The elevator door opened and out walked the crew David following von and sergal. The town was alive today with all the trades coming in. The town seemed to be at full functionality. David picked up his cart handles and moved the cart along making his way through the crowds of people keeping a close eye on the chart of fish boxes.

As they were passing by the temple David stopped to pay back Father AES

Dropping off one box filled with fish.

Kenny and David continued down the street to the greenhouse to see James.

David walks up the greenhouse steps and looks into the entrance for James which he sees in the back tending to his most recently planted cannabis.

" Hey James, I got the order. I didn't want to keep you waiting. I know you could use the fish at the moment, and don't worry I will get the sea weed stocks next time I'm in."

David walks up to James and shakes his hands and lowers the cart to the ground.

David unloaded two boxes and James was happy.

"Thanks David I really needed this at home."

David smiled and looked back at Kenny.

"Alright James, I will have to catch up more later, I still got a place I need to stop by."

" Alright if you're in the neighborhood we could have some tea later, see you guys be safe out there."

David and Kenny walked out of the Green house and continued down the packed street. Till they pass the bar and Kenny gets noticed by a woman Who staggers her way towards them.

" Hey you guys, can I have some herbal smoke?"

Her breath smelled of potato vodka.

" Ugh no I don't have any."

" Useless place no one has anything around here." The woman turns and walks away.

David and Kenny brush off the womans attitude and continue down the road.

They finally get to the mechanic shop. David walks in pushing the cart on its wheel.

"Hey Mark,It's David, I'm back and I got some fish to trade for some whale motor oil and corn fuel."

Mark puts down his tools and turns to see David and Kenny in one piece with a cart of fish at his entryway; he greets them with a nice loud.

"HELLO, wow! Those are some fine fish and just in time for lunch, my friends, David and Kenny, I got the oil and fuel you guys need."

Mark stood up and walked over to the fuel cans, grabbed one from the shelf and turned to the whale oil shelf and picked up a small barrel then walked over and handed a large can to David and a barrel of whale oil to Kenny. Mark then took three boxes of fish. Leaving David with two boxes of fish to sell to the kitchen.

" Thank you so much for the fuel and oil Mark."

David places the fuel canister and oil barrel into the cart. David Shakes mark hand to finish the deal and then leaves with Kenny.

The street Was still packed with tons of people. But David and Kenny made their way towards the kitchen where they seen Sergal and Von grabbing a drink at one of the tables, David approached the table with Kenny. Ocean walks out from the kitchen with an order for the table.

David smiles at Ocean " Hi Ocean, When you have a chance I have some fish to sell to the kitchen." Ocean places the plates of chicken and rat salad onto the table for Von and Sergal. "Yes I will be right back, is there anything else I could grab for you David?"

" Yes me and Kenny would like Lobster dinners"

"Yes, The lobsters are fresh from today's catch just brought in." Ocean turns and walks into the kitchen.

"This chicken rat salad is a lot better than I expected. Why didn't you guys order it?" Von takes another bite after suggesting the dish. Sergal swallows the last leaf lettuce.

"David, so I found a gift for you. It was in one of the boats that survived the blast,

It's a nice bolt action rifle to keep at your home or to take with you whatever you choose. It also had half a box of ammo."

David nods. "Yeah I could definitely use it at home. From there I could cover your houses like you guys had protected us last night." David rubs his hands together

" I already feel a lot safer now."

Von nods "David what you say, me and you check out the ladies at the bar?"

"I'm good on going to the bar, it's the last place I want to be."

Von with a look of confusion "you sure man?"

"Yeah I'm good" David looks at the lobsters on the plates being brought over by Ocean.

"Yes! looks good, wow they're orange." Kenny with excitement clears a little area for his plate pushing the cups and utensils aside. David's hungry stomach was a dead give away grumbling at the sight of the lobster. David and Kenny both dug into their plates. Ocean and the cook came by and picked up the fish boxes that David was going to sell to the kitchen. Leaving him a bag of coins in exchange.

David felt the bag checking its weight for the usual amount. It was all there.

David continued with eating the lobster tail which tasted a lot better to him than chicken rat salad. David couldn't understand how von and sergal could love chicken rat salad.

"Well there's my crew!"

Henry pulled a chair from a nearby table and grabbed a seat next to Kenny. Henry waved his hand to Ocean.

"I guess me and Sergal and Von will check the fish farms on our way home, see how many we were working with."

David looks up at Henry. " Are you sure I could help?"

Henry closes his hands together.

" I'm sure only gonna check we will do the work tomorrow." Ocean walks up

" Can I take your order? What are you having?"

"I would like the fish gut soup."

"Great coming right up!" Ocean leans over grabbing von and sergal's salad bowels and coins. Ocean walks back to the kitchen, while Von and Sergal stand up to exit the restaurant area.

"Well captain were gonna go pick up some stash you want anything I can grab it for you." Von holds out his hands for the captians coins.

"Yes pick me up a small pouch of sea Raiders kush, and a barrel of sunshine hybrid." Henry hands him a hefty small bag of coins.

"Alright, I will get you the order." Von turns with the bag in hand towards the green house. Von and sergal make their way up the street through the people towards the establishment.

Henry smiles. "Hey Ocean, I would like to get some tea for all of us. Can you bring some cups and a pot." Henry meets a glance with Ocean and she nods.

" Alright be right back with your tea."

"Splendid, Kenny, how was your lobster?"

Kenny wiped his face.

"It was really good." Henry nods

"What's your guy's plan after we leave the stilted city?"

David looks up at the cloth over hanging sheet that was blocking the hot sun then looks around the area seeing the stilted city people going about their business.

The vendors trading, people chatting,

"It's a busy place here today, but I will probably swing by the good store and maybe the temple, then back to zone C, what about you Henry just checking the fish farms?" David then reaches over and picks up a cup and pours some tea from the pot. Kenny puts his cup in front of David for him to pour it in.

"Yeah I'm also going to hook up a transmitter for us to all communicate."

Kenny's eyes open wide " A transmitter?"

"Yes Kenny, a radio transmitter so we could all communicate even with this stilted city."

Henry finishes his cup of tea and stands up,

David takes another sip and places the cup down, Kenny goes to place his on the table and drops it, spilling the tea over the table. " Ahhh no." Kenny looks around for a rag. David shrugs "don't worry about it Kenny it's just tea." Kenny stops and looks at David " You're not gonna hit me?"

David with a confused look.

"No I'm not, now let's go to the supply shop Kenny."

Henry laughed " yeah don't worry about anything kid your with us now, I will show you some stuff with the radio transmitter and receiver when we get back to zone C,

Things my dad showed me that his dad my grandfather showed him when he was a young man. My grandfather was a Radio man in the time before the water."

" Woah the time before the water."

Kenny looks at David for confirmation.

" Yeah Kenny, if we can get the radio transmitter and receivers going we could catch a live recording of the old ones telling stories of the old times before the water." Kenny smiles "cool!"

David looks at Ocean cleaning the table and goes into his coin bag. He takes out a hefty tip and holds it out offering it to Ocean as a nice gift for her service. " Thank you David!" She takes the tip. "Your crew is always welcome here, see you guys and thank-you for your services to our kitchen."

"No problem, Ocean, I will see you again next time."

David lifts the cart of his whale oil and corn fuel.

David, Henry and Kenny walk away from the kitchen vendor and through the crowd of people. They make their way towards the supply shop.

" Thank the whale god for this breeze or we would be in dying heat."

David nudges Henry.

Kenny looks at a homeless guy sitting on the side of the street. as the homeless guy recognizes Kenny. " Hey Gip." Kenny says and waves at the fellow who looks back with curiosity.

Gip gets up and starts to follow Kenny, Henry and David.

They come within range of the shop when Henry turns around and confronts the guy. " Listen, I know you have been following us for a short while now, state your business."

The homeless guy.

"I'm Gip, and I see bright lights in the sky at night."

Henry smirks " Yes those are stars Gip."

" No, they fly, stop , then fly towards the edge and fly into the water."

David shakes his head. "Stay away from us weirdo."

And David turns and walks away with Kenny following and Henry gives the guy coin to leave and follows David and Kenny into the Supply shop.

A nice doorbell rang as the door opened.

David looked around at the metal shelving.

The products ranged from old tech to everyday needs, hemp clothing, cloth, fishing gear,Diving gear,and all the repair needs for homes to boats to foot wear.

Kenny walked with David watching him go through all the diving gear pulling out an underwater torch, then air canister, " come this way the tool rack is over here Kenny."

David picked up a nice set of chain cutters.

"What do you need the chain cutters for if you got the torch?"

David looks at Kenny.

" Well last time, I dropped the torch too far into the deep, if I would have had one of these chain cutters we could have got in."

David then takes a big sigh.

"Can I help you?" A tall man with blonde hair and blue eyes approached.

Dressed in the shop clothing which was a brown apron, black shirt and pants and hemp shoes.

The tall man hold out a hand,

" Let me take these for you to our counter."

"Yes, here you go Boon." David gave the air canister and other items to the tall store keeper named boon.

" Going diving, David?"

"Yes, This time I should be bringing back some goods, well I hope it's worth it."

David hands the man some coins.

"Hi Henry, nice transmitter and receiver."

Henry walks up and holds out a small bag of coins to Boon. Boon takes the bag of coins. Boon looks at Henry "You gonna make a radio Henry? David is going diving and said he's gonna bring loot back to sell." David looked at Kenny who had the same look of confusion. "Alright we gotta go see you later boon."

Boon smiles "come back anytime."

Boon hands them their supplies in a hemp bag.

David and Kenny take the stuff, then put it into the cart and walk out of the store. Henry following, once back out in the street the place wasn't so busy.

David notices Von and Sergal coming out from the bar. Laughing and having a good time.

" Well let's go. Back to zoneC."

Henry starts walking.

David and Kenny continue on with him back to the Dock. Meeting with Von And Sergal. " You missed out David."

David smiles "I'm sure I did."

Sergal barely held his laughter back.

"Von told the fishermen of zone A to bite the black end of their mother's asses."

Von chuckled, "They're all drunken buffoons."

"Who are you Calling Drunken Buffoons?"

Marty walks up rolling his sleeves.

" I will have. You laid out here in the street if you dare talk bad about me and my crew, Zone A has more potential then the Bottom feeders of Zone C."

Von rolls up his sleeves.

" You want to settle this right now?"

Marty calls out. " Boys, it looks like we got a bunch of jelly spines here, who want to be put in place."

Zone A fish Farmers gather outside the bar.

Then a loud gun was fired in the air.

Mark walks up with a homemade shotGun.

"Everyone, no one's fighting or dying in the streets here today, am I making myself clear." David looks at Mark who gestures to them to leave.

David and Kenny start walking with the stuff in the cart towards the elevator.

Von, Sergal and Henry follow after sometime they pass the kitchen. Where David waves to Ocean as he passes by. They all meet up at the elevator which takes its slow time moving up the chains to the main platform. Kenny walks into the metal cage after David opens the doors David followed Kenny in and placed the supplies beside Kenny. Von, Sergal and Henry follow into the elevator. Henry closes the door and hits the button. The elevator starts to descend.

End of chapter 005

Stilted Waters Edge written by Travis Willier copyright 2021