{Wattpad Featured Story}
Nolan Clay was convicted of murder and dishonorably discharged from his marksman position in the Navy SEALs all in one night...for a crime he didn't commit. After spending ten years in prison, all Nolan wants to do is live a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Nolan surveyed the old Ford conversion van sitting abandoned on the grass. There were at least fifty abandoned cars littering the four-lane highway and not a sound to be heard.
Most of them were newer vehicles, and their updated engines were harder, if not impossible, to work on.
The Ford was the oldest one he could find. It was a model built in '89 and Nolan was hoping he could hotwire it back to life. The EMP had knocked out most of the other vehicles, including this one, but there was always a chance...
He popped open the hood as Grace helped Collin rest Angela inside the roomy back end of the conversion. She was awake now, but not doing well.
Jim came around to the front and propped his elbow up on the hood.
The van was boxy and had a rusted brown stripe down the length of it. It had once been a classic cream color, but had since turned a sickly yellow.
"Engine looks good." Jim said, peering at the metal parts below that looked anything but "good".
"It's drivable, anyway." Nolan opened the driver's door on the right side of the vehicle and unscrewed the compartment below the wheel to reveal a coil of wires. He pulled out one of the three bundles that were connected to the ignition and steering mechanisms and stripped away the plastic from the ignition and starter wires, twisted them together, and attached it to the battery wire.
The lights on the dashboard blinked to life and Nolan gave a sigh of relief.
"Did it work?" Grace asked excitedly from the back.
"So far," Nolan replied, creating a spark to make the other wires active. He revved the engine and it made a clunky purring sound—one of the best noises Nolan had heard in a long time.
"Good job, son!" Jim said.
"All aboard the Mystery Machine." Grace hopped into the back, along with Jim, to keep a close eye on Angela.
"First stop, the hospital," Collin muttered, climbing into the passenger's seat next to Nolan.
Grace rolled her eyes. "Killjoy,"
Nolan backed up out of the grass and began the task of dodging around other vehicles littering the highway.
They had walked for at least five miles out of the city and as Nolan drove, there were more cars fifteen miles out—evidence of how far the EMP had spread.
Not good.
With every recharge, the EMP grew stronger; it wouldn't be long until another went off.
The road was long and quiet. Soon both Grace and Jim had dozed off to sleep.
The late afternoon sun made him tired as well, but his mind was too active to rest.
