by AJ Powers
“It’s quite a nice little community you have here,” Clay said with admiration.
“Thank you. It’s my land, but the folks here,” he said as he gestured towards the people who were out and about, “are the ones that make it a community.”
“So, how many live here?”
“A hundred and sixty-two.”
“Actually,” Matthew interjected, “a hundred and sixty-three.”
Watson smiled. “Deborah have the baby?” Watson asked.
“Yep,” Matthew smiled. “Baby Elijah.”
Watson returned the smile. “So, a hundred sixty-three then. We have a lot of good folks living in this town. Many of them came here with their bachelor’s degree in political sciences or liberal arts from those fancy schools up in Boston or out in California. I tell ya, some of them couldn’t even fry themselves an egg when they got here. And now…” he paused and looked around, “I bet you couldn’t pick one out of a line of career farmers,” he said proudly.
The store was a small addition on a barn and was about 25 feet wide and 10 feet deep. A bell hanging just above the door bounced around as they walked in. It reminded Clay of an old meat market his family used to frequent.
A larger, middle-aged woman came from a doorway behind the counter and saw the three standing there. “Good afternoon, Mr. Watson,” she said before busying herself with some small tasks around the store.
Watson walked behind the counter and assumed the role of the clerk. “So, what have ya got for me today?” he asked.
Before Clay responded, the bell above the door rang again. Jeremy walked in and greeted everyone. When he noticed Clay, he walked up to the counter and acted as if he had been there the whole time. He nodded at Clay to carry on.
Clay lifted the bag onto the counter top; a weighty thud followed. He could tell Watson was curious. Trading was an essential way of life now, but it was always exciting to discover what item someone was willing to put up for trade.
Clay pulled things out of his pack one at a time. First came the ammo: 200 rounds of .38 Special. He had a revolver that shot the ammo, but he seldom used it. It was never a good fit for him, but he kept it anyway as a rainy day gun. He had a fair bit of ammo for it, so the 200 cartridges weren’t a big loss. He continued to pull some various items out of the pack, including the nice tool set he had found at the mechanics. He had piqued Watson’s interest already, but he was saving the best for last. He watched for Watson’s reaction as he removed the last item.
Watson stepped back and stood in awe. “Son, is that what it claims to be? Or are you just teasin’ me?”
“Not teasing, sir.”
Watson took the big, plastic red can from Clay and removed the black lid. To his astonishment, it was still sealed. He grabbed the tab on the foil seal and started to peel it back.
“Hey now,” Clay said with a stern but joking voice. “You open it you bought it.”
Watson tore it back and inhaled deeply. The sweet aroma wafted through the room like a breeze. Even Jeremy closed his eyes as he savored the whiff.
They haggled back and forth for a little bit, but the advantage was all but Clay’s after Watson opened the container. Ordinarily, Watson was a shrewd negotiator, but after smelling coffee grounds for the first time in three years, Clay had the deal in the bag.
“Margaret,” Watson called for the middle-aged woman who had wandered to the back during negotiation.
“Yes, Mr. Watson?” she said as she peeked around the doorway.
“Would you be a dear and get our friend here three quarts of milk, a block of butter, a pound of cheese, two dozen eggs, and a few vegetables?”
“Yes sir,” she said and promptly left.
Clay was elated. He felt like he had just made the deal of the century. Everything he traded he either had more of, or not much use for, and neither he nor Megan really cared for coffee. They had a small can they would dip into from time to time should the need arise for a late night, but they had both learned how to operate without caffeine. It was a finite resource that they only used when they needed a jolt. The last time Clay had sipped on a cup of joe was six months ago when he had thought somebody followed him home and was convinced they would try to attack. He had already been up for 36 hours and didn’t want to go to sleep. Megan thought he was just delusional. She was probably right, he eventually conceded.
The woman came back with the items. It was going to be tricky to carry everything back home, but it would be well worth it. While he was trying to figure out how best to pack everything in his bag, the bell above the door jingled again.
“Clay?”
He didn’t need to turn around to know who was there—the voice was unmistakable—but as he did, he smiled, “Kelsey, I was hoping to run into you.”
She walked over and gave him a hug. Jeremy glared at Clay and then walked to the other side of the store and looked at the new goods Margaret had just set out on the shelves.
Kelsey and Clay chatted for a few minutes until Watson, looking at his watch, inserted himself into their conversation. “I gotta run here, kids, but before I go, Kelsey did you have anything for me?”
Kelsey reached into a pouch hanging off her side and pulled out two nine volt batteries. Watson took them from her and dabbed his tongue on the two terminals; he made a funny face and pulled it away quickly. He repeated the same thing on the other battery.
“I found them yesterday on my way home.”
Watson nodded, “Do you want credit, payment, or trade?”
“Payment’s fine.”
Watson pulled out a little pocket-sized notebook and wrote something inside.
“So, Clay, I was getting ready to head out and do some scavenging. You interested in joining me?” Kelsey asked.
Clay had planned on scouting the area anyway, but having Kelsey to chat with would make it much more enjoyable. Excited to hear her request, Clay responded, “That sounds great! Just let me grab my stuff and,” he paused as he stared at his purchase. “Uhm.”
“No problem,” Watson answered the question Clay hadn’t asked. “I’ll have Margaret put your stuff back in the ice box. You just let her know when you are ready to retrieve it.”
“I owe you one,” Clay said.
“Y’all be safe,” Watson said as he walked out the door.
Clay and Kelsey wasted no time and headed south to check out a few buildings of interest that she had spotted on one of her trips a few weeks back. They started with an old ma-and-pa gas station but turned up empty-handed. The veterinary clinic was the same story, which surprised Clay. Usually he could find something in such a large facility, but no such luck this time.
They decided to cut their losses and head back to the farm. They took a different route back and came across a roller skating rink. In its prime, it was probably the place to be for the small town of—according to the sign they saw a mile back—a population of 752.
The long, windowless brick building was consumed by creepers, vines, and any other plant that could latch on to the masonry. The cracking white and purple paint revealed the faded red color of the raw bricks beneath. At the far end was a small overhang covering a double-door entry. They stepped through where windows once made up the door and eased their way in.
They walked down a short, declining hallway and turned on their flashlights as they lost light from the doors. It was an ominous sight to behold, like something out of a horror movie. Clay could almost hear the sound of children’s laughter and swing music as kids and adults alike did the limbo on roller skates. Trash and debris littered the rotting wooden floor; several planks had started to bend upward.
Big, dark buildings like the rink usually yielded some good finds. With low visibility, even in the daylight, scavengers usually missed valuable items. Clay and Kelsey began to search slowly and thoroughly.
“So, what’s the deal with Watson?” Clay asked.
“What do you mean?” Kelsey asked as she crouched down to sift through some
trash on the floor.
“Well, the two times I’ve met the guy he’s been as nice as can be—probably more so than any other person I’ve met in a long time. The whole place just seems great. Yet, you don’t really seem to like it there.”
Kelsey shrugged, “Yeah, I mean it’s nice and all, but...” she trailed off.
“But what?”
“It’s complicated.”
“How so?”
She sighed, reluctant to share. “About a year and a half ago, I was coming through the area with Dakota. We were on the brink of starvation. We had been on a long stretch of road, heading towards Oklahoma, and there were very few places to search for food. I had no way to hunt for food—not that I was finding any animals to hunt anyway. So, we just toughed it out. But we both had reached our breaking point. I was just about ready to collapse when I heard a cow.
“I practically sprinted up the small hill off the side of the road and came to a barbed wire fence. There were three or four of ‘em there. So big; so much food. I was out of my mind to try and kill the thing with my knife. After I tried to slit its throat, the thing knocked me down and took off, screaming and crying and scaring the rest of them away. I had put Dakota down near the fence, and when I got back to her…that’s when I met Watson.”
“I don’t imagine he was too happy with you,” Clay said.
“No, not really. He only butchers the cattle when it’s absolutely necessary, and I made it necessary for that one,” she paused as she picked up a nickel and stuffed it in her pocket. “I am grateful, though. Most folks would have just shot me on the spot for doing what I did. At least he’s letting me stay there and work off the debt—as insurmountable as it is.”
That’s true, Clay thought. Without rule of law, many people settled even petty crimes with execution. Killing a man’s cattle was by no means petty, either. Although he could understand more clearly where Kelsey was coming from and why staying there wasn’t as pleasant of an experience as it seemed for others, he also thought it was very generous for Watson to give her an opportunity to settle the debt, not to mention she had a warm place to sleep and access to food for her and Dakota.
“How much more do you owe?”
“I don’t really know anymore,” she said, sounding a bit frazzled. “I used to keep track but it’s a lot, so I just stopped doing the math.”
Clay could tell she was getting worked up talking about it, so he stopped with the questions. The whole thing made him feel uncomfortable, but he wanted to know more. Perhaps, with time, she would open up to him about it.
They had finished searching the rink, finding a couple things of value. They moved to the other side of the building to check some lockers that had long been emptied. The concession stand was the same story. Everything in the main area had been picked clean.
As they made their way to the back of the large room, they came up to a pair of industrial doors; they were riddled with dents, scratches, and even a few bullet holes. Clay grabbed the handle; it was still locked. If it was still locked from the inside, there was a good chance what was in there seven years ago was still there.
He observed the efforts made by countless people in the past and wondered how on earth he was going to break through. It wasn’t like cracking a safe, and without any tools, it was going to be near impossible.
They searched around to see what they could find. Clay brought back a roller skate and began to hammer on the handle, but the skate gave way long before the door. Clay thought about drilling it with a couple of rounds from the M4, but it was getting late and Screamers could already be out. They didn’t need to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves. They had just about given up when Kelsey had an idea.
“See that?” she said pointing her flashlight at a vent on the wall near the ceiling.
Clay looked at it and wondered if she could fit. It couldn’t have been more than two feet wide and probably eighteen inches high. He knew for sure he couldn’t get through.
“You’re crazy,” Clay said.
Kelsey smiled at him, “Come on. Give me a boost.”
Clay positioned himself in front of the wall and linked his fingers together. Kelsey stepped on his hands and stood up straight. Clay grunted from the weight as he lifted her a bit.
“You trying to tell me something, Clay?” she said jokingly.
“That I need to work out more.”
“Good answer.”
Kelsey pulled a small fixed blade out of a sheath and began to pry at the vent. The screws put up no fight at all, and the vent popped right off. Dust and other particulates exploded off and rained down on Clay.
“Wish me luck,” Kelsey said as she did her best to push off of Clay’s hands and pull herself up through the opening.”
The vent was merely a hole in the wall and not connected to any sort of ductwork. He heard her jump to the floor below and then then a loud clatter followed by hissed profanity.
“You okay?” Clay shouted as loud as he dared.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just not one of my more graceful moments. Glad no one saw it,” she said with a chuckle. “Let me see if I can find my way to those doors.”
Clay returned to the doors. He began to pace back and forth as the minutes ticked by. He started to worry. If anyone was back there, he had no way to get to her. She was on her own. He should have given her a gun.
After a few more minutes, he heard some noise from the other side and saw light dancing beneath the doors. “Kelsey?”
“It’s me,” she replied.
Clay heard the door unlock, but Kelsey couldn’t open them. After a couple of rams with his shoulder, Clay had burst through causing Kelsey to stumble backwards. She was covered in dust with cobwebs clinging to her hair; she looked like an extra in a campy horror movie from the 1960’s. She had a big grin on her face.
“You’re never going to believe what I found back there!”
Chapter 10
She shut and locked the doors and led him through the series of hallways. Clay could hardly contain his excitement at all the rooms that were just begging to be searched. Finding such an undisturbed place had become rare and was like coming downstairs on Christmas morning to all the gifts under the tree.
They walked into a break room. It was relatively bare but not ransacked. It appeared as if the owner had taken everything himself and then locked up—perhaps hoping to reopen someday.
Kelsey practically skipped across the room to a closed door. She grabbed the handle and turned around to look at Clay.
“Are you ready?” she asked before she swung open the door.
Clay’s mouth hung wide open, “Are you serious?”
Kelsey gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder. He looked at her, still stunned, then smiled. It took a while for it to sink in. They stood in the doorway of the supply closet, staring inside. Clay was afraid to blink, lest when his eyes reopened the closet would be empty. But it was not empty. It was quite full. There were two large boxes of individual potato chip packs, several boxes of candy, and a couple 12 packs of soda.
“Unbelievable,” Clay said while staring at all the goods.
“So, what do ya say? Fifty-fifty?” Kelsey asked.
“Sure,” Clay said as he walked over to the goods, still wondering if he was dreaming.
He picked up a twelve pack of his favorite caffeine infused citrus soda, a box of candy bars, and a dozen or so bags of chips and carried them to one of the tables in the break room.
“The rest is yours,” he said to her.
Kelsey gave him a perplexed look. “What? That’s not even a quarter of what’s there. Why?”
“I imagine Watson will pay well for this. It’s a good score, not one I ever thought I would find. Heck, all that,” he pointed to the goods he had just set aside for himself, “is more than I ever imagined I would find.”
Kelsey’s eyes began to well up, her voice got shaky, “Clay, no, this is as much yours as it is mine. You have people who count on
you to provide food.”
“Bah!” Clay said and waved his hand. “It’s all chemicals, sugar, and starches. Hardly what I would call true sustenance.”
“Yeah, but they can bring comfort…”
“That’s true,” he said, “which is why I didn’t give you all of it. My family and I will enjoy that plenty. The rest will benefit you much more than us.”
“Clay,” she said softly, “I don’t know what to say.” She reached out and hugged him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Just don’t let Watson get ‘em for cheap. He nearly fainted when he smelled the coffee I traded him. He knows the power of creature comforts like this, and he will be able to mark them up quite a bit in his store.
Kelsey smiled warmly, gave Clay another hug, and pecked him on the cheek. “You’re so sweet.”
He found himself at a loss of words after the friendly kiss but managed to stammer out, “You’re welcome.”
They figured it was going to take at least two, maybe three, trips to take everything back to the ranch. They were only about seven miles away, so it would be easy to finish tomorrow.
They scavenged the rest of the rooms in the back area finding quite a few smaller items, but nothing that could measure up to the discovery in the break room. Clay picked a few things for his family and then donated the rest to Kelsey’s debt.
Exhausted, they set up camp in the manager’s office which had a love seat along one of the walls. They split a chocolate bar before settling in for bed. Kelsey lay down on the loveseat, her legs dangling over the armrest. She used her jacket as a blanket and fell asleep quite quickly.
Clay sat in the manager’s chair and propped his legs up on the desk. Much to his surprise, he was quite comfortable. Taking a cue from Kelsey, he draped his coat over his upper body and tucked in his arms. Unlike the last time they had been together, Clay had no trouble sleeping…until he heard the noises.
It was early in the morning when he heard the loud thud come from down the hall. Startled, he nearly fell out of his chair when he heard it.