“Didn’t our military know about EMP?” Ashley asked quietly.
“Oh yes,” David assured her.
“Then wouldn’t military vehicles be equipped to run regardless of EMP?” Ashley asked.
“Great ideas! “David said enthusiastically. Ashley beamed.
“What about bypassing the computer chip or smart board on a new car?” asked Zeke. “There are plenty of new cars all over. You know, like hot wiring around the onboard computer,” Zeke continued.
“Possible,” Doron said excitedly. “The car computer chips are really just a primitive onboard cpu. We use a laptop to bypass and simulate normal parameters and trick the car into operating! Unless the chips are embedded operationally in the components. We can use hacking software, this is just hacking on steroids,” Doron said.
“But that would take me a long time,” Doron acknowledged.
“All right, get ready to move out. Let’s head south to the commercial district. Find any motorcycles, old trucks, or bicycles,” David said.
David walked over to relieve Karen on guard duty so she could eat her Oreos before they left.
“Anything?” David asked.
“I didn’t see anything….” Karen replied.
“But?” David asked. He could now detect when she had more to say.
“I feel there are shooters out there following us,” Karen said. “No evidence, just that feeling like you know when someone in a movie theater behind you is staring at you.”
David nodded.
“We will put some distance between us. If we don’t get something soon, we will go with bicycles. We can cover more ground until we get wheels,” David said quietly. “If you see any bicycles, tell me and we will use them to carry the backpacks until everyone has a bike.”
“Karen, be looking for a good place to camp tonight, we have about four hours of daylight left,” David added.
Karen just nodded, as she ate her Oreos.
27.
“We have a winner!” Zeke shouted. The Harley had a seat back, and wide bars, and was still upright in the steps leading down to the basement bar. He blew his whistle, which seemed to startle everyone, echoing in the canyons of pancaked skyscrapers.
“Have you driven a motorcycle before?” Zeke asked Doron.
“No,” Doron replied.
“I have, Mom and Dad both had Harleys,” Liu said, as David and Jorge came over.
Zeke pried open the metal saddle bag lock, and saw a plastic bag of twenties bound with rubber bands marked “$5,000”, a small, loaded 38 concealed carry five shot Smith and Wesson pistol, and a box of ammo, There was also a pack of Acapulco Gold marijuana cigarettes, with the gold imprint certified by the Governor of the State of Colorado to be pure, grade 420, organic, level five, THC. Zeke put the gun and the pot in his pockets. He threw away the cash.
David handed his hand out and said, “Zeke, the pot is for the medical kit only.”
Zeke shrugged and tossed him the pack of Acapulco Gold. Then he saw it. A spare key for the Harley taped to the lid.
Liu handed Doron her 12 gauge, took the key and got on the Harley. She twisted the throttle, and kick started the engine. To their amazement, the engine immediately fired up, and she reached out to retrieve her 12 gauge and sling it over her shoulder with the barrel down.
“You look like Arnold!” joked Doron, mimicking Schwarzenegger’s voice, and glancing at Zeke. Liu checked the gas cap, she had a full tank. “Hop on, and hang on,” Liu said to Jorge.
“We will circle the block, then run up to the overpass to get a look,” Liu said. “This is probably a biker’s bar, check around for more motorcycles,” she told David.
“Jorge, keep your 9 ready to shoot,” Liu yelled as they slowly eased out, dusting up fallout as they circled the bar. Jorge grabbed the 9mm in his right hand.
Liu stopped in front of David and Zeke.
“Jorge, see if you can face backwards, braced against the seatback. That way you could shoot anything I pass,” Liu said.
“Zeke, hand me a helmet,” Liu motioned.
Jorge tried riding facing backwards against the seat back, and it worked fine. David handed him his AR15 and Jorge could use it also. Jorge handed David his 9, they waved, and sped off.
Zeke took the bullets out of the 38, and dry fired the revolver as he scanned the debris. The top floors of the building were completely collapsed, from the street backwards. There was about a four foot opening in the street level floor disappearing into the rubble. It was like a man made cave. The debris footprint suggested it had been about six stories high. Obviously there was no way to get into the bar.
“Let’s circle the building,” Zeke said. “Look for any more motorcycles, especially in any below ground entrances. Doron, you and David go left, the rest of us will go right,” Zeke said.
“Over here!” Doron shouted. There were about fifteen motorcycles outside the debris of a ground floor Starbucks. The ones closest to the building seemed less damaged.
Zeke blew his whistle again, and everyone ran to him. Of course, none of the motorcycles had a key, Zeke thought.
“Does anyone know how to hotwire a motorcycle?” Zeke asked.
“Jorge probably does,” Doron answered. “But it can’t be that hard.”
“Break open all the ones with saddle bags, maybe we will get lucky and find another key,” David said.
“Karen, please see if you can take one of the makeup mirrors, climb up a debris pile, and flash signal the overpass so Liu and Jorge will come back,” David said. “There are probably no keys, and we will need Jorge back.”
“Sure,” said Karen opening her backpack and retrieving the small makeup mirror. There was a pile of rubble across the street that provided a clear line of sight to the overpass, about two miles away to the south. The sun was low in the afternoon sky, so it should be easy to signal.
“Everyone keep an eye open for a camp for tonight. This may take a while.” David said. Zeke saw Doron studying the motorcycle intently, trying to visualize how the starter worked, so he could hotwire the bike.
“We will need some electrical wire,” Doron finally said. “See if there is a wall outlet close inside the Starbucks we can rip out of the wall.”
David went to check. Karen came back and told Doron and Zeke, “I was able to signal Liu and Jorge with the mirror. They waved and are coming back.”
“Good. These new bikes are full of anti-theft protections,” Zeke said.
Liu and Jorge soon drove up just as David emerged with about three feet of electrical wiring from the Starbucks.
“Jorge, can you hotwire these bikes?” Zeke asked.
“Hope so,” Jorge said, pulling out two pocket knives and a metal file out of his backpack.
“Let’s try the older Harley first, it is about twenty five years old and has less theft devices” Jorge said.
“Stand it up,” Jorge ordered, as he hobbled on his crutches.
David and Zeke stood the bike up, and Liu knocked down the stand. Jorge carefully examined the key hole, and filed away at the small blade on a pocket knife. He inserted the blade several times, adjusting the key print with his metal file. They turned the key and started the Harley. Jorge left the pocket knife blade in the key hole, and handed the bike to David.
“We need at least two more,” David said.
“Now we need to drain gas to fill up whichever bikes Jorge can start. Pry off the gas caps, and look around for anything to hold gas,” David said.
It was almost dark by the time Jorge had hotwired two more motorcycles.
“We need to camp close, I do not want to start out on the motorcycles after dark,” David suggested. They loaded up on the bikes, everyone had a full tank.
“Liu, lead us to the other side of the overpass you were at. We will probably camp under it tonight, we can build a fire underneath it and it will be out of sight,” David said.
Liu led off with Jorge hanging on. Her Harley actually had a CD player
and she was blaring “Bad Boys” as they roared off from the Starbucks.
So much for stealth, Zeke thought, as he tried to figure out how to turn on his headlight.
28.
“Always take the high ground”, his Dad had said. As far as David could see, the collapsed overpass was the high ground. He wished they had binoculars. Climbing the overpass, he could see north and west to the Bay, and east to the railroad tracks. His view to the south was blocked by the debris from the skyscraper piles.
Liu was directing everyone to store their motorcycles under the overpass, and Karen was arranging the guard duty roster.
David was looking forward to a real camp fire, not the tunnel candles. He had picked up some wood.
The temperature dropped quickly once the sun set. He wondered if they were prepared for the cold. The tunnel was much warmer at night. But Zeke and Doron had a huge fire blazing as he returned from walking the perimeter, and it reflected heat back from the overpass walls.
“I found some potatoes in the basement of a house still standing,” Ashley said. “We need to ask David to look in the Green Aircrew Book to see if we can eat them, or if they are contaminated.”
Ashley wrapped the potatoes in aluminum foil, and put them around the fire, near the coals.
“After two weeks of nuts, raisins, and junk food, I am eating my potato, contaminated or not,” Zeke said. When David returned, he checked the Aircrew Survival Manual and assured them that since the potatoes did not have any fallout dust on them when she found them, they were fine. They seemed just a little soft, but he cut one open, and it looked fine inside. David took the metal canteen mugs out, filled them with bottled water, and put them near the fire to boil. Tomorrow they could search for some more real food.
“I really missed the sky and the stars,” Zeke said as he poked the fire with a stick. Liu and Doron walked up and warmed their hands around the fire.
“Yes, I never really thought about how important seeing the sky, the sun, and the weather every day is until we lived in the sewer tunnel,” Jorge said.
David looked around the fire at each one. Being outside of the sewer tunnel was like escaping from prison They had all lost weight, Jorge especially, but they had survived. This was a tough bunch who could adapt, improvise, and overcome. He remembered his Dad agreeing with Clint Eastwood every time he said that in Heartbreak Ridge. He smiled, as he remembered his Dad had bought several copies, then made an edited Dvd with just the combat scenes, deleting the wife right out.
Everyone took their potato and cut them lengthwise, the way Doron did, re-wrapped them, and put them back into the glowing coals.
“The water is ready,” David said, moving the metal canteen mugs away from the fire with a stick. Liu spread out the remaining Swiss Miss hot chocolate and marshmallow pouches, three single serving Maxwell House coffee bags, and two Lipton Instant soup packets pouches on the ground beside David. Each one made a single choice, then they started negotiating and trading for favorites.
“We need to be alert on guard duty tonight. Our tracks can be followed in the fallout. The smoke can be seen and smelled, we made noise all day, and we are in a new area that is the high ground,” David summarized. No one spoke as the fire crackled, and David’s warning soaked in. He didn’t mention Karen’s warning when they stopped for water, but he remembered it, and nodded to her.
“Doron, assume you had to attack us tonight. How would you do it?” David asked.
“Well, if I were leading, we would wait until about three am, when everyone is deep asleep. I would shoot the guard, then we would immediately kill all the men,” Doron said.
“Why not kill us?” Liu asked.
“Three very attractive young women…no I wouldn’t shoot you unless absolutely necessary,” Doron said, with a blasé delivery that was especially chilling. “My gang would have other plans for you.”
“Then we would steal the motorcycles, food, and you,” Doron finished.
Doron’s analysis was interesting to the men, but it seemed viscerally disturbing to the women. Worst of all, David knew Doron was probably right.
“Nothing like a little light dinner conversation there, Doron,” Jorge said, watching the faces of the women, “You are a real ray of sunshine.”
Jorge looked at his coffee pack, but David noticed he saved it for his guard duty. David made a mental note, coffee would have to be available all night to anyone on guard duty, not as one of their food choices.
“My potato is ready,” Karen said. It seemed to David she was trying to dispel the dark mood, as she smashed the potato slices. “Let’s split up the artificial butter shavings.”
“This is unbelievably great,” Zeke said excitedly as he mixed the artificial butter shavings and cheese.
No one talked as they ate every bit of their potato and toppings. David noticed that he felt overstuffed, bloated, uncomfortably full from one shriveled, medium potato. Our stomachs have really shrunk, he thought. He had to cut three new holes to cinch his belt since nuke day, and everyone had to make a belt to hold their pants up. And none of them were overweight before the nukes.
They all watched the fire crackle as Jorge added some more wood. “I have first watch,” said Zeke reaching for David’s watch.
‘Karen, I will see you at midnight,” he said, grabbing the M-16 and the 9mm and walked out into the dark.
“Hey Zeke,” David asked.
“Yes?” said Zeke.
“Who has three am?” David asked.
“Doron,” Zeke said, as Doron nodded.
“Doron, I will double up with you at three. Karen can you wake us both up?” David asked.
“I will actually enjoy kicking you,” said Karen, grinning.
“Listen up. Everyone sleeps with their weapon loaded, clips ready, where you can grab them in the dark,” David said, looking each one in the eye.
Diary of Liu Nguyen
Zeke said this was Jailbreak Day. We escaped from the tunnel. We hotwired some motorcycles and had real potatoes for dinner!
I missed the clouds, the sun, the stars, and most of all fresh air and wind. Zeke is right, better to die above ground than live in a tomb.
I am becoming pleased with the Nuclear War Club.
Although it’s certainly not like a family.
The men stare.
You know they are undressing you in their mind, they can’t even hide it.
They are like wolves.
But they don’t try anything, Karen has terrorized them. Every night, while they watch, she looks them in the eye, takes her knife, and draws her “do not cross” line separating the women’s section, then stabs her knife in the concrete crack. Every time Karen does this, it makes a horrific screeching sound, like scratching your fingernails down an old school chalkboard.
29.
The firefight suddenly exploded near his tent, kicking David’s nervous system directly from deep sleep to combat adrenaline. He ripped open his sleeping bag Velcro snaps, rolled out, hit the dirt, and tried to focus on where the gunshots came from in the dark. An M-16 was firing aimed, single shots very close.
Was Karen or Doron on guard duty? Then it sounded like an AK-47 unloading on full auto, and he heard two 9mm responding. It was all very close, yards away. His ears rang, he could hear muffled screaming. He grabbed his M16 and his clip vest, and crammed on his boots without tying the laces. His hands trembled, his nerves were assaulted by the loud noises.
David darted out from behind the cement rubble. He dove next to Liu, who had her 12 gauge pointed in the direction of the M-16 fire.
“What’s happening?”
“Karen fired and blew her whistle. There are two shooters, I saw flashes down and to the left and heard gunshots from the right.”
“Where is Karen?” David pressed.
Liu pointed to a pile of cement chunks about ten yards away on the top of the on ramp to the overpass. Karen would have a clear line of fire in all directions. Ominously, she had stop
ped firing.
“Karen!” he shouted.
“The shooters are to my left about fifteen yards, and to my right about twenty yards!” Karen yelled.
“Tossing you a clip!” David yelled. He took a 30 round clips out of his vest, and tossed it into her foxhole underhanded. He could hear her load it, she must be low on ammo, he thought.
David aimed to the left, and saw Doron and Zeke’s silhouette against the on ramp as they crouched up to the shooter.
Suddenly Doron fired his 12 gauge twice, and David heard someone fall, and roll down the side of the overpass. Zeke scrambled down the side and shot twice with his 9mm.
“The shooter on the right!” David screamed, as he fired a couple of shots over the right.
His throat hurt as he realized he had been screaming the entire time. He didn’t move, he was hoping the shooter with the AK47 would run.
They were in danger of crossfire. It was dark, he was scared, he was shaking, and he didn’t know where Ashley or Jorge were.
“Blow your whistles!” David screamed. He blew his whistle, and listened. He heard where Jorge and Ashley probably were, close to Liu. The whistles seemed to spook the AK 47 shooter, who ran down the other side of the on ramp and was blasted by Liu, Karen and Doron.
“Cease fire!” David yelled.
“I’m going to get Karen, if anything moves give me cover fire,” David whispered to Liu and Doron.
“Karen I am coming in from your 10 o’clock!” David yelled.
“OK,” she yelled. But then he saw Karen aiming at him and hit the dirt.
“David,” she said, and pointed her gun away. Dad had warned him that when combat adrenaline kicked in, a lot of soldiers shot their own men by mistake. You had to be careful, slow down, realize people were on auto pilot.
“Here, David,” Karen said.
David rolled next to her. Blood covered her legs, her blue jeans were soaked. He immediately took off his rifle sling and tightened it around her upper right leg. The bleeding immediately slowed.
“Are you hit anywhere else?”
Nuclear War Club: Seven high school students are in detention when Nuclear War explodes.Game on, they are on their own. Page 11
