Radioman (A 2/19th Spinoff) - Complete

Debts

Hannah was warm next to me, something I had always liked. Her skin was always warm against mine, made my skin tingle where her sweat or skin touched my body. Gail had always said leg hair and armpit hair was disgusting, but Hannah's proclaimed she was a woman and she was proud of the soft downy hair on her body.

We sat in the Colt as I headed to the store so that Hannah could do some shopping. She was smiling, humming one of those slow songs she often hummed when she was content. Her hand was on my leg, rubbing gently, and she had a dreamy smile on her face.

I tensed slightly when we passed the bar and Hannah looked at me, frowning slightly.

"Should we go there?" She asked me.

I shook my head. "No. It would just cause trouble," I told her. The last thing I wanted to do was bring Hannah around a bunch of drunk mill workers who would mistake her flirting for something serious, or give someone a chance to take out an old grudge on me.

Hannah just nodded and went back to humming the tune that probably sang in her blood.

She was strange, but I loved her.

Some people in Group wondered why I didn't have any problem with the connection she had with Stillwater, but she had explained it simply. Their families had a long history, their blood was intertwined, and it made no difference to how she felt about me.

She wasn't like other women, so the fact that sometimes she stalked Stillwater around didn't bother me.

Plus, he was with Nagle.

I accidentally ground the gears as we pulled into the parking lot of the general store. They were advertising milk for a dollar twenty-five a gallon, coffee for three dollars a can, and steak for thirty cents a pound. I shut off the wipers, shut off the engine, and got out, zipping up my jacket. Hannah skipped around next to me, dressed like she had been at breakfast, just a set of low-heeled white shoes added.

We walked together, holding hands, into the general store, and I realized that it hadn't changed at all. Even the same products on the shelves.

Hannah got a cart and together we moved through the aisles. There was no food in the cupboards or fridge, despite Hannah making me breakfast. I knew she had thrown it all out. It had undoubtably been covered in mold and long past usability.

We weren't at Atlas, we didn't have to eat whatever garbage was available.

Hannah was examining the meat the butcher section was offering when I felt several someones stop behind me and I knew they were staring at me, they had been looking for me. My hand suddenly yearned for the feel of my rifle or my pistol. Something inside the emptiness urged me to grab one of the knives on display for sale before turning around and going at whoever was behind me.

Damn you to Hell, Stillwater, you bastard, I thought, rolling my shoulders out of ingrained habit.

He just laughed at me in the back of my head.

"You're Paul Foster, right?" The guy asked. He was trying to make his voice sound tough and failing. I'd heard Lieutenant James bark out orders over the sound of gunfire, the guy behind me had nothing.

"Yeah," I said, not turning around.

They stepped up to me. One moving up to stand next to Hannah, the other bumping my arm that was holding onto the cart to force me to move backwards. I just went with it, taking a half step back. He had greasy black hair, a crappy complexion, and a yellowish, sallow look to him. He had defined muscles but they felt more like rocks revealed through erosion than actual muscle.