No Light in the Dark and under an Assumed Name

NO LIGHT IN THE DARK When Stanley Knowles was seventeen years old, he fought with his father who was abusing his mother. Stanley was badly beaten and left home to work in the northern territories. He only returned home once when his mother died. He worked as a laborer in the north for seventeen years and was presently in his fourth year at Fort McMurray in the oil patch. One day, without warning, the power goes off; there was no lighting, electronic equipment did not work, and even...
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NO LIGHT IN THE DARK When Stanley Knowles was seventeen years old, he fought with his father who was abusing his mother. Stanley was badly beaten and left home to work in the northern territories. He only returned home once when his mother died. He worked as a laborer in the north for seventeen years and was presently in his fourth year at Fort McMurray in the oil patch. One day, without warning, the power goes off; there was no lighting, electronic equipment did not work, and even motor vehicles would not start. As day after day passed and there was still no power, Stan, who was highly intelligent, began to worry. What if? he thought, and supposing it never came back, he decided to prepare as best he could for a long siege. He used cash he had removed from his bank and bought all the supplies he could find. People started arriving at the farm singly and in groups, and all those who sought help were welcomed to stay. Stanley had men, including most of his neighbors who were staying at the farm, build living quarters using material salvaged from demolished buildings. A small group of men attacked the farm looking for food but as the residents were armed, they were beaten off. Stan organized guard posts on the roads near the farm and had a group mounted on horseback and armed with shotguns, ready to respond to any emergency. Armed gangs roamed the countryside seeking food, but over the years, the numbers grew less and less. UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME Sgt. Herman Hines is drunk in a Saigon bar when an American reporter called him the number one American killer. Herman downs the reporter with one blow and leaves the bar, but is immediately arrested by MPs. He is quickly charged with divulging state secrets and when advised by his council pleads guilty. He is sent to a military prison in North Carolina for three years. Herman serves the full sentence and, when he is released, finds work at a crab dock in Pamlico County. All goes well for some time, then federal agents tell him he must do one more killing for his country. He is ready to make the shot when he sees the agent who accompanied him as spotter pointing a gun at him. Sergeant Hines kills the agent and manages to escape a trap that had been planned for him.