Road Rage

 Road Rage

A Short Novel by John J. Joex

This is an excerpt from my upcoming novel, please let me know what you think in the comments.

The collapse came quickly.  As the nation started to decay and the infrastructure that held the country together was ravaged and stretched too far by those driven by their own greed, the old order fell apart.  And then everybody flocked to the cities.  The smaller towns and communities were mostly abandoned as the people sought the safety of numbers.  And then the walls came up to protect those inside.  I was too young to remember, but I have heard the tales.  The people crowding into the cities.  The people turned away because there was not enough food and shelter.  The people that were cast out and called Outsiders. 

But people found that the cities could not stand on their own as they became overcrowded and in need of help and resources from other cities around the country.  And in those days, one of the last messages that we heard from President Ramirez was to protect the highways.  She told us, pleaded with us, that it was vital to secure the roads so that the cities would not be cut off from one another.  But then she was gone, and the world had to figure out how to carry on without her and the old form of government she represented.

The Wrecking Crew and Hunters were established to keep the highways clear and as safe as possible.  The one group was tasked with maintaining the roads so that they would remain usable.   The other was sent to eliminate threats from those who wanted the highways for themselves.  Some among the Wrecking Crew and Hunters worked for the government, some were mercenaries, but all were vicious. And they dealt swiftly and harshly with the people who lived beyond the cities.  

These “outsiders” were also called “savages”, “ferals”, “vermin” and even worse names, and they did what they could to survive in a stark and unforgiving world.  The Hunters made it their goal to eradicate these people so that they would not be a threat to those who traveled between the cities.  But the Outsiders proved resilient, and their numbers continued to grow.

Now people only travel between cities in large groups.  It is too dangerous to travel alone or in small groups, even with the protection of the Wrecking Crew and the Hunters.  And even large convoys do not guarantee safe travel.  

We were among those traveling from one city to the next.  We sought the safety of numbers, my brother and I.  But we would learn the danger of the highway and the road to desolation it promised . . .

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