Read Online The Pulse: An EMP Prepper Survival Tale by Roger Hayden - Free Book Online

and tried to calm her.
    "Everything is going to be okay. I'm about to
try to start my truck, and then I'm out of here. If you're having
car troubles I can give you a lift home if you want."
    Denise smiled. "That would be great," she
said, touching his arm. They walked to his truck, as James hoped
for the best. Off in the distance, near the bus ramp, a bus was
stopped in the middle of the street with several students standing
around it. Others zipped by the scene on bikes. James and Denise
approached a beat-up F150.
    "All right, let's see if this works," James
said, entering the driver's side.
    Denise looked at the vehicle in wonder.
"Wow," she said. "This car is an antique."
    "Sure is." James placed the key in the
ignition, and put his foot on the clutch. He cranked the engine
while holding onto the stick shift. The truck roared to life
without issue. James let out a heavy sigh in relief.
    "It starts. I can't believe that it starts!"
Denise said, looking into the truck through James' side window. He
grinned and looked over at her.
    "Go ahead and hop in; I'll take you
home."
    She got in and looked at the minimal interior
of the truck in awe. There was no carpet. The long bench seat in
the front was old and worn, and the radio looked like something out
of the 1950s.
    "How did start it?" she asked while shutting
her door.
    “I just turned the key,” James said.
    He moved stick shift into reverse and backed
out of the parking space. They fled the lot while drawing the
curious attention of several nearby onlookers. All the traffic
lights were out, and motionless cars were blocking both lanes.
James did his best to maneuver around them. Stranded commuters
barely took notice, as their attention was focused on their own
vehicles.
    "Not all cars are susceptible to EMPs,” James
said to Denise. “At least from what I've read. I'm sure that
military and law enforcement vehicles are designed to withstand the
attack. I sure hope they are. I know the government has taken some
precaution in that regard. My truck was designed before computer
circuitry became a standard part of the engine. This is a 1975 Ford
F150. Is it old as hell? Yes. Is it invincible? No. Is it
completely safe from an EMP? I don't know. It's running now. I
mainly got it because it's diesel and the engine is reliable."
    "Why diesel?" Denise asked.
    "Because in the event of massive fuel
shortages, you can use alternate measures in lieu of diesel
fuel."
    "Like what?"
    James thought for a minute. "Like vegetable
oil, for instance."
    Denise laughed. "Yeah, right!" she said.
    "It's true. I tried it before. Truck runs
just the same."
    "That's crazy," Denise said, staring
ahead.
    "Let me know where I'm going here," James
said.
    "Oh, I'm sorry, take a right at the light up
here." Her voice dropped when she how many cars were in their path.
At least ten alone blocked the road to her neighborhood street.
James drove on the side of the road to get around them.
    They arrived at her house, located in a
quiet, nearly empty neighborhood. She exited James's truck visibly
shaken. She closed her side door and walked to James's side.
    "Thank you so much, James. I really don't
know how to thank you."
    "You just did," James replied. The thought of
inviting her to his bug-out house crossed his mind, even though he
knew that she was married. He couldn't help it. "Good luck and stay
safe."
    "Do you think things will go back to normal
soon?" she asked.
    "I'd say it depends on the extent of the EMP
blast and how prepared emergency teams are for it. Just make sure
that you get plenty of food, water, and supplies from the store
before their shelves are emptied. A couple of days of this will be
all it takes."
    "But how?" Denise began.
    "Ride a bike. Walk if you have to. I can't
stress it enough; you have to be stocked up."
    Denise touched James's hand. "Thank you
again," she said, turning to her small one-story three-bedroom
house. She waved and walked in through the front door. James waited
until