When it was light enough to use the binoculars heglassed the valley below. Everything paling away into themurk. The soft ash blowing in loose swirls over the blacktop.He studied what he could see. The segments of road downthere among the dead trees. Looking for anything of color.Any movement. Any trace of standing smoke. He lowered the glasses and pulled down the cotton mask from his face and wiped his nose on the back of his wrist and then glassed the country again

Chapter 1