Read Online Jakarta Pandemic, The by Steven Konkoly - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Steven Konkoly
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unit on this wall, immediately to the left of the hot water tank, held fifteen small, green Coleman propane cans, four rechargeable/battery-operated walkie-talkies, assorted lighters, thirty unscented pillar candles, one hand-crank powered weather/emergency radio, a Uniden handheld scanner, and at least fifty packages of batteries. Staring at the batteries, Alex calculated that the batteries alone were probably worth more than five hundred dollars.
That’s pretty much it.
He turned his attention to the circuit breaker located to the right of the oil tanks. An electrical transfer switch was located adjacent to the circuit breaker, which was set to either “To Grid” or “To House.” When set “To Grid,” electricity flowed from the photovoltaic panels to the batteries until the batteries were fully charged. At that point, the electricity was diverted through the power box to the electrical grid, where it was sold back to Central Maine Power and discounted from the Fletchers’ electric bill. In the “To House” setting, the batteries were charged by the solar panels, and their electrical flow was connected to circuits in the house. Under normal circumstances, this switch was set to “To Grid.” Alex confirmed that both switches were in the proper position.
He turned toward the door, intent upon leaving, and jotted one more note: “Get checklist for other stuff.” He’d need to review their pre-printed pandemic checklist, which addressed other issues like their investments, filling up their cars, and buying extra gas in case they needed to relocate somewhere further than one tank would take them. They’d developed this checklist over the past few years, combining recommendations found in various online sources. He made another note: “Fill up empty gas containers. Fill up cars.” He had several empty gas containers in the garage, enough to hold about twenty gallons of gasoline all together. As he approached the door, he looked at his watch.
Almost nine. It’s like a time machine down here.
He glanced at the gun locker and hesitated for a moment. He stood on his toes and reached up into the rafters of the ceiling. He found the key and unlocked the gun safe’s door. The locker held four weapons, ammunition for each weapon, gun cleaning supplies and a few accessories. A rifle and a shotgun leaned against the small rack extending from the bottom of the locker to a shelf near the top. Two pistols and their magazines sat on the shelf, along with four boxes of pistol ammunition. The rifle magazines and ammunition lay at the bottom of the locker between the rifle and shotgun. A small shelf on the locker door held a few dozen loose shotgun shells, and the top shelf also held a scope for the rifle.
Alex grabbed the rifle and removed it from the locker. Out of military habit, he grasped the slide handle and pulled it back, opening the rifle’s breech. He tilted the weapon and held it slightly forward and up, pointing the barrel toward the closest light in the room. At this angle, he looked through the ejection port into the breech end of the rifle barrel. He could see light through the barrel, which indicated that the weapon was clear and not loaded. The entire process took less than one second.
“Clear,” he whispered.
Satisfied that the weapon was safe, he could handle the Colt AR-15A3 Carbine more casually. The weapon was his favorite, most closely resembling the M-4 rifle he carried for years as a marine officer. He racked the slide a few more times, squeezing the trigger to confirm ease of action. He racked the slide again, aiming at the far end of the basement, sighting in on a can of tomatoes. Holding still, he lined up the front and rear sight of the rifle on the can, and steadily pulled the trigger. Click . The sight was still set on the can. A perfect trigger pull. Alex put the rifle back into the locker and grabbed the shotgun.
The Mossberg 590 Combat Shotgun was huge in his grip. He slid the
That’s pretty much it.
He turned his attention to the circuit breaker located to the right of the oil tanks. An electrical transfer switch was located adjacent to the circuit breaker, which was set to either “To Grid” or “To House.” When set “To Grid,” electricity flowed from the photovoltaic panels to the batteries until the batteries were fully charged. At that point, the electricity was diverted through the power box to the electrical grid, where it was sold back to Central Maine Power and discounted from the Fletchers’ electric bill. In the “To House” setting, the batteries were charged by the solar panels, and their electrical flow was connected to circuits in the house. Under normal circumstances, this switch was set to “To Grid.” Alex confirmed that both switches were in the proper position.
He turned toward the door, intent upon leaving, and jotted one more note: “Get checklist for other stuff.” He’d need to review their pre-printed pandemic checklist, which addressed other issues like their investments, filling up their cars, and buying extra gas in case they needed to relocate somewhere further than one tank would take them. They’d developed this checklist over the past few years, combining recommendations found in various online sources. He made another note: “Fill up empty gas containers. Fill up cars.” He had several empty gas containers in the garage, enough to hold about twenty gallons of gasoline all together. As he approached the door, he looked at his watch.
Almost nine. It’s like a time machine down here.
He glanced at the gun locker and hesitated for a moment. He stood on his toes and reached up into the rafters of the ceiling. He found the key and unlocked the gun safe’s door. The locker held four weapons, ammunition for each weapon, gun cleaning supplies and a few accessories. A rifle and a shotgun leaned against the small rack extending from the bottom of the locker to a shelf near the top. Two pistols and their magazines sat on the shelf, along with four boxes of pistol ammunition. The rifle magazines and ammunition lay at the bottom of the locker between the rifle and shotgun. A small shelf on the locker door held a few dozen loose shotgun shells, and the top shelf also held a scope for the rifle.
Alex grabbed the rifle and removed it from the locker. Out of military habit, he grasped the slide handle and pulled it back, opening the rifle’s breech. He tilted the weapon and held it slightly forward and up, pointing the barrel toward the closest light in the room. At this angle, he looked through the ejection port into the breech end of the rifle barrel. He could see light through the barrel, which indicated that the weapon was clear and not loaded. The entire process took less than one second.
“Clear,” he whispered.
Satisfied that the weapon was safe, he could handle the Colt AR-15A3 Carbine more casually. The weapon was his favorite, most closely resembling the M-4 rifle he carried for years as a marine officer. He racked the slide a few more times, squeezing the trigger to confirm ease of action. He racked the slide again, aiming at the far end of the basement, sighting in on a can of tomatoes. Holding still, he lined up the front and rear sight of the rifle on the can, and steadily pulled the trigger. Click . The sight was still set on the can. A perfect trigger pull. Alex put the rifle back into the locker and grabbed the shotgun.
The Mossberg 590 Combat Shotgun was huge in his grip. He slid the
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