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

Water dripped from Ben’s body as he aimed his rifle up into the trees. He was frozen in his position, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice, but the longer he waited, the more he realized that everything had gone silent.

No shooting. No shouts. Nothing.

Eventually, Ben heard movement on the hillside, but when he swiveled his rifle toward it, he saw Jackson coming down. He lowered his weapon.

“Are you all right?” Ben asked.

Jackson said nothing, but he wasn’t moving fast enough to warrant someone following him, and he didn’t look like he’d been shot. When he reached the creek, he waded out into the water and then punched Ben with a stiff right hook.

Ben stumbled to the left, but he didn’t go down. He rubbed his jaw where Jackson had struck him and then frowned.

“What the hell was that?” Jackson asked. “The plan was to wait until they were all neutralized before we made a grab. You could have blown the whole damned thing!”

Ben knew Jackson’s anger was warranted, but he shook his head. “I couldn’t—”

“I don’t give a damn,” Jackson said, marching toward him. “You’re lucky I stayed at my post, or the two men who chased after you would have put a bullet in your back on your way down the mountainside.”

Ben nodded. “Thanks.”

Jackson calmed a little bit. “Did you get it?”

Ben glanced at the duffle bag still in his hand. He walked to the bank and set it down in the mud. He unzipped it and then lifted a bulky metal piece from inside. It was about the length of a baseball bat but looked like an elongated desktop computer, minus the blinking lights.

“That has to be it,” Jackson said.

“I can’t believe he made this,” Ben said.

“Yeah, well, I can’t believe that actually worked.” Jackson reached for the device and examined it for himself.

Ben looked up the hillside. “They’re all dead.”

“No,” Jackson said, and then he put the device back into the duffle bag. “One of the bastards got away.”

“What?” Ben asked, raising his rifle.

“Relax,” Jackson answered. “He tailed it in the opposite direction. Didn’t even bother looking back. By the time he finds someone to tell, we’ll be back in Asheville.” He picked up the duffle bag and slung the strap over his shoulder. “Our job is done. Let’s go.”

As Jackson walked back over to the horses, Ben stared back up the mountainside. He wanted to believe that returning to Asheville would bring a sense of normalcy with it, but he knew that wouldn’t be the case. He remembered how relentlessly his brother had tracked him from the prison camp outside of Charlotte. He had no reason to suspect that this time would be any different, especially since they had stolen such an integral part of their master plan.

15

Nancy was invited to Mrs. Riker’s portable with Sarah, Cole, and Mrs. Riker's sister, Rachel. She realized that this was a big moment for her. She had now been brought into the circle. It was validation for all of the hard work she had put in since she had arrived here. They trusted her now, and it felt good to be counted on.

Mrs. Riker paced the floor while everyone else remained seated. Nancy had never seen her this distressed before, and it worried her. She didn’t think Mrs. Riker could be this rattled, but the debacle with the food had clearly unsettled her, and rightly so.

“People want to know they’re safe,” Sarah said. “And we give that to them. I don’t understand why you’re so worried.”

“Because Jane Percy now wants people to think she can keep them safe,” Nancy said. “And we need to stop that before it gains momentum.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “You really think Jane Percy stole the food to plant in our portable and blame it on us? Don’t you think that’s a little… high school?”

“It’s an effective way to sow dissent,” Mrs. Riker answered. “If it was her, and the more I think about it, the more I agree with Nancy, then she is trying to destabilize the faith in the facility.”

“But holding elections?” Rachel asked. “Isn’t that a bit… extreme?”

“Yeah, I mean, this isn’t going to be a permanent thing, right?” Cole asked.

Nancy studied Mrs. Riker, who was listening to everyone’s comments but was also deep in her own thoughts. She couldn’t imagine what was going through her mind.

“Mom, are you really worried that you’ll lose?” Sarah asked.

Mrs. Riker stopped pacing, and while she had her back turned to everyone else, Nancy saw the look of worry flash across her face before she erased it with a smile and faced the room. “Of course not. I just don’t like the idea of restlessness within the community.” She rubbed her eyes, trying to make sense of the situation.

“You need to set the tone at the meeting before the vote,” Nancy said.

“And how would I do that?” Mrs. Riker asked.

“The Percys are trying to reimagine themselves,” Nancy answered. “They want to lift themselves up by tearing you down. It’s what girls at school used to do all the time whenever they wanted to make someone’s life miserable.”

“I can attest to that,” Sarah said.

“So, you want me to start tearing them down?” Mrs. Riker asked.

Nancy shook her head. “You start tearing them down, and it’s only going to make you look like a bully. A lot of the people here don’t know who the Percys really are.”

“So what does she do?” Cole asked.

Nancy was growing more comfortable now that she had stepped into the spotlight. “You need to be a reassuring pillar of steadiness. You need to be normal. You need everything about your persona to reflect the life that people had before the EMP.”

“How do I make myself… more normal?” Mrs. Riker asked.

“Your family,” Nancy answered. “You have your family up there with you, and you harp on it as much as you can.” She walked over to her and locked eyes