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creature comforts back. For this modern electronic society, addicted to devices, electrical power was the civilizing factor. It was what separated them from the animals, what separated them from undeveloped nations of the world.
"For some people, life is that simple," Gary said. "They're not concerned about the other issues. They don’t care about giving up their guns, or even their freedom, for food and power. Not everyone sees this issue the same way we did."
All that was accomplished was the venting of hate in hopes it would set the world right. It never worked.
They anticipated the worst. They each felt within them that the bad things that had happened were not the last of the bad things. The loss they’d experienced would not be the final loss. Hardship and deprivation would continue to shape the land for as far as they could see.
Although it was an inconvenience, he wouldn’t let it stop him. He thought about adaptability. How could he best adapt to his current situation? What could he change or modify to retain his combat effectiveness? That was the question.
“No, it’s not,” Pops said. “Everyone should be on the hunt for solar fence chargers, extra rolls of electric fencing, and the yellow clips that hold the wire to t-posts. If we don’t find enough we’ll have to take down some existing fence and reuse it.”
If we accept surrender, you can’t back up and change your mind. Once your rights are gone, you don’t get them back.”
Around the world, terrorist leaders were being killed in their sleep, poisoned in cafes, or shot by snipers when they crawled from their holes. With scant oversight and no press, it was a great time to settle scores.
old man shrugged. “Availability of aftermarket accessories. You should have an extended slide release. We could
from the skirmishes they’d had since coming to the valley. When they killed men in battle, they stripped the bodies of useful gear. It was not something anyone was proud of but there was no sense in leaving it there to ruin or be stolen by someone else. In this manner they had accumulated plastic bags of ammunition that didn’t fit their weapons. They had a few extra flashlights
They went to the effort to make a list of the specific items each person in their family wanted. It included those hygiene items they were running low on, diapers, and baby formula. They were also after seeds, vitamins, and hot sauce, an item Will was craving. They didn’t have high expectations of what they might find at the market but they wouldn’t know unless they went. Before stores came along, this was how it was done and here they were again.
They chose to ride double, the four of them taking just two horses. Debra filled an old bushel basket with her trade goods, making a strap of paracord that allowed her to carry it over her shoulder. She hoped it would allow her to carry her greens without mangling them.
“He’s allowing himself to become so hardened that he struggles to let the good emotions in. The light isn’t reaching him anymore.”
lately. Gone was the sarcastic smartass, gone was the joking. Jim was angry. He was a smoldering firework that had not yet exploded but everyone was afraid to get close to.
“It’s a sacrifice people sometimes have to make in hard times. If you let yourself become the kind of person it takes to survive, you can become unreachable. You win but at a very high cost.”
The reward for being right was misery, suffering, and loss, which was exactly the same prize you got for being wrong. It may have been lessened a bit because of the preparation they’d made but that didn’t spare them from the suffering. There was no mercy.
staring?” Sara asked. “Maybe it’s our guns,” Debra
It was a classic socialist trap. If you let the government take care of you, they’ll make sure you have everything the person beside you has. The only problem was that the system never worked out. The end result was always oppression and tyranny. If they surrendered the tools by which they could fight back, then they had no chance. If they handed over their guns and their freedom, the government would take their spirit next. Then there would be nothing left. They would have become soulless vessels at the end of a government feeding tube, completely at the mercy of whoever
Though the smell of the wood smoke would carry for long distances, a hole in the ground concealed the flames. A tunnel coming off the side provided air. He kept a stash of tinder and kindling in the outpost so people could build a fire when they needed to warm up or cook. Once Hugh demonstrated it, Jim wished he’d known that trick when he and his friends were walking back from Richmond.
When he had a low fire going he laid a wire shelf from an old refrigerator across the pit, then set a scorched aluminum pot of water atop it. He would toss in some ground coffee, boil it to a strong brew, and drink it straight from the pot. As the coffee cooled, the grounds would settle. While at home he would have strained it through a bandana, he skipped that step in the field.
Hugh had learned a long time ago that when performing long, tedious tasks it was easy to ignore his basic needs. Being uncomfortable on guard duty made extended shifts seem longer and more brutal. One needed to move around, needed to stretch. For Hugh, it meant that he made coffee, cooked a meal when feasible, and drank plenty of water. He’d figured out that a b...
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"Stick out your tongue, Lloyd," Hugh repeated. "One of the signs of stroke is that your tongue may deviate to the side when extended."
“All of them,” Jim replied. “As many as it takes.”
Being a protector doesn't allow you to operate under the ideal of universal compassion toward your fellow man."
Hoping for things had been disappointing so it wasn’t something he resorted to often. It was a lot to ask for but he needed an infusion of positivity.
It occurred to Randi for the first time how similar Charlotte and Jim were. Each struggled to find their way back from the world of violence and death. Each seemed as if there might be a day when the single strand they followed back from that dark place, their love of family, may no longer be enough to get them home.
“I’m sorry for what I’ve become,” Jim said. “I know I’ve been distant. With the internet down, I guess you’re stuck with me. There are no more dating websites.”
The thing about veneer was that sometimes it chipped off, and when it did, you didn’t always recognize what was beneath it. The people around you all thought the same thing, trying to figure out what happened to the nice, normal, sane person they used to know. Hard times could scrape you raw, like a glacier bulldozing the Earth flat. You couldn’t plan for what might be revealed in that raw, pink wound. Jim had lost his veneer and was adapting to that self he found beneath it. He only hoped the world could adapt with him.
