Free Preppers of the Apocalypse - Part 2: Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival by Godsby Jim

 
    Chapter 1
     
    As
Ash drove the pick-up truck over the plains, he watched black plumes of smoke
puff up into the air. They looked to be coming from the city, but whatever the
source, it didn’t look good. The smoke was black and soft and it became an
angry cloud over the otherwise blue sky. Ash hoped to God that it wasn’t coming
from anywhere near the Bolton tunnel. The dual lane tunnel was their only
direct way through the Lantern Mountains, and he badly needed to make his way
through to the city.
     
    “The
ride feels heavy,” said Chad in the back.
     
    The
young army recruit alternated between bouts of hyperactivity and chatter, to
napping with his eyes shut and mouth open. Sheriff Ellie Ashurst had taken the
passenger seat alongside Ash, but not because she wanted to be near him. He
suspected that she had sat there to keep an eye on him.
     
    “We
should have taken my 4x4,” she said. “Why’d we have to borrow this heap of crap
from Tony?”
     
    “Because
he’s a prepper,” said Ash. “And he’s a good one. He’s made sure every single
thing he owns ticks like clockwork, including this vehicle. When’s the last
time you popped the bonnet of your car? Do you even know how to open it?”
     
    “I
know how to break your jaw, and you’ll find out how if you carry on like that,”
said Ellie.
     
    She
reached to her pocket, as she always did when she was annoyed, and pulled out
her tobacco pouch. It was leather and she’d sewn the badge of the Pasture Down
Police Department into it. She pinched stringy tobacco between her fingers and
spread it along a paper.
     
    “Anyway,”
said Ash. “Everything we packed is essential survival gear. You’ll be thankful
for it sometime soon.”
     
    Before
leaving Tony Shore’s bug-out ranch, the prepper had let them borrow one of his
pick-up trucks. On top of that, he had let them load up the trunk with survival
supplies. That was the reason the Toyota was a little slower than usual, but
Ash would take survival over speed any time. As long as it could bear the load,
that was okay.
     
    The
truck was packed with Meals Ready-to-Eat; beef flavoured food pouches that
delivered a 400 calorie dose and could last a couple of years. They had a crate
of water bottles, as well as water filters for when they ran out and needed to
locate a source in the wild. Each of them had a sleeping bag. That was the
essentials covered; food, water and shelter. On top of that they had
topographical maps of the Lantern Mountains, a couple of compasses, two
kerosene lamps and a kerosene stove.
     
    The
idea was that they would get to the city and find Ash’s wife, Georgia. He
hadn’t thought too far ahead of that, because getting back to her was the only
thing on his mind. He had a vague plan that he would return to Tony’s bug-out
ranch, because after the EMP hit it seemed a safer place than most. The drive
to Ash’s house and back shouldn’t take them long. Three or four days at most,
as long as they didn’t hit trouble, but they had enough survival essentials to
last them over a week. You had to be prepared for anything.
     
    “Think
we’ll ever get back to the ranch?” said Chad.
     
    “I
want to,” said Ash. “Can you think of anywhere safer?”
     
    Ellie
looked at him.
     
    “Things
aren’t gonna be smooth for you, Ash. Sooner or later Tony’s gonna start taking in
the people of Pasture Down. Tony might have forgiven you, but plenty of folks
haven’t and most never will.”
     
    “What
about you?”
     
    Ellie
lit her cigarette, took a drag and blew sour smoke up at the roof.
     
    “It’s
best that you don’t ask me that question.”
     
    The
smoke hit Ash’s nostrils. He had always had an aversion to smoke since he was a
child and had to spend school holidays at his grandfather’s house. His grandpa
used to smoke thin cigars that tainted his breath and turned the walls yellow. Later
in his life, of course, Ash had taken up the habit himself.
     
    “Think
you