ｈｕｒｒｉｃａｎｅ .

Tak tak tak.

He found it very hard to believe her. No matter how well armed, this child wouldn’t have been able to make it on her own out there; it was almost impossible for an adult to do it. She would have needed a group to survive, some friends to arm her and feed her at the very least.

But he couldn’t push too hard. He could still get use out of this girl, and if she had made it on her own, he definitely wanted her in his camp.

He led the younger girl through the double-door entrance of the store, and with a nod to the sentry, they closed behind them for the night. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the strong lights inside. They had several generators catering specifically to the flood lights keeping the place alive and warm. The air was stifling and heavy with the smells of plywood and smoke, but it certainly beat the creeping cold outside. 

All attention was focused on the camp leader and his new companion walking down the main aisle. Their stares burrowed into the blonde girl from all directions yet none dared to approach them or even speak too loudly about her. They knew better. When Bill brought a new face in, first impressions were everything. He had taught them that much at least.

The food pantry (what may have once been some sort of customer service office) was full of canned goods, bottled water and other preservatives on either wall with a small plastic table in the corner accompanied by two matching chairs. Grabbing the first can he could reach, he sat across from Red and gestured for her to join him. 

“A man of my word, here’s your food, soldier girl,” he said in his deep, rusting tone. He held the can in front of her — only to pull it back from her reach.

 "What are you talking about?" she asked incredulously, a blazing fire alight behind her blue eyes. "I've been on my own since the start." 

The kid was rough around the edges and he would certainly need to fix that disrespectful little gutter mouth of hers, but there was some hope there still. He almost liked the way she talked back to him; it showed backbone. The future of this world needed more kids like her. This one’s got some big brass balls in the making, he mused to himself. 

"I leave the funny shit to funny people. You see.. I’m not a very funny man."

He turned to his store and waved at a person on its roof, who in turn waved back, then disappeared. Everything looked clear out in the parking lot and they had the green light to go in. Bill motioned for her to walk.

"We can eat somethin’ when we’re inside and not in danger of bein’ eaten ourselves." He tried to think of anything that would lighten the mood or maybe get her to open up more. "Anythin’ in particular you like eating, Red?”

"You look tired and hungry. Soon it’ll get cold — real cold. And come mornin’ they’ll have to start callin’ ya Blue. Well, it just so happens that my place has plenty of food and blankets. Why don’t ya step inside? Just for the night; don’t have to stay forever.”

He leaned closer, hoping to appeal to this kid’s bloated ‘badass’ personality. Nobody was tough enough to prance out here when the temperatures dropped at night and he still couldn’t rule out that she was a trap.

"Oh, it’s you."

Georgie smiles, looking up from behind the bar at the return of the surprise guest from the night before.

"Not at all, not at all. Good night’s sleep, was it? Nothin’ goin’ bump in the night to keep you up?”