Age of zombies

[65] Tensions rising

The tavern was crowded tonight, even more than usual. The hum of conversation filled the room, mingling with the clinking of glasses and the shuffling of feet. The place was packed—standing room only. Every corner of the small bar seemed to be crammed with bodies, all of them looking for a moment of peace in an overcrowded town.

I sat at the usual table with the gang—Ethan, Liza, Yabe, and Daisy. We all had a drink in front of us, though none of us were really drinking. The mood was heavy, and you could feel the tension in the air. The stress of living in Banff was starting to wear on people. The town was bursting at the seams, and resources were stretched thin. Every day, it felt like things were getting a little worse.

Daisy took a long swig of her beer, her usual sharp eyes looking a little more tired than normal. She slammed the mug down on the table, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"This place is going to shit," she muttered, her Texan drawl a little more pronounced when she was irritated. "We've got more people than we can handle, and everyone's startin' to crack. I had to break up three fights today alone."

Liza leaned back in her chair, her ponytail swinging as she shook her head. "Yeah, no kidding. It's not just the streets either. My classroom's packed with kids now, and it's getting harder to teach. They're all rowdy, barely paying attention. And we're running low on supplies. How the hell am I supposed to teach biology without any books or charts? I had to make up half of what I said today!"

I gave her a sideways glance. "You mean, more than usual?"

She shot me a grin. "Shut up, Jake. You know what I mean."

Ethan sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. "Tell me about it. The engineering team is working overtime trying to patch up the town, but we don't have the materials. We're running out of scrap, and half the shit we do have is rusted to hell. I don't know how much longer we can keep this place together."

Yabe, who had been quietly nursing her drink, finally spoke up. "The hospital's overwhelmed too. We're running out of medicine, bandages, everything. Every day more people come in, and every day we have less to treat them with. I don't know how much longer we can keep it up."

There was a heavy silence at the table as we all let that sink in. Banff had been a refuge, a place where we could regroup and try to rebuild, but now it was starting to feel like a sinking ship. The more people who arrived, the more the cracks started to show.

"I swear," Daisy said, her voice low, "it's only a matter of time before this whole place blows up."

Just as the words left her mouth, a commotion erupted outside. We all turned our heads toward the window, where we could see two men squaring off in the street, shoving each other back and forth. They were yelling, but the words were lost in the crowd that quickly formed around them.

"Shit," I muttered, pushing back from the table. "Here we go again."

The crowd outside was getting louder, the chant starting up as people gathered around the fight. "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" The sound echoed through the night, fueling the two men as they circled each other, fists clenched, ready to throw down.

"This is getting ridiculous," Yabe said, her eyes wide with worry. "Why are people so quick to fight over nothing?"

"Because they're scared," I said, shaking my head. "And when people are scared, they do stupid shit."

Daisy stood up, her hand already on the revolver at her hip. "I'm gonna go break this up before it gets worse."

Liza snorted, leaning back in her chair. "You sure that's a good idea? Last time someone tried to break up a fight, they ended up with a broken nose."

Daisy shot her a look. "I ain't worried about a broken nose."

Without another word, she marched toward the door, her boots thudding heavily against the wooden floor. We all watched as she stepped outside, the crowd barely noticing her at first, too caught up in the excitement of the fight.

The two men were grappling now, one of them throwing a wild punch that missed by a mile. The crowd roared in approval, egging them on, chanting louder. "Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Daisy didn't hesitate. She pulled her revolver from its holster, aimed it into the air, and fired a single shot.

BANG!

The sound of the gunshot cracked through the night, and suddenly the street went dead silent. The two men froze, their fists still raised, as the crowd immediately stopped chanting. Everyone turned to look at Daisy, who stood there with the gun still raised, her expression hard as stone.

"All right, that's enough!" she shouted, her voice carrying over the quiet crowd. "Fight's over. Y'all can clear out now, or I'll be breakin' this up my way."

The disappointment in the crowd was palpable, but no one dared to argue. People started to back away, muttering under their breath as they dispersed, leaving the two fighters standing there looking confused and more than a little scared.

Daisy holstered her gun, walking up to the two men. "You two done being idiots, or do I need to escort y'all to the hospital for the ass-kicking you're about to get?"

One of the men, still holding his busted lip, grumbled something under his breath, but the other one just nodded, wiping the blood from his nose.

"We're done," the first man mumbled, avoiding Daisy's eyes.

"Good," she said, her voice calm but firm. "Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind."

The two men scurried off, heads down, and the street slowly returned to normal. Daisy turned on her heel and headed back inside, the tension in her shoulders visible as she marched back to our table.

"Well," Liza said, raising her glass as Daisy sat down, "that was one hell of a way to break up a fight."

Daisy let out a long sigh, grabbing her beer and taking a big gulp. "People around here are losing it," she muttered. "It's only gonna get worse."

"You think there'll be more fights?" Yabe asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

"There's always more fights," Daisy said, rubbing her temples. "But it's not just the fights. People are running low on food, on supplies. We've got too many folks crammed in one place, and it's only a matter of time before something snaps. That was just a brawl. Next time it could be worse."

Ethan sighed, leaning forward on the table. "So what do we do? Just keep patching things up until it all falls apart?"

"Pretty much," Daisy said with a shrug. "Unless we get more supplies, more space, or fewer people, we're just gonna keep puttin' out fires."

I glanced out the window, where the last remnants of the crowd were still dispersing. "What about the raiders? They're getting bolder. Sooner or later, they're gonna hit the town directly."

"Already on it," Ethan said. "That turret we built should help. But honestly? If they come in big numbers, I don't know if we can hold them off forever."

Liza crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair with a scowl. "So, basically, we're screwed."

"Not necessarily," Daisy said, though her tone didn't sound all that hopeful. "We're holding it together for now. We just gotta keep our heads down, do our jobs, and try not to let the small shit get to us."

Yabe nodded quietly, though the worry in her eyes was clear. "We're all doing our best, but... I don't know how much longer people can hold out. If things don't change soon..."

I finished her thought for her. "If things don't change soon, this whole place could fall apart."

Another heavy silence fell over the table. We all knew what was coming, even if no one wanted to say it out loud. Banff was on the edge of something dangerous, and we were all just waiting for the push that would send it tumbling over.

For now, all we could do was keep going. But the cracks were showing, and none of us knew how long we could keep them from breaking wide open.

Q: Would you encourage or try to break up a fight in this case?