by Chris Hechtl
“Bert said you're good troop. Where do you want to be?” he asked.
“As close as I can get to the school or wherever they want me,” he said after a moment. “I'd well, I'd like some place stable for Jerrica.”
“Your daughter?” Walt asked. He nodded. “No problem. We can use you just about anywhere. But if you're sticking to automotive then the only two places are here and the Sams works.”
“Sams, Bert mentioned that. Something about generators?” he asked.
“And pumps now. We just started that too,” Walt said with a smile. At Eddy's slight confusion his smile grew a little. “We yank an engine and stick it in a frame. Rig it with an electric motor. The engine turns the motor which is now an alternator. Send it through some capacitors and stuff and we've got juice. The electric kind. We've got a good system. They've got it down to a factory spec now.”
“Cool,” Eddy said nodding.
“We also use the engines to turn pumps. Some we have to make if pool equipment doesn't work out. We've been machining some of the heavy gauge stuff. Problems balancing the load though,” Walt said with an inquiring note in his voice.
“A computer could help,” Eddy said cocking his head. “You've got to analyze the spin of the turbine and then shave off the right area to get it perfectly balanced. I ran into it when I worked at Eddlebrock making turbochargers.”
“Ah,” Walt said nodding. “Maybe we can use you there then,” he said. “We've got some openings there, since the incident,” he said darkly.
“Incident?” Eddy asked.
“Accident I should say. A noob who didn't listen to directions left a grinder on. Chewed through an electrical line that was on a beam people were sitting on. A lot of people were shocked badly.”
“Ouch,” Eddy winced. “If it’s all the same I'd rather play it safe.”
“Okay,” Walt said. “I need a good guy who can cut and balance drive shafts here anyway,” he said nodding.
“Not a problem,” Eddy said smiling. “When do you want me to start?” he asked. “I've got to get Jerrica situated though, just to warn you.”
“She'll either end up in daycare, or school,” Walt said. “If she's over sixteen she'll be in a trade school or put to work,” he said explaining.
“Ah, she's fourteen. Small for her age though,” Eddy said.
“Okay,” Walt said nodding. “She'll do fine. High school then and light work in a field she wants to be in, probably. Check with the principal in the morning. She'll probably e-mail you if she hasn't already,” he said.
“E-mail?” eddy asked surprised.
“Don't tell me, no phone or laptop?” Walt asked. Eddy shook his head. “Get one. Tell IT I said so. I know we've got some, so don't let them snow you. Have them set you up and then get back to me. Report here in the morning. Five am sharp. Got it?”
“Five?”
Walt smiled at Eddy's shocked expression. “Inside. Report inside. We don't open this building until after sun up of course.”
“Oh,” Eddy said getting up. “Okay boss,” he said. He shook Walt's hand as Walt got up.
“Get stores to get you and Jerrica right?” he asked. Eddy nodded. “Get them to get you some clothes. Work coveralls. You'll need them. Ask someone for help with the laundromat.”
“Yes sir,” he said. “Um, pay...”
“It’s all worked out on your ID. You work you get food, shelter and the like. We're transitioning back over time but right now money isn't part of our economy. Maybe someday, but not now,” Walt said explaining.
“Oh,” Eddy said pausing. “Okay,” he said nodding and walking out.
...*...*...*...*...
The guy smiled as he waved a package. “We hit pay dirt! Ramen!” he said triumphant. “Cases of it! Hamburger helper too!”
“So?” another guy asked shaking his head. “Noodles man. Big deal.”
“Its food,” another said shaking his head. “Food we can eat. Good catch,” he said nodding. There were cases and cases of the stuff.
“We topped you I bet,” Sharon said smirking. She shot her partner a satisfied look. He nodded.
“Oh?”
“Found a house with a crap load of stuff. Must have been a major couponer you know like from the show? Entire room full of food. Garage too. Wall to wall stuff. Cleaning supplies, food, you name it. Took us an hour to clean the place out. Walk in pantry in the kitchen,” she said shaking her head measuring out a space with her hands. The truck hit a bump and she steadied herself for a moment. “Good three or four feet deep, ten or so feet wide, eight feet high. FULL of food. Just full. We've got enough for a week I bet. From that one house,” she said grinning.
“If you did you get the wilki bar,” the other guy said gruffly. He'd been hoping for it. The wilki bar was a trophy the harvesters competed for. Whoever found the most in a week got a special reward, their pick of a meal or treat. Not that they really needed it. Most would skim an item or two off during harvesting if they wanted it anyway.
“Hell yeah,” the woman said smiling. “Who's your momma?” she asked high fiving her partner. The others laughed.
...*...*...*...*...
Eddy watched the harvesters coming in and shook his head. When they had gone out, the few times people had marshaled the courage up to go out at all, it hadn't been like that. They had come back telling terrifying stories of aliens and close calls, and lost loved ones. It was different here. Definitely different. He looked around and nearly jumped out of his skin as arms folded around his neck. “Hi daddy!” Jerrica said excited.
He turned, feeling his racing heart slow and tried not to glare at the girl as she eased herself around him and sat in his lap. His eyebrows went up as she made herself comfortable. “Have fun?” he asked.
“Loads,” she said smirking. “This place is the bomb dad. Its so, soo, sooo cool. Living in the mall? Can you believe it?” she asked and then giggled.
He tried not to roll his eyes as he chuckled softly. Trust a teenage girl to look at the upside of all this. “So, um... What did you do today?” he asked.
“Darius and the others took me to class. I audited a few, and signed up for school. I'm going to be a doctor dad! An MD! Just like I dreamed!” she practically shrieked, bouncing in his lap.
He snorted. “Really?” he asked. He was pretty sure medical school was out of the question.
“Really, really. I got in as an intern since I took biology and health class and I've got First Aid training already,” she said. “I told you it was worth it,” she said.
“It is,” he said nodding. “So...”
“I've got classes in the morning and then a shift in the infirmary here. They were going to have me at the day clinic, and then the clinic at Home Depot, but there was a last minute opening and the head nurse said she'd squeeze me in here,” she said.
“Really,” he said nodding. His whole perspective whirled around him. He felt a little lost. His little girl was really going to work?
“Are we going to the movies?” she asked. She looked at the clock and then shook her head. “No, too late,” she said answering her own question.
“Movies?” Eddy asked feeling lost again.
“Movies. Theater you know? They've got one here in the mall, one over in Towngate, and a couple of others open. There is a concert going on in the quad later tonight,” she said pointing down the strip.
“Really?” he asked looking in the indicated direction.
“Acoustics are bad, but its music,” she said shrugging. “Wish I had my iPod,” she muttered.
“We'll see if we can get you another,” he said looking around. She smiled again, making his heart strum as she kissed his craggy cheek.
“Thanks dad,” she said hugging him and then getting off his lap.
“Where are you going now?” he asked.
“Dinner,” she said pointing to the nearby line. “I've been all over this place and Lowes and back again. All on foot. I'm starved,” she said.
He chuckled getting up. She took his hand. “How'd the interview go?” she asked swinging their arms back and forth.
“Well, real well,” he said simply. “I start before dawn tomorrow,” he admitted.
“Then you best get some down time soon then,” she said firmly. “You're always a crab in the morning.”
“Yes honey,” he said chuckling as they walked to the end of the line. Other noobs were milling about. One guy was grinning. He was clutching his ID like it was a diamond ring.
“Mason, can you believe it?” he asked. “I'm working in masonry here, building the walls. They are turning this place into a castle! A castle!”
“Cool,” a woman said nodding. “At least you're in something you like. I owned my own shop. Now I'm working in the kitchen,” she said wrinkling her nose.
“Ouch,” the man said wincing. “Maybe you can get something else later?” he asked.
“Fat chance,” she said shaking her head. “But I can't complain, at least its work,” she said shrugging fatalistically.
“It’s more than that, it’s an opportunity,” someone behind her, an older woman said. They all glanced at her as the line slowly moved. “Trust me young lady, apply yourself diligently, and make sure they know you're interested in moving up the ladder where you're at and you might end up running a kitchen or restaurant sooner than you think,” she said.
“Maybe,” the woman muttered. “Still sucks to start at the bottom,” she grumbled.
“Got to start somewhere,” Eddy said shrugging. “They can't just bump people who've been here working just because we showed up. We're new. We'll make it. I'm sure of it now,” he said stroking his daughter's hair. She looked up and smiled at him. He nodded.
...*...*...*...*...
The next morning he woke when others started getting up and talking softly. Instead of standing in line for breakfast he went and met Bill, his guide in Sears. Bill explained some of the new steps and went over basic shop safety. Eddy at first was amused, but then when he realized Bill was subtly testing him he took it seriously.
A little later they headed out to the restaurant outside Sears. It was the coffee shop, now a small breakfast nook. “They make breakfast stuff here. It’s for everyone just starting their shifts. I heard they're adding some ethnic food in some areas,” Bill said, taking a pastry and a cup of coffee.
“Is that real coffee?” Eddy asked, looking at the cup as Bill took a sip. “Course it is,” Bill said motioning to the only empty table nearby. Eddy nodded as he fumbled his card through the swipe. The girl behind the counter checked his ID, then nodded and poured him a cup of coffee. She offered cream and sugar. He held up his fingers for two. She nodded, gave him two of each and then handed him a pastry he picked out.
He went over to Bill's table and sat down. “Is it always like this?” he asked taking a sip of coffee. “God it tastes great,” he said smiling. He hadn't had coffee in months.
“First cup in a while huh?” Bill asked amused. He sat back and took a bite of his pastry. “It’s settling down here. Sometimes we get MREs sometimes we get regular food. It all depends on what's going on. One cup per person, per day, but it’s worth it,” he shrugged.
“The stuff we're doing...”
“Well, we've got construction equipment, generators, pumps, motorcycles, and the vehicles the crews use to get about. Plus the trucks and of course the growing APCs and tanks.”
“Seriously?” Eddy asked, goggling at Bill. Bill snorted.
“Take the fight to the enemy. Well, during the day at least,” Bill said chuckling as he ate. Eddy slowly nodded taking a bite himself.
“Most of the cars we've kept are either big SUVs or a hybrid or electric. We're big on those,” Bill said.
“Really?” Eddy asked wrinkling his brow and thought. “Green? Even now?”
“Nah, it’s the fuel. They use half the fuel a gas guzzler does. Electric's better but they can't haul a lot. We've got a couple of Chevy Volts, a couple of GM trucks that are hybrids and a few custom jobs. Prius electrics are big for people who bounce around a lot. It’s that or the shuttle.”
“Um...”
“A bus that runs a circuit between the bases. It starts just after dawn. Its methane so we can supply it with our own fuel now that we've got better composting tech.” Eddy looked lost. Bill took pity on him and explained. “See, we stick a cover over the shitter. The shit releases methane. That's the stink you smell. We trap it, bottle it, compress it, and...”
“And get fuel. Okay got that,” the machinist said nodding.
“Bingo,” Bill said nodding. He smiled to a woman in a Muslim dress. Eddy blinked.
“Mrs. Hoskins this is Eddy Newman, he's the new kid around the machine shop. Eddy, Mrs. Hoskins,” he said waving politely to the woman. Eddy got up and shook hands with her. She looked a little nonplussed but nodded.
“How are you gentlemen doing this morning?” she asked with a slight Arabic accent.
“Fine, fine, we'll be out of your hair shortly ma'am,” Bill said waving his Danish. It was almost gone. “I'm just showing the noob the ropes a bit.”
“Ah,” she said nodding. She turned to Eddy. “Welcome to the mall Mr. Newman,” she said smiling a little and then going back to work. Eddy turned an inquiring eye on Bill.
“Hey, it takes all kinds ya know?” Bill said spreading his hands. “This is an equal opportunity country. Equal opportunity place. I suggest you get used to it. She's American by the way. But her mom was Saudi. She's good. Nice lady. Right now we don't give a shit about anything when it comes to people. All that crap is just noise now.”
“Ah,” Eddy said nodding.
“There are religious chapels, a mosque and stuff somewhere. Towngate I think. Or Target. Not sure. Maybe both. Small. We need the space for more important stuff,” Bill said with a shrug.
“Okay,” Eddy said finishing his Danish. He wiped his mouth with the napkin. Bill finished his off and then downed the coffee. Eddy grimaced a little but followed suit.
“Here,” Bill said getting up. “Cups go there, paper there. Leftover food goes in the chute,” he said pointing out the clean up routine. Eddy nodded and followed suit. There were few food scraps anyway. He'd learned to clean his plate. They all had.
When they were out and on their way through Sears to the outside he slowed, confused. “Hurry up man, daylight's burning,” Bill said waving. He grimaced at all the noise. Drill presses, hydraulics, cutters, it was a racket. “Remember...”
“Ear protection,” Eddy said, pointing to the ear plugs in his ears. Bill nodded and popped his in.
“Good man.”
They went outside. Eddy hesitated, looking at the wall. The sun wasn't quite up over Towngate yet. He looked around. There was a calisthenics class exercising in a spot nearby. Drivers were working on their vehicles or milling about.
“We trade stuff for all sorts of things now. TVs, water, fuel, food, appliances, computers, you name it. That's the traders over there,” Bill said pointing to a group off to the right.
“And the others?” Eddy asked. “Harvesters?” he asked. He recognized a few from last night.
“And people coming off shift from guard duty. And the soldiers about to go out,” Bill said as they walked into the auto bay. “I'm supposed to give you a tour of everything but we're kind of behind a bit. Can you change a tire? I mean pull it and swap the rim.”
“Yeah, I've done it,” Eddy said nodding as he watched the bustle going around them. The sun wasn't up a full half hour yet and the place was swarming with people.
“No sweat if you have to get back in the swing of it,” Bill said. “Dumb ass jumped a curb and bent the rim. I've got to get it out today,” he said waving.
“What do you do with the bent rim if it can't be fixed?” Eddy asked.
“Scrap it. Which means sticking it in a pile for now until we can find a way to send it to a smelter. Or make our own,” Bill said. He indicated the equipment. “There you go. I'l
l be back in thirty. Make it happen man,” he said nodding.
“Sure,” Eddy said pulling out the safety goggles Bill had issued him and putting them on. “Sure thing,” he said testing the air wrench and then getting down to work.
...*...*...*...*...
Torres grunted as the team waved. “Got some live ones here,” Tom said.
“Live ones?” Torres asked. “Hellcats? Gremlins?”
“Humans,” Tom said. He turned and waved. “Yo! We need a medic here pronto!” he yelled. Their medic looked up and came at a run.
“Shit,” Tom muttered shaking his head at the sight of a guy coming out with bloody rags wrapped around his face. A woman was supporting him. Her shoulder was bleeding.
“Damn,” Torres muttered, coming up to see and then stepping aside.
...*...*...*...*...
Jerry looked up as Jen and Jayne came in. He nodded. “I've got another one,” he said.
“Another one what?” Jayne asked.
“Another kamikaze,” Jerry said looking bleak.
“Oh lord,” Jen sighed. “Take us to him. Maybe we can help,” she said.
“I hope so. He's this way,” Jerry said waving his hand to indicate the direction.
“I... I want to die,” he said hands curling in the sheets. “Don't you people understand? When that thing butchered me...” His hand went to his bandaged face.
“The Creepling,” Jen said. She'd heard the report on the way over.
“Monster,” he growled. “They killed my family,” he said, painful sobs tearing at his throat. “I was looking for food and the damn thing jumped out of the kitchen cabinet. No warning just bam!” he said making a motion with his hand like something was jumping at his face. Jen debriefed him. When he wouldn't quit whining and started to snarl at Jen she left in a huff. Jayne jumped all over him. “What do you know? What does she know?” he said. “I'm crippled!”
“Yeah? And she's dying man,” she growled. He froze and then his head turned to her voice. “Yeah, that's right,” she said coldly. “Dying. Cancer. Leukemia. Inoperable. It’s killing her but she's still busting her ass, trying to help in any way she can. You lost your sight. I get that. So does she. But there are other senses. We obviously can't put you to use in some ways, but I bet there is something here you can do. We just have to find it,” she said as she got up and headed for the curtain opening. “Something like a radio man, or something.”