Chapter 5

"Honey, should I break one first so he knows we're serious?"

"No, we'll start easy. If he hesitates or lies, we can always start then. Now, James, how many in your community?"

He locked his jaw planning not to say a word. Bennie went over to Marv and Bubba and tied them up and gagged them. He went over to James and put his foot hard on his right wrist. He reached down and grabbed the little finger and pulled back until it went, "crack," and broke. James screamed with pain. Bennie reached down for his ring finger and grabbed it. "My wife asked you a question." He said.

"We-we aren't a community. There's just the three of us left. We lived in town and raided farms and stores but are running low. The part about the raiders was true and they killed the other one of us and the only woman. Let me go!"

"Why? You were planning to probably kill Bennie and abuse me. As you just found out, that can be hazardous to your health. Should we break another finger?"

"No-no, I'll tell you anything you want to know. Ask me anything."

"I know you will. Now, where did you live before the Day?"

"Here. I lived here in Warrenton."

"Details."

"I lived two blocks up and worked as an insurance agent. My wife and kids didn't make it. Marv was in the same situation. He worked at Dollar General as its manager. Bubba worked for the grocery. Marv's wife and kids died, too. Bubba was divorced and his wife and kids had left the area. We don't know what happened to them."

"We'll check your stories later. Have you been to Augusta?"

"Not all the way in. When we got to Martinez, there was another group there and they warned us away."

Bennie and I looked at each other. "Have you been checking around any of the neighbor farms?"

"No." Bennie reached for the next finger and he yelled, "Yes, yes, but we didn't find any people alive. They were all dead or gone. We haven't been out there to any of them lately. I knew so many of those people. It's terrible to see their bones and the houses go downhill." He began to sob.

I began to feel for this guy who just didn't know what to do. I recognized that, without leadership, many people were going in the same direction. They had neither the ideas nor the ability to make it in this new world on their own. I made a decision but wanted to talk to Bennie first. Even before that, I needed to let Momma Shirley know that we had things under control.

I picked up the radio and keyed the mike. "Mom, this is Janice. They tried an attack but it didn't work. We are preserved."

"Good, Janice. When will you call back?"

"Give us an hour or two. Bennie and I need to talk about an idea of mine."

"Okay. We'll be here when and if. Shirley out."

"Janice out." I released the mike key and turned the radio off. "Tie him up, Dear."

Bennie tied James good and tight. We went outside to check the horses and talk privately.

"What do you think we should do with them?"

Bennie shrugged. "I guess the easiest would be to kill them. They aren't worth much to themselves or anyone else. You knew that, so what's your idea?"

"I agree that's the easiest. I do have a different idea. What if we send them to Preservation? They aren't really bad men but they do need the leadership and order that Preservation would provide them. We can warn them that they will have to live under the rules and work. We can tell them their choice is to remain here and get loose after we're gone. We can say that, if they follow us, we will kill them right away. What do you think?"

"That might just work. I don't like the idea of killing without it being necessary. We can always kill. Maybe, they can be saved. It's worth a try though we will have to watch our backs for a bit. Let's do it."

We went back inside. Bennie spoke, "We've talked it over. We're going to give you a choice. You can go to Preservation or die. Now, you're thinking that you can say you will go and then not go. However, if that's what happens, we will find out, search you out, and kill you slowly enough that it's very painful. You can try to trail us. When we catch you doing that, your death will be even slower and more painful. Preservation may only accept you on probation but that is your hope to live. Failure to go there and report will be a death sentence. Now, it's up to you. Do I cut you up or cut you loose?"

I think that got their attention. Three sets of eyes went wide. I went over to Marv and then Bubba and untied their gags.

Bennie said, "We need decisions now. James?"

James looked up and said, "How do we trust you?"

Bennie said, "You don't. Make your decision, now."

"I'll go to Preservation and take my chances with them. I just hope they'll give me a chance."

I looked over at Marv. "Your choice?"

"I'll go to Preservation. I don't mind working."

Bubba said, "I'll go with Marv. It sounds like you have a good thing going there. It would be good to part of something again."

We untied them and I splinted James' finger. We gave them instructions on how to get there and our last extra two-meter radio with instructions on when to use it. We left them and headed north and east back to I-20 and Augusta. They would leave in the morning for Preservation under pain of death for failure. That sounded tougher than it was because we or someone else from Preservation would have to find them to put them to death.

We decided to stop in the vicinity of Pumpkin Center. It was a cute name for a town and it was outside of Martinez where our three had said there were people. We wanted to meet them with a reasonable bit of daylight. We would do that tomorrow. We carefully removed traces of our passing when we left I-20 for a farm where we stayed for the night. We were pretty sure our three would not follow us but took no chances.

The next morning, we rose and packed as always. Mounting our horses, we went back up to I﷓20 and then headed east to Martinez which was now close. We came in staying on I-20 not trying to hide. As we entered Martinez, we came to a barrier that had seen better days. We stopped at it and looked around carefully. If someone had been there, there was no sign that their presence had been recent. We went through but replaced the gate in case someone was watching us.

We left I-20 and went northerly into downtown Martinez without seeing anyone or any sign of recent habitation. When we reached the town center area and Washington Road, we turned east to head back toward Augusta that was south of I-20. Washington Road was one of the main drags into Augusta and went by the Augusta National Golf Course.

We followed Washington Road south under I-20 and into Augusta. At the interstate were the typical motels and restaurants which all looked to have been deserted for a long time. We continued south and saw the signs for the golf course to our right.

We saw no one as we entered the downtown area of Augusta. We went over to the river thinking that, if anyone were in the city, they would be close to the water. We still saw no sign of recent activity. We came to the south end of town and I-520 and stopped.

Bennie and I talked about where to go from here. Either we could cut south and east to I-95 heading toward Savannah or we could further north and into South Carolina. Finally, we called Preservation and talked to Jack. His suggestion was that we return to I-20 and check out the coast further north and then head south toward Savannah. Charlie, who lived close to Ted, was from Columbia and, since he had left, we had no news from that area. We agreed and took I-520 back around north to I-20. We stopped there for the night along the river hoping that we might see some signs of life. We saw nothing suggesting that people were around.

In the morning, we left on I-20 continuing on our journey in a northeasterly direction. We were watchful for people or signs of people as we traveled. It was a great empty land through which we traveled. I asked Bennie a question that Poppa Jack and Momma Shirley asked me and themselves, "Where are all the people?"

"I don't know, Janice. You would think people would be around here because it's good land with a mild climate." He said.

"Jim's friends were over here until they joined us a couple of years ago."

"That's right and they didn't find anyone either. I am surprised. I would think that people would come here for the farming and climate, too. We'll just have to keep an eye out for any signs of people like we have been doing."

We traveled along wandering off the main road at the exits in one direction or the other or both and looked around for people or signs of people. We saw no one or anything that would suggest that people had been around since the Day. It was distressing and lonely seeming with no people. This was not a heavily populated area but had a reasonable population of farmers and small towns. All stood empty.

We weren't in a hurry and wandered around the area. We were continuously surprised that there weren't any people or signs of people. We didn't find the heavy signs of animals like we expected either. Deer hunting was only fair but they weren't skittish. When we reached Columbia, we found a comfortable house. It was surprisingly intact with running water but no power, of course. The people had left before death so there were no bodies to remove. Everything was clean, just dusty. We didn't open the refrigerator knowing that was never a good idea. We managed to get the gas water heater going and had hot water for bathing which was exciting. It was the first time for running water and hot water since we left Preservation! We luxuriated in our baths.