Grid Down: A Strike against America – An EMP Survival Story- Book One (4 page)

***

Later that afternoon, Rob assembled a meeting with the camp residents at their makeshift town hall: four wooden benches, a podium of stacked boxes, and an overhead canopy. It was where they came together to discuss important matters and plan for the weeks ahead. Everyone arrived at the agreed-upon hour and took their seats, many of them tired from a day of labor. A gentle, cool breeze blew past as Rob took the stage, a foot-tall wooden platform, and began flipping through his notebook.

Carlos and Mayra Santos had arrived, along with Peter and Krystal Dunne—a moderately wealthy middle-aged couple, known to Rob in Nyack as frequent Pro-Survival store customers, among his best. They didn’t have any children and continually lent out two of the five rooms in their cabin as classrooms.

Brad and Ashlee Atkins, a thirty-something couple, took their seats, fresh from a swim in the river. Elliot arrived absent his wife, Reba. They were an elderly retired couple who had already been vacationing at their cabin weeks prior to the blackout. Reba was under the weather, Elliot explained, and she wouldn’t be attending the meeting.

“Is she OK?” Mila asked him. “How bad is it?”

“Just some cramping. A headache,” Elliot said.

Mila stood up from the bench near him. “Elliot, why didn’t you tell me? I should see her.”

Elliot scratched his abundant white hair, seeming befuddled. “I-I don’t know. We’re sure it’s just a passing thing.”

“Let me examine her,” Mila said. “Before anything gets worse.”

“Well. OK. If that’s what you want to do. I think she’s sleeping now.”

As a nurse, Mila regularly did checkups and house calls, with no major illnesses to report thus far. But there was one problem: medical supplies were getting low, and their stock of IV bags, medical kits, and pain relievers all had expiration dates. They were managing, for the time being, but would need to stock up soon.

“I’ll go see her now,” Mila said, walking off toward Elliot’s cabin, not giving it a second thought, just as Rob took the stage.

“Hello everyone,” he said, noticing her sudden exit. He looked at Elliot. “Is Reba OK?”

Elliot nodded. “Yes, yes. That’s what I told her, but…”

“We’ll get started anyway,” Rob said.

“What’s on the agenda, anyway?” Carlos, a stocky bulldog of a man, asked. He rubbed his clean-shaven head in near frustration.

“I won’t take too much of your time, Carlos,” Rob said. “I know you had guard duty last night.” He cleared his throat and began, looking down at his papers. “I took some notes from the latest emergency broadcasts and can share them if you haven’t heard any of this already.”

The group was silent so Rob continued.

“The entire country, it seems, is going through the same thing we are. No power, no fuel, and no way to communicate. We assumed this to be the case, but it gets worse. We’re going to have to make some tough decisions here about how to approach the next few months.”

Brad raised his hand and spoke. “How much longer? Did they say?”

“I’ll get to that,” Rob answered. “But first, there’s two main things to consider.” He raised a finger. “Number one, winter is near. The temperature has already started dropping. Ideally we’d all love to be in Florida right now, hunkering down on the beach, but that’s not within our ability. We do, however, need to consider a plan for the winter, whether it’s feasible to stay here, and if so, how we can survive.”

“Well, heck, Rob,” Elliot said, speaking up. “Reba and I never expected to be here
that
long.”

“I don’t think any of us did, but it’s clear from the latest reports that that the power grid won’t be fixed anytime soon, and we’re completely on our own up here. The government is not coming to our rescue.”

“What about the city? This, uh, Operation Urban Breach mission,” Peter said. “Clearly they’ve gotten things under control by now.”

“We don’t know that,” Brad said.

“But we could freeze to death up here,” Peter said.

Rob extended both hands in a calming gesture. “Please, everyone. Let me finish. Aside from the weather, we also have to consider additional security measures. Crime and anarchy are rampant. Complete cities have been taken over by gangs. The same could go for Nyack.”

Rob’s sobering words had a chilling effect on the group. Judging by their expressions, it was not what they wanted to hear.

“This isn’t to say there’s no hope,” Rob added. “I believe things will get better. It’s just going to take some time. That is why I propose we begin planning for up to six more months of hunkering down.”

Grumbling carried on as the group turned to each other, astonished.

“Six months?” Carlos said. “We’ll need more supplies, or we’re screwed.”

“Exactly,” Rob said, setting his notes aside. “That is why we need to organize a team for a supply run. Who are my volunteers?”

Everyone looked around. While each family had a working vehicle, no one was sure if they wanted to take the risk of leaving their cabin. They were rife with inner conflict. But a decision needed to be reached. 

***

Mila creaked open the front door leading into Elliot and Reba’s cabin. All their blinds were drawn, and the room was dark.

“Reba?  Hi, it’s Mila,” she said, but received no response. 

She walked in and closed the door behind her. There was a room to her left with the door half shut. As she approached it, she could already hear Reba’s heavy breathing. One peek inside, and she saw Reba lying on top of the sheets in a nightgown. She grimaced as she slept, and her stomach rose and fell with rapid movements. Her face was sweating, and her curly white hair looked damp. Surprised, Mila cupped her mouth, hesitant to get any closer. Reba looked a lot worse than her husband had described.

Mila pulled some gloves from her pocket, donned a surgical mask, and grabbed a nearby chair. As the chair squeaked against the wood floor, Reba awoke.

“Who’s there?” she asked, as her eyes slowly opened. 

“It’s me. Mila.” A closer inspection and she could see that Reba’s face was unusually pale and drenched in sweat. An empty bucket rested near the bed on the floor. Reba’s stomach was making all sorts of sounds. Mila took a glass of water from the nightstand. “Have a sip,” she said.

“Not thirsty.”

Reba drew away and recoiled into a fetal position, clutching her chest. “How much pain are you in?” Mila asked, but Reba’s only response was a groan.

Mila placed a gloved hand on Reba’s back, over her nightgown, causing Reba to shudder.

“I want to help you,” Mila said. “But I need to know what’s wrong. How long have you been sick?”

Reba tilted her sickly head back and spoke in a whisper. “Two days … I think.”

“Listen, Reba. I need to get my medical bag and check your pulse and temperature. Do you think it might have been something you ate or drank?” As she said the words, she stared at the cup of water in her other hand.

“I don’t know,” Reba said, her voice trailing.

“Has there been any vomiting? Any diarrhea?”

“Both …” Reba answered. “Stomach is in knots. Extremely painful.”

Mila set the glass down and touched Reba’s back again. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

Reba nodded as Mila stood up, causing the chair to slide back and scrape against the floor again. She didn’t want to leave the poor woman clutching herself in pain, but if she was going to act, it needed to be fast.

***

“I have a concern,” Ashlee, Brad’s petite wife, said, standing up to address the group. “Apparently, Grady has been spotted in the area, bothering our children again, mumbling obscenities.”

“Someone needs to do something about that old kook,” Brad added.

Carlos waved them off. “He’s harmless. Lost in space.”

Ashlee was persistent. “We don’t need someone like him trolling around. He could lead others here.”

Grady was a hermit of sorts who lived nearby. At first, they took him to be a vagrant, given his tattered clothes, bushy beard, and generally unkempt appearance. But he had a shack nearby and had been living off the land long before the others had come to the area.

“We’ll deal with him soon enough,” Rob said. “Let’s get back on track here. I need at least three volunteers to accompany me in town to get supplies.”

“I’ll go!” Mila’s voice said from the back.

Everyone turned around. Rob looked up, surprised to see her standing there. “That’s nice of you, but we could be gone for days.” 

“I need to talk to you and Elliot. It’s important,” Mila said.

Rob nodded and looked at the group. “Do we have anyone else?”

“Hell, I’ll go,” Carlos said.

After a pause, Brad reluctantly raised his hand. “Me too. I’m dying to see what’s out there anyway.”

Rob looked at Peter. “We could sure use another hand.” He’d gladly have accepted help from any of the women, but they were already conducting homeschool for the children.

Peter looked around nervously, battling what a lot of the group faced: fear of the unknown. They had acclimated. They felt safe in the camp, and even comfortable with the isolation. Rob was asking them to switch back, just like that.

“Don’t you think that’s too many people as it is?” Peter asked. “I mean, you don’t want to bring too much attention to yourselves. After that prison break, there’s lots of bad people on the street.” He looked at his wife as she rubbed his arm, realizing that he was rambling.

“Listen,” Rob said. “I don’t want to force anyone to go, but we need all the hands we can get.”

“You’re walking?” Peter asked.

“Only about halfway,” Rob responded. “We have to conserve every ounce of fuel we have left.”

Peter looked around. All eyes were on him. “Well, that’s, like, ten miles into town.”

As he struggled with his decision, Mila approached Rob, eager to tell him her plan. Low chatter spread among the seated residents. 

Mila signaled Elliot over as she stood next to Rob.

“I don’t want you going,” Rob said quietly.

“Listen to me. Reba’s sick. I examined her, took her temperature and everything. She’s running a high fever.”

“What?” Elliot said, coming closer.

Mila turned to him. “How could you not tell me about this earlier? Your wife is suffering. All signs point to a dysentery infection. Has she eaten any spoiled food? Drunk unfiltered water?”

Elliot seemed baffled. “I-I don’t know. It happened so fast.”

“She’s very sick, and this is not something that’s just going to go away.”

“I’m sorry!” Elliot said with his voice rising. “I didn’t want to spook you guys. Create a panic.”

Their conversation soon gained the attention of everyone else.

“What’s going on?” Brad asked. “Who’s sick?”

Rob stepped aside and gave Mila the floor.

“We need more medical supplies,” she said, turning to the group. “Reba’s life depends on it.”

The group clamored in near panic.

“Don’t worry. As long as she stays in the room and away from others, no one will be in harm’s way. Peter included,” Mila said. “She’s suffering from an internal inflammation, and if we don’t get her the right medication, things could go from bad to worse.”

“What are you suggesting?” Peter said. Everyone went quiet, awaiting her answer.

“As you know, I’m a registered nurse at the Nyack Hospital. At least, I used to be. I know the type of antibiotics Reba needs. If the building hasn’t been pillaged yet, we can get that and more. There’s five floors to navigate through, and I can show you exactly where everything is.”

Rob saw the conviction in her eyes. She was not backing down. She was right; she had to go.

Peter then raised his hand. “Fine, I’ll go. Count me in. Is that enough people?”

Everyone looked at Rob. “That’ll do just fine,” he said. “Let’s meet back here in twenty minutes. We want to get there before sundown.”

“Whose vehicles are we going to take?” Brad asked.

Rob looked around. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Any volunteers?”

“You can use my truck,” Elliot said. “It’s light, gets decent gas mileage, and it’s the least I can do.”

He had an old 1972 Ford Ranger with a diesel engine that could certainly be an asset for supply runs. With people on board and a vehicle, it seemed they had everything they needed.

“Thank you, Elliot,” Rob said. He clapped his hands together. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

The group rose from the benches and went back to their cabins to get ready, as Rob, Mila, and Elliot stayed behind to talk for a few minutes alone. The camp had reached an inevitable juncture. It was time to venture out beyond the confines of their tight-knit community and into an unknown world.

“You guys be careful out there,” Elliot said.

“We will,” Mila said. “I left some medicine with Reba. Make sure she takes it.”

Elliot stared ahead as his eyes watered.

“She’s going to be all right,” Mila added, touching his shoulder.

“I know,” he said, wiping away a tear. “Just the thought of being without her right now … it’s too much…”

“Come on,” Rob said to Mila as he began walking off. “We need to let the kids know what’s going on.”

The risks ahead were unknown, but largely a given.  Josh would no doubt want to join them, and Rob was prepared to offer a resounding “no.” Both children were outside the cabin. Josh held two fishing poles and looked ready to go.

“Damn it,” Rob said quietly.

“What?” Mila asked.

“I had told Josh that we’d go fishing.”

“You’re on your own there. Sorry,” Mila said.           

“Hi kids,” Rob said, adding an enthusiastic wave.

They were greeted with silent and skeptical looks. Rob took a deep breath, ready to face his first real challenge of the day.