The past couple of hours had been a mixture of hope and frustration. John watched strangers perform noble and kind deeds for each other under extraordinary circumstances. Others, gratefully a minority, seemed to descend into a primal need to lash out at others, taking or bullying anyone to get what they wanted. With the power out, the gas station and 7/11 on the block had closed. With no electricity to power the pumps, run the register or credit card reader, it was best for them to simply close up shop. But the owners or workers were stuck there. Most just sat in the door to their stores, letting the outside air keep them cool on the warm, November day. In one instance, two men tried to force themselves into a local gas-and-go convenience store. The two lowlifes had pulled out an old revolver on the owner who was sitting in the doorway of the store, but didn’t realize that his son was standing behind him with a Mossberg 500 shotgun. Although no shots were fired, John recognized the rapid societal deterioration that was taking place.
What do You think about Charlie's Requiem Novella?
