Lone Journeyman Book 1: Alligator Dances: Lone Journeyman, #1

By Frank Reliance

He goes by the “tall man” -names are not good when traveling outside the cities after the economic collapse of the USA. His dreams of a regular life have been destroyed as the econolypse unravels the world. He’s been watching society's slow burn, collecting his gear and guns. Now he’s searching for a place to survive. But he needs to get out of the powerless city before winter. Or, he's dead.

He’s looking for someplace warmer where he can grow food all year long and live without heating. Someplace he can be free. Maybe Mexico or even further south. But, he's got to hurry, as the city is going to be locked down. If he doesn't move fast, it will be certain death, due to lack of water, food, heat, and sanitation -and the wandering gangs with violence on their minds, not all of which are with the government.

It's a desperate journey for him, out alone, seeking a place that will hold the key to his long-term survival in a world where most everything as he knew it is gone.

Continued in Book 2: Storm Clouds, out now.

Book 3: New Lands out now.

Other books by Frank Reliance: Alone in a Cabin for the Winter.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frank Reliance
• Release date: Jul 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781513076768

Book preview

Prologue

It was early evening on a lovely August night by the lake southern Michigan; warm, pungent, and beautiful, even for the end of the world.

And it was the end for many—or would be, soon. Modern, industrial civilization had come to a violent shutdown. The planet Earth was just fine (so far—the nuclear plants had not melted down, yet); it was the humans who were in trouble, most of them dependent on an interlinked technological and financial system for survival that was no longer there.

Hundreds of thousands had died already and millions more would die, due to the global economic collapse that began in the USA and spread like an out-of-control forest fire around the connected markets of the world, taking them all out, too, like so many tragic dominoes. The dead bodies alone were the source of many more deaths as they rotted, left out in the open in cities with no one to burn or bury them, allowing the spread of diseases. Many had died from lack of water within days of the collapse. Soon after, others continued to meet their fates at an exponentially growing pace from starvation, lack of sanitation, and violence.

Some had seen the writing on the wall, however. They had been expecting the coming collapse for years, if not decades, and they had prepared. These people still had a chance. Most of the others did not and it would only be a matter of time before they were dead.

But even for the prepared life had suddenly gotten a lot more desperate, and one's best friends were now a good gun and a big supply of bullets. Because not all those who had prepared had the best of intentions.

The tall man (he prefers not to use his real name on the run) was prepared and had escaped from the worsening conditions in his once great city just as the authorities sealed it off, leaving those trapped inside to kill each other or simply die from lack of food and disease.

Now he searches for a safe place where he can survive. But that won’t be easy, as there are things moving in the shadows and trouble is all around...

CHAPTER 1

The tall man walked slowly out of the thick green cover of trees and thigh-high grasses, moving silently towards the sparkling lake. Crows squawked and scattered, giving him away. He paused for a moment to look around before stepping fully out into the open and crossing the road to the water's edge. He held a rifle at the ready, chest-high, a visual deterrent to those who would be foolish enough to cross his path with robbery or murder on their minds.

He had on a long overcoat, of the kind men wore in the Australian outback, a dark green/black oilskin, good for keeping the bugs from biting him but feeling a bit too warm now, since he was out of the cooler woods. On his head was a similarly colored hat with a wide brim, tattered with wear. On his feet were black leather combat boots, and he wore black military pants tucked into the boots. He carried a military Alice pack, olive drab in color and it was heavily loaded. He couldn't wait to get it off for a while and cool down.

His blue eyes behind polarized sunglasses searched from side-to-side as he turned his head. He made out only a small skinny guy a few hundred meters away on the other side of the small lake, digging in the muddy marsh on the far side, his back turned. The tall man's finger moved from the trigger guard to rest lightly on the trigger. The sun was still strong at nearly 9 o' clock in the evening, and a breeze buffeted the waters, making waves and carrying the rotten stink from the disturbed marsh mud to him.

Getting closer, he could tell that the skinny man had no shirt on, had torn gray dress pants for shorts, and leather dress shoes that were coming apart. The man had a sunburn on his bald head, face, and chest. The tall man didn't think the little pipsqueak would be much trouble, but he was ready. Just in case. There were no second chances out here.

The tall man walked to the edge of the lake, smelled the stench of the water on the breeze and spat to get the taste of it out of his mouth. There was more to it than just some rotten mud. A lot of algae was growing on the surface, and the water didn't look very clean. There were probably dead bodies in the lake and an untold amount of human waste in it too by this point, he figured. Likely also industrial contamination from leaking, abandoned factories nearby or fuel tanks on sunken boats. It was not the sort of water he would take a chance on drinking straight up.

The skinny guy still hadn't noticed him, yet; was still hunched over, digging in the mud. The tall man picked up a stick and poked at the water's surface, dislodging a green floating cloud of gunk, moving it away until there was a patch of open water. He watched the skinny guy and thought for a moment.

He quickly took off his pack and jacket, not putting his rifle down. Opening a flap in his pack he pulled out a cylindrical shape of plastic like a common water bottle but this was much more. He opened the top and scooped water from the lake into the container, watching as it made its way down through a series of filters into the bottom of the bottle, clean and pure. He screwed the lid back into place and flipped up the built-in straw. He silently prayed that the filters had done their job as he put his lips around the straw and sucked the water into his mouth. It didn't taste too bad but could have been colder for his taste. Still, he thought, as long as it's clean...

He was just getting down the first few sips when the sunburned pipsqueak came running towards him with his hands up, holding a beaten up paper cup, turning around in circles to show he had no weapon. Hey, mister? I ain't got no gun, see? Don't shoot, OK?

The tall man just watched him at first as he finished his drink, holding his rifle up with one hand, the butt propped on his thigh, finger on the trigger.

Pipsqueak didn't seem to mind the rifle and stared at the clear water as the tall man drank it down. S-say, mister? Do you think this water is fit to drink? Some people said yes, but they got sick after they drank it. I dunno, I haven't drunk it, but I'm really, really thirsty, and I don't have a filter. He held the cup out in front. Can I have some of that filtered water, please? I'll pay you. I'm gonna reach into my pocket for the money, so don't shoot!

The tall man quickly lowered the rifle and pointed it at the man, watching him closely. He put down the water bottle and then gripped the rifle with both hands, taking more careful aim. Slow and easy, now!

Sure, mister, sure! Slow and easy, see? The sunburned man pulled a thick wad of money out of the pocket of his frayed dress pants. He waved the bundle of paper bills around, smiling. See? I got lots! You want to trade?

The tall man laughed. No gold or silver? What would I do with that worthless crap? That's what got us into this mess. I guess I could light a fire with it.

Oh, no, mister! There's lots of places that still take this money! Sure! The skinny man smiled with missing and rotting teeth.

So go buy yourself a filter there, then.

The pipsqueak frowned and pouted, angry. Come on, mister! I ain't seen one like that around anywhere. What do you say? Take the money? He waved the bills more franticly. I got kids, you know? Sell me the filter? Please!

The tall man kept the gun trained on the man. Not for sale. Even if it was, I wouldn't take what you're offering. But I'll give you some water.

Yeah, OK. Thank you, mister! Thank you! The man put the money back in his pocket.

Put your cup down, then move back. Over there, where I can see you. He waved with the barrel of the gun to a spot behind where the man was standing. The man put down his cup then took a few steps over to where the tall man had indicated. Now, sit down and cross your legs, the tall man said. The sunburned man did as he was told.

The tall man scooped more lake water into the filter. Once it was purified, he poured it into the man's cup, then stepped back. Alright, come and get it.

The man fairly ran for the cup and lifted it to his mouth with shaky hands. He gulped it all down. Thank you, mister! That was good!

Don't mention it. The tall man refilled the water bottle and took a canteen out of his pack, which he filled with the newly filtered water.

Say, mister? I'd sure like some more. My kids need some water too. Can I just borrow that filter for a bit, if you don't want to sell it?

The tall man ignored him and watched the sun play upon the water. He looked up and saw some X's in the sky and a plane flying overhead at high altitude laying down another trail of spreading fake clouds from horizon to horizon. They've still got the means to play tic-tac-toe in the sky, but none to help anyone with food or water. Figures, huh? That's who you should be asking. He pointed to the sky.

W-what's that? the man asked, surprised. He looked up, shielding his eyes from the sun.

Never mind, the tall man said sighed. He put the filter and canteen back into his pack.

Listen, I have lots more money back at the house. I'll buy that filter off you, OK? Come on, maybe there's some other stuff I can give you? My daughter's real cute! I'm sure we can work something out. What do you say? Come take a look? The man winked and smiled with his bad teeth.

Disgust flashed across the tall man's features, and he considered shooting the man. But then he let his face go blank. He put his pack on. Like I said, not for sale.

B-but, how am I going to survive! I need water!

That was enough for the tall man and he yelled, You should have gotten prepared when you had the chance! It's not like there wasn't any warning. Now the shit has hit the fan, and I can't save everyone I meet. I'm having a hard enough time saving myself. Go and find your own water. And treat your kids right or so help me...! The tall man stepped forward suddenly, the gun out before him.

The sunburned man was taken off guard and stepped back, almost falling over. You're just going to let me die of thirst? Let us die? He was on the edge of tears.

The tall man looked him in the eye. You've got lots of water on you right now, you know that?

What? What do you mean? Pipsqueak twisted his pink body around to look, but he didn't see any water bottle on his person. I ain't got no water, I told you!

The human body is mostly water. If you're in a jam, drink your piss. It'll keep you alive for days and will get cleaner and cleaner the more you drink. It'll strengthen your immune system too and fight off most things.

The man laughed. What? That's crazy! Drinking your piss. Sure!

It's the truth. Take it or leave it.

How do you know that? the man said, spitting out the words in his accusation.

I've been around, the tall man quietly said. He turned and made his way back into the bush. He kept walking away, ignoring the man's cries, going deeper into the shade, until the man stopped blubbering. Before he was completely out of sight, the tall man turned to see the pipsqueak with his pants down, peeing into his dirty paper cup. He chuckled to himself, seeing the man do that, even if he had told him the truth. But the truth was like that; most just couldn't accept it easily, if at all, he'd found.

The tall man walked into the woods until he was far enough away from the road that no one was going to be able to sneak up on him. The thick undergrowth, dry leaves, and sticks on the ground would ensure he would hear them coming. He wanted to take a break, so he found a suitable spot. He put his rifle down and took off his pack. His hand found the inside of his jacket and made sure the clasp on the holster of his handgun was open, just in case he had to draw fast. Sipping some water from his canteen, he looked all around in a circle, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary.

He took a small radio out of his pack and sat down, working the dials. He went through FM, AM, and then into the short-wave bands but didn't find anything. It was as he expected; most radio stations had shut down within days after the economic collapse which had led to the power grid going down, following the money as it did. Those stations that had their own generators would have stayed on a few extra days at best, until their fuel supplies ran dry. But once in while, late at night, he picked up some far-off stations that were still on the air, no doubt powered by the sun or some other renewable, non-grid dependent energy source.

He snapped the radio off quickly, not wanting to waste his batteries on static. He only had a few AA's left, the ones he found in the half-open box on the sidewalk near the stores that had been broken into. He was not into stealing unless it was a case of life or death. Besides, he had a solar battery charger and rechargeable batteries in his pack, and figured why make extra work when free batteries appear in your path? He put the radio away and got on his feet. He didn't like to be in one place for too long.

Moving once again through the forest, he kept alert for any sounds apart from those of the animals; any other sounds could mean humans who were a much greater threat than any he'd face from an animal. There was no telling who you'd meet in the wild these days. He stepped carefully, looking for traps or any wires that may have been strung across the path. It was sometimes like jungle warfare, even in the cities.

It was getting dark and that made travel more dangerous, so he looked for a place to sleep, preferably where he would not be bitten by mosquitoes all night long. In a field ahead he spotted a storage shed near a farm. He took his night vision goggles out from a pouch on his belt and set them into place on his head, pulling the lenses over his eyes. Flipping the switch, the landscape in front of him glowed with green luminescence, lit from the magnified light of the stars poking out of the clear sky and the quarter moon that was rising.

Getting closer to the shed, he saw that it was a bit shabby but mostly intact and only a couple of windows had small holes in them. He would be able to patch those up, he hoped, with something from inside. He had found that farmers usually kept a lot of interesting and useful things around. The door to the shed was open, hanging a bit off its hinges. His hand tightened on his rifle and he lowered it in front of him, pointing at the door.

A look back to study the farmhouse in the distance showed no signs of life; no lights sweeping his way, no figures on foot, nor dogs barking. The field didn't look like it had been ploughed in a couple