Jack's Diary

It was the evening of Saturday, November 17, 2024, when the power went out. No one was sure if it was a massive solar flare, God, or maybe some type of terrorist attack.

Nevertheless, all forms of communication went silent all over the globe in a split second. All the lights went out, most cars and trucks just stopped running. Cell phones became no better than paperweights. The days of the internet were gone. Even airplanes, filled to the brim with holiday travelers, just stopped and fell out of the sky like the bombs that hit Hiroshima so long ago.

Some people believed it was the Rapture, while others thought that it was war, most of us just knew it wasn't good.

Of course, it only took a few days for just about everyone to realize that the power wasn’t coming back on anytime soon. If ever.

Six months later society has broken down completely. Some people have banded together in small groups or gangs. Some have shunned everyone who wasn't family. Many, if not most, died.

Yeah, only six months into our new powerless world and it seems like less than half of the human race remains alive. And half of those people are no better than monsters. The game is about survival now.

April 1, 2025, I think.

I didn't know the day would be any different than any other day... I mean, as a medic working in the inner city, and a female, everyday had its own challenges. I saw more drunk fights, gunshot wounds, mental break downs, drug overdoses, and accidents than I care to think about. Really, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

But I also met people, good people. That guy who was holding pressure on the gunshot wound of a kid he had never met, or that lady sitting next to a young man who planned to jump off a bridge just so she could keep him there long enough for help to arrive. I met groups of young people who would stand around me and my partner like a wall, as we worked to save their friend, just in case there was another drive by shooting while we were there. They didn't care that we had the police with us, they wanted to offer the medics their personal protection. So, they did.

Every time my faith in humanity faltered, someone like; a gang banger, a businesswoman, or some executive type, you know, a person you would never expect, would cross my path in an act of kindness so profound that my hope for the human race would come flooding back in waves!

Every time.

I thought those people, those genuinely good people, were all dead. See, it was just this past November when the power went out. It only took about a week and there was not a good deed in sight. Everyone seemed to have turned into some sort of self-proclaimed war lord. It was more of a pillage and rape fest than anything else. Even in the small town near my homestead, which was not even close to the city but a good 50 miles from work.

God, I'm glad I was able to get out of the city when I did. And unbelievably thankful that my old Cherokee was one of the few vehicles that still ran.

I think I saw too much. After all, I was at work for the first 2 days of that beginning chaos. But, when my Chief left, so did the rest of us. After all, what good is a firetruck or an ambulance when they won't start? You can only help so much on foot. For those first 2 days, I tried my best. It just wasn't good enough.

Oh, let me be fair. Some stayed. Those public servants who had no families of their own. They stayed. Good guys, and now, I can't help but wonder what has become of them. I guess none of that matters now. I went home to my girls and my dog.

After that first week home I made another decision. I was going to take the girls to my in-laws. They've lived off the grid for as long as I can remember. It didn't take a brain surgeon to know that they were the best suited people for what was taking place in the world. Not to mention, they love the girls.

Sadly, before we went to them, and while we were on our way there, I too became little more than a savage to ensure the safety of my children.

I'm not ready to even think about the things I have done. Much less write it all down, But the nightmares...

I have to do something to stop the nightmares.

So, I've had a chat with Oscar, my father-in-law. He agrees, I need to go home. I need to find some people, good people, to help. If I am to find any faith in the human race, it has to start with me. But I can't take the girls, it's much too dangerous.

Oscar and Ila will keep them here, safe.

I've packed the Jeep, and tomorrow morning I will go see how my little homestead has fared without anyone there to tend to its many needs. I've wired the CB in same place it was 30 years ago, under the dash. We've tested it, and she comes through loud and clear on Oscar's base station.

I have to say, I hope I don't find any bodies in any of the traps I laid...

And I seriously hope I am not simply putting myself at risk to run a fools-errand.

-Jack