Renewal 4 - Down on the River Read Online Free PDF Page A

mashed potatoes, corn, and green beans, with warm, fluffy rolls. Not much was said until the table was a sea of empty plates and bowls, and the men from Teeny Town were leaning back and groaning with a combination of pleasure and stuffed discomfort. At a signal from Judith, the ladies brought in dessert, two buttermilk pies and vanilla ice cream. The men made various expressions of surrender at the thought of eating more, but then switched to determination. They dug in, and were glad that they did.
    Afterward, the men retired to the living room and discussed more details of the trip. It was becoming more complicated than Terry would have expected, but they had to work hard to avoid known trouble spots between Murfreesboro and the heart of Nashville. He asked about radiation, which having grown up in post nuclear world, he thought was a reasonable question. He ended up feeling foolish as Charlie explained that the background radiation had fallen to safe levels long ago. Nashville had never been picked clean because of the belief that it was still too dangerous to approach. The only reason there was anything left to salvage was the luck of where the single nuke had hit, on the southwest side of Nashville. It took out most of the larger buildings, but the buildings themselves and geography had sheltered a great deal of the city from the blast. The combination of early radiation and panicked humanity had probably done more harm than the nuclear explosion.
    Judith appeared and made sure that Bill and his men knew where they could sleep. John and his brother shared a room with a double bed, which triggered a round of jokes at their expense, while Seth, Rob, and John shared a room with two bunk beds. John claimed the bottom one on the left, and the other two fought over the lower bunk on the right. Bill and Terry shared a room with twin beds, but Bill asked him to come back downstairs for a bit. They needed to talk about Terry’s role in any trouble they might encounter.
    “Ok, Terry. You can shoot, right? I mean, if I give you a rifle, you’re not going to shoot yourself or any of us?” Bill asked.
    “Yes, Bill. I can shoot a rifle. It’s the handgun that worries me.”
    “You’re comfortable with the knife, so I would recommend leaving it where you always have easy access. The handgun, you can hang on the left with the butt facing forward. If you need it, you can cross draw with your right hand. Just be sure you don’t put your finger on that trigger until it’s pointed in the right direction. That’s how people shoot themselves in the foot - literally. After you’ve practiced for about ten years, we can revisit the technique.” Bill smiled to show he was kidding. “If we get into a firefight, you use the rifle. Handguns are only useful when you’re up close and personal. If things are that bad, we’re probably screwed, so keep it for insurance, but don’t worry about it too much.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “One more thing, if we get into a firefight, and I don’t have time to tell you what to do, here’s the rule. Cover first, shoot second. Got it?”
    “Cover first, shoot second. Got it.”
    “Good. Let’s head out to the porch. I’ve got more tales to spin.”
    Terry smiled. He hadn’t expected another installment tonight, but it was still early in the Spring twilight. They walked out the front door and across the broad front porch. They found a group of wicker chairs arranged for conversation. Without thinking, they both took seats in the chairs facing the street. Subconsciously, no men of that era would ignore a potential threat. Bill spent a few moments packing a pipe with tobacco, and puffed it to life before he began.
     

 
     
    Chapter 4 - 5
    It was well into June, and the real Tennessee heat was coming on. We were a long way from air conditioning in our new treehouse, but it was still better than sitting on the ground. We began to get in the habit of spending our rare free moments sitting as high in