"William W Johnstone - Ashes 22 - Chaos in the Ashes (txt)" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

"Idiots!" Jersey muttered.
Anna said something under her breath, in her native tongue. No one in
the team knew what it was she said, but all knew it was highly
uncomplimentary, directed at the gathering of malcontents in the road.

Ben faced the group, all chained together like galley slaves. "Are you
people crazy, or do you have a death wish?" he asked the front row of
men and women, who had chained themselves together across the two-lane
highway in Alabama.

"Kill us if you must," a man told Ben. "But you will never stop our
movement."

"And what movement is that?"

"The movement to reclaim America for all."

"Take other people's property and squat there, you mean?"

34

William W. Johnstone

"You took the property of others with your vile Tri-States philosophy,
did you not?"

"As a matter of fact, we didn't. Those who chose not to live under our
laws were compensated for their property, and paid well for it, I might
add."

Ben felt just a bit foolish, standing in the middle of the road, talking
with people who were chained together. When none of the squatters
responded to his defense of the old Tri-States, he turned to several
Rebels standing with heavy bolt cutters and motioned them forward.

"Oh, my God!" a woman shrieked. "They're going to kill us all." Kids
started crying.

"Nobody is going to hurt you, lady," Ben assured the woman. "We're just
clearing the road so we can move on."

"You go on and do that," a man shouted. "But we're staying right here.
We have homes and we've broken the land, getting ready to plant."

"OK," Ben said. "Stay."

Both Rebel and civilian were astonished at that. They stood and stared
at Ben. The Rebels working the bolt cutters paused, then continued
cutting the light chain.