Chapter One

The figure trudged along the dusty road, the scraping of his boots on pavement the only other sound besides the chirping of birds. He wore jeans and a simple white t-shirt; sensible clothing for the warm whether. Shading his face was a bright red fedora. On his back he carried a military style backpack, full to capacity. Alongside a pair of canteens lashed to the pack was an M4 carbine.

His name was Alexander King, the only survivor of Salem, Oregon. He'd settled in that community – what was left of it – the second year after the war. He'd thought his problems were, if not over, at least greatly reduced. And for three years, life was as prefect as could be expected under the circumstances. It was hard work, to be sure, but they'd had food, shelter, and an infrastructure not to heavily damaged. They were even starting to repair the power and communications grids, an area where Alex's mastery of all things technical made him a valued asset.

And then the plagues swept through, killing over half of the town's population. With too few able bodied workers, famine soon followed; then unrest and complete societal breakdown. Three months after the first case of illness, the deathblow was struck by the so called Lord Jackson, Emperor of America. He'd been lieutenant commander of Zeus, inc. – the largest private security contractor in America before the war, and the only one left standing after it. Jackson quickly declared himself emperor of the still radioactive ruins of America, and, taking a chapter from Genghis Kahn's play book, began rampaging his way across the continent. What he wanted he got, no matter how many people he had to kill in the process. His army quickly grew – wanton destruction appealed to many. Soon Jackson led not an army, but a mobile city. When he reached Oregon, he decided he wanted Salem. He got Salem.

A metal sign, dusty and stained with bird dung, appeared on the roadside ahead. In white lettering, it spelled the name a town: COLVILLE. And then, 24 MILES. Alex quickened his pace. It was the year 2044, and he was almost home.