The better part of the afternoon had been spent hunched over a rusty generator in hopes that whatever wiring he’d set up before still held its own in the process of providing electricity for their ramshackle settlement. Bringing the lower flap of his shirt up to wipe his face, Abe dropped the wiring he’d been stupid enough to cut before measuring the distance from generator to radio beacon.
Three muted bangs came from the tower. It was the teapot Tess used to alert Abe of incoming strangers or threats. Without another thought, he traded the tools he’d been holding for his beloved Reba and crawled between a loose couple of boards at the bottom of the Railway check station they called home.
Prying aside loosened shingles, Abe positioned Reba so that his body lay flat against the cool concrete foundation. In between his slowing breaths, he’d heard the bolt on Tess’ rifle slide forward and close, stripping a fresh bullet from the magazine.
“TURN AWAY AND I WON’T BLOW YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF,” Abe called out from within his hidey hole. His eyesight was shit, but for every shot he’d taken and missed, Tess was there to follow up with a well aimed kiss of death.
