Red Pulse Apocalypse

By Tommy L Barton

Are aliens real? For the people Earth, the attack was devastating. A red pulse from the alien's floating world destroyed all communication and electronics. Across the globe, people lost the ability to reach loved ones. Governments and militaries were cut off like a light switch. Now, with the world in chaos, ordinary people will have to survive on their wits alone; because the aliens are not finished with us. Isolated and without resources, survivors are becoming prey to terrifying creatures without mercy. Will the human race find a way to survive the attacks with no technology to save us? Can a few brave souls band together and save the human race from extermination?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tommy Barton
• Release date: Apr 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223037606

Tommy L Barton

Tommy L. Barton grew up in the heart of South Carolina where he read til the wee hours of the morning when it was too hot to sleep, or he just had to know what happened to the hero.  Reading has always been a passion for Tommy, which explains how he even married a librarian.  It has been a lifelong dream of his to share his own stories with the world.  Tommy currently lives in the much cooler but no less weird state of Oregon.

Book preview

Chapter One

Thirty miles south of Columbia, South Carolina, the small town of Marshalls straddled the Edisto River. Behind the west-facing buildings of Main Street, the water gurgled over stone rocks. A couple of buildings took advantage of the bucolic setting by building large decks on the river bank. The Edisto River Café served lunch and dinner on one of the decks looking over the river. Coffee, hot chocolate, sweet tea, and an assortment of sodas were served at the café; unlike the hard liquor and beer served on the neighboring deck owned by Edisto River Bar. There was a petty rivalry between the two businesses for reasons unknown to the general public. As a customer, you were either a patron of the café or the bar but never both. The southern tradition was hard to break. Jessica Brooks frequented the café.

Jessica Brooks moved to Marshalls three months ago. Growing up on a farm twenty miles west of Columbia, Jessica had found a job at a local pharmacy situated across from the Edisto River Café. Tucker’s Pharmacy was named after the son-in-law of the towns founding father Marshall. The pharmacy had been run by the Tuckers for several generations until an enterprising young man bought the pharmacy during the Great Depression. He kept the name but the pharmacy was owned by the Keppler family. No one knew where the Keppler family made their money but the gossip was that the money came from bootlegging moonshine. Even after several generations, the Keppler family was shunned socially, but being the only pharmacy in town meant that business was good anyway.

When Jessica applied for a position as a pharmacy technician, the manager made some references to the questionable character of the pharmacy owners. Jessica chose to ignore the story and accepted a job anyway. That turned out to be a mistake. Dr. Keppler, the pharmacist, pushed around his employees and demanded obedience. Since Jessica was a hard worker, he rarely got on her case about anything but all of the employees hated the man. Dr. Keppler was a small-minded man who chose to bully others because he had a modicum of power from being the pharmacist and owner. His power stopped at the door of the pharmacy. As a man of the community, no one liked him.

Jessica had just helped the last customer and slowly lowered the metal gate to partition off the pharmacy from the main floor. Installed in the eighties, the gate was controlled by a pulley system with a chain. She always had to fight with it because the gate was heavy and the pulleys had not been greased in a decade.

Jessica said, That’s it for the night.

The pharmacist, Dr. Keppler, turned off his computer. He hesitated for a moment before asking, Jessica, can you come in tomorrow?

Jessica stared at Dr. Keppler for a moment before she said, Chris called in sick again, didn’t he?

I know it is short notice but we are down a man for the store and Chris called in sick.

You mean your cousin Chris. I know I shouldn’t complain but this is my tenth day in a row at work. Couldn’t you persuade Chris to come in?

I know Chris is not reliable, but I will make him work your shift on Saturday so you can have a break.

He won’t like that.

Speaking of problems, I’ve noticed you’ve been texting someone at work lately. We are busy enough without you stopping to text someone every hour.

Jessica sighed and said, I’m sorry about that. My father’s seventieth birthday is coming up in a couple of days and my mother has been driving me crazy. They moved to Florida last year and I think she has separation anxiety.

You don’t look old enough to have a father that old.

Thanks, said Jessica with a small smile on her face. I am only twenty-four. I guess you could call me a late surprise. My parents were in their forties when I was born. They had given up years ago when my mother got pregnant.

Well, just keep your phone in your pocket unless you are on break.

Got it.

And, I am sorry you have to work tomorrow. My cousin is starting to be a pain in my ass.

That’s what family is for. See you tomorrow, said Jessica as she walked out the side door.

Jessica did not have to go far to get home. She lived two blocks down Main Street from the pharmacy. A realtor bought the property at the end of the street of downtown Marshalls and built a two-story building on the west side of the street. The bottom half was the realtor’s office and the top half was two condominiums. Jessica loved her place. At night, she would sit on the balcony of her condominium overlooking the Edisto River. She found it tranquil. Sometimes, a local band would play a gig at Edisto River Bar and she could hear the music from her balcony.

Jessica had found a small ecosystem just right for her. She lived on Main Street. She worked on Main Street. She was a regular patron at the Edisto River Café. She bought books at the local bookstore only a block from her house. She did not own a car. Besides not needing one, she had never learned to drive. When she wanted to do something interesting, she rode her bicycle on a rough path that bordered the Edisto River. She missed her parents but she felt she could not have found a better place to live.

Every week on Tuesday was Taco Tuesday at the Edisto River Café. Jessica crossed the street and headed into the café. She sat at a small table next to the window facing the street. She did not need to read the small menu at her table. She had memorized it a month ago.

Two tacos, beans, and a small glass of water, said the waiter.

You know me too well, Jeff, said Jessica.

Well, little lady, you have become a little predictable. Have you heard about the asteroid?

What? No, I’ve been at work.

It’s the strangest thing. It’ll miss earth by a million miles but the scientists can’t figure out how come it’s so fast. It’s going to fly by in a couple of days and the damn thing just popped up today on a satellite.

Sounds intriguing, Jessica said without much real interest.

I know, if it’s not in one of your books, you don’t care.

I’m sorry, Jeff. I’m just a little tired and hungry.

I can help the hungry part. Maybe you need a nap. Be back in a jiffy.

Jessica stared out of the window. She had offended someone again. She had a habit of putting her foot in her mouth. It was not like she didn’t like people. It was just hard for her to connect with them. She preferred books. She read everything. She preferred non-fiction. Books on mechanics, gardening, science, and a plethora of other fact-based books. When she studied for her exam for her license to be a pharmacy technician, she found the information engrossing. She liked learning about medicine. She had to learn about the symptoms of a patient, the interactions of drugs, the contraindications, and numerous other facts. Her parents thought she should become a pharmacist, but at the moment Jessica was happy to just be a technician. She figured she had all the time in the world.

Two tacos, beans, and water, said Jeff as he put the food on the table. He had to bend over slightly to put the plates on the table. Jeff was six and a half feet tall and skinny. He reminded Jessica of a scarecrow. He moved on to another table.

Jessica started eating. Her parents had made sure Jessica ate a variety of food while growing up. She also had a mean appetite. She was tall for a girl. In high school, she played basketball. Being five feet and ten inches tall, she had an advantage over other girls while playing basketball. Her height was also a disadvantage in high school. No one wanted to date the tall girl. Most boys were several inches shorter than her. When she first met Jeff, she hoped her blonde hair, small breasts, and slim waist would entice him. Although she thought her nose was a bit too long and her feet too big, she knew for the most part she had nice features and pleasant proportions. She had never dated a boy taller than her. Dating boys had always ended the same. The boy would be teased by his peers about his gigantic girlfriend. All of them eventually bowed out of the relationship. Some of the boys had been nice though, so she had occasional dalliances with a few.

The sun was setting when Jessica finished her meal. Summertime meant the sun set around nine o’clock at night. The summers in southern South Carolina could be brutal. The highs in the nineties during the day and eighties at night meant it never really cooled down except during the regular afternoon thunderstorm, and even that quickly turned to steam when it was over. Jessica did not mind. She had grown up in the South. She left a small amount of money on the table with a sizable tip. Waiters were paid less than minimum wage. Employers said the tips would make up the difference but she knew Jeff was not drowning in money. She headed for her condominium.

Jessica walked up a flight of stairs on the side of the building. During rainy days the stairs could be slippery, but the iron frame and steps were solid. Jessica produced a key from her pocket and opened the door. The first thing she did was drop the keys in a sea green, glass ashtray from the seventies on a small table next to the door. She did not smoke; she just liked the color of the glass. The living room had a small couch, a comfy chair, and a small television in the corner. She rarely turned on the television. Her news, social interactions, and banking were all done on her smartphone. The unit also had two bedrooms and one bathroom off the kitchen. She sat in the comfy chair and dialed her parent’s number in Florida.

Hello dear, answered her mother. Her mother’s name was Evelynn Brooks. Your father is out shopping at the flea market. The last time he went by himself, he brought home a fish tank.

Does it have water in it? asked Jessica.

No, but he put a dastardly looking lizard in it. What’s up?

They asked me to cover for Chris again.

I know you like your job and you don’t want to make waves, but you are going to have to say no sometimes.

It’s difficult. They need to hire at least one more technician so that when one of us calls out, the other does not have to work. He did promise me Saturday off.

Any plans? asked Evelynn.

I still don’t have a boyfriend.

What about that boy Jeff?

I don’t know if he’s interested.

Well. You won’t know until you try.

Changing the subject, Jessica asked, Did they fix your air conditioner yet?

Your father had to threaten them with going to the condo board. It took three days for them to come out and fix it. During the day, we spent our time at the swimming pool but at night the fans were not enough to keep the heat out.

Well, as long as it’s fixed, said Jessica.

Have you heard about the comet?

I thought it was an asteroid.

Well, whatever it is, it sure is moving fast.

I heard it’s going to pass us by in a couple of days.

Well, your father is worried about it.

I think if it was going to crash into earth someone would have said something.

Her mother replied, I don’t know, those tourists in Hawaii didn’t expect to have a lava bomb strike their boat.

Yes, but they were a lot closer to the volcano than the asteroid, or comet, or whatever it is will get to us. I wouldn’t worry about that too much, Mom.

Your father’s home. Do you want to talk to him?

No, I’ll give you a call tomorrow. By the way, I can’t text you while I’m at work anymore.

Well, tell your boss we will call if it’s an emergency. I love you.

I love you too mom. Bye.

Jessica turned on the lamp light next to the chair and opened a new book. The title of the book was Desert Plants. As usual, she would read for an hour, then take a shower and go to bed. In a few days, she would never use a lamp to read again.

Chapter Two

Jessica’s parents lived in their own condominium on the Gulf Coast of Florida in the small town of Palm Branch. The place was billed as an oasis. The buildings were surrounded by a private golf course, an Olympic size pool centered among the buildings, and a large community garden near the golf clubhouse. A mile-long cart path led to the pristine sandy beach shared by the locals and residents of the Beach Oasis Condominiums. Evelynn and Monty Brooks liked the residents but mostly kept to themselves enjoying the beach and pool. Occasionally, Monty played a round of golf and Evelynn puttered in the garden.

The Brooks moved to Florida after selling the family peach farm. The farm had been in Monty’s family for several generations but Jessica had no desire to be a farmer. So, Monty sold the farm for a tidy sum to a corporation that canned peaches. As a farmer does, Monty and Evelynn had worked hard for many years at the farm. Being parents in their twilight years, Monty and Evelynn had lived a difficult but productive life before moving to Florida. The only problem now was that Monty had too much time on his hands. He would take long walks around the premises and occasionally walk into town three miles up the road. Unfortunately for Evelynn, he found a flea market. He would bring prizes home from the flea market and Evelynn would decide if the objects could stay in the two-bedroom condominium or be allocated to the dumpster.

At that moment, Evelynn put her cell phone on a side table next to the sofa as Monty walked in the door, and said, Jessica called.

Monty grunted as he put two cardboard boxes on the floor and said, Is she okay?

I’m more worried about you. You’re sweating profusely and your face is beet red. What have you done to yourself?

I found a radio at the flea market, said Monty as he sat down on the couch. Trying to catch his breath, he admitted, I should have driven the truck. The boxes were heavier than I thought.

"What kind of radio comes