Disclaimer: I don't own Jericho or its genre. But the characters I created are MINE. MWUAHHAHAHA.
Timeline Layout: Bombs +8 days.
Series layout: This is set in the Chinook Series. It focus's around the Stout family 15 miles from a small town Called Chinook. Chinook is roughly 65 miles North of Jericho and 135 Miles south of Blackjack trading post.
Chapter series Layout: This follows what happens after a few people realize this isn't going to end soon. The first glimpses of a graphic new world are evident.
This Chapter: Sortof short. Mainly introduction. Not much action. BUT...It does include one Canon character (Sortof), in the form of Ravenwood.
WARNINGS: None.
Feedback: PLEASE, Leave. I am copying off of another forum, and although I think I gleaned mistakes I never know. Aside from spelling and punctuation mistakes please let me know ;)
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Chapter 1.
It was 4:30 in the morning when John left the house. He walked over to his pickup parked in front of the house and opened the door. The interior light shone out of the cab and onto the ground as he checked through the stuff in the pickup.
He jumped as a voice behind him spoke, "Got everything?"
"God damnit, Grant don't do that. I coulda shot you ya know."
"Nah. I figured you would either know it was me, or have a heart attack."
"Hmmph. Anyway. I got about everything I need. Got our food for today. Got my guns and ammunition. I loaded up our portable air compressor. With air power we can change a tire or do repairs 5 times faster. Your pickup ready?"
Grant nodded.
"You got a go-bag? That is, if we gotta hoof it for some reason?"
He nodded again, "Yeah. Got 3 days worth of food, a small medkit, flashlight, etc.. I got our other stuff we need ready too. Here take a couple of these," Grant handed him a pair of bottles with fuse sticks on the side.
"What the hell are these?"
"Molotov cocktails. Figured they might be worth having."
"You sure they ain't gonna blow up on us?" John asked, eyeing the bottles warily.
"Shouldn't. Touch a pickup lighter to the fuse stick to light that. Shouldn't even touch the gas inside until that bottle is shattered."
"Okay genius. Mind telling me how to use one of these damn things while I am driving?"
Grant shrugged, "A lotta luck?"
"Probably. Now lets get moving. Turn your radio to channel 8."
"Okay. 2 clicks for trouble?"
"Right. No talking unless absolutely necesary. These aren't secure channels and anyone can listen to them," John turned and climbed into his pickup.
John turned the key and the truck roared into life, quickly replaced by the rattle common to diesel engines. Grant walked back to the pickup parked behind John's and climbed in. He turned the key and they slowly pulled out.
As they left, Grant looked at the house. His mom, Deb, was standing on the doorstep and waved goodbye. He waved back although he doubted she could see it in this dark. As they left Grant had a brief flash of panic before settling into driving. This was a brand new world. One he wasn't used to. He had only driven on the highway a couple times before the bombs. His third time could although unlikely, be his last.
2 pickups left the Stout Ranch and soon were on the highway to Goodland. One a new model Dodge pickup. The other a older model Ford. Both were pulling long gooseneck trailers. John drove the lead Dodge while Grant was driving the Ford.
Although they hadn't seen much of the situation outside of Chinook they had taken a lot of precautionary measures. John's dodge had flat-iron plates installed only a couple days after learning about the bombs. It had only taken 3 days for complete confusion to take hold. The same type of confusion seen in places around the world... like Somalia and the Sudan. So all measures had been taken.
Grant skipped out of his thoughts and scanned the country they were traveling through. It was far different from his home. A small valley with a river running through it and speckled with trees. A stark contrast to here. Flat and open, with not a tree in sight.As far as the eye could see nothing but grainfields and pastureland. It was almost uncanny as they traveled. Not a outfit in sight, no work in the almost ready to cut grainfields. He actually got a small chuckle out of it. With the overcast skies it painted a perfect apocalyptic picture around them.
The radio bolted to the dashboard gave 2 muffled clicks. He looked in the rearview mirror and saw 4 vehicles about a mile behind them coming fast upon them.
Although the world today gave him reason he was even more paranoid than it warranted. He punched in the cigarette lighter on the pickup and got it heating up. Between glances in the mirror and ahead at the road he glanced into the passenger seat.
Riding in it was his Ruger carbine. It was only a light rifle. Firing the same bullet as the US military's rifle. Alongside it was the scoped sniper rifle. It was civilian manufactured but basically identical to the US Army sniper rifle. Semi-automatic and carrying a 20 round magazine, it fired a bullet 3 times heavier than the carbine round. But it was one of the 3 bottles laying alongside them that he picked up and held next to his side.
As they pulled closer he could make out that they were Humvees, painted a solid black. As they got closer 3 of them pulled out to pass. The 4th didn't make a move to pass which made Grant nervous. It possibly meant that they thought the pickups were worth checking over.
The 3 Humvees slowly passed by his window. The windows were tinted black so he couldn't see the occupants. He could tell they were looking him and his pickup over closely. He tried to manage a dumb, curious look back at them, hopefully giving the appearance of someone not worth bothering.
He breathed easier when the last Humvee pulled out and passed. The 4 outfits accelerated and quickly pulled out of sight ahead of them. It gave him the shakes when he thought of who they possibly might be.
Not many people in these parts could afford a Hummer, much less 4 of them. And all sporting that black paint job. Looked more like something military, or a police unit would be using. Nonetheless they were gone and he pushed all the thoughts of them out of his mind for now.