Tempest of Tennessee (Episode 3): Tempest of Tennessee

by McDonald, Terry

  “Yeah, I know, but dad likes to keep a nice home.”

  “How come there aren’t any curtains in the other houses? None of them look lived in.”

  “That’s because they weren’t. Mister Haggles, the man who built them ran into legal trouble from the people he bought the land from and there was an injunction put on selling. That’s why we moved here. Dad worked for James Haggles and knew this place was finished but vacant. We moved here right after the bombs fell.”

  “Haggles is a weird name to be stuck with.”

  “The Haggles were all right; their last name didn’t define them, just as I doubt your name defines you.”

  I almost laughed. “I wouldn’t place money on that if I were you.”

  Turning from me, he cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted, “I’m back. I brought company with me. We’re coming up the walkway.”

  A young woman with a big head of hair came onto their front porch and then turned to holler back inside, “Mel’s home and he’s brought a girlfriend with him.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend,” Mel shouted back. Then to me he said, “Don’t pay any attention to Alicia. She’s always teasing me. Come on.”

  He pushed his bike and trailer toward the porch and I followed behind him. A middle-aged couple came onto the porch to join Mel’s sister.

  “Who’s that with you?”

  “She’s Tempest; Tempest of Tennessee.”

  We reached the porch and Mel dropped his kickstand. “I found everything on the list. Coming back, a pack of wild dogs chased me up a tree. She ran them off; shot two of them.”

  “So you decided to bring her for dinner.” The woman left the porch to give me a hug. I flinched away and said, “I don’t like to be touched.”

  She didn’t frown, didn’t seem to mind my words at all. “Then we won’t touch you. I’m Iris, Mel’s mother. The handsome man on the porch is my husband, Shane.”

  “I’m glad to meet you. Let me say that I’m in a bit of a hurry, but I would like a moment with you if I may.”

  She waved me to the porch, “Hon, we have nothing but time. Come on in.”

  Following her to the door, I noted that neither Mama nor Daddy had a weapon. Inside, Iris led me to their living room and pointed me to a cushioned armchair.

  “Have a seat. Would you care for something to drink?”

  “Water would be good.”

  “All we have is bottled.”

  “Bottle’s good for me.”

  She left the room. Mel, Alicia and his daddy sat on the couch. The daddy, Shane said, “The dogs are running out of easy-to-get food. They’ll be an ongoing problem.”

  Mel said, “I’ve figured out a solution…, Mace.”

  Shane smiled, “Good thinking, son. We’ll put that on our next list.”

  I said, “Lead does it for me,” then speaking directly to Shane. “Mel explained the reason you all go around unarmed. As I told him, eventually you’ll run into someone who’ll kill you, armed or not. You don’t have to be black for that to happen.”

  Shane nodded. “We are aware that it is only a matter of time until we meet such, but it’s a game of ‘playing the odds’; a hope to buy us a bit more time.”

  Iris returned with my water as I spoke. “Well the best that can happen is when the time comes, they shoot you dead. The worst that can happen is the beat you and Mel and the younger girls to death with baseball bats or tire tools and then rape Alicia and her mama to death.”

  Iris dropped the unopened bottle she held. Alicia sat back as if I’d poked her with a cattle prod. Mel and Shane shuddered.

  Iris bent to retrieve the water to hand me, but it was a moment before Shane broke the silence following my predictions.

  “Those are true words. Harshly spoken, but it is an adequate portrayal of our eventual fate.”

  I shook my head. “There is another option, strength in numbers. You’re welcome to join up with our group at the ranch.”

  I could read distrust in Alicia’s reply. “Why would you offer us a place among your group? You wouldn’t let Mother touch you.”

  I went to the heart of it. “If you’re asking why because you’re black, the answer is, the larger the group of people of good morals, the better they can protect themselves. Color has nothing to do with it. As far as not letting your mother touch me; again, your color has nothing to do with it. I don’t like to be touched by anyone.”

  To Shane, I spoke, “What are you and your family doing here in Tennessee. Nearly all the Blacks left when the southern block of states formed into a unit.”

  “We aren’t from Tennessee. Money brought us here. I work with children with special needs. James Haggles, my former employer, brought his autistic daughter to our clinic in Chicago. I worked with Charlene for a month; took her from non-verbal to verbal and was making progress with her unique behavior set. James was paying through his nose to the clinic. He came to me with a monetary offer I’d have been a fool to refuse. We didn’t have to deal with Tennessee because he set us up in a cottage on his estate.”

  “Why did you all leave the estate?”

  “James was in Atlanta when the EMP hit and therefore was unable to return to the estate. It took a rather large cadre to run the place, and unlike James, that bunch had no use for us. We knew trouble was coming so we packed our belongings in our station wagon and came here. They didn’t chase after us because we took the only vehicle that would run.”

  Iris said, “They’d already made it obvious that trouble was coming; ordered us to keep to the cottage and not go wandering about until they decided what to do with us.” She reached to take her husband’s hand. “We’re still in Tennessee because the thought of attempting to drive hundreds of miles is terrifying.

  “Shane and I have spoken about moving to a rural area and learn subsistence farming. Tell us about the ranch and the people there.”

  It took two bottles of water to do the telling. When I finished, Shane said, “We have transportation. I have the old Buick Station Wagon in my garage. It belonged to my Father. I spent three years rebuilding the engine and redoing the interior. It’s complete except for needing a new paint job. Baby runs like a sewing machine.”

  Iris added, “It won’t take us long to pack. Basing it on what you said, the Walmart is assessable. We’ll only pack our mementos, keepsakes and toiletries. We can pick up new clothing and such there.

  Mel joined in. “You said you’re looking for gasoline. There’s a fuel depot only a couple of miles from here. I found it a while back when I was on a scavenging run. There must be thousands of gallons there. I saw three or four tanker-trucks parked in the lot behind the gates.

  That was good news. I said, “Give me directions and I’ll check it while you all pack.”

  The fuel depot was only a couple of miles further north on the 45 and then a half-mile off the highway. The strong chain link gates had a heavy-duty padlock. Not having means to force it, I scaled the fence and went to check the huge tanks and several tanker trucks on the property.

  Shout as I did at the small building located near the entrance gates, no one showed. A thorough check proved I had the lot to myself.

  Of the three tanker trucks, only one appeared old enough not to have electronics susceptible to the EMP. The keys for it weren’t in the ignition but were in the ashtray. The key turned, but the batteries were stone dead.

  I didn’t need to open any valves on the tanker to check its contents. Fuel that dripped from one reeked of gasoline.

  I checked the huge round storage tanks. One held diesel and the other two, gas. Depending on storage at the ranch, there was enough fuel for years.

  Back at the Freeman’s, I found that they weren’t quite finished packing their station wagon. Judging from the number of boxes already loaded into the cargo compartment, they had a lot of mementos and keepsakes.

  Shane had said his restoration on the car was complete except for painting. He could have fooled me. The blue paint shine
d with a wax job that made it glow.

  Best of all, I walked into a home filled with the odor of fresh brewed coffee.

  Pouring me a cup, in answer to my question about them having electricity, she said they didn’t have any, but showed me how she made coffee on her propane stove using an aluminum pot that she called a percolator. According to her, a campfire worked just as well. I’d never heard of a percolator, but I made a mental note; get a percolator.

  Since I felt satisfied that I’d fulfilled my mission to find fuel, I saw no need to hurry them. It didn’t matter, they finished before my cup was empty. I downed the final quarter and went out to climb onto the seat of my four-wheeler.

  The Freemans piled into their station wagon. Shane tooted his horn and waved me on.

  **********

  Back at the Walmart, my eyes went to the roof, not really expecting to see anyone up there. There was someone, Gloria stood at the parapet wall holding an AR. She waved and I waved back.

  Pulling to a stop at the entrance, Sunil and Sania were on watch duty. Sunil ran to my four-wheeler to tell me that everyone was on the rear dock.

  “Please tell Mother that we wait for the meal she promised. I am hesitant to leave my duty to inform her.”

  “As you should be; I’ll pass it on.”

  Behind the Walmart I parked in a place where our vehicles wouldn’t be in the way of the trucks they’d brought there. The Freeman’s piled out of their Buick and joined me.

  “Who were the children you spoke to in the front?” Iris asked.

  “That was Sunil and Sania. They belong to an Indian family… from India, not native Indian. Anyway, Vikas and Preeja worked over in Lexington at the Amazon facility. You’ll love Preeja, she can cook—, well Preeja and Maggie can cook. They run the kitchen at the ranch.”

  Iris smiled. “They’ll have to make room for one more. I love to cook.”

  “If you tell em that, they’ll probably drag you into the kitchen. Our population is about to more than double. We picked up a bunch of children here, and now all of you.”

  By then we’d arrived at the Dock. Jules was the first to spot us. “Tempest is back and it looks like she brought a crew of volunteers with her,” he shouted before leaping from the dock and approaching Shane with an extended hand.

  “Hey, I’m Jules. Tempest has a way of surprising us.”

  Shane took the offered hand, “Shane Freeman. Let me introduce the rest of my family.”

  I pointed to the steps close to the point from which Jules had leapt. “Save it until you’re on the dock and you won’t have to repeat yourself.”

  I’ll give the entire crew credit; not a one of them showed any reaction to the fact that the Freeman’s were black. The hugs the women folk gave them were sincere.

  To the crowd I said, “The Freeman’s need to do some shopping before they join in with the loading.”

  Jules pointed to the trucks and trailers lined up along the far side of the rear access drive. “We haven’t been sluggards here. We’ve started on our last truck, the rest are loaded and ready to roll. How’d it go on your fuel search?”

  “Wait until I tell you.” Before fully answering Jules, I turned to the Freemans. “Yesterday when I came here it was overcast outside, made it so dark inside that I could barely see my hand in front of my face; freezing cold as well. Today is almost shirtsleeve weather and so bright, that when we stopped in front, through the entrance I could see all the way to the rear of the store. Better do your shopping while the sun’s at the right angle.”

  Jules added, “We’ll be at least an hour. We’re having to hand-load the items from shelves onto pallets.”

  After they left, Jules asked, “How’d you meet them?”

  I started the telling with the treeing of Mel, mixed in the fuel depot and finished with them showing up at the Walmart with me.

  Jules said, “They seem like a decent family. We’re getting crowded at the ranch. Perhaps you could use your ATV and scout the places along the highway that have modular homes for sale. We passed by a few that had display models on their lots. Check if any has a lowboy trailer for transporting them.”

  “I’ll do that on my way back to the clinic to check on Annette.”

  “That’s a good idea. In the meantime we might want to slow down on acquiring new recruits for—.”

  “Whoa, ‘slow down’ on that. The Freeman’s aren’t recruits; they’re rescues. How much longer do you think they’d have stayed alive on their own…? I know you know what I mean. Let me put this to you plain; I guarantee you that those with me will pull out on my word, walk from your ranch and start again elsewhere. Your place isn’t the only game in Tennessee.”

  “Damn it, Tempest, why are you always so combative? Every comment or suggestion you don’t agree with isn’t a cause for you to go to war. Try polite discourse sometimes.”

  “I’ll leave the namby-pamby polite discourse to you and people of your ilk. I don’t do namby-pamby. Try this, think about what you going to say before you say it. Sure, short term we’ll be crowded. Long-term we’ll find a way to accommodate any people that I or anyone else finds who needs shelter from the two-legged beasts in this world.”

  He was thoughtful for a long moment, then said, “If we’re going to become a town, why not just move to a town?”

  “Because in the process of becoming a town, people have to eat. A small group of people needs to live close to the earth to protect the crops from animals and foragers, to guard their livestock… damn it, Jules, that’s common sense. As I said, start thinking about what flows past your lips.”

  Maggie had just finished tugging out a pallet-jack with a load on it and heard our conversation.

  “Cut it out, you two. Save the arguing for a more appropriate time. Jules, until then, remember that these are different times that call for a different mindset.”

  Jules smiled at me and said to Maggie, “No need for the reprimand. She said her piece and made her point. What she said makes sense; I’m only requesting discourse instead of conflict.”

  Maggie turned her displeasure on me. “Did you hear him? Don’t you think that’s a fair request? Stay your temper and try discourse.”

  I gave what was fair to give. “Yes mam.”

  Riding away, eventually turning into the lot of the first place I came to that displayed storage buildings and tiny homes for sale, my mind was still chewing on mine and Jules’s ‘discourse’.

  He’d said all he was chasing was calm, reasonable discourse with me, but bottom line, he felt I was usurping his authority as the owner of the ranch. Perhaps I was, but another bottom line was that the moment he agreed to allow us onto the property, he no longer had exclusive ownership of it. I didn’t think he had grasped that yet. Eventually it would come to a head and the communal situation would either collapse or continue.

  So far, I’d butted heads with Jules, Jeffry and Doctor Robbins, all men who were used to having their way. Having a young girl like me, a Tempest, rubbed them in the wrong place… yeah, rubbed their ‘manhood’ wrong.

  At the sales lot, I checked the metal storage buildings and tiny homes. Some of the tiny homes weren’t so tiny. One had a plastic brochure that claimed it was a fourteen by thirty, big enough for a couple, even with a kid or two.

  This particular place also had a huge warehouse where they manufactured buildings to-order. Inside the warehouse, were machines for shaping metal roofing and siding from giant rolls of sheet metal.

  Against the walls of the space were racks that held stacks of steel framing members. Large bins contained bolts, washers, nuts and sheet-metal screws.

  In the yard behind the warehouse were open-side sheds with more rolls of metal and framing material. Also back there, were a couple of trailers for delivering the pre-built structures along with a truck to haul em. I didn’t find the keys inside it, but one truck was old and there was a chance it might have survived the EMP attack.

  I didn’t bother breaking into th
e office, but I figured the keys for the truck were in there somewhere.

  That place alone would supply housing needs for over a hundred people, but I checked the other two lots on the 45, between there and Henderson. Both had a number of display units, but neither had the manufacturing capability of the first.

  I also stopped at a travel-trailer sales lot and counted eighteen ready to roll. Five were self-contained units and probably wouldn’t crank and would need hauling. One of them, a fifty-foot model had a price tag of a hundred-ten-thousand. I found the door locked, but peering through the windows, it was like a mansion on the inside. Anyway, chalk up another eighteen potential homes for the ranch.

  I knew it wasn’t as simple as moving buildings and trailers to provide homes. Installed right, they’d need septic systems and running water and electric. Most of the display homes came with bare inside walls and would need finishing. Materials for that were available from the building material and lumber stores.

  I arrived at Doctor Robbins’s clinic and found Jeffry sitting in a chair on the front porch with an AR across his lap. He remained seated as I approached the house and climbed the steps.

  “Excuse me for not standing. I’m giving my wounded leg a chance to heal. I’ve been on it too much since it happened.”

  “How’s Annette doing?”

  “Annette is doing great. Her lung inflated on its own. Doctor Robbins says she safe to move as long as we avoid jostling her. He’d rather give her one more day here before making the move. Annette is eager to go, but I hope you’ll convince her to wait until tomorrow. She probably will if you promise to stay with her.”

  “Is there any chance the doc will kick me awake again?’

  “No Tempest, he’s truly sorry for doing that. The man’s fighting some monkeys on his back.”

  “Yeah, his wife mentioned an addiction to opioids.”

  “It’s deeper than that. Back in his younger days, a patient died on the operating table because of it. He lost his medical accreditation, that’s how he ended up as a veterinarian.”

  “So he is qualified to operate on humans?”