Free Ash: Rise of the Republic by Campbell Paul Young

the
defenses. There were a few false alarms when edgy sentries saw
phantom enemies in the swirling ash, but no real threats
emerged.
    Two days after we returned from the
expedition, I awoke to a scream of despair. I grabbed my pistol,
sprinted into the living room, and skidded to a halt at the edge of
a pool of blood. Deb was kneeling next to Tracy’s limp body,
desperately prodding her neck for a pulse and sobbing
uncontrollably. The poor girl was face down, there was no sign of
life.
    “Robert’s gone,” Deb said coldly, turning to
face me, “He did this, he must have!”
    Knowing it was true, I ran out the front
door. My truck was gone. A trail of small footprints led through
the newly fallen ash to where it had been parked. I ran over to our
car, pulled the door open, and hammered out three long blasts on
the horn, paused, and delivered three more.
    Within minutes, four of our neighbors were
rushing toward my driveway, armed to the teeth. I quickly explained
the situation to them. They were headed up the hill to check with
the gate guards by the time the rest of the neighborhood showed up.
I sent Mrs. Borger in to see if she could do anything for the poor
girl in my living room, and went with Mike and several others to
pursue the little bastard.
    Halfway to the gate we met the first
responders in front of the meeting house. They gestured us inside.
Poor Maddie Cartwright, our supply manager, was lying on her back,
a small hunting knife lodged in the roof of her mouth. I found a
blanket and draped it over her.
    “There’s food and ammo missing out here”
said Mike, coming in from the garage, “We’d better check on the
gate guards. I hope it’s not more of the same.”
    ****
    Robert Werner killed four of our people that morning.
He was only a twelve year old boy, but he killed them all, stole a
vehicle, and made off with a month’s provisions in less than an
hour. He nearly tore our community apart in the process. Fingers
were pointed, accusations were leveled. In a week of searching we
never found him. He got away clean.
    In the end he did us a favor. He woke us up.
That kid finally made us realize that the world had ended; that no
one was going to play by the rules anymore; that there weren’t even
any rules to play by.

Chapter 4
    May, 31 PC (2046 AD)
    *
    “ The strength of the early
Republic lay in its fuel supply. Any threat to its production or
transport was necessarily met with savage and immediate force. The
Republic kept only a small standing army, but its citizens could be
called out for militia service on a day’s notice.”
    -Daniel Galloway, ‘Risen From The Ash: A History of
the Republic’; RNT University Press, 50 PC (2065 AD);
    *
    After a night of restless sleep in the dank sewer,
Captain McLellan rose an hour before dawn and made his way back out
through the storm drain. He sat quietly in the thick brush until
pale morning light began to filter through the sodden clouds to the
east. By the time he crawled back into the cramped chamber where
his rangers were beginning to stir, he had made his decision. He
gently roused his two scouts and sent them out to locate the
enemy.
    “We’re going to cut the patrol short,” The
troop yawned and rubbed sleep from their eyes. “We’re low on
rations, low on manpower, and afoot. We’re in no shape to bring the
fight to that army back there.” He raised his hand to ward off the
grumbling. “We’ll make a beeline for the Refinery. It’s only two
days away if we leave the highway and head cross country. I want
everyone geared up and ready to move by the time Stone and Blue get
back.”
    The rangers were sullen as they broke camp.
The thought of running from a fight, especially from the savages
who had killed their friends, left them irritated and ashamed. They
craved vengeance, but they trusted their Captain implicitly. By the
time the scouts crawled through the entrance the rangers had shaken
off the disappointment were packed and