"You were fond of her, weren't you?" Cherry asked.
I shrugged and looked down at my hand. More specifically, at the tattoo Myrtle had put there right before she left. "Concerned, more than anything."
"Did you guys have sex?” Soda asked.
I glared at him. "No, I didn't sleep with her. She was a victim of those fucking bunkers. I wanted to help her."
"Did you love her? Is that why you're sad? You miss her?" Cherry pushed.Annoyance began to rise in my chest. She was every bit the annoying little sister.
"I've never been in love," I said flatly. I told the truth. While I had enjoyed the beds of many men and women alike, love had never been a part of the equation. "I just felt bad for her. She had a kid she was trying to get. They forced her to have a baby and then took it from her."
Soda shook his head and whistled. "Those bunkers are fucked up man. No wonder people call them rotten."
"So she left to go find her baby?" Cherry asked.
"She did, but she didn't make it far. I found her body by the bunkers, shot and abandoned a few days later."
My sister let out a yelp. "Do you think it was them? The bunker people? Would they do that to one of their own?"
I returned to the fence, putting my hands on it and swaying back and forth. "Yes. I think they would. And that they did. She'd said that when she escaped they were after her. The only reason she went back was for her daughter."
"That's so sad. You'd think the bunker people would be more civilized than us wastelanders. Even we wouldn't do that."
She was right. The people in the bunkers think they were superior just because their ancestors had been handpicked to be saved. But they were wrong. Ours had managed to survive and thrive. We didn't have to wear giant suits to breathe up here, they did. They were the weak, less superior ones.
"I should go to bed," I said with a sigh. "My mind was on her and her kid today and it got me in a funk. I'll be fine tomorrow, I'm sure." I looked away from the brightly lit park in the distance and nodded to my sister and Soda. They didn't believe me but knew better than to push me.
"Sure, get some sleep." Cherry smiled weakly. "Tomorrow we're partying though. We'll bring it to you if we have to!"
I chuckled, and gave her a thumbs up, not looking back at her. "I can't wait."
"Riot," Soda called out. I paused and turned my head slightly.
"Yeah?"
"What was her name? The daughter?"
I pressed my lips together tightly, wondering if I should share that little nugget of information.
"Was it Eleanor?" Cherry asked softly. She'd seen me look at my tattoo.
I nodded.
"It was."
Chapter 6 - Callahan
Don’t turn on the lights.
“This is a bad idea,” I warned Milton for the umpteenth time. We’d been to the park dozens of times, sure, but to turn the power on? This was asking for trouble. We’d spent the entire day working on the wiring and preparing it all for tonight.
“Everything we do is a bad idea,” he laughed. “Don’t be a square. It’ll be fine. It’s special!”
“You just want your shot with her.” I shook my head.
“Ha! I’ve already had it. Tonight, I’m going to be the first one buried deep inside her. I should make you watch the door for us, considering your little stunt.”
There was that word again.First.
