THEM (Season 1): Episode 1 by M.D. Massey

cutting south and following it in. But even if I could float the whole way, it’s too dangerous. A canoe is just a floating target for punters, not to mention the portage issues. I prefer being on foot.”
    “I agree. Still, it beats walking. You plan to stop by the settlement?”
    I was pretty sure I saw a twitch in the corner of Sam’s eye at the mention of the place, and I took it as a good indication that he was mighty rattled by what happened to him out there. “Definitely,” I said. “If something fishy is going on, that seems the likely place to start. How many days ago was it that you were there?”
    Sam shrugged, a little more noncommittally this time. “Five days, give or take.” He took a slug of liquor and cocked an eyebrow. “You think some of them might have gone back by now?”
    “If anyone scattered, that’s possible. But, if they disappeared in the way you described, I fear there may be no one left to find. Still, I need to piece together what happened to the settlement, so that’s where I’ll head first.”
    “Fair enough. Just make sure to get someplace secure each night before dark. Taking out some ghouls or a lone nos’ at night is one thing—but a pack of ’thropes is a whole different can of worms.”
    Sam was talking to me like I was some noob who’d never been outside the gates. Yeah, I thought , he was definitely spooked. “I’ll make sure to be under cover and holed up before dark once I get close to the Corridor. By the way, I don’t plan to be gone more than a week. If I don’t come back, you’ll know where to look for my gear.”
    “If you don’t come back, I’ll have moved in with Kara.”
    I chuckled, then sighed and rubbed my head. “Well, maybe you can make her happier than I have. Good luck with that.”
    “Eh, making a woman happy ain’t that hard. It’s keeping her that way that’s the impossible part. Here’s one to your health, and coming back in a single piece and breathing.” Sam tipped his glass my way, then tossed a shot back with a grimace.
    “Thanks, Sam. See you in a week.”
    - - -
    I said my good-byes to Kara, and then decided to take a detour on my way out. I’d kept back one jar of canned peaches and a fresh one, and wanted to drop them by the house where I’d killed those two rapin’ pieces of shit the day before. When I got there the place looked deserted and locked up tighter than a rusted nut, but that wasn’t uncommon round these parts. Like I said, most people holed up underground at night, and I was pretty sure the lady would have her and her kid laying low for a while.
    I didn’t want to poke around too much and make them nervous, so I just walked up on the front porch and left the jar of fruit and the peach in the old grocery sack Janie had given me. I noticed a flash of a little girl’s face in the window as I turned away, but by the time I turned back, it was gone. At least I knew they’d get to the stuff I left before someone else did.
    On my way out of town, Constable Sims waddled up to me at a pace that said he was in a tizzy. The look on his face spoke volumes as he approached me, and I knew before he even opened his mouth what was up. How he’d found out was beyond me though, because I didn’t peg the woman to talk.
    “Headed out?” he asked after I stopped to find out for sure what he wanted. As if it wasn’t obvious, but I figured he just wanted to be as friendly as possible about accusing me of breaking the peace, such as it was.
    “Yep. Do you need something, Donnie? Or are you just making conversation? Because I’m on a timetable and I need to be moving out.” I gave him a decently hard stare, hoping that he might just let it slide. No dice.
    He looked at me sort of sideways as he spoke, which told me he wasn’t enjoying this any more than I was. “Well, sort of. That is to say, I got a complaint on you—and I know that it’s probably nothin’, but I have to check into these things, you know.” He