“They were being asses,” the woman announced, loud enough to snag the attention of the two males nearby. Neither smiled in reply.
“And now they’re not. End of story.”
“They saw the error of their ways,” sang Erin. “Hal elujah!”
“Erin, go do something useful for once,” one of the men chided, earning himself a hastily flipped finger. It was Owen, the one who had been with the wire-thin goth at the front gate.
“You shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” a young, dark-haired woman hissed. Her hands clutched a well-worn Bible. Behind her, a gaggle of people held similar books and flocked close, as if they fully expected the young woman to protect them from the big bad world.
“I didn’t, Rachel. I said ‘hallelujah’, somewhat out of context. Get a grip.” Erin charged past the woman, who took a hasty step back to avoid colliding with the side of a box. “Move on.”
“It’s disrespectful.”
Lindsay jumped down from the back of the fast-emptying flat tray. “I believe you were told to restrict your God bothering to the hours after dusk, Rachel. It takes work to keep everyone fed, to keep the town running. Work needs to be shared equal y. It’s time you did your share instead of leaving it to others.”
“We’re doing God’s work.”
“Then I hope God will feed and protect you when they throw your lazy, self-righteous selves out of town.” Lindsay gave the girl a long look, tiredness seeping into her eyes. “Go away, Rachel. Your father would have been appalled.”
Rachel’s cheek twitched, her mouth dwindling into a tight little orifice. “Don’t you talk about him.”
Lindsay walked off without further comment.
A crowd had gathered to witness the confrontation, making it impossible to follow Erin into the shop as the doorway was now clustered with curious folk. Ali balanced the box in her arms. It wasn’t heavy, but it was sizeable, long and awkward.
The wicked witch with the Bible spotted her balancing act and took a step closer, beady eyes narrowing in on her. “You must be the one who came in yesterday, the one with the two men. Whore.”
She had been worried about people’s reactions but, funnily enough, this didn’t hurt at all. “I prefer the term ‘high-maintenance’.”
Several of those squished into the doorway tittered, and the woman sneered at one and al with a pantomime face. Her finger pointed skyward like she could summon thunder. “God is not finished judging …”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Rachel. Take it elsewhere,” Erin snapped, elbowing her way through the crowd. “People, show’s over.”
Andy, the goth from the gate, appeared beside Rachel. They argued in hushed tones. The young man looked genuinely pained as she shook her head furiously and stomped off down the street, her devotees rushing to keep up.
Erin sidled up to her. “Ignore Rachel. Her father was a minister, one of the first to die. He was eaten by one his parishioners right in front of her. Safe to say it doesn’t make for a healthy mental outlook. Just the same, someone real y does need to stick her head down a toilet.”
Ali could only nod her agreement. “I wonder if that would make the water holy.”
Erin snickered and watched the group disappear around a corner. She wasn’t the only one watching them, but Andy’s face held no anger. The young man looked like his heart was breaking.
“Dad put the snatch and grab expeditions on rotation; everyone over eighteen and able to fire a gun takes their turn. Unless someone’s wil ing to cover for you.” Erin tipped her chin at Andy as he resumed work, a worried frown fixed to his face. “He and Owen have been covering for her while she harasses everyone in town. It’s bullshit.”
“Everyone goes out?” Ali asked, a familiar chil sliding beneath her skin. The box in her arms suddenly held the weight of the world.
“Yeah. Actually, can one of you ride out with us tomorrow? We’d really appreciate it,” Erin said. “Ben shot himself in the foot this morning, showing off for some kids. The idiot. We’re lucky he didn’t kil someone. Serves him right that a dental nurse is the closest we have to a doctor. Anyway, talk it over with your men.”
And there wasn’t a single chance of it happening. She already knew how the conversation would go. It wouldn’t be her skin at risk.
The thought of one of them out there …
Ali nodded, clutched at the box before it slipped straight from her numb hands. “They’ve already been given jobs, but I’l be here.
No problem.”
The woman smiled. “Good. We take a decent-sized group, post lookouts. It’s not as dangerous as you’d think.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Daniel woke up not long past dawn with the sheets twisted around him, half a leg hanging off the side of the mattress. Three in the bed made for cozy conditions, but right now, there was just one. Him. Which was curious.
Finn had been raring to get back to the cop shop, which accounted for his absence. But where was his girl? Because all being right in his world, she should have been in bed beside him, all sleepy and warm and ready to be ruffled. But she wasn’t.