by David Nees
“He undermines his own argument with his own words. He laments how there is no regional or federal authority to keep order outside of each city. That is precisely what I experienced firsthand. There are still desperate people out there, bandits and gangs who still prey on the weak. That is also true in cities that have been brought under control by such men. From what I’ve heard, you dealt with that here. It’s happening in other cities as well. We need people like Jason and Mr. Cameron. Mr. Culver’s vision of life outside the city is not reality. It will be dangerous for Hillsboro to act on it.”
She sat down to more whispers and side comments. A few voices expressed support for her remarks.
Jason stood. “Perhaps the council can fine tune its authority process, to allow the Chief of Police, who is also our defense chief, to continue to act as commander-in-chief of the militia allowing quick response to threats, while crafting some rules to require council approval for any protracted action. I know that if we had waited for the council to deliberate and debate how to respond to what we knew was coming, that convoy might have gotten its guns within range of Hillsboro. Even if they had not attacked, the discussions with us would have been literally under the gun.
“They did not come with gentle intentions. Not when they brought a battle tank and two artillery pieces that could have torn our city apart. We would have been forced to accept whatever concessions they demanded or face even greater loss of life, along with major property damage.”
The discussion, in spite of Tom’s wish, continued, turning the somber remembrance of those killed and wounded into another political battle. It was clear to Tom that there were two factions in the city that had to learn how to work together. One assumed the world outside was gentle and law-abiding and the town only needed to extend a peaceful hand to receive the same in kind. The other understood the world around them was still anarchic and sometimes violent and not under any overarching authority. Groups that had come together in self-governance, mostly cities, had to be prepared to defend themselves against the worst of the bad elements out there.
That evening Jason gathered some like-minded people at his house. Everyone brought something to eat. Kevin and Catherine were there. Tommy Wilkes came to see Sarah. Rodney also attended as did Tom Warner and his wife. Clayton also stayed in town to be at the meeting.
After eating they conversed about the recent events.
“We have to find a way to continue to react quickly to threats,” Jason said, repeating the idea he presented at the council meeting. “As much as Ray frustrates me, he’s trying to transition Hillsboro to a truly civilian run society. The problem is he’s ahead of the reality out there.”
Clayton spoke up. “That man ain’t got no sense. If he were lard, he couldn’t grease a pan. We need to take care of ourselves. Develop that ranger idea you talked about. Tommy and my son, Morgan, showed how important early warning was. If them artillery guns got near Hillsboro, we’d a been in a heap of trouble.”
“You think you could get that past the council?” Jason asked Tom.
“Maybe. They might be more amenable to the idea that the mayor be the commander-in-chief. That establishes a sense of civilian authority over the militia.”
“Anything’s better than having to run every decision through the town council.”
“We’ll get it done,” Tom said.
“We can get Tommy and Morgan to head up the ranger corps after we get it organized. You in?” Kevin asked.
“Yes sir,” Tommy replied. He looked excited about the opportunity to prove himself to Jason, Sarah’s step-father.
“I didn’t want to bring this up today,” Tom said, “but I heard from one of our entry guards that someone said things were getting worse in Charlotte. The head of FEMA seems to be working with the mafia boss, not to the benefit of the civilians.”
“I’m not sure I care as long as they leave us alone,” Jason said.
“Maybe. Might depend on what the mafia guy wants, since he’s running things down there,” Kevin replied. “Apparently Charlotte has heard about our resources.”
“How did that happen?” Jason asked.
“The group that left with Captain Roper? He had some idea of the wealth in resources Stansky had amassed. Those stories would get enhanced with each telling.”
“The benefit of all those resources, fuel, ammunition, food, medicines, let alone the gold and jewelry seem to be offset by putting a target on our back,” Jason said. His voice was somber.
“We just have to be ready…vigilant,” Clayton said.
“Yeah,” Jason responded.
“We can’t change that reality, just prepare for its consequences,” Tom said.
Jason turned to Rodney. “Are you going to leave again for Missouri?”
“I still want to go. Seems like we’ve neutralized Knoxville for now and I want to find my family.”
“Billy going with you?”
“Not sure. He’s a hero now after what he did,” Rodney said.
“He’s out at my place right now, probably got a whole gaggle of girls around him,” Clayton said with a smile. “One of them might change his mind. You never know ‘bout these things,”
“Let’s see…go tramping through the countryside with some crusty old ex-Army sergeant, or hang around town with a bunch of girls chasing you. That may not be a hard choice,” Kevin said.
“Them girls be ready to settle down at an early age. He may not stand a chance, one of them gets her hooks in him,” Clayton said.
The group finished up with a commitment from Tom to find some compromise and to get the Ranger program started. When everyone had left, Jason sat with Anne on the porch. The night was soft. Insects buzzed in the trees, cicadas, while not as loud as in the forest, still managed to create a din.
“I love this time of year, warmer nights but still too early for mosquitos,” Anne said.
“I love it too, especially here sitting with you,” Jason responded.
“You think we’ll have some peace now?”
Jason paused for a moment. “I hope so. Knoxville won’t threaten us for some time. They’ll have their hands full with Nashville. They lost some serious firepower. I imagine General McKenzie will be in some trouble with the Chairman. So, I don’t see any threats immediately.” He looked across the front yard. “If Tom can reach some understanding with the council, we’ll be able to meet whatever challenge does come.”
“Charlotte?”
“Could be. If the stories are true about FEMA and the mafia boss, that could spell trouble. Who knows where it could lead? That’s where the Ranger teams will help. We can also continue to strengthen our connections with the surrounding towns. The Knoxville example might convince them they should cooperate with us.”
Anne leaned her head against Jason. “But for now, things are quiet and we can be a family. Focus on our children and not have you going off to fight another battle.” She leaned against his shoulder.
Jason looked out into the night. He thought about Charlotte, he thought about where other threats could come from. There were so many unknowns, so many ways for things to go bad, to have to fight for survival again. With the organization of city-states, the country was balkanized to an extraordinary extent. There would be the full spectrum of organizational structures, from criminal enterprises such as Hillsboro had experienced with Stansky, to dictators, to various forms of civilian, democratic rule. Where did the advantage lie? Democracy was messy but the freedom it provided, the engagement of the population, along with the rule of law, was the best option in the long run. Jason felt sure of that.
The problem was that autocratic forms of government didn’t coexist comfortably with freer forms of organization. Those dictatorial regimes would need to take down the democratic structures; they provided a too attractive alternative to totalitarian rule. It was similar to how Stansky reacted to the independence of the small community in Hidden Valley.
In the end Jason knew where he stood. It
was where he had always stood. It was what drove him to head to the mountains three years ago, to leave Hillsboro behind; something that seemed like a lifetime ago. The words came to his mind, molon labe. It was what the Spartan King Leonidas said to the Persian King Xerxes when he demanded they surrender their weapons. “Come and take them”.
That was how he and his family would live…free.
“Will we have some peace now?” Jason repeated Anne’s question. “For a while.” He could promise no more.
The End
Afterword
Rescue is the third book in the After the Fall series. I’ll be working on a fourth novel in this series over the summer. I’ve foreshadowed the possible conflict at the end of this story.
If you enjoyed this tale, please consider writing a review on Amazon. Reviews do not have to be lengthy and are extremely helpful for two reasons: first, they provide “social proof” of a book’s value to the reader unfamiliar with the author, and second, they help readers filter through thousands of books in the same category to find choices worthy of their time investment. You provide an essential service to other Amazon readers with a solid review. I very much value your support.
Other novels published by David Nees:
Jason’s Tale, book 1 in After the Fall series
Uprising, book 2 in After the Fall series
Payback, book 1 in the Dan Stone series
The Shaman, book 2 in the Dan Stone series
The Captive Girl, book 3 in the Dan Stone series
For information about upcoming novels, please visit my website at https://www.davidnees.com or go to my Facebook page; facebook.com/neesauthor.
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