Off Grid

By Backwoods

If the world you know today were gone tomorrow, would you survive?

Off Grid, by Backwoods

Johnny & Rae Lynn Tapper find safety in solitude, hidden deep within the shelter of the Rocky Mountains. Terrorists have taken away the country they once knew and they survive, secluded and alone, by living off the land. They live wild new lives in a wild new world, living among the wild animals of the vast Colorado wilderness. There are no phones. There is no power. There are few people. They are completely ‘Off Grid’.

Off Grid is the first story in the ‘Off Grid’ Series. Although the setting is post-apocalyptic, the basis of the story is the building of a new world rather than the end of the old one. It also brings the reintroduction of Eric Boone, a favorite character from ‘Unremembered’. Join the Tappers as they begin their journey, struggling against a severe and brutal climate, unforgiving injuries without the possibility of medical assistance, deadly encounters with wild animals, and the many highs and lows of a life in the wilderness.

Contains violence, profanity and drug use.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Backwoods
• Release date: Jul 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301928712

Backwoods

My wife offered the image.She claims the likeness is remarkable.~​Do I have a slogan? Well, did once and my deer got away.~A website! Watch out fer spiders!~True happiness can only be achieved with a complete, and total, lack of awareness.~When I tweet, birds come. When I yahoo, somethin' good just happened. I threw away my fackbook many years ago, when my wife stole my heart. My weebly is all wobbly, myspace is a mess, and when I google I shut the door and light a match.~~~~~~~~●About The AuthorWe live off grid, hidden amongst hundreds of acres of the deep Ohio backwoods. Our tiny town is loaded with the type of folks that wave when you drive by, and stop when you need help. A quiet existence, far removed from the amenities that a modern life would provide, may seem impossible to some, but the dog loves it and the wife and kids don't seem to mind.We have no television and no electricity to run it if we had. That said, led lighting and 12v solar kits make off grid life quite modernized. My wife and I often run our portable dvd player at night, catching up on our favorite shows and any new movies that appear worth watching. A car radio provides some noise and a 12v on-demand water pump covers all of our water needs.I may soon write about our life without power. I may even publish it under my other name, so curious minds can seek out my true identity. However, the 'True Tales from the Backwoods - From Hunting Camp, To Home' is still in the scattered thoughts stage. I have plenty of stories to tidy up and get to you before then.~Thanks for Reading~~Backwoods~

Book preview

Off Grid

Written by Backwoods

Copyright 2013 Backwoods

Smashwords Edition

All Rights Reserved

Smashwords Edition, License notes

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Prologue

The splash jolted me awake just in time to witness the tail end of my fishing pole disappear into the water.

You little son of a bitch! I yelped.

For the better part of the afternoon and well into the evening, I had been sitting alongside a creek known as the Big Muddy. I had been trying to catch the same damn channel cat that had swiped my pole the week before. His total was now at three. If I hadn’t known better, I’d think he had been hanging out by my hook and crawler, waiting for me to close my eyes and drift off. The moonshine certainly had that effect.

Meanwhile, Buzz, my one hundred twenty pound bullmastiff and long time fishin’ buddy, lifted his head briefly, let out a groan, and returned it to its resting place atop his crossed paws. I couldn’t help but laugh as his floppy cheeks flapped as he blew out a deep breath.

I always enjoyed fishing, but since the attacks, it had become more necessity than enjoyment. Hell, just a few brutally long years before, my wife Rae Lynn swore she would never touch the ‘smelly shit’. She, of course, was waiting at home for my return with the fish that was to be dinner. We had chickens at the cabin and often hunted the increasingly plentiful elk and deer, but one can only eat so many eggs, chicken dinners, steak and jerky.

What are you lookin’ at? I scowled at Buzz, as he calmly watched through his big brown puppy dog eyes. Well, at least mama will get a good laugh, huh buddy?

I gathered what remained of my gear and began the trek back up the mountain with my faithful pooch at my side.

We had fortified our hunting cabin and the secluded area surrounding it, hidden deep within the vast Colorado Rockies. The country had become a battleground for survivors as they looted and plundered, fighting over whatever supplies could be found. The cities remained, yet offered little but diseased desolation as sanitation plundered with the loss of power and water.

The civilized life of government, police, laws and industry had vanquished, reverting once again to the ways of the pioneers and the indians before them. The times had changed and the common luxuries of life had passed us by. We survived as our ancestors had before us, living off the land.

We did however, have more to work with than they did. Solar technology and indoor plumbing for starters, were definitely positive advancements. We had a still, which provided whiskey and fuel for our vehicles, as long as they were pre-computer, carbureted engines that we could tune. We had an abundance of everything non-perishable. Cars, tractors, tools, weapons and many other supplies were readily available.

The attacks alone had killed off only a portion of the population, however, many soon followed from disease and the inability to provide for themselves. People had grown overly dependent on the corporate mega marts and processed fast food joints. The skills and knowledge to be self-sustaining had faded away through the generations and even those not affected by the attacks, especially the weaker children and elders, had not survived long. There were some however, like us, who found refuge creating self-sufficient farms hidden deep within the shelter of the mountains.

Although the specific details of the attack would never fully be known, we heard stories of terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington DC with suitcase nukes and simultaneous chemical attacks throughout the country. While law enforcement agencies scrambled to secure high target areas, the terrorists implemented the more devastating, secondary attacks to the water supply.

The terrorists discovered that they could tie into any home on the grid, and with a high pressure pump, force feed the chemicals back into the entire system. They had also used crop dusting planes to contaminate reservoirs in many rural areas.

It had been a large scale, well planned, and very effective assault, and we had not seen it coming. We thought them nearly wiped out as our government declared victory in the war and withdrawn our troops. It turns out that they had left their holes in the desert and infiltrated us, buying homes across the country as they prepared for their cowardly attacks.

We did not know what specific chemical it was that they used, but it was another devastating blow in its own. It had a delayed reaction time, allowing the damage to take hold well before anyone even knew there was a secondary, chemical attack. People blindly drank their poison, oblivious to any knowledge of the existence of chemicals or the horrid things to come.

The attacks had crippled our country. Before its fall, our government had managed to respond with attacks of our own. In a matter of a few hours and countless nukes, from what we gathered, the Middle East had been completely incinerated, and was now nothing more than dust, sand and rubble. The terrorists that had established themselves on our soil, and survived, along with any and all of middle eastern ethnicity, the innocent included, were sought out and murdered in the streets by angered mobs of vigilantes throughout the country. The brutal reality of our vengeance was ever-present as many of their bodies still hung from trees along the roadsides, and in towns throughout the country.

We found safety in solitude, surviving in our wilderness retreat, surrounded by vast mountains and the serenity of nature’s creations. We lived off the land, relying solely on hard work, determination, a few neighbors and a good bit of luck. We no longer had the benefit of the elaborate commodities that life once allowed. We lived wild new lives in a wild new world. There were no phones, there was no power, and we lived and survived completely, ‘Off Grid’.

Chapter One

We hit the road about four o’clock in the morning. The road trip would take about thirty hours overall, twenty two of which actually on the road. The rest, we would split between a dozen pit stops, a couple few stops for gas, and several hours of sleep in the back of the van. A touch of luck and we would get to our cabin in the southwestern Colorado wilderness by noon the following day.

We had shared a lifelong desire to hunt the big critters out west. After a bit of success with our company, Rae and I had taken our first expedition several years before. We quickly decided to make it an annual event, opting to purchase the land rather than pay the enormous fees for out of state licenses, permits, tags, guides and rentals. Therefore, we purchased a one hundred fifty acre spread in the western outskirts of the Rocky Mountains near Silverton.

We built the quaint little cabin ourselves, using a portable sawmill that we purchased a few years earlier to cut a supply of lumber. We originally bought the mill for our home in Ohio, which we also built ourselves, implementing a similar design. The simple setup of the small mill was quite efficient. A thirteen horsepower engine powered a large band saw with a water drip to keep the spinning blade cooled. Once a log was rolled onto its 16-foot frame, the mill would run back and forth on a raised metal track atop small indented casters. Running it back and forth while lowering the blade each pass would quickly turn a log of up to a twenty-four inch diameter, into whatever size boards we selected.

The frame of the mill doubled as its trailer and we hauled it out to our land. We spent several backbreaking months dropping trees and dragging them to the mill with an old wrecker that we purchased. After cutting them into boards and sticker stacking them to dry, we finally proceeded to build our cabin.

We were just over halfway to the cabin when we stopped for a bite to eat. We found a little diner but learned that they did not have the capability to process our credit card. Having no cash handy, we instead moved on to another several miles down the highway.

We went in and took a seat. It was a cozy little place with a dozen tables, a small bar, and an old television in the corner. We ate heartily and enjoyed our meal. I had been fighting off a craving for biscuits and gravy and they did not disappoint. I found it somewhat intriguing that good biscuits and gravy seemed so tremendously difficult to find. More intriguing however, was the small crowd that gathered around the TV. Curiosity took hold and we joined in, catching the ongoing report.

"Again, reports now confirm multiple, nuclear sized explosions have devastated New York City." A chill swept over us as it continued. Now live to Washington DC, where it appears they too are under attack.

We watched in shock as the reports came in.

"We have just received word that The Pentagon has also been attacked. For those of you just joining us, Terrorists attacks are ongoing in New York City and Washington DC…We have lost contact with our New York subsidiary and will bring you further details just as soon as they are available. We now send you to our own Ted Rutherford, Live in Washington DC."

The screen went blank then flickered to the well-known news anchor. A mushroom cloud filled the sky behind him and people ran through the streets as mass chaos filled the horrifying scene.

"The Pentagon has been attacked! We are standing by for more information but as you can see by the mushroom cloud behind me, a large explosion, reportedly originating with a suitcase size nuclear weapon, has detonated just outside the building. Although we have not yet confirmed, there are preliminary reports of significant damage to The Pentagon with minimal likelihood of survivors. Reports have verified however, several additional explosions throughout the city. Please remain calm and stay indoo--"

The screen again went blank. After an endless moment, it flickered again and switched back to the local reporters.

"Oh Dear God…for those of you watching, all of our thoughts and prayers are with those in New York and Washington. We have lost contact with Ted, but we will certainly relay