Desperate Times 2 Gun Control

by Nicholas Antinozzi

  “Can I see her?” Pluto asked, already moving to the bedroom door.

  “Just for a few minutes. I’ve still got some work to do.”

  “I’m going in to see Burt,” said Ken. “Jimmy, don’t you dare let anyone touch those firearms. Do you understand me?”

  “Let it go, Ken,” said Doc. “I heard every word of your argument. I’ve heard enough.”

  Doc followed Pluto and Ken into Julie’s bedroom, and he quietly closed the door behind them.

  “That Ken is a crazy bastard,” said Bill.

  Jimmy roared back with a fist, and Bill ducked his head. “Will you just shut your damn mouth? Why do you always have to say something stupid? You’re driving me crazy.”

  “You shouldn’t talk to me like that.”

  “Why the hell not? It’s the truth!”

  “Because I know, Jimmy. I know everything.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You spent the night with that dead Asian chick,” whispered Bill. “I saw it. I saw her leave this morning before it got light out.”

  Jimmy felt as if he would be physically sick, and his knees suddenly became weak. He sat down next to Bill and stared at him, stupidly. “I will kill you if you repeat that ever again,” Jimmy whispered. “I promise you, Bill. I’ll make it as painful as possible, and I’ll send you to hell screaming.”

  “That’s no way to talk to a friend. Who said I was going to say anything?”

  “Bill, you’ve never kept a secret your entire life. That’s going to change right now. Look, nothing happened. We shared a bottle of wine and had a nice talk. She’s dead now, and none of what happened last night is anyone’s business.”

  “Who’s dead?” Julie asked from behind them. “And what happened last night?”

  Jimmy’s heart dropped when he caught Bill’s eye. Bill was enjoying this, and he could barely contain himself. He then turned to Julie and smiled. “Nothing happened last night,” he said. “Nothing at all.”

  Once Ken and Pluto got past their political differences and found some common ground, the two men found that they really weren’t all that different from each other. After they visited their friends, they returned to Jimmy and Bill out in Julie’s living room and began discussing their current situation. There seemed to be a lot of fighter jets flying north these days, and both men speculated on what that might mean.

  “Canada was better prepared for this than we were,” Pluto said as he ate peaches out of a can. “They have more natural resources and fewer people. I’ll bet we’re up there trading with them. That’s the only thing that makes sense.”

  Ken nodded. “That’s possible,” he said, thoughtfully. He had finally shed his jacket and bibs, and he now sat at the table wearing a pair of blue jeans and a faded flannel shirt. “We could also be sizing them up. Why trade for what you can take?”

  “I pray that you’re wrong. We’ve got enough trouble without starting something with the Canadians.”

  “I agree. There’s another possibility: what if Canada has been invaded? How would we ever know?”

  “We wouldn’t,” said Jimmy. “We could be at war with the entire world and we’d never know it.”

  “That’s what I think,” said Bill. “This is World War Three. We’ll probably get nuked any time now.”

  Ken looked at Bill and grimaced. “Let’s not turn a few fighter jets into the Third World War, okay? I was just trying to make a point. We have got to find a way to make contact with the outside world. Do you have a ham radio?”

  Pluto nodded. “We have one, not that anyone here is what you’d call an operator. The few people we’ve managed to make contact with are much like us, just trying to survive.”

  “They said it’d be like this,” Ken said, “those guys on the internet that everybody called nut-jobs. They predicted this every step of the way. Why didn’t more people listen to them?”

  Pluto sat up straighter in his chair and smiled. “Thank you. I was one of those nut-jobs. I had a blog that I wrote in every day. I was quite popular. Maybe you read some of my stuff. My blog was called A View from Pluto, VFP for short, ever hear of it?”

  Ken thought about that and shook his head.

  “I heard of it,” said Bill.

  Jimmy groaned, and Ken covered his face with his big hands.

  “Bill,” Pluto said, “would you mind following me up to the main house? I have some plywood there and we really should cover this window before it gets cold again.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” agreed Bill.

  Ken stood and followed both men to the door, waiting until Pluto had zippered up his parka before taking his hand and shaking it. “I’m glad we finally got to meet,” he said. “Like I said, I’ll be gone as soon as I know that Burt is out of the woods. I have a wife at home waiting for me.”

  “Please understand that you’re more than welcome to join us permanently. You’d just have to give up your guns.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “I knew you’d say that. Good-bye, Ken. And good luck.”

  “Good luck to you too, Pluto.”

  The two men exchanged smiles and a warm handshake. Pluto walked out the door and Bill followed, sticking his hand in Ken’s chest. Ken rolled his eyes, but he gave Bill’s hand a quick shake.

  “Thanks for all your help, man,” Bill said.

  Chapter 24

  Ken rode out of camp with all of his rifles right after Doc assured him that Burt was out of immediate danger. Before leaving, when he and Jimmy were alone, he took one of the Colts and an extra clip of ammo and stashed them in the ceiling of Julie’s kitchen. “You can call that insurance,” he said. “It ain’t much of a policy, but it’s better than none at all.”

  Later that night when Jimmy was once again all alone with his thoughts, he had time to shed a few tears for Jasmine. He stared into the blackness of the fish shack and wondered what caused people like Myron and Tony Clerk to snap like they did. They had appeared to be regular guys, but a lot of people had proven they weren’t what they appeared to be. There had been a lot of tragedy—too damn much of it—Jimmy thought, and people were at their breaking point. He’d seen it first hand and he knew it to be true. He was one of those people. The last thing Jimmy thought before he fell asleep was his promise to Bill. He hoped that Bill had understood him because he hadn’t been kidding. He really would kill Bill if he told anyone about their secret. He fell asleep that night thinking torturous thoughts.

  The next few days passed in a blur of activity. There were people to tend to, bodies to stow away until the ground thawed, and for Jimmy and Julie, there were sparks to rekindle. Doc explained that Burt had somehow missed his mark and that the bullet had merely creased his skull, “the damn fool,” he had said, adding, “good thing he’s a terrible shot.” He also said that it was nearly time to remove Julie’s cast and see if the bones in her face had mended. As kindly as he could, he reminded the two of them to be prepared for the worst. Julie assured him that she was, and Jimmy took her hand and nodded in agreement.

  Burt regained consciousness two days after the incident and was overjoyed to the point of tears to see Venus in the bed next to him. The following morning, Burt shocked both Julie and Jimmy by getting up in the middle of the night and pushing his own bed across the bedroom next to Venus’ bed. Julie found them cuddled up together when she went to check on them. “Look at this, Jimmy,” she whispered.

  Jimmy got up from the sofa and walked over to stand next to Julie. He smiled and shook his head. When Julie was leaving the room to fix coffee, Burt asked if she minded closing the door. “And knock when you come back in, okay?” he whispered.

  “You’re terrible,” chuckled Venus. “Ouch, oh, quit making me laugh, Burt Sharpen.”

  “I will not close this door,” said Julie, “and no monkey business. My God, Burt, show a little respect.”

  “But that’s just what I’m trying to do. I’m showing this beautiful woman as
much respect as I can.”

  “Well,” Julie said, putting her hands on her hips. “You can respect her later. That’s my bed you’re in.”

  Burt, despite Doc’s warnings, was out of bed and moving around camp just four days after the shooting. The days had grown suddenly warm, and melting snow dripped from the roof of Julie’s cabin. Jimmy was pacing Julie’s kitchen when she came out of the bedroom. “What’s wrong, baby?” Julie asked, moving in front of him and placing her hands on his hips.

  “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head with half a smile. “I just feel restless. I think it’s the weather.”

  “I know what it is. You’re worried about Ken and Patty. Why don’t you hop on Doc’s snowmobile and go see how they’re doing? We’re fine here. Just come back in the morning. I’m sure they’ll love seeing you, and they’ll appreciate an update on Burt.”

  “Really?” Jimmy asked, thinking that Julie had just read his mind. “I’ll be back after breakfast. I promise.”

  Julie stepped into Jimmy and pressed her body against his. “I know you will,” she whispered. “I’m going to ask Doc to remove this damn cast today.”

  “I should be here with you.”

  “I don’t want you here. Please. I want to do this alone.”

  Jimmy reluctantly agreed, and he was soon dressed in his winter gear and went out in search of Doc. The first person he ran into was Wart who had finally dealt with his emotions and seemed to be back to his old self. He caught Jimmy walking out of Julie’s cabin and he joined up with him. “How’s it going, brother?” Wart asked, slapping Jimmy on his butt.

  “Knock it off. What will people think?”

  “Let ‘em think what they want. Who gives a shit?” Wart said. “I’m bored to death. Let’s go over and work on the women’s shower.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the women’s shower.”

  “I know, but there could be.”

  Jimmy laughed. “No, I’m going to have to pass. I’m getting out of here for the day. I’m heading back to my people to check on them.”

  “Christ, Jimmy, my people? What are they, Indians? Take me with you. I need to get out of here.”

  Jimmy thought about that for a moment. “Okay,” he said. “But you need to be on your best behavior, all right? We’ll go ask Doc if you can borrow his Skidoo. There’s no room on Burt’s Polaris.”

  “What Polaris?”

  “The snowmobile that Burt rode in on. The same one that I rode to Ken’s and back.”

  “Nobody told you?” Wart asked, narrowing his eyes at Jimmy. “Mars had us take it apart. You know—carbon footprints and all of that bullshit. I thought that you knew.”

  “Son of a bitch,” muttered Jimmy. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I’m not. What happened between you guys? He sure doesn’t think much of you.”

  “Come on Let’s go find Doc. We can both fit on the Skidoo. I’ll explain everything on the way there.”

  “Can I drive?”

  “I don’t care,” Jimmy said with a sigh. “Let’s just get the hell out of here.”

  Doc happily agreed to lend them the snowmobile. “Just bring her back in one piece,” he said. “That’s my baby.”

  Wart had obviously spent a lot of time riding snowmobiles; he rode the old machine with confidence and pulled over after they left the gate at Bailey’s simply to adjust the carburetor. They rode without helmets, and warm sunshine heated their cheeks.

  Chapter 25

  They arrived at Ken’s at just before noon. Wart looked up at the timber wall and shook his head. “Holy shit,” he said. “I thought you were kidding me. That’s really impressive, man.”

  “Thanks,” said Jimmy. “Ken!” he shouted up to the house. “Can you hear me?”

  “What do you think?” Ken asked from high on the other side of the wall.

  Jimmy and Wart looked up to see Ken covering them with an M-16. “Hey, man,” Wart said, sticking his hands in the air. “Don’t shoot.”

  “Who are you?” Ken asked, not bothering to move the barrel of his gun away from them. “Who are you and why are you here?”

  Jimmy smiled and shook his head. “It’s all right, Ken. He’s a good guy.”

  “He’s a communist, isn’t he?”

  “I don’t know,” said Jimmy. “Are you a communist, Wart?”

  “Nope, I’m just a Wart. I think that makes me an independent.”

  “You hear that, Ken? He’s not a communist. He’s an independent.”

  “Bah,” said Ken, turning away and disappearing behind the wall.

  Jimmy knew that Ken didn’t think much of independents; he said that they diluted the issues and talked out of both sides of their mouths. Ken opened the gate and allowed them inside. Wart putted the Skidoo inside the compound and killed the engine. Patty was already heading down the front stairs, and Rita was waving in the window. Jimmy rushed to Patty and the two embraced.

  “Jimmy, it’s so good to see you,” Patty said, kissing him hard on the cheek. “Can you stay for dinner? Is everything all right?”

  “Everything is great and I can actually stay overnight, if that’s okay with you.”

  “What about this one?” Ken asked, nodding his head at Wart.

  “They rode in here together, dear,” Patty said, speaking to him as if he were an idiot for asking. “They can ride back together in the morning.”

  “I thought you were going to say that,” Ken said.

  “Don’t look so happy about it, pops,” Wart said in his whistling voice. “You might crack your face.”

  “You interrupted my target shooting.”

  “Really?” asked Wart. “Whoa, like I’m sorry. Let’s start this over. Nice to meet you, sir; my given name is Mort West, but my friends call me Wart.” He then walked over to Ken and stuck his hand in his chest. “I love guns, I sure do.”

  Ken’s face softened, and he took Wart’s small hand into his own and shook it. “Ever shoot one of these?” he asked, nodding to the M-16.

  “Can’t say that I have,” answered Wart. “But I’d love to learn.”

  “You vouch for him, Jimmy?” Ken asked.

  “Of course he does,” answered Patty. “Go on and bring Morton out back and show him your little shooting range. You know you’re dying to do it. Just be in for lunch. We’ll be eating in an hour.”

  Ken rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he said to Wart. He then turned to Jimmy. “What about you, kid? Want to crack off a few with that .50 caliber?”

  “He certainly does not. Jimmy is coming inside to visit with me and Rita. You boys run along. I’ll call when it’s time to eat.”

  Rita met them at the front door and gave Jimmy a big hug. “Oh Jimmy,” she said, “it’s so good to have you home.”

  Jimmy returned the hug and smiled. “Thanks Rita, it feels good to be home.”

  Patty smiled with such unbridled joy that Jimmy thought she looked drunk. The two women ushered him into the kitchen, and he was soon drinking hot coffee out of his favorite cup. All seemed right in the world. The kitchen smelled of fresh baked bread, and Patty set a plate of sugar cookies in front of him. “We baked these yesterday,” she said with pride. “I knew you would be here. Didn’t I, Rita?”

  “She certainly did. She’s been watching for you all morning.”

  “How could you have known that?” Jimmy asked. “I just came out here on a whim; actually, it was Julie’s idea. She’s getting her cast cut off today, and she didn’t want me around.”

  “Jesus told me that you’d be here for lunch. You know me, Jimmy; I never doubt the word of the Lord.”

  Jimmy shook his head in amazement. “Well, He sure does work in mysterious ways.”

  “I prayed that you’d come back to us. There’s no mystery there. I prayed that you’d come back to stay.”

  Jimmy’s heart fell at hearing the words. As much as he loved Ken and Patty, he knew that Julie was happy in her new home and that he could never leave her ag
ain. He smiled bravely and took a bite of one of the big sugar cookies.

  “Tell us about Bailey’s,” Rita urged, taking a seat across the table from him. “Ken says that all the people there are communists and named after planets. Is that true?”

  Jimmy laughed. “Not really. You know how Ken is.”

  Patty nodded her head with enthusiasm. She was wearing a white blouse over blue jeans, and Jimmy thought she looked better than she had since they had first arrived. Her eyes were bright, and her skin color looked good. “We all know how Ken is,” she agreed. “Go on. Tell us the rest of the story.”