"William W. Johnstone - Ashes 05 - Alone in the Ashes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Johnstone William W)

Anonymous
Them's my sentiments.
Thackeray
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters and
incidents are either the product of the author's
imagination or are used fictitiously, and any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Prologue
Ben knew he should feel some sort of regret;
some feeling of sadness or sorrow at leaving his people-and
they were
his
people-behind.
But the only feeling he could muster up was a
feeling of freedom.
"Free at last," Ben said aloud, with only the
wind and the truck to hear him.
And they gave no reply.
He shook his head at the paraphrasing of
Doctor King's famous statement, and wondered how
many young blacks, a decade and a half after the world
had exploded in nuclear and germ warfare, could even
say who King was? Or for that matter, Ben
pondered as he drove, how many young whites knew
anything about J. F. K., or Watergate?
Most were too busy just staying alive in this world
gone mad, Ben concluded. They didn't have time for
school-even in those areas where school was available.
He sighed, the rush of cold wind carrying the sound
away, out into the brisk autumn afternoon air.
He was not making very good time, even with the new truck
his people had provided for him. The highways were getting
worse and worse. And for some reason Ben could not
fathom, highway maps were becoming as scarce as
hen's teeth. Any map printed between '89 and '98
was to be treasured. He had heard that people were killing
over highway maps. A good map could bring food,
weapons, ammo, and on occasion, women.
Ben could not prevent a bitter laugh from pouring
past his lips.
If a person could not understand the written word, how
could they comprehend a map? And Ben knew from
experience that a full seventy-five percent of those
born after the World War of '88 were illiterate.
He had turned west at the deserted Tennessee
town of McMinnville. A crude sign had
stated Highway 70 leading north was closed
to traffic, and another sign had stated Highway
56 north was closed to traffic. Ben doubted they were