After the Republic Read Online Free PDF Page A

the end of it if I don’t hit this one. He swallowed hard and fired off his third shot, hitting the jug closer to the top than he had hoped and tipping it over.
    “’Bout time you hit something .” Rebecca moved into position.
    “Okay, Miss Trash Talker, let’s see what you’ve got. Time to put up or shut up.”
    Rebecca smirked and calmly fired off three quick shots that pierced the jug in a tight pattern grouped near its center.
    “Any questions?” She walked toward the berm to retrieve the jug. “If not, this concludes today’s lesson.”
    Joshua felt his cheeks flush red for a moment. “Good shooting.” He loved her competitive side, but sometimes it got under his skin. Better left unsaid , he thought.
    Just as Reagan cautiously re-emerged from behind the truck Joshua’s phone rang. He looked at the caller ID. It was Thomas Page, the general contractor who had built Joshua’s farmhouse and barn. Thomas was a laid-back man who rarely got excited or upset. He was also a jack-of-all-trades who seemed to know a little about almost everything. They had become good friends, and Joshua’s gut told him Thomas would be someone good to keep close in the coming days. “Thomas, I’m glad you called back.”
    “Hey man. Heck of a two days,” Thomas said. “Can you believe what’s happened? Kinda scary, ain’t it?”
    “Scary is an understatement. That’s why I called you. I’ll cut to the chase. You may not remember it, but a few years ago you said that you felt like America would go through tough times one day. You said that when those times came you would most likely find a quiet, out-of-the-way corner and watch history unfold.”
    “Yeah, I remember. Kim and I were talking about it this morning.”
    “Well, history is unfolding. I know you guys like your privacy and like to be left alone, but it’ll be a lot easier to make do in that quiet corner if you have the right group of people with you.”
    “What are you thinking?”
    Joshua described the beginnings of a plan. “I’ve been thinking through a list of people I think we can trust, and who can contribute something in the new world we are about to face. I’m just not sure where we should go.”
    “I think I know just the place. We were already making plans to go there.”
    “What are you up to this afternoon? If you can, come over here around 5:00 or 5:30 and we’ll talk about it.”
    “Man, I can do that,” Thomas replied. “I’ve got some leftover BBQ sandwiches I made for a cookout on Monday. I’ll bring 'em with me.”
    After the call ended Joshua and Rebecca made the short drive back to the house.
    “I’m going to the store to pick up some things,” Rebecca said.
    “Want me to go with you?” Joshua asked.
    “No, you need to make your calls.”
    “Be careful. It could be crazy out there. Take your pistol with you.”
    “Josh, you know I never leave home without it.”
    ***
    Tension hung over the grocery store parking lot like a dark, angry storm cloud. Nearly every space was full. A fistfight broke out between two would-be shoppers as Rebecca drove back and forth searching for a parking spot. This is nuts , she thought. People are already losing their minds.
    She spotted an empty parking place one row over. As she maneuvered toward the spot a beat-up green Pontiac station wagon with a missing hubcap abruptly cut her off and rattled into the space. Rebecca instinctively blew her horn. Her heart jumped violently as a man wearing a white t-shirt under a denim jacket shot out of the car and began yelling obscenities at her. A heavy-set woman with curlers in her hair and wearing pink tights at least two sizes too small exited the passenger side and shot Rebecca the middle finger.
    Rebecca’s right hand tightly gripped her pistol as she partially rolled down the window with the left. The man menacingly approached her, gesturing wildly and screaming obscenities as the sun glistening on the gold chain around his neck.
    “I didn’t