Free TEOTWAWKI: Beacon's Story by David Craig Page B

harvested the squirrels, reset the snares and began working on the campsite since Bull's stumbling around in the woods had taken them so far from the fort he would learn how to sleep in the woods whether he liked it or not. The cloudless sky promised bitter cold but no rain or snow that night.
     
     
    Beacon found a secluded spot between a boulder and a downed tree in a nearby depression out of the wind and, more importantly, out of sight of anyone not already in the small valley.
     
     
    Pointing out a spot next to the boulder he said, "Just do what I do and you'll sleep warm tonight."
     
     
    Beacon cut a digging stick and began scraping out a shallow trench, near the downed tree, about eighteen inches wide by a foot deep and as long as he was tall. The Randall would have dug deeper and faster, but Beacon wasn't about to damage its seven and a half inch blade in the dirt. Bull had no such compulsion and attacked the dirt with his twelve inch Bowie knife.
     
     
    Once the trench was complete Beacon gathered and threw in some dry squaw wood from the ground and nearby trees alternating it in layers of a tic-tac-toe pattern for the length of the trench. Then he threw dry leaves and twigs on top to act as tinder and help spread the fire he was about to build.
     
     
    He built a small fire in the trench then Beacon gathered more of the small easily broken off branches of squaw wood from nearby trees and threw them in telling Bull to do the same.
     
     
    While the firebed burned he skinned, cleaned and spit the two squirrels on sticks he'd cut with the Randall. Then he put them over the fire to roast while he gathered more squaw wood.
     
     
    Beacon thought of his neighbor, "Prepper Pete" as he gnawed on his squirrel-sickle. Pete's stores ought to be running out soon, assuming he and his family had survived the looters, gangs and marauders. Beacon wished him luck but had no desire to go back into the Hell hole that the city had become to find out.
     
     
    Most of the die off occurred during the first winter. The old and the clueless had been the first to go. Senior citizens bereft of family were hard pressed to compete with younger generations. They starved or were killed for food in their own homes. Many attempted to flee in their cars. Unable to refuel or walk far they died where they ran out of gas.
     
     
    The younger generation, who'd chosen to ignore the building storm, spending their money on 'the good life' instead of preparations got to watch "TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It)" on their big color TV's -- until the power went off at the networks. Then they watched it for real in their neighborhoods.
     
     
    Prisoners were released, broke out or starved in their cells. It took a while for miscreants to realize law and order was not going to be restored. Once that fact became real to them they made up for lost time. Newly formed bands of brigands battled established gangs as they looted entire city neighborhoods.
     
     
    But it wasn't always safe for the marauders. Armed homeowners took a toll on them and where they ran into organized neighborhoods armed "Preppers" fended them off, but at some cost. When the outlaws went up against survivalists they were out gunned, out strategized and often nearly wiped out. But that didn't happen often because preppers and survivalist groups were few and far between.
     
     
    Preppers who'd noted the gathering storm but bet on it being a "When The shit Hits The Fan" event were horrified when they realized the transitory event they'd prepared to weather in comfort while waiting for government to restore order was morphing into a real TEOTWAWKI "the end of the world as we know it" scenario without government or order.
     
     
    Those who'd made their preparation known soon found neighbors dropping by to borrow a cup of sugar, a can of evaporated milk and a canned ham. For a short while some preppers became monarchs of the glen then, as the food ran out, learned that