Delivery.

(Knacker Wagon Chronicles - X)


Sarge drove them slowly along the perimeter road, razor wire to one side and depressingly dull buildings on the other. They passed several guard towers, Sarge kept a steady unwavering speed. Baye thought he could make out the pointed ends of several guns. They took the first turn inward into the compound, toward the buildings. Sarge slowed as they meandered past some more concrete structures. A few were identified: Administration, High-Priority Processing; most were non-descript, almost indistinct from one another. From this vantage point inside the compound, Baye could see people walking about. Baye figured those that were uniformed were guards and the remainder may be prisoners like himself. He thought it a peculiar prison that the guards and prisoners would mingle so freely amongst each other. Sarge pulled into a front driveway for a building identified as Low-Priority Processing and came to a stop.

Tweed opened a side door and everyone started piling out. "You're coming too." Rev said to Baye. Sarge and Pudgi walked away from the van up to the front door of the building. Rev steered Baye to the back of the van, joining up with Tweed and Hamm. Hamm pulled on a lever on heaved backward. A four foot wide, two foot deep metal box emerged from the lower spaces of the van. Hamm continued pulling and Baye was surprised to see the box extend about eight feet in length. Hamm moved towards its center and tugged upward on a pair of indented latches. A pair of doors flipped open and and blast of cold air poured out. Baye could see the possum and deer carcasses inside. Tweed stuck his arm in and grabbed the headless possum. He flung it at Baye.

"Catch. That's your's to carry. See if you can manage the heavy load" said Tweed. Baye sneered as he caught the furry projectile.
Rev steered a four-wheeled dolly with a large wooden platform close to the meat locker. Hamm reached inside the locker and hoisted out the two halves of deer carcass. Baye was happy to realize the cold storage dampened most of the olfactory pleasantries emanating from the meat piles. They carried their load through the front door of the processing building. Sarge and Pudgi were inside, busy negotiating a price for the carcasses, at a countertop.

"Alright, let me see it", said a manager. He swung open a small half-door next to the countertop. "Bring it in. Dump it over there in the corner." Rev pulled the dolly and Baye walked behind with his furry delivery. They unloaded their cargo as turned away. The manager moved over to the pile and examined closely. He took a sniff or and pulled up a leg. "Alright, Sarge, this stuff is good", said the manager. He haggled with Sarge a little more and agreed to a price. The manager opened a compartment under the countertop and thrust his hands inside. After a couple studious moments he pulled out a small amount of cash and handed it to Sarge. Sarge took the money and stepped away, heading back to the van.

"That guy actually paid money for that crap?" Baye asked Rev.
"One man's trash is another man's treasure." Rev replied. "That's how it works though, most of the time we pick up dead stuff and haul it back here. That's small potatoes what we just got there - enough to whoop it up for a night or two, that's all. Maybe buy some gas or fix a broken part."
"And why on earth would they pay cash for that stuff?"
"Everything has value, Baye. Some things are just harder to appreciate than others. Besides, it's a small incentive for us to go get it."
"What are they going to do with it?"
"Oh, they have uses. It's cheap meat. There's always a market for it. They pass it along, processed of course. I suppose it helps pay some of the cost to run this place." Baye thought of the political-types and how they wanted to keep the penal system as low-cost an operation as possible.
"But who would possibly pay for this processed meat?" Baye asked. No sooner had the words left his mouth than he realized just who would pay for it. The government had it's hands in many operations - prisoner cafeterias, nursing home facilities, soup kitchens, even school lunch programs.

Rev saw the dawning realization on Baye's face, "Bon appetite, Baye."