Countdown to Armageddon Read Online Free PDF Page A

you… Scott. And thank you also for not thinking me looney, like my friends did.”
         “Oh, I don’t think you’re looney at all.”
         He smiled, and wondered… Then he came back to reality.
         “I won’t be home much the next couple of days, but I’ll have my cell with me twenty four seven. Please let me know what the Ryan family thinks of my offer.”
         Joyce held out her hand for his, and once again appreciated his strong grip. She wondered what those hands might feel like exploring her body.
         “Thank you again, Scott. I’ll definitely be in touch.”
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    -6-
     
         Scott sat at his desk and looked over the reports he’d gotten from Joyce. Water wasn’t going to be a problem. Neither was electrical power. He had seen an unused room in the partially finished basement. It would be ideal for placing several industrial sized batteries for storing power. He’d looked at plans he found on line for a self-contained power system, and he planned to install one in the basement of the Ryan house.
         His plan was simple. When the wind was blowing, the wind turbine generated more power than the house used. So with battery storage available, the excess could be stored for whenever the wind wasn’t blowing. Likewise, on a bright sunny day, the solar panels generated more energy than the house needed. That excess power could also be stored in the batteries, for use at night and on cloudy days.
         Scott planned to purchase a good sized diesel generator for backup, but according to his calculations, it would only be needed occasionally. When, say for example, there was no significant sunshine or wind for more than two days. By his estimates, that shouldn’t happen more than a few times a year. And it would only be for short periods of time. A diesel generator would ensure uninterrupted power as long as his supply of diesel fuel held out. And he planned to stock a lot of it.
         He got in his car and drove to the Hobby Lobby in the strip mall near his house. It took him awhile to find what he was looking for. But finally, on the bottom shelf of a kitchen nick-knack aisle, he found small tin boxes for holding oversized recipe cards. They were just the right size for holding a walkie talkie and eight AA batteries. He bought three of them, a large sheet of quarter inch thick rubber, a bottle of contact cement and a pair of scissors. And a Snickers bar at the register. Preparing for the end of civilization worked up a powerful hunger.
         He got home and settled in at his dining room table just a few minutes before Zachary walked in the front door.
         “Hi, Dad! What are you up to?”
         “I’m making survival packs for you and your brother.”
         “Oh, okay. What’s for dinner?” Zachary had stopped being surprised years before of his father’s occasional odd habits. If he was at all curious about the “survival packs” he didn’t let on.
         “Call Papa John’s and order a couple of pizzas, will you?”
         Zachary didn’t have to be told twice. His father was a passing cook. But Papa John’s was so much better.
         Scott carefully measured the inside of the small tin boxes he’d bought from Hobby Lobby. Then he cut the rubber and lined the inside of each box. Once pleased with the fit, he glued the rubber into place with contact cement.
         Then he opened up a package of three Motorola 22-channel two way radios that he’d bought a few days before. He set each one on channel 5, and placed one in each of the boxes. Each radio needed four batteries to operate. He doubled that amount and put eight batteries in each box as well. Then he closed the lid. It was a perfect fit.
         He pulled out a large Target shopping bag which contained three identical black backpacks. He placed a tin box within each of the