Free Born in the Apocalypse 2: State Of Ruin by Joseph Talluto

stay or not. Tobin will set you up with a place and once you’re settled in, come on by my office and we’ll talk. Fair enough?”
    It was the best offer I had in a long two weeks and I said so. I got back into the saddle and followed Deputy McGrath into the town proper.

 
    Chapter 16
     
     
    Rockford covered a huge area, and everywhere I looked I saw signs of life. The homes were well kept, there were children running around, and it seemed like there were even tradesmen with shops and items to trade. I didn’t need anything at the moment, but I did notice on my way in there was a library that I might be tempted to explore.
    The one thing I saw here, more than most places I had been, was hope. This town had survived, and more to the point, it had thrived, and I was very curious how it managed to do so. I asked my guide as we walked along.
    “Well, that’s a simple thing really,” McGrath said. “Our former mayor was a history buff, and when things were going bad, he decided we needed to protect ourselves the way the ancient Spartans did.”
    “Come again?” I knew who the Spartans were, thanks to my mother’s history lessons and my own reading, but I failed to grasp the parallel with the current situation.
    “We don’t have any walls, in case you hadn’t noticed,” McGrath said. “Take too long to build and if you’re a successful community, they don’t contain you for long. So we followed the example of the Spartans, who didn’t have walls either. Every citizen of Sparta was armed, or knew how to use a weapon.” McGrath pointed over to the people we passed. “Every single one of them is armed. It’s required. That’s why we were grateful you had your own guns. Although,” Tobin said with a smile, “I think I’d rather face you with a gun in your hand than that bow. You pick that up against me, I know I’m dead.”
    I liked Tobin. He had an easy way about him that I was sure made him take calm charge in situations that required it. Who knew? I might just stay here for a bit, then head back to home to get Kim and bring her here.
    “Here we go. This section of town is for newcomers. All of the homes are clean and dry, and the garages have been cleared of cars so you can stable your horse if you need to. Water is by pump, and there should be one in your backyard. Every third house has one, and I’m skipping a few homes to make sure you get one.” Tobin winked. “Kind of a thank you for killing them Trippers.”
    “Obliged.” I got off Judy and went up to the house, opening the garage. Judy walked right in like she owned the place.
    I turned to McGrath. “Where can I get feed for her? Do I need to trade for it?”
    McGrath shook his head. “Up the street, around the corner. There’s a hay bale pile and a wagon. Take what you need and make sure to bring the wagon back. We all help out in our best ways. One of the residents likes making hay bales for some reason, so he makes sure the feed piles are always full and rotated.”
    “Okay. Thanks. After I settle in, you want me to come find you guys and talk, or what?” I asked.
    “We’ll come to you. We know where you are.” Tobin winked again and pulled his horse’s head around, moving back into town.
    I watched him go for a minute and then Judy came back out, bumping me with her head.
    I took her nose and patted her neck. “Seems almost too good to be true, girl. We’ll need to make sure everything is okay before we trust anybody.” I took her back into the garage and closed the door.
     

 
     
    Chapter 17
     
    I settled in for the most part, but I kept things ready to go just in case I needed to move quickly. I spent a week at the house by myself, reading the books I brought with me, taking Judy out for long strolls through the town, and practicing my archery at a hale bale I set up. I kept my practice at a hundred and fifty paces, sending arrow after arrow streaking through the air. I tried going faster and faster, and my accuracy