One Second After [54]
Jeremiah stood there grinning as the girl came up to him and did a bit of a provocative dance to the beat of the drum. As the group passed by the side of the Honda SUV, someone slowed.
"Hey, they've got some cops! Looks like they kicked the shit out of Gestapo Gus."
The procession began to grind to a halt.
"Wow, man. Revolution now!" someone shouted, beginning to approach Washington.
"Revolution my ass," Washington said coldly, and the protestor stopped in his tracks.
Bill stood up.
"George, you know me," he said, speaking to the bearded character carrying the end-has-come, sign. "Yeah, Bill."
"Everything's cool here. Gus fell and broke his nose. These guys are helping out, so why don't you just move along."
The leader nodded, the beat was picked back up, and the parade moved on.
"Absolutely unreal," Washington sighed.
"Asheville," Bill replied. "You gotta love it, even now at times. I know a lot of those kids; most of them are OK, even if a bit misguided."
The dancing blonde came up to him and kissed him on the cheek. Bill actually patted her on the butt before she danced off.
He caught John's eye and grinned slightly.
"Monica and I had a little thing going a couple of months back." "Wow, you and her?" Jeremiah asked. Bill grinned but said nothing.
John pulled out two more cigarettes and gave another one over, both he and Bill lighting up.
"Poor kids," Bill sighed. "Strange when you actually think of it. What's happened, it's what many of them have wished for, for years. That one guy, though, with the 'Stop Globalization' sign, him I never liked. Talks the peace bullshit line to score with the girls, but down deep a potential killer. Real anarchist, hell, if he could have pulled the plug he'd of done it and laughed.
"Regardless of that, most of them are OK, and besides, it's a free country, isn't it?"
He chuckled sadly and shook his head.
"They don't get it now. If this is as bad as I think it is ... they'll be the first to die. They don't know how to survive without a society that supports them even as they curse it or rebel against it."
He sighed.
"Once they run out of food, then the reality will set in, but by that point, anyone with a gun will tell them to kiss off if they come begging. And if those poor kids, if they have food, the ones with guns will take it. They're used to free clinics, homeless shelters when they need 'em, former hippie types smiling and giving them a few bucks. That's all finished. They'll die like flies, poor kids. No idea whatsoever how vicious the world can really be when it's scared and hungry.
"Damn, I hate to see it. Wish their idealisms were true.
"Gandhi and Stalin."
"What?" John asked.
"I used to tell Monica that when we'd get into politics. She'd always talk about how great Gandhi was. I'd tell her the only reason Gandhi survived after his first protest was that he was dealing with the Brits. If Stalin had been running India, he'd of been dead in a second, his name forgotten."
John filed that one away; it was a good point.
The procession disappeared around the corner, heading back towards their traditional hangout, Pack Place, in the center of town.
"A Black Hawk flew over yesterday." John asked, "Did it land here?" "Yes, right down in Pack Place. From Fort Bragg." "What did you hear?"
"That's when Ed finally declared martial law. We're at war. That's all I know. The guy on board, bird colonel, said he'll be back in a week or so, then took off."
"War with who?"
"No one really knows. Terrorists, North Korea, Iran, China. Just that we got hit with an EMP nuke, so he said that means we're at war. How are things over in Black Mountain?"
"About the same. Some looting, but Charlie got that under control."
"Memorial Mission Hospital, is it running?" John asked.
"No, sir. Generators never kicked on. I had to help take an old lady with a heart attack up there last night. We have some old trucks that run, a few cars we use as ambulances.