A Powerless World (Book 2): When the Peace is Gone

by P. A. Glaspy

  Monroe walked in with Millie right then. “I got something you can use.”

  Mike grinned. “Why am I not surprised?”

  Monroe squinted at him, then continued. “Can it, Jarhead. Follow me.”

  We all traipsed out to one of the many storage sheds Monroe had, all filled with things – most of which we had no idea what it was. He opened the door and walked through a path he had made through the stuff. He pulled a tarp off a machine and stood there beaming.

  Now it was Mike’s turn to squint. “What is it?”

  “It’s a washing machine, ya idgit! Can’t you see the wringer on it?”

  Monroe was standing next to a gas engine powered washing machine. It had a square tub; it did indeed have a wringer, and there was a motor under it that looked like it came off of a lawn mower or a go-kart. Same thing.

  “Does it work?” My turn to ask questions.

  “No idea. Got it for nothin’ from a guy tryin’ to sell it. I fired it up right after I got it, but that was probably 30 years ago or more. I say we pull it out and see.”

  Russ and Mike went to pick it up. They grunted with the weight. Ryan stepped up to help.

  “Holy shit, Monroe, how’d you get this in here? I know you didn’t move it by yourself.” Mike was straining, and I’m sure his injured arm wasn’t happy about it.

  Monroe laughed. “Hell no. The guy I got it from helped me. Never thought we’d see a time when something like this would be needed again. Now look at us.”

  “If you didn’t see a need for it, why’d you keep it?”

  Millie answered that one. “He keeps everything, dear. Somewhere in one of these buildings I’m sure we’ll find the lost city of Atlantis – or at least some of their tools.”

  Everyone laughed at that, except Monroe. He huffed and said, “You see how much of it we’re using now, don’t ya? I knew it might come in handy one day. Every bit of it.”

  Millie held up the end of a big boat anchor. “Even this, dear? We’re only, what, 20 or 30 miles from a lake or river? Oh, and we don’t have a boat.”

  We were all rolling with laughter then. Everyone except Mike.

  “Actually, that anchor could have lead in it. We could use that to make bullets, if we can find the right equipment.”

  Monroe was beaming now and started to say it, but we all said it with him. In unison: “I got something you can use!”

  Monroe shook his head and waved us off. “C’mon, get that thing outta here. I want to know if it works. Then I’ll find those bullet molds.”

  Mike, Ryan, and Russ were still snickering as they carried the antique washing machine out of the shed and toward the backyard. This day was getting a little better, at least in the laundry department. I couldn’t help but grin as we walked back to the house. A washing machine that might actually work! When I saw Lee and his kids still sitting at the table in each other’s arms, I remembered we still didn’t know what had happened this morning. We needed to hear that story. We needed to know what was out there.

  ****

  After lunch, the guys filled us in on what had happened. Shock is a bit tame for what I felt. There were people out there now who would kill you just because you interrupted their pillaging – of your stuff. They would try to take what you had without even knowing if it was something they could, in fact, use. Worst of all, they would trade all that for women, to use in ways I did not want to imagine. Sara had been completely despondent since they had returned. She was almost catatonic, truth be told. After Russ told us about the talk they had, and then the near miss she had personally experienced, I doubted we would hear anymore from her about “others less fortunate”. It was a new, dangerous world out there, one that she was ill-prepared for in the sheltered life she had led – sheltered from the standpoint that she believed everybody was good and would help each other in a crisis. Kind of like I used to be.

  Pete was beside himself. “Thank you just doesn’t seem to fit the response I should be giving you guys for saving Sara’s life. First thing tomorrow, we are both going to be in firearms training class. We will help defend this place and all of you. You have my word.”

  Sara didn’t say anything, but she nodded in agreement. It was too bad it took a situation like what had happened for her to understand that guns are only bad in the hands of bad people. In the hands of good people, they can save lives. In the end, what mattered was that they both understood now how ugly the world was becoming. No laws, because there was no one to enforce them; no decency, because people were reverting back to survival mode, where anything goes and it’s every man for himself; no peace, because every day was going to be about surviving and defending what you had. I did say this was going to suck, didn’t I?

  “I know we’re all worried about who might be out there, or who might be gearing up to try to take this place or some of our people, but we can’t live our lives in fear. We have to do whatever we can to fortify this place and protect our families, our supplies, and our home, but life is about more than that. We still have work to do here in those areas, but I think we need to take the rest of the day to just chill out a bit. I don’t want anyone working on any projects this afternoon. We are going to take Sean and Kate to see their friends, the Callens, to see how they’re doing, and if they’d like to join us. We’ll find a spot for them if needed. The rest of you recoup if you need to from this morning, or maybe go through the stuff we brought back. Nothing big. We’ll get back to it in the morning. The very first thing in the morning is firearms training. It is very apparent after the last two days that everyone needs to know how to defend themselves and their loved ones. Make that our loved ones.”

  Russ stood up and looked around. “I need a couple of guys to ride shotgun on this short trip. Monroe will be going, since he knows them as well. Maybe one more should do it.”

  Bill started walking toward him. “I guess since we have so many wounded I’m up. I’ll go.”

  Ryan looked at his brother. “I’m not wounded – well, not that bad. I can go.”

  “Bro, we’re trying to gather troops, not scare them off. With that face, they’ll run screaming. Then, when they get a load of those pock marks…”

  Ryan jumped up and started for his brother. Bill took a boxing stance, ready for the assault. Russ grinned at them.

  “You should stay here and rest up, Ryan. Bill should be plenty but we’ll be taking a radio at any rate. This is going to be a quick trip. How far away did you say they live, Monroe?”

  “Maybe four miles or so. I’ve only been there once. No more than ten minutes to get there, if the road’s clear.”

  “We’ll be taking my truck, which should be able to clear the road if needed. As soon as Kate finishes checking Brian’s hand, we’ll get going.”

  Kate came up from the basement just as he said that, with Brian following her. “I’m done. He’s doing okay, as long as he continues to keep it clean and dry. The sooner we get going the sooner we get back. After this morning, I’m going to be more inclined to be a homebody.”

  Sean went to his wife. “Honey, I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d stay here and let me go. We don’t know what the situation is over there. I don’t want you in a position to get hurt – again.”

  Kate looked him in the eye. “No, we don’t know what we will find over there. Someone may be hurt and need my help. I have a small bag ready. I’m going.”

  Russ nodded grimly. “Alright then, let’s get on the road. This should be the last excursion we have to make out. I want to get this place locked down again. We’re safer here.”

  For now, he was right about that. Question was, how much longer would that be the case?

  CHAPTER 14

  As soon as Russ and his group left, we started sorting the clothes they had gathered. They had done really well getting an assortment of kids’ clothes and shoes. They might not fit them well but they would have something to wear. Marietta and I dug through until we found some things we thought would fit the
Scanlin girls. Since their parents were gone, I called them to me and showed them what we had picked out. They squealed with glee, like it was Christmas morning. They immediately took off the clothes they had been wearing for the last couple of weeks and put on new ones. They were a little big, but the girls couldn’t have cared less. Tara held the ones they had taken off out away from her, like they were diseased.

  “Can we burn these, Miss Anne? I don’t ever want to see them again.”

  I smiled at her. “I think that is a wonderful idea. We’ll need to wait until dark though. For now, we’ll leave them over there in the corner.”

  She nodded. “I remember. We can’t have daytime fires, because the smoke can be seen from far away. I can wait until tonight.”

  Oh my goodness. Even the young ones were picking up on the new way we had to live. I didn’t know whether to be sad or proud. I think I was a little of both. We found them some shoes that were a close fit, so they could at least swap out what they were wearing and a couple more outfits. You would have thought we had taken them on a shopping spree, they were so proud of their new stuff.

  They skipped off to put their “new” clothes away. I heard a sniffle and turned around to see Marietta crying.

  “Are you alright, honey? What’s wrong?”

  “Oh, Anne, that is so sad. Those poor little girls, so happy to have the clothes that belonged to other little girls who never got home. Their misfortune is someone else’s joy. Don’t get me wrong – I’m very grateful to be here with all of you, for your gracious hospitality, for everything you’ve done for me. It just really stinks what this world has become. If it weren’t for all of you I’d probably be dead, like the people who owned these clothes are. We’re so lucky to have this place and each other. But, I’m scared. Can we keep it? Can we keep the farm and everyone here safe?”

  I thought about what she’d said. It was all valid reasoning. There were no guarantees. All we could do was try. So I answered her as truthfully as I could.

  “I honestly don’t know, Marietta. No one does. All we can do is our best. We take care of each other and do what we have to do to keep us all safe. We only get one life – all we can do is live it the best we know how.”

  Listen to me, being all philosophical and shit. “Let’s get something cold…well, cool to drink. I’ll be a mess until Russ gets back, so I need something to take my mind off it. I’m going to try to get that old washing machine started. Nothing like laundry to keep you occupied – especially when it has a wringer to take your frustrations out on.”

  ****

  The road to the Callen house was not clear, but they made their way through with not too much effort. Bill and Sean were riding in the back of the truck, watching for any signs of other people who might pose a threat. There weren’t any. The area between the farm and the Callens was pretty much pastures and farm fields. The fields were plowed, but not much had been planted before the pulse. Most new tractors were computerized – so much so that the farmers had to take them to a dealer for something as simple as an oil and filter change or void their warranty. They passed a field with a big late model tractor sitting in the middle of it. Monroe shook his head.

  “Ya see? Ya see what all that technology is worth? My old tractor is worth ten of those now, ain’t it? Maybe a hundred of ‘em!”

  Russ nodded in agreement. “Yep, you’re right. At some point people will have to figure out how to plant crops old style, maybe even using horses or mules pulling plows. It’s going to get very interesting, no doubt about it.”

  “People gotta eat. Ain’t no food without farmers. Farmers are gonna get rich in this world, if they can figure out how to farm without them fancy machines.”

  Russ drove to the Callen place with no issues. As they pulled in the driveway, they could tell something had happened. The gate was lying on the ground; it looked like it had been rammed, as it was twisted from the hinged side. They were driving slowly up the drive when a shot rang out from the house. Russ immediately stopped the truck. Sean jumped out of the back, as Monroe was getting out of the truck, hands out to his sides.

  Russ called to them. “Careful guys. You don’t know who’s shooting. It may not be them.”

  “That’s why my hand is beside my hog leg, instead of in the air.” Monroe raised his voice. “Luke! You in there? It’s Monroe Warren! I got your friends, Sean Scanlin and his wife, Kate, with me. We’re here to see if you folks are alright! Can you come out?”

  They waited no more than a minute. Luke came out with a rifle in hand, pointed their direction. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His clothes were wrinkled, as if, had he been sleeping, he was sleeping in them. He seemed to be disoriented.

  “Mr. Monroe? Is that really you? Who are those other people with you??”

  “This here is Russ Mathews; he’s a good friend of my niece. He’s like family to me and Millie. This other fella is Bill Lawton; he’s staying with us over at my place. Okay if we come on up to the house to talk for a bit?”

  Monroe’s calm tone seemed to settle Luke down some. He lowered the rifle and waved them toward him. “Yeah, come on up. Casey’s inside. She’s not feeling well. I’m not sure what’s wrong – she can’t keep anything on her stomach.”

  Monroe looked at Kate. She climbed quickly out of the cab. “Sounds like it could be giardiasis. Comes from drinking water that hasn’t been purified. We don’t have meds for that, so she’s going to have to just get through it. I need to get in there.”

  They all headed for the house. Luke pulled his gun back up. “I don’t know those men. I don’t want them near my wife.”

  Sean had stepped to the front of the group. “Luke, they’re friends of ours. They saved our lives. Me, Kate, and the girls probably wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Russ and his family. They’re good men. They won’t hurt either of you. You have my word.”

  Luke lowered the rifle again. “It’s hard to trust people these days, you know? We’ve had some run-ins with strangers. But, if you say they’re okay, I’ll trust you. It’s good to see you, Luke. You too, Kate. Can you take a look at Casey, see if you can help her?”

  “Of course I can, Luke. Lead me to her.” She walked up to Luke and tried to hug him, but he flinched and backed up a step. She smiled at him and started for the door. He opened it for her, and she walked into the dark living room.

  When they got close to the house, they could see what appeared to be bullet holes in the brick. The windows in front had been broken and boarded up. Something bad had happened there.

  As they walked in, they could smell the sickness coming from Casey. Russ covered his nose and mouth with a bandana; Bill turned around and went back outside.

  “I’ll stay out here and keep an eye on the truck; I’ll go bring it closer to the house.”

  Luke looked apologetic. “Sorry about the smell. I’ve been trying to keep her cleaned up but, with no running water, it’s been tough. I’ve been getting it from the creek down the hill, so I guess that’s why she got sick. I’m not sure why it didn’t hit me.”

  Kate laid a hand on his arm. “No one knows why it hits some people harder than others. It could be that her immune system was low, maybe she had a slight cold. Do you guys have vitamins? Have you been taking them?”

  “Yes, we had been, but when she got sick, I didn’t want to put anything on her stomach that might make it worse. She’s been real nauseated, but the diarrhea has been the worst part. She wouldn’t eat, so she’s too weak to even get up to go to the bathroom. I didn’t know what to do.”

  Monroe sat at the kitchen table. “Why didn’t you come to our place, ask for help? You know where we live. We had Kate there for the past couple of days. She could have been taking care of her already.”

  Luke looked wild-eyed. “I couldn’t leave! They might have come back and taken her this time!”

  Sean stared at his friend. “Who are you talking about? Did someone try to take Casey from here? Who was it??”

&
nbsp; “I don’t know who they were. They came up to the house a couple of days ago. They said they needed food, that they were hungry. Casey wasn’t quite as sick then. She came out of the house with some canned goods for them and they tried to grab her. I jerked her away, and we ran inside and locked the doors. They shot at the house; shot out the windows in the front. I grabbed my 30-30 and shot back. They took the food and left, yelling that they’d be back for ‘the woman’. I haven’t slept since. I boarded up the broken windows and we hunkered down, waiting for them to come back. I was afraid you were them when I heard your truck outside.”

  Monroe was indignant. “It wasn’t those good-for-nothin’ Glass boys, was it? They were at our place yesterday looking for a handout.”

  “No, I had never seen these men before. They were older and looked like they had been on the road for a while.”

  “How many were in their group?” Russ asked.

  “I only saw three; two that came up to the house, and one stayed in their truck. I don’t know if there were any more anywhere else. Three was enough.”

  Russ nodded. “I do wish you had come over to Monroe’s, Luke. We have a group of survivors there, about two dozen, and we are setting up for a long-term situation, including security. We’ve been trying to get over here to check in on you two almost since we got there, but honestly every time we turn around there’s something that needs to be handled right away. If you’re up for it, we’d like to bring you and Casey back with us. It’s obvious you can’t secure this place. It will be tight as far as accommodations go, but we’ll figure it out. You can’t stay here alone.”

  “If I’d had any idea what was going to happen here, we would have. I thought we’d be safe in our home. It’s obvious to me now that we can’t be. We’d be grateful to join you all. If you have a place to set it up, we have a small camper we can bring over to stay in. We appreciate the offer, Russ, Monroe. At this point, I think that would be the best thing for us to do.”