The End... The Beginning

Foreword

Credits

Author - Edwin Holley

Editor -

Proof Reader -

Continuity -

Copyright 2014 © Edwin Charles Holley II

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except in the case of a reviewer, who may quote brief passages embodied in critical articles or in a review.

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The information in this book is distributed on an "as is" basis, without warranty. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this work, neither the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

Foreword

Everything seemed to changed so little, but so quickly. At two months the scientific community was terrified. At four months everyone knew it was bad. At some point, about six months into the change, everything started to even out. No more unexplained deaths, most people began to start accepting what had happened.

In the beginning lots of people died, from accidents or just not being a live. Unexplained dead were becoming too common. These deaths were in some cases fascinating in a medical context. Some had bodily organs whose functioned could not be explained. Somehow these new organs were integrated into the body. Some appeared to be just there without any visible integration. Scans from before showed a patient without these changes then like magic they were their. Some of the dead bodies biological functions continued even in the absence of any electrical signals from the brain being present in the body. To be honest these things broke everything the doctors thought they knew.

Not everyone could accept the new world. Some people tried to figure out how to continue their lives from before. Some of these people became mad believing this new world did not exist or pretending not to see it. They would put on clothes from "the before time" and drive to a job that did not exist. These people would usually die unfortunate deaths as the new world crushed those that could not adapt.

You might think, having grown up in "The After Time" that things were becoming better. But for us the new world was terrifying. Most of "The Before Things" either stopped working or worked in ways we could not understand. Our lives before were safe for the most part. Most of of us did not have to fight just to live.

Most forms of communication stopped working. Satellite communication slowly stopped working. GPS navigation stopped working. Short range communication worked in some cases, but usually for a much shorter distance. Shortwave communication worked a little better. Cell phone and landlines worked only when all the appropriate equipment was properly powered. But cell service range was limited. The power needed to power cell service was extreme, and only rumored to exist. Landlines required little power, and were easy to set up given the knowledge and equipment.

These things could not be explained by scientists, who struggled to "fix" the problem. When the "Before Things" we used to take for granted began to break down. The larger and more complex the device the less likely it was to work. Diesel and gas turbine engines were of use, if they did not have complex computer systems. Most of the old cars/trucks/trucks without computers were fine. Even some of the early cars/trucks without extremely complex computer systems would work, although not as reliability. Jet engines of all but the simplest in nature were not reliable enough to trust. Most jet engines only functioned at the very top of their power, making landing a very interesting proposition. Airplanes able to change thrust based on something other than engine power could work. Fuel was a universal problem, those that had it either hoarded it or placed extremely high costs on it.

While a person can be reasonable and be expected to act a certain way, people are a mess. Government started to lose its ability to function. Money lost its value, the old jobs didn't make sense. Who could be a cube jockey or police officer when simple survival was priority one. Jobs and hobbies that did matter, usually revolved around the three basic needs food, water and shelter.

Most people sought out big cities. But those were the hardest hit and fell first. In the beginning resources were plentiful. Water from the tap could be boiled. Food was as far away as the corner market. But then people began to change. Resources were hoarded. Power was the first to fail as combustion based power could not be generated. The electric grid spanning the US flickered and failed. The ability to boil water became scarce as combustible material became harder to locate. Gas service failed as the ability to pump it was lost. In the end few had food or water. Then a much more serious problem came the Unclean. The Unclean began to amass in the cities. Nobody could understand how they appeared so quickly, especially in the large cities. The Unclean are people who have had their humanity sucked out. They are cunning but usually not intelligent. They can use simple tools but rarely do. They do not care for bathing or clothing or anything not related to eating. They hunt in packs, usually numbering 5 to 10.

In places where important resources were available Enclave were formed. Walled cities. Each with a government of its own. Laws as different as can be imagined. Each Enclave had its own values. The resources of an Enclave tend to be varied. But some things are common to most. Among the most common is access to a large amount of flowing water. Standing water being suspect unless tested. Also common is a plentiful supply of food. This can range from livestock to farming. To ensure survival, all but the biggest are going to require some forms of trade.

The items and topics I have mentioned are in your books, review them and be prepared for the test on Sunday.

It was then that I felt eyes on me, I quickly covered up my surprise. Very few could approach me without me knowing. I dismissed the class. It was a few minutes early, but they ran out the door none the less. I sat down at my desk and waited.