Eschaton

Chapter 4: Maria

"This is going to be such a wonderful day." Maria stood in her office staring at the street below from her window. She couldn't believe this. "Of course, he did." She put a hand on the glass. She noticed a new spot on her hand, much like the others that were appearing all over her body. She took her other hand and spread the wrinkles apart to get a better look at it. "Tell me Virgil..." Maria said as she turned around to face her cohort. "Are the appointments I make hold no importance?" She shuffled over to her desk that was set up on the far side of the room and sat behind it. She reached into her bottom drawer and produce a bottle and a glass.

"Wouldn't it be a little early for that?" Maria looked up from her affects to see Virgil standing in front of her desk. He was tall, muscular man with his hair worn short with clothes that seem to always fit perfectly. The room always seemed brighter when he walked in. "You have your procedure later." Virgil crossed his arms.

"Maybe you're right." Maria smirked at the bottle as she set it down. "I'll save it to celebrate later then." She took the bottle and glass and shoved it back in its drawer. "It'll taste all the better then." She said as she smirked.

"There is a man waiting outside with no appointment." Virgil said. "He wishes to see you."

Maria let out a sigh. "Seeing as I have been kept waiting by that red priest... I guess I can entertain a visitor." She met Virgil's gaze. "See him in." Virgil nodded and turned towards the door.

Maria let out another sigh as she watched him walk out the door. She longed for the day to be over, or next to it. She didn't much care for making appointments with these people. She hoped to get through today's with little incident and as quickly as possible. It didn't take long for a man to appear through her door. He was tall and strong almost as much as Virgil was.

"What do I call you?" She said with a forced smile.

"Luther Ma'am." He said as he gave her a nod.

"Well." Maria began as she got herself perfectly situated in her chair. "What can I do for you?" She clasped her fingers together and rested them on the desk but not before she gestured for the man to sit in the chair across from her, which he obliged.

"Well in short I got this letter from your mayor's office a couple months back about work here." Luther went into his coat pocket and produced a parcel. "Which was an agreed upon living for me." Maria looked at him, then turned one hand over. Luther reached out of his chair and slid the paper into her hand. Maria looked over the contents of the letter and pursed her lips.

"Sheriff huh?" She looked up at him. "This letter was sent to you from the previous administration." Maria laid the paper down on her desk. "I as the new mayor..." She paused to take breath. "Am not beholden to their past decisions. That will be all." She watched as the man shifted uneasily in his seat.

"What?" Luther gave her a blank stare.

"It means that I don't want you-" She began but was cut off with Luther quickly rising to his feet.

"I know what you mean. But to deny a man his agreed upon living... having uprooted one's life to do so..." He looked around her office in a huff. "You would believe I would be offered some kind of recompense or in the very least an explanation?"

"You should have checked in to make sure all was where it should have been." She said pointing a finger at him. She could see anger beginning to well up him as his cheeks went flush. "I already appointed a sheriff." She said bluntly. "Should I uproot his life for yours?"

"There has to be something?"

Maria watched his face was growing red still. "Maybe you should just go out there and scavenge amongst the waste like the others." Maria let out a smile. "There are plenty ruins to locate and loot in the fringe. Perhaps with some diligence you could carve out a new life that way." Maria gestured towards the door, done with the unwanted appointment already.