America's Sunset: A Post Apocalyptic Fight for Survival Read online

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1 ~ Not His First Rodeo

  Chapter 2 ~ Isolation

  Chapter 3 ~ Counter Intelligence

  Chapter 4 ~ Lost Treasure

  Chapter 5 ~ Dungeons & Cruises

  Chapter 6 ~ Harish

  Chapter 7 ~ Pandora's

  Chapter 8 ~ The Man Cave

  Chapter 9 ~ Just Another Day

  Chapter 10 ~ The Old Homestead

  Chapter 11 ~ New Tenant

  Chapter 12 ~ The Prepping Bug

  Chapter 13 ~ Dawson

  Chapter 14 ~ Miss Charlie

  Chapter 15 ~ Fixing Things

  Chapter 16 ~ Spy Boy

  Chapter 17 ~ Familiar Haunts

  Chapter 18 ~ Outage

  Chapter 19 ~ Life's A Game

  Chapter 20 ~ Reunion

  Chapter 21 ~ Big Strategy

  Chapter 22 ~ Reconnaissance

  Chapter 23 ~ Attack Preparation

  Chapter 24 ~ Just Watch

  Chapter 25 ~ The Big Bang

  Chapter 26 ~ Others

  Chapter 27 ~ Hitting Close To Home

  Chapter 28 ~ Taken

  Chapter 29 ~ To The Rescue

  Chapter 30 ~ Looping

  Chapter 31 ~ Responsibility

  Chapter 32 ~ Lockdown

  Chapter 33 ~ Nickle Tour

  Chapter 34 ~ Chased

  Chapter 35 ~ Pickup Confessions

  Chapter 36 ~ The Calvary

  Chapter 37 ~ Back Door

  Chapter 38 ~ On the Road

  Chapter 39 ~ The Arrival

  Chapter 40 ~ Leadership

  Chapter 41 ~ Desperate

  Chapter 42 ~ Lights Out

  Chapter 43 ~ Resolve

  Chapter 44 ~ Left Behind

  Chapter 45 ~ Bloodied

  Chapter 46 ~ Safer

  Chapter 47 ~ Priorities

  America’s Sunset

  Book One

  Written by Norman Christof

  Published by Digital Storm Solutions Inc.

  This is a work of fiction. If you find any similarities to real people, places, events or planets you're sadly mistaken.

  © 2016 Norman Christof / Digital Storm Solutions Inc.

  No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.

  The author greatly appreciates you taking the time to read his work. Please consider leaving a review wherever you bought the book, or telling your friends about it, to help him spread the word.

  Want to read the next book in the series?

  Click below to be notified when it’s released:

  http://NormanChristof.com

  If you liked America’s Sunset, you’ll love these other books, also by Norman Christof:

  Parables From The Apocalypse

  Endings

  Revealed

  Mutation

  Awakening

  Rising

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  Norman Christof

  Prologue

  Apocalypse has come and gone. We're just grubbing in the ashes.

  ~ Samuel R. Delany, Dhalgren

  They say, it ain't over till the fat lady sings. Well, on July 23, 2012 the fat lady was warming up rather enthusiastically. The most powerful solar storm in over one hundred and fifty years passed frighteningly close to planet earth. Scientists call them coronal mass ejections, or CMEs. It's a cute sounding acronym for billion ton clouds of magnetized plasma that have the power to wipe out every electrical device on the planet. If that last sentence makes you wonder about how you'd get through a day without your cell phone … you need to think bigger.

  * * *

  July 24, 2012

  Jake loved the summertime, even during hotter-than-hell Texas days. He chose to live here years ago for the weather and would be the last person you’d hear complain about it. He decided today was a good day for a change. He’d caught up on all his chores and Maggie was out shopping with the girlfriends. Since the last of their kids moved out a couple of years ago, things had become pretty quiet at the old homestead. Sure, they were still in the state, but Texas was a big state. Still close enough to go for a visit, but far enough to give everyone some space.

  Today, Jake thought he’d do something fun for a change. He’d ordered one of those personal quad-copters on a whim late one night surfing the Internet. Maggie couldn’t understand why he needed a kid’s toy to play with at his age, and to be honest, neither did Jake. He’d always liked to tinker with electronics whenever he got the chance. It didn’t happen a lot when he was working and the kids were young, but these days he figured he was entitled to indulge his whims. There might be something more to these toys—as Maggie liked to call them—than just something for kids. He could think of a few good reasons for people and businesses to want them. Heck, if they can come up with cars that drive themselves, then why wouldn’t we have planes that do the same? Especially if they're miniaturized versions. It’s a lot less crowded up in the skies than on the road. It’s gotta be simpler to build a smart flying plane than a smart flying car.

  Jake sat down at the picnic table in the middle of the backyard, opening the package. He’d watched a few videos online about flying these things, and it didn’t seem difficult. Some of the videos suggested flying inside the house before going outside. Outside a few people lost their copters, as they just flew away and never came back. That worried him, but he figured crashing into any of Maggie’s valuables inside the house would be far more dangerous than losing his kid’s toy. She’d probably figure a lost copter was an improvement. He open the box and started reading the instructions. Not too many pages though—wouldn’t want to lose his manhood street cred by reading all the instructions before just diving right in. The blade protectors seemed like a good idea. They weighed the copter down some, but protected the fragile blades from high-speed crashes.

  Jake had played with remote control planes as a teen, but this was an entirely different technology. Four props instead of one. The control looked pretty much the same though. Two joysticks. One was the elevation/rudder control, and the other was the throttle/aileron. There were trim controls below and next to the joysticks. The LCD screen was something different. Apparently, this copter had a camera built into it that could record flights. One step at a time, he thought. He plugged in the battery to the copter, and four flashing LED lights positioned under each blade lit up. Cool, he thought. Next, he put the batteries in the control unit, and flipped the switch on. Messages scrolled across the screen. Was I supposed to be reading those? The last message flashed by, and then the LCD screen displayed the picnic table. Interesting. Guess that’s coming from the camera in the nose of the copter.

  He pressed the elevation stick forward, and the rotors began to spin. He pressed a little more, and the copter lifted off from the table. It started drifting a bit to the left, so he used the aileron to adjust. A little too much though, and the copter raced to the right. Jake tried lowering it slowly but was a little heavy handed, and the copter lost altitude, crashing sideways into the grass. Touchy little thing, he thought as he retrieved it. Good thing I put those protectors on.

  Jake could feel the breeze picking up a little, and remembered reading something in the manual about using extra caution when flying your copter in a strong breeze. Or at least something to that effect. Jake figured a breeze might just make things more interesting. He liked a challenge. He checked the copter, making sure all the propellers were still connected. The one bla
de was a bit wobbly, but he gently pressed it snug against the motor. He set the copter back down and pressed the throttle, but the tall grass got tangled in the blades.

  “Ah geez. I’ll have to start cutting the grass shorter before flying back here.” Jake tried takeoff again, this time with the copter in his left hand while he worked the controller with just his right hand. The breeze pushed the copter to the left, but he compensated. There was plenty of room in his two acre backyard to compensate when the breeze pushed the machine around.

  Shortly, the lights started flashing on the copter, indicating the battery was dying. He landed the copter, and switched batteries. The second takeoff from his palm was smoother but painful. The blades nicked him on the thumb as the copter tilted during takeoff, drawing some blood. Vicious little bugger, aren’t you, thought Jake.

  He was getting more confident with the controls, so he tried flying higher, but was distracted by the sounds of Maggie pulling in the driveway. The wind caught the copter, pushing it towards a group of trees as Jake turned his head. He slowly increased the throttle to maneuver, but it only managed to send the copter further into the tree, where it tangled amongst some small branches. “Ah damn!”

  Jake’s radio in the garage was always on. Usually some southern-fried rock, sometimes ballgames, and every once in a while he listened to the news. As he reached for the ladder, some talk show host booming from the radio caught Jake’s attention. Maggie's been fiddling with my radio again, he thought.

  Here’s a little bit of trivia for you folks, especially for you tinfoil-hat-wearing conspiracy lovers out there. Apparently, yesterday, the entire world nearly came to an end. Yes folks, it’s true. The world as we know it, dodged a bullet. And no, it wasn’t your usual list of suspects involved this time. There were no terrorist attacks, no earthquakes, and the weather was bright and sunny … a little too sunny actually. There was a coronal mass ejection (CME), which for you non-science geeks, means one big mother of a solar flare. This solar flare came frighteningly close to our favorite planet in the solar system. They tell me, there are smaller solar explosions taking place on the surface of the sun all the time. Given that it’s more than a couple miles away it’s generally not cause for concern here amongst us humble humans. But, every once in a while, massive solar flares or CMEs can cause major electronic disturbances down here on Earth. Most are small, but yesterday's packed enough juice to wipe out our entire power grid … if it had made contact

  We’re about due for a big one. We haven’t seen anything major since the age of the telegraph back in 1859. It messed up the telegraph lines pretty good back in the day, but not too many people got fussed over it. It wasn't like everyone had a telegraph machine in their pocket back then. Given our love affair with electronic gadgets these days, it would be quite a different story. How long could you survive without the electronics in your home, house, car or office? Not so long ago people lived their entire lives without owning a smartphone. Could you survive the rest of your life without a smartphone? If you can’t, when the next big solar storm hits planet Earth it probably won’t be a good day for you. That is, unless you like reverting back to living like your Neanderthal ancestors. I’m not looking forward to that.

  One more little detail makes this story downright scary. Yesterday's CME just barely missed Earth. That’s right, people. We dodged a bullet … we’ve got nine lives … we lived to tell the story. Pick your favorite luckier-than-ever phrase, and yesterday we were that. If that CME had hit, you and I would not be listening to the sound of my voice telling you just how lucky you are.

  Scared? Too busy to care? Think I'm making this all up? My call lines are open, and I'd love to hear your opinions. Do solar flares rank up there next to alien abductions, chemtrails, and GMOs? We’re taking calls now, but for the next sixty seconds, it’s time for our sponsor, Big Al’s Motorhome Trailer Park, to say a few words.

  Maggie walked into the garage just as the commercial started on the radio. Jake had his hand on the ladder, about to lift it off the hooks. Maggie put an arm around his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

  “What you up to there, hon? Finally getting around to trimming the cedar hedges that I’ve been bugging you about like forever?”

  “No, I just got something stuck up in the tree, and needed the ladder to go and get it.”

  Maggie’s face looked puzzled, before she noticed the open box for his quad-copter on the workbench. “Oh.” She smiled. “I see you finally got that toy open and decided to play fly boy. I guess the maiden test flight didn’t go so well.” She leaned towards the window into the backyard, looking for evidence of the crashed copter.

  “Don’t worry, dear, it’s still intact. I know how much you wanted to give the thing a try. I’ll rescue it in time for you to have a turn.” Jake lifted the aluminum ladder off the hooks, then paused, looking back at Maggie. “Did you hear that news story about some big solar flare? It sounded kind of scary, but it got me thinking about a few new projects.”

  “Oh great. That’s just what we need around here, more projects.”

  Jake didn’t respond, as he was already headed out the back door, putting together to-do lists in his mind for the new projects.

  Chapter 1 ~ Not His First Rodeo

  September, 2012

  Dawson breathed the smells in deep. Hay, leather tack, popcorn and horse dung created a unique stench you could find in few other places. Before every event, he liked to walk the stalls, taking in the atmosphere, and watching the horses. They were so peaceful and content before the event. It had a calming effect on him. He remembered being here as a kid, going to the rodeos with his dad. He loved being around the animals. They were so magnificent. Rodeo life was in his blood. He couldn't understand why everyone didn't want to live this way. Traveling to rodeos, they’d often pass through big cities, and they always seemed like such strange places. Some of his friends dreamed of moving to the big city some day, but not Dawson.

  Today’s rodeo was special for a few reasons. He wasn’t a little kid anymore. Today was his first rodeo as a senior competitor. The crowds were bigger, the prizes were bigger, the horses were bigger, and the bulls especially were bigger. Not scary bigger; Dawson had yet to meet an animal that scared him. Even when he was a kid, and the bigger horses threw him, he’d get right back in the saddle. It always amazed his dad, how fearless he was. Dawson used to tell his dad, "It’s not about fear, Dad. We just don’t understand each other yet. Once I convince the horse what good friends we are, we’ll get along fine. C'mon, Dad, you know how that works."

  His dad would push the brim of his hat back. Dawson always remembered his dad doing that before he had something important to say to him. "There may come a day, son, when you are scared of an animal. And that's okay. That's just your instincts trying to protect you. Nothing wrong with that. Only a fool would ignore it. Learn to listen to your instincts, Dawson, not just the animal. The best advice a man ever gets is from his gut."

  Then Dawson would say something like, "Sure, Dad, I get it. Me and the horse … we’re one."

  Today was different for another reason. It was his first rodeo as a senior rider, and his first rodeo without his dad around. He’d passed suddenly, from an existing heart condition. There was no great drama leading up to his death from any prolonged sickness. At least not for those around him. Just one day he was there, and then the next he wasn’t.

  Today, he'd make his dad proud. Dawson had every intention of winning all the events today. He’d been a rising star in the junior ranks for years, but now was his first shot at the big boy’s title. This is going to be a perfect day. Dad may be gone, but I'm jumping back in the saddle, just like he’d want me to.

  As Dawson exited the end of the stables, a big smile lit his face. Young Chase had spotted him, and was running through the packed dirt trail leading towards the grandstands.

  "You gonna ride the big horse today, Dad?" Chase asked.

  "You bet, buddy. I’m gonna ride the big hor
se, rope some calf, and ride that big ole bull. That'll be the best part. That poor ole bull is gonna have the ride of his life when I get on," Dawson said.

  Dawson's wife Lisa joined them, and hugged them both. "Sorry, hon, I told him to let you be, but he kept asking for you. I know you want to be focused, especially today."

  Dawson kissed her as he passed Chase into her arms. "It's no problem. It's his first real rodeo, and he's excited to see his daddy ride. Aren’t ya, buddy?" Dawson tickled Chase in the ribs, and the boy squealed in delight.

  "He'd be happy to be anywhere near you, Dawson. Rodeo or not. He's his daddy's boy from top to bottom."

  "You gonna be a cowboy someday, son?" Dawson asked.

  "Yep, just like you, Daddy. One day I'm going to ride the big horses."

  "I bet you will. But today, we’ll leave the big horse riding to me. OK?"

  "Yes sir Daddy-O."

  Dawson spotted his agent Maxwell Trainor making his way down the path towards them.

  Dawson motioned towards Maxwell, and said, "Looks like it's time to get down to business. I'll see you both after my first ride."

  Lisa wasn't a big fan of Maxwell, but understood the need for a young and up-and-coming rodeo star to have someone to represent him.

  Lisa’s family lost their farm when she was only fifteen. They’d been struggling for years, and while their soybean crops did well, they just didn’t have enough acreage to make a go of it financially. The big corporations moving in and pressuring the smaller farms to sell made it tougher still. Eventually, her family had no choice but to cave in to the larger pressures and sell the farm. Lisa and Dawson had been friends for as long as they could remember. Their farms were close, and Lisa loved watching Dawson ride his horses. She’d always wanted to ride, but her family could barely keep their cash crops going. Raising horses was out of the question, no matter how much Lisa pleaded. Dawson used to tease her that she wasn’t really coming to play with him. She just wanted to be near the horses. Not that it bothered him. There weren’t a ton of kids to hang out with in the country, and any opportunity to play with a friend in lieu of chores was welcome.