hard as he could, grunting out as the panel lifted. It was only a few inches and the damaged plane squeaked from the movement of the wreckage. Colin was able to slide his leg out and it was good he was quick - Jake wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to hold the metal up, especially in his condition. His body ached, his head pounded, and more vertigo made him feel like he was on a tilt-o-whirl.

  Letting go of the branch, the wreckage fell back to its original spot, only this time, Colin was free of it, his pant leg blood-soaked, his eyes closed as he clenched his jaw.

  “Are you okay?” Jake asked, moving in to inspect the injury.

  “I’m fine. It justs hurts like hell.”

  “Let’s get you down on the ground. We can check it better down there.”

  Thankfully, Colin wouldn’t have to climb the trunk to get to their homemade evacuation slide. The crash had caused the plane to impact the ground with the nose down and the tail high in the air, so they only had a few feet to go before they were safely on the ground. Jake aided in getting Colin down and just by the preliminary look of it, Jake would bet that the leg was broken. They could deal with that as long as the arteries hadn’t been injured and the bleeding wasn’t out of control.

  Colin leaned on Jake as he led him to where everyone had gathered. Finding a soft spot on the ground, Jake sat beside him, finally able to catch his breath and allow the dizziness to stop. It looked like they were on an episode of Lost - he hoped that this was all a bad dream and he’d wake up next to Alice in their warm bed. The pain radiating in his skull was a sharp reminder that this wasn’t a dream. It was a nightmare playing out in real time.

  What would they do now? They had to stay close to the plane - it’d be the first place the rescue teams would look when they finally arrived. Becky tossed him a first aid kit and Jake chalked it up to good luck. He’d take it where he could get it.

  Scooting toward Colin, he said, “Let’s take a look at your leg. Getting you out of the cockpit was the hard part. Smooth sailing from here on out.”

  CHAPTER TEN

  Alice couldn’t believe how many people were flocking into the emergency room. She had been an ER nurse for years and there had been extremely busy times but this was a new one for her, a new definition when it came to the meaning of the word ‘busy.’ Every victim that came through the doors claimed they were in a wreck, that their vehicle had just stopped and had become uncontrollable.

  The overhead lights flickered which meant that the generators were needing gasoline. The last thing they needed was for those to fail. Reaching for the phone, she selected the ‘page’ option to try and get into contact with maintenance. The option was unresponsive and it took her a second to remember that nothing was working - no cell phones, no computers, and even their medical equipment wasn’t getting the job done. They were having to revert back to old school methods of treating everyone, which many of her staff panicked when it came to getting back to basic first aid and medical treatment.

  “Has anyone seen Manny?” Alice asked out loud, not directing her question at anyone in particular. With the chaotic scene playing out in front of her, the best way to get someone’s attention was by raising her voice.

  “No, haven’t seen him. Why?”

  Alice smoothed her hands over her hair, pulling back wisps of hair that had fallen into her face. Her skin was sweaty, her body exhausted. The adrenaline was starting to fade despite all of the people needing care.

  “I need someone from maintenance. We need to get the generators checked. How long have we been without power? An hour, maybe two?”

  She had lost track of time. She relied heavily on her cell phone to know what time it was throughout the day and now that it was fried, she didn’t know. The clock on the wall near the nurse’s station had stopped along with everything else, which was enough evidence for Alice to put together that something beyond a normal power outage was happening.

  “I haven’t seen anyone,” the ward clerk responded again with a shrug of her shoulders. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was jumping in and helping, Alice would’ve felt annoyed with the young girl.

  “I’m going down to the basement to see if they’re down in their offices. I’ll be right back.”

  Alice didn’t wait for a response and wondered if anyone even heard her. Time wasn’t on their side - one less nurse in the ER meant that the patients would have to wait even longer for someone to help them. She broke out into a jog, hurrying to the first set of stairs that would take her down. Elevators were completely out of the question and it made the hair on the back of her neck stand up at the thought of getting stuck on one. It hadn’t occurred to her that there could be people on them. The generators were giving them electricity but the elevators were probably compromised like everything else.

  Reaching for the stairway door, she glanced over her shoulder at the elevator across the hall. Hesitating at first, she backpedaled toward it and pushed the up arrow. She had no intention of hopping on but wanted to see if it would respond to the command. The light behind the button didn’t even illuminate. The motor didn’t hum like it usually did. There was no ding indicating that it was arriving on her floor.

  Leaning in, she tried to listen to see if there was any movement on it. No one was yelling for help, there was no banging to get someone’s attention. The shaft was completely silent. Blinking back the sweat that dripped into her eyes, Alice stepped backward, looking up at the floor indicator light. Of course, it wasn’t working eith
er. It didn’t appear that anyone was on this particular elevator but it also wasn’t the only one in the building. And it could’ve been on a higher floor and she just wasn’t able to hear anyone inside.

  Turning back to the staircase, she hurried down to the basement. Maintenance had ways of getting into the elevator shafts for issues and they’d have to be who fronted the rescue efforts if there were people trapped between floors. The most important thing at the moment was getting gasoline to replenish the generators. The lights flickered again, hinting that they’d be in the dark soon if someone didn’t check on the only power source they had.

  Once she got into the hallway of the basement, Alice broke out in a sprint. She passed the morgue, the training labs, and reached the maintenance offices in record time. Her once fading adrenaline kicked in full gear, her heart racing so fast that she feared it’d pound right out of her chest. Pushing the office door open, she let out a deep breath when she saw she was alone. Both desks sat vacant, sending a chilly vibe down her spine.

  “Anyone in here? Manny?”

  Nothing. No footsteps, no response… nothing. Alice pushed behind the counter, scanning the white board with notes on what jobs around the hospital needed to be done for the day. There were plans to work on an elevator on the south side of the building. It had a star beside it, which Alice assumed meant it was a high priority job. The elevator in reference was on the clinic side and she’d be willing to bet that was where Manny and his staff probably were when everything hit the fan.

  Running down the dim hallway again, she took the stairs two at a time, bypassing the ER on her way to the clinics. The generators were a concern but it was now shadowed by the well-being of the maintenance staff. Rounding the corner, her legs ached, her lungs burned, but she pushed on. This had to be a dream. How could something go bad so fast, and at this caliber? Everyone she had talked to claimed their vehicles had died. Cell phones were fried. Computers were dead. They were dealing with hell on earth and she had no idea where to even begin on getting things on track to getting back to normal, whatever normal meant.