CARLTON JOINS THE RESISTANCE

Be Careful with that Ax, Eugene.

Carlton the crime-fighting pig had as much trouble finding the Lawless Zone as Jonathan Harker had getting to Vladimir Dracula's castle. He traveled by car until the pavement broke up and then he finished his journey by train, by carriage, on horseback, and finally, on foot.

All along the way, peasants begged him not to proceed. Everyone seemed to have personal knowledge of some person who left Mexifornia and fled north to the Lawless Zone, never to return.

Carlton tried not to provoke the simpletons. He never argued and he never attempted to persuade them that they were superstitious morons. In fact, he felt pity on the cretins and accepted as fact that they were all fools, many of them addled by poisoned food, air, and government vaccinations.

The third world war was often called the Drone War because the weapons used were primarily non-manned flying machines and robots. The civilian casualties dwarfed the military losses. Politicians and other power brokers were largely spared the initial devastation. But imagine their surprise when they climbed out of their VIP bunkers! Half of the USA resembled Bakhmut, Ukraine as it was just before Russia stormed across the defeated fascist stronghold.

That total collapse of the Zelenskyy / Biden Axis left Americans fighting for survival with hundreds of war lords fighting for control. As Carlton pressed his way North he witnessed dozens of shootings and mass arrests. Surprisingly, once he arrived in Cody, it was as if a weight had been lifted from him. The few people he met were friendly.

After finding lodging in a rooming house, Carlton was surprised to learn that he had arrived at the Lawless Zone and it was lawless because the people loved each other. One of them, a fellow named Eugene, interviewed Carlton at length before inviting him to join the Resistance.

Carlton's life had meaning again. He was going to fight the Mexifornians and recreate America.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.