amazing!
Dax got off the bike and I was doing a mad grab for handlebars again, wondering what he’d do if I just hopped off with him and let the bike drop next time.
He took a few steps toward the building and started his commander act again. “Tank, you stay out here with Dal. Lucy, you come with me. We’ll get some supplies and be back.” He took another step or so before stopping like he’d forgotten something, and nailed me with one of those I mean business stares. “You don’t move, talk or do anything.”
I rolled my eyes but he was already walking off again.
I watched their backs as they went inside, leaving me and Tank behind. I leaned forward, arms resting on the bike’s handlebars as I viewed my very first experience with a true-life establishment in the Wilds. Even the knotty wood of its siding was cool.
“It’s not that great,” Tank said from beside me.
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s not,” I said, wishing I knew what I was doing that looked so pathetically longing. “I’ve just never seen one, is all.”
“One what?”
I waved a hand toward the building. “You know, an Eat, Drink, Sleep place.”
He nodded.
I leaned my chin on an arm. I wondered what it was like in there. Were there men drinking and flirting with women? People having bar brawls? Groups playing cards with pistols ready? The more I thought about it, the more it drove me plain crazy. There were all sorts of windows, but I wasn’t going to go shove my nose against one no matter how much I wanted to get a peek in.
“Why don’t you go look through a window and see how they’re making out?” Tank said. “They’re probably fine but you never know.”
I scratched my head. “Yeah, if it’ll help you out.” What else could I do but press my nose against the window if it was for the better of the group?
He nodded. “But don’t go in.”
My tired muscles felt invigorated. I was finally going to see some of the real world. And not even the regular Newco world, but the lawless Wilds where only the toughest survived. I could barely control my enthusiasm. I was hopping and twitching all over the place as I crossed the distance at a jog and climbed up a box to get to the window.
I looked through a thick coat of grime; there were mostly men, and a rough group at that. The place was hazy as people smoked. I’d seen some of the guards do it at the compound and I remembered my father smoking before I’d gone away.
A long wooden bar ran the entire length of the back wall and there was a man standing on the other side of it. I saw Dax and Lucy speaking to him. The rest of the place was filled with tables and chairs and people were eating here and there. There were a couple of girls carrying trays, and they both had these large lumps pressed up toward their chin in a very uncomfortable looking position.
One of the girls served a table not far from the window and the guy yanked her down on his lap. He looped an arm around her waist and she started squirming and fighting him.
I started banging on the window. The guy holding the girl looked over and I wagged my finger, warning him he was doing something bad. Moobie always gave a warning. He thought it was only fair. I was inclined to agree.
The attacker wagged a finger back, but it was his middle one.
Luckily, Dax noticed me and I pointed at the offensive behavior. All he did was point for me to go back to the woods and mouth get out of the window . He tried to nail me with another I mean business stare.
Poor Dax. Didn’t know how long it was going to take him to realize they didn’t work on me.
But I did do part of what he asked. I stepped out of the window. Then I went to the door. Someone had to go help that girl. I’d been bullied in the Cement Giant for years, and hell if I was going to be another person who stood by and watched another person get abused without helping. Some of the world’s greatest atrocities could’ve been stopped if people hadn’t just stood
Dax got off the bike and I was doing a mad grab for handlebars again, wondering what he’d do if I just hopped off with him and let the bike drop next time.
He took a few steps toward the building and started his commander act again. “Tank, you stay out here with Dal. Lucy, you come with me. We’ll get some supplies and be back.” He took another step or so before stopping like he’d forgotten something, and nailed me with one of those I mean business stares. “You don’t move, talk or do anything.”
I rolled my eyes but he was already walking off again.
I watched their backs as they went inside, leaving me and Tank behind. I leaned forward, arms resting on the bike’s handlebars as I viewed my very first experience with a true-life establishment in the Wilds. Even the knotty wood of its siding was cool.
“It’s not that great,” Tank said from beside me.
“Yeah, I’m sure it’s not,” I said, wishing I knew what I was doing that looked so pathetically longing. “I’ve just never seen one, is all.”
“One what?”
I waved a hand toward the building. “You know, an Eat, Drink, Sleep place.”
He nodded.
I leaned my chin on an arm. I wondered what it was like in there. Were there men drinking and flirting with women? People having bar brawls? Groups playing cards with pistols ready? The more I thought about it, the more it drove me plain crazy. There were all sorts of windows, but I wasn’t going to go shove my nose against one no matter how much I wanted to get a peek in.
“Why don’t you go look through a window and see how they’re making out?” Tank said. “They’re probably fine but you never know.”
I scratched my head. “Yeah, if it’ll help you out.” What else could I do but press my nose against the window if it was for the better of the group?
He nodded. “But don’t go in.”
My tired muscles felt invigorated. I was finally going to see some of the real world. And not even the regular Newco world, but the lawless Wilds where only the toughest survived. I could barely control my enthusiasm. I was hopping and twitching all over the place as I crossed the distance at a jog and climbed up a box to get to the window.
I looked through a thick coat of grime; there were mostly men, and a rough group at that. The place was hazy as people smoked. I’d seen some of the guards do it at the compound and I remembered my father smoking before I’d gone away.
A long wooden bar ran the entire length of the back wall and there was a man standing on the other side of it. I saw Dax and Lucy speaking to him. The rest of the place was filled with tables and chairs and people were eating here and there. There were a couple of girls carrying trays, and they both had these large lumps pressed up toward their chin in a very uncomfortable looking position.
One of the girls served a table not far from the window and the guy yanked her down on his lap. He looped an arm around her waist and she started squirming and fighting him.
I started banging on the window. The guy holding the girl looked over and I wagged my finger, warning him he was doing something bad. Moobie always gave a warning. He thought it was only fair. I was inclined to agree.
The attacker wagged a finger back, but it was his middle one.
Luckily, Dax noticed me and I pointed at the offensive behavior. All he did was point for me to go back to the woods and mouth get out of the window . He tried to nail me with another I mean business stare.
Poor Dax. Didn’t know how long it was going to take him to realize they didn’t work on me.
But I did do part of what he asked. I stepped out of the window. Then I went to the door. Someone had to go help that girl. I’d been bullied in the Cement Giant for years, and hell if I was going to be another person who stood by and watched another person get abused without helping. Some of the world’s greatest atrocities could’ve been stopped if people hadn’t just stood
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