The Brink (#0239) - The Market, Part 4 by Daz1971

Mixed Medium • Story/Sequential • posted on Jan 11, 2015

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Volume II - Episode 91 Where: Melbourne, Australia When: 1 month and 3 days after E-Day, 11:58 am “Anyway,” Emily said. “I’m sure you didn’t come here for me to pry into your private life. You’re probably starving!” I instantly felt bad for making her feel uncomfortable. “No, it’s okay. I don’t mind you asking. It’s just been a bit of a...stressful few weeks.” “You’re not wrong there,” she said. She glanced at her family photos, then turned back at me. “To be honest, I was just being nosy. Anyway I should really explain what’s going on here and how we work. We come in every Monday, Thursday and Saturday to trade. At first it was just Kayla and Peter, trading vegetables out of the boot of their car to anybody who happened to be passing by. It was really just a way for them to meet people and make contact with other survivors, to find out what the hell was going on in the world. Over time, it grew, and more people came to trade stuff, and we started setting up stalls in the hall itself and organised it all properly.” She got up, walked around her desk and instructed me to position my chair so I could see out into the main hall. “Everybody brings different things to trade,” she said. “Kayla - the lady in the very colourful cargidan - is the person you’ll probably want to get to know first. She and her partner run a farm up in Fishburn.” I raised my eyebrow quizzically at the word “partner”. “I know,” Emily said. “They both survived the...whatever it was. They’re so lucky. Anyway, she brings in a couple of chickens a week, and sometimes some lamb, and always cartons of eggs, lettuce, onions, and a few other vegetables. Now, given that I can’t stress how important it is to keep up your intake of vitamins and fibre, and given that everyone who comes through here has been pretty much living off a diet of chips and chocolate since everyone disappeared - and I’m sure you’re no exception - she’s a very important person to get to know and trade with. “Now, who else...” she said, leaning forward to look through the door. “The older lady over there, Nancy, she’s the baker. She’s the one with the table full of cakes and pastries. See the blond guy in the dark shirt? That’s Milo. And the Asian lady is Han.” “Han?” I asked. “Like in Star Wars?” Emily smiled. “Like in Star Wars. They’re not together or anything, but they both grow fruit trees, so they usually bring in some fresh fruit to trade. That means they’re also very important people to get to know. The other two, Brayden and Anna, just bring in interesting things they scavenge from around the place. All sorts of things, really - batteries, booze, medicine, fire extinguishers. Usually stuff you could find pretty easily in your local store or supermarket, until they started to get picked clean. Once Brayden found a few guns in the boot of a car, which Kayla took for shooting rabbits and foxes around the farm. Anna’s also a hairdresser, so she cuts hair. And me...well, you know what I do. I ask inappropriate questions about peoples’ private lives.” “No, it’s okay,” I said, blushing. “Really, I don’t mind. You can ask me anything. Honestly!” “I’ll remember that,” Emily said, winking. “But seriously, if you ever need help with a medical problem, or even if you just need someone to talk to, that’s what I’m here for.” [CONTINUED IN FIRST COMMENT BELOW]

Comments (2)

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Daz1971

9:03PM | Sun, 11 January 2015

By sheer coincidence, my stomach chose that exact moment to cramp up. Looking back, I almost told her my deep, dark secret right then and there. I almost blurted it out right there in the middle of our conversation about batteries and trade goods. When I think back now, I don’t know why I didn’t just tell her. Too many months of keeping it a secret, maybe? Or maybe I just didn’t want her to know...because I couldn’t face the truth? Regardless of why, I ignored the pain in my gut and changed the subject. “So...what do they take in trade? I mean...say I wanted to buy some meat, what would I have to trade in exchange? I’m sure it’s not money...is it?” Emily shook her head. “No. Money is worthless now. It’s funny actually, a lot of people still have trouble adjusting to that fact. We had a guy in here a couple of weeks ago who insisted Brayden take $20 in exchange for a big barrel of water he was selling. The guy was getting quite agitated, and kept saying that it was legal tender so Brayden had to accept it. In the end, Brayden took him outside to show him his ‘Money Car’. Brayden ‘acquired’ a Lamborghini a few weeks ago and covered it with fifty- and hundred-dollar-bills. Basically, it’s a quarter-of-a-million-dollar car, and it’s covered in maybe $50,000 in cash, and it’s all completely worthless. It was all Brayden could do to make the guy understand.” I thought about that for a moment. All those years I’d spent slaving over a computer keyboard, working hard and collecting wealth. And for what? To be left with a bank account full of useless money and no survival skills. “So what do you trade?” I asked. “It depends. Kayla’s always looking for people to help on the farm. Nancy usually trades cakes in exchange for baking ingredients, and for little jobs around the house - fixing taps, mowing her lawns, that kind of thing. Brayden collects old board games and...well, I’m pretty sure he’s looking for a wife. You can read into that what you will. The one thing everybody wants is petrol for generators and gas for cooking. We all need it, and it’s a pain in the arse to scavenge. Everybody will love you if you show up one day with a few containers of petrol and a couple of bottles of LPG.” I smiled. Fuel in exchange for food. I could do that. “Like I said, though, a lot of people are after services, too. Just general help with things they can’t or don’t want to do themselves. Handiwork, an extra hand to lift or fix something, cleaning. I know Anna’s looking for someone to install a doggy door for her. And Kayla is looking for, of all things, someone who can read tarot cards.” I couldn’t help the expression that fell over my face. “Seriously?” “Oh yeah, I’m completely serious. She’s into all of that stuff. What are you good at, by the way? What did you do for work before everyone disappeared?” “I was a computer programmer,” I said. “Websites, databases, all that kind of thing. Which is all completely and utterly useless now, of course.” Emily’s eyes lit up. “Michael! I’ve been looking for someone who knows computers for weeks.” I flinched a little as she grabbed my arm, barely able to contain her excitement. “Can you help me? Do you have time now? I’ll give you anything you want - food, free doctor’s visits for life, anything. I know you’re probably busy, but...Michael, I need your help.”

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