The Survivalist - 02
Read The Survivalist - 02 Online
Authors: Arthur Bradley
Other Books by Dr. Arthur Bradley
Handbook to Practical Disaster Preparedness for the Family
The Prepper's Instruction Manual
Disaster Preparedness for EMP Attacks and Solar Storms
Process of Elimination: A Thriller
The Survivalist (Frontier Justice)
Available in print and ebook at all major resellers or at:
The Survivalist
(Anarchy Rising)
| Author: | | Arthur T. Bradley, Ph.D. |
| Email: | | [email protected] |
| Website: | | http://disasterpreparer.com |
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the author.
Illustrations used throughout the book are privately owned and copyright protected. Special thanks are extended to Siobhan Gallagher for editing, Nikola Nevenov for the illustrations and cover design.
© Copyright 2013 by Arthur T. Bradley
ISBN 10: 1492340626
ISBN 13: 978-1492340621
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
CONTENTS
Anarchism is a political philosophy that sees the state as undesirable, unnecessary, and perhaps even harmful. Proponents often advocate the establishment of stateless societies whose organizations are based on voluntary participation. Democratic voting and the ownership of private property are viewed as unfair to the broader population. While not all anarchists advocate the use of violence to achieve their ends, it does resonate as a common thread among many groups.
Anarchy is generally held at bay for three reasons. First, those who hold political power provide important goods and services to the population, and are, therefore, viewed by many as necessary. The authorities also possess the military might to contain and suppress anti-government movements. To that end, many people fear the violent chaos that might ensue from a stateless society. Most are willing to suffer the imperfections of what is arguably an unfair system for the benefits that it provides. Finally, those who have established or inherited wealth see structured society as a means by which to protect their prosperity, and, thus, are strongly opposed to a change in the status quo.
Should the world’s societies suddenly be disrupted by a major disaster, such as an asteroid strike, deadly pandemic, or global financial collapse, many of these reasons would no longer hold true. History has proven that when governments can no longer maintain order or provide life-sustaining services, the larger population will rise up and overthrow them. When this happens, more often than not, the streets run red with blood.
“I'm not afraid to die like a man fighting,
but I would not like to be killed like a dog unarmed.”
William H. Bonney (a.k.a. Billy the Kid)
March 1879
The cab of Mason Raines’ black F150 pickup was quiet and empty, like a school bus that had just dropped off a load of noisy kindergarteners. In his case, however, it was not a welcome silence. Rather, it was the quiet resignation that a soldier feels when he leaves home to go to war. It was not the first time he had felt such loneliness; nor, he suspected, would it be the last. Such was the price he paid for walking a path directed by duty.
He glanced in the rearview mirror to take one last look at the town of Boone, North Carolina, as it slowly disappeared behind the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The image brought back memories of despair and hope, of life and death, of love and loss. Boone was where a few brave men and women had stood against an enemy bent on destroying any semblance of law and order. They were outnumbered and outgunned, but, with his leadership, they had triumphed in the end.
Many convicts had died at Mason’s hands, but none he felt who hadn’t deserved it. He had made lifelong friends, including Father Paul, Chief Blue, and perhaps even Erik, Boone’s leader of those infected by the Superpox-99 virus. While the townspeople still had a great deal of work to do, they had taken many important steps, including reestablishing water service, setting up a soup kitchen, and clearing the streets of bodies and abandoned cars so that some rudimentary commercial activity might eventually resume.
The reflection in the rearview mirror was momentarily blocked by Bowie’s massive head as he peered in through the open window between the cab and the truck bed.
Mason smiled. “It’s just you and me now, boy.”
The one-hundred-and-forty-pound Irish wolfhound leaned in and licked his ear, coating it with a thick layer of slobber.
“Yeah, yeah. I hear you,” he said. “It’s all going to be fine. We’ll be coming back this way soon enough, right?”
Bowie tried to lick him again, but Mason leaned forward to avoid the dog’s enormous tongue.
Mason thought about his girlfriend, Ava, standing in the street waving goodbye. He forced himself to recreate her image in his mind . . . thick black hair, dark eyes, and a soft, warm body. He remembered the sound of her voice, the eagerness of her kiss, and the warm sensation of her breasts pressing against his chest. How long, he wondered, would he be able to recall the details with such clarity? A day? A week? Eventually, they would fade like the ink in a journal.
They had met under the direst of circumstances but had somehow managed to find comfort and even happiness in one another’s arms. He didn’t know if relationships crafted from hope and hardship were lasting or simply short-lived panaceas to ease the pain. Was she still watching his truck drive away like in the closing scene of a classic western? Or, had she already accepted that he was gone and was now waiting instead for the next gunslinger to roll into town?
“Enough,” he said in a loud voice. “When did I get so damn soft?”