Electro

by David Lisenby

“10-4.”

  Harold looked to Calvin. He was grinning, standing with both hands up in a defensive stance.

  “You better get a move on,” Calvin laughed.

  Harold started to turn and head down the road before stopping and asking, “You wouldn’t happen to have an oxygen tank over there, do you?” Calvin shook his head.

  “Thought not,” he said. “See you later, neighbor.”

  As he began his walk, Harold looked back over his left shoulder to see Roxie standing on the landing of the wheelchair ramp. “I’m going,” he said into the radio. “Over.”

  She waved, turned around and went back into the house. Jackson ran between her feet and into the house. The screen door slammed behind them.

  At the intersection Harold stopped and chatted with Freddie. He told him the same thing he had told Calvin moments before and assured him that he would keep his eyes open on the south end of the road. Freddie seemed appreciative to know he could count on his neighbor up the road. The men agreed that they would check in with each other at least twice a day. Harold continued his journey. He checked in with Roxie before he left Freddie’s place.

  As he walked, Harold noticed that he could hear various sounds in the distance. It was strange, he thought, that the usual sounds weren’t there. He heard a few birds chirping. He heard the lingering rain from the trees above dropping around him. They were hitting the underbrush. They hit the pavement. Dogs barked; a lot of dogs - from all directions. The Shannon’s rooster crowed, followed by his own rooster.

  There was another generator running somewhere off to the north. Some female was shouting. It sounded like she was calling for her kids or pets. As he walked he could see people out in their yard. Most looked over at him and cautiously waved, but none of them came out to the road to talk.

  After he had walked about a half-mile, Harold checked in over the radio and was pleased to hear Kay respond. Her voice was strong and clear. He kept walking.

  A light rain started falling. Gunfire sounded in the distance, echoing through the tunnel of trees that surround the road before him. A large dog came running from a home, aggressively defending his territory as Harold walked by. He kept his hand on his pistol but never removed it from his hip. He rounded a corner as he topped a small hill. He could see the highway about 100 yards in front of him.

  Another generator was running at the house on the corner. Over it, Harold could hear what sounded like a car coming up the road. That was odd. He took off jogging to close the distance to the highway a little quicker.

  Just before reaching the intersection an old pickup truck passed by on the highway. Harold came to a standstill, bending over and propping himself on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. He knew that he was too old to be running like that. He breathed heavily as the truck faded away around the bend in the road.

  The sound of the rubber meeting the wet road faded away and was replaced by something else; something that sounded like a lawn mower. It was.

  Harold looked across the highway where he saw a blond-haired cutie with a big hat and a bigger smile coming his way on a riding lawn mower. She was pulling a wagon carrying two little toddlers, equally blond and smiling just as big. They were singing at the top of their lungs from underneath a huge patio umbrella in three girl harmony.

  “Old McDonald had a farm. Eee. Aye. Eee. Aye. Oh.”

  How funny.

  By the time the happy little trio had pulled up to him on their chariot Harold had caught his breath. “Hi ya’ doin’ Uncle Harold,” the driver said with a toothy grin. He could tell by the look in her eye that she was worried, but she did a great job of appearing happy-go-lucky for her twin daughters.

  “Good, considering,” he answered. “You just out for a morning ride with your little ducklings?”

  “You always said that if anything like this ever happened that we should all come over to your place,” she said questioningly. “Did it really happen?”

  “I’m afraid it did, Ashlyn,” he answered. He could see that she was hoping to not hear that answer. “You guys are always welcome at our place. You know that.”

  “Got any milk?” she asked. “And coffee?”

  “Both,” he answered.

  “Well jump them skinny bones on the wagon back ‘ere and let’s go get these girls some milk.” He took a look to his left and then his right on the highway, noticing Roxie’s F-150 parked a few hundred feet south. He was suddenly glad his cousin had kept his old lawn mower running instead of buying a newer model that likely would not have survived the pulse. He found a spot among the Wal Mart bags, bed coverings and toddlers and climbed aboard the wagon. Before the mower was restarted, he called Kay on the radio to let her know that he was on his way home with company.

  She acknowledged the message.

  “On that farm he had a duck. Eee. Aye. Eee. Aye. Oh.”

  Chapter 10

  Homeward bound

  It was a new day and there were sounds everywhere. Not the typical sounds that one might expect to find in a city. Each sound was distinct. There wasn’t the sound of cars whizzing by. No sounds of people blowing their horns. No sirens.

  The sounds Levi and Arlene heard were sounds of motorcycles in the distance. Sounds of babies crying. Sounds of men and women shouting at one another. Sounds of glass breaking. Sounds of small groups of people talking as they walked by them. Everybody looked at them with suspicion, even though there were other people walking along the highway in one direction or another. Everybody looked lost.

  They passed slowly by a home improvement store, looking on in fascination as people ran from the store carrying armfuls of items. Two men were struggling to push a cart filled with sheets of plywood. Levi glanced at Arlene and she looked back at him.

  “I never could find anybody in there to help me either,” she said. “Guess those people decided to help themselves.”

  Levi chuckled when he realized what Arlene had said. “The sign does say do-it-yourself,” he added.

  As they zig-zagged through the assortment of vehicles that were scattered on and around the highway, Levi and Arlene were able to make small talk with a young couple who were headed to Sour Lake. They all walked together for a while. The shock of the looting had almost subsided until they passed the mall.

  They stopped once and stood behind the concrete divider between lanes and watched as dozens of people ran from the doors of the buildings and broken windows. One lady had an armful of wedding dresses. Another was carrying a big-screen tv on her back. A young man in a hoodie pushed a shopping cart full of boxed sneakers.

  It was crazy.

  “Where did they come from?” asked the girl. “Don’t those people have homes? Families?’

  “What is she going to do with a flat-screen?” Levi said.

  “Greed,” Arlene sad coldly. Three pairs of eyes turned toward her. “We’re seeing the worst of people. Things are hard, but they’re only going to get harder.”

  “My God,” said the girl. A tear rolled down her cheek. “Take me home, Cody.”

  Nobody spoke as the four continued their different journeys on the same path. It didn’t appear that any business was spared from the looting. A small donut shop had smoke coming from its drive-thru window. Before it was out of eyesight, flames had broken through the roof.

  All too soon the time to part ways with the young couple arrived. Arlene hugged the boy and made him promise to take good care of his young girlfriend. She hugged the girl, maybe a bit too tightly and a bit too long and cried as she told her farewell. Her heart ached, knowing that this girl was the same age as her second-oldest daughter.

  Levi shook hands and then grabbed ahold of Arlene’s shoulder when the couple turned and walked away. They still had a way to go and the threat of rain seemed to be growing. “God be with ya’ll,” the young man shouted as he waved over his shoulder.

  “We don’t need God,” Levi shouted back. “We’ve got Smith and Wesson.” He felt a sudden pain in his ribs
as Arlene broke away and stomped down the road. “What?” he shouted as he started chasing after her.

  Just as he was about to catch up to her, Arlene suddenly stopped, turned on her heels and planted her feet firmly. “You listen here, buddy boy,” she spat at him. “We need God more now than we ever have before. I believe that with all my heart. If you think you don’t need God then be on your way. If you don’t need Him walking with you then you certainly don’t need me.”

  She didn’t wait for an answer. She spun on her heels again and took off walking again. He stood there for a minute, completely stunned.

  “What?” he asked again, more to himself than her. He threw his hands up in frustration. “Women. No matter what I age they are or how old I get, I will never understand ‘em.” It was probably just as well that she did not hear his comment. This was one of those times that Levi did not realize how lucky he really was.

  He took off in a sprint toward her. When he caught up he fell in step with her without a word. Maybe he did learn something.

  The further they walked, the fewer businesses lined the side of the highway. When they crossed over the LNVA canal the tree-to-building ratio increased. There were a few looters at the sparse businesses off to the right. Cars and trucks still dotted the highway and there were several people walking along the feeder road.

  Levi heard tires squealing in the distance and then a loud crash. He looked at Arlene and could tell that she heard it to by the way she tilted her head sideways. About a quarter-mile up the road and they saw what had caused the noise.

  An older model pickup truck had backed through the yard gates at a tractor supply business. Two young men, who were about the same age as Levi, were steadily filling the back of the truck with everything they could carry. Once it was full, the men jumped in the truck, pulled out of the yard and sped off into the distance. It was that quick.

  Three things occurred to Levi in that moment.

  One: Arlene was staring at him like those two guys were his friends and he had helped plan the theft.

  Two: It was raining again.

  Three: That truck was running.

  Soooooooo. It wasn’t all cars and trucks that were dead. And it was already established that motorcycles hadn’t been affected; at least not dirt bikes. Maybe there was a way to get home without having to walk all the way … after taking Arlene home to her daughters, of course.

  “Finally, something positive,” he thought.

  “What?” he asked again. Arlene turned and began walking. He fell in beside her.

  They had walked about another half-mile when they crested atop the next overpass. Arlene was not a happy camper. She was tired already. She was wet. She was cold … during the summer in Southeast Texas! There were miles to go before she could sleep in her own, warm bed. And Levi.

  The Jerk!

  “Woo Hoo!” Levi shouted at the top of his lungs, almost scaring Arlene right out of her skin. He jumped around like a mad man.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?” Arlene shouted at him.

  “My, my,” Levi smiled at her. “Such vulgar language from such a sweet, innocent young lady. C’mon.” Levi grabbed her by the hand and helped her over the railing and down the hill. They dodged their way through the pampas grass, across the feeder road and onto the shoulder. The two stood there facing several pieces of heavy equipment that had obviously been used to clear several acres of land on the side of the highway.

  Levi led Arlene over to the oldest, rattiest piece of equipment on the lot; an old green tractor that had more rust than red paint. Levi stood there with a grin on his face like a little boy in a toy store. He stood proudly in front of the tractor making hand gestures like he was a model on The Price is Right.

  “And I’m supposed to be impressed because …” Arlene asked.

  Levi didn’t say anything. Instead he removed the group of keys from his belt loop and climbed into the seat of the tractor. He inserted a key into the slot and turned it. After a little groaning a puff of white smoke bellowed from the exhaust stack and the tractor rumbled to life. If it was possible, Levi’s grin grew broader.

  He turned and looked down at Arlene. “Madam. Your chariot awaits you.” He extended his hand and did a little swirly thing and held it out outstretched to her.

  Arlene stood there dumbfounded. Her eyes were wide open, and her chin was on her chest. Levi. What a genius. A smile slowly grew onto her face. She reached up her hand and allowed her knight in shining armor to take it and lift her onto the fender beside him.

  Oh. Emm. Gee.

  A ride.

  Arlene didn’t mind that her uniform was getting muddy or that Levi threw more mud on her when he set the tractor in motion. She didn’t mind the rain peppering her face. She didn’t even mind holding onto Levi’s broad shoulders as they bounced their way toward the feeder road. It was cool because she was heading home and she wasn’t having to walk.

  This ugly tractor was worth more than a Mercedes Benz right now. Arlene actually felt a lilt in her heart.

  For the next mile the two rode on the tractor in the wind and rain, laughing and chatting along the way. They crawled along, but still made more headway than they ever could have on foot. At this rate, Arlene figured, they could make it to Buna by nightfall. She was so excited.

  She shouldn’t have been, though. She hadn’t thought about running out of fuel. Even though the tank was full, was it enough to get all the way to Buna? She hadn’t thought about the possibility of having a flat. That would sure change things. And she hadn’t thought about obstacles in the roadway … like the group of disabled vehicles blocking the road in front of them.

  Dangit.

  Levi stopped as he topped the first overpass in Hardin County. There were several cars in the road ahead. Something was weird. They were too close together to fit through and too spread out to go around. He would have to back down the overpass and go around it.

  He ground the gear into reverse and turned around to start backing up. Before he could move an old Ford Fairlane pulled up close to the back of the tractor. He slammed on the clutch and brake at the same time, almost tossing Arlene from the fender as he stopped.

  Two men exited the car, one from each side. Both had shotguns pointed at the surprised people on the tractor. Levi turned to look and saw two more armed men stand up from behind the disabled cars. They both had AR-15’s. Another man climbed over the railing at the side of the road. That was five men with guns all pointed at him and Arlene.

  Another man stepped out of the driver side of the car. He had a handgun. He held up his thumb and crossed it across his neck, looking into Levi’s eyes the entire time. He was sending a message and it was perfectly clear.

  Levi reached up slowly and turned the key. The motor fell silent.

  “Good boy,” the man said through filthy teeth. “You two come on down from there.” He waved the handgun in their direction and pointed his finger toward them.

  “I don’t know who you are but you need to move your car where we can be on our way,” Arlene said defiantly. “We’re just passing through and don’t want to bother anybody.”

  The men all laughed. The driver, who was obviously the leader of this gang of poorly groomed thugs, walked slowly up to the tractor. He laughed obscenely. He stopped feet away from where the two perched on the tractor.

  He pointed the gun into the air with one hand and used the other to pull back the upper, ejecting a single bullet from the side. Arlene’s eyes followed that bullet as it spun, as if in slow motion, all the way to the ground. When she looked back at the man the gun was pointed directly at her face. The man wasn’t laughing.

  “Do what he says, Arlene,” she heard a familiar voice say. Her face grew a dark shade of red. She had never been this angry in her entire life. The horrible man ripped the plastic bag from her arm as she slowly stepped onto the wet pavement.

  “Looks like the lil’ lady likes sweets,” the man said loudly as he inspected the content
s of the bag. “The kids’ll like that.” He handed the bag to the man who had moved in behind him.

  Levi stepped down and stood next to Arlene. The man looked into his eyes. “What else ya’ mama got,” he asked pointing toward the scared woman but never breaking his stare.

  “Take the tractor,” Levi offered. “Take whatever we have, just let us pass on through. We don’t mean you guys any harm.”

  “What ye got in there, lil’ lady,” the man said to Arlene as he reached for her pocketbook. She quickly covered it with her hands and stepped backward, hoping the man wouldn’t find her gun and take that, too. The man’s brow furrowed.

  “It’s her time of the month, man,” Levi quickly spoke. “You don’t need her tampons, do you?”

  The man obviously bought the bluff and pulled his hand back, away from the pocketbook. “I’ll be takin’ that aid kit there. You kin keep yer pads.”

  “How gentlemanly,” Arlene hissed as she removed the first aid kit from her shoulder and handed it to the man. The man threw it toward another of the men. Yet another edged by the leader and climbed onto the tractor. The leader backed up two steps and waved his gun, indicating for Arlene and Levi to move away. As they started walking away from the tractor it once again was coaxed to life.

  “Don’t do anything stupid,” the leader said as he backed toward his car. He kept the gun pointed at them. “Ya’ll start walkin’.”

  Arlene and Levi did. They walked around the front of the tractor and between one of the cars and the concrete barrier along the inside of the highway. As they got past the cars they began walking faster. They could feel the AR’s pointed at their backs as they walked, but they did not turn around. Instead, they knew the thieves were leaving only when the car tires squealed and the whistling and laughing of the men faded away.

  They were half-mile away from the overpass before either of them spoke. “My time of the month?” Arlene asked.

  “It was the first thing I could think of,” Levi answered. “No man; no matter how tough he is, wants to touch a women’s hygiene things.” After a pregnant pause he added, “It worked, didn’t it?”