After The Rising by T.D Jackson (free novel reading sites .txt) 📕

in hoodies in the corner of the promenade giving them the evil eye. Crime was on the rise people were being mugged for their food and supplies the last person who tried to steal Jon's needed his jaw wired shut. The doors to the shopping centre opened a lady in her early 30's walked out her three kids two boys and a girl danced around her as she carried their weekly rations in a box, with out warning the three men walked over to her and knocked her to the ground food fell from the box. The women pleaded with the men not to take food from her childrens mouths the kids just cried I looked at Jon "We going to do something about this?" We put out our fags "Dam right we are HEY!" We ran over to the men "What the hell are you doing!?" "Mind your own dam bussin oof!" Jon punched the 1st man in the gut the 2nd advanced towards him and was headbutted, that left me with the 3rd he grabbed the box and ran down the steps, I pursued him he ran across the road towards the housing area I followed him down the narrow path's he was quick but the inital energy he used to get away from me soon caused him to tire he dropped the box and turned to look at me "Hand it over it's not worth it" The man panted he pulled a knife from his belt, he knew if he was caught stealing food then he would be serving 4 years minimum in prison with hard labour he was not willing to  accept that. I shrugged off my satchel "Have it your way then" The past 2 years me and everyone in my house had religiously learnt sefl defence techniques even Sky would give a fully grown man a run for his money the man came at me with the knife overhand trying to plunge it in to my arm I  sidestepped and as he passed me I stomped on the back of his knee, he howled in pain and swung the knife back around cutting through my coat sleeve and drawing blood it looked deep oh well I will get it fixed up later. He had left his chest exposed and I punched him i the gut hedoubled over dropping the knife I kicked him in the chest again and he dropped. I picked up the box and headed back to Jon. 

When I got back the other 2 men had dissapeared Jon had a bloody nose but seemed pleased with himself. The lady we helped was sat on the steps next to him in tears being comforted by her kids "Here" She looked up and saw the box, she burst into tears again. Feeling slightly awkward I did my best to comfort her just wishing she would stop crying. Eventualy she calmed down she tried to pay us, we declined we gave the kids some of the sweets we had bought for our selves they were happy again, she only lived round the corner so we drove them home and watched as they entered the house, we drove away "Don't it make you feel good to do nice things for no reason Jony?" "Dont call me that hows your arm?" "Not as bad as the other guy's stomach what happened to your nose?" "Mis timed a headbutt" "Nice" I laughed we headed home.                  

An old "friend" returns

"Were back" We stepped into the front room aka Jon's bedroom. We did not want to stay in the flats after what happened their so we returned home. We chucked the rations to Ty who was cooking in the kitchen "Why do I have to do the crap job's?" "Because were awesome and risk getting our arses bite to keep food on the table" Jon joked as we headed back in to Jon's room Sky ran down the stairs we had moved her room in to the attic "Your back did you bring me anything ew you have blood on you" I looked at my arm blood was dripping through the hole in my coat "Oh yeah forgot about that" "For goodness sake wait there" Sky had really grown the last two years we had been unable to find her parents or grand parents so we had officaly adopted her thank's to some help from Kane, Sky returned with some bandages and an ice pack for Jon's nose I took my coat off and she procedded to clean it. Jon looked at the cut "Jack ont got that new coat sorted for you yet" "He has I was gonna pick it up tommorowwww" I winced as Sky poured antiseptic into the cut, she rolled her eyes "Grow up how old are you 7?" "I'm 24 and one third ow" Jon laughed at my suffering "Are you sure you are doing it right this hurts more than the inital cut" Sky finished cleaning the cut and bandaged it we gave her the sweets we got and she ran off to play the videogames I didnt play any more, we really had to be more careful with our power allowance if you go over you either sit in the dark or pay through the nose for extra "Can Tiff come over?" Sky shouted back down the stairs "Have you done your homework?" "Yes" "Did her Mum and Dad say it was O.K?" "Yes" "Do I need to go get her or will her Dad bring her over?" "Her dad will bring her over" "O.K then do I need to feed her to?" "Please!" "Allright" I turned to Jon "This parenting stuff is easy" "Did you actually check she did it?" "I'll do it later" Tiff came over and they retreated to Sky's lair to gossip about what ever 9 year olds gossip about are they to young for boy's? God I'm dreading that chat maybe I can get Ty to do it.

Tiff ended up staying the night we had breakfast we had nothing planned today Jon started the Xbox up Ty did the same in his room and I walked Tiff home. Her parents don't seem to like me very much I think the only reason they let her come over is because their are so few kids in the local school I only got a grunt of thank's and the door slammed in my face why is it most people I meet either want to eat me stab me or hate me? Oh well not dwelling on this I headed to Jack's junk shop best place to go for you'r zombie killing need's I got adiscount of course having saved the owners life 2 years earliear. The bell over the door rang as I entered and Jack looked up from what looked like half a radiator. He had grown a beard and his once black hair was showing more and more trails of grey his work clothes were covered in grease he smiled as he once again buried his head in his work "Hey Jack got your note saying my coat was done" Jack didnt look up "Yeah it's on that dummy over there" He waved at a former store mannequin "Try it on and I'll tell you all about it" I took the coat off the dummy, I liked this coat black and thick with a velvet inside kept you warm on those cold days all though it has needed to be taken to a tailor a few times to repair various tears rips and those blood stains that just wont come out. I took my coat off and Jack saw my bandaged arm "Playing superman again?" "Yeah no one loves a hero any more" "What is it with you and that arm?" It was a good question my left and dominant arm seemed to always take the brunt of the punishment I had fractured it 2 years ago fighting a nasty piece of work called Graham before that when I was a kid I had dislocated and cracked a couple of bones play fighting some one twice my size after that I said to myself I would never do it again, I did.  

The coat felt the same as before just a little heavier "Jack you sure you have done something to this it feels the same?" "That's how you tell a great craftsman from an average one" He put down a random piece of metal. "I have had the boy's put a kevlar weave into it should make it pretty much bite proof I have also tightened it up so it hugs your body more so you wont get grabbed by one of those things" "Pretty much bite proof?" "Well eventually they will get through but the inital bite should be stopped in it's tracks it will stop you being infected by a lucky suprise bite" I nodded "How will it fair against knives you know how people like to stab me" "A slashing motion will not get through but a stabbing motion will get through but the damage will be reduced due to the kevlar slowing it down" "Thnk's Jack you done with my crossbow?" Jack took a swig of tea (His job paid well better than mine plus he could expense his electric needs) "Mmm yes it's over here" Jack had asked to borrow it when he agreed to modify the coat, he lacked a diagram or any other model to make his own so asked to use mine for a point of reference. He handed it back to me it was smaller than your average crossbow but packed a punch and would pierce the skull of anything up to 50ft after that it was hit and miss "I tightened the string oiled it and made a few minor repairs and" "A scope" I looked down the sight and through the scope aiming at the dummys head and pulled the trigger, right between the eyes, I smiled "I'm charging you for that" Jack joked. I paid and thanked Jack and left as he went to yell at one of his young apprentices something about "Do you want to blow us all up you moron?"

As I got to my front door some one was waiting for me he was a little shorter than me with grey hair in a grey suit and sun glasses but he radiated authority I knew him only as Kane and he did something for the military. He smiled as he saw me "Tom how are you?" He grasped my hand and shook it "Fine how are you?" He took his glasses off revealing his cold blue eyes "Fine fine I was wondering if we could talk I got you a present" He opened the brown paper bag he was carrying revealing can's of IRN BRU dam I have not had a can of that in so long "What do you want?" "To talk" "About?" "Can we talk inside?" "No" "Why not?" "The house is a mess you might think I'm a slob" "I dont mind I have children your age" That was something new "Fine Sky is home and