Shiloh Ranch: A Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (The Blackout Series Book 4) by Bobby Akart

Author:Bobby Akart
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub, pdf
Published: 2017-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

9:00 a.m., October 8

Pickwick Dam

Near Hamburg, Tennessee

Brown, mud-filled water splashed against the banks below them. The rushing current and the waves were typical of those created by barge traffic on the Tennessee River—except there hadn’t been any boat traffic since the power grid collapsed.

“What do you think is stirring all of this up?” asked Colton as he dismounted into the slushy field.

“Two days of solid rain may have something to do with it, but I’ve never seen it this swift,” replied Jake. He tied his horse off to a tree and stepped closer to the edge of the embankment. His large frame caused his boots to sink into the mud.

“Check out the erosion of the banks across the way,” added Colton. “The water is getting near the porches of those two old houses.”

Part of the riverbank at Jake’s feet gave way as mud crashed into the water. He quickly jumped back as large clods of sod slid down as well.

“I can’t imagine that the Corps of Engineers would open the spill gates at Pickwick this much,” said Jake as he retrieved his horse. “They’re gonna wash us out if they don’t cut back on this volume.”

“How far is it?”

Jake mounted up and replied, “Maybe five miles if we hug the river. There are several homes along the way as we approach Rock Pile, so we’ll need to keep our eyes open.”

“Rock Pile?”

“Yeah. When TVA built Pickwick in the thirties, they had to reduce the width of the river in areas downstream. Just below us here, they built up a thirty-foot-tall retaining wall, using limestone quarried from east of Savannah.”

Colton mounted up and followed Jake as he headed south along the river.

Jake continued. “Several small houses were built on top of the wall and were rented to TVA employees working on the Pickwick project. Eventually, a restaurant and bar was opened and the tiny community of Rock Pile, Tennessee, became a permanent fixture.”

“How many people live down this way?” asked Colton. “Should we bring a couple of Javy’s men with us?”

“Nah,” replied Jake. “I rode down here with Chase after the power went off to check on things. Most of the property is rented out to summer visitors who clear out by Labor Day. Of course, I know the folks who run the bar. We’ll pay them a visit on the way back, you know, to wet our whistles.”

The two men rode in silence as they made their way back to Leath Road, which took them to within viewing distance of the dam. As expected, the properties along Rock Pile were shuttered for the winter.

The tiny town of Hamburg showed little activity. It was settled by a group of German immigrants in the eighteen hundreds, who named it after their hometown in Northern Germany. Hamburg Landing, as it was known during the Civil War, was used as a rear logistics headquarters for the Confederate Army. Riverboats would travel up the Tennessee River from Alabama with troops, horses, and cannons in preparation for the Battle of Shiloh.

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