Chapter 16

"Let's go out by the farm." Alex said. "We should have time before dark."

Jessica looked at her watch.

"We better get started, if we want to be able to see much. Let's go."

It is a little late. Tomorrow's soon enough.

"You're right. Let's wait."

"No, let's go."

Shouldn't have brought it up. Jessica will do anything that might help. Maybe she's right.

There was still an hour or more of sunlight remaining they they arrived. Jessica parked in front of the small building and they got out. As she was unlocking the door a vehicle moving along the road slowed and turned in to the drive.

The visitor was driving a relatively new truck of a type favored by city dwellers as much as rural folk. F-250, crew cab, four wheel drive. Dirty though, as if it was off-road regularly. Big toolbox, winch. The driver dismounted.

"Henry. Good to see you."

Jessica knows him. I don't. Someone from my past."

"Alex, this is Henry."

"Henry, Alex is having some memory problems, from his heart attack."

"Hello, Alex." Henry said. "I have the place next door. We were wondering what had happened. Glad you're back."

"Thanks," Alex said, not knowing what else to say.

What do you say when the entire world is nothing you recognize?

"We kept an eye the place," Henry said. "Almost all the property owners here are part of a community watch. We ran off a couple of people, got the sheriff to come out, they ended up arresting a couple of fugitives. But not much else. Everything look OK?"

"I suppose so," Alex replied. "I'm still getting reacquainted with things."

"You'll probably want to mow before things start growing." Henry said. "Have you checked out your equipment?"

The tractors in the shop. Big mower out back. What I was using it for?

"It may be a while," Jessica said. "Is there someone around here that can do it? We can supply the equipment if necessary. And money's no problem, as you probably know."

"I can probably get Greg, one of his boys." Henry said. "They've got some rigs can take care of it, no problem. If you want me to I'll have them come over and get it in shape. For as long as you need."

"That sounds good." Jessica said. "It will probably be a while before Alex is back on a tractor again."

"We'll take care of it." Henry said. "And anything else, let me know."

"Henry and most of the people around here are preppers." Jessica told him after Henry left. "Do you remember anything about that?"

"Preppers?"

"What they used to call survivalists. Preparing for bad things to happen. Like the collapse of civilization, wars, disasters... that sort of thing.

"Don't remember. You mean all the people live there?"

"As Henry said, most of them are. Often groups of them congregate in rural areas, for privacy and safety in the event of things going wrong. And they help each other out. Bad weather, things like that.

"We went to meetings regularly. You worked on projects with them. You had a shooting range on the farm, practiced with you guns there."

"What kind of guns I have?"

"A lot. We made several trips from Paragould moving them. Taking a few at a time, in case we had any problems along the way."

"What kind of problems."

"Mostly having an accident or something, we wouldn't to have a lot of guns in the car. And getting stopped by the police, not a good thing. Even in Arkansas, when you're not breaking any laws."

"What does that mean?"

What's she thinkin' about?

"You remember anything about the state of society these days?"

"I guess not."

"It's not good. I didn't want to lay that on you so soon, but... we'll talk about it when we get back. Want to look around some more before dark?"

"Sure."