by Nancy Lieder
Another man has mounted antlers of a deer that he is holding in front
of him. He is approaching first one and then another in the crowd, but
they turn their backs on him.
As Finegan and Joey are leaving the business district they pass a man
carrying a large picture frame, devoid of a picture, toward the
pawnshop, followed by a woman carrying a large iridescent vase.
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______________________________
Finegan and Joey are returning to the houseboat, moored near the
business district of the town. They are walking up the gangplank,
greeted by a wagging Barney. Finegan, who is first on the plank, throws
a comment over his shoulder to Joey.
I like our stuff better.
Joey grins and laughs in agreement.
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Slave Labor
The houseboat is approaching a rock outcropping and water fall. Finegan
is on the roof, with Joey peddling. The water is deep, but because of
the rock outcropping Finegan is being cautious. Suddenly he holds his
hand out to stop Joey.
Whoa!
Finegan is in shock.
Holy shit.
Dozens of skeletons, picked clean by fish and crabs, are under the
clear mountain water. Some are of children. Some pieces of clothing in
tatters are here and there still on the bodies, but mostly the
skeletons are white and quite visible. Joey comes bounding up the boxes
from the rear of the houseboat to see. He and Finegan stand side by
side, in silence.
As the houseboat is moving along the rocky shoreline, in the
background, in the woods, we see movement, a man crouching behind a
rock. Finegan motions silently for Joey to stop peddling and to drift,
and to stay where he is. Having seen the bodies and seeing the man’s
caution, Finegan speaks quietly, not knowing what might be nearby.
Yo. Is there danger nearby? We saw those
bodies.
The escapee looks over his shoulder and then steps forward to the
water’s edge.
Can you get me outta here? I’m too old to work
anymore, scheduled for termination. . . Please.
They’ve got dogs, they’re gonna be tracking me.
Having seen children’s bones, Finegan does not assume this man to be a
criminal, and hops down to get the canoe.
______________________________
The houseboat is approaching a small wooded island. It is surrounded by
deep water, at least a mile from the rocky coastline they just left.
The houseboat is maneuvered to a bay at the back of the island, and all
three aboard tie the houseboat to partially submerged trees there. Now
that they are invisible, they can talk. The escapee is eating some cold
potatoes and fish and a tomato, with gusto. Finegan says,
I’d cook you a proper breakfast but if they
have dogs, that’d give us away.
Finegan looks around him to double-check their location.
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As is, they can’t sight us, and if they weren’t
looking this way when we left, they’re
clueless.
Joey says,
I was watching, and I seen no activity. I think
we’re clean away.
The escapee starts to cry, not sobbing but just tears running down his
face as he stuffs the food into his mouth and chews away. Barney comes
up and sits by his feet, looking up - an attempt to comfort the
escapee. Finally, Finegan can wait no longer and picks up the story
line where they presumably left off earlier.
So these guys chasing you, they’re guards?
Guarding what?
The escapee looks at him incredulously, as though everyone has guards
and should understand what he has been through.
The workers. Wait, I though you knew. Aren’t
you both runaways too?
The escapee glances at Joey.
I should’a figured. The first thing they did
was kill the kids . . and the sick . . and the
old . . ah, anyone over 50 is considered past
their prime. . . threw em off a cliff to let
them rot.
The escapee hands his empty platter to Finegan, who is looking aghast
at this systematic extermination. Joey has become very quiet. The
escapee continues with his story.
We were told to come to a military base where
some wealthy folks had set up with supplies. It
was like they were gonna share their supplies,
and like the military would protect us.
The escapee lets out a guffaw at the absurdity of his expectations,
compared to what happened afterwards.
Soon as the phone lines went dead and the roads
were ripped up, things changed. . . The
commander was in thick with them rich folks,
always going up to their bunker and all. . .
Next thing you know they were herding us all
into that yard, behind barbed wire. I thought
that was gonna be for criminals, ya know, but
we all got sent in there. . . Then they pulls
out those from 15 to 50 years of age, healthy
men and women not pregnant, and we got sent to
put up new homes for them wealthy folk.
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I was a plumber, so knew a thing or two about
putting in plumbing. . . When we came back that
first day, everyone else was gone.
The escapee falls silent. Finally sighs and continues.
We learned what happened when the guards
bragged about it. Who shot how many and all.
They liked it, the murders.
The escapee sits up straight, looking Finegan in the eye, as now the
story is getting personal.
They were drawing straws for who was gonna do
me, last night. The long straw gets to do it.
So, ya know, what’d I have to lose? . . I went
over the top and ran like hell.
Finegan asks,
The whole base is like that? Wanting to shoot
civilians, kids?
The escapee realizes he has left out part of his story. He waves his
hands in the air, as though to say “wait, wait, I missed a part”.
Oh no, no. Most ran off to see about their
families. Went AWOL long before the troubles
hit. They saw what was coming. We’d see ‘em
walking by, through the woods, every day,
sometimes in bunches. Those that was left
became the guards, and if they objected to the
plan, then they got put in the work camp too. .
. New rules. . . I think it was the plan all
along.
Finegan asks,
So how many people left in that camp, and how
many guards, you recon?
______________________________
Finegan and the escapee are preparing to take the canoe to shore. The
canoe has been loaded with a couple backpacks and the rifle. Finegan
says,
Joey, you know what to do. I expect I’ll be
back in a day or so, but if five days pass and
you ain’t seeing me, you head off back down the
coast the way we came. Stay to deep water, and
only at night, and keep Barney muzzled. . .
Look up that woman taking care of the old
folks.
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And hey, they do eat rats,
and there’s nothing
wrong with it. . . Them folks in Memphis
weren’t too bad either.
Joey says,
Yes sir.
Finegan and the escapee have pull the canoe up on shore on the rocky
coastline. They both put on a backpack, Finegan carrying the rifle.
They set off through the woods, picking their way carefully, the
escapee in the lead.
______________________________
Finegan and the escapee peer out from the woods at the edge of the
internment camp. The wood frames of the new homes for the wealthy can
be see in the background. There are no lights, but dogs are guarding
the edges of the barbed wire internment camp, staked to the ground. Two
guards are sitting around a fire at one corner of the yard. Finegan
says,
Here’s the plan. I’m setting this dynamite off
under the guardhouse. That takes out most of
‘em. When that happens, those two are going to
be looking in that direction. You shoot good?
The escapee nods his head.
Never missed, hunting.
Finegan continues,
OK. You take this rifle and shoot them dogs
right off. Those guards ain't gonna be looking
your way, they’re gonna be running to the
guardhouse. If they’re looking your way, stop
shooting, so’s they can’t place you. If it
comes to you or them, shoot them guards too,
because that’s what I’m gonna do. Send ‘em to
hell. We sure can’t leave them roving loose on
the landscape, and I ain’t inclined to run a
prison. . . Here’s a wire cutter. When the dogs
are dead and the guards are gone, you open that
yard. Use these if you have to. Let everyone
out.
______________________________
The guard house explodes. Dogs are barking, rifle shots, dogs are
yelping, then more shouting, then more shots. The work camp prisoners
are streaming out of a cut in the barbed wire, running in all
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directions. Some of the prisoners are looking over their shoulders back
at the melee. They pause, then turn around, seeing they are not being
chased, the dogs are dead, and the guards are all on the ground,
wounded or dead. They call to each other and come back. The prisoners
are now making angry murmuring noises. Finegan points to the rifle in
the escapee’s hand.
You keep that, you folks might need it going up
against them.
Finegan is now pointing to the new housing for the wealthy. He pulls
some more dynamite out of his backpack, handing this to one of the men.
You know how to use this?
Another prisoner says,
I do. Worked in demolition.
Finegan continues his instructions.
They got any supplies, they should be yours,
for back pay, eh? Send them off without
anything. No food. No weapons. That’s better’n
they did to you. They may not have been in
charge of this ‘er camp, but they didn’t rescue
you either.
More and more prisoners are coming back to the group, realizing they
are freed and the war has been won. The escapee is crying again, tears
running down his face, a wordless, sobless weeping. Finegan says his
goodbye, to the escapee, and with a wave to the rest of the prison
population.
I gotta go talk to a boy now.
103
Bear Market
Finegan is continuing to peddle along the rocky shoreline, formerly a
mountainous area such as eastern Kentucky or West Virginia. They are
coming closer to the heavy population centers along the East Coast. The
houseboat is approaching a mountain top resort area. The main buildings
have partially collapsed roofs and a wall here and there collapsed
also. The yards and bushes have not been mowed or trimmed. Sheep can be
seen grazing on the former golf course. The houseboat approaches a
grassy slope of land with a winding road leading down into the water.
Finegan is preparing to moor the houseboat there, Joey getting ready to
sling a grappling hook.
Finegan and Joey approach the former resort. As usual Barney waits for
them on the houseboat, standing guard. The resport appears to be
deserted, but then the sound of muffled voices can be heard from the
basement area. The collapsed roof of the resort is in pieces on the
floor of the lobby, but the floor held so the basement is intact. The
lobby had a lofting ceiling, unstable during the quakes. Finegan and
Joey come down some winding stairs leading from the lobby of the resort
to a basement recreation area.
The basement has huge wooden beams and a stone floor, pool tables and a
bar, stuffed animal heads mounted on the walls, and over-stuffed chairs
in the corners around coffee tables and tables with lamps. A generator
is sitting near the bar, with some lamps moved to the bar with
extension cords, but it has long since run out of gasoline, useless.
A portly man, a former billionaire, is arguing with another portly man,
their hands gesturing in the air. The second man is backing away from
the former billionaire during this conversation. Lounging in one
corner, on some of the over-stuffed chairs, are several young women, a
couple decades younger than the men. The former billionaire says,
. . Need to hire some new men . .
Both men suddenly realize that Finegan and Joey are quietly descending
the stairs and jerk their heads around in that direction. They stare
silently at the newcomers, as though expecting an apology or
explanation. The former billionaire says,
This is a private resort.
Finegan says,
Finegan Fine here, trader. I come to see what
you might need, and what you have in trade.
The two portly men look at each other for a minute, unspoken
communications between them. The former billionaire says,
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You have food? I’m looking to get the damn
phone connected but the batteries are dead.
His partner motions to the quiet generator and says,
And that thing don’t work.
Finegan says,
Cell phones? You need towers for those, and the
towers are down.
The former billionaire says,
Oh yeah? How would you know?
Finegan says the obvious.
How long you been trying to raise someone? . .
Phones don’t work no more. Short wave is the
only thing and that’s real spotty.
The former billionaire and his buddy don’t look surprised. The former
billionaire reaches into his back pocket, pulling out a checkbook, and
slaps it on the bar.
Yeah, well, I can write you a check. Bring the
food supplies and gas for the generator in
here.
He points to the middle of the floor and proceeds to fill out the
check. Finegan says,
Paper’s no good.
The former billionaire flushes with anger and looks sharply over at
Finegan, his voice rising.
Paper? This is backed. This isn’t paper, this
is solid, negotiable anywhere.
&nbs
p; Finegan holds his ground.
No one deals in paper anymore. It’s no good.
You gotta barter goods and services.
The former billionaire throws his pen down on the bar in disgust and
turns his back. Finally he explodes in anger.
We need something to eat! Damit. I don’t care
what it takes, bring some food in here and on
the double.
Finegan is beginning to suspect that this group had been dislodged from
the internment camp, and has headed to the only location nearby where
they expected to get a warm welcome as former members of the resort.
Finegan winks covertly at Joey to clue him in.
Don’t you garden or tend sheep or something?
Most survivors have to do that to survive. What
you been eating?
Finegan is pretending to look around the rec room for evidence of
gardening or hunting or fishing. The former billionaire says,
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Not that it’s any of your business, but our
help quit. Ran off and left us.
Finegan motions to the several young women lounging in the corner on
over-stuffed chairs, looking blaze. They are well dressed though some
weed seeds are entangled in hair or on clothing, and their panty hose
ripped and shoes muddy. Finegan says,
Doen’t take much to seed and weed a garden.
They break a leg or something?
The former billionaire is twitching slightly.
We don’t garden. The help does that.
The former billionaire is losing his temper again, looking around and
up at the ceiling, calling out to the general area as though expecting
the resort staff to suddenly appear out of thin air.
I’m a paid member. Where the hell is the help!
Joey is trying not to smile and trying to play dumb, almost biting his
lip at times, in on the secret. Finegan says,
So you had a garden but left it? Just because
the help ran off? Didn’t you treat them right?
The former billionaire is now sounding a bit desperate.