The E.M.P. Chronicles (Book 2): A Life Without Power

by McTatey, Zayden (Oz)

  “RANDALL,” OZ SAID. “We need to reset the trip wires and burn the dead bodies.”

  Randall, Oz, and Nicki’s seventeen-year-old son wasn’t sure how to respond.

  “Dad,” he began. “First, why are we burning the bodies? Second, you’ll have to teach me how to set the trip wires. Grandpa set them up while I provided security for him. I never actually did it.”

  Oz thought about Randall’s response and knew in the short few weeks since the EMP, Randall had become immune to death. It was amazing to Oz that he was more interested in why they had to burn the bodies as opposed to why they had to kill so many people. He had changed.

  Randall was beginning to accept that defending themselves and even killing was simply something they had to do to survive. Oz surmised that Randall was no longer looking at people as a mother, father, aunt, or uncle but as a potential threat. Conflicted with how to feel, Oz knew this was probably the way it should be. Oz convinced himself that if Randall saw people as threats, it would keep him alive.

  “We burn the bodies because, first, we don’t have time to bury them due to the sheer number, and second, burning them will prevent disease, animals, and insects from swarming our property,” Oz said as he touched his son on the shoulder.

  Prior to the EMP, Randall’s life had been simple and predictable. He had never been exposed to anything that resembled what they had endured the past few weeks.

  “You’ve been through a lot,” Oz said with empathy. “Because of you, your mom, grandpa, grandma, Benny, and your sister are alive. Because of you, our food, ammo, weapons, and medical supplies are secure. I’m proud of you and sorry at the same time. I’m sorry that at seventeen you had to see the world collapse which put you in a position to defend yourself and our family. I’m not sure what the right words are but I’m proud of you,” Oz said.

  As Oz looked at Randall, he knew Randall wanted to cry but also knew he probably wouldn’t. Oz knew that in the short time since the world collapsed, his boy had become a man. Not what Oz wanted but given what they had experienced, he was glad.

  For the next four hours, Oz and Randall gathered the bodies and stripped them of anything useful. They then placed them in a pile on the east side of their property where Oz said a quick prayer before dumping diesel fuel on the bodies. He lit a match, threw it on the pile, and watched as the bodies burned.

  Several minutes later, Oz saw Nicki, Cali, Connie, Naomi, and Cheyanne walking toward him and Randall. Nicki and Cali immediately hugged Randall and Oz followed by the rest of the group. The tears began to fall but no words were spoken. There were no apologies to be given. There were no last farewells or good-byes; only the sight of black smoke and ash rising to the sky as the bodies burned.

  Six weeks ago, these people, the ones now on fire, were fathers, mothers, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and perhaps even friends and family. And now, the world had turned them against the human race. Hunger and thirst had set in leading to desperation and ultimately their death.

  “This won’t be the last group to try and take what we have,” Oz said. “It’s not only adults we have to worry about but it’s also children. Hunger, thirst, and desperation doesn’t care about age or what sex you are. Hunger and thirst have only one goal – to be satisfied regardless of what must be done. If we don’t take care of each other, we will become like them; dead.”

  Nicki came to stand by Oz’s side and while looking at her family said, “I love each and every one of you and I refuse to let any of you die.” “I know it’s not all in my hands but I can control some things.

  “Rule 1: You ALWAYS have your weapon, meaning handgun, on you at all times; even in the house.

  “Rule 2: You never leave the house without a buddy. Go in pairs.

  “Rule 3: You have to always wear a bulletproof vest when you head outside even if you’re only out there for a minute.

  “Rule 4: If you leave the house, you must always have a radio with you and use your call sign.

  “Rule 5: We will always have a security detail in the house and in the Listening Post/Observation Post (LP/OP).

  “Rule 6: You must wear a Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) military helmet when you’re outside and especially when on LP/OP duty.

  “Rule 7: You must always wear the Italian camouflage pattern uniforms that Dad—or Oz for you Naomi—bought. This allows us to quickly identify one another on our property. It’s a quick way for us to tell who should and shouldn’t be on the property.

  “Rule 8: Always be aware of your environment. As Dad says, ‘put your head on a swivel.’

  “Rule 9: When Benny barks, you listen. He sees and hears things we can’t.

  “And finally,” Nicki said exhausted. “Always love one another. We don’t know when the last time we’ll see each other will be. You just never know. Please love one another.”

  “Naomi and Cheyanne,” Oz said. “You need call signs. That’s how we communicate on the property. Naomi, you’ll be Bravo 1 and Cheyanne, you’ll be Bravo 2. You already know our call signs. When the Tregors, the family I told you about, arrive, Brian is Tango 1, Elizabeth is Tango 2, Luke is Tango 3, and Jessy is Tango 4. Any questions?”

  “No questions Zulu 1,” Naomi said smiling.

  Oz grabbed his son by the shoulder and reminded him that they still needed to reset the trip wires. There was no time to mourn. They would need as much warning as possible if they were attacked again.

  8

  TO BUG OUT OR NOT TO BUG OUT

  “Nicki, Naomi,” Oz said. “Come over here. We need to have a discussion. After what we just went through and with my father and Cali almost dying from that horrendous battle, we need to seriously consider bugging out or doing some major security upgrades to the house.”

  “You have a Bug Out Location!” Naomi exclaimed surprised.

  “Yeah, we’ve had it since 2007,” Nicki said. “We’re joint owners with our best friends Brian and Elizabeth. We improved the property over the last eleven years, personally, I know I’d feel more comfortable being there instead of here.”

  “Tell me more about it?” Naomi asked.

  “We named it ZP or Zulu Papa,” Oz said before Nicki interrupted and said, “Of all things, Naomi, guess who he named it after?”

  “I have no idea,” Naomi replied.

  “Zion Prepper,” she said. “The Prepper’s Handbook by Zion Prepper was the first book he read on prepping and he swears by that book. Anyway, continue dear,” Nicki said with a smile.

  “As I was saying, ZP is located forty-five minutes away from the nearest city which has a population of 75,000,” Oz explained. “The property is smaller than we wanted, only ten acres, but has the requirements we need. It’s surrounded by state forest. A huge bonus.

  We have three acres of clear, level, ground and seven acres of forest. Being surrounded by state forest gives us access to another 600 acres of land which we knew would never have new houses, industry, or businesses. We have great water sources; a stream and two natural springs. There are natural barriers such as valleys and tree lines and only five neighbors; all of whom were born and raised in the area. There’s plenty of natural vegetation including blueberries, raspberries, asparagus, mulberries, lamb’s quarters, and chestnuts. There’s even cell phone service; though it doesn’t matter now,” Oz finished.

  “He’s being modest, Naomi,” Nicki quipped. “We also have a metal building that can easily accommodate twenty-five people while giving privacy to everyone. We affectionately call it the ‘cabin.’ Oz was always smart in that he knew it would take a community of people to survive and not simply two families.

  “Within the building, Oz and Brian built a four-foot cement block wall surrounding the entire interior perimeter but not high enough to cover the windows. The cement wall was reinforced with rebar and the cinder blocks were filled with concrete. This gives us added security against entry as well as protection from gunfire.

  “We had city power, which doesn
’t matter now, but thank God the guys installed solar panels with deep cycle batteries. Used conservatively, we have up to three weeks of power before having to recharge the batteries.”

  She paused while thinking about their potential sanctuary.

  “Oh yeah,” Nicki continued. “In the building, we have over 600 gallons of water in two intermediate bulk containers (IBC) or totes. Outside, on the north side of the building, Oz created a water catch system by linking six more IBC totes together. The purpose of the system is to catch and store around 1,800 gallons of rainwater.

  “We also have more medical supplies stored there and even a small treatment area.

  “As far as food, well, most of it is stored at ZP. Enough to keep us going for several years, I would say. We have numerous raised bed gardens but no livestock. Easy enough, though. We can trade with the neighbors.”

  Nicki smiled at Naomi, proud of what they’d accomplished in preparation for this moment.

  “So why are we here?” Naomi said with a confused look.

  “Because we don’t know where BJ is,” Oz said. “We don’t know if he’s alive, hurt, or Lord forbid, even dead.”

  “You’re right, babe,” Nicki said with a look of sadness. “I love BJ with all my heart, but as hard as it is to say, we’ve waited long enough. We’re now jeopardizing the lives of our entire family. We agreed, as did the Tregors, that if the Stuff Hit The Fan, we would rendezvous at ZP, and if one family or family members hadn’t arrived within one week, we would begin planning a rescue mission. We’re well beyond that point.”

  With a look of concern, Oz turned to Nicki and Naomi.

  “It’s been six weeks and, granted, I just made it home, but I really need to head to the Tregors in Illinois,” he began.

  “After talking with them on the shortwave radio I realize they’ll need help too. You and the family head to ZP. Along the way, I’ll stop at Carbondale and hopefully find BJ. I’ll spend no more than two days looking for him. If I don’t find him, I’ll move on to Brian and Elizabeth’s house. I’m sure he’ll be there.”

  Oz was conflicted. Regardless of the decision he made, he was leaving one family to help another. The journey would be treacherous and the thought of either family in harm’s way weighed heavily on him.

  “Stop!” Nicki said. “Let’s think this through before any of us make a decision we’ll regret. We can talk about it tonight. Right now I need you to re-teach me how to use the shortwave radio. If I had remembered how to use it, I could have contacted Brian and Elizabeth when the SHTF first hit. Cali and I tried using it, but we were lucky to just get it turned on. Lloyd had to help us connect the radio to the 12-volt backup battery. I even forgot how to do that. We could hear people but neither one of us remembered how to talk to them or fine tune the frequency so their voice came in clear. Normalcy set in. I didn’t think the world would ever change. At least not like this.”

  Oz was somewhat frustrated. For the last seventeen years, he had tried to teach and engage Nicki in prepping and the required skills. Although she was there for Oz from an emotional and financial perspective, she never took understanding or learning the skills seriously. Oz knew that having the skills to survive and the ability to adapt was now more important than ever.

  “I love you but life needs to be treated differently now,” Oz said while looking Nicki squarely in her eyes. “And probably the hardest part of all this is that though it’s 2018, we’re going to have to live and learn the exact same skills they used in the early 1900s. We have plenty of survival equipment but it’s useless if you don’t know how to use it.”

  “Oz, why are your radios working after the EMP?” Naomi said trying to defuse the situation. “Everything else in the house is fried.”

  Her plan worked.

  Turning from Nicki to Naomi, Oz said, “The radios were made by NCR in the 1950s; they don’t have modern-day solid-state electronics, they run off vacuum tubes.”

  “So, they’re really old,” Naomi said.

  “Yep,” Oz said. “You’ll find a lot of our equipment is old but just as functional as the stuff you buy today. And by the way Naomi, if you were trying to divert my attention, it worked.”

  Oz smiled as he kissed his wife’s cheek.

  “Nicki, Naomi, back to the question at hand,” Oz said. “To bug out or not. Next step is to gather the family and talk through the options at hand—”

  Randall interrupted him before he could continue.

  “Dad!” Randall yelled out the front door. “Tango 1 is calling on the shortwave!”

  Oz walked into the house, picked up the transmitter and said, “Tango 1, this is Zulu 1. Go for traffic.”

  “Tango 1 to Zulu 1, Zulu 3 secure. Repeat Zulu 3 secure,” Brian said.

  “Randall,” Oz said with a big smile and relief on his face. “Tell Mom that Brian and Elizabeth have BJ. He’s safe.”

  “Zulu 1, the dragon has had his gold stolen. No daggers taken. The lair is empty. Zulu Papa in sight. Repeat, Zulu Papa in sight,” Brian said.

  Nicki, Naomi, Cheyanne, and Randall were now standing behind Oz.

  Oz turned to face the group and said, “Translated, they were attacked and no one was injured. Luke, Max, and Jessy haven’t made it to their house yet. They’re Bugging Out to Zulu Papa. Headed to Kentucky.”

  “Tango 1, copy,” Oz said. “The dragon likes to fly to Baba Yaga, confirm.”

  “Understood,” Brian replied after a short pause. “The dragon likes to fly to Baba Yaga, confirmed. Tango 1 out.”

  “So?” Naomi said looking at Oz.

  “I told him to travel to Zulu Papa using the Baba Yaga route,” Oz stated. “Basically, it’s all back roads, but more importantly it’s the route Luke would take to get to a small cabin they purchased as a temporary Bug Out Location. The assumption is that Luke, Max, and Jessy traveled to the cabin. Elizabeth and Brian will do the same thing. Once the family is together, they’ll travel to us. It’s the best chance they have of finding Luke and his family.”

  “Now, we have to decide our next steps,” Oz said.

  9

  A FAMILY UNITED

  “We have a tough decision and journey ahead of us,” Oz said as he looked at his family gathered around him. “The decision we’re about to make will be made as a family. One vote per family member. We have two options: Option One, secure the house and fortify it even better than it was using the materials we have on hand; or, Option Two, bug out to ZP.

  “The advantage of staying here is that, well, we’re already here. We have enough supplies for one year and enough sheets of wood to better secure all doors and windows. We have plenty of ammunition and weapons so that’s not an issue. But when you think about the other day, I’m not confident we’ll be safe. The odds are high that we’ll be attacked again and the next time we may not be so lucky. We didn’t kill everyone who attacked us and there’s a chance they will regroup and come back with more force and determination. I believe they’ll finish what they started.

  “Bugging out to ZP has its own risk. First, we must make it there safely which will be a challenge in and of itself. Second, I simply hope nobody has ransacked or broken into the cabin and claimed it as their own,” he said.

  “Dad,” Randall interrupted. “What do you mean ‘claim it as their own’?”

  “The world has changed in the last six weeks and I’m afraid that it’s possible someone or even a group of people may have broken in and begun living there,” Oz explained.

  “Are you serious, Dad?” Randall asserted. “With the security systems and locks you and Brian used, there’s no way anyone is getting in.”

  “Let’s hope so, but when we lost the grid, we lost our remote video surveillance system,” Oz said and continued.

  “Third, ZP is well stocked, but we only have one vehicle to transport all nine of us from here to there. That means we’ll be crowded, and it will be an uncomfortable drive. We can’t forget that grandpa will need to lie down. He’s still
immobile and we’re worried about opening the gash on his neck. Last but not least, we’ll be leaving a lot of gear here including a ton of food and medical supplies.”

  “Ms. Nicki,” Buzz said as he tugged at her shirt. “Am I going with you? My daddy fell asleep and didn’t wake up. I don’t know where my mom is either. I’m scared.”

  “Of course, you’re going with us,” Nicki reassured him. “I told you that I would take care of you for the rest of your life and I meant it.”

  Nicki gave him a tender kiss on the forehead and closed her eyes briefly recalling the day that Frank died. Frank was the McTatey’s neighbor who was shot trying to steal their food and supplies. Without medical attention, Frank’s wound became infected and he eventually succumbed to his wounds. Not having a home, Nicki took Buzz, Frank’s son, in and cared for him as if he was one of their own. He was only six years old.

  “Buzz, you’re part of the family and we love you very much; don’t forget that,” Oz assured him and continued. “We’ll be taking back roads to ZP and I really don’t expect much trouble, but it’s amazing what people will do when they haven’t had food for weeks. Once we’re near the property, I’m sure our neighbors will recognize the Suburban and we should be home free, meaning no problems.”

  Everyone was silent, and Oz guessed that it was not because they had to make a decision about bugging out but more so because the world had just collapsed and they had to determine where they were going to live in order to have a chance at life.

  “I vote ZP,” Naomi said as she looked around as if ensuring she got a vote.

  “I vote ZP,” Randall said.

  “Me too,” Cali said.

  “I’m in,” Nicki said followed by Cheyanne’s own vote for ZP.