Chapter 6

I motioned Pat and Dad down and crept closer to the generator site listening and watching for anyone or anything. Other than the generator noise, it remained quiet and I saw no people or animals. Dad and Pat had crept up close to my right. I whispered, "It looks clear. Let's wait a bit though. That thing is cycling. I want to watch and to listen to a full cycle." They nodded.

We did exactly that and everything remained quiet other than the generator's motor. I said, "Let's go down there and check things out. Slowly and carefully." It really wasn't down but, frequently in the south, even heading north and up hill can be down! We went down into the clearing. It remained quiet and we began to look around.

It was a large commercial generator. As I looked around, I could see marks indicating where it had been unloaded and dragged into its current position. Someone had been here and not long ago! I pulled Dad and Pat to a quiet corner of the clearing and explained my thinking. I added, "We need to find out more about this without being found out ourselves. Let's follow the power line carefully, very carefully."

They listened and then nodded. I finished saying, "I'll lead." They nodded. I walked around the outer edge of the clearing. When I came close to the wires running from the generator, I followed them from a distance to one side trying to stay under cover and out of the sight of any sentry.

We followed the wire about a hundred yards to power wires and a pole. Wires had been cut away from one side. Staying in bushes, I pointed out what I could see. We would follow the power line some more. Someone knew something about electricity. We followed the line for about three or four hundred yards until I could see a house. I pulled us even further away from the dirt road and the house.

I said, "I think that's where the power is going but that generator was running strangely. I think something is wrong."

Dad said, "What do you think?"

"Dad, I'm not sure but that generator was showing signs that it was going under a heavy load and was then freed up. The cycle isn't steady. We don't see people. Let's just watch a while before adding our presence to their equation."

Pat said, "Mark, there's no one there. I think we should just walk down there and figure out what's going on."

I shook my head. "Pat, you may be right but we're not in a hurry. Let's wait. We can always walk up to that house later."

Dad said, "I think it's a good plan, Son. You and Pat figure out a good spot to wait and watch. I'm going to walk around the house and check the road a bit further."

"Be careful, Mister Dan."

"Thanks, Pat. I will." He moved off staying well away from the house and walking around it.

We continued to watch and listen. It was over two hours later when I heard Dad approaching from the other side from where he left. He was alone. The generator was no longer cycling but running free and had for a little over ten minutes. He came over and sat down on some pine straw. He said, "There is no one to watch for and we can stop the generator from running."

Pat's head popped up. I said, "What did you find, Dad?"

"I found the recent residents. It was two women and they electrocuted themselves. The voltage wasn't very high but there were enough amps going through them to kill them very dead. I think they had been dead for a day or so. It was gruesome and they left no note."

He sighed. "Let's go back and shut down the generator. We'll head back home and try in another direction tomorrow. I need a drink." I stood and gave Dad and Pat each a hand up. We walked back and shut the generator down. Then we went back to our farm.

When we returned, Dad took a bottle of Bourbon and a glass full of ice to the porch and sat down. He poured a drink and swallowed it down. He poured some more but set the bottle to one side to sip now. He said, "That was terrible to see. They committed suicide but didn't realize how painful a death it would be. They tied themselves down and couldn't get loose though I think they wish they had. Their faces had horrible looks from the pain." He had another large sip.

I had sat down close to him on an outdoor sofa. "I'm sorry, Dad. We've seen a lot that we wish we hadn't seen."

"Mister Dan, I know it's tough but we want you with us." Pat added.

We sat together quietly. Pat was beside me and held my hand as we watched over my father. There was something about the women that affected him. The guys in Marietta didn't bother him but these did. I thought that maybe it was the suicide aspect.

After staring a while at nothing, Dad said, "One of those women looked at little like your mother when she and I were in college or just after. It shouldn't have affected me like this but it did. I'm sorry."

"Dad, I find nothing wrong with having some emotions over people. I'm even a little empathetic with the guys we killed in Marietta. I think that they had never learned to treat women better and now they never will. The world has become harsher and more unforgiving since the Day. We're going to have to remember that in our dealings with the world and the people left in it. It's the price of living."

Pat said, "Mister Dan, we're alive and making plans. Sometimes, we have to focus on that knowing that, in another time, we would be acting differently. Even our lives in this valley are vastly different from our plans before the Day."

Dad shook himself. "Thanks. Both of you."

Pat said, "You two brought me back yesterday. I'm thankful."

Dad nodded slowly. "We need to make some plans and set some priorities."

Pat said, "You two have made a fantastic effort here. You've found a place, you're farming it, and you're storing food. What do you have in mind, Mister Dan?"

Dad said, "I'm not sure. I think we need more armament and ammo. We need to learn our area better. That means going out scavenging and exploring. I want to be sure to learn the area. What if those two poor women had been two crazed men and attacked? We need to search the area. We can't risk a surprise.

"Finally, we have the crops issue in hand but what about farm animals like cattle and horses? What do we do about gasoline in the future?"

I said, "The gasoline issue is a current worrisome one to me. We can siphon for months more but gas will deteriorate. So, it will become harder to find gas we can use. That thought makes horses sound like a good idea."

Pat chimed in with, "What about clothes and shoes? If we just leave them, they will also deteriorate. With some care and thought, it will be many, many years before we need to take up shoe making or cloth weaving."

We thought about all this for a few minutes. Finally, I said, "Why don't we each make lists of what we need and should do to survive beyond the Day. If we each brain storm for ideas, we should have enough to cover most of the bases. We can then plan and prioritize. I rather think we will be busy for months if not years." Dad and Pat nodded. We took up pads and pencils and began to write. Pat stayed by my side. I had an arm of the sofa to use and Dad went to the dining table. Pat felt warm and very comfortable next to me. I hoped she liked the feeling, too.