Free Will of Man - Part Three by William Scanlan

WILL OF MAN
    PART THREE
    By
    William Scanlan
    ALL RIGHTS RESERVED FOR WILLIAM SCANLAN
    This publication is property of William Scanlan. All rights reserved for William Scanlan. Copyright 2013.
    No part of this book shall be copied, reproduced, distributed, or transmitted without permission.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
 
 
 
Other books by William Scanlan found at Amazon.com
     
    To purchase WILL OF MAN - PART ONE (click here)
     
    To purchase WILL OF MAN - PART TWO (click here)
     
    To purchase WILL OF MAN – PART FOUR (click here)
     
     
     
    Tyler's Journal Entry: 354
    Date: May 16
    Day: Saturday
    Weather: Cold and cloudy
    Days Since the LAST DAY: 2yrs, 10 months, 15 days
    Stars in the sky have a way calming a person. I laid on the river bank for quite a while before moving. My body ached from being tossed around, but amazingly I dodged any real damage.
    I stared up at the stars thinking about how so much has changed and so fast. It seems like yesterday when my biggest worry was getting my homework done. I miss those days. I miss training for triathlons. I miss playing with my little brother outside in the cornfield near our house. Visions of my Mom making cookies and Dad sitting in his chair watching the news or reading the newspaper makes me feel warm inside.
    I miss my family so much.
    My moment with the stars was interrupted by a swarm of people carrying torches walking down the river bank. They were far enough away from me that they couldn't see me, but I could see them because of their torches.
    I was soaking wet and cold. I could feel my wetsuit in my backpack and chose to put it on. I had time before anyone reached me, so I took the chance, and put it on quickly. I pushed my clothes in my backpack.
    My hand brushed the pistol inside my bag that Dad placed there. I paused for a moment contemplating pulling it out. But I chose not to. To be honest, I don’t think I could ever shoot anyone. I’ll take my chances outrunning whoever, before I choose to hurt anyone.
    My wetsuit is completely black, so I figured I'd be harder to see than if I had on my normal clothes. The wetsuit is 5mm thick (like I said earlier) so I knew it would keep me warm in the cool spring night air. Besides, this gave me the option of diving in the lake if I needed a quick getaway.
    I covered myself in leaves completely - except for my eyes. I took some dark mud and smeared it on my face to camouflage my exposed skin.
    I figured the people walking down the river bank were the same ones who sabotaged the railroad bridge. I watched them scour the water and river bank for any supplies left from when the train went over the edge into the river. They were grabbing passenger’s belongings and anything else within reach that washed up or floated by.
    Other than the ROAMERS, I hadn't seen anyone so heartless. I wondered how people could be so......bad.
    I laid there covered in leaves watching them pick miscellaneous things from the river, when I suddenly heard a scream, followed by people shouting. It was a woman who survived the train wreck. She was hiding near the edge of the river bank when she was discovered.
    She ran a few yards and was tackled by a couple german-shepherd dogs. The dogs were probably trained to do so. The dogs were pulled off and the woman was put in shackles. She squirmed and begged to not be hurt.
    The people surrounding her said nothing. They just looped a rope around her neck like a leash and led her away. To where or what, I don't know. I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do for her.
    I decided staying put was not going to work since they were making their way towards me. I decided to slip in the river and take my chances there.
    I took a quick look around and crawled to the edge of the river. There was a lot of debris from the wreckage floating past me. I slipped into the water like a stealthy