After the Day- Red Tide

by Matthew Gilman

  “I watched this show about a seed bank that was built on this island by the artic. Scientist stored all the seeds they could find and froze them there in case a comet or nuclear war destroyed the planet.”

  “Well, that helps us out. A few thousand miles, a boat and a frozen island, problem solved.” Bruce said.

  “Are you volunteering?” Norah said joking.

  “If the seeds are stored the right way we can have an emergency stash in case something happens, frost in June or a flood. The community garden could be a chance for people to know how to grow crops and teach the others that are struggling. We need a central location so that people are more likely to come and take part.” Odin said.

  “Like your bar.” John said.

  “In town.” Odin said.

  “What do you get out of this?” Bruce asked.

  “More flavors to work with.” Odin raised his glass and sipped his mead.

  “Cheers to that.” Bruce followed Odin’s lead.

  They all took a drink.

  “So, who do we get?” John asked.

  The table was silent for a minute.

  “There is that botanist girl that lives to the north.” Bruce said.

  John felt protective suddenly.

  “Betty is off limits, she’s been through enough.” John said trying to make his point she was off limits.

  “Why not, we have all been through a lot.” Norah added.

  John didn’t want to tell them about how he almost killed her at the cannibals’ camp. They had no idea about the abuse she went through, or watching her boyfriend of three years die in front of her eyes.

  “I said no.” John said.

  “Well, I guess that’s settled. Who’s next on the roster?” Odin said.

  The table was silent again.

  “Who is that kid that I always see at the market and he brings in the best stuff?” Bruce asked.

  Odin pulled a Benchmade knife out of his pocket and put it on the table. John picked it up flicking the blade out of the handle.

  “Is this real?” John asked looked at the insignia. He recognized it as one of the top quality knives from before The Day.

  “Looked like it to me. I gave him three bottles of mead for it.” Odin said.

  “What else has he brought in?” John asked.

  Odin stood up and went back behind the counter. He pulled a box out and placed it on the seat. He pulled the items out and set them on the table for everyone to see. Gold and silver coins, boxes of bullets, jewelry, and other trinkets.

  “Hell, he even brought in a few rolls of toilet paper.” Odin said.

  “You’re kidding me.” Bruce said with a shocked look on his face.

  Everyone stared at Odin. He sat smug enjoying the luxury of his finely wiped rear end.

  “Who is this kid?” John asked.

  “Don’t know his name, he just comes in and trades for a few bottles and bolts out the door.”

  “What does this kid look like?” Norah asked.

  “Well, about 5’6”, skinny, tan skin, dark hair. Could be Hispanic I suppose. Maybe fifteen.” Odin said

  “Fifteen years old?” Bruce asked.

  “Selling to minors illegal?” Odin replied.

  The table was quiet for a minute.

  “It’s not like this stuff is that strong.” John said trying to take the heat off of Odin.

  “Are we drinking the same thing?” Norah said looking at her glass.

  “So, then where do we find this kid?” Bruce asked bringing the conversation back to the topic they were there for.

  “He comes and goes. Sometimes he is here a few days at a time, other times he is gone for weeks but he does come back. I think we are the only place he has to go for trade.” Odin explained.

  “I guess we will have to wait and see if we can talk him into hunting some things down for us. In the meantime, I still have my Jeep so I can go to those other places and get what we need.” John said.

  “I can take you to the greenhouse.” Odin said.

  “I’ll go to the library with you if you want help or back-up.” Bruce added.

  “Sounds like you boys have this covered.” Norah finished.

  The four of them finished drinking their mead, shared gossip, the new form of entertainment in their town, and said their goodbyes.

  John returned from the meeting and told Fatima about the plan to get more garden supplies for the town.

  “Is this the same kid that gets Odin his medical supplies?” she asked.

  “Why is there something you need?” he asked.

  “There is always something I need.” she said. She sat down and started a written list of items that she could use. At the end she simply wrote, Any Antibiotics and Meds. She handed the note to John.

  “Could you get this to him?” she asked.

  “Of course.” he said putting it in his pocket.

  She was cleaning off the table. The kids were playing in the living area. The baby was sleeping by the bed. He stood up from the table and stood behind her. He wrapped his hands around her waist.

  “You know I love you.” he said. It was more of a statement than a question.

  “Of course,” she said. She stood up and let her head fall back on his shoulder. Her arms lined up with his holding his hands. They stood there silently enjoying their moment together.

  “Please tell me if there is anything you need.” he said. He felt like he could have been hunting things down for the clinic for a while now but took it upon herself to do it alone.

  “We keep this up and I’ll need something else tonight.” she said turning around and kissing him at the table.

  “Kids!” John said. “I think it’s time for bed.” he said clapping his hands together. Fatima gave him the stare of screwing up. “Sorry, forgot about the baby.”

  The crib remained quiet and they all exhaled. The kids crawled into their beds and an hour later John and Fatima were confident they had a respectable amount of privacy in a one room cabin. Fatima crawled into bed first while John worked the fire a bit, added the last log before bed and crawled in after her.

  “Will this ever get old?” she asked.

  “Of course not.” he said kissing her.

  “What if I get pregnant again?” she asked.

  “So we have number four.”

  “Can we take care of four?” she asked.

  “Can we name four?”

  “Stop, you know what I mean.”

  “You don’t want me?” John asked.

  “I never said that.” Fatima replied

  “Then shut up.” John said kissing her. A few moments later he would crawl on top of her and they would continue their nightly ritual. The fear of pregnancy never concerned John. It wasn’t on Fatima’s mind either. Sometimes the thought of kids from the market came to mind. The ones without parents or were malnourished. This was what concerned her. Her kids were healthy, and perfect. She could never imagine them turning into the children of the market she saw. But that didn’t make her worry about them none the less. As John entered her she forgot all of that. She lost herself with him. Their moments together were the thing that held her together. When they were together the world never fell apart. It was still intact and made sense. His breath against her neck and his hard chest against hers told her she was still alive and there were things still worth living for in this world. Even with all the things she saw at the clinic she still had this to look forward to and she would enjoy it any chance she could get.

  The next day John went to town after working in the garden. He went to Odin’s place and dropped off the note. Odin grabbed it off the counter and looked at it.

  “Hmmm,” he said to himself, and then went back into the bar.

  He came back out and had a box with a few items in it.

  “I have these,” Odin said.

  John looked in it, a collection of various decongestants and other household drugs that were still in the wrappers.

 
“How long have you had these?” John asked.

  “Not long, I just threw them in the box as people came by with trade.” Odin said.

  “Thank you,” John said. “What do I owe you?”

  “Nothing,” Odin said with a slight look of guilt on his face.

  “Thank you,” John said walking out and carrying the box with him.

  John found himself disappointed in Odin. He had been holding out on supplies that could have been helping people. John knew that Fatima was stopping by at his place to see if anybody had traded meds for mead. He couldn’t figure out what the appeal would be to hold it from her unless he was selling it to others for brewing supplies. In the end he guessed he couldn’t be mad that the man was trying to get ahead. After all he never charged Fatima for the meds he gave her even though they were willing to trade in order to get them. Maybe it was Odin’s personal stash that he kept for himself. It could have been a number of things that kept the box hidden in the back. Finally, John was happy to have the box. Something he could bring back to his wife and put a smile on her face. Another night of intimacy might be in store after bringing this home and he was hoping that would be on the menu.

  Fatima woke up to the sunlight and looked at her children still sleeping in the room. She was surprised they never woke up during the night with as intense lovemaking that happened with John bringing home the box of meds from Odin’s place.

  Fatima checked on the baby first, she stirred awake and Fatima took her to the dining table and breastfed her before checking on the other two children. When she was done she went to Wasimah and little John. Little John had a fever and appeared to be getting restless.

  She put a thermometer in his mouth, he didn’t wake. His temp was 102.3. She was thankful for the battery still being good in the thermometer. Honestly, she wished they could find one of the old mercury thermometers since they would last indefinitely if treated right. Even without the thermometer she knew little John was sick. She woke John and told him their son was sick.

  “How bad is it?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. He has a high temp. I’ll have to give him a better look but with the fever whatever he is fighting could be serious.” she said. “Has Odin seen the boy yet?”

  “I don’t know. When Odin sees him it’s random.” John said. He could see the concerned look on her face. “I’ll go see if the kid stopped by today.”

  The smiling face told him it was the right answer.

  John shuffled out of the bed and put his clothes on. Odin’s would be the first priority. He decided to use the Jeep. It had a little gas left but the gas wouldn’t last forever anyway. He drove into town and people stared at him as he drove past. He parked in front of Odin’s and walked in.

  “Odin!” he called out. Odin appeared from behind the bar.

  “John,” he said.

  “Have you seen the kid?” he asked.

  “No, it’s still early if he does show.” Odin said.

  “Do you have any other meds?” John asked.

  Odin was quiet for a minute.

  “Are you accusing me of holding out on you?” Odin asked.

  “Look, my son is sick. I don’t care if you have a crush on my wife or you use it to trade with other people for brewing supplies or you just feel like keeping it to yourself. I just need to know if you have any antibiotics or meds that might come in handy.” John said.

  The look of panic told Odin that he was serious. Their oldest child must be seriously ill for John to be losing it.

  “I don’t have any antibiotics. The kid never brings them in. I don’t know why but it’s normally the Motrin or the aspirin. You’re welcome to look for yourself if you like.” Odin said calling John’s bluff.

  “Shit,” John said. He sat down at one of the tables and put his hands on his face. This might have been the first time in a long time John felt helpless. Even while fighting the Chinese things didn’t seem so bad. At least he knew what he was working with and what to expect. Having a sick kid was something entirely different. This was Fatima’s realm and he had no idea how things worked in it except if she needed something that was the key to fixing what was wrong.

  “Look, stay here and see if the kid shows up.” Odin said. “Drinks on the house.”

  “The last thing I need is a drink.” John said. “This is one of the first times I wished things were like the old days.” John said.

  Odin felt bad about hiding the meds in the back. An insurance policy to make sure that Fatima came back again.

  They hung out in the bar for hours, they didn’t say much. The waiting game of the new world was a boring one. Unless someone had work to do which was all the time this was the worst situation to be in. Then, they heard a knock at the back door. Both Odin and John’s heads rose.

  Odin went to the back and John followed. John hesitated at first and then figured if he could fight the Chinese with a small force he could take Odin if he didn’t like it.

  The back door opened and there was a young teenage Hispanic kid standing there with a wheelbarrow behind him.

  “Odin,” the kid said.

  “Are you the one with the meds?” a voice said behind the bearded Odin.

  Ricardo watched a man appear. He recognized him from the market. Usually he was moving around the area as a form of security but didn’t ever appear to be needed.

  “Are you the one with the med’s?” the man asked again.

  “I have some.” the kid said.

  The man pulled a paper from his pocket.

  “Have you ever seen these, or do you have some?” the man asked.

  The kid took the paper and looked it up and down. He couldn’t read the names but he was still able to match them with items if he came across them.

  “I can look for them when I’m out.” the kid said.

  “When is that?” the man pressed.

  “How much do I get?” the kid replied.

  “I’ll pay.” Odin cut in.

  “Here’s what’s going on. This is John, his son is sick. They need antibiotics to fight whatever their son has. If you have seen any of these meds can you get them to us?” Odin explained.

  “Is it the flu?” the kid asked.

  “It seems to be an infection. We don’t think it’s the flu.” John answered.

  The kid looked at his wheelbarrow.

  “We will watch your stuff. You know you can trust me.” Odin said.

  The kid nodded.

  “Ok, if I find these, a case of mead.” the kid said.

  “Deal.” Odin and the kid shook on it.

  “What’s your name?” John asked.

  “Ricardo.” the kid replied.

  “Ricardo, please be quick.” John said.

  Ricardo nodded and took off on foot. John hoped that he would be back soon. Odin grabbed the wheelbarrow and took it to a shed behind his building and locked it away until Ricardo returned.

  Odin went back into the building and locked the door.

  “Do you think this kid will come through?” John asked.

  “He’s your best chance. You wouldn’t believe some of the stuff he brings in. It’s like he doesn’t realize what he has or what he is trading for.” Odin said. “Come with me.”

  Odin took John into a separate room with boxes stacked everywhere. Flipping a lid open John looked in and saw a brand new Kbar knife, marine insignia stamped leather sheath and all. Bullets and gun magazines accompanied it. He took the knife out and unsheathed it.

  “I always wanted one of these when I was in. Being army didn’t make it possible to carry one. Army knives are shit.” John said.

  “Not all of this is from the kid but a good portion is.” Odin said. He stepped over to a shelf and picked up a red sheathed Japanese sword. “Check this out.”

  Odin handed the sword to John and John placed the Kbar back into the box. He pulled the blade of the sword out and looked at it.

  “It’s not even rusty.” John said.

  “Ni
ce right?” Odin said. “If there is a guy who can get you that medicine it think it’s him.”

  Ricardo ran through the woods and went straight to the barn. It was so much faster without the wheelbarrow and he forgot how easy it was to travel when he wasn’t hauling or carrying anything. When he reached the barn he was breathing heavy and out of breath. He unlocked the doors and went to the pile of meds that he had. He pulled the list out and went through the bottles. Most of them were the same thing. Motrin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol. He looked back at the list. Tylenol was on it. At least the letters matched up. He stuffed the Tylenol in his bag and continued on. He went through every bottle and package. When he first started his stockpile of trade supplies he grabbed everything regardless of what it was.

  The further he worked into the bottles the more he found that was on the list. He threw everything in the bag. The bag was a rattling sack, a giant children’s toy.

  He walked out of the barn and ran back to town. He was hungry. He hadn’t noticed it before but now he did. It must be afternoon and he was looking forward to getting some lunch at the market.

  It took him longer to get back to the town than before. His energy was low and the size of the bag flapping against him didn’t help.

  He reached Odin’s place and pounded on the door.

  John opened it and waved Ricardo in.

  “Is that what I think it is?” John said putting his hand out to take the bag.

  “I need my bag.” Ricardo said handing it over.

  John ignored him and took the bag to the bar and dumped out the contents. Odin walked up and started going through the meds.

  “This is way more than I ever expected.” John said.

  “You did good kid.” Odin said.

  “One case right?” Ricardo said.

  “I think we need to work on your bartering skills.” Odin said. “Ricardo, we have another offer for you.”

  John pushed all the bottles into a box and rushed out to the Jeep. He drove away and went straight to the cabin. Flying down the street he blew past stop signs and old lights that still hung over the street even after being out of order for years. Something in him still fought the urge to stop and obey.