Zero Hour: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (The Blackout Series Book 2) (2 page)

“Guys, there’s something you have to see,” said Colton, rubbing the backs of his girls before heading to the kitchen door leading to the driveway. “It’s phenomenal.”

He led them outside onto the brick-paver driveway. The popping of the Wagoneer’s motor cooling down blended in with the crickets’ orchestra and were the only sounds heard.

Wisps of blue and green floated across the dark sky. As the electrically charged particles from the sun collided with Earth’s atmosphere, the most common auroral color, a pale greenish-yellow, filled the sky. As nitrogen particles collided, blues were introduced, providing an entrancing, magical display for the world to see.

“Daddy, this is amazing,” marveled Alex, who slowly walked in circles, attempting to take it all in. “I’ve been looking at pictures online, but to see the northern lights is—”

BOOM! BOOM!

CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE!

BOOM!

An explosion followed by rapid snaps sounding similar to fireworks or sparklers ripped through the tranquility. The South Davidson Substation, five miles to their west, had just erupted into flames as the incredible surge of energy from the geomagnetic storm overwhelmed its protective relay systems. These systems were designed to trip certain breakers when a fault was detected, like a significant surge in energy. The battery backup system failed, the substation infrastructure was compromised, and the substation became a raging inferno.

The Rymans instinctively ran into their front yard to see the ball of fire gradually rise above Belle Meade Country Club. Colton looked down the hill of their front yard and saw their neighbors gathered on the sidewalk, looking towards the colorful sky. They also appeared to be distracted by the sound.

Then Colton heard it. It was hissing at first and gradually grew louder to a hum.

BUZZZZZZ!

The mysterious noise grew in intensity as it progressed into an ominous crackling in the distance. Out of the corner of his eye, Colton was the first to see the flashes of light rapidly coming towards them. He tried to process the correlation between sight and sound. It was beyond his comprehension, and then he realized what was happening.

“Hey!” Colton shouted as he ran down the hill to the center of his yard. “Run! Run! Get away from the street!”

His neighbors, the O’Malleys, looked back at him, dumbfounded. Their feet weren’t moving. Colton waved his arms and yelled once again before he slipped and lost his footing in the wet, dewy grass. He rolled onto his stomach and covered his head as he saw the unimaginable.

A fireball was blazing along the power lines from the substation. Fueled by the electrical surge, it strengthened and then obliterated the transformer at the top of the power pole across the road.

Sparks, fire, and debris rained down upon the people on the sidewalk. The blast was emanating an extreme amount of heat, which caused the trees to erupt spontaneously into an inferno. Mr. O’Malley, his shirt on fire, was frantically rolling around on the wet grass to put out the flames. Screams filled the air as burning tree branches fell to the ground.

As the transformer finally gave way, the red-hot, glowing power lines broke free and fell to the sidewalk, dancing like rattlesnakes that had lost their heads, but not their will to strike. Mrs. O’Malley was electrocuted, dying instantly. Her husband, still smoldering from the burns, scrambled through the wet grass towards her to help and was electrocuted from the conductivity.

The fireball, meanwhile, roared toward Forest Hills, where the Nashville Electric Service substation suffered a similar fate. In its wake, fires were set along Harding Place all the way to Interstate 65.

Madison and Alex rushed to Colton’s side. “Colton!” exclaimed Madison. “Are you okay?”

“Daddy!” cried Alex as she also slipped and fell, rolling onto her father.

They shielded their faces from the intense heat generated by the burning oils spilled by the older transformers. Colton helped Alex to her feet and led them back towards the house. His face was burning as if he had fallen asleep under a heat lamp.

“Alex, grab some buckets from the pool house,” instructed Colton. Alex took off, and he turned his attention to his wife, who had a frightened look on her face. “Madison, I need you to open the garage and pull the Wagoneer inside. The keys are in it. Close the garage door behind you. You’ll have to pull the red string to unlatch it.”

She nodded. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I am. Now hurry, honey. Nobody can know about our truck, okay.”

Madison took off up the hill and crossed paths with Alex, who had returned with two five-gallon pails that had been used for pool chemicals.

“Are these the ones, Daddy?”

“Yes, baby. We have to help put out the fires,” replied Colton.

“Won’t the fire trucks come and do it?” she asked.

“I don’t know, Alex. I don’t think so. Let’s go.”

Colton and Alex shielded their faces as they took a wide berth around the smoldering transformer. The fire had died out somewhat, but the fallen tree branches were still burning. With the recent one-hundred-degree heat and the lack of rainfall, Colton didn’t want the fire to get out of control.

“Oh my God, Dad,” shouted Alex as she paused near the charred bodies of their neighbors. She covered her face as the stench from the burning bodies permeated the air.

“Don’t look, Alex,” said Colton as he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. “There’s nothing we can do for them right now.”

The next-door neighbor stood with a water hose in the middle of the O’Malleys’ yard. Colton and Alex ran past him as he mumbled, “It won’t work. There’s no water.”

“Come with us,” yelled Colton as he ran through the side gate to the O’Malleys’ backyard pool. They scooped up as much water as they could carry and returned to douse the flames.

“What can we do?” asked Rusty Kaplan. He and his wife, Karen, were the Rymans’ immediate neighbors on the right.

“Hey, Rusty,” Colton greeted him. “You and Karen try to find some buckets in the greenhouse over there. We’ll start with these.”

A couple of other neighbors joined in while others stood off in the distance, doing nothing. It took thirty minutes for Colton and his neighbors to put out the flames. Sadly, through it all, the O’Malleys lay on their front lawn, dead and forgotten. Colton retrieved a tarp and some cinder blocks from their backyard. He would come back in the morning to bury them—the first of several he would bury in the coming days.

Chapter 2

DAY ONE

12:30 a.m., September 9

Ryman Residence

Belle Meade, Tennessee

Colton collapsed in the lawn chair and stared at the wondrous sky. How could something so amazing and beautiful wreak havoc like this? Madison brought him a Red Bull. He smiled up at her and gently reached for her hand.

“Do you think I need the caffeine?” he asked as he popped the top.

“No, love. Just considered it a reward for a job well done. There aren’t many of these left, you know.”

Colton relaxed somewhat and studied Alex as she retrieved a couple more citronella candles to provide some protection against the mosquitos. The aurora created was so bright, Colton could make out the words on his Red Bull can. He expected the northern lights would last for days.

Alex joined her parents and sat in the chair next to them, letting out a sigh.

“I was right,” said Alex.

She stared upward and took it all in. She had been a real soldier as a member of the fire brigade. Her maturity amazed Colton.

“Yes, you were,” replied Madison as she continued to admire the aurora.

The Rymans shared the details of their day with one another into the early hours of the morning. As Colton learned of their exploits, he was astonished at the strength and determination of the Ryman women. Any concerns about their ability or desire to survive he might have entertained on the long drive from Dallas were set aside. They’d both be assets in the struggles the family faced in the coming days and weeks.

After they’d talked, Colton needed to speak to Madison about Alex and their uncertain future. Alex was mature for her age, but some matters needed to be discussed between parents before bringing their child into the conversation.

“It’s getting late, guys, and I have a few things to do like unload the Suburban and make sure we’re secure for the evening,” started Colton. He stood up and stretched his legs, rolling his shoulders to work out the stiffness. Between the full-day car ride, the slide down the hill, and the all-hands-on-deck fire brigade, his nearly forty body was feeling the effects already. Colton regretted not being in better shape. He was not an ex-military action hero or a mild-mannered salesman turned Rambo. He would have to adapt, and quickly.

“We’re gonna need to sleep in shifts. Until they can restore power, we’ll have to keep a vigilant eye. After the things we experienced today, our safety is the first order of business.”

“Daddy, the power’s not coming back on,” interrupted Alex. “It may be like this for years.”

“We don’t know that, honey,” interjected Madison. “I’m sure the government has a plan for something like this. Surely they anticipated—”

“No, Mom, they don’t have a plan. They were warned. They’ve known for longer than I’ve been alive that this could happen. The government didn’t want to spend the money. They’re stupid.”

“Okay, okay,” said Colton, stopping the conversation as he settled back into his chair. “We can talk about the whys and wherefores more tomorrow. For now, the most important thing is sleeping in shifts. Alex, you’re first to get some shut-eye. Come give me a kiss, and hit the hay.”

“All right, Daddy.” She succumbed to her father’s orders. She leaned down and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I love you. I love you too, Mom.” She gave Madison a hug and entered the dark living room through the French doors. A loud clang, followed by an
oh crap
, indicated Alex had stumbled over Madison’s Faraday cages in the living room.

Colton chuckled. “She’ll be all right. This powerless world will take some gettin’ used to.”

Madison was quiet for a moment, which concerned Colton. As the neighbors hustled to put out the fire, Madison had viewed the scene across the street. She had stared at the O’Malleys’ charred remains for several minutes until Colton could cover them. He was concerned about Madison’s emotional detachment. Colton and his wife had overcome hurdles in the past, but nobody in America had ever faced the prospect of losing all of their modern conveniences as they were thrust back into the nineteenth century.

“Maddie, what’re you thinking?” asked Colton, trying to bring her out of her shell.

Madison let out a deep breath and asked, “What do you
really
think all of this means?”

Colton looked up as a flickering candle in Alex’s bedroom window caught his eye. He glanced around their backyard and realized no other homes were in view, but he made a mental note to talk with the girls about avoiding light in the evening hours. He didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention to their home from passersby.

Colton reached for his wife’s hand and held it. It was clammy and sweaty.  He quickly realized Madison was wrought with anxiety. He needed to reassure her while not giving her a false sense of hope. If she was experiencing the first stages of shock or depression, Colton would have to tread lightly.

“I listened to news reports all the way home today,” started Colton. “There were experts from all across the spectrum, including scientists, politicians, and even survivalists. Maddie, you know how the news sensationalizes things. They create this huge dramatic situation so you’ll stay glued to their network. The bigger the crisis, the fatter the ratings.”

“I know, I saw it too,” said Madison. “When Alex first brought this to my attention, I disregarded the threat and passed it off as a teenager’s fabricated drama. But as I learned more, I came to the realization the threat is real. I wish I’d done more.” She began to cry, squeezing his hand tighter.

Colton sat up onto the edge of the lawn chair and faced his distraught wife. He rubbed her arm and shoulders and tried to calm her.

“Honey, what you and Alex did for this family today will probably save our lives. I am so proud of you.” He gently wiped her tears from her bruised face.

“I could’ve done more.” She sobbed.

Colton let out a nervous laugh. “Like what? Cleaning out the grocery store single-handedly wasn’t enough? You ran over a KIA, for the love of Pete!”

Madison stopped sobbing, but the tears still streamed as she laughed. Colton kissed her cheek and wiped her tears once again.

“You know what I mean,” she said.

“Listen to me, darling. Our family is safe, and we’re together at home, as it should be. I don’t know what we’ll face, exactly, but we’ll face it together.”

Madison nodded. “I’m okay. I feel better.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, promise,” she replied. “Now, seriously, I’ll hitch up my big-girl panties and do what I have to do. Oddly, I didn’t hesitate today when it was just Alex and me. Now that you’re home, as weird as it sounds, I feel like I’ve turned over the job of protector to you. Now look at me. I’m a ball of blubbering mush.” They both started laughing.

“Very funny,” said Colton. “I’m trying to visualize blubbering mush, and it ain’t you, love.”

Madison nodded and sat up in her chair. She finished off Colton’s Red Bull and smiled. “Okay, seriously. Gimme the straight poop. Don’t sugarcoat it, ’cause I’ll know. We’ve got our work cut out, don’t we?”

Colton relaxed considerably. This was the Madison he married and who he counted on as an equal member of Team Ryman. He decided to give her his relatively uninformed opinion.

“If the blackout lasts longer than a few days, the vast majority of the population will be ill-equipped to deal with the shock to their normal modern-day lives. They won’t have water or sufficient food to last long. Mentally, most people are weak. They’re not self-reliant. The unprepared will look to the government for help, and when that doesn’t materialize, they’ll look around, seeking the next best alternative.”