"Well..."
I turn back to Que and Rei who are decidedly avoidin' eye contact at this point.
"I mean, the family needs me lots o' the time, but I'm sure that QuePasa could handle 'em occasionally. I mean, they're all good folks n' she's a born lead…
She's right.
She's right.
Vet looks at me. I look at Vet. Vet liked my eyes. Motion with my head. C'mere.
Please understand.
C'mere Vet.
Come with me. Please.
Huh.
I look back over at Rei and Que who seem to be deliberately looking away.
Well...
Huh.
"Well, Val, I jus' came by to see how you were doin'. Things have calmed down a bit and I thought I'd, well, thought I'd come by and say hi, see how the …
Damn.
Vet.
Damn.
We were lying on Vet's cot. It was hot and sticky out that day, so we were down to our skivvies. Vet was an artist back then, in the colony, before folks all went their separate ways after The Long Night. Things were good enough,…
Can't stay here. Damn. Vet. Gonna see me. Damn. For now, use it. He'll be shocked. No doubt. Hope he won't want to hurt me. Get the drop on Cookpot. Take him out. Deal with Vet after.
No choice.
No choice.
Let's go.
Running down. No second thought. Half Pint with me. What we're here for.
Doghead has a hunting rifle. Thank the maker. That'll help. Everyone else, though. Hope they're armed.
Cookpot's the biggest threat. Gotta get to him. That's where I go. Gott…
I do my best to give Val a smile.
"Well, I don't get nervous much, Val, I s'pose. I mean, I'm older. I seen a lot o' things, kind o' stuff that scares most folks just rolls off my back at this point, truth be told. 'Sides, Lord said 'though you wa…
I smile at Rei.
"No, Rei. I'll be fine. I'll head in to talk to Val in a second. 'Preciate you all givin' me the nudge."
I turn back to QuePasa. "Que, you ain't never been a monster any more than anyone else. Iff'n I learned anythin' from the Lor…
Alarm goes off. Up on a cart, fast as can be. Looking around. Have to protect folks. Did Wisher and Isis and the twins all go down by carts? Scavs. Scavs.
I regard QuePasa.
I think of when I first met her, vengeance in my heart. I remember her eyes when I looked into them. All the fear behind them. All the worry. All the sadness. It was at that moment I felt called. Called to people like QuePasa. And…
Rocco looks happy. Got good sense. Last time he looked like that we found more food than we knew what to do with. Crisps. Crackers. Cans. All undisturbed. Pantry of a little untouched house. Middle of nowhere. Rocco took one look at it. Made that fa…
Watch Half Pint go.
Hmmm.
Like Half Pint. He's smart. Strong. Means well.
Rocco? He's okay. Half Pint tends to be no nonsense. Like me. Rocco likes to please people. Why people like him. He's nice. Smart. Good. But can't please everyone. Please …
I turn to QuePasa, my eyes widening.
"Que, I...
Well, heck.
I sputter a little bit, embarrassed.
"Que, I jus', I don't know that I can. And... wait a second... am I really that obvious?"
Prim? Nope. Liked Prim. No idea what happened. Heard she's gone. Didn't want to know.
Liked Prim. Don't want to think about it. Couldn't help. Don't want to know.
Look at Half Pint. Shrug. "Don't know much. Cars blocking way. Twins wanna scav. All…
Next stop Sparks.
I hate Sparks.
Call it that because they actually generate elec there. Most places don't do that. Some got a little. Some got more. Sparks is all lit up. With elec. It's unnatural.
Folks there are weird too.
To me at least.
…
I'm angry.
"This man, Vin. This man came into my sanctuary and tried to kill me. He's tried to steal my family. He's let us die even as he had the cure. How can I just..."
I look around at the assembled people.
Damnit.
Vin is right.
"But the Lo…
I turn to the assembled people.
"Now I am far from bein' a man o' violence, but if this fella here, this devil Rain, won't share rightly with folks who need it, then maybe we have to let him know that he can't jus' let folks suffer while he hoards …
The work of a preacher is delicate. At least one with my sensibilities. I'm a firm believer that people gotta make their own choices. The Lord says such things, in fact. Gave us free will and the like. We gotta find him all on our lonesome.
But th…
Well ain't this just a conundrum.
I turn to QuePasa. "What do you make of this? Do we leave them since they want to be here? To be honest, they seem happy. To be more honest, I don't trust these folks or this place any more'n I'd trust the devil h…