by David Nees
She turned back to Jason and Clayton as the put their gear on the ground. “Now where you from?”
“Hillsboro,” Jason replied.
“That in North Carolina?” the woman asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Jason replied.
“And you,” she said looking at Clayton.
“Hillsboro. But really from north, up near Linville Falls.”
The woman eyed him carefully. “Yeah, you don’t sound like you come from Hillsboro, or any town. What’s your name?”
“Clayton Jessup. We Jessup’s and Early’s moved down to Hillsboro area this past year.”
“You’re old family,” she said.
“Yes’m.”
“You related to Jubal Early?”
“Yes’m. My wife’s an Early. But we’s the poor side of the family. Side no one wants to talk about.”
She now smiled and stuck out her hand. “I’m Emilia Nutter. This is George, my brother-in-law. My son is Enoch. He’s nicer than he showed you today. Come up to the house.” She paused before turning away. George put the men’s packs rifles in the garage for safe keeping.”
Jason stiffened. He knew it showed. The woman looked at him.
“Don’t you worry, we ain’t gonna rob you, I already told you that. You’ll get your stuff back, but I don’t want it in my house.” She looked Jason up and down. “You probably got another gun, a pistol hidden somewhere on you anyway.”
With that the woman turned away. “Come on. I got some tea and biscuits in the kitchen.”
Chapter 11
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J ason and Clayton sat in Emilia’s kitchen. It was clearly her domain. She directed Enoch and George on what to do and where to sit, as she did the two travelers. Jason took a liking to her immediately and not just because her intervention in the yard had saved everyone from a shootout. He could tell Clayton felt the same. They were eating some biscuits covered with honey while sipping lemon grass tea.
“Now, you told us where you’re from, where are you headed? From what we’ve heard, Hillsboro’s doing all right,” Emilia said.
“We’re heading west,” Jason said.
“We could see that. We watched you come up the highway,” George said. Emilia gave him a glance but didn’t say anything.
“Why so vague?” Emilia asked.
Jason paused for a moment. “We’ve found it best to say little. It only seems to invite trouble.”
“Well, you say that, but you also say you came onto our property to seek information. Seems like what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
Clayton looked over at Jason. “She got a point.”
“It don’t make no difference to me, but it might get you more information in return. There’s not much trust around anywhere these days, we all know that. But that don’t mean we shouldn’t try to reach out to people we think we can trust.” Emilia got up to pour them more tea. It’s late. Why don’t you stay for supper? My husband, Joshua, will be back shortly. He knows more about what’s going on than most. We can talk while we eat.”
Jason looked at Clayton. His face was impassive. “I guess we can stay. Thank you for the invitation. It beats eating camp food or MREs.”
“If you want to freshen up, there’s a pump in the side yard. Enoch, go get two towels for our guests.” The young man got up and disappeared into the hallway.
“I want to apologize for my son. He thinks we have to shoot first in order to survive. George should have set a better example.” She gave George a sharp look. “They did the right thing to start. You can’t be too careful and we’ve had a lot of problems as you can imagine, being so close to the highway.”
“We’re just glad you came out when you did. Things looked like they were going bad.”
“You seem like a nice fellow. What did you do before the power went out?”
“I ran a gym in Hillsboro.”
She shook her head. “A gym? Where people paid you to work and sweat?”
“Yep.”
“Never understood that. We do enough hard work and sweatin’ without having to go to a gym and pay someone for the privilege.”
“Some people just sit at a desk all day. That isn’t good for being healthy.”
“Don’t have to worry much about that nowadays,” George said.
“Seems like we didn’t have to worry much about that anytime,” Emilia said.
Just then Enoch came back with two towels. “Here you go,” he said, dropping them on the table.
“Enoch.” Emilia’s voice carried a threat in it. “I expect you to show some manners. You been brought up better than that. I’ll not have you embarrassing me in front of guests. You park that look and that tone of voice right now, you hear me?”
“Yes’m.”
“I want you to apologize to Mr. Jessup and Mr. Richards for threatening to rob them.”
“I didn’t threaten to rob them,” Enoch said in almost a whine.
“Don’t argue with me. I can hear just fine and I heard what you said, ‘maybe relieve them of their load’.” That sounds like robbing to me.”
Enoch looked down at the table. “I’m sorry.”
“Look ‘em in the eye, boy!” Emilia barked at him. “You was wrong, now be a man and admit it.”
Enoch took a deep breath and looked up. He looked at both men. “I’m sorry. It was wrong of me to talk like that. We needed to cover you, but not threaten to rob you.”
“I accept your apology,” Jason said. Clayton nodded in agreement. “It makes sense to be careful. That’s why we called out. We didn’t want to look like bad guys.”
Just then they heard the clatter of a diesel engine coming up the drive, the pistons hammering against the high compression. Emilia looked out of the kitchen window.
“Here comes Joshua.” Her voice expressed her enthusiasm for her husband’s return.
Jason watched out of the window from his seat. An ancient looking road tractor pulled into the yard, the exhaust stack belching black smoke. The driver maneuvered the tractor-trailer rig and deftly backed it into an open slot along with the other trailers. There was a loud hiss of compressed air, creating a dust cloud, as the brakes were set and the engine shut down. A tall, lanky man stepped down from the cab. He had on work boots, jeans and a long sleeve shirt with a leather vest. He headed straight for the house with long strides.
“I’m home,” he called as he opened the front door.
“We’re in the kitchen,” Emilia called out. “We’ve got some visitors.”
The man came into the kitchen. He stopped and stared at Jason and Clayton. Before he could speak, Emilia introduced the two.
“This is Jason Richards and Clayton Jessup. He’s related to some Earlys. They’ve come from Hillsboro, on their way west.”
Jason and Clayton slowly stood up and shook Joshua’s hand. “I’m Joshua,” the man said. He gripped them with a strong, meaty hand.
“These men came over from the highway to gather some information about the area. I’ve invited them to supper. I figure they might have a lot they can tell us as well. It’s so hard to know what’s going on outside of our own small area.”
“Yeah, we can share information.” Joshua said. “I need to wash up. What are we having for supper tonight?”
“I’m going to fry up the catfish Enoch caught yesterday. Got some hushpuppies to go along with it and some greens from the garden.”
“Ah, that sounds great!” Joshua got up. “I just have to get my towel.”
“Our guests will join you. I told them to wash up. Supper’ll be ready in about a half hour.”
The men went out to the pump and washed up.
“You’ve got quite a nice set up here,” Clayton remarked. “It’s too close to the highway for me, though.”
“It’s home and business. We decided to stay after the power went out. Got the river for fishing,” he gestured over his shoulder, “and good bottom land for farming, and
we got the business. I realized my older tractors could still work and figured there might be a need for that, so I’ve kept the business going even after the big outage. George has been my partner all along. He keeps the machines running, can fix just about anything.”
They walked around the property as they talked.
“Fishing good in the river?” Clayton asked.
“Comes and goes according to the levels, but we can generally rely on catfish and bass. It’s a nice change from the deer, squirrel and rabbit. ‘Course we got a cow and she’s got some good years left in her…and some chickens, so we do well.”
“I imagine you had to defend all of this,” Jason said. “It’d be pretty attractive to gangs.”
“Yeah. We had our challenges.”
Soon they heard Emilia call out for dinner and the men headed back to the house.
They came back into the kitchen where Emilia explained to her husband what had happened in the yard, leaving out Enoch’s transgressions since she had already dealt with them.
“Now what do you want to know that caused you to stop by and almost get shot?” Joshua asked.
“Since we’re headed towards Knoxville and we’ve heard about this Chairman, we’d like to know more of what’s going on there. Has he or his men been in the area?”
“We’ve seen a few military vehicles which belong to his militia,” Joshua said. “Just north of us is Newport and he’s got a representative there. The man works with the local council to coordinate security and collect taxes…tribute I call it. I got to deal with him in my work. But tell us a bit about Hillsboro. If things are good there, why’d you leave?”
Jason sighed. “Seems as though a lot of people have heard about Hillsboro. You’re right, it does have good resources and that worries us.”
“But you left—”
“Yeah. Clayton and I left. I was the interim mayor. We got rid of a gangster who ran the city and were able to make some reforms. By everyone working together, we have been able to improve things a lot there. Clayton and I, left to find two of our people. And that’s where the story gets hard to tell.”
“But you’ll need to tell it if you want information,” Joshua said. He looked at Jason, his brow knit in thought. “I’m bettin’ they’re in some kind of trouble, something to do with Knoxville. So you want to know what you’re getting into.”
“You’re close,” Jason admitted. “How powerful is this Chairman?”
“He’s powerful enough. He’s getting a currency going again. Gold based. I think he’s melted down a ton of gold jewelry and is minting coins.” Joshua stood up and took one out of his pocket. “Has an impression of the city and ‘Knoxville’ stamped on it.”
“How do that work?” Clayton asked as he fingered the coin. “How’s he set the value?”
“He’s got the coins in one, ten and twenty values, ‘Knoxes’ he calls them.” They just decide that a bushel of grain, gallon of gas or diesel, ten rounds of ammunition are worth so many of the coins. So a trader could take the coin, knowing he’d be able to exchange it for an equivalent value in merchandise. It’s easier than direct trading. The coins allow exchanges to happen more quickly.”
“But what if someone says his ammunition is worth more?”
“He gets reported to the authorities. He barred from trading for a while. If he gets fussed up about it, they take away his goods. He loses everything.”
“Pretty harsh,” Jason said.
“Yep. But it makes for compliance. Once a month a group sits down and decides if the values need to be adjusted. There may be more gas around, someone found a tanker that hadn’t been emptied, or there was a good grain harvest. The values change and that’s posted. Everyone can see what is going on.”
He put the coin back in his pocket. “I get paid like this although I can often negotiate a strait barter.”
“What do you do?”
“I truck supplies for Knoxville.”
“You work for the Chairman?” Clayton asked. His voice betrayed his alarm.
“I’m not employed by him, if that’s what you mean. I do work for him. I’m an independent contractor.”
“What do you haul?” Jason asked.
“Sand, gravel. We have a quarry nearby. It’s really a sand and gravel hillside we’re digging away. Been at it for years. Remember I said George could fix anything?” The two men nodded. “After the outage, he got our trucks working, the old ones. Then he got an ancient front loader working over at the gravel site. Now it seems Knoxville wants sand and gravel. They’re making concrete. I think it’s to reinforce barriers into town.”
Jason just stared at Joshua. “I never thought a place would get something like that going so soon, a currency and an industry.”
“It’s been forced on us, but it ain’t all bad. ‘Course, like I said, when I haul fuel, I take a cut on my own. Officials don’t mind since it saves the coins. The city pays for my fuel, but I can put aside some. Got a good stash built up for a rainy day.”
Joshua leaned forward towards Jason. “Now I’ve told you my little secret, suppose you tell me why you’re really heading to Knoxville.”
There was a silence around the table.
“Not sure it would be good for you to know. We don’t want to put you in an awkward position, if someone were to question you.”
“Don’t worry about us. We don’t have much to do with Knoxville or the militia, except for Joshua doing hauling for them,” Emilia said.
Jason looked over at Clayton who shrugged as if to say, “what’s to lose?”
He took a deep breath and recounted the story. He left out the part of cutting off the messenger’s finger. When he was done the table remained silent for some time.
Finally George spoke. “That’s gonna be a suicide mission.”
Emilia got up and began to clear the table.
“Sure ain’t going to be easy.” Joshua said.
“Now you know why we need to know as much as possible about this chairman,” Jason said.
Chapter 12
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T he Chairman, don’t know his name, has been taking over territory outside Knoxville,” Joshua said. “Seems like he wants to build his own empire. He claims to have been given a vision that he will unite the central south, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi. Word is his first challenge is Nashville. All the cities seem to want to grow in power. So far neither one has attacked the other. Guess they figure that’s too costly. Instead they go around grabbing up resources from smaller towns.”
“They’re stripping houses, stores of gold, jewelry, food, clothing, anything they can find,” George added.
“There doesn’t seem to be any state government so it’s every city for itself,” Joshua said.
“That’s why I don’t want anything to do with them,” Emilia said. “I worry about the work you do right now. They stay away from us, leave us alone, we be all right.”
“You mean you don’t want to move to the big city?” Joshua asked with a grin on his face. Enoch grinned as well.
“I’d as soon be stuck in hell with my back broke,” Emilia replied. “You know that.”
“Yeah, but we just wanted to hear you say it, Ma,” Enoch said, grinning.
Turning back to Jason, Joshua continued. “Word has it that the Chairman is going to take over Johnson City.”
“We heard from the messenger. That’s what worries me. We’re about as far southeast of Knoxville as Johnson City is to the northeast. I don’t see much holding him back from coming at us.”
“Maybe you’re more organized, got more firepower,” George said. “He may think Johnson City is an easier target.”
“Run by a crazy man,” Clayton said.
“Those rifles you boys’re carrying, they’re pretty serious.” George went on. “That one looks like an AK47, the other one looks military too. That a sniper rifle? You a sniper?”
Jason looked at George. “Was. Army sni
per. Served in Iraq.”
“Can you help me sight my .30-06 in?” Enoch asked. “I got a scope but it don’t seem to help.”
“I can help, sure. But can you spare the rounds? And can you shoot them so near the road?”
“We got plenty of ammo. And shooting around here only helps to keep the wanderers out. Be worth spending the ammo to make it easier to hit deer.”
“You can do that later,” Joshua said. “I’m thinking Jason here would like a little more information on Knoxville.”
“That’s right. I’ve got a map in my pack. I’m hoping you can show me where the Chairman has his operations, where he stays, and where our boys might be held.” Jason wanted to confirm what the messenger had told him.
“I can do that. George, can you go out with Jason so he can get his pack?” George nodded and the two men got up and went out the front door.
When they came back, Emilia had tea out with biscuits and jam. “It’s something sweet to finish the meal.”
Jason spread the map out on the table. Joshua grabbed a pencil and looked at it carefully. The other men crowded around him and Jason.
“Mind if I mark on it?” Joshua asked.
“No, go ahead.”
Joshua proceeded to outline a section of downtown bordered by West Summit Drive on the north, Henley Street on the west, the Tennessee River on the south and James White Parkway on the east. “This is his main area. His activities are actually concentrated on the south part of this downtown, around the courthouse and city-county building. It’s where he runs everything. A lot of the militia are housed in the building across from the city-county building. It’s a high rise.”
“Where are the checkpoints coming into the city?” Jason asked.
Joshua marked the map. “On the north, they blocked off the I40 and I270 interchange. It’s a massive intersection with lots of ramps. That’s what I’ve been helping with. They’re making concrete barriers and rock piles to slow or stop any vehicles. They funnel them all down a ramp that’s heavily guarded. Same on the south where the James White Parkway joins another road running along the river. Only three bridges are open, James White Parkway, Henley Street and one on the west that dumps you onto the university campus. They all heavily guarded.”
