An Old Man And His Axe: A Prepper fiction book of survival in an EMP grid down post apocalyptic world (Old Preppers Die Hard 1) (12 page)

“Hey mom, come check out the trap me and Farley made!” Jeremy yelled up to the house where his mom was doing dishes after heating up some water.

“Now that’s pretty cool, you’re an interesting fellow I must say, Farley. Raccoons are pretty smart do you really think we have a good chance it’s going to work?” Becky asked.

“Sure it’s going to work, Mom. We tested the trigger and everything.” Jeremy said complaining and almost pouting that his mom could doubt that it wouldn’t.

“I think it will do fine, but like I said, Jeremy you can’t always tell when that raccoon is in the area. This might be his normal range or he might just be wandering through and not be back around for a few days. We will see most likely tonight and there are other critters around here that might go after that fish, depends on who smells the bait first, might be a possum gets in the trap first.” Farley explained.

“Oh, I say it’s going to be a raccoon!” Jeremy said enthusiastically.

“I think that boy has a taste for raccoon, I been telling him different ways of cooking them and I said he could have the pelt. I probably got just enough salt to cure the hide for him.” Farley stated.

“You going to make you a coon skin cap like Daniel Boone?” Becky asked, kidding in Jeremy’s direction.

“No, but I still would like to know how it’s done.” Jeremy said exasperated.

“I have been kidding him a bit about wearing one of those and I think he is tired of getting his tail twisted about that.” Farley explained, chuckling.

“How about a possum hat? I think you would look better in one of those.” Farley said needling the boy a bit more who just groaned back him.

“All kidding aside though, when you all get where you’re going, put some of your winter clothes in the car. That way if for some reason you have to leave your home in a hurry you will at least have a jacket or something to put on, lots of fires going on these days and for the most part the fire department can’t respond to them. I don’t know what the situation is like in Mobile, but Montgomery lost water pressure within weeks of the grid going down.” Farley advised.

“That’s a good idea, I wouldn’t have thought of that, thanks Farley.” Becky replied deep in thought.

“Winter is another reason I want to look at that cabin up the road. It has a cast iron wood heater in it. I never tried heating a house with just a fireplace like in your cabin. Lots of things for me to have to consider.” Farley said as they walked back to the porch.

“I guess we are ready, you leaving your wood stove here or are we taking it with us?” Jeremy asked.

“Good question, if it’s cooled down enough I guess throw it in the back of the van. That would make me feel better; I don’t want it wandering off anywhere while we are gone.” Farley decided.

“I wonder what those country boys are up to today.” Becky said ominously.

“No telling but we got to drive right past them. I doubt they are going to bother us but if they do, prepare for me to be hauling ass. You sure you still want to go?” Farley asked.

“Yea I am sure, your description of them just makes me a bit nervous.” Becky said.

“Well, I got to clean off a place on my back seat before we can take off. I got a bunch of gear crammed into that thing.” Farley said walking towards the van.

“I will ride in back.” Becky offered.

“Let’s see what kind of room I can come up with, might leave some clothes or something here until we get back. Gimme a few minutes.” Farley said and set about rearranging his load.

About 10 minutes later, Farley loaded everyone up and started on their way. He told Becky he was keeping his rifle handy up front with him in case he saw some game on the road and didn’t mention anything about watching out for two legged predators. Farley drove by the pickup boy’s house and saw one sitting on the porch and he just waved and kept on going. The man waved back just like someone would have before the disaster hit but Farley could tell he was studying the van pretty hard.

“Well that was painless, o.k. Jeremy, now we are going to find out if you can really read a map, which way should we go?” Farley asked getting out onto the main road.

“Looks like you got to go about 5 miles and pickup the county highway to go towards where you wanted to go. You got about 3 side roads you’re going to pass along the way there.” Jeremy said studying the better map his mom had of the area they were using.

“Sign says that there is a bait store 2 miles up ahead, now that’s the dangdest thing I never thought of, check this out Becky, why wouldn’t a bait store be open on the lake after the electric grid went down? I mean one of the old fashioned kinds that raise their own worms and crickets and catches baitfish? Not one of those kinds that don’t have anything more than a refrigerator to keep worms in and a wooden crate full of crickets out front?” Farley said, contemplating.

“Maybe because nobody has money to buy worms?” Jeremy offered seriously and then everyone saw the humor in that.

“Well, you got a point there my friend but as long as there is money or barter people are going to do business. Now whether or not folks will be thinking it is worth their while to sell worms during the apocalypse remains to be seen.” Farley said with a grin.

“Oh, I know where we are at, the folks that rented me this place told me that the bait store sold fire wood also by the bundle or by the cord. I remember joking with them about them bundles of wood you see out in front of supermarkets at ridiculous prices but they got to be selling those few pieces of wood to somebody. I bought my fish bait at the country store back off to the right but that place supplies them with their bait worms. I didn’t have extra money to be buying such extravagances as $6 bundles of fire wood and me and Jeremy when we go camping or want a fire just search around for what the good Lord provides. Always been enough until here lately but there is still plenty, just requires a lot more work when you are depending on it for clean water and cooking.” Becky replied.

“I am going to find you all a regular real wood axe somewhere today, either one of you know how to swing one very well? There aren’t any hospitals out here to patch you up so if you never played with one before, tell me now so I can teach you how to use one properly and safely. There is an art to swinging one, too, or they will work the shit out of you with little wood to show and a lot of blisters for your efforts. You got to know how to make the tool work for you.” Farley declared.

“I have used one in the Boy Scouts before but not very much, I didn’t stay in the troop long.” Jeremy said.

“I don’t have any experience at all chopping or splitting wood.” Becky added.

“Well that’s one skill I need to teach you then. How to sharpen an axe and how to use a bow saw also needs to be in your repertoire of skills. I am sorry to say folks but you are going to be burning a lot of wood and be burning it daily for a long time to come. Now them spiffy multi tool axes I got serve a hell of a lot of purposes, demolition being one, but they are not what you need for real wood chopping to heat a home or fell a tree. You need a real wedge shaped axe for that. Tools are important now, you can’t survive without them, we need to scrounge you up an axe if we can and maybe look for a mattock or a pick axe, too. Gardening is a big thing you’re going to have to do also if you can find any seeds. Do you garden Becky?” Farley asked.

“Just container gardening and some flowers. I always buy my transplants at Lowe’s in the spring, matter of fact I have 6 tomato plants on my back porch now that are either dead from lack of water or growing all over the place because it wasn’t time to stake them yet when I left. I told Millie, that’s my cousin, to go by and water them, though while I was gone. She lives on the other side of town from me and more than likely thought of them by now come to think about it and moved them on over to her house. I hope she has some sense and saves some seeds from those tomatoes. I doubt she dug up my garlic bed though, the tops had died down and it doesn’t look like anything is growing there but weeds this time of year.” Becky said speculating.

“We can get some seeds from my buddy Marvin I bet mom if we have enough gas to get over there to his Daddy’s place.” Jeremy said referring to one of his schoolmates whose family produced a big garden every year.

“I suspect one of your Uncles or somebody has access to some seeds but that is a good idea, Jeremy. Farley, you said you were some kind of a doomsday prepper, what is it you all plan to use for money now that the banks are all closed?” Becky asked.

“I didn’t say I was no kind of a danged Doomsday Prepper, I just said that I was a prepper, you know somebody that prepares… I guess you are going to find out now because that place looks open!” Farley said slowing his van down and pulling in the parking lot of an old white wooden building. There was a pickup truck and a car in the lot and a couple of old dogs hanging out by the screen door entrance. Farley studied the place for a moment or two before saying “Let’s go inside and see what they are selling.” and with a wink he got out of his vehicle and they went on in.

The dim interior of the place took a second or two for his eyes to adjust to but the sound of crickets and the smell of the place brought back a lot of memories to Farley. Racks of fishing poles and lures, an empty food case and a half full beer case greeted him as well as a heavy set old red faced man with white hair and a stout bearded fellow casually cradling a 30-30 lever action deer rifle across his lap.

“Good morning, what can I do for you today?” The snow white haired gentleman asked him.

“I don’t know yet, I am still pretty surprised about you being open.” Farley said with a smile approaching the counter.

“Well, it’s sit here all day in peace or get messed with by the old woman at home so you see where I am at.” The man said grinning back.

“We still got a few things to sell, folks still need worms and wood but we don’t have any food to offer you for sale.” The bearded fellow said rising while still hanging onto his rifle like it was an extension of his hand.

“I see you still got some beer, how proud are you of that?” Farley asked getting ready to hear an exorbitant price.

“Its $10.00 a six pack, forty dollars a case and no discount.” White hair said.

“That’s not bad seeing that you are the only one that’s got beer for sale around here. You got any gas to offer?” Farley asked.

“No, sorry can’t say that I do. I got some Kerosene in the tank out back and some LP gas cans to sell but I don’t have any motor fuel I am sorry to say. You all got very far to go?” White hair said.

“Not a huge distance but I am awful light on fuel. Would $20 buy a gallon of gas?” Farley offered.

“Mister, I wouldn’t take $40 for one now, folks come by and ask that question all the time, not so many now but a few still come by. That’s why I got Frasier over here, some folks won’t take no for an answer or object too much about my prices.” White hair said, nodding in the bearded mans direction.

“Nice to meet you, Frasier, my names Farley. This is Becky and Jeremy.” Farley said nonchalantly and reached to shake the man’s hand.

“Barnett’s my name.” White hair said and participated in the hand shaking ceremony all good country folk do when confronted with each other. Farley had this kind of banter down pat and you would think he was commuting to a family reunion or something as he talked about the weather and life in general before he got down to brass tacks and decided that he would buy some beer.