Read Online The Journal: Cracked Earth by Deborah D. Moore - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Deborah D. Moore
Tags: Survival, Zombie, apocalypse, disaster, undead, prepper, postapocalypse, outbreak, preparedness, prepper fiction, survival guide
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buying like in the city. I then suggested that
he might also want to consider hiring a night watchman. That was a
shock to him, because this is a fairly crime-free community and
there hasn’t ever been the need for guards before. Half the people
in town don’t even lock their doors.
Along with the store is the only Laundromat
in town and a café that serves breakfast and lunch. The biggest
draw is that both areas are internet hot spots. One of the
downsides of being so rural is the dependency on only a few relay
towers, and those towers need power. When the power goes out, so
does the connection. Joe has a huge backup generator for the store
complex, and since he provides the electricity for the tower on top
of his building, the internet should still work. I say “should”
because it’s never been fully tested.
I like Joe. We’ve been friends a long time,
and I suggested that he take some of the food stock home with him,
a couple cases of veggies at the very least. He glumly nodded and
left.
Anna is a very petite gray/blond, with never
a hair out of place and is always nicely dressed. She looked
shocked and ruffled while she slumped in the oversized brown
leather chair and drummed her manicured fingertips on the glass
desktop.
“On our own? No help from anyone? What are we
going to do?” she asked after I relayed the information from Liz to
her. She was so not ready for this.
“The first thing we’re going to do, Anna, is
stay calm. The town will look to you for guidance. You are the
elected official here. In a disaster situation I’m to take point,
however, I think you should be there too. Together we can do this.
Okay?” She had that deer in the headlights look, and merely nodded.
What is it with the nodding lately? Everyone seems to have lost
their voice. “For now, I think we should start with some lists. Who
do we think will be leaders? Who do we think could cause trouble?
Who are the seniors that might need help or checking on? Is there
anyone else like Leon, who is severely disabled? Oh, and who has
wood heat?”
“I don’t know, Allexa. Are these really
important issues?” she asked me dismissively.
“They might be, Anna. I think we should have
the answers before we need to ask the question, especially
concerning the elderly and the disabled,” I stated firmly.
“It’s only been a few days, and we really
haven’t been affected by the earthquake. No one seems to be all
that worried.”
“They may not be worried right now but what
about tomorrow or the next day when everyone starts to realize just
how short our local food supply is? We are going to want to know
who is out there that needs our help,” I insisted.
Stubborn as she was being, she finally saw my
point after a discussion. The sun was going down by the time I left
her office.
* * *
JOURNAL ENTRY: November 13
The power went out for a couple of hours this
evening, but it’s back on now. We get our power feed from Wisconsin
and they are closer to ground zero than we are. I’m wondering how
long the power stations will continue to be operational. It would
only make sense for all the nuclear reactor plants to go into a
systematic shutdown to prevent a major incident, like the
Fukushima, Chernobyl, or Three Mile Island situations.
Hundreds more minor aftershocks continue to
hamper any rescue efforts along the New Madrid fault. It’s a mess
down there.
CHAPTER
FIVE
The power went out again early this morning and
hasn’t come back on.
I had another meeting scheduled with Anna
today. It’s a good thing the township hall is only four miles down
the road from me. I might be using up my allotted gas just going to
town, although that will last only while the roads are open. The
weather was mild until yesterday, when the temperatures dropped
into the twenties and we got a dusting of snow. This is only the
beginning. Average snowfall here is almost 200 inches in a
season, and I’ve seen 360 inches in some areas. If
he might also want to consider hiring a night watchman. That was a
shock to him, because this is a fairly crime-free community and
there hasn’t ever been the need for guards before. Half the people
in town don’t even lock their doors.
Along with the store is the only Laundromat
in town and a café that serves breakfast and lunch. The biggest
draw is that both areas are internet hot spots. One of the
downsides of being so rural is the dependency on only a few relay
towers, and those towers need power. When the power goes out, so
does the connection. Joe has a huge backup generator for the store
complex, and since he provides the electricity for the tower on top
of his building, the internet should still work. I say “should”
because it’s never been fully tested.
I like Joe. We’ve been friends a long time,
and I suggested that he take some of the food stock home with him,
a couple cases of veggies at the very least. He glumly nodded and
left.
Anna is a very petite gray/blond, with never
a hair out of place and is always nicely dressed. She looked
shocked and ruffled while she slumped in the oversized brown
leather chair and drummed her manicured fingertips on the glass
desktop.
“On our own? No help from anyone? What are we
going to do?” she asked after I relayed the information from Liz to
her. She was so not ready for this.
“The first thing we’re going to do, Anna, is
stay calm. The town will look to you for guidance. You are the
elected official here. In a disaster situation I’m to take point,
however, I think you should be there too. Together we can do this.
Okay?” She had that deer in the headlights look, and merely nodded.
What is it with the nodding lately? Everyone seems to have lost
their voice. “For now, I think we should start with some lists. Who
do we think will be leaders? Who do we think could cause trouble?
Who are the seniors that might need help or checking on? Is there
anyone else like Leon, who is severely disabled? Oh, and who has
wood heat?”
“I don’t know, Allexa. Are these really
important issues?” she asked me dismissively.
“They might be, Anna. I think we should have
the answers before we need to ask the question, especially
concerning the elderly and the disabled,” I stated firmly.
“It’s only been a few days, and we really
haven’t been affected by the earthquake. No one seems to be all
that worried.”
“They may not be worried right now but what
about tomorrow or the next day when everyone starts to realize just
how short our local food supply is? We are going to want to know
who is out there that needs our help,” I insisted.
Stubborn as she was being, she finally saw my
point after a discussion. The sun was going down by the time I left
her office.
* * *
JOURNAL ENTRY: November 13
The power went out for a couple of hours this
evening, but it’s back on now. We get our power feed from Wisconsin
and they are closer to ground zero than we are. I’m wondering how
long the power stations will continue to be operational. It would
only make sense for all the nuclear reactor plants to go into a
systematic shutdown to prevent a major incident, like the
Fukushima, Chernobyl, or Three Mile Island situations.
Hundreds more minor aftershocks continue to
hamper any rescue efforts along the New Madrid fault. It’s a mess
down there.
CHAPTER
FIVE
The power went out again early this morning and
hasn’t come back on.
I had another meeting scheduled with Anna
today. It’s a good thing the township hall is only four miles down
the road from me. I might be using up my allotted gas just going to
town, although that will last only while the roads are open. The
weather was mild until yesterday, when the temperatures dropped
into the twenties and we got a dusting of snow. This is only the
beginning. Average snowfall here is almost 200 inches in a
season, and I’ve seen 360 inches in some areas. If
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