Wilson Harp - EMP

“Why? Do you think he might actually help?”

“Maybe,” Ted said. “Kenny left for his place this morning on foot with a big white pillowcase to wave at Lester’s front drive. Hopefully he will have talked with Kenny and we will be able to get a few things.”

‘What does he have?” I asked.

“Water purification tablets. A good supply of seeds. Maybe some antibiotics if we are lucky. And, unless his cage failed as well, a shortwave radio.”

“What do you mean ‘his cage’?” I asked.

“A Faraday cage. It’s a grounded enclosure that directs electrical fields around whatever is inside it. I had a shortwave radio in my cage, but it still got fried.”

“How is that possible?” Anne asked.

Ted shrugged. “Not sure. But I intend to try to fix it, unless Lester lets us use his.”

“We aren’t going to find out just talking in this field,” I said. “Let’s get going and see what happens.”

Ted turned his horse and rode across the field. Anne and I took up positions on either side of him.

‘Why were you following us, Anne?” Ted asked.

“Mayor Mueller told me which way you were headed. I have some news you need to know.”

“What’s that?”

“Hank Kroner killed himself last night. Left a note.”

“I don’t know him,” Ted said. “Was I mentioned in the note?”

“No. Hank is… was a man in his eighties. He shot himself in the head. The note said we were to use anything and everything he had left to help other people survive.”

Ted shook his head and grimaced. “I was afraid this would happen.”

“What?” I asked.

“Older people in particular can start to feel useless when something like this hits. Especially when they don’t have any family close by.” Ted turned to Anne. “He didn’t have any family, did he?”

“Not near, no,” she answered.

“So he looks around and says “Why should I be using up all of this water and food? I’m not going to be around much anymore.” Then he puts a gun in his mouth and does the noble thing.”

“How do we stop that from spreading?” Anne asked.

“The pragmatist in me says we shouldn’t. But I suggest moving older people who are by themselves in with families that have young children. We can tell them the older people can keep an eye on the kids, which will free up the stronger adults to do more robust work. Like helping with the crops.”

A gunshot cracked in the distance. The loud ranting of Ted was mute by comparison. We all galloped forward. Toward the sound of the gunfire. Toward Lester Collins’ house.

Lester lived in a modest ranch style house on a plot of land that had a grove of walnut trees on one side, and a thick hedge of brushy cedars growing around the rest of the property. The only access road big enough for a car went through a heavy steel cattle gate that was set into the heavy line of cedars.

Crouched off to the side of the gate was Kenny. He was sweating heavily and had a white pillowcase clutched in his hand. When we turned from the field on the road that led to the gate, Kenny looked back at us and waved us away from the gate.

“Is that you, Ted?” A voice shouted the question from a good distance beyond the gate.

We rode off the side of the road up to Kenny. The high brush line giving us plenty of cover from the house.

“It’s me, Les,” Ted yelled back as he dismounted. “Were you shooting at Kenny?”

“Not at him,” Lester yelled back. “I just told him to step away from the gate and when he didn’t, I fired into the ground.”

“Bullets ricochet, you stupid redneck,” Kenny yelled.

Ted put a hand on Kenny’s shoulder and motioned him to join Anne and me. We had dismounted and moved the horses even farther away from the road.

“I saw three ride up, Ted. Who you got with you?”

“Anne Franklin and David Hartsman.”

“Who?”

“He’s visiting his folks. He grew up in Kenton.”

A few seconds passed before Lester answered. “Is he a cop?”

Ted rolled his eyes and shook his head. “He’s not a cop and no one cares about what you’re growing. We need some help.”

Lester laughed and snorted. “I bet you do. What did you fail to prepare for?”

“I need some water tabs.”

“Water tabs? I know you have a bunch. I saw you buy them.”

“Yeah,” Ted yelled. “And we need more. We have almost enough wells reopened, but the water isn’t drawing from deep enough yet. We will need more tabs. And antibiotics.”

“Wait a second. Are you telling me you are helping the town?”

“Yes, Lester. The town needs help, so that is what I am doing.”

“You have shit for brains, Riggins. You know how they treated us. You know what they thought about you.”

“I know Les, but they will die if no one helps them.”

“Then let them die! They deserve it.”

“It’s already started. And maybe they do deserve it, but I will do what I can to see as many people survive.”

“Already? Disease?”

“No, some elderly.”

“Suicides?”

Ted sighed. “One so far.”

Lester didn’t say anything after that. Anne started to move over to the gate after about ten minutes, but Ted motioned her back. After a few more minutes, the front door to the house opened.

“I’m coming out Ted, but I have Joey at the window with a rifle. Any funny stuff and we’ll riddle you full of holes and then the town won’t have anyone to help them.”

“Fair enough, Les. I’ll put down my stuff and stand in front of the gate.”

“You do that.” Lester was moving closer to the gate by the sound of his voice.

“What else do you need?” Lester asked as he drew near the gate.

“Seed,” Ted said. “I know you have some squash, zucchini and wheat seed in quantity.”

“I do,” Lester said. “But here’s the problem. Those are slow growing crops. I assume you have already planted your radishes, turnips and lettuce. So if you need the slow growers, you expect to be feeding a lot of people. And you have a supply of water tabs and antibiotics with your supply and the pharmacy, so you don’t have an immediate need for those either.”

“What are you getting at, Les?”

“You want something else. Something you need now. Otherwise you would have waited me out a few more weeks before you came begging. Now what is it?”

“I need to use your radio.”

“What?”

“Your radio, Les. I won’t take it, but I want to be able to use it. Once a week for fifteen minutes.”

“That’s a lot to ask for, Ted. What happened to yours?”

“Cage wasn’t set up right, I guess. Completely fried.”

“And what would you give me in exchange for use of my radio?”

“What would you want?”

I heard Lester spit on the ground. After a minute he spoke. “I’d want to use yours, of course. Cause my cage didn’t hold either.”

Ted turned his head towards us. His jaw was clenched and I could tell he was holding in an explosion.

“Alright, I guess we are in the same boat then, Les. What about the other stuff?”

“Well, here’s what I can do for you. I’ll trade you the seed today, seeing as how you need to get it into the ground. The other stuff can wait. You can come back in a month and we can see how things are going.”

“Okay. What do you want for the seed?”

“I want as much of your crop as me and my boys need. And you have to replenish our seed out of the first crop.”

“How many you got with you?”

“I’m not going to give away any raw numbers, Ted. You know me better than that. I don’t want to have your townsfolk think they can just come in here and take what is mine.”