After the Fall: Jason's Tale Read Online Free PDF

to deal with what we’re facing. Who
knows what’s going to happen, but I can’t imagine many rosy scenarios. Jim, do
you have any weapons in the house?”
    “Christ, no.”
    “Well, it’s too late to buy any. I’ll loan you my 20 gauge
shotgun. Do you know how to use it?”
    Jim took a deep breath, “I can learn quickly.”
    “Fine, let’s go inside.” He put down his wrench and headed
into the house. After getting the shotgun out, Jason showed Jim how to load and
unload it. It held four shells in the tube magazine and one in the chamber. In
defending his house, he instructed Jim to chamber a shell, then put another in
the magazine and, if possible, never shoot the magazine dry so he wouldn’t have
to spend too much time loading shells. Jim followed along as Jason went slowly
over the operation of the weapon. He looked close to panicking as the lesson
and the implications of what it meant sank in.
    “I’ll go back down to the sporting goods store on the Ridge
Highway, the one on the way to town. I’ll see if I can get you a couple of bow
and arrow sets. People may not have thought of buying them yet. They’re quiet
and the ammunition is reusable.”
    “I’ll go with you,” Jim offered.
    “No, I’ve got no one here at home. Stay with your family. Show
them how to use the shotgun. Make sure they can load and unload it and aim it.
For God’s sake, though, don’t fire it. Shells are precious and you’ll scare the
Phillips to death.”
    Jim smiled thinly at Jason’s humor attempt. “What about
Maggie? She’s away?”
    “Yeah, she was on a plane when the power went out.”
    There was a pause. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
    “I think it does.” Jason could say no more. His eyes teared
up as he thought about Maggie.
    “I’m sorry,” was all Jim could say.

Chapter 4
    The first casualties were the very sick and very old. Next
to die were those who were kept alive by drugs that were no longer available.
It was heart wrenching for everyone who knew people in these situations. Mary
Phillips passed away after six weeks. Jason helped Tom bury her in the back
yard. Tom then set out to walk to town to seek help from the authorities in
charge. Two weeks later, Jim and Cathy decided to go to town with their kids.
    “Are you sure you want to put yourselves in the hands of the
town authorities?” Jason asked.
    “We’re running out of food and water and we can’t ask you to
support us. You’ve been generous, but it isn’t right to eat up all your
supplies. I hear there’s a regular supply in town. It’s better than starving. You
sure you don’t want to come?” Tom asked.
    “No. I can make it through the winter. I’ll see how things
are in the spring. Don’t let them split up your family,” he warned. “And don’t
tell them about me.”
    In different trips into town Jason saw order restored under
martial law. There were cops or a militia on every block. People were being
organized by blocks, told where to live, and what work to do. Work was begun on
repairing old vehicles, gardening, digging wells or digging latrines around
town as the toilets couldn’t be flushed. On his trips to town, he was shaken
down for money, then, as that became useless, the stops were to search for
food, weapons, ammunition or medicine. Jason had learned to go to town unarmed
except for a knife. The police and militia would confiscate anything else of
value. As the environment in town became more controlling, he ventured there
less often.
     After saying goodbye to the Millers, Jason retreated
more and more into himself, staying alone in his house as the city became more
controlling. As food and water became more difficult to find, hunger became the
driver of people’s behavior. Autocratic control was the response by those in
power.
    Often Jason spent hours at night thinking about Maggie. When
he couldn’t sleep he would take some of her clothing into bed with him and hold
it tight to his body until