Enduring Grit: an EMP survival story (The Off Grid Survivor Book 3) Read online

  ENDURING GRIT

  The Off Grid Survivor Book 3

  CONNOR MCCOY

  Copyright © 2017 by Connor Mccoy

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  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 ONE

  SARAH LOOKED at the open doorway and thought to herself, with grand fanfare blaring in her mind, Sarah Sandoval, welcome to your new life.

  She pressed hard on her lower back and gave it a little massage. The bed was softer than the almost-flat mattress she had slept on for the past few weeks, but given the brutal conditions of her captivity, she was thankful for at least something soft to sleep on. Amazing, she thought, to have so much taken away from you, and to now be thankful just to be free.

  Indeed. Before her capture, she had lived in comfort in a high-income suburban neighborhood where she wanted for nothing. Thanks to her boyfriend, she received news of the hottest technical gadgets before much of the population knew about them. One of her favorite tools was the lighting sensors. Whenever she had entered a room in her home, the light snapped on. When she left, the light would wait a few seconds before going out.

  She never imagined she lived like a princess until that early morning when the lights went out, and never came back on again.

  In a darkened community, Sarah went from a citizen who enjoyed the full perks of society to a desperate survivor. It took a few days to realize the electricity wasn’t coming back. She and her boyfriend, Tom Richards, had waited too long to flee the town. By then, the seedier elements of their hometown had risen up and seized their community by the throat.

  And then Sarah was captured by a crime boss and hauled away to his warehouse stronghold.

  Sarah felt the frame of the dresser mirror before her. The clean glass reflected Sarah’s middle-aged image back to her. She tugged at the oversized flannel shirt that hung down to the thighs of her jeans. The outfit wasn’t a perfect fit, but few clothes around here were. After all, it’s not as if the homestead’s owner had anticipated swelling the number of occupants under his roof to six.

  And soon to be seven, Sarah thought.

  The bright light through the bedroom window almost blinded Sarah as she shuffled away from the mirror. The bed behind her was empty. Tom already had gotten up, got cleaned up and dressed, leaving Sarah to sleep a little longer. Tom easily indulged Sarah in every way, but not just because of love and adoration. He was the reason Sarah was kidnapped in the first place. Love was a powerful motivator, but guilt was sometimes just as strong.

  It would have happened anyway, Sarah quickly thought. It was what she told herself to quell any lingering anger she possessed toward Tom. She and Tom had been accosted by a restaurateur named Marco Valentino, who beat Tom and demanded Sarah in exchange for his life. Tom had agreed. Marco rewarded his acquiescence with a blow to Tom’s head. At the time, Sarah was sure Tom’s skull was cracked. She never imagined she’d see Tom again as she was hauled away to the warehouse of restaurant titan, and now overlord of her hometown, Marcellus Maggiano.

  But after a period of captivity, Tom suddenly arrived at Maggiano’s warehouse and shot Marco in the chest.

  Sarah shook her head. I want to stop thinking about this, she thought, and then repeated it a few times. She wanted to get on with her new life.

  Her worn brown laced boots stomped down the wooden-paneled floor of the hallway. Then she made a turn through the den, which was really an elaborate workshop filled with tools, books, pamphlets, and little notebooks filled with years of information on everything from basic survival to farming techniques to home construction and maintenance, things Sarah never dreamed she’d have to know.

  After walking through this room and unlocking the door on the other side, Sarah emerged on the house’s back patio. Rows of crops and livestock pens lay beyond.

  There’s not a house in sight. I can’t see any houses or stores or telephone poles. Sarah’s new home was in the country, on this farm. It still rattled her a little. She was not used to horizons that stretched into the distance with no man-made structures in evidence.

  On the other hand, this ranch was the most peaceful place she ever had occupied. To be sure, the solar storm had silenced so much of man’s modern technology, from its noisy cars to buzzing airplanes, but even so, out here it would be almost as tranquil anyway. This ranch lay off a state road in her home state’s countryside, between major metro areas. She never had imagined such tranquility existed.

  “Mornin!”

  Sarah quivered. Well, not everything around here was peaceful.

  Camilla Pitzo looked at her from the other side of a patio post, smiling. Sarah’s back arched up. Camilla’s smile was one thing Sarah might never get used to. She had no dislike for this woman, but Camilla’s mannerisms weren’t something Sarah could easily cope with.

  “Almost noon, actually,” Camilla continued as she approached Sarah, “I know you like to sleep in, but sooner or later you’re going to have to spring up with the chickens. Maybe I’ll have a rooster bunk out with you. He can give you a wakeup call when you need it.”

  Sarah grimaced. “Thanks, but I think I’ll be okay. I’m ready to get started.”

  Camilla showed Sarah to the wooden stove a few steps from the house. A table to the right hosted a small mass of clean glass jars. Sliced vegetables and fruits flopped across another table. “They’re already cut. Your son brought them by. Can them, heat them up, and we’ll be in apricots and carrots for a whole year.”

  Sarah picked up one of the glass jars. This was her new life, one of a number of new tasks she took up as a farmhand. “I never knew you could can your own food.”

  Camilla nodded. “I’m sure a lot of people wish they did right now.” Then she pointed to the small doors under the stove. “I already took care of the coal and the logs. It’s burning right now. Let me know if there’s any trouble.”

  Sarah reached for the two pots on the table that would be used for the canning. Camilla already had filled them with water. Sarah dropped a jar lid into each pot. Then, she placed both pots on the grill. Once the lids were hot enough, she would put them on the jars filled with food, and then put the jars themselves into the pots for additional heating.

  And then I take them out and let the heat escape and take out the rest of the air from the jars. Even a dunderhead like me can figure this out, she thought with an inward chuckle.

  Just then, movement out the corner of her eye caught her attention. She turned. An older gentleman was strolling alongside the house, his eyes fixed on the livestock pen out in the field. He and Sarah hadn’t spoken yet today. In fact, they rarely did more than exchange some pleasantries.

  It’s weird when your new home is owned by your ex-husband, Sarah thought. And as Camilla walked away, she mentally added, and his current girlfriend.

  Indee
d, this was a strange new life for Sarah Sandoval.

  AS CONRAD DRAKE approached his sheep pen, he inhaled a deep breath. He felt warm inside. It wasn’t everyone who could say he was the master of his own destiny. It was too bad everyone couldn’t understand what it felt like.

  Only a few clouds dared to interfere with the warmth of the autumn sun. Conrad’s land had yielded a strong crop and it was time for harvest. Conrad had grown more than enough for one man to subsist on, but he anticipated he might take on a hired hand or two to help out. Then, when the solar storm struck the Earth’s atmosphere and lashed the planet with an EMP, it became clear to Conrad that food and water would be more valuable than gold. Now a large crop became even more useful, as it could be traded for other materials, such as metals or small machine parts. The nearby small towns, having been cut off from regular food shipments, could use all the food they could get.

  But that was before his son came knocking on his door with a girlfriend in tow. Before his great adventure to the city of Redmond to rescue his former wife Sarah. Before he met Sarah’s boyfriend, Tom, whom he agreed to bring back to the ranch along with Sarah. And finally, before the shootout with a group of men led by a rival rancher named Derrick Wellinger. Thankfully, nobody in Conrad’s care was killed, with only a few wounds among the group, bullet holes in the walls, and broken glass to show for their troubles.

  The result of the events of those few days was a ranch of six adults. The crops were enough to sustain such a group, but Conrad knew they would have to store up food for the coming winter.

  Things had been going well. So well that as Conrad turned to his left and peered at the small hill and the apple tree standing beyond, he began thinking about that special meeting he had planned. He always had found reasons to delay it. He had to bury the bodies of the men who were killed during the battle for his ranch. He had to educate Tom and Sarah in the workings of his home, from how to use the shower to the chores that had to be accomplished. He had to set up the canning process and help Sarah understand what needed to be done, with Camilla helping to instruct her.

  But now Conrad could not put it off any longer. It was time for the family reunion.

  As Liam approached, pushing a hand dolly holding a bucket of freshly picked cabbages, Conrad saw his chance.

  “First load of the day?” Conrad asked as he marched up to his son.

  “Second.” Liam breathed a little heavy. Sweat poured from under his short dark hair. “Now I know why people get up early on the farm. When it gets around noon, it’s like a sauna.”

  “Well, here’s a handy tip. Next time, wear a hat,” Conrad said.

  Liam rolled his eyes. “Damn. I forgot again.”

  “These things will start sticking, believe me.” Conrad looked over Liam’s shoulder. “So, where’s the Missus?”

  Liam turned around. A lone young female was cutting a cob of corn off one of the stalks. “She’s handling the corn. I took care of the cabbage. Tried to find something that didn’t require her to bend over so much. I told her to load the corn on the wheelbarrow. I’ll take care of it when it’s full. No sense in making her haul this stuff inside.”

  Conrad’s eyes darted back to the apple tree. “Look, I think you two ought to wrap things up in the next few minutes.”

  Liam wiped his forehead. “I know. Lunch is coming up.”

  “Not just that. We actually have another member of the family staying here,” Conrad said, “Your grandpa, my dad. I didn’t have a chance to introduce you.”

  Liam clung to the dolly even tighter. “Wait, Grandpa is here? Where?” He looked around the farm.

  “Easy. He’s not inside the house. Bring Carla to the apple tree on that hill in an hour.” Conrad pointed to the little spot of land he had been eyeing. “I’ll round up Tom, Sarah and Camilla.”

  THE GRAY TOMBSTONE planted in the ground rested in the shadow of the apple tree. The name “James Bradford Drake” was carved on it, along with his birth and death dates. Sandwiched between his dates of birth and death and his name was a phrase: “Father.” That was it. No “beloved” father or “loving” father, nothing to qualify the word. To this day, “father” was all Conrad could agree with himself to place on that stone.

  Liam knelt down next to the marker and pointed to his grandfather’s date of death. “He died last year.”

  Sarah gazed at the stone with all the ease of a prey animal sensing a predator nearby. Conrad took note of it. He had wondered which of this party would react the worst to this event. Sarah was on the top of his mental list. To be in the presence of his father, even if it was just his bones resting in the ground, would be hard for Sarah.

  Carla Emmet kneeled down next to Liam, so close that her curly brunette locks brushed against the left side of Liam’s face. “Did you know him well?” she asked, “You never talked about him.”

  Liam let out a labored breath. “I barely remember him at all. It’s just slight flashes in my head, images. I actually remember Uncle Jerry more than Grandpa.”

  Sarah clutched her arms. “I can’t believe he was alive for this long,” she said quietly.

  Conrad approached her. “I don’t think he did, either,” he said.

  Sarah turned slightly to her former husband. “So, what happened? Did he come here?”

  Conrad nodded. “Shortly after the New Year, I got a call from his caretaker. Said that Dad wanted to come by. Now, as you can imagine, having Dad show up is a bit of a scary proposition, so I got some details out of her first.” He scratched his upper lip. “Turned out he was harmless, so I said ‘sure.’ Next day he was driven here.”

  He tensed up. “Never thought I’d see Dad look that weak. I always remembered him as a force of nature, with hands as big as life. But when he showed up, he looked like death warmed over. A few strokes had taken him down several notches. He couldn’t walk. His memory was failing. He couldn’t speak but more than a few words at a time.”

  Sarah’s mouth opened a little, while Carla stood up and said, “My God. I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Wait, you said his caretaker talked to you?” Sarah said, “What about your brother, Sergeant? Wouldn’t he be taking care of your dad?”

  “Cirrhosis got Sarge seven years ago. Before that he was in and out of the hospital for five more years. There’s no way he could have helped Dad.” Conrad glanced at the stone.

  “No, Camilla and I took him in. She was living with me at the time. I think Dad knew his time was over and wanted to die in the presence of family.” Conrad frowned. “The sad part is we spent our best days together in those last few weeks, only because he had no strength left to fuss or fight over stupid things. I think he also felt guilty that he had outlived Mom and all his sons except for me.”

  Sarah folded her arms. “Did he ever apologize to you?” she asked, with no amount of disguised resentment. “Did he say a damned thing about the fights he had with you or the way he treated the rest of his family?”

  Conrad’s eyes met hers. “I think both of us were happy to let sleeping dogs lie,” he said, “Besides, I’m not sure he recalled much at all. Some days it was like he was in a dream. He might not have been the best father, but I was not going to cause him any pain by dredging up events that he might not have remembered.”

  “But it sounds like you two parted on good terms,” Tom said. “For what it’s worth.”

  “It was better than I expected.” Conrad faced the stone again. For a moment, his voice cracked. “I think…he was even proud of me. I saw it in those eyes on the last day. Couldn’t voice a thing, but I’m sure it was there.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Personally, I think that’s good enough for me.”

  Liam rose up and stood with Carla. Conrad swallowed. These two youngsters missed out on Grandpa Drake by about a year. How would the old man have reacted if he learned he’d be a great grandfather? How would Liam have reacted reuniting with his grandfather?

  Sad part is, once upon a time I wouldn’t have wante
d Dad and my kid under the same roof, Conrad thought. Perhaps it was all for the best. Conrad’s family hardly had been a model family, and many of them had paid for bad living. At least now he could make sure his descendants had a better life.

  Conrad turned to Carla and smiled at the young woman. “Four generations of the Drake family on this land. Never imagined such a thing when I built this ranch.”

  Carla smiled in return while Liam held Sarah’s shoulder. “Thanks for showing us Grandpa,” Liam said.

  Sarah nodded. “Thanks for the news,” she said with slight bitterness. Then she walked off, not bothering to look at anyone else. “Excuse me, I have more canning to do.” Tom quickly ran after her.

  Carla’s mouth opened. “Is something wrong?” she asked, turning to both Conrad and Liam.

  Conrad watched his ex hurry off back to the canning stove. “Don’t worry about it, darling. Dad didn’t endear himself to Sarah. I hoped this would close a door in her life. Maybe it just reopened an old wound instead.”

  TOM FOLLOWED Sarah closely as she neared her canning stove. Right now following her was like traveling in the wake of a storm cloud. A slight scowl mixed with irritation had plagued Sarah’s expression since they had left the hill.

  Finally, Tom decided to break the ice, in spite of the old wounds he might be reopening. “Sounds like you had some run-ins with Conrad’s dad,” he said.