The Weight of the World

Chapter 23: Get Busy Living

I triple-checked the shotgun was loaded, for the third time this street. It rattled in my trembling hands as I snapped it shut. Two shells. Twenty more in my bag. More than enough.

Joe and Ava emerged into the daylight, empty handed. I exhaled, my breath frosting before my eyes. "Nothing?"

The look on Joe's face said it all. "Let's try the next street,"

We'd done three streets already, and found nothing. All the doors were unlocked, the contents long since smashed or looted. I held out very little hope we'd find anything, but we had to try.

"Watch yourself with that, yeah?" Joe said, eyeing me.

"Don't worry about it," I said.

At the junction, we turned left, down a narrow cobbled alley. Exiting near the border of a park, we scanned the street, picking a target. "What about that one?" Joe said, pointing to a fancy street house.

"Gotta start somewhere."

Just as Joe grasped the handle, a voice called out behind us. I swept around, levelling the gun. My finger was squeezing when the strangers' eyes widened, their arms raising in protest.

"Don't shoot!" a girl cried.

"Who the fuck are you?"

"We're friends!" she said, looking to her friend, nodding vigorously.

"I'll be the judge of that," I said.

"Issy, calm down, yeah?" Joe brushed past me, his own hands raised.

"Be careful, Issy." Ava's eyes were narrow. "Let's hear what they have to say,"

I looked from the strangers, to Ava, and back to the strangers. With a huff, I lowered the gun.

"What do you want?"

"I'm Alex, this is Jack. We want to save you time,"

"Keep on track, yeah?" I said, nudging the gun.

Alex nodded nervously. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Sorry." She pointed to the house behind us, and the lane we'd just left. "Everything on that street, and past it, is empty."

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because we emptied it," Jack said.

"That's a lot of stuff for two people," Joe said.

"We don't keep it all," Alex said.

"We trade it," Jack said. "Take it to the market, swap some food for medicine or whatever."

"Yes, we understand bartering," I snapped.

"Where is this market?" Ava said.

"Market Square, down Loverton Street," Jack said.

"Well, thank you," Ava said. "We didn't know that. Perhaps we will see you there, someday."

"Maybe," Jack nodded, eyeing the gun warily. "Well, we're going to go now. So, you're welcome."

"Yeah, cheers mate," Joe said, waving.

"That could be helpful," Ava said quietly.

"Yeah, we need a lot of stuff,"

"I don't like it." I hadn't taken my eyes off the pair yet. "Might be a trap."

"Issy, not everyone is out to get us."

"Okay, but plenty are, and we can't risk getting the bad ones."

"You are beginning to sound like Lacy," Ava said. "We need this."