someone would be my guess.”
She slowly brought her rifle up to her shoulder.
“We have to stop them.”
“Whoa, Tiger,” he said, resting his hand on the barrel. “We don’t know who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong.”
“Good people don’t drown other people.”
“I don’t know about that. I could see myself drowning someone.”
“Like I said.”
“Even so, this isn’t our fight.”
Without taking her eyes away from the sights, Samantha said, “Maybe not, but I can’t stand here and watch them drown that lady. You’d better do something, or I’m going to start shooting.”
Tanner stared out at the group, considering his options. While he was clearly outnumbered, only the two men on the berm appeared to be carrying rifles.
Finally, he said, “You ever see the movie Lethal Weapon ?”
She thought for a moment. “Did it star Johnny Depp?”
Tanner furrowed his brow. “No, of course not.”
“Because he’s pretty funny.”
“It wasn’t Johnny Depp. Anyway, in the movie—”
“I loved him in Edward Scissorhands . Did you ever see that?”
“No, but—”
“Oh, you’ve got to see it. He’s got scissors for hands.” She cracked up. “Can you imagine? How could you do anything with scissors?” She pretended to slice the air with her fingers.
“Sam,” he growled.
“What?”
“I was suggesting that you act as the sniper while I go check it out.”
“You want me to cover you?”
“That’s right.”
She looked puzzled. “Then why’d you bring up Johnny Depp?”
Tanner rolled his eyes. “I’m going over the fence. Try not to shoot me in the back.”
“Sure thing.” She stepped behind a tree and rested her rifle on one of the branches. As Tanner climbed over the fence, she called out, “Scissors for hands. Crazy, right?”
By the time Tanner scaled the fence, the group had stopped and turned to face him. Thankfully, the person doing the drowning had also stopped, allowing the victim, a woman in her mid-thirties, to briefly catch her breath. She coughed and spat, flailing about as she desperately tried to free herself. The man in the water was tall and fit, like a tennis player, and he held the woman with his arm outstretched, fingers knotted in the tangle of her long black hair.
Everyone was eying Tanner warily. Based on their ages and facial similarities, the men all looked to be related, likely a father and his two sons. The fat woman showed no resemblance to anyone and had a pompous air about her. Fortunately, the rifles that Tanner had seen from a distance turned out to be baseball bats. Dangerous, yes, but not in the way a rifle was. The fat woman and the man in the water also each had a fixed-blade hunting knife on their belt. Apocalypse or not, decades of strict gun control laws in the nation’s capital had made it difficult for the city’s survivors to put their hands on firearms.
Tanner marched out onto the cement walkway like a night watchmen confronting a group of teenagers caught skinny dipping.
As he got closer, the oldest of the men said, “Good morning, stranger.”
Tanner glanced over at the woman in the water. Wet hair hung down in front of her face like strands of seaweed, but through it, he could see that her skin was scarred from the pox. Even so, she possessed a wild beauty that neither tangled hair nor blemishes could hide.
“Not for her it isn’t.”
The man offered a reassuring smile.
“Travis is doing God’s work.”
Travis jerked the woman’s head back, tilting her face up to the sunlight. She screamed and pressed her black eyes shut.
“See?” said Travis, obviously indifferent to her pain. “The Devil’s gotten into this one.”
“And you figured a little baptizing might do the trick, is that it?”
“Exactly.”
The older man stepped closer and extended his hand.
“I’m Riley Cooper, and these are my boys, Mitch and Travis.” He turned and nodded toward the chubby woman. “Jena here joined us a
She slowly brought her rifle up to her shoulder.
“We have to stop them.”
“Whoa, Tiger,” he said, resting his hand on the barrel. “We don’t know who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong.”
“Good people don’t drown other people.”
“I don’t know about that. I could see myself drowning someone.”
“Like I said.”
“Even so, this isn’t our fight.”
Without taking her eyes away from the sights, Samantha said, “Maybe not, but I can’t stand here and watch them drown that lady. You’d better do something, or I’m going to start shooting.”
Tanner stared out at the group, considering his options. While he was clearly outnumbered, only the two men on the berm appeared to be carrying rifles.
Finally, he said, “You ever see the movie Lethal Weapon ?”
She thought for a moment. “Did it star Johnny Depp?”
Tanner furrowed his brow. “No, of course not.”
“Because he’s pretty funny.”
“It wasn’t Johnny Depp. Anyway, in the movie—”
“I loved him in Edward Scissorhands . Did you ever see that?”
“No, but—”
“Oh, you’ve got to see it. He’s got scissors for hands.” She cracked up. “Can you imagine? How could you do anything with scissors?” She pretended to slice the air with her fingers.
“Sam,” he growled.
“What?”
“I was suggesting that you act as the sniper while I go check it out.”
“You want me to cover you?”
“That’s right.”
She looked puzzled. “Then why’d you bring up Johnny Depp?”
Tanner rolled his eyes. “I’m going over the fence. Try not to shoot me in the back.”
“Sure thing.” She stepped behind a tree and rested her rifle on one of the branches. As Tanner climbed over the fence, she called out, “Scissors for hands. Crazy, right?”
By the time Tanner scaled the fence, the group had stopped and turned to face him. Thankfully, the person doing the drowning had also stopped, allowing the victim, a woman in her mid-thirties, to briefly catch her breath. She coughed and spat, flailing about as she desperately tried to free herself. The man in the water was tall and fit, like a tennis player, and he held the woman with his arm outstretched, fingers knotted in the tangle of her long black hair.
Everyone was eying Tanner warily. Based on their ages and facial similarities, the men all looked to be related, likely a father and his two sons. The fat woman showed no resemblance to anyone and had a pompous air about her. Fortunately, the rifles that Tanner had seen from a distance turned out to be baseball bats. Dangerous, yes, but not in the way a rifle was. The fat woman and the man in the water also each had a fixed-blade hunting knife on their belt. Apocalypse or not, decades of strict gun control laws in the nation’s capital had made it difficult for the city’s survivors to put their hands on firearms.
Tanner marched out onto the cement walkway like a night watchmen confronting a group of teenagers caught skinny dipping.
As he got closer, the oldest of the men said, “Good morning, stranger.”
Tanner glanced over at the woman in the water. Wet hair hung down in front of her face like strands of seaweed, but through it, he could see that her skin was scarred from the pox. Even so, she possessed a wild beauty that neither tangled hair nor blemishes could hide.
“Not for her it isn’t.”
The man offered a reassuring smile.
“Travis is doing God’s work.”
Travis jerked the woman’s head back, tilting her face up to the sunlight. She screamed and pressed her black eyes shut.
“See?” said Travis, obviously indifferent to her pain. “The Devil’s gotten into this one.”
“And you figured a little baptizing might do the trick, is that it?”
“Exactly.”
The older man stepped closer and extended his hand.
“I’m Riley Cooper, and these are my boys, Mitch and Travis.” He turned and nodded toward the chubby woman. “Jena here joined us a
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