"Squirrel seven bullets, rabbit twenty bullets, willing to barter," read a hand-lettered sign. As food grew scarcer, the price was going up. But bullets were scarce now as well. John's earlier prediction that cigarettes might very well become currency had been wrong. Nearly every last one had been smoked long ago. He still felt the pangs of withdrawal. It was bullets that were now the currency of choice, especially .22 and shotgun shells.
