by Pete Thorsen
I went over and kicked the man like I had seen that policeman do just yesterday. This one was quite dead. I took Beth by the hand and led her back in to the house where I tried to call the police. Nine one one did not work. So I looked up the Sheriff’s department phone number in the phone book and called that one. It rang many times before someone finally answered the call.
I told them what happened and the woman asked if any bad guys were still alive. When I said no she said ‘then you don’t need us do you’. I asked what I should do and she said that it would be best if I buried the body because the carcasses could cause trouble if they weren’t buried. Then remarkably she just hung up on me!
Apparently things were pretty bad all over the county besides just in the city. I told Beth about the conversation I just had. She had heard my side of the exchange.
“I guess we just bury him then, huh?”
“Well, I will bury him. You can go back to the garden work.”
“Oh I get to do the woman’s work?”
“Yes er no. I just thought you would not want to be around a dead body.”
“I don’t and I will just work in the garden unless you need me.”
I will never be able to figure out women. I turned to go out and take care of the body when Beth grabbed me and hugged me for a long time. I don’t think she was crying but it must have been close.
As I walked back out I remembered to reload my revolver.
Chapter 8
I walked out to the dead guy I had killed. When I got there and looked down at him lying on the ground I felt a little light headed and had to lean against the car for a bit until it passed. I had shot many different critters in my life but I guess shooting a person is a little different.
After a short while I got down to business. I knelt by the man and removed his belt to retrieve the holstered pistol on his hip. I also went through his pockets and removed everything in them. I threw everything onto the seat of his car including the black pistol lying next to him and his belt.
I grabbed hold of his foot and started dragging him back down the road. He was tougher to drag than a dead deer. I moved him maybe hundred and fifty yards and thought that was far enough.
I left him and went back to get a shovel. I actually came back with a shovel and the old rototiller. I started the tiller and tilled a patch in the ditch along the dirt road. Then I started shoveling it out. The grave was not three foot wide and six foot deep when I was done and rolled him into it. The grave I dug was only a foot and half wide and maybe two or so deep and just barely long enough for the body to fit.
When I rolled him in he fit good enough and I filled it over much faster than I had dug it. I tramped it down with my boots and called it good. Next I went back and put both the tiller and the shovel back in the shed where I had got them from.
The keys were in the ignition so I drove the man’s car around back and parked it out of the way along side one of the sheds. There was quite a lot of gear and stuff in the car; both on the seats and in the trunk. I put what was useful in the shed and the food, guns and ammunition, and a few other things into the house.
Putting the stuff away gave me a couple minutes to think and started the car again and drove it part way down the driveway and left it there. It would block the drive so the next car could not drive right up to the house. Then I went out to the garden and started to help Beth with the garden work. Neither of us spoke while we were working.
I think it took both of us a couple days to get over the killing. The car sitting there was a constant reminder. But both of us always carried our guns with us all the time now and we were both thankful for having them when that man stopped.
We took a walk through the country side each of those days to supposedly forage for added food but we both just needed to get out and let nature calm us and get us back on track. The long walks helped us both I think. I know they helped me.
We often held hands when were walking. It was the same when we sat on the porch side by side in the evenings watching the sun set and the stars come out.
One day I did some looking around in the house for something and that evening when we were sitting on the porch I got down on one knee and asked Beth if she would marry me.
She pulled me up, kissed me, and held me tight when she said yes. I got my Grandma’s ring out of my pocket that I had finally located and it fit reasonably well on Beth’s finger.
We talked about a wedding but in light of the situation we decided to just go into the city and see if we could be married at the courthouse. If it was even still open. Neither of us saw any reason to wait. We knew we wanted to be married and we left the next morning in Beth’s car.
We had each put on clean ‘town’ clothes but neither of us was dressed up at all. We also each were wearing a revolver on our hips. This would be something like an old fashioned shotgun wedding I guess.
I was very cautious as we drove into the city. I wanted no problems like we had on the last trip. I drove directly to the courthouse and was very relieved to find it open. We both walked in after locking the car and we found very few people inside but when we inquired about getting married we were directed to someone who could help us.
We got the marriage license but to be married we needed two witnesses. Luckily two of the employees were nice enough to sign as witnesses. It all took very little time and we were soon walking out as man and wife. I kissed the bride a few times for practice.
While there we asked about whether any grocery stores were still open and we were directed to two that still were open for business on our side of the city. Though we could get by without buying anything I felt that as long as we were here we should pick up whatever we could. Because I thought we should shop I had brought a fair amount of cash in with me.
I drove to the closer of the two grocery stores and I parked in the mostly empty parking lot. There was nothing in the car to steal so we left it unlocked when we went inside.
The store was open and had merchandise but it would be fair to say the shelves were way more than half bare. The prices were higher than I remembered but not way out of line. There were also two armed guards near the single checkout that was open. The guards were armed with both handguns and long guns. I had Beth take a cart too besides the one I started pushing.
We started going up and down every isle. We bought a lot of paper products but skipped most of the canned vegetables though I did grab a large amount of the canned meats. Pasta, rice, flour, sugar, spices, a lot of salt; things we could not grow or make at the farm and would keep a long time. Though we could make soap we bought a large supply. Also things like vitamins, toothbrushes and toothpaste; we tried to think of everything and we heaped up the carts to overflowing.
“You sure you have enough money for all this stuff?”
“Of course. You did not marry a deadbeat husband you know.”
When we got to the checkout the man there showed his surprise at the load we brought up. While I was piling our stuff on the counter Beth went over and grabbed three carts to make it easier to put the stuff in after it was rang up. One of the guards walked over closer just in case we tried something with all this stuff. Both Beth and I added a few more things from all the stuff near the checkout. When the clerk had the final total I pulled out the cash and paid the bill without a problem.
I took two carts and Beth took the other one and we headed for the door. One of the guards said he would walk us out to our car and stay while we loaded. Something that I appreciated. But we loaded up with no problems and I handed the guard a few dollars for a tip. He even took all three carts back inside the store for us. The load filled the little car of Beth’s very full but we had no more stops and drove directly home without mishap.
At home we unloaded all the stuff and found room for everything.
“Where did you get all that money?”
“Though my folks were fairly poor I have been living a life that required very little cash out lay. I have alway
s mostly eaten stuff from the farm or nearby areas. I seldom ever bought anything new and only bought stuff I needed. At the same time I worked out all week long every week and often worked out on my own on weekends. So I made a fair amount of money. I just kept tucking the money away so I would have it when I needed it. Like today for instance. Let me show you.”
I took my new wife around and showed her the places where I had stashed my money. I had put it in several spots just in case of fire or theft. I did not have an overall count of how much I had accumulated and I seldom ever looked at it. I only added to it when I had more.
When Beth saw the money she was surprised. I guess I was too. I had never guessed that I had saved that much. We did not count it now either but we could both see that it was quite a bit of money.
“How could you save so much?”
“I never paid rent, I inherited the place with everything on it and everything already paid for. The only big purchase I ever made was my pickup and obviously I did not pay all that much for it either. I’m not a drinker and I never smoked. I just never spent much money. This money I saved looks like a lot but it really is not all that much money in this day and age. Just think if I would have bought a new pickup; it would have cost me thirty or forty thousand dollars. And think of everyone else always driving those new cars or trucks.”
“I guess I’m a rich woman now!”
“Its all yours just as much as it is mine now. It would be a shame if we had this money and it all became worthless.”
“What do you mean worthless? It’s money!”
“It is only printed pieces of paper and with the economy the way it is and the country just about shutting down due to all the debt, who knows what will happen with the printed money.”
“Yeah things did not look very good in the city today. So where are you taking me for our honeymoon?”
“Um. Well. I guess I never thought too much about that. I just wanted to get married and that was as far as my thinking went.”
“Maybe you should carry me over the threshold and we should retire to the bedroom and talk about it.”
I never said a single word. I just picked her up and I carried her into the house and all the way into the back bedroom.
Chapter 9
We both thought about our discussion on the fate of the printed dollars. Right now it still had value and we could still buy things with the money. We both decided to make another trip into town and buy more stuff. Stuff for us to keep and use and maybe stuff that we could trade with others in the future if money lost its value. So that is what we did. I drove my truck to town for this trip. We bought more food staples and many other items that we could not make or grow on the farm.
The days passed and there was work to do on the farm. Things were both the same and different since Beth and I got married. The parts that were the same were good. The parts that were different were great.
The garden was drawing to a close and I decided we should go and introduce Beth to a couple of the neighbors that I was friendly with. Plus I wanted to get some more honey from one of them anyway. So we got on our bikes and headed down the dirt road. I had a mostly empty backpack on my back so I could carry whatever I bought from the neighbors (if anything). Mostly I just wanted to show off my new wife!
We made it to our first stop and received a warm welcome. Beth hit it off with the pair right away. We talked about the nation’s situation and how dangerous it now was in town. I also warned them that it was dangerous out here in the country too. I did buy two quarts of honey in mason jars from them before we left. I had brought some worn out towels to wrap the jars in so they would not get broken in the pack on the way home. We bid our friends good bye and headed off to another neighbors place farther down the road.
When we got there the wife (Patty) met us at the door when I knocked.
“Oh Chip it is so good to see you! Jack twisted his ankle a few days ago and we could really use a helping hand.”
“Just point me in the right direction Patty and you know I will do whatever I can to help you.”
“I do know that for a fact Chip.”
She gave me a short list of chores that needed doing and I got right to work. I had helped all the nearby neighbors several times in the past and would again when ever it was needed. That is what neighbors are for.
I was still working when Beth (who had stayed with Patty to help her) came out to get me for lunch. After I got cleaned up and walked into the kitchen I could see that Patty had put a lot of extra work into the lunch. It was to be a full meal.
Jack hobbled into the kitchen and had lunch with us. He was having a tough time of it but when I asked he told me that he had indeed went in to the doctor and it was only twisted and not broken. Though it would still be painful and take awhile to mend enough so he could work.
We all talked through the big lunch and when done I went back out and got back to work. I worked most of the afternoon and things were mostly caught up. At least what was the most important anyway. I collected Beth and told Patty that I would come back in a couple days and do some more and to keep Jack from over doing anything with that bum leg. Patty thanked me again and Beth and I left and pedaled back home. It had been a good day. When I went to take the honey out of the backpack I found that Patty had put in two dozen eggs for us.
Beth was happy meeting some of our neighbors and making new friends. She was anxious for us to go back over to help Patty and Jack. We spent the next day out foraging and managed to pick a few more late apples from the nearby vacant places. Through the years many of the small farms had been bought out by large commercial farms and often the houses and buildings had just been razed.
The following day we went back over to help Jack and Patty. Again I worked most of the day over there. Jack’s accident had happened at good time for me because our garden was about all done now so I did have a little spare time. The weather was cooling some and soon I would start putting up some additional firewood. I had quite a large supply of firewood already stockpiled at the farm but I would continue to add to it.
The next day at the farm we got our first beggar. It was a man and a woman with one small child. I knew this day was coming where beggars would show up. I had told Beth that we would get beggars and the best thing would be to just send them away with no food. I knew Beth would never go for that.
This time Beth made up a bag of food and gave it to the family of three. The small family had almost nothing. The food we gave to them was just items that did not need to be cooked because when they had left their home they took their clothes and blankets but failed to bring any pots to cook with. Idiots. I knew they would never survive and the food we gave them was just a waste. When they received the food they thanked us and moved on. Two days later more beggars showed up.
This time it was a loose mixed group. All adults and no children. Beth and I met them together and one man that was maybe their leader stepped forward to speak.
“We need food and water.”
No please. Just a demand.
“We have clean water we can give you if you have containers. No food.”
“We need both food and water and most of us have no way to carry any water.”
“Well those with water containers can fill them here and then you can move on.”
“I know you have plenty of supplies. Give us what we need.”
I made a show of loosening the big revolver in my holster but made no further comment.
“I said give us what we need or I will gather another dozen people and we will come back and take everything you have.”
I stood still and quiet for a moment then made a reasonably fast draw and shot the man in the chest.
“Anyone else want to threaten me and my family?”
The rest of the group turned and ran as a group back the way they came. I turned to Beth who had never spoken a word through the exchange.
“I will not abide any threats. And demands will get nothing from me.
I’m sorry you had to witness this.”
“But you just shot him.”
“He made a very serious and plausible threat against us. It would have been folly to allow him to leave and carry out that threat later. Me, doing nothing now could easily have led to our deaths later.”
“I’ll have to think on this. I can understand your thinking and these times are obviously different from the ordered world we used to live in. I had just hoped to never see anyone die again.”
Beth walked back into our house and I went and got what I needed to bury the man I had shot. When I returned and checked his pockets I found a small automatic pistol in one pocket. I put it in mine instead and went to work digging a hole next to the last grave.
When I had the man buried I made a tombstone out of wood and placed near the two graves. On it I had painted the words “Here lie those who would steal or cause us harm.”
I painted a one with a slash through it and next to it I painted a two. The sign/tombstone would maybe help prevent me from having to bury more. I doubted the sign would be enough to do that though. When I went into the house to wash up I showed Beth the pistol that the man had on him.
That night and the next day I did a lot of thinking. In the past Beth and I had left the property for several hours at a time and had thought nothing of it. But now I was reluctant to do that anymore. If found empty the place could easily be taken over by anyone who just happened past. Also I would not want to leave Beth here alone while I was gone for any length of time because it was just too dangerous. It was certainly a quandary with no easy answer.
So I just worked around the place doing odd jobs I had put off for awhile. I needed to both stay busy and be ready at all times.
Beth and I talked at length about the current situation. I fully explained my views on the food beggars. We had some extra food here now and hopefully the means to grow more food next summer. The trouble was that growing more food was not a certainty. We could plant a large garden but many things beyond our control could lead to no harvest or a very limited harvest. At that point we could be in serious trouble food wise.