Hank, a big, heavy man, standing 6’7” got into the van and slid the seat back. His partner for the evening, Tiny, jumped into the van, too. He was also heavy, although not as tall as Hank. Hank pulled out his map and studied it while Tiny fiddled with the radio, trying to find a station to his liking. They left shortly after the first van pulled out and headed toward a known encampment near the interstate. Hank said, “I have been to this encampment before and actually lived here for a short while, so I know a couple of hiding places we can check after we check all of the tents.”
It was growing dark, which made it hard to see so they shone the headlights on a row of tents. In the first tent, a man was laying on top of his sleeping bag. He didn’t make a move when they nudged him, so the two men picked him up and put him into the van and strapped him down. “It would be easier to work with if the seats were not in the van, just like in the U-Hauls. This is rough, struggling to get this man in here, sit him in the seat and buckle him in. Why can’t we take the seats out next time, to make it easier?” Hank asked Tiny.
Tiny responded, “Yeah, I asked them already and they said, there isn’t enough time to get the seats back in afterwards so the vans can leave for the ships. Apparently, you have to have tools and it takes a while. Oh well, we are pretty strong and can handle the job.”
As he clicked the seatbelt for the first man, Hank said, “Speak for yourself. I’m not pretty strong, I am super strong!” They both laughed over this and climbed out of the van to go get another person.
“Turn out the headlights, some of us are trying to sleep!” came a gruff voice from one of the tents.
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“Shut up! We have a job to do!” Tiny barked back. He and Hank searched the rest of the tents in the area and retrieved three more passed out addicts. After they were safely strapped into the van, the guys went over to the bridge the interstate formed over the city street. They shone their flashlights up the cement embankment and saw signs of life. Huffing and puffing, Tiny and Hank climbed up the embankment. They smelled the death before they got all of the way up there. As Hank peeked over the top of the enclosed embankment, two eyes met his. He jumped a little out of surprise. The man looking at him asked what they had come for. Hank asked, What is that smell?”
The man replied, “It’s my friend, Tony. He needs to brush his teeth, man. He just lays there and he has the worst breath!”
Hank said, with his shirttail covering his mouth, “That is not bad breath; he is in a state of decomposition.”
The man said, “‘No man, he is in the state of Oregon. We are all in Oregon, aren’t we?”
Tiny said, “Hey, how about we take you to get some food? Do you want some ice cream? What do you think, Hank, could we take him to get some food?” Tiny thought it was a good way to distract him and get him into the van.
“What’s your name?” Hank asked.
“I am Merle, but you can call me Merle,” the man answered.
Hank asked, “Do you think you can get down to the bottom of this embankment?”
Merle said, “Yeah, man, just let me get my cardboard. He got a big piece of flattened cardboard and placed it on the slanted cement, sat on it, pulled up the front of the cardboard and started sliding! He ended up in a tangled heap at the bottom of the embankment!
Both of the guys laughed as they followed suit, just slower. Tiny said, “Well he is not awake any longer; let’s load him up.”