by Ron Foster
“That’s all well and good about the casino barge Clem and I am up for whatever you want to do with it but I would like to know more about PD before we have to confront him.” David said wanting to know more about this alleged foe.
“Oh he is an okay sort of fellow, people are always afraid of what they don’t understand. I don’t know what’s got him riled this time or what he is doing pushing prisoners down a trail at the moment but in my dealings with him he has always been reasonable. I usually see him once, maybe twice a year when he comes down from Chicago to check on his land on his way to Florida for a vacation. The reason we call him punch drunk around here is that sometimes his mind seems to wander if you bring up the fight game or he gets one of his headaches. You know sort of Like Nam vets sometimes do when they have them a flashback or something. PD says when he is having a bad day or being distracted sometimes it’s cause when he was being a fight director for a Hollywood movie one time one of them Chinese martial artists accidently or on purpose kicked the hell out of his head making some of his old fight injuries worse. Well when that happened, for whatever reason Dixon, that’s PD`s real name went into what the newspapers said was punch drunk martial arts monkey style and commenced to whoop up on the entire cast! Ha! I would have given ten silver dollars to see that little fracas! I didn’t even know there was such a thing called drunken monkey style China man fighting before that. I seen a movie called Drunken Monkey at the Bijou 5 times after I heard about it and was trying to learn that style of oriental scrapping but Bertha just says I look like a idiot when I try practicing it and I do enough swaying and wobbling around and getting into fights enough without trying to practice acting like an ape.
Anyway back to Dixon, that old manager of his looks and acts a bit like the boxing movie Rocky`s manager. You remember that Sylvester Stallone movie and that Popeye looking character that run the gym? Well when PD had himself that little meltdown, that’s what some of the media called it anyway, his manager went and grabbed him a microphone and commenced to beating on one of those expensive movie cameras like it was a fight gong at a boxing match and commenced to hollering. Time! Time! Dixon! I guess to get him to quit tusseling and whopping up on them boys. He dang sure wasn’t going to wander his old ass into that fray and I think cause PD recognized that trainer voice of his manager Marley hollering at him , old Dixon paused long enough for them other fighter boys to grab ahold of him long enough for the cops to put the cuffs on him. Well it was sure enough a shame that accident happened because Hollywood wasn’t kind to neither him nor his manager after that and the production and fight director and coaching calls stopped. The two of them just sort of faded away from the limelight but still palled around together and if my guess is right, that Marley is the old man Rossi probably saw carrying the rifle. I sold him that there rifle when it was deer season four years back, seems you can’t buy no good guns in Chicago or something these days and they were trying to make them illegal or something. I still can’t wrap my head around that, hell I can buy a gun pretty much anywhere I want in Alabama as long as I ain`t done no penitentiary time.” Clem said fretting over the notion.
“So then you’re saying he is normally safe physically but sometimes slow mentally?” David asked quizzically.
“Oh he is plenty safe enough if you don’t rile him I guess, as for being slow, I say it’s more his manner of speaking occasionally not how much smarts are underneath all that. Sometimes he acts a little confused or distracted. Boy is pretty sharp actually in many ways from my dealings with him. He gives me a hundred dollars and a case of beer every June 1st to sort of keep an eye on his land and call him if I see any timber cutting or trespassing on it. Gave me and Bertha good winter coats one time too. Always makes a big show about paying Bertha for his Sunday dinner she fixes for him and his manager. Only seen his wife a couple times, she sort of shops in the city while he handles what he calls his country stuff. Heard tell he has himself a new baby also I ain`t never seen the baby yet and Bertha is having conniptions wanting him to show her to him on his next visit. Bertha don’t want no money from him for just cooking him supper and is a bit put out he insists on doing it anyway but he told her he reasons if he had to go to town and sit down at a restaurant to eat such a fine meal as she makes for him it would cost him double and not taste near as good so she just takes it and puts it in her poor box. That’s another thing them two tangle over, Bertha has this old t cookie tin with Santa Claus on it that she puts spare pennies and nickels and such in for a rainy day as she calls it. She says she will never be poor or be seen as such because she like a generation or two of her family around here always been the keepers and caretakers of the community poor box and they ain`t never took nary a dime for themselves. A poor box David is kind of like our backwoods form of insurance. One percent of the crop on a bad year and three percent of the crop on a good year was always put back by old man McCloud as a charity of sorts for the workers around this place. You know a set aside for when somebody come knocking at his back door with hat in hand asking for a handout or help with a problem. Well all the workers knew that such a fund existed and if times were harder than most a lot of folks would sort of be depending on it in times of emergency but wouldn’t shame themselves or Mr. McCloud by asking for things that were not truly important or even asking at all if they knew the fund probably had very little left in it from paying out for somebody else’s emergency. See we don’t necessarily gossip around here but we all knows who is the most deserving and without and that makes for better people all in all and we see to it that those that need it more or the most gets it first. The old overseer of this place was sort of generous with the help cause he stayed in the fields working with them all day regardless of how much of the harder work he actually was required to perform and instead of telling you to go to the big house to ask for a few extra dollars he might would do it himself and maybe ask the boss to lend him some money if he had over extended himself by helping others. Bertha’s Great, great Granddaddy Ira come up on a new overseer one time that didn’t think like that and Ira decided that if the workers donated a few cents a week amongst themselves then they wouldn’t have to be beholden to no one and asking for charity to solve some problems if they had their own fund and that poor box idea was formed. If you are poor and lack resources and truly need a hand then there is two boxes, one resides in the church, it’s the honor system, take what you needs and replace it no questions asked, the other is supervised, that’s Bertha`s box, you are asking for help directly from the community and we gives it to you or not based upon wise judgment’s and funding availability
2
BACK AT THE LANDING
They had all watched the blue and white pickup pull off in a cloud of dust before Julie got LowBuck and Kat and started planning the next steps of this undertaking
“O.K., LowBuck, can you grab the stronger male folks and get the tractor unhooked from the barge and hitch to the hay wagon while we get everyone on the same page as to what’s going on? Let’s get the healthiest ones on over to the plantation first so that they can start scouting and setting up the best places for tents and shelter while Kat and I make notes of who needs medical attention as soon as we get them all there.” Julie said trying to make some sense of hope and relief efforts for the tired group.
“Now, Clem has shovels stuck in the ground marking the designated areas for the latrines to be dug already set up, so when the first ones get there that’s a priority as well as reminding everyone that until they are dug and ready for use to be prudent about where they do their business. Let’s get everyone organized and somewhat settled then they can all decide what they are doing individually, that is whether or not if they want to stay or try to bug out to their home locations and preps.” Julie said trying to think like David and give everyone some hope for the future.
“Sounds like a plan, Julie. If you can let everyone know what’s going on, I’ll start grabbing the strongest ones and get this group on over to the plant
ation.” LowBuck said, thankful to have a final destination if but a temporary one to start moving towards and away from the river. After weeks of starving and barely getting by, it was a relief to have an actual direction and be working on a plan for long term survival to look forward to.
Julie grabbed the large soup ladle and started banging on the hog scalding pot to get the disjointed preppers attention. Everyone was wondering and talking about what was going on with the group headed out on a mission and what they were supposed to do from there to immediately assemble.
“O.K. listen up everyone. Here’s the plan as I see it. The strongest ones of you all will please help LowBuck get the wagons hooked up and ready to transport you preppers up to the plantation and get shelters and latrines set up so the basics are in place. It’s a couple miles up there to the plantation and it will take a while to get everyone and all the gear up there so we got to prioritize the most important things and work on other stuff from there. There are some rundown sharecropper shacks that some of them can use for shelter with minimal work, otherwise we set up areas for the tents until more shacks can be made viable. Latrine duty is a priority also and the strongest ones get to work on that. We’ll need to get some of David’s ‘squirrel Armageddon’ traps set so we can have some dinner and construct other traps to start getting the long term food survival going before we can get any crops to come in. Clem has that all organized and will give his speech when they return from taking care of a possible threat nearby. Kat and I will try to help anyone that has medical issues that need attention as David and I brought along a few medical basics and supplies to help everyone out. We realize everyone is exhausted and needing attention but if we keep it organized and take care of basic needs for everyone first, then we have hope for an actual future. You can each decide later if you’re going to stay and build a community or if you need to bug out to your home base after you hear Clem and David’s plans. We have two hay wagons to transport everyone and their gear on and if we can get Bertha’s ‘ol mule to cooperate, we can have two loads of folks and stuff getting over there and set up before the light rain comes falling before the big storm we know is coming. “Julie explained first to get them all settling down from the excitement of the rescue and ready to focus on a plan that was going to take all their efforts and hard work to accomplish before they ended up in just as dire straits as they had left.
Knowing there were feasible plans for the future and some hope now got them all to settle down and start preparing the first groups to head up to the plantation. LowBuck got the stronger members to help get the wagons ready and started loading the passengers. Julie had watched Bertha with her mule and hoped she could whisper the right things to get it to pull the wagon home without balking too much. Kat busied herself with finding the people who needed the most medical attention first and made them as comfortable as she could.
3
THE CALVARY ARRIVES
“Ok hang on a minute I need to pull over, we need to stop here and decide how we want to intercept PD. I could just drive up on him or we probably got time to go the shore road way and beat him to the marina. Rossy did you get as far as the causeway? Is it serviceable or flooded?” Clem said referring to the only part of the road that was paved that sort of ran over a small earthen dam on one side and a concrete spillway on the other that controlled the creek and formed a little lagoon like pond that used to have a picnic area and camping spaces.
“No I didn’t get down that far. I say that it’s most likely a bit flooded this time of year especially with them dams being blown. If he needs to go around instead of wade it some he is liable to run into the treasure ship if he gets forced off the trail too much. I am not sure he will be able to see it if he is just heading for the marina, but he could stray off and discover it. They should be at the causeway by now or be traipsing off through the woods trying to find a drier way to get to it.” Rossi said contemplating.
“Well I says we all just drive up on them at the causeway and surprise them, they will most likely be resting for a mite while they figure out what to do next.” Clem said as he fired his truck back up and got ready to carry on down the road.
“ Let me do the talking David and Crick, most likely there is a reasonable explanation for that old fighters antics but then again I can’t think of one unless them folks did him wrong someway. I can’t figure out neither what he is doing so far back up the road from the marina without his car, don’t make no sense unless it broke down maybe or he run it out of gas. Rossi what was them folks carrying in their arms if anything?” Clem said searching for more facts.
“Well I ain`t had time to tell you everything cause we started leaving out so quick. The little ones, about 5 kids got themselves little knapsacks, the prisoner adults is two men and two women and they got suitcases tied on them like packs, PD had him a big old garbage bag he was carrying slung over one shoulder and I reckon his wife or girlfriend had her some kind of baby carrier strapped to her front and a big carry all shoulder bag and a little suitcases. She was walking with PD away from the prisoners. Oh yea there was a teenage boy about my age that was chained to that bunch of the smaller kids by the waist carrying two small suitcases. The old man with the rifle had a bunch of plastic coke bottles filled with what looked like water roped together like a bandolier and a gym bag slung over his shoulder. Oh Clem hurry, we gots to hurry up and rescue them!’ Rossi blubbered.
‘Calm down child, I am working on it. We will get there before anybody has any bigger problems than a long walk and some blisters. I got to say this is the strangest thing I ever heard of. What would make PD want to take a couple families prisoner and march them through the woods with baggage in hand for?” Clem said trying to wrap his head around the spectacle Rossi Ross had described to everyone.
“Could be that he is going to set them to work Clem like the folks that worked in the old spinning plant. They used to work kids as young as 6 years old swapping out bobbins on them old fabric making looms and have their Maws sewing and the men tending machinery and such for little pay and brutal foremen.” Bertha speculated remembering the lack of child labor laws and sweat shop conditions that existed back in the day in both the industrialized North as well as the more agricultural south.
“That ain`t a bad guess Bertha as to what fool notion PD might have in his head but there ain`t no factories or fields down that way. Closest thing we got to a factory around here is that old military boot plant across the river and it’s been shut down and condemned for years.” Clem said trying to fathom what all this odd information meant.
PD wasn’t a bad man Clem thought, however he wasn’t above trying to get his way with threats or fists if he thought he had been wronged or that whatever he was trying to accomplish was the right thing to do regardless and he wanted his way. Diplomacy wasn’t his long suit, neither was patience when he figured some kind of action might get him some kind of short term results when he needed to be looking at how things might turn out in the long run. Course you could never tell what a head injury or dull aches and pains from old wounds could do to a man’s thinking. Clem figured before trying to find out more about the reasoning behind the dilemma that had been delivered to his doorstep.
“What kind of chains did them folks have on them?” David said speculating about the teenage boy’s waist chain and everyone turned towards the girl awaiting the answer.
“Well I was a good distance from them up on the ridge and I could kind of see them occasionally and then I couldn’t as they passed a bend in the trail or thick brush but they were kind of a dull silver. Between the crying, cussing and complaining by everyone I didn’t take much time to notice. They was sort of stiff like, guess they hadn’t been used in a while or were just old and come to think of it they wasn’t jingling much.’ Rossi said trying to envision what she had seen for any small details or meaningful observations.
“You thinking they got on some kind of police issue chains David?” Crick asked pondering the waist chain
restraints thing.
“Well could be, those waist chains she was talking about got me thinking same as you in that direction but where in the hell would Dixon get a bunch of sets of those from but be lacking guns is what I was thinking. Kind of reminds me of a prison labor gang with an armed trustee but no real guard around though. That fact has got me wondering if they are being taken to someplace with real guards and a stockade or jail or maybe they are just part of a larger group that has children and families trailing the main column because they couldn’t keep up.” David said contemplating possibilities.
“Rossi did the trail look messed up like lots of other folks been using it or was it still pretty much looking like it hadn’t been used in a while?” Clem wondered worriedly that maybe they could be facing a larger group than they had imagined or that there was a bigger camp somehow set up over by the marina they didn’t know about that might hear the ruckus they were about to start and come a running.
“ No the trail they were on hadn’t had many travelers, can’t say nothing much about the main road leading in that they got off to get to where they was at though.” Rossi said.
“Causeway is coming up on the next bend, heads up everyone!” Clem called out
As they rounded the bend David had the AR 15 partly out the window and ready for action. PD and the old man were at the edge of the woods conferring and evidently had heard the truck coming and were waiting to confront whoever was coming. The two both noticeably relaxed when they recognized Clem's truck and Clem told David to put his gun up as he pulled in and parked.
“Hey Clem! Hi Bertha!” Pd called out raising one hand in a wave.
“Don’t you Hi Bertha me loopy old loon! I hears you got some prisoners you been marching through the woods. Where they at?” Bertha called out and for all her amazing bulk was out of the truck and passing Clem getting out of the driver’s seat after he had shut the engine down.