Our End Of The Lake: Surviving After The 2012 Solar Storm (Prepper Trilogy) (12 page)

“Damn, there is a friggin’ arsenal in that closet!” Ray said carrying out two rifle cases and a pistol box.

Martha interjected into the men’s conversation and admiration of the weapons with, “What kind of signs did David say to make?” she admonished, as if to say nobody should get trigger happy.

“He said something about just getting the message across that people should keep moving on by this place.” Phil offered.

“Let’s put up a big sheet with skull and crossbones on it.” Dump suggested looking wicked.

“That’s not what he meant, he said we should help small groups, but be prepared for repelling mobs.” Martha scolded.

“That would repel me…” Dump started to say, before Martha and Ray looked at him pointedly.

“I better go check that fire.” Dump said picking up a Marlin 30-30.

“You do that, and don’t forget to look for Dave coming back, in case he needs you.” Martha said, while feeling Phil’s forehead like she was doing some kind of good in this hundred degree weather.

A belligerent, but chastised, Dump Truck wandered back to his cooking efforts and resumed the chore of leveling the coals. Meantime, Ray talked to Phil about the impromptu wedding and his and Martha’s plans to team up and get through this radical change in living conditions.

“Philburn, you still got horses over at your place?” Ray asked contemplating a lead into a conversation where he might just be able to have the upper hand with this old horse trader, for a change.

“I got a couple of old retired nags, but I just got done selling off most of my stock. Wish I hadn’t, we got a use for them now don’t we.” He said with the same old dollar signs in his eyes Ray was used too from past dealings with the old miser.

“You still got any of those old tractors you used to collect?” Ray said setting the old negotiator up for a fall.

He doesn’t really collect them he just buys up old pieces of shit and gets them barely running to sell to someone as“Antique” when he can get away with it, Ray thought to himself
.

“Oh, I got a couple, I been restoring, you seen that rare one I got out on the road in front of my place with the for sale sign on it?” His eyes sparkling as his nose smelled new money out of trash. “Think it can still run, now do you, after what just happened?” Phil shrewdly inquired.

“It might still work, you referring to that old Hoyt Clagwell looking thing you probably got off Mr. Haney on Green Acres?” Ray said drawing his victim in and working on driving down the price.

“Hey, that’s a crank start 1950 Massey Ferguson; they don’t make them like that anymore!” Phil objected.

“They don’t make them like that any more for a reason!” looking at his prey wolfishly and then carrying on.

“Did that old rust bucket run when you parked it to the side of the road?” Ray said mentally licking his chops.

“ Now, see here, that’s a valuable antique, I admit its condition needs some paint, but I ain’t taking less than $900 for it as is and it will crank.” Phil huffed.

“How are you going to get home Phil, you thought about that yet?” Making the old reprobate realize he had been had, hook line and sinker.

“What are you saying, Ray?” Phil said irately.

“I am saying I got a proposition for you that you can’t refuse.” and commenced to tell him the deal I had struck to get that god awful bike and that I might just be willing to ride him home on it, if I got a tractor out of the deal, and sat back smugly knowing he had the winning hand.

“Shit, you a hard trader Ray, there’s no way I can make it back the 7 miles to my place by foot after the ordeal I done been through.” He said with lighting bolts coming out of his old grey blue eyes.

“I ain’t done with you, yet.” Ray said hitching his fingers under the straps of his overalls and toying with his quarry.

“ You going to get Davies’s bike out of the deal and we ain’t traded for that yet, nor the cost of your upkeep while residing on my place, oops, our place.” casting a glance at an intrigued, but correcting Martha.

“You’re gouging me, going too far.” Philburn said, apparently outraged, while trying to direct the conversation back towards a more palatable deal for himself.

“You have been screwing every one around here for years.” Martha looked at him intently. “’Fair will be fair’, as we see it or move on.” she said reproachfully and looking pointedly towards the road.

“Ok, name your terms.” a defeated Phil said.

Ray started counting on his fingers, “For a ride home, David gets the tractor and it better run.” he said looking at the misbegotten old man.

“It does, but uses oil.” Phil offered a bit cowed.

“Two,” Ray ticked off on his fingers, remembering how many times this old codger had got him on a deal or a loan payment. “My time or my money is not free, as you have been known to say so many times, we pay for convenience or we can go to the bank, as you used to like to remind me regarding interest rates or repayment schedules.” He spoke towards a thoroughly trapped loan shark and enjoying every minute of it.

A long pause occurred, as the two eyed each other, then Philburn busted out laughing and dug for his wallet saying, “Ok, now how much for the bike.” and grinning at Martha.

Dump had wandered back by now and had heard bits and pieces of the conversation. Phil noticed him coming up in back of him and said, “Damn Ray, you didn’t need to call the bouncer, I was agreeing.” he said jovially and extending his aged hand towards Truck.

“What did I miss?’ Dump asked softly, taking the man’s hand and looking towards Martha and Ray for explanations.

“Your friend might be riding home on a tractor, if this scalawag is telling me the truth.” Ray said leaning back in his chair and sharing a moment of mutual respect with what once was a feared bill collector.

“Oh, she runs, I guarantee that, or did. I don’t really understand how the Sun can affect technology yet, but you got my word that thing can drive down the road or did before this.” He said towards Ray, who was looking bemused.

“Ok, for bike rental or sale, you need to lend me a horse, so I can come to help you put in a crop with one of those other tractors, when I get around to peddling my way down there to see about you.” Ray offered.

“You are going to do that for us? As miserable as I have been?” Phil said, doing a bit of self reflection.” Bless you!” he said reaching slowly towards Ray.

“Times have changed, we all got to paddle the same canoe now.” he said now and looking off worriedly in the direction I had traveled.

LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEY

This road looks pretty clear I thought,
as I pumped the pedals along towards Newnan.
I wonder what’s in back of me, people are either coming towards or away from a destination
, I was thinking, as I saw my first group of travelers. A man had his suit coat slung over his shoulder and was leading, what I guessed was his family of a wife and two kids, down the road. He looked up at me as I was coasting down the hill towards them.

“Got a minute?” I asked while applying the coaster brake and slowing in their direction.

“Where you coming from?” the man replied, obviously put off about my strange presence on this bicycle and condition of my modified suit.

“Just checking on neighbors.” I replied, trying to act like I belonged there. “Want to share some water?” I said producing a 2 liter from my white floral emblazoned wicker basket.

“Awful kind of you.” He replied, still trying to get a understanding of the odd spectacle before him, as his wife reached around and gathered up the kids and moved closer to him.

“Dustin Majors.” he said offering his hand and taking the bottle from me.

“David Dupree.” I said looking down the road and returning the handshake.

“You got many Folks in back of you?” I attempted cheerily, so his wife would release her charges.

“What do you want?” he said making an obvious attempt at letting me see his shoulder holster and what might have been a Glock residing in it.

“Not a thing, I was just being civil.” I somewhat snarled back warningly, thinking I could beat him to the draw, if it went there.

“Hey, we’re sorry.” said the woman releasing her kids and stepping forward with a cautionary hand on the man.

“It’s been a bad day, I am Angela and this is Steve and Julie.” she said exposing the children.

“I agree, I just thought you looked thirsty and I wanted a bit of news.” I said keeping my eyes on the man, but physically relaxing and acknowledging the wee ones.

“My bad, friend, it’s a zoo back there and I am a bit jumpy after last night.” he said, still curious as to why I was not put off by the flash of his piece.

“What happened last night?” I said relaxing and watching them pass around the bottle of water.

“Damned group of punks wanted to fuck with us in the middle of the night, while we were trying to sleep. I almost capped one!” He said flashing his pistol again.

“Dustin! Watch the language!” his wife said, nudging him and drawing the kids nearer, like that was supposed to keep them from hearing.

I attempted to get the conversation on a more positive track and said, “Glad you didn’t have to, but you run them off anyways.” I offered.

“Oh, yeah, they took off like scalded dogs, when I fired a round off in the air.” He declared proudly and the wife and kids shuddered.

“So, have you seen a lot of travelers today?” I allowed scanning the road for others.

“We decided to take the road less traveled, but I am not sure exactly where this ends up, we were going to her mom’s at Fullers cross roads, which is in this general direction.” he said, wishing I would supply him more information.

“When you get to your second set of crossroads, that’s it. Only about two more miles ahead.”

“Hey, thanks I should recognize which way at the intersection.” said Dustin.

Good, they are not even going past Martha’s I thought
.

“How did you come to get stuck in the monkey suit on this fine day,” I said gesturing towards my own dress pants and shoes.

“I am a lawyer, it’s a dress code thing.” he said, as if I was going to automatically start telling Lawyer jokes, which I got to admit, I did consider.

“Well, good luck to you folks and stay safe, I got some more rounds to make.” I said and began peddling away.

“Bye, David.” they all chorused.

What the hell, they’re probably armed for bear, too, by now
. I thought when I turned off the road and into the driveway to signs literally everywhere. I almost fell over laughing at one:
IF YOU LOOKING FOR TROUBLE KEEP MOVING ON

A WONDERFUL SOLUTION

“Hey, Dumpie!” I said as I wheeled around the bush he was attempting to hide behind and casually lowering his Marlin as he recognized me, or more probably, my conveyance.

“How’s, the road look?” he said with anticipation.

“Nobody seems to be using it, thank the heavens.” I said looking around.

“You kind of overdid it on the signs, didn’t you.” I said observing a “Burma shave” line that extended in both directions.

“That was Martha.” Dump said aggravated.

“She made us make and situate every one of those, because she thought that’s what you wanted, Dave.” he declared, like I had something to do with the printing press Martha had produced.

“What’s Phil up to, he recovering?” I asked as I started up the driveway.

“He is back In Korea.” Dump considered and draining the last of a hot beer. “Ray found him an old M1 A1 rifle and he is back in the zone giving advice, although he was a paymaster, not a foot soldier.” he said for update, as to what had transpired after I left,

“Hi, looks like Martha is keeping you busy.” I observed.

“Shit, she has been a whirl of activity since you left David, had me spreading mustard on sandwiches for people I don’t even know” Phil said resentfully to Martha’s returning glare..

“Hey Dupree, I cut a deal for you.” Ray said grinning.

“You are going to ride Papa Stiles back home on your bike.” said Ray carrying on knowingly.

“Do what?’ I said trying to imagine that crazy picture.

“It’s a fair trade.” Martha offered before giving Ray a chance to explain the convoluted deal that was made previously

”I wouldn’t mind doing it a bit under those conditions “ I carefully said

Phil looked up at me and said “you going to be able to peddle me all that ways, Dave?”

“Hell, I would find a way to carry you all the way, for the loan of that tractor.” I replied grabbing one Martha’s hefty sandwiches.

“Your buddy is a tough negotiator.” Phil said smiling at a grinning Ray.

“Appears to be.” I acknowledged. “You going to be all right to travel tomorrow, Phil”? I said, concerned about his health.

“As well as I will ever be. I might slow you down some, though. I will need to take several breaks. “He replied wearily.