Desperate Times Read Online Free PDF

there and
do it now. Do you hear me? Have you seen the news? Its bad, real
bad. They just announced an emergency bank holiday. Things are
really a mess out east. They’re rioting. Things aren’t much better
in Minneapolis. The lid’s about to blow on this thing, and we have
to get moving. Have you packed yet?”
     
    “No, not yet,” answered Jimmy over the howl
of police sirens.
     
    ”Well, get moving and grab what you can as
fast as you can. We’re ready to go. We’re just waiting on you.”
     
    “I’m on my way, I’ve just got to swing home
first,” answered Jimmy, feeling yet another surge of adrenaline. He
snapped his phone shut and stuffed it back into his shirt pocket.
He jumped up into the cab of the Mack next to Bill, who was staring
with wild-eyed amazement at the ruckus outside the bank. The police
had arrived, but there were so many cars in the parking lot that
they had to park on the street. One cruiser was joined by another
and the men inside looked as if they didn’t know what to do. They
began to order people to clear the premises with the help of a
loudspeaker from the relative safety of their squad cars. Jimmy
didn’t wait around to see the rest. He exited the parking lot into
the slow moving traffic of Division Street. Jimmy wondered about
this; it was as if everyone had left work at once, and he supposed
that maybe they had.
     
    “That was crazy,” said Bill between bites of
his sandwich, a glob of yellow mustard hung from his chin. “Did you
see that guy with the tire iron? That looked like fun. I always
wanted to do something like that. He looked pretty pissed off.”
     
    “Right,” replied Jimmy, reaching for the dial
on the radio. He scanned the channels on the AM and found the news
station WCCO out of Minneapolis. He turned up the volume and began
to listen, holding his hand up to quiet Bill.
     
    “ And conditions out east have continued to
deteriorate. New York Governor John Greenway has called for a state
of emergency. Riots have broken out in all seven of the boroughs,
while the George Washington Bridge remains blocked by the truck
embargo. National Guard troops have taken up positions inside the
city, and there are reports of looters being shot. Wall Street has
suspended trading for the day. In Washington, President Moore has
called for emergency sessions in both the House and Senate to try
and stop the bleeding in the banking crisis.”
     
    Jimmy had heard enough. He turned the radio
off as two State Patrol cruisers roared past in the bright
sunshine. He lit up a Camel and cracked his window a few inches,
the warm air hissing inside as it invaded the cab. Bill had
returned his attention to his lunch and attacked his food like a
hungry bear. Jimmy wondered about Bill and what he’d do after he
and Paula left for the Dahlgrens’. If Paula even decided to
go, he thought bitterly. At least she had options, unlike Bill
who had no one and would have to ride this out from inside his
trailer. He felt sorry for him and wished there was something he
could do. Bill did have his good points. He had a good heart and
was always there if you needed him. Still, the bottom line was that
Ken Dahlgren hadn’t offered refuge to Bill. He couldn’t just bring
Bill along like a stray dog. Besides, Bill had a knack for getting
under your skin. He’d drive everyone crazy in less than a week.
     
    “Look!” exclaimed Bill in a shrill voice,
pointing out the windshield with his soda bottle. “It’s gone up
again!”
     
    Jimmy’s heart felt as if it’d skipped a beat.
He braked hard, expecting to run head-on into a school bus, or
worse. He quickly checked his mirrors and exhaled loudly. His eyes
finally followed Bill’s pointing finger to the sign above the
highway. He blinked hard, unable to believe what his eyes were
telling him: twenty dollars a gallon. The price of fuel had doubled
in the two hours they’d been in town. On a large sheet of cardboard
was a hand painted sign, which