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  Thank you for downloading ZERO HOUR, Book Two of The Blackout Series, by Bobby Akart

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  I suggest you refresh your memory and reacquaint yourself with the characters of The Blackout Series. By clicking below you will be taken to a brief synopsis of the story to date, and then a summary of the principal characters. Afterward, you will be returned to the Epigraph.

  Go To Previously in The Blackout Series

  Other Works by Bestselling Author Bobby Akart

  The Blackout Series

  36 Hours

  Zero Hour

  Turning Point

  The Boston Brahmin Series

  The Loyal Nine

  Cyber Attack

  Martial Law

  False Flag

  The Mechanics

  Choose Freedom

  The Prepping for Tomorrow Series

  Cyber Warfare

  EMP: Electromagnetic Pulse

  Economic Collapse

  Zero Hour

  The Blackout Series

  A novel by

  Bobby Akart

  Contents

  Dedications

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author, Bobby Akart

  About The Blackout Series

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Copyright Information

  APPENDIX A

  AN EXCERPT FROM EMP: ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE

  APPENDIX B

  APPENDIX C

  APPENDIX D

  Previously in The Blackout Series

  Dedications

  To the love of my life, thank you for making the sacrifices necessary so I may pursue this dream.

  To the Princesses of the Palace, my little marauders in training, you have no idea how much happiness you bring to your Mommy and me.

  To my fellow preppers—never be ashamed of adopting a preparedness lifestyle.

  Acknowledgements

  Writing a book that is both informative and entertaining requires a tremendous team effort. Writing is the easy part. For their efforts in making The Blackout Series a reality, I would like to thank Hristo Argirov Kovatliev for his incredible cover art, Pauline Nolet and Sabrina Jean for making this important work reader-friendly, Stef Mcdaid for making this manuscript decipherable on so many formats, and The Team—whose advice, friendship and attention to detail is priceless.

  The Blackout Series could not have been written without the tireless counsel and direction from those individuals who shall remain nameless at the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado and at the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. Thank you for providing me a portal into your observations and data.

  Lastly, a huge thank you to Dr. Tamitha Skov, a friend and social media icon, who is a research scientist at The Aerospace Corporation in Southern California. With her PHD in Geophysics and Space Plasma Physics, she has become a vital resource for amateur astronomers and aurora watchers around the world. Without her insight, The Blackout Series could not have been written. Visit her website at http://www.SpaceWeatherWoman.com.

  Thank you!

  About the Author, Bobby Akart

  A five-time Amazon Top 100 Author and author of seven #1 bestsellers in both fiction and non-fiction genres. Bobby Akart has provided his readers a diverse range of topics that are both informative and entertaining. His attention to detail and impeccable research has allowed him to write bestselling books in several fiction and nonfiction genres.

  Born and raised in Tennessee, Bobby received his bachelor's degree with a dual major in economics and political science. He not only understands how the economy works, but the profound effect politics has on the economy as well. After completing his undergraduate degree at Tennessee in three years, he entered the dual-degree program, obtaining a Juris Doctor combined with an MBA—master of business administration—at the age of twenty-three.

  His education perfectly suited him for his legal career in banking, trusts, and investment banking. As his career flourished, business opportunities arose, including the operation of restaurants and the development of real estate. But after meeting and marrying the love of his life, they left the corporate world and developed online businesses.

  A life-changing event led them to Muddy Pond, Tennessee, where he and his wife Dani lead a self-sustainable, preparedness lifestyle. Bobby and his wife are unabashed preppers and share their expert knowledge of prepping via their website www.FreedomPreppers.com.

  Bobby lives in the backwoods of the Cumberland Plateau with his wife, and their two English bulldogs, aka the Princesses of the Palace.

  SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES and receive free advance reading copies, updates on new releases, special offers, and bonus content. You can contact Bobby directly by email ([email protected]) or through his website www.BobbyAkart.com

  About The Blackout Series

  WHAT WOULD YOU DO

  if a voice was screaming in your head - GET READY . . .

  for a catastrophic event of epic proportions . . .

  with no idea where to start . . .

  or how, or when?

  This is a true story, it just hasn't happened yet.

  Introducing a new dystopian, post-apocalyptic fiction series from seven-time best-selling author Bobby Akart (The Blackout Series, The Boston Brahmin Series and the Prepping for Tomorrow Series).

  The characters depicted in The Blackout Series are fictional. The events, however, are based upon fact.

  This is not the story of preppers with stockpiles of food, weapons, and a hidden bunker. This is the story of Colton Ryman, his stay-at-home wife, Madison, and their teenage daughter, Alex. In 36 Hours, the Ryman family and the rest of the world will be thrust into the darkness of a post-apocalyptic world.

  A catastrophic solar flare, an EMP—a threat from above to America's soft underbelly below—is hurtling toward the Earth.

  The Rymans have never heard of preppers and have no concept of what prepping entails. But they're learning, while they run out of time. Their faith will be tested, their freedom will be threatened, but their family will survive.

  An EMP, naturally generated from our sun in the form of a solar flare, has happened before, and it will happen again, in only 36 Hours.

  This is a story about how our sun, the planet's source of life, can also devastate our modern world. It’s a story about panic, chaos, and the final straws that shattered a
n already thin veneer of civility. It is a warning to us all ...

  never underestimate the depravity of man.

  What would you do when the clock strikes zero?

  Midnight is forever.

  Note: This book does not contain strong language. It is intended to entertain and inform audiences of all ages, including teen and young adults. Although some scenes depict the realistic threat our nation faces from a devastating solar flare, and the societal collapse which will result in the aftermath, it does not contain graphic scenes typical of other books in the post-apocalyptic genre.

  Epigraph

  *****

  Here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, and I say, it’s all right.

  ~ the quiet Beatle

  *****

  Civilization is hideously fragile.

  There’s not much between us & the horrors underneath, just about a coat of varnish.

  ~ CP Snow

  *****

  The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.

  ~ John F. Kennedy

  *****

  By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

  ~ Benjamin Franklin

  *****

  Because you never know when the day before

  is the day before.

  Prepare for tomorrow!

  Prologue

  Some people had never been in complete darkness—they never had a reason to be. There were always lights—everywhere—spilling from a neighbor’s home through your windows or the glow of a nearby town lighting up the horizon. The illumination of cell phones, computer screens, televisions, vehicles, and businesses invaded our surroundings every night—all night.

  Most Americans grew up not knowing what complete darkness was. Few had experienced a total blackout, but tonight, at zero hour, everyone was. Midnight was forever.

  Then there was the silence. Noise could have a harmful effect on your health and psyche. The word noise came from a Latin term meaning queasiness or pain. The body reacted immediately and powerfully to the signals transmitted through the ear to the brain. We lived in consistently loud environments, which created chronically elevated levels of stress hormones.

  In a world full of commotion, the sudden silence could be frightening. Once, there was the hum of background electronics ranging from kitchen appliances to the fans on computers. In a city environment, the constant sounds emanating from outside—planes, trains, and automobiles—became a way of life. The stillness could be calming, until it made you uncomfortable.

  For some, silence wrecked the nerves. It made them uneasy, vulnerable. The quieter it became, the more you could hear. You could hear your breathing or the beating hearts of the loved ones you held tight. The lack of external stimuli quieted your mind and allowed you to focus on what was closest to you.

  Chapter 1

  ZERO HOUR

  11:03 p.m., September 8

  Ryman Residence

  Belle Meade, Tennessee

  Alex shrieked at the suddenness of the blackout and the silence. An eerie glimmer of green and blue hues radiated through the transom windows into the Rymans’ home, producing a psychedelic glow inside.

  Colton hugged his daughter and reassured her. “It’s okay, honey. We’re all here together.”

  “My God, Colton,” Madison whispered as if hushed voices were the new way of life.

  Colton didn’t want to let go of his girls. At this moment, he thanked God for life’s greatest blessing—the love of a family. In the darkness, the Rymans didn’t say a word for several minutes. Their embrace said it all. Family was their circle of strength, founded on faith, joined in love. They would endure together—forever.

  “Guys, there’s something you have to see,” said Colton, rubbing the backs of his girls before heading to the kitchen door leading to the driveway. “It’s phenomenal.”

  He led them outside onto the brick-paver driveway. The popping of the Wagoneer’s motor cooling down blended in with the crickets’ orchestra and were the only sounds heard.

  Wisps of blue and green floated across the dark sky. As the electrically charged particles from the sun collided with Earth’s atmosphere, the most common auroral color, a pale greenish-yellow, filled the sky. As nitrogen particles collided, blues were introduced, providing an entrancing, magical display for the world to see.

  “Daddy, this is amazing,” marveled Alex, who slowly walked in circles, attempting to take it all in. “I’ve been looking at pictures online, but to see the northern lights is—”

  BOOM! BOOM!

  CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE!

  BOOM!

  An explosion followed by rapid snaps sounding similar to fireworks or sparklers ripped through the tranquility. The South Davidson Substation, five miles to their west, had just erupted into flames as the incredible surge of energy from the geomagnetic storm overwhelmed its protective relay systems. These systems were designed to trip certain breakers when a fault was detected, like a significant surge in energy. The battery backup system failed, the substation infrastructure was compromised, and the substation became a raging inferno.

  The Rymans instinctively ran into their front yard to see the ball of fire gradually rise above Belle Meade Country Club. Colton looked down the hill of their front yard and saw their neighbors gathered on the sidewalk, looking towards the colorful sky. They also appeared to be distracted by the sound.

  Then Colton heard it. It was hissing at first and gradually grew louder to a hum.

  BUZZZZZZ!

  The mysterious noise grew in intensity as it progressed into an ominous crackling in the distance. Out of the corner of his eye, Colton was the first to see the flashes of light rapidly coming towards them. He tried to process the correlation between sight and sound. It was beyond his comprehension, and then he realized what was happening.

  “Hey!” Colton shouted as he ran down the hill to the center of his yard. “Run! Run! Get away from the street!”

  His neighbors, the O’Malleys, looked back at him, dumbfounded. Their feet weren’t moving. Colton waved his arms and yelled once again before he slipped and lost his footing in the wet, dewy grass. He rolled onto his stomach and covered his head as he saw the unimaginable.

  A fireball was blazing along the power lines from the substation. Fueled by the electrical surge, it strengthened and then obliterated the transformer at the top of the power pole across the road.

  Sparks, fire, and debris rained down upon the people on the sidewalk. The blast was emanating an extreme amount of heat, which caused the trees to erupt spontaneously into an inferno. Mr. O’Malley, his shirt on fire, was frantically rolling around on the wet grass to put out the flames. Screams filled the air as burning tree branches fell to the ground.

  As the transformer finally gave way, the red-hot, glowing power lines broke free and fell to the sidewalk, dancing like rattlesnakes that had lost their heads, but not their will to strike. Mrs. O’Malley was electrocuted, dying instantly. Her husband, still smoldering from the burns, scrambled through the wet grass towards her to help and was electrocuted from the conductivity.

  The fireball, meanwhile, roared toward Forest Hills, where the Nashville Electric Service substation suffered a similar fate. In its wake, fires were set along Harding Place all the way to Interstate 65.

  Madison and Alex rushed to Colton’s side. “Colton!” exclaimed Madison. “Are you okay?”

  “Daddy!” cried Alex as she also slipped and fell, rolling onto her father.

  They shielded their faces from the intense heat generated by the burning oils spilled by the older transformers. Colton helped Alex to her feet and led them back towards the house. His face was burning as if he had fallen asleep under a heat lamp.

  “Alex, grab some buckets from the pool house,” instructed Colton. Alex took off, and he turned his attention to his wife, who had a frightened look on her face. “Madison, I need you to open the garage and pull the Wagoneer inside. The keys are in it. Close the garage door be
hind you. You’ll have to pull the red string to unlatch it.”

  She nodded. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I am. Now hurry, honey. Nobody can know about our truck, okay.”

  Madison took off up the hill and crossed paths with Alex, who had returned with two five-gallon pails that had been used for pool chemicals.

  “Are these the ones, Daddy?”

  “Yes, baby. We have to help put out the fires,” replied Colton.

  “Won’t the fire trucks come and do it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know, Alex. I don’t think so. Let’s go.”

  Colton and Alex shielded their faces as they took a wide berth around the smoldering transformer. The fire had died out somewhat, but the fallen tree branches were still burning. With the recent one-hundred-degree heat and the lack of rainfall, Colton didn’t want the fire to get out of control.

  “Oh my God, Dad,” shouted Alex as she paused near the charred bodies of their neighbors. She covered her face as the stench from the burning bodies permeated the air.

  “Don’t look, Alex,” said Colton as he grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. “There’s nothing we can do for them right now.”

  The next-door neighbor stood with a water hose in the middle of the O’Malleys’ yard. Colton and Alex ran past him as he mumbled, “It won’t work. There’s no water.”

  “Come with us,” yelled Colton as he ran through the side gate to the O’Malleys’ backyard pool. They scooped up as much water as they could carry and returned to douse the flames.

  “What can we do?” asked Rusty Kaplan. He and his wife, Karen, were the Rymans’ immediate neighbors on the right.

  “Hey, Rusty,” Colton greeted him. “You and Karen try to find some buckets in the greenhouse over there. We’ll start with these.”