Free Forgotten Forbidden America: Rise of Tyranny by Thomas A Watson Page B

I’ll try to help as long as I can,” Matt finally said. “I’ll try to stop by the store,” he added then hung up.
    “You want to take one of the dogs?” Michelle asked.
    Now that’s not a bad idea , Nelson thought. “I’ll take Zeus, and if something happens here, call me. If you can’t get through, I’m taking one of our radios, and you can use that.”
    She handed him the mug of coffee. “I don’t think violence will spread to the suburbs yet,” she said. “But if it does, you’ll find bodies in the yard when you come home.”
    Knowing she was serious and she could do it filled Nelson with a sense of pride and relief. He had watched Michelle gun down attackers in Iraq, so he felt confident she would do it faster at home. “Yard needs fertilizer anyway,” he said, hugging her. “Keep a pistol on you today. I’ll call and check on you.”
    “Please come home if it gets bad,” she said, burrowing in his chest.
    “Don’t worry about that. If it gets bad, I’m only staying in this house long enough to get out of here,” Nelson said, letting her go. He grabbed a leash and clipped it to Zeus. “You mind if I take your ride? We have over a hundred gallons of gas but only fifty of diesel.”
    “It doesn’t have that big-ass bumper on it,” Michelle reminded him.
    “Ooh, good point,” he said, walking out. He and Zeus jumped in his truck and were soon on the road. Turning on the radio, the news was still blowing up about the twenty trillion dollars the government had taken from the people. The store wasn’t even ten miles from the house as the crow flies but was almost triple that by road. It wasn’t even six when he pulled up to the empty parking lot. He sighed upon seeing a police car parked at the front doors as Nelson pulled in his spot.
    He climbed out, grabbing the leash, and Zeus was surprised he was coming but jumped out enthusiastically. Using his key, Nelson unlocked the side door and scanned his card, hearing the door click open. He walked in and found Daren heading toward him.
    “I got two officers on duty here. One’s outside, the other is inside, and both have key cards to use the employee entrance. The mayor guaranteed we would have coverage for the week if we paid them,” Daren said and fell in beside him. “You know this just had to happen,” he huffed. “I got six calls wanting thermals from your little trip.”
    “Hey, it might be alright,” Nelson offered.
    “Blow that smoke somewhere else,” Daren mumbled. “I maxed out my 401 every year as my wife did. We lost over a quarter of a million dollars. Social Security can’t pay what they have now with what the government steals from the workers in taxes, and they take from us who were smart enough to save for retirement.”
    Nelson turned down the hallway to his office. “We can hope.”
    “Yeah, hope in one hand and shit in the other. See which one fills up first,” Daren said. “How much did you lose?”
    “A lot,” Nelson lied.
    “Seem pretty relaxed about it,” Daren said.
    “What can I do about it now?” he asked, opening his office. “The banks won’t let me touch it.”
    “You can’t go to a bank today,” Daren said. “Haven’t you heard? ATMs across the nation have been drained, and the Federal Reserve has declared a bank holiday until further notice.”
    About to walk into his office, Nelson froze and turned around. “When did you hear this?”
    “Just before you got here,” Daren said.
    Shaking his head, Nelson walked over to his desk. “Have any of the assistant managers called?”
    “I got in touch with one that could come in today if needed. The other three told me they might come in tomorrow. So far, I have ten people who’ll come in tomorrow if needed and two stockmen here now,” Daren reported, dropping down on the couch.
    “Get the museum firearms locked down. Put them in the safe while I see about the other stores and try to get someone from corporate,” Nelson said as he sat