The Crash Box Set, page 13
part #1 of EMP Crash Series
“I'm not worried about what she's going to do, I'm worried about him.”
“Yeah, well, if he knows what's good for him, he'll be smart about it, too. Anyway, I don't mind too much. It keeps them occupied, and they're not going to be coming around here. You need to relax son; you're always wound up so tight about everything that someday you're just going to pop. Only worry about things you can control, that's what you've gotta do.”
“Yes Pop,” Luke said, but he didn't seem convinced. Willie pulled out a pocket watch and angled it so the face caught the moonlight and he could see it.
“Come on, we don't have much time,” he said.
The two of them put some extra effort into loading the last few things into the large wheelbarrow then moved it out of the barn. Luke closed the doors behind him and the two men made their way to the boundary of the farm, cloaked in darkness. As they approached the rendezvous point Willie's temples glistened with sweat and Luke became more aware of his breathing.
“I thought you weren't worried?” he asked his father.
“I never said that. I just said you shouldn't worry about things you can't control. Make no mistake about it, these people are the kinds of people you should be afraid of, but as long as we give them what they want they'll leave us alone. They should be here soon. You just keep quiet and don't say anything unless they speak to you.”
Willie huffed as he set down the wheelbarrow, then he pulled a handkerchief out of his back pocket and ran it over his forehead. He peered out in the darkness, and there they waited for a few minutes in silence. The trees around them hung peacefully and, for a while, there was no trace of anything. Willie even started thinking that perhaps they weren't coming. Maybe they had attacked another group and had fallen to the sword by which they had lived. But then, in the distance, he heard the rolling sound of a wagon and the soft hum of hushed voices. Before too long they emerged from the forest, two men sitting on the wagon and one leading the horses that pulled it. It was a small wagon, one that could make it through the forest, and it already was loaded with supplies from other people with whom they had similar arrangements.
“Good evening, Willie, Luke,” one of the men said, tipping his hat to the two farmers.
He remained sitting on the wagon while the other man climbed down. Willie didn't know any of their names, nor did he care to, but they used his freely. Since he only had met them in darkness, Willie never had had a good look at their faces. Two of them were tall and one was leaner than the other. The man who did most of the talking had a thick beard, while the other two were clean-shaven. The one on the ground was the youngest and he didn't seem to take too much interest in what was happening.
“Evening, sir,” Willie said.
“How's life been treating you?” the man said.
“Not too bad, just getting by, day by day.”
“That's all we can do in this kind of world.”
“How about yourself?”
“Oh, fine, just fine. This world is full of new opportunities and each day brings with it some new surprises. Do you have our payment?”
“Of course, right on schedule,” Willie said, and pushed the wheelbarrow to the back of the cart.
As he got closer the other man sitting on the wagon jumped down and pushed Willie aside, taking control of the wheelbarrow. When Willie looked up he saw a mean gleam in the man's eyes, and knew better than to protest. He meekly stepped back beside Luke and waited for them to move on. The two men who now were on the ground loaded up the supplies onto the wagon, counting out everything as they did so. All the while the man sitting atop the wagon kept his eyes on Willie, and the farmer felt himself grow more tense with every passing moment. In a world where the mightiest had all the power he knew that anything could happen. If this man so chose he could have taken Willie's life and there was nothing Willie could do about it.
“We got a problem, boss,” the man with the meanness in his eyes called out. The man in charge ran his tongue around his mouth and spat out onto the ground as he turned his head and looked behind him, while Willie exchanged a nervous glance with Luke.
“What's that then?” the man in charge said.
Willie's breath became sharper and he felt his knees going weak. His mind flashed to everything he and Luke had done, trying to figure out if they had collected everything they had meant to. He was sure of it, he was sure they hadn't left anything behind.
“There's not enough here,” the man in the back said, shrugging and shaking his head. Upon hearing the words, the man in charge inhaled deeply and slowly turned back. He leaned forward slightly and looked down sternly upon Willie and Luke.
“Did you hear that? My boys say there's not enough,” he said.
“Tha-that can't be right. We counted it all and made sure you had what you always get. We double-checked, there's nothing left.”
“You calling these good men liars?”
“No-no, not at all, all I know is we've given you the same as last time.”
“Ah, I see where the mistake is,” the man said. He leaned back and scratched the side of his face, looking as though he was considering something. His eyes roved the night sky and then fell upon Willie and Luke again.
“What you've got to understand is that, given the nature of the world, we're going to be bringing in more and more people, and what was enough to feed us one week isn't going to be enough the next. And you're going to have to take that into account.”
“Really though, we've given you as much as we can. We don't have any more. We are just a small family and we need to eat as well.”
“I understand completely, but we've agreed to protect you and we'd like for you to keep your independence. This farm has a lot of land that's ripe for the taking, and if we needed to we could send some people over here to help you, but we'd like to think you could take care of it yourself.”
Luke was about to say something but Willie shot out a hand and placed it on his chest to stop him.
“We're working as hard as we can and, you know, we d-do appreciate everything you o-offer us, but there are limits, and this is still America. I still have a right to my land and I'll defend it.”
As Willie said this the men started to laugh. The ones at the back walked to the front and flung down the wheelbarrow at Willie and Luke's feet. Then they all pushed their jackets aside to brandish their weapons. Willie gulped but the lump in his throat just wouldn't go away.
“I admire your attitude, but the last thing any of us wants is for this farm to be tarnished with a battle. That being said, we don't like to take no for an answer, and you know what will happen if you don't meet our demands. Next time we come I expect you to have enough for us. Otherwise, Mr. Smith might have to pay you a visit himself, and he is far less forgiving than I am.” With that the wagon turned slowly and moved away in the darkness, leaving Luke and Willie alone.
Willie never had met Mr. Smith but the name had been dropped a few times in the short conversations he had had with these people. All he knew for sure was Mr. Smith was not the type of person he wanted to meet. He sighed and picked up the wheelbarrow, then wheeled it back to the barn.
“What are we going to do? We can't give them any more than we already have. It was hard enough getting that lot for them,” Luke said.
“We'll figure out a way. It'll be fine. They're just trying to scare us. They need our expertise more than anything else, so they're not going to kill us. We'll give them a little extra next time, and it should be fine.”
“It's not fine, though, is it Pop? You know how this is going to go. They're going to take and take until we're giving them everything we've got. I'd rather put up a fight and take some of them out with us than just bend over--”
Willie cut him off immediately, letting go of the wheelbarrow and rounding on his son. “Don't let me hear you talk like that again. This ain't the time to be fools. We've got to know our place. I don't like it any more than you, but the most important thing we can do is go on living, to see another day. I'm not going to throw that away just for some stupid fight against people we can't hope to beat. This is the way things are, and they're not going to change any time soon. So keep your head down and do what I tell you.
“If these men want more then we're going to have to give them more, that's just the way it has to be, and don't even think about telling these new people. The best thing for them is to stay out of this whole situation. They can get on their way and our lives will continue. Now, get on to bed and get some rest. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow, and we'll put those people through their paces.”
Luke looked at his father, but did not say anything further. Willie stayed up a little while longer and got a drink of water from the house. In truth, he wished he could put up a fight, but he knew what kind of people they were. If it was just him he had to worry about then he would consider it, but he had to think of his wife and children, and he wasn't prepared to put their lives at risk.
Chapter 17
While Grace was getting ready in the morning. Mack pulled Luis aside. The younger man sighed as he had a feeling he knew what was coming. The situation was a little embarrassing for the both of them as Mack didn't need reminding that he was a lot older than Luis and Grace, but also because they hadn't known each other for very long and speaking of these matters was a little...delicate. Although Mack had a great deal of experience with negotiation and interrogation, this wasn't his strong suit.
“So you and Margaret are getting along pretty well,” he said. Luis smiled and his cheeks flushed a little.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“Look, I know we're all adults here, but I just wanted to have a word with you about whatever you two are doing and remind you we are guests here. I'm sure you've noticed Willie is quite protective of his family. So just try being discreet about it.” Mack winked at Luis and patted him on the shoulder.
“Don't worry, Mack. It's all fine,” he said, and then Grace returned to the room and the two men suddenly became quiet.
Grace knew she was interrupting something, but didn't ask what it was. A bell rang and Elaine's voice called out for them. It was a little after dawn and Grace already was suffering with the early morning.
“I think the bell tolls for us,” Mack said, and led the three of them downstairs where breakfast already had been laid out for them.
“We let you sleep in since it's your first full day here, but from now on you're going to have to get up a little earlier than this,” Elaine said. Grace groaned.
“I know it's not what you're used to, but we're all in the same situation, and there's lots to do. The sooner we get to it the sooner we can relax, so eat up and then go to your tasks. Luis, Margaret has offered to help you learn how to tend to the animals. Mack, you're going to be with Luke and Willie doing all the heavy lifting, and Grace you're with me.” Grace looked at Mack, for she didn't like the idea of being separated, but Mack nodded and showed a great deal of enthusiasm for the day ahead.
After eating breakfast, they cleared the table and all went their separate ways. Margaret and Luis looked the happiest of the bunch. Mack was a little surprised her parents were so willing to let her spend time alone with Luis. As they ran across the farm they linked hands, and disappeared into a building. Willie and Luke then called for Mack, and the three of them walked in the opposite direction.
As they walked it was clear to Mack there was some underlying tension between Luke and Willie. Yet when he asked whether there was anything wrong Willie said he was fine, and then asked about Luis.
“How much do you know about him?” he asked.
“Not that much, to be honest, but he strikes me as a good kid. And your daughter seems like she can handle herself.”
“Yes, well, we'll see about that,” Willie said. “How long do you think you'll be staying here for?”
“I don't know. As long as you'll have us, really. It's a nice change to have a warm bed to sleep in rather than being on the road, but eventually we'll be heading off. Is us being here a problem for you?”
Willie and Luke glanced at each other again. “No, not at all, just thinking about what I can get you to do,” Willie said. They made their way down to a shed where they collected some tools.
“We've been working on making sure everything doesn't fall apart,” Willie said, and directed Mack to gather a few items from the counter.
As he walked through the shed Mack looked at all the tools and thought of the ones he could use as weapons. It wasn't just the food and animals that Willie was lucky to have, but this hand-to-hand arsenal as well. Granted, they wouldn't do much against bullets, but in other forms of combat they would be entirely useful.
“You ever use any of them?” Willie asked as he caught Mack admiring them.
“No, not really, I was just impressed with how many you have. Do you actually use them all?”
“Some more than others, but it's always better to have them in case you need them. A lot of them won't get used now because the machinery doesn't work. So we've had to go back to doing things by hand, which I haven't done since I was a kid. You ever do much in the way of this type of work?”
“My father took me camping, but no. I mean, I had a lot of survival training in the military, but nothing like this.”
“What was it you did exactly? Were you on the front lines? Did you ever fight in any battles?” Luke asked, his voice rising with excitement at the prospect of talking with someone who had actually faced war.
Mack didn't know it at that point, but Luke was eager to see if Mack had the skills to help him and his father deal with the bullies. He was disappointed when Mack told him the truth about how he mostly stayed behind the lines and worked with individuals rather than fighting a mass of soldiers. Willie, on the other hand, knew exactly what Luke was getting at and tried directing the flow of conversation away from this topic. It led to a few more tense stares between the father and son, but Mack decided it wasn't any of his business and declined to comment on it. The work he did was hard but it felt good to get his muscles working again. He enjoyed the challenge of securing the buildings and making repairs. The farm was old and there was a lot of history.
“I hope this place, and you and your family, make it through the apocalypse. This is the kind of place that deserves to stay standing,” he said.
“I agree,” Luke said pointedly, directing his comment to his father. Willie murmured something under his breath and walked off.
“Is he okay?” Mack asked. Luke shrugged.
The two men worked for a little while without Willie. Luke kept glancing over at Mack. It seemed to Mack there was something on Luke's mind, but it took a while before he actually decided to speak up.
“Are you a bit like Rambo? Like, could anything be a deadly weapon in your hands?”
Mack laughed a little. “I don't know about that, but I know how to handle myself. I prefer to try using words to get out of conflict, though. That was my whole focus throughout my career.”
“But surely there must have been some times when you had to use force?”
“Thankfully, there were other people who handled that kind of thing.”
“But if the situation arose then you could handle yourself?”
“Yes,” Mack said, then stopped what he was doing and turned to Luke. “Is there something going on here?”
Luke's eyes darted away and he sighed heavily. “No, I was just curious,” he said.
Mack pursed his lips and his mind started thinking about what could be happening. It was clear Luke was asking him these questions for a reason, and from the way he and Willie were looking at each other earlier Mack surmised that Willie didn't want Luke talking about it. Mack didn't like secrets, especially when it was he who was being kept in the dark. However, Willie returned and Luke immediately resumed what he was doing and remained tight-lipped, but Mack watched the two of them carefully.
As soon as the others had left the house Grace was left alone with Elaine. First they cleared up the table and made sure everything was tidy, then Elaine took her out to tend to the animals. They collected eggs from the chicken coop and left some food for the birds, then went down to milk the cows. When Elaine first suggested it Grace blanched at the prospect, but soon enough she found herself sitting on a stool with an udder between her hands. At first it was strange but she soon found the rhythm and before too long she had a bucket of milk under her. All the while, throughout the morning, Elaine was her usual chatty self.
“I really like your hair, it's so colorful. I never would have been able to get away with that when I was your age, and I don't think Willie would approve of it now.”
“Why do you need his approval? Can't you just do it because you want to do it?”
“I'm afraid marriage doesn't work that way. It's all about compromise. Don't worry, there are things I don't let him do as well.”
“So he was the first man you ever went out with, and you married him?”
Elaine laughed softly. “I know that probably seems strange to you. Your generation is a lot different to mine, but yes, there was something when I looked into his eyes. It felt right, and I knew it would have been wrong to ignore that just because he was the only man. I've never needed anyone else and that's the way I like it.”
“That's really sweet,” Grace said.
“Have you ever had anyone like that?”
“Not really,” Grace said, and turned away from Elaine.
“You don't like talking about yourself much, do you? I've noticed that. Mack and Luis, they're happy to engage in conversation, but as soon as things get loud you seem to get reticent and you're always looking towards the door. Is there a reason for that?”
Grace shrugged.
Elaine sighed a little. “Okay, but this is going to be a long day if you're not going to talk with me. Still, Willie says I can talk the hind legs off a donkey, and it is so nice to have other people to talk to for a change. Not that I don't love my family, but sometimes there's only so much you can say to each other. And it's even better because I'm sure we never would have met otherwise. That Mack seems like a good guy. Did you only know him from the plane crash?”
