After the Fall: Jason's Tale by David E. Nees Read Free Book Online Page A

army
over in Iraq. But civilians…he wasn’t sure. These people would kill me in a
moment for my supplies. He thought about the wild look in their eyes as
they came around the corner of the house, a blood lust that spoke of no mercy. Remember
that look, he admonished himself as he set about prying open some boards to
free himself from the shed. The next night, he had his answer as he went
through the underpass.
     
    The morning light had grown stronger while Jason was lost in
reverie. A stray breeze stirred the woods and startled him out of his thoughts.
He sighed deeply from the roots of his body as the memory of the previous
night’s confrontation in the underpass came rushing back to him. Slowly he
stood up and moved to the edge of the woods to peer back down at the highway
with its litter of abandoned cars and trucks. There were no people. The
emptiness, the deadness of it saddened him. Were the men he shot last night in
the underpass dead or alive? He would never know. He knew he should go. It
might not be safe to be here, even up on the ridge, if the militia found the
men he had shot.
    Heading into the mountains was going to be a lonely
adventure, but he had no partner. He had to go it alone. Who knew how many
people he would see after this? He turned his gaze from the roadway and went
back to his gear. He drank some more water and ate a cold MRE. Then he slowly
strapped on his gear and without looking back started his lumbering climb into the
mountains.
     

Chapter 6
    Jason hiked north. The remote country lay in that direction.
He headed for the areas of the forest that had not been logged in a hundred
years and were dominated by large climax trees, leaving the undergrowth open
and easy to navigate. He tried to stick to established trails which provided
easier travel, however to the north, the terrain got steeper, tougher. There
were fewer farms; the forest taking over more the land. He was looking for that
country.
    The second day, following a well worn trail, he came around
a bend and there sat half a dozen people. He stopped, cursing himself under his
breath for being careless. No one moved. The group stared at Jason as if he
were an alien from space. He stood and stared back. Don’t threaten them. They
were young. Some of them were armed. They were a mix of men and women. They
didn’t have much gear with them, only an assortment of book bags and backpacks.
Some of them had on hiking boots and some had running shoes. They didn’t look
ready for the wilderness.
    “I didn’t mean to startle you,” Jason finally said. They
just looked at him. He unhooked his travois without taking his eyes off the
group. Next he slid his backpack off. His 9mm was in a holster at his side.
    One of the men responded, “You did.” He stared at Jason.
They outnumbered him. No one moved.
    “Where are you headed?” one in the group finally asked.
    “Where are you headed?” Jason countered.
    “We’re just trying to find a place where we won’t be
bothered by the militia telling us what we can and can’t do.”
    “Where do you think that will be?”
    “Somewhere away from Hillsboro we figure.”
    “Was it hard to get out of town?”
    “We all got out okay. We met up after leaving town.”
    “Better watch out for gangs. They’ll take all your
supplies.”
    “That’s why we’re in the woods.”
    “Are you going to try to rob us?” another asked.
    “No. I’m not interested in robbing anyone.”
    “Looks like you’re pretty well equipped,” someone else said.
    “I planned it that way. I’m also ready to defend what I
have.”
    One of young men edged closer to his backpack propped
against a rock.
    “I wouldn’t reach into your pack. It’s liable to get you
shot,” Jason stated. His hand edged closer to the pistol on his belt.
    “You going to try to shoot all of us?” the young man
replied.
    “If I need to.”
    “You can’t get us all,” he challenged.
    “Yes, but who will I shoot first? If this turns