Grid Down: A Strike against America – An EMP Survival Story- Book One Read Online Free PDF Page B

added. “I believe things will get better. It’s just going to take some time. That is why I propose we begin planning for up to six more months of hunkering down.”
    Grumbling carried on as the group turned to each other, astonished.
    “Six months?” Carlos said. “We’ll need more supplies, or we’re screwed.”
    “Exactly,” Rob said, setting his notes aside. “That is why we need to organize a team for a supply run. Who are my volunteers?”
    Everyone looked around. While each family had a working vehicle, no one was sure if they wanted to take the risk of leaving their cabin. They were rife with inner conflict. But a decision needed to be reached. 

 
     
    ***
     
    Mila creaked open the front door leading into Elliot and Reba’s cabin. All their blinds were drawn, and the room was dark.
    “Reba?  Hi, it’s Mila,” she said, but received no response. 
    She walked in and closed the door behind her. There was a room to her left with the door half shut. As she approached it, she could already hear Reba’s heavy breathing. One peek inside, and she saw Reba lying on top of the sheets in a nightgown. She grimaced as she slept, and her stomach rose and fell with rapid movements. Her face was sweating, and her curly white hair looked damp. Surprised, Mila cupped her mouth, hesitant to get any closer. Reba looked a lot worse than her husband had described.
    Mila pulled some gloves from her pocket, donned a surgical mask, and grabbed a nearby chair. As the chair squeaked against the wood floor, Reba awoke.
    “Who’s there?” she asked, as her eyes slowly opened. 
    “It’s me. Mila.” A closer inspection and she could see that Reba’s face was unusually pale and drenched in sweat. An empty bucket rested near the bed on the floor. Reba’s stomach was making all sorts of sounds. Mila took a glass of water from the nightstand. “Have a sip,” she said.
    “Not thirsty.”
    Reba drew away and recoiled into a fetal position, clutching her chest. “How much pain are you in?” Mila asked, but Reba’s only response was a groan.
    Mila placed a gloved hand on Reba’s back, over her nightgown, causing Reba to shudder.
    “I want to help you,” Mila said. “But I need to know what’s wrong. How long have you been sick?”
    Reba tilted her sickly head back and spoke in a whisper. “Two days … I think.”
    “Listen, Reba. I need to get my medical bag and check your pulse and temperature. Do you think it might have been something you ate or drank?” As she said the words, she stared at the cup of water in her other hand.
    “I don’t know,” Reba said, her voice trailing.
    “Has there been any vomiting? Any diarrhea?”
    “Both …” Reba answered. “Stomach is in knots. Extremely painful.”
    Mila set the glass down and touched Reba’s back again. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
    Reba nodded as Mila stood up, causing the chair to slide back and scrape against the floor again. She didn’t want to leave the poor woman clutching herself in pain, but if she was going to act, it needed to be fast.

 
     
    ***
     
    “I have a concern,” Ashlee, Brad’s petite wife, said, standing up to address the group. “Apparently, Grady has been spotted in the area, bothering our children again, mumbling obscenities.”
    “Someone needs to do something about that old kook,” Brad added.
    Carlos waved them off. “He’s harmless. Lost in space.”
    Ashlee was persistent. “We don’t need someone like him trolling around. He could lead others here.”
    Grady was a hermit of sorts who lived nearby. At first, they took him to be a vagrant, given his tattered clothes, bushy beard, and generally unkempt appearance. But he had a shack nearby and had been living off the land long before the others had come to the area.
    “We’ll deal with him soon enough,” Rob said. “Let’s get back on track here. I need at least three volunteers to accompany me in town to get supplies.”
    “I’ll go!” Mila’s