Read Online Redemption by Richard Stephenson - Free Book Online

wrists.
    Richard laughed. “Judge?  You boys got a judge?”
    Virgil kicked dirt in Richard’s face.  “Damn right we got a judge.  Five local towns in these parts formed a militia to protect ours.  Been goin’ strong for a year now.  Judge’ll be right proud we bagged us two vagrants before supper.  Once he’s done with you you’ll actually do some honest work for a change.  He puts bums like you to work.  I hear they’re working on putting up walls around our fine cities to keep trash like you out.”
    Richard spat dirt out of his mouth.  “Two?”
    “Ain’t you listenin’, drifter?  I done said the militia’s protectin’ five towns, not two.”
    “You said two vagrants.”
    “Yeah, first one’s the reason I come up here.  One of his hands all broke up.  Said he and his friend were at the church prayin’ when a crazy lookin’ hobo come in all psycho.  Said the guy up and stabbed the priest to death and slit his friend’s throat wide open.  Said the guy smashed his hand so he couldn’t pray no more and let him go.  Now I ain’t no detective but this all looks like everything he described.  Watcha say, Danny?  Sound about right?”
    “Sure looks like it.  But this one said pretty much the same thing about the dead guy over there.  Said he was the one did the killin’.”
    This is what I get for trying to do the right thing.  Should have hauled ass out of here.   “The guy with the broken hand is lying his ass off.  I was in the church with Father Elias and they came in looking for trouble.  They killed the priest for no reason and wanted to kill me.  I have every right to defend myself.”
    “Save it for the judge, drifter, I don’t give a shit.  Time to go, get up.”
     
    ***
     
    While Richard had spent the previous four years in seclusion, he did, however, maintain constant surveillance of what was left of the former United States.  Whenever he moved from one place to the other, he made it a point to observe, from a distance, the nearby towns along the way to better prepare himself should trouble follow him, which it often did.  With the Pacific States of America and the Unified American Empire relics of the past thanks to the Chinese War, a nationwide or even statewide government could not be found anywhere.  It was common to see fortified towns with armed patrols and secured gates monitoring entry.  The once great nation had reverted to a vast collection of medieval castles.
    In all his time wandering about, Richard had never seen anything close to a collection of scattered towns banding together to form a militia and pulling it off with any degree of success.  Such an endeavor required an infrastructure and government of sorts, a small group of people telling a larger group of people what to do.  Much like the nationwide government that had collapsed eleven years prior, any time two or more towns tried to band together, corruption and violence led to their downfall.  Richard was both curious and terrified to see how these hillbillies managed to keep it together for a year.
    “When’s the last time you washed your nasty ass or put on fresh clothes?”  Virgil sat atop his horse pulling Richard along behind him by a rope.
    “Don’t know, not planning on it anytime soon.”
    “That’s disgusting, the fuck is wrong with you?”
    “People tend to steer clear of you when you look like I do.”
    “Folks might also be inclined to think you’s a crazy person goin’ ‘round killin’ people.”
    “Folks like this judge of yours?”
    “I ain’t gonna lie to you, drifter, things ain’t lookin’ to go your way.”
    Richard was not delusional enough to think this “judge” would care to hear his side of the story.  Once the bounty hunter produced the wanted poster to the judge and revealed Richard’s war criminal status, the chances of Richard regaining his freedom would be a challenge. 
    Time to start planning my escape.  “What happened with the guy