Without taking time to think things through, I open the bank door and run out with my rifle.
I shout across the street, “Hey! Don’t move or I’ll shoot!”
*
AIDEN
A voice calls out behind me, and I swing around fast. A guy is pointing a rifle right at me. That’s a sight you never want to see. My hands shoot skyward. This isn’t my day.
He has a haggard look about him. Long and frazzled light-brown hair goes almost down to his shoulders. It’s matted into clumps, like he’s not combed it in months, and he’s got a wispy, unkempt beard. A few patches of pale, freckled skin show through what’s probably weeks of dirt covering his body.
It’s hard to tell through his grizzled exterior, but he looks young.
He’s shorter than me, around five foot eight. I’ve got thirty pounds of muscle on him, easy. If it came to it, I could take him. But I hope it doesn’t. Violence is always my last resort andalwaysnonlethal. There’s enough death around already.
This calculation is required for each new person I come across. And I hate that. I used to enjoy meeting new people and could strike up a conversation with a total stranger. Now, I assume all strangers are trying to kill me. Everyone’s a murderer until proven otherwise. So, let’s see what this guy is.
“Don’t mean any harm. Just passing through.” I stretch my hands up farther.
His eyes narrow, but he says nothing. He stares at me like he’s not sure what to do next. His hands quiver, making the barrel of the rifle shake slightly. Maybe he’s new to this whole “holding a person at gunpoint” thing.
I clear my throat.It’syour move, dude.
“Well—uh—keep passing through, then.” He points his rifle down the street as if to show me where to go. Based on his voice, he’s definitely young. And definitely scared.
“Look, some guys ambushed me.” I wave toward the road I came in on. “I lost my car and all my supplies. Can’t make it much farther with what I’ve got.”
“Well, you won’t find anything for miles. Everything’s picked over.Includingthe cars.” He nods toward the 4Runner I just checked.
I keep my face calm, but my insides churn. This is bad. It’s hard to say how long I’ll last if I leave this town with nothing.
But this guy doesn’t strike me as a killer. I could try taking his gun, but a nervous trigger finger mixed with a loaded weapon is a recipe for getting shot. He came out here for a reason and hasn’t killed me yet, so he must wantsomething.
“Any chance I can trade for some of your supplies? Got nothing of value, but I can work off anything I take. I’m handy with tools, and I’m pretty strong.” I flex my bicep and point to it.
He makes a snorting laugh and rolls his eyes. But quickly refocuses and steadies the gun. “Keep those hands up.”
But that’s good. For a second there, he showed a sense of humor. I can work with that. I need to make him feel at ease and trust me.
“You’re the boss here,” I say.
“Um—turn around. Do you have any weapons?”
“Nope, no weapons.” I do a slow three-sixty, keeping my eyes on his gun the whole time.
“Why?”
“Why what?” I ask.
“Why no weapons? Seems kinda stupid walking around without any.”
I laugh. “Sorry to disappoint you. But it’s not by choice. I had to ditch my car in a hurry. Like I said, I lost everything.”
He grips the rifle tighter. “Turn out your pockets. Slowly.”
Man, this guy is really on edge. Gotta figure out how to calm him down. I reach into all my pockets and turn them out. “See? Nothing.”
“Let me see in that backpack.”
