EMP Post-Apocalyptic Survival by Hunt, James (acx book reading .TXT) 📗

could do when she no longer cared about what type of makeup she was wearing, or the designer clothes that all the other girls thought were popular.

Looking back at all that now made her feel silly about ever enjoying those things. Cheerleading, boys, clothes, social status, they were all meaningless now. But that was a different time and a different life. The world no longer valued pretty things, and Nancy couldn’t rely on her looks anymore. All that mattered now was what you brought to the table for survival. And Nancy was tired of taking a backseat, so she decided to do something about it.

Nancy pocketed the rest of her ammunition and gathered up all of the empty boxes with bullet holes in them, and once she had bagged everything, she flung the black trash bag over her shoulder, the black plastic hot from the late-morning sun, and headed toward the compound.

On the way back toward the front gate, Nancy passed the graveyards set up outside the fence’s perimeter. There were several crosses marked over mounds of dirt. They had lost quite a few people since all this had started, but most folks still had at least some of their family intact.

Nancy was one of the exceptions. The moment of the EMP's detonation, her entire life had changed. In the course of a few milliseconds, the trajectory of her future had completely shifted course. But a part of her was glad to have a new lease on life. She had an opportunity that few people ever had the chance to receive: a fresh start.

Nancy could completely rebuild her image and how she wanted people to see her. She no longer wanted to be seen as the lazy, pretty girl. She wanted to be known as a survivor, someone formidable who could hold her own. And she believed she was finally turning a corner of becoming that version of herself.

Once she returned to the facility, Nancy passed the cluster of tents in the open field by the front gates where the women from the clinic she and Sarah had brought back had set up camp. It had been Sarah’s decision to bring the women back with them, despite Nancy’s protest. She knew bringing more people would make it difficult for their already dwindling resources.

So far, between rationing and hunting, everyone had remained fed. Nancy had gone out a few times with the hunting party. As her shooting improved, so did the number of critters she managed to bag and bring back. The other guys she hunted with still complained that she was too loud.

“I heard you out there, Gunslinger.”

Nancy didn’t bother turning around. She knew it was Willie. “You should come out with me sometime,” Nancy said. “I could always use a target with legs.”

Willie laughed and appeared on her left, smoking a cigarette. He was a tall man and had a bad-boy image about him. He was also in his late twenties and was a woman beater. She and Sarah had found him holding a baseball bat above his girlfriend’s head at the clinic, where they had found the other women, ready to beat the life out of her.

Nancy was convinced he would’ve done it if they hadn’t shown up. But Willie’s girlfriend, Carolina, who had been the subject of his abuse, had begged Nancy and Sarah not to hurt him. And because he hadn’t actually hit anyone in front of them, Sarah told Nancy it wasn’t their place to cut in.

“You know if you keep flirting with me like that, Carolina will get jealous,” Willie said.

Nancy tensed, and it took all of her restraint not to swing her rifle at his head.

“Maybe you could show me how to use that someday?” Willie asked.

Nancy finally stopped walking and dropped the bag of trash next to her leg. She kept her rifle at the ready, her finger on the trigger.

Willie tilted his head to the side in a playful way. “Did I say something wrong, Gunslinger?”

“I know you think nobody’s watching anymore,” Nancy said. “But I haven’t taken my eyes off of you.”

Willie stepped closer. “That makes two of us.”

Nancy nudged the end of her rifle against Willy’s stomach, but the gesture which she had hoped would make him back off only made him press against the weapon even harder.

“You’re going to slip up,” Nancy said. “And when you do, I’ll be there to bring you down.”

Willie concentrated on her with a predator’s gaze. Nancy didn’t have much experience with men like Willie growing up. Her father had been a kind man, and all of the boys she had thought she was interested in at school were simply that, boys. But Willie was a dangerous man. A man who was not afraid to cross boundaries.

“You know you talk a big game, but there’s a difference between shooting trash and killing another person,” Willie said. “Is that something you think you can do?”

“What makes you think I haven’t done that already?” Nancy asked.

Willie smiled and shook his head. “You might have killed somebody out of necessity, but you’ve never killed anyone out of anger.”

Nancy hated the fact that Willie was so perceptive when it came to reading people. She supposed that was a skill he learned in order to identify women he could take advantage of. But Nancy wasn’t the same weak schoolgirl who had arrived at the facility.

“No better time to learn than the present,” Nancy said.

The pair remained in a standoff until Willie eventually smiled again and laughed as he stepped back, putting a few feet between himself and the end of Nancy’s rifle.

“Then I guess I should get out of your way before you put a slug in my belly,” Willie said.

Willie turned away, lighting another cigarette and chuckling to himself. He was muttering something beneath his breath, but Nancy couldn’t hear what he said. She watched him until he vanished into his tent and then lingered to make sure he stayed inside. She knew it was a mistake