A Year Later...

But, the feds didn’t come down this way much anymore. There was too much resistance and too many people willing to shoot them on sight. They stayed pretty near the big city, over 50 miles to the north. In the city, people did what they were told. If they didn’t, they could be deprived food and water, or a place to sleep. Many would have left if they had tradable goods with which to travel across the now lawless areas between the big cities. They were told that to leave the city would mean certain death at the hands of people gone savage.

It was a lie, of course. The dangers in the rural areas were no worse than when the government was around. Though some of the rural inhabitants were too well accustomed to the entitlement culture, they had quickly adapted to the free life, or left for the cities. The rural people continued to trade food and fuel, parts and seed, news and entertainment. They also kept a watchful eye on the roads from the cities, ever vigilant to protect their property and their neighbors. Communications were maintained through ham radio, CBs, and what few phone systems could be maintained by the technicians who remain in the rural areas.

The whole story.