A short PA Tale (that's post-apocalyptic, in case you were wondering)

This week, I'm posting another cute little story I created in the past. I want to give you a taste of my writing flavor. Something you can read, free of charge; something that might interest you.

Enjoy...and remember, it's only fiction. I made it all up, really!


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Just How Far Will You Go … To Survive

Put yourself in the shoes of any of the characters I’ve created for my WWIV series. Let’s start at the beginning.

Thirty days ago you awoke to nothing; a whole lot of nothing. The power was gone, none of your phones worked, your car wouldn’t even make a sound – nothing. You find yourself between grocery runs so your food is limited. The stuff in your fridge turned bad after a week; most of it at least. For some of it, you shrugged and told yourself, “I gotta eat.” Since then, you haven’t opened the door on that particular appliance; the foul odor is just too rotten to breathe. And worse, all the food in your freezer is dead to boot. Should have cooked some of that up on the propane grill earlier.

Fresh water is all but gone. You had some, but not what you’d call a lot. By the end of week three you took a sponge and mopped up whatever was left in the bottom of the tanks on the backs of your two toilets. Then you strained that tiny amount through a coffee filter, twice. And it still tasted iffy at best. No food is one thing. You're going to need water almost every day to survive.

So, are you ready to arm yourself and go find food and water by any means? No? Let me up the ante a bit then.

Your wife lies in your bed, ill. Something has invaded her body and she can hardly move without passing out. Maybe it’s something simple that antibiotics could clear up. But that darn pharmacy remains closed, tighter than Fort Knox itself. And maybe if you had enough food and water she could be on the mend. Proper nourishment helps. Ready to go rob the pharmacy yet? Wait, before you answer, let’s ratchet up the intensity a little more.

All you’ve had to eat, you and the wife, in the past three days is a handful of old stale Gold Fish crackers. But they weren’t from the pantry. No, these you found under the stove, petrified. You always wondered why the dog sniffed there so much. You would have eaten the last of the dry dog food, but that was for the kids. Oh, did I forget to mention your children? Two sons, 8 & 6, and a darling daughter, 4. Yeah, they shared the last of the dry dog food two days ago. And there wasn’t much left at that time.

The kids are lethargic; they stare at you dead eyed, begging because they’re so hungry and thirsty. When your daughter spilled the last cup of fresh water last night, your boys dove on the floor and licked it up, along with the dog.

Admit it; as a parent, a spouse, a human ­– you’re broken. You have to feed your family, yourself. Their lives, your life depends on you finding a new source of fresh water and food. Now are you ready to take up arms against your non-sharing, food-hoarding neighbor? I know my answer, I think. As for anyone else, I guess that’s a decision only you can make.

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