EMP: Heading Home

by Harp, Wilson

  He turned and waded back into the pool of humanity. I glanced around and saw men with the armbands scattered throughout the crowds.

  “They have a police force,” Anne said. “That’s a good sign.”

  “Maybe,” I said. “But he looked more like an enforcer than a policeman.”

  “You’re right,” said Ted. “Someone runs the show here and they only want their coin used for trade. I’m betting bartering is illegal except with a license, which you can buy for a fee.”

  “You mean they’re going to cheat us for the coin?” Anne asked.

  “Historically you have never gotten a fair deal with a moneychanger,” I said.

  “It’s actually really clever,” Ted said as he looked at the line for the changers tent. “If you want a cut of everyone’s business, you just have to control the money. You just have to control what you will give for the money. Just enforce that one rule and you’ll get richer as the marketplace grows.”

  “Looks like the police have some competition,” said Anne. “Notice the guys in black cowboy hats with the green and yellow scarves.”

  “Packer fans?” I asked. Ted laughed.

  “No, they’re in small groups. And they’re heavily armed.”

  There were several of the groups as I looked carefully. There were also groups of five or six men wearing bright red hoodies under their heavy coats. Some even had their coats wide open so their red could be seen more clearly. There were bikers as well. Black leather jackets covered in their club patches and, again, they traveled in groups.

  “What does this mean?” I asked. “A chance for a gang fight?”

  “I don’t think that’s likely,” said Ted. “Looks like the police control DeKalb, but I would guess each of the other groups control towns nearby. This is probably considered neutral ground because of the marketplace.”

  We stood in line for almost thirty minutes when we heard a commotion in the crowd. A young woman, maybe even a teenage girl, was thrown to the ground by two men in motorcycle jackets. The girl scrambled to her feet and started to run when one of the men drew a handgun and shot her in the back. I was in shock and saw Ted grab Anne’s arm as she started to run forward.

  Several of the men who wore the blue armbands swarmed into the area as others in the crowd dispersed. The two men in leathers crossed their arms and waited until the men with blue armbands stopped yelling at them. While both sets of men talked, the girl lay motionless on the ground. No one went to help her.

  “She’s dead,” said Ted. “Dead before she hit the ground. Shot took her right in the middle of the back.”

  “What happens now?” I asked.

  “Let’s watch and see,” he said.

  While there was a clear argument, it didn’t appear to escalate. After a minute, one of the bikers pulled something out of their pocket and handed it to one of the men with the blue armbands. The bikers turned and walked away and two of the police bent down and picked up the dead body which lay crumpled on the ground. They carried it to a fence and tossed it over.

  “What are they doing?” Anne asked.

  A man stopped as she asked and looked around. “She was a pickpocket,” he said. “She got caught and it’s never a good result when you get caught by a leather. They have enough money to just pay the fine. They really don’t like to be stole from.”

  “What fine?” Ted asked.

  “Any crime can be bought out,” the man said. “As long as you have a good relation with the police.”

  “Is that the way police are supposed to act? Is that who you refer to as the police?” I asked as I nodded to a couple of the men with the blue armbands.

  “Yeah, but in the last few weeks they have been referring to themselves as the state police. They have some sort of new agreement with someone or another.”

  “And a girl can get killed just like that, and no one cares?” Anne asked.

  “Of course people care, but when you risk stealing from one of the groups, you’ll likely end up dead.”

  “We’re from the south with the caravans,” Ted said. “Who are these groups?”

  “There are the Leathers, like you saw, and the Police. Those with the fancy hats and scarves are normally called the Rawhides. They like to think they’re cowboys. The Southsiders wear red hoodies and try to control the scavenging in the city.”

  “Much appreciated,” Ted said. He shook the man’s hand and smiled.

  “No problem, stranger,” The man said with a smile.

  I saw the strangers hand slip into his pocket as he turned and walked quickly away.

  “Did you give him something?” I asked Ted.

  “A round,” Ted said. “We don’t have any spending money yet and it was the only thing of value I could offer him for information.”

  “I never thought ammunition could be used like that,” Anne said. “But it makes sense.”

  “It’s small, it’s useful, and it’s hard to get in volume,” said Ted. “It’s the pocket cash of the new world. Doesn’t matter what scrip or coin are used for trade, bullets will always be welcome.”

  The line moved quickly and Ted was able to get plenty of coins for four silver bars. It would be enough for us to get a room, some food, and spread some around while we looked for information.

  We walked around to the various stalls, inevitably heading east as we went before running out of crowded areas. Every step closer to the city itself seemed a victory to me at this point, although I was near exhaustion. When we reached the end of the trade district, we headed back into the marketplace. It was a large area and it would take several days to cover.

  It had been three weeks since we left the base, and yet it seemed like forever. I really wished Kenny was with us as he had a way of pulling information out of people. I tried to imagine what he might say or ask, but every time I tried to start a conversation I received a cold stare and a turned shoulder. Ted and Anne didn’t have much better luck.

  “The people here are really paranoid,” Ted said. “They view every one as a threat.”

  “I don’t blame them,” said Anne. “I don’t feel safe here. Some of the men look at me like they are weighing the risk that you two will fight them.”

  “We better stick together,” Ted said. “We could cover more ground if we split up, but this is a lawless place, even with the Police keeping order.”

  “Unless you’re a teenage girl anyway,” Anne said.

  “We stick together,” I said.

  Our stomachs took over our feet, it seemed, and we found ourselves back at the roadside restaurant. Ted gave over six coins and we took a table on the second floor balcony. It took us above the crowds where we could observe the bustle of the marketplace.

  We sat and waited for our food. The day was cold, but the wind wasn’t strong. The smells of the kitchen overwhelmed the odor of the masses of animals and people crowded together. By the time Sherry brought up our food, we had observed the patterns of the various groups which made up DeKalb.

  “Here you go,” she said.

  The plates she set in front of us were full of carrots and potatoes with a few strips of braised meat. A liberal use of spices made the entire meal smell wonderful.

  Ted took a bite of the meat. “This is wonderful,” he said. “What is it? If you don’t mind telling me.”

  “We don’t sell vermin, if you’re wondering,” she said. “That is fresh slaughtered goat.”

  Anne took a bite. “This is really good, I’ve never had goat before.”

  “I hadn’t either, until we set this place up. Found a guy who raises goats, so he keeps a steady supply of meat coming in.”

  “I’m pretty sure we will be back again, Sherry. This is fantastic,” Ted said

  “Thank you. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit, but call if you need anything.”

  “Why don’t you have goat back at your place, Ted?” I asked. “This is really great.”

  “Never thought about it. We’ll have to find som
eone who breeds them.” Ted looked up with a slight smile. “I guess I’ll have to find someone who breeds them. It’s a bad habit of mine, speaking for Kenny.”

  “He would have loved this,” said Anne. “Of course, I don’t know many foods he didn’t love.”

  I smiled at Anne. She charged into difficult conversations. She never flinched from issues which made people uncomfortable.

  “He would have just complained about the portion size,” said Ted. “Then he would have eaten some of mine.”

  I smiled and looked back out at the town as I ate. The Leathers tended to gather on the north side of the market. There were certain stalls they seemed to be gathered around and it was clear those were the goods they brought to trade. The Rawhides were gathered along the West and South areas. There seemed to be more than a few who had gathered around the men we had traveled with. I know there had been some deal struck which allowed the caravan to travel to DeKalb, but I didn’t realize it was a deal with a local group who probably would get a cut from any good sold.

  There were several groups of Southsiders moving through the crowd. Unlike the others, there didn’t seem to be any red hoodies with less than four or five in the group. Larger number of Southsiders were gathered around tables which were out in the open on the east side of the marketplace. Piles of junk lay on and around the tables and those who looked through the piles were carefully watched. Sizable groups of men in red hoodies traveled with smaller numbers of drably dressed women from stall to stall in the other areas of the market.

  One group walked near and I took a close look at them. The women walked empty handed, but most of the men carried full bags. I smiled as I saw these toughs, meant to protect the women of their group I assumed, being made to carry the purchases just like men have been used through history.

  “What are you smiling at?” Ted asked me.

  “Take a look. Those red hoodies are carrying all the shopping bags,” I said.

  “Aw, that’s sweet. Maybe they’ll get a kiss when they get back home.” Ted and I laughed. It was a ridiculous notion that in the new brutal world where a girl could be killed for pickpocketing in the middle of the street, there could be a semblance of normalcy in watching women make men carry their packages.

  “Maybe they don’t trust the women to carry them,” Anne said. “Did you ever think about that?”

  At that moment, three more women approached the group and piled several more packages into the arms of the men.

  Ted and I laughed again.

  “You two are jerks,” Anne said. She smiled at us as she stole a piece of goat meat from Ted’s plate.

  “Lexi used to do that to me,” I said. “Didn’t matter how much or how little she bought, from the time we paid for it to the time I walked in the house, all the bags were carried by me.”

  As if she had heard her name from across the crowded street, one of the women turned and glanced up to the balcony of the restaurant where we sat. It must have been my imagination, but I swear we locked eyes. At that moment all sound fell away and my vision became focused on her face.

  It was Lexi.

  Chapter 20

  “David? David?”

  I felt hands on my shoulders but my eyes wouldn’t open.

  “David?”

  There was panic in Anne’s voice and I felt my lungs burn. I inhaled and immediately felt cooler. I opened my eyes for just a second and the world tilted. I shut them again and felt my muscles relax as I took another breath.

  “Come on, pal,” Ted said. I felt strong arms move me to lie flat.

  “Prop his head up,” Anne said.

  I felt something soft move under my head as my legs were lifted. Another quick glance through open eyes told me Ted had set my feet up on a chair. The world wobbled, but I was able to focus enough to keep my eyes open.

  “He’s awake,” Ted said as he looked at me.

  “Oh, thank God,” said Anne.

  I tried to say I was okay, but a slurred mumble of sounds barely escaped my lips.

  Ted looked around and found a cup. He lowered it to my mouth.

  “Take a sip,” he said. “You fell hard and I think you may have hit your head.”

  “No,” I said. “Lexi.”

  My head hurt, and there was a ringing in my ears.

  “You mentioned her before you fell,” Anne said. “But we’ll find her.”

  I sipped at the glass Ted gave me and tried to lift my head, but felt nauseated at the thought.

  “No,” I said. “She was there.”

  Ted leaned in close to me.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  I nodded. “Yes, I saw her. She was with a group of Southsiders.”

  “Are you sure?” Ted repeated the question.

  “He’s sure,” Anne said. “I saw his face as he fell. It looked like he had been shot. I thought he had been somehow and I just hadn’t heard the sound.”

  I don’t remember what happened. I saw her and then I was on the ground.

  “Is everything alright?”

  Sherry had heard the commotion up in her dining area and had come to investigate. Her son and one of the other workers were with her. Trouble seemed common and I’m sure that’s what she thought had happened.

  “It’s okay, David just passed out,” Ted said.

  “Not because of my food,” Sherry said. “I run a clean kitchen.”

  “No,” said Anne. “He just got dizzy and passed out is all.”

  Sherry nodded to her son and the two men went back downstairs.

  “Is he sick? He doesn’t have anything that’s catching, does he?” Sherry asked.

  “No, just been on the road too long,” said Anne.

  “Well, just get him out of here soon. I don’t need people thinking I’ll put up with any disturbances.”

  “Sherry,” said Ted. “Before we get out of your way, can you tell us where the Southsiders are?”

  “They’re all over,” she said.

  “I mean, where are they from?”

  “East of here, out near Geneva. But unless they have business with you, I’d not consider going out their way. They take a dim view of people looking to salvage in the city. They claim it all for themselves.”

  “Thanks, Sherry,” Anne said. “We were just curious.”

  “We’re leaving,” I said.

  “We’re leaving,” Ted replied. “As soon as you can walk straight. And that means you sit there and finish your meal.”

  I ate fast. I didn’t even taste the food as my mind raced. I wanted to go, but my head still spun if I looked up from the table. So I ate. When I was finished, I could think clearer and I didn’t feel dizzy.

  “You are positive it was Lexi?” Ted asked.

  “Yes, I know it was her. She was with a group of Southsiders.”

  “Then we better go before it gets too late,” Ted said. “How far is Geneva?”

  “About thirty miles.”

  “That means they aren’t going far tonight before they camp,” Anne said. “Maybe we can find their camp.”

  Ted shook his head. “No, not if she’s with a large group. They seem pretty wary of outsiders. I don’t think just walking up on them at a campsite would be a good idea.”

  “We’ll follow them at a distance then and if anyone asks us, we’ll tell them the truth. I’m just looking for my wife.”

  “Keeps it simple,” said Anne. “Can’t think of any other reason to give why we are there.”

  We headed down the stairs and ran into Sherry again.

  “You aren’t going into their territory, are you?”

  “No, Sherry,” I said. “We’re just curious.”

  “That will get a man killed,” she said. “Don’t go poking your nose where it will get shot off. Now if they have something of yours, you take it to the Police. They can make things happen. They’re the most powerful here. Of course, they’ll want something in exchange, but if it is something you can’t live without, that’s the way i
t has to be.”

  “Thank you, Sherry,” Anne said. “But we won’t go getting into any trouble.”

  We left Sherry’s place and huddled together on the street out front.

  “Should we tell the Police?” Anne asked. “I don’t like the idea of going to one group of thugs to get help against another group of thugs, but I really don’t like going in alone.”

  “There’s no time even if we had a good reason,” I said. “They can’t be far out of town, even if they’ve left already. Let’s get moving.”

  “We will, David. And I agree with you. No sense in bringing anyone else in until we see what the situation is,” Ted said.

  “The situation is Lexi is just minutes away from me.”

  “What happens, though, David?” Anne asked. “What happens when we see her again?”

  “What do you mean? I’ll call to her and she’ll see me. Then we’re together.”

  “David, she may not be free to just leave. This isn’t Kenton. I have a feeling this is more like the air base or Miller’s land. We may need to figure out a way to talk to her without being seen.”

  “Well… we’ll just figure something out.”

  “It doesn’t work that way. We need to have a plan,” Ted said.

  I felt trapped and frustrated. I knew he was right, but I was so close. After ten months I had seen my wife and wanted to run to her and let her know I was alive, she was safe, and I loved her.

  “Do you have a plan?” I asked.

  “Let’s find out where she is. We’ll go over to their area of the marketplace and just look around. Maybe we can see her and you can approach her in the open. But we can’t go running around asking about her, okay?”

  I nodded. “We’ll go and walk around over there.”

  We headed to the east side of the marketplace and looked around at all of the junk piles the Southsiders had set up. Anything of apparent value they either kept themselves or sold in a tent reserved for buyers who requested specific items. Those who went through the junk were either looking for a find or just seeing what they could get on the cheap. I tried to be nonchalant and look through the piles, but I stared at every group I encountered. Blonde women got double-glances and eventually someone noticed.