When the Pain is Gone

by P. A. Glaspy

  When they arrived in town, the guys were impressed with the changes they saw. Many houses had nice little gardens where landscaped lawns once grew. Most people were out in their yards, either tending their garden plots or sitting in the shade of portable canopies. Even in the heat of a Tennessee summer day, some shade outside was better than the heat of a house with no air conditioning or working ceiling fans; houses that had not been built in a manner that would let a breeze blow through.

  Monroe took in the scene as they drove slowly down main street, waving at the people he knew. “See? This is what life was like before television. People didn’t hole up inside the house all day. It was too damn hot. When they finished working their garden they’d sit on the porch, or in the shade of a tree and try to cool off. The houses were built with windows on all sides so you could get a cross breeze blowing through them when the womenfolk were cooking in the kitchen, but it was still cooler outside. Folks had big porches on their house and they’d sit out there until dark, or longer if they could stand the skeeters. They weren’t sitting on the couch staring at a machine talking to them. They talked to each other. I think we was better off back then.”

  Bob nodded as he drove. “Can’t say you’re wrong about that, Monroe. But I do miss that air conditioning.”

  Mike and Brian laughed from the back seat. They pulled up in front of the meat market and climbed out of the car. Barbara met them at the door, wiping her brow with a towel.

  “Monroe! So good to see you. How’s Miss Millie doing? Glad you folks are making it through this apocalypse okay. Come inside, although it may be cooler out here. This heat is really getting serious.”

  Monroe smiled and walked over to where Barbara stood, now wiping her blood-stained hands on the towel. He shook her hand, then introduced the men with him. “We come to see your electric setup, Barbara. Mike here has some electrical expertise and wanted to see how you all got this turbine thing going. Mind if we take a look around?”

  “Absolutely not. The turbine is on the roof. There’s a stairway out back that will take you up there. Come inside after you get done and see what we’ve done with the place.”

  They headed out back and Mike and Brian went to the stairs. Bob stayed behind with Monroe. Mike looked at him over his shoulder, “Still afraid of heights, Pinky?”

  Monroe cackled and Brian hid a smirk. Bob glared at Mike. “Shut yer pie hole, Sergeant.”

  Mike laughed and climbed the stairs to the roof above the second floor. They found a unique looking turbine and Mike’s eyes lit up.

  “This is what I was talking about right after we got to the farm! I saw this online before everything went down. It’s supposed to be super efficient at generating wind power.”

  Rather than your standard windmill, Jasper had, with the help of Ben Vaughn, created a huge metal spiral, cone shaped, with cross bracing to hold the form. It made almost no sound. Brian grinned at Mike’s enthusiasm.

  “This is a pretty sweet setup. I wonder how much power it generates.”

  “Let’s go down and ask,” Mike replied excitedly. They hurried back to the stairs and rushed down.

  Mike looked at Monroe and Bob with a huge grin. “Man, that thing is great! Let’s go talk to Barbara and see how it performs. I bet we have the materials at the farm to make something like it.”

  Bob looked sideways at Monroe. “I don’t doubt that one bit.”

  Monroe replied, “Shut yer pie hole, Pinky!” Everyone but Bob was rolling with laughter.

  They walked into the shop and looked around. As Monroe was the only one who had ever been there before, his eyes got big as he took it all in. Shelves lined with canned goods, both factory and home canned, though more of the latter; stacks of material, as well as spools of thread; baskets of onions; flats of eggs; used clothing, footwear, and tools. There was chopped firewood lining the entire wall under the shelves.

  “You’ve been busy, Barbara. Got yerself a nice little trading post here. You turnin’ a profit?”

  Barbara laughed. “I have no idea but I doubt it. We trade meat for whatever they bring in that might have a value to someone else. If someone needs something we’ve got, they trade something else for it. I have turned down a few that brought in power tools and electronic devices. Not really a lot of call for those these days. I figure I’m usually on the losing side of the deal, but at least people are trying to do it the right way.”

  Bob picked up a pair of high-heeled sandals and held them aloft. “Probably not many fancy dances to wear these to either.”

  She grinned. “No, but that gal was completely clueless as to how to feed her kids with no grocery store. I told Staci here to go ahead and make the trade. Do y’all know the Hayes family?”

  She introduced Staci and Jesse, as well as Eddie. Mike was walking around the store and peered into what used to be a meat display case. It now held long guns and ammo. Most of the guns were older, possibly belonged to someone’s grandparents at one time, and the ammo was mostly in small bins of loose cartridges. He looked at Barbara. “Got yourself a collection of antiques too, I see.”

  She nodded. “Yes, we don’t get a whole lot of guns, since those now have multiple uses—security and food acquisition. I do get the occasional old single shot rifle as you can see. I also have a few handguns, but I keep those locked in the safe. Too easy to pick up and pocket when someone’s back is turned. Been there, done that. If y’all need anything though, I’d be more than happy to bring them out.”

  Mike shook his head. “Unless you’ve got an automatic rifle hidden somewhere, I think we’re good. I would like to know how the turbine setup is performing for you though.”

  Barbara smiled again. “It’s great. I can run the freezer most of the time. Just to be on the safe side, I try to run it four hours on, two off, and only open it during the power on times. I spread the word through town that barter times are eight to twelve in the morning and two to six in the evening. Whoever is on sentry duty each night manages the two to six on and off cycle. So far, so good. Come on down and check it out.”

  They all went down to the basement. The fact that it was noticeably cooler down there wasn’t missed by anyone. The Hayes girls were playing there and stopped to stare at the newcomers. Bob greeted them.

  “Well hello, ladies. Is that a tea party I see? I sure could use some nice cold tea on a hot day like this.”

  Alyssa jumped up, grabbed a teacup, and hurried over to Bob with it. “Would you like lemon in your tea, sir?”

  He took his pretend sip. “Ahhh. No, ma’am, this is perfect just like it is. Thank you kindly, little lady.”

  She giggled and ran back to her sisters. Barbara walked over to the walk-in freezer. “They play down here during the heat of the day. It’s way too hot upstairs in the apartment.”

  Monroe looked around at the evidence of people living there, not just visiting. “They staying here with you then?”

  Barbara nodded. “It’s easier to cook for a few than one. Plus, Jesse helps with security, so he’s on watch every third night in the store. It just made sense to bring them here for the duration.”

  “Pretty much what we did on the farm, just on a bigger scale. We’ve got about two dozen folks out at our place.”

  Barbara’s eyes grew wide. “Wow, that’s a bunch of folks. I’d heard you had a little community out there. Good for you, Monroe. We need to take care of each other, and watch other’s backs now.”

  Monroe replied, “Yep, at least the ones who are willing to do their part and help the group, not just take what someone else worked for.”

  “Thus, the reason for the security.” She told them about the run in with Doug early on, demanding she give them what she had in her freezer. “Had I done that, given them everything, this place wouldn’t have become what it is, which is an asset to the community. Most people are happy to part with something in payment for a product. There’s pride in knowing you can do that. Plus, it’s kind of become a meeting place for folks, so
I get all the info about what’s going on in town. I’m not in this to make a profit now, obviously, but I’m happy to provide a service.”

  “You’re a good woman, Barbara. Your daddy would be proud of ya.” Monroe paid the compliment sincerely.

  “Thank you, kind sir. I sure hope so.” They walked back up to the storefront.

  Just then Jasper walked in. “Monroe! How you doin’? I’ve been meaning to come out to your place and see if you’ve got some parts I’m looking for. I finally rounded up enough to get Barbara’s freezer going but I could use a few things like inverters, capacitors, you know electrical components that weren’t plugged into anything when the pulse hit. You got any stuff like that?”

  Monroe shook Jasper’s hand and inclined his head toward Mike. “Talk to our resident creator here. Mike, this is Jasper Jenkins. Fellow Army grunt and licensed electrician. Jasper, this here is Mike Thomas. Former jarhead. If you can think it up, he can pretty much figure out how to make it and make it work.”

  The two men shook hands. Mike said, “We do have some of those items, but we’d like to use a lot of them to set up some power resources ourselves. I’m really interested in how you built that turbine on the roof. I can’t get over how quiet it is. Do you have a schematic, or a drawing of it?”

  “Nah, me and Ben just kind of hammered it out—literally. Ben’s a blacksmith. I told him what I wanted, he took some sheet metal and formed it. We mounted it and almost immediately it started spinning. The rest was hooking up the electrical components. The sheriff wants one for his place, the sheriff’s office. He and his wife, the mayor, fixed up the basement of the office there and are living in town. I wouldn’t mind having one at my house, truth be told. At least I could have lights and fans then, cuz damn it’s hot.”

  There was a group acknowledgment of the heat statement. Bob replied, “Yep, summer in Tennessee is pretty rough without a/c. What do you think, Monroe? Should he come out and see what goodies you’ve packed away for a rainy day?”

  “Yeah, I reckon that’d be alright. We don’t let just anybody on the place, Jasper, but I’m sure you ain’t lookin’ to see what you can get your hands on—other than them electrical things.”

  “That’d be great. Can I come out later today? Or tomorrow?”

  Monroe nodded as he headed for the door. “Either one’s fine. Now, if you fellas are done jawin’, we need to get back home. Good to see you, Barbara. Take care now. Keep up the good work.”

  She waved. “You, too, Monroe. Tell Millie I said hi!”

  “Will do.”

  “I’m gonna try to come out there this afternoon then, Monroe.” Jasper was walking with them to the SUV.

  “Alright. I’ll tell the fellas on guard duty to keep an eye out for ya.”

  Jasper looked at him quizzically. “Guard duty? You got guards? Have you had trouble? Oh wait, I heard about those guys attacking your people. I’m real sorry about that, Monroe. Seems there’s more and more bad elements cropping up now.”

  Monroe stopped and turned to Jasper. “I don’t think we’ve seen the worst of it yet. The longer this goes on, the more desperate folks will be. It’s going to get real ugly. You shouldn’t be living at home by yourself, Jasper. You need folks to watch your back.”

  “Well, Barbara has offered more than once to put me a cot in a corner of the basement. Said I could help with security to pay my room and board. Maybe I should take her up on that.”

  “Yes, you should. We’ll see ya later this afternoon. I hope you remember where the place is, cuz you probably won’t find it if you don’t.”

  Jasper looked at him in confusion again. Monroe laughed. “You’ll see.”

  ****

  Jasper understood Monroe’s comment when he got to the driveway—or at least, where there used to be a driveway. It was grown up pretty good, though there were distinct tire tracks where the guys had driven out and back in earlier. He pulled up and parked, got out, and walked to the gate, which just looked like brush at first glance.

  “Hello! Jasper Jenkins here. Monroe said I should come out and take a look at some parts.”

  He watched as the gate opened, marveling at how well hidden it was. Mike greeted him with a smile.

  “Hey, Jasper. Glad you could make it. Please drive in. We don’t want your truck sitting out on the road broadcasting the entrance.”

  “Sure thing. Be right in.”

  Jasper drove through and the gate was closed behind him. Matt and Nick came out of the foxholes and waved. He stopped and Mike climbed in the cab.

  “Just head on up to the house. We’ve got all the electronic components boxed up in the barn.”

  “Wow, y’all got quite the setup here. Security, camouflage, everything. This your doing?”

  “Some, but the gate was done when I got here. They did some planning for something like what happened.”

  “I’ll say. I had no idea Monroe had changed the place so much. When did they do all this? I know it’s been a few years since I was out here, but that’s a lot of growth out front.”

  “I think they did it all over the last three or four years. Just pull up over there by the barn.”

  They got out of the truck and walked up to the barn doors. Monroe was there, as well as Bob.

  “Glad you found the place, Jasper,” Monroe said with a grin. “What’d ya think about our modifications?”

  “Impressive as hell, Monroe. What made you think to do all that before anything even happened? Mike said you worked on it for a few years.”

  He turned to Bob. “This ’un here and his neighbors. They’re preppers and they planned for the farm to be their bug out location.”

  “Bug out location? Did y’all start your own army?” Jasper asked, clearly confused again.

  Monroe laughed. “No, but we do have a few folks here now. That’s the term preppers use for leaving their home if there’s a catastrophe of some kind and it ain’t safe to stay. You know, like if all the electricity is gone and who knows when or if it’s coming back.”

  “Well, that was some good luck for you all then. So, you had food and gas and stuff stored up?”

  Monroe grew quiet. “We did, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t spread that around. Pretty sure we ain’t seen the last of all the assholes running around trying to take other people’s stuff yet.”

  “Hell no we ain’t. There’s some in town stealing right outta folks’ gardens, right outside their doors!”

  “Yeah, we heard about that. Any idea who it might be?”

  Jasper replied, “Gary’s got his eye on a couple of guys that ain’t working in the community garden, ain’t hunting, and don’t have their own garden, but don’t seem to be losing any weight, if you know what I mean.”

  “I surely do. Them’s the ones you gotta watch out for. They’d rather take than work.”

  They had been walking toward the plastic bins that held the electrical components as they talked. Mike opened one of the totes to reveal inverters, controllers, meters, and other assorted parts. Jasper’s eyes grew wide.

  “This stuff still works? All of it?”

  Bob beamed. “Sure does. Our Faraday cages protected everything in them. What are you in the market for, sir? We’d like to do some bartering.”

  Jasper looked inside and started picking up different items. “I don’t have much to trade. I gave Barbara most of what I had that was worth anything to get her system up so her freezer could work. I could probably get you fellas a deer in the next day or so, if that would work.”

  Mike smiled at him. “You have something better than things. You have knowledge and experience. I’m passable with electrical setups, but nothing compared to a master electrician. We want your help setting up a solar and wind turbine system here. If we can get some power, it sure would help to have our freezer and refrigerator running, as well as some ceiling fans and lights. Think we can get enough power for those things?”

  “As long as you don’t try running the water heat
er and air conditioning, or the well pump, you should be able to generate enough power for the rest. Those 220-volt appliances eat up the power. Things with heating elements are tough, too.”

  “Anne won’t be happy about that. She’s been nagging us almost daily about hot, running water in the house,” Bob replied.

  Jasper nodded. “Yeah, the womenfolk are right fond of that one. Unfortunately, that takes more juice than most everything else you named put together. My suggestion is try to get the most bang for your buck. Maybe she’ll be happy having the fans running instead.”

  “I don’t guess she’ll have much choice. Have you met Anne? She doesn’t take no well. I don’t want to be the one to tell her. You tell her, Mike.”

  “Pass.”

  “Chicken.”

  “Pot or kettle, Pinky?”

  Jasper looked like he’d been left out of an inside joke as the rest of the men shared a laugh. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Okay, how about we set aside what we know we’ll need for the set up here, and then I can have a look at what’s left?”

  Monroe grinned. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter 11

  Doug had been quite busy in the early days after the pulse. He scavenged all the empty houses around his and quickly realized the food he had found and taken wouldn’t last him long. He started trying to think of places where he could get large amounts of food. The group he had joined to loot the grocery store had talked about banding together to pool resources but many were distrustful of each other and it ended in a fight. Everyone grabbed as much as they could, fighting over a few items like chili and soup, and took off. Since then, Doug had been working alone gathering resources until he remembered the schools. He ventured out one night, breaking into the elementary school first. He hit the jackpot. Cases of institution sized number ten cans of vegetables, meats, even pudding filled the larder off the kitchen.