DISCLAIMER: I dont own Jericho. You know the drill.

Warnings: PG 13. Mild Language.

Timeline (Roughly): Bombs+40 days.

Explanation. Chinook is a small town 65 miles north of jericho.
Also it will all be one long book. Possibly branch out later. It will all be labeled 1,2,3, until i change it a bit later possibly.

He remembered before the gangs came.Slowly at first but quickly flourished.The police were ignorant and the people refused to believe it could happen in thier town.When the bomb's went up they could best take advantage of the helpless.

The 2 officer's exited the vehicle. One aimed a pump shotgun over the hood while the other held up a blowhorn.

"Lay down your weapons. Do not cross the line or you will be fired upon."
2 sawhorses on each side of the road apparently signified the line.
John shut off the truck and shouted out the window.

"No doin. How do we know we can get protection inside the town limits? What we have heard your barely holding onto it now,"

The one officer spoke into his radio. On the Stouts radio the scanner picked up his calling for backup. Soon a older ford with a make-do Sherriff's symbol painted on the side pulled up. A man stepped out and took the bullhorn from the officer

"Name and business," came a voice.
John again shouted

"Stout's. We are coming in to pick up a few people and take them back out to our ranch."

At that the man dropped the bullhorn and motioned the 2 officers to leave. They glanced at the armored truck pulling up before turning their car around and heading back into town.
The new arrival walked up to the truck.

"Hey Redman. Got sherrif did you?" Asked John.

"Yeah. Huestis got himself killed about a week ago." The man replied.

"Whats with those 2 guys?" John asked ",They didnt seem the brightest."

"No," replied Redman ",New recruits. The Sherrif's department got them a couple day's before the attack's. Brand new badge's, looking to make points and show themselves off as authority don't mix with this kinda disaster...I doubt they even realized what they were up against," As Redman finished saying it he looked back at the rifle barrel's stuck out of window's and armor plating layering the sides of the 2 outfits.

"Yeah. Probably not. Anyway. We are heading in. Anything we should watch for?" John asked.

"We got the Town hall, bank, grocery store, highschool and firehouse barracaded together. We are keeping a handle on most of the north part of town. Not much damage done there. The south part next to the road heading to the highway is pretty much done for. The 108 Gang controls most of the west part of town. The rest we just wont risk our officers lives. There's so many ambush's and dug in trouble we aint gonna risk it," Redman replied.

"Okay. Thanks for the head's up," John said. He started the truck and they pull into town.

The truck slowed down and pulled to a halt next to a older house about in the middle of town. Deb pulled in behind it and all 4 people exited the vehicles. A face appeared at one of the window's and the man stepped out

"What the hell took you so long?" Asked Dale Caflan. ",We have had so many dumbass's trying to kill us I thought we thought we would hafta leave without you"

"Sorry. Took us longer than we thought to get into town. We had to burgler proof our grainbin's and fuel tanks, plus do some work on our outfits," John said gesturing to the truck and pickup.

Dale shrugged his shoulders ",It's times like these I wish I wasn't a gunsmith. That's why I had so much trouble. Everyone wanted to get into my house and take what was in it. Even if they did I doubt they would get into my safe so I wasn't worried...But it didnt stop them from trying," he added motioning at the house. The largest part of the wall's that didnt have a bullet hole was a 6 inch circle near the ground.The rest of the house looked like swiss cheese.

"Damn good thing you had a basement," Commented John.

Calflan nodded ",Well let's get going. Someone may show up and I want to get out of here."

"Okay," John said" ,Weapons, ammunition, food and clothing first. If there is room we will take hierlooms. Remember we got 2 more families to pick up."

Dale stopped and turned to John before laying a hand on his shoulder..."You dont know then? Theres only 1 more family... The...Carson's..."

John Carson had been John's best friend for years. Best man at each others wedding.
Thier wives and family had been close over the years. Hardly a week went by where they didnt have supper together even though the Stout's lived 15 miles out of town.

"Dead?" Asked John.

Dale nodded his head "Yes...Im sorry...108 came in. Lined them up... And executed them... You know that they have hated them for a long time...In this confusion they took advantage of the opportunity.He made them pay for it though. I got there a hour too late and found 5 bodies in the front yard and house. All wearing 108 markers."

Choking a bit John says ",Good riddance and to hell with the son's a bitches."

Dale nodded.
He turned back to the house and hesitated a moment.

"There was...Sharon... she wasnt among the dead". Reffering to the Carson's oldest daughter.

"She wasnt? Any idea's? Escape or..did they take her?" John asked. Shrugging Caflan replied ",I dont know" And with that conversation ended.

Soon items were moving out of the bullet-riddled house. Cases of canned food, weapons, ammunition and clothing came out of the building. Dale's wife Lori, son David and a adopted daughter Kyra helped along with them.

John stayed to the edge keeping watch for any activity. No-one bothered him knowing how he felt after hearing of the Carson's.
Finally Dale stretched and said ",We got everything we can take. The rest...stay's inside."

Grant stepped up to him ",You sure you want to do this? You put stuff in your safe in the basement they wont get to it without completely destroying it."

He nodded ",Yes... it has to be. I wouldnt let those wolves have ANYTHING for anything in the world." He then removed a book of matches from his pocket walked inside to the heavy shag-wool carpet ,and hesitated a moment before dropping 3 differant matches ,and went outside. He looked back at his home for 20 years ,and then turned ,and never looked back.

Him and his family got into a old station wagon heavily loaded down with stuff and pulled out behind the small convoy. As they moved on to the last family thier house behind them reached a pinnacle. Flames leapt high into the air. Taking with it the house and any chance the pillaging groups would have had of salvage.