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

into a
shootout, none of you know who’ll get shot. I’m a good shot, I don’t miss.”
Jason continued as the tension grew, “I’ve done this before and survived, so I
don’t recommend you do anything foolish. I’m no threat unless you threaten me.”
    “How about coming with us?” one of the girls spoke up. She
eyed him intently. “We could use an extra man like you.” Her look was both
challenging and inviting.
    Jason stared back at her. She was pretty. She stared at him,
provocatively measuring him. But behind the invitation there was a hint of
desperation in her eyes. He ignored the implied offer. “No, I’m going alone.
You better get some supplies. You have any weapons?”
    “We’ve got enough,” one of the men said.
    Another said, “I’ve got a 9mm in my pack.”
    Jason could see a rifle laid against another backpack, “What
caliber is that?
    “It’s a .22,” said the man nearest the rifle.
    “Good caliber for hunting small game. It’s quiet and the
bullets don’t weigh much. I hope you brought a lot of ammunition.”
    “Do you think we’ll run into gangs here in the woods?”
another asked.
    “You ran into me. You could run into anyone.”
    “We thought being off the roads would keep us safer.”
    “Probably, but there’s no guarantee. My advice is to find a
place soon and gather supplies. It’s that or go back to Hillsboro.”
    “And get raped?” the girl spoke up again.
    Jason turned back to her. There was an angry look in her
eyes. “Did that happen?”
    “It almost did. Lots of other girls experienced it. It was
that, or become someone’s mistress, same thing if you ask me. Why don’t you
help us out?”
    Jason stared at her. He didn’t know what to say. The urge to
protect rose up inside of him but this group didn’t look prepared to survive.
They had no structure, no organization. There would be the inevitable jockeying
for dominant status with the males. Then there would be paring up issues with
the two females that would fuel more discord. Their situation didn’t look
promising. Yet Jason’s sense of duty nagged him. The practical solution was to
leave them to their own fate. The problem was he knew what that would be.
    Finally he answered, “I can’t help you. We’re all going to
struggle to survive. I’m going to do it on my own. That’s my plan.”
    “We’re going the same direction, shouldn’t we hike
together?” the girl asked.
    Again, Jason paused, wrestling with his conscience. “No. You
go on. I’m going to take a different route.” The group gathered their gear and
began to walk away. Jason stayed where he was, watching them go up the trail.
His mind churned with conflicting thoughts. Was he someone who cut and ran…like
his father did? He couldn’t save everyone. He had just reinforced his decision
to strike out on his own—to save himself. After they were gone, he set out for
higher ground.
     
    It was the fifth day and the way was harder now. The steeper
terrain was rougher than the ground on which he had practiced. The hiking was a
constant wrestling match with the travois—his ‘anchor’ as he came to think of
it. He made only a few miles progress each day and his hips and shoulders were
rubbed raw as he struggled to adjust the harness and backpack. Comfort remained
an elusive goal. Some routes became impassable with the travois and he had to
retrace his steps to find another way north. It was always north, or as close
to it as he could maintain. At night he often sank, exhausted into his sleeping
bag without making any shelter, just pulling a tarp over him. Each morning he
awoke in pain from his hips and shoulders. When he found a game or old hiking
trail heading in a generally north direction it was a huge relief, as he could
make a couple of extra miles that day. He drove himself to keep pushing, keep
moving. Each day he fought with the terrain, not willing to give an inch to it,
driving himself onward.
    The trail was so faint he