Will of Man - Part Two Read Free Page A

weapons.
     
    The three men noticed the locals and slowly dropped their weapons. Then Dad, thankfully after putting some pants on, stepped outside and grabbed the men’s weapons.
     
    Once I could see the men up close, I noticed how messed up they were. Their skin was badly sunburned and they had wounds all over their bodies. Their clothes were torn and smelled horrible.
     
    They explained that they had come from Chicago and had been traveling for days. They said they traveled most the distance on horses until their horses were stolen. Apparently there were five of them, but two were killed sometime during the journey.
     
    The men said the big cities like Chicago are in chaos. All three men’s eyes showed fear and despair as they described the chaos. They said people are starving and turning to cannibalism. Fighting is everywhere. Bodies litter the streets and the stench of death is everywhere. People don’t drink the water because so many dead bodies have fallen into the water supply. No one is safe to roam around alone and gangs are constantly battling for control.
     
    They said their family members are all dead and that they have had enough of the big cities. The men said they have been traveling non-stop for days and only ask that we give them some spare food and water.
     
    One of the travelers’ claims to have relatives up north and that they plan to reconnect with them. The community had a vote right there on our lawn and decided to give the men shelter for the night and some supplies. We have a community shelter in town ran by volunteers for situations like this.
     
    The men were taken to the shelter and given food with new clothes. They will be taken care of. Because that’s what we do here in Laingsburg – we help those we can.
     
    Tyler’s Journal Entry: 258
    Date: October 11
    Day: Thursday
    Weather: Cool and cloudy
    Days since the LAST DAY: 1 year, 5 months, 10 days
     
    It’s been a while since I’ve been into town. Dad’s kept me and Tanner busy in preparation for harvesting. We’ve been cleaning jars, cleaning the cellar, throwing out bad preserves to make room for new ones, gathering wood for the smoke house, etc.
     
    So today Mom told me and Tanner to ride into town and barter for some more canning jars. We have some extra muskrat traps we never use and Mom thought they’d be good to trade for some supplies. Every Saturday the community has a flea market at the Laingsburg VFW hall. People can go there to trade for supplies and catch up on local gossip and events happening abroad.
     
    I ran into Kendrick and he began to tell me about the three men that trespassed on our property a couple months back. Apparently they never left like they said they were going to. Apparently they’ve become trouble for some of the local businesses.
     
    After a couple days in our community shelter, they began hanging out at the local bar. They hooked up with a local single woman and moved into her place. She’s a rough character herself and was kind of known as one of the town drunks. She was always in trouble with the local police and fighting with anyone she didn’t agree with.
     
    Fights have been more frequent and some minor larceny has occurred. Kendrick says the three men are the main influence and people are getting upset with them.
     
    They’d be easier to deal with, but they seem to have a following amongst the local “riff-raff” as Kendrick calls them. Riff-raff - meaning the town drunks and trouble makers. Apparently one of the men is a skilled fighter and has a mean streak. He got in a fight with three men at the bar and beat them all up. He’s been known to smack women too who talk back to him.
     
    Kendrick says the man often goes on rants about the haves and have-nots. He likes to bully people who he thinks has more than him. I guess some of the locals like him because of the way he treats some of the “better off.” It sounds to me like he’s a bully. His name is