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In order to reach the freeway, Sean and Maria had to travel a mile or two through the town of Bellevue, a small suburb of Pittsburgh. It was a quiet ride with dark windows and quiet streets to greet them and with no children out playing in the freshly fallen snow. They only saw a few people out and about who looked at their carts and weapons in bewilderment and surprise. Sean wasn’t taking time to explain or converse though; he had his game face on and stared down anyone they came across. Although it was probably unnecessary this early on, Sean wasn’t taking any chances. At one point they passed a house that was nothing but smoldering ruins. Someone had probably tried to improvise to warm their house with a fire or something stupid. Sean hoped the family had gotten out alive but quickly put it out of his mind, focusing on his surroundings for any sign of threat.
A few of the larger hills in town forced them to push the bikes instead of ride them. Sean felt most vulnerable at these times as he preferred the faster pace of the bicycles because it wouldn’t give potential looters the opportunity to organize and confront them. By the time they were heading up the last hill leaving town, they were both spent. Maria had asked for a break but Sean refused. It was an extremely hard decision for him to make after watching his pregnant wife struggle, but it just wasn’t safe yet. There were too many houses lining both sides of the street and too many windows. Numerous times Sean had witnessed a curtain moving or the outline of someone in a second story window. Each time he witnessed this made his skin itch. It was like they were the main characters of some zombie movie. To stop and rest now would only embolden someone to come begging for some of their food or worse yet, try and take it. Sean wanted the wide open landscape of the freeway before they rested, that way he could see any potential threats coming from a long way off.
They pushed through the last hill and Sean stopped them in the middle of the bridge overpass that spanned the highway. The last hill they had climbed had removed them from town and the towering walls of windows. He un-slung his SU-16, and after making sure there was no one around, sat next to Maria on the tailgate of an abandoned pickup truck totally spent.
“How you doin’, princess?” he asked, concerned.
“Tired,” she said. “If only I had gone to the gym more often. That membership was a waste.”
“I hear you. At least you have an excuse for that little belly of yours. Mine is a result of pure laziness the last couple years.” Sean had purchased the Insanity workout DVD’s over a year ago and he had been promising himself every week he would start working out.
“That was really creepy. It was so quiet riding through town, like something out of a scary movie.” Maria commented.
“I know. I had the same thought myself. That’s the reason I want to get through Zelienople by tonight. By tomorrow, I think people are going to start figuring it out that the power is not coming back on. They are going to start freaking out, and desperate people can’t be trusted.”
“What time is it?” Maria asked.
Sean looked down at his kinetic watch. “It’s just after eleven a.m.”
“How many miles do we have left?”
“Oh, I’d say just over twenty. I still think we have plenty of time to get there before nightfall. My biggest concern is that you don’t overexert yourself. Now that we’re on the freeway without any houses, we can take more breaks. How are you doing on water?”
“Good. I haven’t drank that much.” She reached up to her shoulder and grabbed the hose from the camelback, taking a long swig of water.
“That’s not good, babe. Even though it’s cold, you can still get dehydrated really easily, especially when sweating. If you do, you’re going to lose energy and we’ll have to slow our pace even further. That could result in us not making it to the farm by tomorrow night. The last thing we want is to spend an extra night out in the woods, right?”
That was the very last thing Maria wanted to do. “Right,” she agreed as she took another long drink from the camelback.
“You hungry?” Maria nodded her head in the affirmative, so Sean hopped off the tailgate and grabbed a couple MRE’s out of the top of his pack. He had repackaged their MRE’s into Zip Lock bags to save space. “What do you feel like: Beef Stroganoff or Spaghetti and Meatballs?”
“Spaghetti, I guess.”
He came back and poured some water from his canteen into the MRE heater pouches. Placing a meal in each, he leaned them up against the inside of the truck bed to heat. Handing Maria a power bar, Sean hoisted himself up into the truck bed and slowly made a complete circle, checking in each direction for signs of movement. When satisfied they were still alone, he sat back down on the tailgate next to Maria. He tore the wrapper from his granola bar and after a few bites realized how famished he was.
“Hey Babe, let’s get up and stretch our legs. If we sit still too long in this cold, our legs will turn to jelly.” Sean was already starting to feel his muscles twitch. This was the most exercise he had done in two months since the last backpacking trip with Randy, Damian, Caleb and Brody. Maria followed his lead and they walked over to the edge of the bridge, looking down at the freeway and the cars dotting the road. When the EMP had hit, most drivers had coasted their cars off to the shoulder but there were still a few on the roadway. A few had lost control and gone completely off the road, and even further up the highway Sean could see what looked like a minivan on its roof.
“Doesn’t this remind you of that movie 28 Days Later, when that guy wakes up out of a coma and goes outside and the city is deserted with empty cars everywhere?”
“Oh, come on, babe,” Maria exasperated. “I’m freaked out enough as it is. Next you’re gonna have me thinking that zombies are going to be chasing us.”
Sean laughed at that. “Yeah, well if they do, we’re better prepared than any of those jokers were. We’ve got the right guns for the job and a lot of ammo. I say, bring ‘em on!”
Maria chuckled in response. “No thanks, we’re going to have enough problems with people. I vote ‘no’ on the zombies.”
“Yeah, me too,” Sean relented. “So I’ve been thinking about a plan of action for when we meet people, and I’m sure we probably will. If we are coming up behind someone and need to pass them, I’d like to cross over to the other side of the highway if it’s feasible. If not, we’ll just trail them from a distance till we can. If we have people approaching us from the front on our side of the highway, I want to pull over and get behind a vehicle. As they get closer, I’ll holler out that we don’t want any trouble and instruct them to cross over to the other side of the highway if they don’t want any. It’s important that we have our packs within reach at this time. Also, the only place that will give you full ballistic cover is behind the engine block and front wheels of a vehicle. A high powered rifle round can sometimes go through the trunk of a car. If someone starts shooting at you and then ducks down behind the trunk of a car, remember that your PC9 probably won’t penetrate all the way through. So don’t be shy about aiming at the ground below the trunk. The bullet should fragment and ricochet into their feet like a shotgun. If you see them fall to the ground, keep doing the same thing.
“I want you to be on the side of the road closest to the trees, and your primary purpose is to be drawing their fire in your direction so I can get them in the scope. That means I want you to keep your head down as much as possible, especially if they are shooting back. If that’s the case, just stick your hands and gun over the hood to fire. I don’t care if you hit anything or not, just fire in their general direction. Just a couple rounds at a time; don’t be dumping a whole mag. That should give me the time to put them in crosshairs. With the silencer on the Tikka, they probably won’t even know I’m shooting at them till their dead. If there is a break in the action, make sure you pick your mags up off the ground and stuff them in your cargo pockets. That is only if they are in reach, don’t leave cover for them. Last, if I say run, you grab your pack and sprint for the trees no questions asked. Okay?”
Maria’s anger was unmistakable. “No! There is no way I’m leaving you behind... ever! If you die, I don’t want to live without you, I can’t...”
Sean cut her off mid-sentence. “No one is talking about dying, Maria! I’ll be right behind you. I’m not going to be playing hero. If I tell you to run, it’s because I think we are outnumbered or disadvantaged in some way. There is no point in one or both of us dying over some extra food and supplies. We have what we need in our packs to make it home. Ok?”
Maria let out a quiet “okay,” but Sean could tell she was on the verge of tears. One of her biggest fears was losing the love of her life. Maria was serious about not wanting to go on with life without him. Sean sensed her mood turning dark. He could tell she was getting stressed out over the possibility of a gunfight or him dying, so he quickly changed the subject.
“Ok then, let’s eat.” He put his arm around her as they walked back towards the truck. He climbed up into the bed and made another scan of their surroundings before joining Maria on the tailgate. The hot MREs tasted fantastic as their bodies were both starting to cool down rapidly. They were just finishing up as Sean spotted movement down the road.
“Don’t move,” he said as he slowly slid down and made his way around the truck to his bicycle and cart. Pulling the Tikka out of the scabbard in his pack, Sean turned the scope to sixteen power and searched the highway until he found what he was searching for. There was a man pushing a grocery cart with supplies and two women walking beside him. It looked like one of them was carrying a bundle, most likely a small child or infant. Sean didn’t notice any weapons and they were still about three to four hundred yards away.
“Time to go, babe! There are some people coming up the highway and I want to put some distance between them and us. I don’t want to have to pass them later.” Sean slid the rifle back in its scabbard and slung his SU-16 back over his shoulder. They quickly pushed the bikes to the end of the bridge and were soon peddling down the on ramp. They built up some speed going downhill which was easily maintained once they merged onto the flat surface of the highway. The next half hour went by uneventfully till Sean noticed some travelers coming towards them on the other side of the highway. He brought them to a stop and again went around behind his cart, pulling his rifle and putting them in his crosshairs. This time it looked like two men with packs, though the one could have been a woman. There was a small glint and it looked like one of them might have a handgun tucked in his waistband. Either that or it was a cowboy buckle, but Sean seriously doubted that being this close to the city.
“Looks like this guy has a handgun,” Sean informed Maria.
“Oh no,” Maria replied.
“Don’t worry, babe. I’m sure they’re just trying to get somewhere like us. Grab your pack and get down behind that car,” Sean said as he pointed to the car twenty yards behind the SUV he was standing next to. Maria grabbed her pack and pulled the 9mm carbine out of its scabbard ducking down behind the front wheel well just as he’d instructed earlier. “Keep your head down for now, just be ready. Keep an eye on our six and don’t fire unless you hear me shoot, okay?” Maria nodded her head back at him as he grabbed his own pack and took cover behind the large SUV. He watched from the passenger window through the front windshield as the two strangers slowly made their way towards them.
Sean un-slung the SU-16 from his shoulder and pulled to the side the tension bands holding his spare mags in their pouches on his tactical vest. He said a silent prayer as he waited. It seemed like an eternity till the two were about fifty yards away on the other side of the median. By this time, he was pretty sure it was a male and female. He could also tell that they had probably seen them as well because they were scanning the vehicles in their direction and slowing their pace. As they passed behind a minivan, Sean lost sight of them. They never reappeared on the other side. Sean looked over at his wife who was watching him intently. He smiled reassuringly at her and motioned with his hand for her to stay down.
Sean waited for a couple minutes and when they stayed put Sean hollered out to them, “We don’t want any trouble. Just keep on moving down the road!” He waited for a moment and when no one answered he continued, “We are very well armed over here. If you’re looking for a fight you’ve picked the wrong travelers, my friend! Just keep moving down the road and we’ll keep going our own way!” Sean waited another long minute and still no response. “You are starting to make me nervous Buddy! Bad things happen when I get nervous! I give you my word that we mean you no harm, just keep moving and we won’t have any problems.”
After about thirty seconds he got a shout back. “How do we know you aren’t going to shoot us in the back as soon as we step out?”
“You don’t! But I doubt you have anything that we don’t already have! Now I give you my word, we don’t want trouble. We’re just trying to get home!”
There was another long moment of silence before Sean saw the man slowly step out from behind the minivan. He had a large revolver in his hand pointed at the ground. He gave a wave over his head and Sean stepped from behind the windshield and waved back over the front of the hood. He made sure the man could see his weapon as well but at the same time didn’t point it at him. Even if the guy had bad intentions, there was no way he would pick a fight with only that revolver. The second person emerged from behind the van and they warily started walking away. The man with the gun never took his eyes off Sean till they were well down the road.
He and Maria both sighed in relief. “Ok Babe, let’s boogie.” They loaded their packs back in the carts and quickly set off once more.
Maria pulled up alongside of him as they peddled. “I didn’t like that one bit. I couldn’t see what the heck was going on.”
“In that instance, I really didn’t think they were a threat. It was just a nervous situation for everyone. Having you peeking at them from another direction may have made it worse. Besides, if things had popped off, that would have given you the element of surprise,” Sean explained. “Drink water. I want that camelback empty before the Cranberry exit.”
“Ok, ok. I’m drinking,” she exclaimed, in a moment of exasperation. Sean had just run out of water and was going to have to stop again soon to refill. They peddled along in silence for a little while longer before Maria hollered out, scaring him half to death.
“Baby! I think there were some people in that last car. I think they were dead!”
“Yeah, I know. I saw them too. They probably froze to death the first night. Just try not to focus on it.”
“That’s so sad!” she said solemnly.
Not knowing what else to say, all he could offer was, “I know.”
They were only a couple miles from the Cranberry exit when they came across their first big hill. They got off the bikes and started to push. After a few minutes, Sean stopped them to take a break. “Let’s stop here for a few. I need to refill my camelback.” After standing on the hood of the nearest car and scanning the roadway, they shared some crackers and cheese from the MRE’s and each ate another power bar. Sean refilled his camelback from the military surplus five quart canteen he kept in his pack. When he asked for Maria’s, she sheepishly grinned and handed him the half full bladder from her camelback.
Sean gave her a stern look. “You’re killin’ me, babe. You gotta...”
“I know, I know! Drink more water. I’m just not used to it,” she said guiltily.
“That’s fine, I understand. But we have to make it happen. So from now on, when I drink, you drink, okay?”
“Okay, that’s fair I suppose.” She smiled at him with her most innocent look and batted her eyes seductively. Sean smiled back at her and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead. It amazed him how beautiful she looked even now. She had a fleece cap on, a non matching scarf, rosy cheeks and no makeup. But she was still stunning to behold.
“Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?” Sean asked.
“Why no, I don’t believe you ever have,” she replied in mock surprise. “You can tell me now though if you like.”
“As God is my witness, you are beautiful.”
Maria hopped up from the bumper of the car and pulled his head down to hers for a long kiss. “I needed that, baby.”
“Well if that is the response I can expect, I’ll have to start saying it more often,” he nudged. She smiled at that and kissed him again for good measure.
“How much further is it?” she asked.
“Oh, I figure we’re about halfway there.” He looked down at his watch and it was almost two p.m. “It’s almost two. We should be fine as long as we keep moving.” They finished up their snacks and set off once again. As the afternoon wore on, they were forced to take breaks more frequently. As they were passing the Evans City exit, they spotted someone walking away from them on the same side of the road. They lucked out, though, as the highway had merged together near the busy exit ramp and they were able to cross over and back without any trouble. The man never turned and probably never knew they were behind him at all until they passed him on the other side of the road. It was a little nerve-racking, trying to watch the person behind them and dodge cars at the same time. Sean was praying that they wouldn’t hear the distinct crack of a rifle behind them, but they were soon past him and on the home stretch towards Zelienople.
The next hour turned monotonous as they compelled their tired legs to keep peddling and forced themselves to keep drinking water. Sean had to compel himself to stay focused and keep searching for threats. As they neared Zelienople, a pillar of smoke could be seen pouring towards the sky. The highway was elevated as it spanned over the town. This allowed them to get a clear view of the fire. Almost an entire block of houses was on fire. In the typical fashion of most old towns in the area, the houses were built very closely together with only a few feet separating them. In some cases they shared a common wall. It was a fairly windy day and without the help of a fire department, it was an uncontrollable situation. One house on the street catches fire, and before long the whole block is burning. Sean thought of some of the really old neighborhoods in Pittsburgh that were basically blocks and blocks of row houses. One house fire could catch a whole neighborhood on fire. It made him thankful they left the city when they did.
Shortly after leaving the town behind them, the landscape became more rural. The sun was rapidly making its way over the horizon when Sean brought them to a stop in a heavily treed section of road. He pulled his rifle from the scabbard and climbed onto the roof of the nearest car. Using his scope on full sixteen power, he scanned the road in both directions. Once he was sure that there was no one else around, he scrambled back down and slung his pack over his shoulders. Maria followed his lead without speaking. Sean led the way into the woods and paced off about a hundred yards. After a few minutes, of searching the nearby area, he found a fairly level section of ground. They dropped the packs and made their way back to the road for the next load of gear. It took them five trips before they dropped the last duffle bags onto the ground exhausted.
Maria sat down on the ground and leaned her back against the nearest tree to rest. Sean didn’t want to disturb her, but the sun had already set and they were losing light rapidly. “Not quite yet, babe. I have to go get the bikes off the road and try to cover our tracks. Please grab one of the ponchos out of the front pocket on my pack and lay it out over there. Get the sleeping pads and sleeping bags rolled out, alright?” Maria didn’t respond, just nodded her head and stuck her hand out. Sean reached down and helped pull her back to her feet. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.” He made his way back to the road and climbed back on the roof of the car one more time to look around. It was starting to get dark, so he wasn’t able to see very far but was still satisfied that no one was around.
Sean pushed both the bikes over the hill and into the woods. It was difficult to get them through the tight underbrush and after ten to fifteen feet of pushing and tugging, he was satisfied that they wouldn’t be noticed. Sean picked up a bundle of sticks and small branches nearly four feet long. Making his way back up to the roadside, he swept their tracks leading back into the woods as best he could. Staring back at his work from the wood line, Sean could still see the tracks in the snow from the bicycles and the path they stomped down while carrying supplies. However, they were a lot less noticeable and looked older. With the minimal amount of foot traffic they encountered on the trip so far, Sean was pretty comfortable there wouldn’t be very many people travelling at night yet. Making his way back to the campsite, he found Maria zipped up in her bag. She smiled at him as he approached.
“Come on, babe,” Sean said, somewhat exasperated. “I need you to get up for at least a few more minutes. You need to change out your socks and t-shirt for dry ones. It will help you stay warm tonight.” He started rummaging through her pack and pulled out a fresh t-shirt and socks. He carried them over to her and stuffed them down inside her bag with her.
“I’m so exhausted,” was all she could say.
“I know you are. I am as well. But we have to eat something before we sleep.” Sean pulled out two Mountain House freeze-dried entrees and his Mirro nine cup kettle. Having no intentions of building a fire this close to the road at night, he elected to use his small folding camp stove and Trioxane fuel tablets. While the water was heating, Sean took his second military issue poncho and strung some 550 cord between two trees over where the sleeping bags had been laid out. Maria had ignored her husband’s earlier plea and was now snoring loudly. Sean chuckled to himself and let her sleep for the time being. After draping the poncho over the taut ridge line, Sean staked off the edges of the poncho to provide a small A-frame of protection against any possible snow storms. He took their supplies and stacked them at the opening to help provide a barrier to the wind. Sean left the opening near their heads open so they could get out in a hurry if they needed to.
Though more expensive than a typical sleeping bag, Sean had splurged for military grade sleeping bag systems for each of them. The G.I. proven Extreme Cold Weather System or ECWS consisted of a forty degree patrol bag, a cold weather bag, a Gore-Tex camouflage bivy bag, and a waterproof stuff sack. With both sleeping bags zipped together and the waterproof bivy bag overtop, the ECWS was rated for subzero temperatures and would keep you dry as well. Although you could easily get by with just using the ECWS at night, using a poncho as a tent would help cut the wind and keep the snow and rain off your face.
By the time he had finished with the shelter, the water had come to a rolling boil. Sean added the appropriate amount of water to the Mountain House meals and stirred them thoroughly, making sure he got the bottom corners. He set them aside to soak. For the remaining hot water, he retrieved his one quart canteen cup from his pack and stirred in a pouch of instant coffee left over from his lunchtime MRE. The taste of the hot coffee produced a wave of euphoria over his senses and bit into the cold chill of his body. Sean removed his gloves and wrapped his numb fingers tightly around the warm aluminum canteen cup. “Sometimes it’s the little things in life,” he thought to himself. He savored every drop of coffee and regretted that for security reasons he didn’t have a camp fire to stare into. That would have made the moment perfect.
It was almost completely dark by now, so Sean quickly pulled their Alice packs over near the entrance to the tent. He removed Maria’s PC9 from its scabbard and placed it on top of her tactical vest she had stripped off before climbing in the sack. He used their last poncho from Maria’s pack to cover their bags. Sean knelt down next to his wife and kissed her on the forehead. She flinched from the unexpected touch and turned away in her bag with a groan. Sean chuckled and gently shook her shoulder.
Maria awoke with a start. “Is everything ok?” she asked, worried.
“It sure is, babe. I’m just letting you know that dinner is served.”
Maria let out a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, I must have fallen asleep.”
“You sure did. I think we’re going to have to start setting up camp further from the road if you intend to snore like that every night,” Sean finished with a smile.
“No way. Was I really snoring that loud?” she asked sincerely. Sean nodded back to her with a smile. “Did you say something about food? I’m starving!”
“Yeah, it’s all ready to go,” he said as he handed her the warm Mountain House meal. “And you say I never cook for you.”
“You don’t,” Maria muttered in response while poking fun at her husband. Sean had never been a very good cook and never really tried. If it involved a microwave or open flame, he was a gourmet chef. Otherwise, the cooking around their house was performed to perfection each night by Maria. She quickly sat up in her bag and dug in. They ate in relative silence, relishing every bite. They each had a Snickers bar for dessert and washed it down with a leftover Gatorade he had taken from their fridge. Maria quickly slid back down into the warmth of her bag and started to zip it up.
“I thought you said these bags were warm?” she complained. “I’m still chilly.”
“Did you change out your undershirt and socks like I said?” Maria didn’t respond, so Sean took that as a no. “It’s your choice. You can either be chilly all night, or you can spend a few seconds cold while you change, and be warm all night.” With a huff of frustration, Maria unzipped her bag again and started pulling off layers of clothing as quickly as she could. She tossed her still damp undershirt and sports bra on her boots next to her and started to re-dress. After she had swapped out her socks, Sean had her sit up and he laid out the damp shirt and socks underneath her inside her bag. “Even through your coat, your body heat will dry these before morning,” he explained.
“Before you fall back asleep, I need you to put these in the foot of your bag to keep them from freezing.” He removed his own tactical vest and reached inside the two interior chest pockets of his coat and pulled out Ziplock bags containing the individually wrapped bottles of insulin. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think they are supposed to freeze. I would put them in mine, but I take up every square inch of my bag.” Maria shrugged and slid them down to the bottom of her sleeping bag. “I think I’m gonna have one more cup of coffee before I crash. Do you want one?”
“No thanks, baby. I’m just really exhausted and all I wanna do is sleep,” she said as she started to zip her sleeping bag closed again.
“That’s fine. I’ll be back in just a second.”
Maria sat back up quickly, afraid of being left alone in the dark. “Where are you going? You’re not leaving me here, are you?”
Sean chuckled at her. “I’m not going anywhere; I’ll be just outside, three feet away.”
She relaxed at that. “Alright, just promise me you’ll never leave me alone while I’m asleep, or go off somewhere without telling me. If I woke up and you weren’t here, I... I don’t know what I’d do. I’d freak out.”
Sean put on a serious face and told her “I promise” in the most reassuring tone. He leaned over and kissed her once more before crawling back out of the makeshift tent and putting some more water in the kettle. While waiting on the water, Sean gathered up the food wrappers and shoved them down into the large mouth Gatorade bottle screwing the lid on tight. Although black bears were pretty rare these days close to town, he didn’t want to take any chances.
Sean quietly rummaged through his sack till he found his waterproof stuff sack with his clothes. He pulled out a fresh t-shirt and wool socks and stripped down to the waist. His t-shirt had been soaked through and he was instantly chilled when the wind hit the moisture. He stood with his chest bare letting the icy breeze dry his skin. It wouldn’t make any sense to put a dry shirt on his clammy skin. He stood with his arms outstretched and looked at his physique. He had grown soft over the last few years with a bit of a belly, but there was no doubt in his mind that he would lean out over the coming months. Rationed food and hard work would make his body hard once more. He stood bare-chested as long as he could take it then dressed himself with the clean undershirt.
Sean poured himself another cup of instant coffee and sat alone in the dark. His mind tried to wrap itself around the last two days and how life had been forever changed. It was hard to fathom. He wasn’t worried or afraid; he had a job to do. His mission for now was to get to the family farm and make sure they were squared away. Sean had been preparing for this exact situation for years. Besides his experience as a Survival Instructor in the Air Force, he had read numerous books on prepping. He had brought along some of his favorites, including Patriots by James Wesley Rawles and Tappan on Survival by Mel Tappan, which he intended to leave with his relatives. They were getting a late start, a very late start, but they were survivors. They were hardworking county folk who already knew how to hunt, fish, and garden. However, they would have to accept the mindset that they were on their own now. Once they accepted the new reality of life, Sean was sure they would adapt, improvise, and survive.
Sean swallowed down the last drop of coffee and rinsed out his canteen cup. With a groan of sore muscles, he pulled himself up off the ground and stretched thoroughly. He hoped he didn’t get any cramps during the night in the confined space of the sleeping bag. Sean crawled halfway in his bag and placed the SU-16 by his side and the Glock 19 with an extra mag next to his head. After swapping out his socks, he placed them with his damp t-shirt in the bottom of his bag to dry. Sean set the alarm on his little Swiss Army clock and pulled the zipper up to his chin. Deep sleep overtook him instantly.