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Smoke?
Fire?
People? My feet picked up their pace, and I had a renewed bounce in my step as I hurried along the road. The first thing I saw when I rounded the bend and looked down at the small compact town was that the road ran straight through it, and it looked like the town was built around the road as if the road were here first.
As I approached the first building, I saw that it, like the others, was all wooden. The door was open, and I approached as I smelled baking bread. My stomach damn near took leave of my body as I lurched forward on the promise of food and water.
“Hello?” I called as I entered the small compact store. I headed straight to the fridge at the back and had the cap off the bottle of water, gratefully downing it, when I heard the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.
Turning slowly, my free hand half-raised, I looked over at the grey-haired woman who was peering at me over her spectacles with a disapproving frown as she pointed the sawn-off shotgun at me.
“Hi?” I said to her as I lowered the bottle from my lips. “I’ve been walking for hours, and my car broke down, and I ran out of water.” Moving my hand slowly to my back pocket, I saw her tense, and with the other hand still held up with the water bottle, I produced my wallet. “See, I wasn’t stealing; I have money. I was just so God da—” I saw the scowl tighten. “Freaking thirsty.”
She looked me over before I saw a smile pull at the side of her mouth. “Thought you were my nephew. He’s always sneaking in and thieving.”
“Nope, no thieving here,” I assured her. She nodded and then simply seemed to stand and wait for me to move, but she was forgetting the big fucking elephant in the room. “Um, ma’am, could you maybe point the gun somewhere else?”
“Oh.” She looked at the gun in surprise, and then I aged ten years when she simply dropped it on the counter and I expected it to go off. She saw my reaction and laughed heartily. “Gun’s empty,” she told me as she stepped behind the counter. “I haven’t got the best eyesight anymore. Probably shoot myself before you.” She gestured to the fridge. “Best fill up,” she encouraged me.
Nodding, I quickly finished the bottle I had all but inhaled when I came in, and with four more bottles, I headed to the counter. Placing them on the counter, I turned back and loaded myself up with things I could carry and eat. I nabbed a pancake that still felt warm out of a small bag and stuffed it in my mouth as I headed back to the counter.
She was eyeing my mounting haul with a sceptical eye. “Where you say you break down?”
“About three hours’ walk back that way?” I pointed over my shoulder, and she grinned at me.
“What happened?”
“Um.” I started to eat another pancake. “I think it was possessed. It started hissing, steaming and then refused to work.” I saw her grin as I ate the fluffiest pancakes I’d ever eaten. “Reminded me of my ex to be honest.”
“Left it without a backward glance,” she said knowingly.
“Never look back,” I confirmed as I pulled out my wallet again and looked around the small store.
“You got most of the fresh food,” she told me as she started to ring up my purchase, and I noticed she was putting things in a bag, but some things were being put aside and not being rung through.
“Um, ma’am?”
“Janice,” she corrected. “What you going to do about the car?”
“Oh, if you could point me in the direction of the garage?”
“I can point, won’t do you much good,” she said with a grin.
“Because?”
“Will took the ’prentice, and they headed up to the Butte.”
I knew she was speaking words, I just didn’t know what they were. “Um…”
“Our mechanic, the only one we have, took himself and his apprentice up to the Butte for the week. Won’t be back until Monday.”
“He’s the only guy in town?” I asked her sceptically.
“Sounds like your car needs a new radiator,” Janice told me as she handed me the bag. “You going to pay plastic? I need to go next door to Sally’s to get the card machine.”
“Why are only half my groceries in the bag?” I finally asked.
“You don’t need all them carbs.” Her gaze ran over me assessingly. “You’re what? Thirty?” When I nodded, she nodded in agreement. “You look good, tight biceps, trim waist, flat stomach. Bet you got them abs that girls go mad for.”
