American Apocalypse Wastelands by Nova Page B

could reload in a hurry. You could supposedly swap out the cylinders, but the only way I saw that happening was if you called for a timeout. Not going to happen in the middle of a shootout.
    I had been carrying it in my pack unloaded. Now I decided to load it. It beat digging holes in hard-pack clay. I had to go on the Internet the first time to get instructions on loading. Afterward, I understood why cartridges were such a huge improvement in the technology for killing people. It was obvious to me every time I measured out the powder, loaded the ball, greased it, and set the caps.
    I was working on the Colt when Night came in.
    â€œHey,” I said.
    She didn’t reply. She just stood there in the door. I raised an eyebrow.
    â€œMax wants to talk to you back at the house in about fifteen minutes.”
    â€œYeah. Any idea about what?”
    â€œMy guess is it’s about the same thing that has you cleaning your guns.” She sat down on the couch next to me.
    â€œSo what did I miss?”
    She summarized and I half-listened while I finished up the Colt. Then she sat there and silently watched me.
    Out of nowhere she asked, “Did you fuck your nurse while you were here?”
    I had been sitting there, tracing the engraving on the Colt with my fingernail, letting my mind idle when she dropped that verbal bomb. I set the gun down gently on the coffee table and turned to face her.
    â€œNo.”

    â€œWould you have?”
    Damn . I really wish she had been content with a simple no. Now I had to decide whether to lie. I may be a lot of things but I am not a liar.
    â€œNo.”
    I am also not stupid.
    She cocked her head, looked at me, and let it pass. “Don’t ever lie to me or cheat on me. You understand?”
    I nodded my head.
    â€œYou promise?”
    â€œI promise.”
    She kissed me slowly and pulled away. “Go see Max. Your time is up.”
    I walked back to the house feeling like I had just gotten married.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    Max was waiting for me on the porch, eating peanuts and sitting in the old rocking chair that I liked. I sat down next to him and propped my boots up on the railing. He rocked and I sat for about five minutes before he said anything.
    â€œYou know, I don’t really like farming.”
    â€œYep. I don’t either.”
    â€œBut you got to do what you got to do.”
    â€œIsn’t that ‘A man’s got to do what a man’s got to do’?”
    He flicked a peanut shell at me. “I got my lines. Get your own.”
    â€œSo, what time tomorrow?”
    â€œWell, I say early, but not too early. Don’t want to catch them at breakfast and get them all upset before we even get acquainted.”
    â€œYeah, that might be counterproductive.”
    â€œThen again, we got chores to do and I want to get moving on this as soon as possible. You know how to drive heavy equipment?”
    â€œNope. Can’t be all that hard, pardner.”

    He laughed. Then he laughed some more. “Yeah, I’m getting the same vibe. You think you can get your ass out of bed and be ready to go by 0830?”
    â€œYeah. Leave me some of the peanuts.”
    He handed me the rest of the bag, stood up and stretched, and walked back into the house. I swore I heard spurs jangling as he did.
    I woke up around 0730 the next morning. Night had already left. We both usually got up around 0530, sometimes earlier. Since I had an appointment I had decided to sleep in. Plus, she had kept me up late. Not that I minded.
    I rolled out of bed and hit the bathroom. I spent a little longer than usual. “Look good, feel good” was my motto. I figured it gave me a little more of an edge.
    I brewed up a couple cups of coffee and cleaned my guns. No vest and shotgun for this. We didn’t want to present an overly threatening appearance and get their backs up right away. I skipped breakfast, just in case. I didn’t want anything in my stomach.