Wednesday 26 October 2016

31) Hate and Liars

It seems like both of us are frozen to the spot, unable to move or think. We stare at each other, unblinking, perhaps each waiting for the other to either speak or act.
She is dead to rights, my gun is aiming squarely at her, and she it stuck, no way she could move quickly enough to beat me to it.

'Why.. what is going on?' I finally ask.

She looks at me, her eyes change, as if she is sad somehow.

'Why did you take off?' I ask, not foolish enough to relax my grip. I admit, I feel sick to my stomach. Before I was just left confused, and angry that I had lost so much, but seeing her, firing at me of all people.

'Hey buddy, I didn't realize it was you.' Judy says. Her accent is different, broader, her words sound almost like slang.

'Judy.' I ask instinctively, wondering if I have made some kind of mistake, and it isn't her.

'Hey stranger..' She says, still with the same odd accent, but at the same time, a sly smile on her face. I  had been naive, but not such a fool that I didn't learn quickly.

'Let me just get up and...' She says, sounding friendly, but she rolls over, swings out an arm, she has a pistol...

Either I am very lucky, or have talents that I remain unaware of. Without blinking, not a hesitation, I fire my rifle. The first shot hits her squarely in the back as she rolls, but as she slumps down, tries to aim up the handgun, to face me and fire, I fire again, and the second shot doesn't miss. Final shot, into her head, and she smacks back heavily before slumping over.

Any sickness I felt before is nothing compared to that which I feel now. I struggle not to vomit. All I can feel now is shame. I have defended myself before, but this was a woman I had feelings for, and thought I could trust. I refuse to accept that the world is left only full of hate and liars.

Again I stand in silence, and if someone came out and shot me now, I don't think I would stop them. Nobody does though. I forever appear to be surrounded by death.

Whatever the outcome, I am still a survivor, and even if no one else shares my ideals, I will hold onto mine. I look around, try to avoid contact with the body nearby. I must take the guns, and any ammo she had left. Whatever drove her to do this, some kind of insanity, perhaps only now I can forgive her.

A bag, over in the corner. I move around her, and see, she has a small bedroll, and a bag, no not just one, two, three, wow, as I look around there are lots of bags, boxes, drawers in chests, all sorts. I lift a lid on a box and see tins of food, another has ammo in it, lots of it.

One of the bags has clothes in it, another has more tins of food, including what we bought.

The last bag, can it be... it is! The caps, looks like all of them, and perhaps more. It is everything she stole of ours, and I think more from others. I wonder if she has been doing this a while, her way to survive, use others to help gather, and fight. She might have even led me here knowing those savage brutes were in here.

I guess I'll never know.

I don't want anyone else to find this, but I won't stay here with her.. dead.

I pick up the bag of caps, another with a handle I can sling over my shoulder and as much ammo as I can carry. I shall go back to the settlement, and stash my things there. No one will steal from there, but even so, I shall need to devise some way to protect my gear.. a better, more fortified home, and now I can afford it!

I will return here, well armed, and keep coming until I have taken everything of use.

Maybe, maybe also, I will bury Judy, and say something decent for her. We'll see...

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