Black Falls: Grid Down

When an electromagnetic pulse knocks out power across Western Pennsylvania, Thomas Hale starts with what he knows: protect his family, account for his supplies, and concentrate on the three feet of ground he can actually control.A retired sergeant major, Thomas has spent years preparing for an emergency. He has food, equipment, weapons, and people he trusts. What he cannot stockpile is the judgment each new day demands.As families search for one another and stores run short, familiar places begin to change. A market offers opportunities for trade and exploitation. Old friendships carry new obligations. Strangers arrive with needs Thomas cannot always meet, and every person welcomed onto his property becomes another responsibility.His son Mason favors firm boundaries and decisive action. Thomas understands the reasoning, even when he struggles with the consequences. Their disagreements become harder to settle as the community around them fractures and trouble at the nearby Black Falls nuclear plant threatens more than either man can protect.Survival takes work, much of it exhausting, ordinary, and necessary. Water must be hauled. Food must be stretched. Someone has to stand watch, and someone has to decide whether the person approaching the gate deserves help.Black Falls: Grid Down follows a circle of family and friends through the practical and personal costs of a prolonged collapse. With rough humor, conflicting loyalties, and hard choices, it explores what preparedness can accomplish when the emergency lasts longer than anyone wants to believe.