Free Pilliars in the Fall by Ian Daniels

the people at the train station and heard about the riots in the town,” Clint stepped in. “The cops are overwhelmed and there are a lot of desperate people out there. There’s also some pretty bad and desperate people who know there is no police presence right now, and they are doing whatever they think they have to do, or worse, whatever they want to do. I honestly think whoever attacked us today wasn’t one of those bad people, just a desperate one,” he concluded.
    “Why do you say that?” she asked.
    “Because they could have easily killed us all,” I summarized for her. “No shots through the windows at us, just skipping some rounds off the hood. They bolted or hunkered down when we fought back. They had the advantage, if they wanted to kill us, they could have.”
    “They should have,” Blake said darkly, surprising us all. “Desperate or not, if I find the guys who shot at my wife, my family, I’ll smile killing ‘em.”
    I had a hard time disagreeing with his anger. Sympathy and forgiveness were not my strong suits either.
    “You can’t blame someone for trying to feed their kids or keep their grandparents warm,” Danielle tried to reason away the murder in his eyes.
    “Maybe some people are like that, but just remember,” Clint continued to instruct us all, this time playing to Blake’s side of the issue. “One way or another, no one wakes up in the morning one day and just decides to become an armed robber. It's a gradual process that requires some bad traumas and a good deal of desensitizing. Mercy is divine, but don’t underestimate a desperate person. You get face to face with someone you don’t know better than a brother; you don’t turn your back to them.”
    “It must have been your mom that told the bedtime stories when you were little,” I told Blake, “because I’m guessing in his stories, the Big Bad Wolf wins and you would’ve never slept,” I laughed at my own joke.
    “Yeah no shit, when did you get so cynical?” Blake laughed at his dad’s expense.
    “Must be hanging out with the wrong crowd,” he jerked his thumb in my direction.
    “I guess I just have a hard time accepting it’s gotten so bad, even here,” Danielle brought us back down a notch.
    “Its like I said the other night, we've been in the process of collapsing now for a few years. As the train went downhill, it picked up speed. The real collapse is when the general public realizes that the game is up and they've been had. I think that’s what we’re seeing now with these riots starting up,” I prophesized sadly.
    We sat and talked for a few more minutes before everyone found their way to bed. Or couch, or back seat of an old Dodge convertible, or wherever my guests had decided to sleep for the night. As exhausted as I was, I wasn’t really that tired, and decided to go outside with a small glass of scotch to keep me company and maybe help me to relax a little.
    I made it about three steps from the back door when I heard it open again and Blake slipped out to follow behind me.
    “Can’t sleep?” he asked in a hushed tone.
    “Not yet. Thought I’d see what the weather was doing, and thought this might help too,” I swished the smooth amber liquid in my glass.
    “Is it weird having people here at the house?” he asked me seriously.
    “No. Well yes, but it’s a good weird. I wasn’t just building it for me you know.”
    “Yeah, how ya doing with all that?”
    “It’s fine. Nice having you guys here to help keep my mind off of it,” I shrugged.
    “I thought you liked being alone?”
    “I do. I just like being alone when other people are around,” I laughed at myself again.
    “You’re still going to stay with us at Mom and Dad’s though aren’t you?” Blake asked.
    “Oh I’ll spend a few nights there, but I like it here. You get a good fire going and it heats up nice and warm. Plus it's peaceful; I can just relax and be alone with my thoughts.”
    “Are those good things to be