Read Preppers of the Apocalypse - Part 1: Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival for Free Online

miles away yet. Look.”
     
    “That’s
not why I want you to pull over.”
     
    “You
can’t keep running Ash. You need me today. If I go back to town and tell them
you bailed on me, you’ll have half the population chasing you outta Pasture
Down with pitchforks.”
     
    “Fine,
just shut up then. Please.”
     
    “Sooner
or later you’re going to have to face up to things.”
     
    “Thought
you were supposed to be gone by now, anyway? What about your family in
Greenock?”
     
    “We’re
getting more stuff together and then heading to the ranch. Don’t think we’ll be
coming back to Pasture.”
     
    “What,
never?”
     
    “Think
about it, Ash. If this was a power shortage, you’d expect out it to be back on
by now. Even if not, surely somebody would have come to see us? But we’ve seen
nobody. No-one from the power company, the army, the police. This isn’t just a
power cut.”
     
    “Then
what is it? I’ve heard lots of theories, but nothing that’s clear cut.”
     
    “Definitely
an emp. An attack. By who, I don’t know. How far it goes, I have no idea.”
     
    “Pull
up,” said Ash.
     
    The
power station was in front of them now. A giant cylinder chimney stretched a
hundred feet into the sky. Usually it would have had plumes of white steam
rising from the top and discolouring the air, but there was nothing coming from
it today.
     
    Ash
grabbed a pair of binoculars from beside his feet and scanned the power plant
boundaries. A chain-link fence ran around the perimeter, and there was a guard
booth at the entrance next to a two-lane road that let cars move in and out of
the facility. There was nobody there now, and no signs of movement anywhere.
Ash moved his head and looked at every inch of the plant, until he saw a white
sign strapped to part of the fence. Something was painted on it in red.
     
    WARNING:
Plant in meltdown. Do not approach.
     
    He
started to notice that there were at least five other versions of the same sign
spread across the perimeter. He realised what this meant, and he suddenly felt
cold. He lowered the binoculars from his eyes and turned to Tony.
     
    “Oh
shit,” was the only thing he could say.
     
    “We’ve
gotta leave,” said Tony.” All of us. Everyone in town. “
     
    “I’ve
wanted to leave all along.”
     
    “You
sure you don’t want to come with us to the ranch?”
     
    “Why
are you being so kind to me?”
     
    “Everyone
deserves a second chance,” said Tony. “One day you’re going to open yourself up
and everything you’ve done will come crashing down on you. When it does, you’re
gonna need someone there to pick up the pieces. “
     
    Ash
thought about saying something, but instead he stayed silent and slunk back
into his seat.
     
    “Sure
you’re not coming?” said Tony.
     
    “Can’t.
Need to get home.”
     
    Tony
nodded. “Okay. When we get back to town, I’m leaving for the ranch. “
     
    Tony
turned the car around and they drove back the way they came, toward Pasture
Down. Tony drove faster this time and the speedometer crept toward ninety. It
felt like he was trying to outrun the radiation that the meltdown would soon
spread. The pick-up rattled, but the vehicle seemed to handle to increase in
speed.
     
    As
they drove across the rocky plain they heard a bang, and suddenly the pickup
lurched violently to the left. Tony struggled with the steering wheel, and Ash
grabbed his seat belt and checked it was tight enough.
     
    “Shit,”
said tony. “Puncture.”
     
    As
he put his foot on the breaks and the speed needle dropped, there was another
bang.
     
    “That
the other tire?” said Ash.
     
    He
didn’t believe that anyone could be unlucky enough to have two punctures in the
space of seconds, yet it seemed like that was exactly what had happened.
Pasture Down was still five miles away. As Ash thought about how much he didn’t
want to walk back to town, something hit the passenger door of the pickup. It
sounded like a rock