36 Hours: A Post-Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series Read Online Free PDF

can induce currents in the electrical grid, overheat transformers, and cause them to fail. These enormous transformers that are part of our power grid can take months or years to replace. You can’t exactly buy another one at Home Depot .”
    “That explains it,” said Alex as she adjusted the volume.
    “Explains what?” asked Madison as she entered the iron gates at Hillwood Country Club.
    “Today, Mr. Stark completely abandoned our lesson plan. The homework assignment from last night had nothing to do with the sun and solar flares. He joked about the change of subject, but Mr. Stark really focused on the sun and its potential for danger.”
    “Do you think he knows something?”
    “Maybe,” replied Alex. “He made all of us download an app on our phones today. It’s called FlareAware.”
    “What’s it for?” Madison put the truck into park near the clubhouse entrance. Golfers were milling about, but she didn’t see any of the Davidson Academy team.
    “The app provides you up-to-the-minute reports on the sun’s activity. Most of the time, it doesn’t send you any alerts. But when a major eruption occurs, they send out phone voice mails and text alerts. FlareAware gives you real-time warnings where the news does not.”
    Madison popped the rear hatch to help Alex get her gear together. The Fox report had downplayed the potential of the solar storm. Why? Are they hiding something, or are they protecting us from ourselves?
     

Chapter 6
    31 Hours
    4:21 p.m., September 7
    West End Avenue
    Nashville, Tennessee
     
    Madison tried to put the thoughts of solar Armageddon out of her mind. If they faced a significant danger, the government would tell them about it. She walked into Barnes & Noble to grab a Starbucks and kill some time. While she enjoyed reading on her Kindle, she still liked the touch and feel of magazines. She grabbed her coffee and made her way to the magazine rack.
    A sizable group of people crowded around a table where an author was conducting a book signing. The people waiting in line didn’t look like the tweed jacket and leather elbow patch Vandy crowd. Most wore some form of camouflaged hunting clothing. There were babies on hips and young children squirming by their parent’s side. Madison decided to get a closer look.
    The author was signing books and chatting up his readers. “How would you like me to address it?” he asked.
    “My name is Lesley Prentice Henry. That’s spelled L-E-S-L-E-Y. You can skip the Prentice part.”
    “Okay, Lesley,” the author said, laughing. He looked up at her under the bill of his camouflaged hat, which had a lightning bolt streaked across the front. “Are you a prepper?”
    “We’re working on it,” she replied. Then she added, seemingly embarrassed, “It’s overwhelming and expensive.”
    “I understand,” he said. He stopped writing and focused his attention on her. “I tell everybody to concentrate on the simple things, namely beans, Band-Aids, and bullets. In the back of my book, you’ll find an appendix with a detailed checklist and links to my website. Take baby steps, Lesley. If you ever have any questions, just email me. I’d be glad to help.”
    “Well, thank you, sir, for your advice,” she said. “May I ask one more question?”
    “Of course,” he said, smiling to the next person in line as if to apologize for the delay. Those waiting didn’t seem to mind.
    “You’ve written a lot of books about prepping,” she started. “What do you fear the most?”
    The author laughed. “Great question. First of all, I don’t fear anything. Why? Because my wife and I are ready for every potential scenario. That said, I believe the biggest threat our nation faces is any catastrophic event that results in a collapse of our critical infrastructure.”
    “Like what?” asked the next person in line.
    “Our country faces many threats, both natural and man-made. Any of these could cause our power grid to go dark, and the result would be