You've Got Real Problems Now

Let's summarize what's gone from your world; what I've taken away over the past three weeks.

1. Electricity (all power)     

Yep, you no have use of any electric devices. No fridge, no stove, no air conditioning, no furnace, no television, no radio. No nothing! Fun, right?

You may say, "I'll be fine without these modern conveniences." But really, will you? Can't look up anything on the internet anymore. That's gone too. Just another casualty of the Darkness. 

You know all that stuff you saved on some hard drive? All about prepping and survival skills? Sorry, no access. It's all gone, pal.

2. Transportation

No planes, no trains, no automobiles. 

You're on foot, or horse or bike from this point forward. The range you can roam just dwindled from thousands of miles, to maybe twenty. Feeling a little confined, friend?

Anything with a computer is dead. And almost all of our transportation, nowadays, runs on computers. The average car has a number of them somewhere under the hood. Planes don't use hydraulics that much anymore. Most of what is accomplished to get airborne is done with the aid of a computer.

Now some cars, and some smaller planes, will work - for a while. But once we use up the last of our stored fossil fuels, they are done as well. Remember, no electricity to pump them from deep storage tanks. Bet you forgot all about that, didn't you?

3. Communications

No cell phones, no landlines, no pagers, no faxes, no texting...yeah, you get it: no easy communication.

This one really sucks. How am I supposed to know how my mother, some eighty miles away, is doing? Or how my youngest son and his family 1,200 miles away are holding up in the Darkness?

Even more sobering, what if my wife is some thirty miles away when it strikes and can't get home? Will I ever see her again? Will I ever know what happened to her?

Much will be lost when the Darkness arrives. Ease of living, loved ones, the world we know. How will humankind survive such an event? Will we even care how it happened? Or will we all go into survival mode? Some many questions - so few answers.

This is the world of WWIV. Four full novels, and three novellas (when all are finished) - exploring people's reactions and lives at the time of the event, and in the years that follow. If you want to know what caused all of this havoc, maybe you do and maybe you don't, you'll have to wait for the last novella in 2016 - The Truth.

Until then, if you would like to read any of these stories, click on the books below. If you'd like to know when new books are arriving, click here to receive my newsletter.

I'll have more for you next week. Until then, get your loved ones something decent to read for Christmas.

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)

                       

You are really gonna miss this!

You're at a restaurant - like maybe right now. If so, look around. What do you see? Almost everyone has their attention focused on that device in their hands...their cellular phone.

A cell phone is primarily meant for communication, right? At least that was its original intent. But nowadays? Entertainment, news, sports...everything. And people have grown real attached to these devices. Very Attached.

Say goodbye to your little friend

When the Darkness arrives, those handheld devices will be useless. No more texting or chatting with friends. No hour long phone calls with mom and dad. No quick goodnight calls to significant others hundreds of miles away. Nothing, gone, kaput. Dead silence...forever.

Think about it for a moment. How, just how, are you going to communicate with others now? Landlines will be just as useless; no fax machines or pagers either. The Post Office is closed - permanently. 

Looks like you are going to get to know your neighbors after all! What were their names again? Lonnie and Melanie...or something like that?

And no Internet to boot

Jeez, this gets worse by the moment, doesn't it? No text messages, or SnapChats (whatever they are), or Instagram (never used it myself). Just word of mouth now. Perhaps some written letters and notes, as well.  But mostly one on one communication from the moment the Darkness arrives.

And what are you going to do? I'm not letting you give up. No, not going to be an easy way out here. Not this time; not ever again. You're stuck in the middle of a world that is so unfamiliar to most. 

Maybe it's time for a good support system. A human support system. Anyone think they need to work on the interpersonal human relationship skills? Maybe before the Darkness arrives?

Yeah, I thought so.

I'll have a wrap-up for you next week. Now that your electricity, and transportation, and communication is all gone to hell you'll pay attention. Maybe you can still survive. Maybe.

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)

                       

Oh My, Your Car Doesn't Work? I Warned You!

This week we continue with what your world is going to be like if (or perhaps when) WWIV comes a callin'. Last week we hinted at life without electricity. This week, I take your vehicles away.

Here's your first hint. Jumping won't help. To be exact, it's not even possible. Unless you find someone with an older car (sans computer), and, they had it stored properly.

Whatever happened to cause The Darkness was bad

Real Bad, actually. It seems to have emulated an EMP (electromagnetic pulse). And those aren't good. Here's a link to what it would be like after one of those babies. Scroll down to the part covering "effects". And trust me, if you dig a little deeper, it gets a whole lot scarier.

Suffice it to say that if The Darkness hits the world with the same effects as an EMP, well - we are all in a lot of trouble.

Damn computers, the bane of our existence

It's bad enough your laptops, and desktops, and tablets won't work. But your 2103 Chevy Impala has a computer as well. Several computers actually.

And guess what? It's dead, now that The Darkness has come. Dead - never to work again, never to be fixed, never to be replaced. You see, radiation has come to rest on our world. And it has covered and destroyed EVERYTHING!

(I'll cover more about what happened later - as in it will all be revealed in Book Three of my Shorts Series The Truth)

So, I guess we'll be walking a lot more now

You know your daughter's cute bike out in the garage? The pink thing with the streamers on the handle bars? Yeah, get used to it.

Or get some good shoes.

Or find a sturdy horse.

'Cause there won't be any more planes, trains, nor automobiles. Not for a long, long time (most likely ever, but let's not perseverate on that right now). Just like last week - can you say welcome to the 1800s? That's what transportation is going to look like - for the rest of your life for sure!

It's sobering, isn't it?

Never again will you take a Sunday afternoon ride to Grandma's. Quick trips to the store some five miles away? Nah, I don't think so. Weekend jaunts to cities hundreds of miles away are now things of the past.

On any given weekend, I drive as much as 300 miles from my home. Perhaps I'm off to the cottage for a weekend of fishing and relaxation. Or maybe a fall dash to the farm to hunt deer. Ah, the good ole days.

After The Darkness comes, my range will be limited greatly. Maybe five miles, perhaps less. Without a vehicle to transport me here and there, I'll be doing plenty of walking. I've got a bike, something my daughter and her husband gave to me as a birthday gift a few years back. But, I don't bike much. Perhaps I'll have to dig it out of the corner of the garage and become more acquainted with that thing.

What will your life be like without gas-powered transportation? Tell me about it...if you dare.

Have a great week; enjoy Thanksgiving (my US readers). 

e a lake

(books below are interactive, so go ahead and click on any of them)