"William W. Johnstone - Ashes 03 - Anarchy in the Ashes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

mirror of his pickup: his bodyguards.
Sgt. Buck Osgood would be at the wheel of the
rear
vehicle. With another Rebel riding shotgun,
armed with an automatic weapon, and a third Rebel
in the rear of the vehicle, ready to grab the big
.50-caliber machine gun.
By nature a loner, Ben could never become
accustomed to the idea of having a babysitter wherever
he went-not even after all these years.
And ranging a half mile ahead of him, always
trying to stay out of his sight, for his bodyguards knew
how Ben felt, would be another Jeep or APC,
with more Rebels in it, all heavily armed.
What price fame? Ben silently mused, the
mental question laced with sarcasm.
But Ben knew the precautions were necessary, for there had
been sightings of mutants. However, the mutants
for the most part left humans alone as long as they were
not provoked. In addition, there was the need to guard
against roaming gangs of thugs and paramilitary
groups. At least several times a month they would
attempt to slip into the new Tri-States, to steal
or rape or burn or kill, or all of those
things.
They would be put down hard; if not killed
on the spot, they would be hanged the next day.
For that was the order of day now-around the battered
globe. Nowhere else that the Rebels knew of was
there social order-only the new Tri-States, which
set rules and behavior and morals.
In this late spring of 2001, worldwide, it had
come down to the survival of the fittest. Humankind
had reverted very nearly back to the caves. And in some
cases, had indeed returned to the caves, although Ben
and his people would not learn of that for months to come.
For now, in the new Tri-States, Ben Raines
and his six thousand survivors, men, women, and children,

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were attempting to rebuild some sort of workable
society out of the ruins of war and anarchy and a worldwide
plague. Hopefully, they could fan a spark from the
ashes.
Ben thought that just maybe they could pull it off.
Maybe.
God knew they had to try.
Ben didn't think humankind would have another