EMP Post-Apocalyptic Survival | Book 1 | Shelter In Place Read online

  SHELTER IN PLACE

  JAMES HUNT

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Copyright 2019 All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means without prior written permission, except for brief excerpts in reviews or analysis.

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  1

  T he bottle of wine rolled between the bagged boxes of takeout from Cannello’s and the back of the passenger seat on the drive out of Asheville. Waylon Jennings played through the speakers of the old Chevy Silverado on the local country station. The smell of dinner drifted through the cab, and Ben Riker smiled at the thought of what was waiting for him when he returned home.

  One hand on the steering wheel, Ben propped his left arm out of the window. He wore a red-checkered flannel shirt, jeans, and work boots. Scruff covered a square jaw, and his jet-black hair was buzzed short. He studied the cloudless night sky, his green eyes reflecting the light from the stars. He drew in a deep breath as the chilly night breeze brushed against his face.

  Ben had just dropped the boys off at a friend’s apartment in Asheville. It was a sleepover, and while it was Connor’s friend, his younger brother, Tommy, had begged to go with him. Connor eventually caved to Tommy’s demands, and once Ben cleared it with the parents hosting the sleepover, it was all settled. And with both children gone for the night, Ben and Liz would have the house to themselves for the first time in over four months.

  The Waylon song ended, and the announcer came back onto the radio. “Cheers, Waylon, and to all my listeners out there who might be in the middle of their rough and rowdy days, I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful, North Carolina, Friday night. Temps are cool and crisp for spring, but our dry spell has stretched for four months now, and we are still under a severe forest fire warning. So make you—”

  The announcer cut out, and static blared through the radio. Ben frowned, reaching for the dial, but it was the same on every channel, which was followed by a high-pitched whine, and then a strange voice belted through the radio.

  It was low, and as Ben listened, he realized it was another language. Before he was able to decipher the dialect, more static blasted through the radio, and the radio announcer returned.

  “Coming up next, we have more of your favorites songs, so stay tuned!”

  Ben turned the radio down as the ad played, wondering what could have caused the interference. But he didn’t dwell on it for long. He had a date to head home to.

  Traffic was light heading northbound out of Asheville toward Bear Ridge, where Ben lived. The small suburb was half town, half stoplight. It consisted of a single main road with a row of business essentials for those in the area.

  At eight o’clock on a Friday night, the town was as about as busy as one of the restaurants in the city. But Ben didn’t mind the slow pace. He had lived here his entire life, a North Carolina boy through and through.

  While most of his friends growing up couldn’t wait to leave, Ben couldn’t ask for anything better than what surrounded him. Nature, friendly folks, and a feeling of community. Ben Riker had set down roots here, and they ran deep. But his early days weren’t without their tragedy.

  Ben held his family close because he understood what it was like to lose them—in more ways than one.

  Ben had lost his parents at a young age. The only blood relative that remained to him was an older brother who he hadn’t seen in five years. The pair had a falling out and never truly recovered from the fight. But Ben didn’t dwell on it. As far as he was concerned, his brother had died with his parents.

  Bear Ridge hadn’t changed much since he was a boy, but their small town wasn’t going to stay small for much longer.

  Development was coming to their small town in the name of tourism. New hotels, condos, and rental cabins were all geared toward stimulating the local economy and turning Bear Ridge into the idyllic destination for anyone wanting to visit the greater Asheville area.

  Henry Simmons funded the development, and while some were excited about the possibility of more business, many residents were hesitant about the expansion. Ben among them.

  Ben turned off of Bear Ridge’s Main Street and headed uphill to his house. A few hundred yards past the town and the road transformed from paved to gravel, the truck’s big tires grinding up the rocks on his ascent.

  The single-lane road didn’t receive much traffic. There were only four homes on the street. The first was the Johnson family, the next was Ben’s family, then came the Simmons, and the road dead-ended at the Percy household. Each family had a few acres separating them. However, Ben knew there was no amount of space great enough to put between himself and the Percys. But the two families kept their distance. Too much bad blood.

  Ben slowed when he neared the Johnsons’ house and saw Kurt and Susan sitting on their front porch. He rolled down the window, and Kurt rose from his chair, setting down his drink as he jogged over.

  “Hey, Lieutenant,” Kurt said.

  “We’re not at the station, Kurt. Ben is fine,” he replied.

  Kurt smiled sheepishly and pocketed his hands. He was a young man, fresh out of the fire academy. At twenty-two, he was only a few years older than Ben when he had started at the Asheville Fire Department.

  Ben looked past Kurt and waved to Susan. “How are you holding up?”

  Susan rocked in her chair, one hand on her massive stomach. “We’re all right.” She rubbed her belly. “I’m not sure how Liz has done this three times, though.”

  Ben laughed. “She says it gets easier for her but harder for me.”

  “Good to know,” Kurt said, keeping his voice low, and then he pointed to the food and wine in the passenger seat. “You having a party I don’t know about?”

  “A party for two,” Ben answered.

  “Copy that, Lieutenant,” Kurt said, retreating toward home and offered a little salute.

  Ben returned the salute to Kurt and waved to Susan one last time before he rolled up the window and continued up the drive.

  Kurt was a good kid. In a lot of ways, he reminded Ben of himself. Right now, it was a lot harder to get a job out of the academy than it was when Ben had graduated at nineteen. But Ben knew he didn’t waste his recommendation on a dud. Kurt had earned top scores at the academy. And while he was green, he was a quick learner. The captain noticed it too.

  But Ben would be lying if he said Kurt’s pending role as a father didn’t have some weight in the consideration. Still, Ben knew he had made the right choice. Because the department wasn’t just a random group of employees, they were a second family.

  Ben slowed for the turn into the driveway when the Chevy’s headlights illuminated the mailbox at the end of their drive. He parked in the driveway, leaving the garage closed.

  They had lived in the home for almost a decade now. They had purchased the house after Ben had proposed to Liz.

  The home was a fixer-upper, but the location was perfect. Nestled on the side
of the mountain, it faced east, so Ben could step out onto his porch and rise with the sun in the morning and then head out back to watch the sunset when the day finished.

  It took two years for Ben and Liz to update the interior. But once they had it completed, they knew they’d live here for the rest of their lives. It was that kind of a home.

  It was a stark contrast to Ben’s upbringing. After the death of his parents, there wasn’t much love and warmth at home. His older brother didn’t know how to take care of a kid, so Ben had to fend for himself growing up. It was one of the many reasons why he and his brother didn’t talk.

  But Ben didn’t want to dwell on his childhood. He pushed the thoughts aside and grabbed the bag of takeout and the bottle of wine and walked up to the front door.

  Ben noticed the lights in the house were off, and he frowned with concern. The front door was locked, and Ben precariously balanced the food and wine in one arm as he stepped inside.

  “Liz?” Ben shouted as he locked the door shut.

  The only answer Ben received was the soft melody of music, which sounded like it was coming from upstairs. Ben squinted in the darkness, but his muscle memory guided him to the kitchen table, where he placed their supper.

  Ben followed the sound of the music to the staircase and noticed the candles at the top of the stairs. He smiled and quickly bounded up the steps.

  All of the bedrooms were on the top floor, but a bathroom and office space separated Ben and Liz’s room from the boys’ rooms.

  More candles guided Jim toward the master bedroom, and he found the door open. He followed the trail of candles toward the open French doors.

  The wind billowed the white curtains, and Ben couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face when he saw the dozens of candles decorating the balcony and his wife in a black teddy, leaning against the railing.

  “Good evening, Mr. Riker,” Liz said. Liz Riker smiled seductively. She had short, mousy-brown hair that fell to the nape of her neck, a slender, but athletic figure, and fair skin. She held Ben’s gaze with her merle-blue eyes, and Ben was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Riker,” Ben said. “I didn’t realize we’d be having dinner under the stars.”

  Ben slid his hands around Liz’s waist, the silk of the lingerie smooth against his palms. The scent of her perfume—hints of vanilla and honey—greeted him as he nuzzled her neck.

  Liz giggled and ran her fingers through Ben’s hair. “I thought we could have dessert before dinner.”

  Ben leaned back. “I don’t have a problem with that.” He scooped her into his arms, and her giggles grew to laughter as he carried her back into the bedroom. He gently laid Liz onto the sheets, her hair spilling around the most beautiful face he’d ever laid eyes on.

  Ben paused for a moment, staring at his wife.

  “What is it?” Liz asked.

  “I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth,” Ben said.

  “You really are,” Liz said and propped herself up onto her elbows, placed her hand on the back of Ben’s neck, and pulled him down on top of her.

  But as they kissed, their romance fueled by their wedding song playing over the speaker, the moment was suddenly interrupted by silence.

  The music ended, and the familiar drone of the air conditioning stopped as well.

  Ben and Liz both paused, waiting to see if the power came back on.

  “It might have been a surge,” Ben said, catching his breath.

  “Yeah, maybe,” Liz replied.

  Ben carefully climbed off of his wife and walked over to the docking system where Liz had plugged in her phone to play music.

  “Your phone’s dead,” Ben said.

  Liz sat up. “That can’t be right. It was fully charged.” She slipped off the bed and grabbed her cell from Ben. “That doesn’t make any sense.”

  Ben frowned, creasing the worry lines along his forehead and then headed downstairs. “I’m going to check the fuse box.”

  Ben walked out into the garage, reaching for one of the gas lanterns he kept out in case of emergencies, and used it to guide himself to the fuse box. But he found that the breakers hadn’t flipped. Still, he turned everything off, then back on again. Nothing. He reached into his pocket and removed his cell phone. It was also dead.

  As Ben stared at the black screen, a terrible thought entered his mind. He found himself shaking his head. “No.” He quickly grabbed his truck keys and hurried outside, leaving the lantern on the entryway table.

  Ben flung open the truck door and hopped into the driver seat. He plugged the key into the ignition and twisted it forward, hearing nothing but a click.

  Ben deflated, and he slowly slumped forward, resting his forehead on the crest of the steering wheel. He knew something like this was a possibility. He had read about it, even prepared for it, but deep down, he had never truly believed it would ever come to fruition.

  “Ben?” Liz’s voice was laced with concern as she called his name from the front door.

  Ben lifted his head, a small, red mark across his forehead where he had rested on the steering wheel. Liz had donned a robe, and she had her arms crossed beneath her chest, her eyebrows pinned together with worry.

  Knowing the clock was already ticking, Ben slid out of the truck and shut the door. He walked to his wife and placed a pair of steady hands on each of her arms.

  “It happened, Liz,” Ben said. “It’s an EMP.”

  The words lingered in the air between them, and Ben saw that Liz hadn’t completely grasped the enormity of their situation.

  “You’re sure?” Liz asked.

  Ben nodded. “The power outage. Phones went dark. The truck won’t start. An EMP is the only thing I know that can take out electronics on that wide of a scale.”

  Liz touched her lips with her left hand. “So what… What do we do?”

  “We stick to the plan,” Ben answered.

  “Right,” Liz nodded.

  Ben walked past his wife and into the house, heading for the garage where he kept his go-bags at the ready. Tucked inside were at least seventy-two hours’ worth of rations and medical supplies. He also had enough materials to construct a small lean-to structure for shelter. Then he headed to the bedroom.

  Liz followed him upstairs, and the pair changed out of their clothes, both dressing in hiking clothes. It was important to be ready to move at any moment now. Because while they had enough to weather the storm at the house, there was no guarantee they’d be able to stay here forever.

  They were in uncharted territory.

  Once Ben and Liz had changed, Ben reached into the gun safe in the back of the closet. It took up a lot of space, but Ben preferred to keep the weapons within close reach should he ever need it.

  Ben grabbed his 9mm Ruger along with its holster and two fifteen round capacity magazines, which he secured to the holster that wrapped around his waist. He then reached for the .223 Remington hunting rifle with attached scope and slung it over his shoulder.

  “How long will it take you to reach the city on foot?” Liz asked.

  “Last time I timed myself, it was less than an hour,” Ben answered. “But the trip back will take longer with the boys.”

  Liz clasped her hands together, squeezing tight. “They’re going to be okay, right? Connor and Tommy?”

  Ben sensed her fear. He paused from his preps and focused on his wife. “They’re going to be fine. Right now, people don’t even know what’s happening. People will be more confused than scared. Which is why we need to get our family back together now.”

  “Right,” Liz nodded, drawing a deep breath. “You’re right. And then we’ll meet Sarah at the rendezvous point twenty-four hours from now.”

  Ben nodded. “Everyone knows what to do. We just need to execute.”

  Sarah was Liz’s daughter from when she was pregnant in high school. Liz didn’t grow up in Asheville. Her family was from Charlotte, where Sarah was currently attending college. She wa
s staying with Liz’s older sister.

  “I need you to go through our checklists while I’m gone,” Ben said. “Food, water, medicine, make sure everything is up to date. We’ll keep the food in the fridge for a little while longer, but then we’ll need to store it in the dry freezer in the basement.”

  “I know,” Liz said, regaining her confidence.

  The pair walked toward the door together, and Liz kissed Ben hard before he left.

  “Be careful,” Liz said.

  “I will,” Ben said.

  Knowing every second counted, Ben turned away from his wife and his home and walked down the gravel drive back onto the single-lane, dirt road.

  Everything happened so quickly it was almost surreal. Ben had prepared for the scenario, but he knew the reality of the situation could change at any moment.

  But this was a reality he had prepped to handle.

  2

  Ben moved quickly down the dirt road and focused his mind on the task at hand. It was going to be a long journey, and he needed to keep his wits about him because he knew people around him would be losing their minds.

  Uncertainty caused people to act sporadically. And with an entire community without power, transportation, or communication, Ben knew people would be on edge.

  “Lieutenant!”

  Ben stopped, his heightened instincts causing his hand to reach for the pistol at his side, but he relaxed when he saw it was Kurt jogging up the road.

  “Hey, do you know what’s going on?” Kurt asked between panted breaths. “Our power went out, but both our cell phones stopped working too.”

  Ben studied the young man, seeing the earnest concern on his face. “I can’t explain right now.” Ben restarted his walk down the path, and Kurt followed close by his side. “You and Susan should head up to the house. Bring as much non-perishable food and water as you can—”

  “Food and water,” Kurt said, jumping in front of Ben to stop him. “Whoa, what are you talking about?”

  “Go home,” Ben said, an edge to his voice. “Get the supplies, and then get Susan and yourself up to my house. Liz is there, just tell her I sent you.”