The Fall of America: Fatal Encounters (Book 2) (14 page)

Peeking through the brush, John said, “I see no checkpoint on the road leading to the town, so they must feel pretty secure.  Now, visit one or two booths, if you can find any, and then get the hell out.  Do not draw any attention to yourself if it can be avoided.”

“I'm no hero, and pretty scared right now.”

“Any normal person would be scared, because it's natural.  Nonetheless, that fear will keep your senses sharp and might just keep you alive.  Here,” John said and handed the leash to her and saw the look of confusion in her eyes as he said, “take Dolly. She'll respond to commands, but take good care of her.  Do not risk your life for hers, only pay attention to her head and where she's looking.  She's also been trained to give you a low growl of warning if danger nears.  If you say attack, she'll attack to kill, so remember this.”

“Do you think I need her?”

“Uh-huh, I do.  She'll be another set of eyes for you.  Now, is the pistol on you?”

“In the small of my back.  I'm ready.”

Extending his hand, John said, “Best of luck.  I'll cover this end of town, so if you have to break and run, try to come out this way.”

They shook hands and then Margie stood and moved toward the small town of Edwards.

Margie moved slowly and staggered a few times to give, she hoped, the look of being tired and hungry.  No one spoke to her or approached her, but she did pass a few others, who were dressed no better than she.  The town was dirty now, trash on the streets, with debris rolling in the light wind. She'd no sooner entered the town than she spotted a group of booths lining the street.  She moved to each one, carefully looking at what they offered.  Most had old canned goods, the used before date well passed, and some had expired ten years ago.  

Finally, she spotted a vegetable and a couple of meat stands sitting close together.  When she neared, Margie saw most of the veggies were stunted and not well shaped, but she didn't care.  While the addition of fresh food would be welcome, she'd come to talk.

Dolly walked at her side and only growled once, when a Russian mounted on a motorcycle passed heading for the main road. She picked up a cabbage and asked, “How much?”

“What do you have to trade?”  A woman asked as she smiled.

Pulling Joshua's necklace out, she showed it to the woman and then asked, “What will this gold necklace get me?”

“I need to see it first.”

Margie handed it to the woman and then looked her over closely.  She was slightly plump, which was rare, her black hair was streaked with gray, and her eyes were a dark blue.  She was short, just a tad over five feet, and had once been a beautiful woman.  She was still attractive, but grime and dirt covered her face.  While the woman looked sixty, if cleaned up and dressed nice, she would pass for forty.

The woman met her eyes and asked, “You're new here, aren't you?”

“I'm traveling and looking for my family.  Are the Russians strict here?”  Margie asked.

“There are many searching for a family, and I hope you find yours.  No, they don't care much, except if you get too close to the main base.”

“Main base?  I don't need any trouble. Can you tell me where it is?”

“Uh-huh, on the other side of town, the north side.  You're safe enough here.  I can give you three cabbages, a small bag of carrots and two onions for your necklace.”

Shaking her head, Margie said, “That's not enough.  I want some potatoes and a stalk of celery too.  Can you give that much?  The necklace is the last one I have and when it's gone, I will have no more to trade for food.”

“The gold on this necklace is electroplated and not of good quality, but I will give what you have requested.”  The woman started gathering up the produce.

“What do you do with the jewelry you get?”  Margie asked to get the woman talking again.

“I trade it to the Russians.  They're shrewd traders, but I make a living doing it.  I think it will be better here after the prison is built.”

“I don't like the Russians much, because they give me a hard time, and I want to be left alone to search from my family.  I'm scared one day they might shoot me.  Prison?”

“I haven't seen them on the street bothering people here.  They mainly stay on their base, but I can go to them and trade.  Like any army, they have those that will trade anything for gold.  You may see two or three of them walking in the town, but you'll never see one alone.  I haven't seen them checking anyone or rounding them up, not like they do in Jackson.  Some of the guards were saying they'll soon have a prison here for people who resist them.  I have no idea if it's true or not, but they're working to make something big.”

“I may stay here a day or so, if you think it's safe.”

“If you do, use caution, because most young women are taken to the base to entertain the troops, if you understand what I mean.  The Russian's bother few people and we don't bother them.  All I want is to be left alone to run my business.  I thank God that most of the armed resistance is east and north of us, or they'd likely kill us like they do in Jackson.  They kill ten Americans for every dead Russian, or so the posters say.”

“Posters?”

“There's one across the street and they're placed throughout the town on buildings.  They warn us, all Americans, not to resist them.”  The woman handed a tow sack with the vegetables and then added, “I won't fight them, but I pray for those that do the job.”

“Thank you for the talk and the produce. I must be on my way now, after I find some meat.  Is one booth here better than others?”

“Two booths down is a good meat man, Fred.  Tell him you know Sally and he'll treat you well enough.  I hope you have some good quality gold, because meat is costly.”

“I have only one item left and I'd hoped I had enough to last until I found my brother.”

“May God bless and protect you in your travels.”  Sally replied, and then moved to help another customer.

Margie said, “Come, Dolly, let's find us some meat.”

Two booths down was the first portly man Margie had seen since the fall.  He was obese with jowls hanging to his filthy tee-shirt, and he was a tall man, close to six feet.  He wore a faded pair of jeans, patched in many places, and was bald.  Flies were sitting on the displayed meat and flying around.  They were the green blowflies she'd seen on corpses in the past.

He looked at Margie and asked, “Can I help you?”

“I'm looking for beef or venison.  Do you have any of either?  Sally told me to ask for Fred.”

“I'm Fred, and have both, but beef will be expensive.  What do you have to trade?”

Removing one of her gold earrings, she asked, “How much red meat will this get me?  It has a diamond as well as being solid gold.”

“It's not solid gold, because there is no such thing.  However, this looks to be 24k and if so, it has a good value.  Let me look it over and I will tell you in a minute or so.  Are you sure you only want red meat?  I can give you much more white meat for this, if it's authentic.”

“Red meat only.  The last time I traded for white meat, it was human.”

The man chuckled and said, “How do you know that?”

“It was in Vicksburg and the Russians raided the butchers stall.  They found human remains in boxes under his tables, hands and feet.”

The man paled and then asked, “W . . . what did they do to him?”

“They shot him on the spot.  No trial, no warning, just pulled a pistol and blew his head off.  You would think they would put him in a prison.”  Margie hoped he would comment more.

“H . . . he deserved it, I guess.  We don't have a prison here, not yet anyway.  I have heard they are making one here now for the families of those who fight against them.  Uh, let me check your earring.”  

From the reaction of Fred, Margie suspected he was offering human meat, too, so she'd stay away from white meat.  Many butchers, or so she'd heard from other resistance fighters, were now selling human meat as pork and it was hard to tell the difference.  Most folks were so hungry, it really didn't matter to them and they'd eat both.

“I can give you four pounds of red meat or twenty of white.” Fred said a few minutes later.

“I need more. Can you add another pound?  The diamond is worth much and you know it, too.  Just the sparkle will catch a Russian's eye.”

“Okay, I will add another pound of red meat.”

“Beef, no deer meat.  I paid over two thousand dollars for these earrings, so I know their value.”

The fat man smiled and said, “You know what the value was once.  Now days, it's worth only what someone will give you for it. I will give you five pounds of beef for the earring.”

“Deal. I need the meat.” She said, and then shook her head as if frustrated.

“I thought you'd say that, because times are rough.”

“I must travel by the army base here; are there many soldiers there?  I do not want to be bothered or shot by them.”

Fred said, “Not if you passed them by in the day.  If you try to get near at night, they will shoot at you, even if you are traveling on the road.  There aren't many of them, maybe a hundred in the camp, so they're isolated from the rest.  They are known to shoot first and then ask questions.  I don't know, but I heard, they provide security for convoys traveling from Vicksburg to Jackson.  They'll not bother you on this day, if you pass before darkness.”

“You sound like you know them personally.”

“I know a few and they don't like being here anymore than we want them here.”  Fred replied, and handed her another burlap bag.  He then added, “I know they have no tanks, cannon, or other big equipment there, so they're scared most of the time.”

His words frightened her, as if he was volunteering too much information and knew who he was giving it to as well.  She shrugged and replied, “I don't know what a tank is and all I know about a cannon is it's a big gun.  I hate guns and violence, which is all I've seen since the fall.”

“Well, if you dislike violence, then stay the hell out of Jackson, because all the Russians do there is round folks up and shoot the shit out of them.  They've executed over two hundred people there this month alone.”

“I only want to find my brother. I pray he still lives, but it's not likely.”

“Well, if your jewelry runs out and you grow hungry, come see me.  I can always use another wife and I'll feed you well, but only white meat.”  Fred said and then laughed.

“Oh, and how many wives do you have now?”

“Three, but none are as fine or young as you are.  Each Friday we get a bottle of rotgut and have a party.”

I'd starve to death, lard-ass, before I'd go to bed with you
, Margie thought, but smiled and said, “Why thank you, Fred. I'll keep you in mind if things turn much rougher.  At times, I could use a real man in my life, but now I must move on.  I still have hopes of finding my family, only I can't go much further alone without help.”

Fred reached down, picked up two pig ears and handing them to her he said, “Take these so you know I mean what I offer you.  I'll treat you well, young lady, and enjoy doing the job.  It'd be a crime to let a pretty young thing like you go hungry.”

Margie smiled, winked and then said, “A man who can provide food for a woman is a special man these days in my eyes.  Besides, I think I could learn to like an older man like you, since you're more experienced with life.  I like the thought of a man who takes good care of his women, too. Now, that was the last of my jewelry, so don't be surprised if I return in a few days and take you up on your offer.  Are you serious or just joking with me?”  She ran her tongue over her bottom lip in a seductive manner and gave him her most teasing look.  She saw him quiver.

Fred blinked his eyes rapidly a few times, gave a loud gulp, and then said, “Hell, for you, I'd throw them other women out of the house and feed you red meat.”

Knowing some men fantasied about having more than one woman at the same time, she said just above a whisper, “Let them stay.  I think we could have a special party with a man like you.”

It was then Dolly gave a low growl, and when Margie glanced around, she saw two Russian soldiers nearing.  She lowered her head and quickly said, “I must continue on my journey, but I'll remember your invitation.”

“You, woman, stop!”  A Russian called out in thickly accented English.

Glancing over here shoulder, she saw them looking at her.  She turned and asked, “Yes?”

“Your bag has hole.  Meat will fall out,” the man on the left said.  Their rifles were still over their shoulders on slings.

Margie removed the meat and placed it in the bag with the produce.  She'd just turned to walk away when the same solder asked, “Have you husband?”

“No.”

“Come with us.  We take care of you.”

P
ankov was standing tall when Vetrov presented him with his medal for his participation in the killing of the forty Americans.  The citation had spoken of the great risk taken to gather the intelligence and how he'd gone into the field to gather even more. It read well, but the Lieutenant Colonel wasn't surprised by the words, because he'd written them himself. Standing beside him was Major Yevseyev, who'd just been promoted to major, completely bypassing the rank of captain.  The quick award of both the medal and promotion, showed how desperate Vetrov was for positive news to report to Moscow.

Vetrov saluted Major Yevseyev and said, “I want both of you to stay long enough to have a drink or two in celebration of your achievements.  It is not often I have the privilege of awarding medals and promotions these days.”

“Yes, sir.” Both men replied.

“Please be seated with the other members of my staff.  Sergeant, bring us four bottles of vodka and glasses.”

Gunfire was heard just outside the window and it was loud.  Pankov looked at his commander and then the Colonel said, “More executions this morning.  They must learn I am a man of my word.  I will keep killing ten of them until all resistance is crushed.”

“How many this time, sir?”  Pankov asked.  
You are a fool, but I have had this thought before.

“Fifty-one just died.  We had a supply depot at another base broken into two nights ago and lost a large quantity of rations and gas masks.”