The Wayward Journey - Nathan Jefferson - 1 to 16 - Abundant

134 Pages·2013·0.39 MB·English

The Wayward Journey
By Nathan Hale Jefferson

Abundant Future Media
www.AbundantFuture.net
Published by Abundant Future Media at Smashwords.

The Wayward Journey, Copyright (C) 2013 Abundant
Future Media. 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 the author’s prior written
permission, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief
passages in a review.

This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to
people, places or events is purely coincidental.

ISBN 978-0-9893199-0-4

Cover by: Adrijus Guscia of Rocking Book Covers
Edited by: Editing Queen

Visit our webpage at www.abundantfuture.net for
updates and other great content! Follow the author on
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Stay tuned for Part II and Part III of The Wayward
Journey: Fires at Home and Winter Without Walls
Thanks to Nobody, Joe Nobody, for providing inspiration
and guidance on how to make this book become a reality!

Thanks to the many other great authors in the Dystopian,
Post-Apocalyptic, Survivalist, and TEOTWAKI genre.

Thanks especially to James Wesley Rawles for the great
pointers he gave me and for writing my favorite book,
Patriots: A Novel of Survival in the Coming Collapse!
Foreword

While this is a work of fiction and many liberties may have
been taken with the events contained in these pages, there is still
a great danger posed from earthquakes in large portions of our
country. During two months in 1811 and 1812, three of the ten
strongest earthquakes that hit the continental United States
were produced in the New Madrid seismic zone. This fault line is
still active, and while there have been only smaller shakes in
recent years, the chance of another large event to occur still
exists as an ever present danger.

Because of the dangers posed by earthquakes in this region,
it was the scenario used in the 2011 National Level Exercise, the
first national exercise to simulate a natural hazard. This multi-
state exercise simulated a 7.7 earthquake along the southern
segment of the New Madrid Fault, which was followed by a 6.0
magnitude earthquake in the Wabash Valley Seismic Zone.

For more information about earthquake hazard programs,
please visit:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/prepare/

According the USGS records, since 2000 more than 55,000
people on average have died due to earthquakes each year. Here
are a few notable examples:

May 12, 2008, China: 7.9 earthquake left nearly 90,000 dead
and over 5 million people homeless.

January 12, 2010, Haiti: 7.0 earthquake left over 316,000
dead, 300,000 injured, and 1.3 million homeless.

March 11, 2011, Japan: 8.3 earthquake left 15,647 dead,
many more homeless, and kicked off a series of nuclear tragedies
that will haunt the world for years to come.

Please prepare and be safe!

The Wayward Journey 1

Chapter 1

Radio Broadcast: Tonight, we bring you an update to
one of the ongoing stories that we’ve been reporting.
So far, both New York City and Chicago are being
affected, and garbage is really starting to pile up,
now that the strike is into its second week. Now,
there are talks of this strike moving to other cities as
an act of solidarity. These are just some of the latest
responses to the strain caused by the rampant
inflation facing our country. As you are aware, with
the continuing oil shortage, prices continue to rise,
causing many people to make hard decisions on
which bills to pay.

The President released a statement assuring that the
shortage will be under control within a few weeks
and that the government is doing everything they can
to stop the economy-crippling inflation. They are
working with the Federal Reserve Chairman to
tighten standards and should have a decision on
whether to raise interest rates. Hopefully a solution
is found soon. We will continue to follow both of
these stories here on your nightly news.

"Do you really have to go?" Margaret asked as she
started clearing the dinner table and loading the
dishwasher. "I don't know if your going on this trip is the
best idea with all the problems popping up everywhere."
She was never very vocal in sharing her concerns
about John’s new job because she knew it was the best
option for their family. But with the new problems facing
the country, she was even more nervous than before and
her gut told her that something about this trip was going
to be especially bad. The nightmare she had had for the
2 Nathan Hale Jefferson

past few nights didn’t help either, but she dismissed it for
what it was: just a dream.
"I don't want to have to deal with the swamped
grocery stores and gas stations without you. They are
swamped. It’s crazy. It will be especially hard since I
don't have anyone to help watch these kids now that
mom can’t come over." The financial problems and oil
shock facing the country had been causing traffic jams
and lines at gas stations to become common occurrences.
Normally, Margaret's mother would come over
several days a week to help watch the kids so Margaret
could run errands and have a little time to herself. But,
for the past two weeks, Margaret’s mother hadn’t been
able to make the trip, and it was starting to take a toll on
Margaret. She had been watching the two kids while
looking hard for a new job, not getting any breaks ever
since losing her job several months ago. It didn't help
that her husband John took a job where he had to work
at least ten to twelve hours a day, seven days a week and
was on the road four or five days a week.
In addition Margaret had a special resentment for
John's new job. Since he was a salaried employee, he was
not getting extra compensation for his increased time and
effort, while the company he worked for—one of the
largest oil drillers in the country—was raking in more
money than they ever had, thanks to the ongoing gas
shortage.
Ever since Margaret was let go from her job as a
highly paid attorney, John had tried everything he could
to bring more money home for the family. He finally took
this job that had him flying across the country weekly
while still working extremely long days when he was
home. With the sudden boom in oil prices, there was an
increasing need for engineers to oversee and sign-off on
the work being performed across the country. While it
was possible to run the heavy machinery and drill holes
with skeleton crews or crews brand new to the industry,