Improbabil Dragoste

Rick and Hershel invited the men into the bar and one that had the gun slung crossed over his chest sat on a stool across from Hershel and the other sat at a table.
The one at the table spoke, “I'm Dave. That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony.” He said picking up the shot Rick poured him.
The man named Tony laughed, :Eat me, Dave.”
“Hey, maybe someday I will. We met on I-95 coming out of Philly. Damn shit-show that was.”
“I'm Catalina.” I offered unwillingly, only to be polite.
“Rick Grimes.” Rick offered Tony, Hershel and myself a glass.
Dave looked at Hershel, “What about you, pal? Have one?” Talking about not accepting the drink.
“I just quit.”
“You've got a unique sense of timing, my friend.”
“His name's Hershel. He lost people today, a lot of them.”
Dave got quiet for a second before speaking, “I'm truly sorry to hear that.,” raising his glass, “To better day and new friends. And to our dead-- My they be in a better place.”
We raised our glasses, Dave hitting his glass down on the table before drinking it. My throat burned from the alcohol, it's been so long since I had whiskey that my chest burned as it went down but I welcomed the burn.
Dave fulled his lips back feeling the same burn as I did leaning over to table then making eye contact with Rick pulling out the pistol he had, “Not bad huh? I got it off a cop.”
“I'm a cop.”
“This one was already dead.” Dave put the pistol up.
Rick looked around, “You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia.”
“It feels like we're a long way from anywhere.” Tony admitted leaning back to grab his drink.
“Well, what drove you south?” Rick asked taking a drink from his glass.
“Well, I can tell you it wasn't the weather. It must've dropped 30 pounds in sweat alone down here.” Dave said rubbing his forehead.
“I wish.” Tony added before Dave continued.
“No, first it was D.C. I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed, we never even got close. We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, keep hauling ass. Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing.”
“One guy told us there was the coast guard sitting in the gulf, sending ferries to the islands.” Tony included.
“The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the county-- Kansas, Nebraska.”
“Nebraska?” I asked.
Tony looked at me answering, “Low population, lots of guns.”
“Makes sense, I suppose.”
“Ever been to Nebraska, kid?”
I looked up seeing Dave was talking to me, “A reason they call 'em flyover states.”
Tony laughed sharing a look with Dave, “How about you guys?”
“Fort Benning, eventually.” Rick answered.
“I hate to piss in your cornflakes, officer, but.. um we ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning. He said the place was overrun by lamebrains.” Dave said.
“Fort Benning is gone? Are you sure?” I asked standing straight.
“Sadly, yeah. Oddly, the truth is there is no way out of this mess. Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab ahold of you when you sleep.”
“If you sleep.” Tony added.
“Yeah, it doesn't look like you guys are hanging your hats here. You-you hold up somewhere else?” Dave finally asked us.
I stood looking at Rick, knowing we weren't going to talk about the farm.
“Not really.” Was all Rick said staring down Dave.
“Those your cars out front?” Dave asked throwing his hand put pointing out toward the road.
“Yes, why?” I asked harshly, Rick turned his head in my direction.
“We're living in ours. Those look kinda empty, clean. Where's all your gear?”
Hershel shifted in his stool, “We're with a larger group out scouting thought we could use a drink.”
“A drink? Hershel I thought you quit.” Dave asked jokingly.
Hershel didn't laugh just stared with a stern gaze at Dave for a while before Dave spoke again more serious, “Well, we're thinking of setting up around here. Is it—is it safe?”
“I can be, though I've killed a few walkers.” I said.
“Walkers? That's what you call them? That's good. I like that. I like that better than lamebrains.” Dave admitted scratching the back of his head.
“More succinct.” Tony added.
“Okay, Tony went to college.” Dave laughed.
“Two years.”
We all gave small forced smiles resting our gaze on Dave who continued holding his smile.
“So what—so what, you guys set on the outskirts or something? That new development?”
“Trailer park or something? A farm?” Tony leaned off his chair now carrying his gun and walked over to the side near me.
“Old McDonald had a farm.” Dave started to sing following Tonys movement with his eyes.
Tony chuckled as Rick looked over at Tony, watching carefully, “You got a farm?” Dave asked now looking at Rick.
I was watching Dave until I started to hear splattering of liquid hitting the ground, looking over, turning my lip up in disgust upon seeing Tony. Relieving himself, not seven feet from me.

“Porc.” Pig. I whispered looking away.

Tony started to finished the farm song as he was other there but stopped to ask, “Is it safe?”
“It's gotta be. You got food , water?” Dave pestered.
“You got cooze? Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks. Stupid question look at this hottie you have wit cha.” Tony added still relieving himself.
“Listen, pardon my friend. City kids—they got no tact. No disrespect. So listen—Cat.”
Rick interrupted, “We've said enough.”
“Well, hang on a second. This farm—it sounds pretty sweet. Don't it sound sweet Tony?”
“Yeah, real sweet.”
“How about a little southern hospitality? We got some buddies back at camp, been having a read hard time. I don't see why you can't make room for a few more. We can pool our resources, our manpower.”
Rick shook his head, “Look, I'm sorry. That's not an option.”
Tony, now standing off to the side in front of me, looked at Dave waiting to know what to do.
“Doesn't sounds like it'd be a problem.” Dave said quietly.
“I'm sorry. We can't.” Hershel said back.
Rick nodded, “We can't take in any more.”
Dave started to laugh while scratching his brow, “You guys are something else. I thought ya know—I thought we were friends. We got people we gotta look out for too.”
We don't know anything about you.” Rick shrugged indifferently.
“No, that's true,” Dave adjusted in his chair, “You don't know anything about us. You don't know what we've had to go through out there, things we've had to do. I bet you've had to do some of those same things yourself. Am I right?”
Rick and Dave shared eye contact before Dave realized Rick wasn't going to answer nor any of us, “'Cause ain't nobody's hands clean in what's left of this world. We're all the same. So come on, lets—let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other.”
Rick looked down holding in a breath before waving out his hand, palm up, admitting, “that's not gonna happen.”
“Rick--” Dave sighed but Tony butted in.
“This is bullshit.”
“Calm down.” Rick said annoyingly.
“Don't tell me to calm down. Don't ever tell me to calm down.”
“Hey.” I said holding my hand up furrowing my brow but it only seemed to fuel the fire.
“I'll shoot,” Rick stood up as Tony continued, “you three assholes in the head and take your damn farm!”
Rick took a step toward Tony as Dave quickly stood holding both hands up, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Relax. Take it easy nobody's killing anybody.” Dave gave the side of Ricks shoulder a quick pat before going to climb over the bar. “Nobody's going to shot anybody. Right Rick?”
Rick now stood in the middle of Tony and Dave who was now behind the bar and froze quickly when he heard Tony grip his gun. I reached down and slowly pulled out one of my small pocket knives opening it quietly hiding it underneath the bars counter.
“Look.” Dave said while carefully placing his pistol on top of the bar. “We're just friends having a drink, that's all. Now where's the good stuff, huh?” Dave asked lightly clapping his hands together and rubbing them looking down behind the bar.
I looked over at Tony as Rick quickly reached down grabbing his pistol.
Dave pulled up a bottle, “Hey look at that. That'll work.” He said with a smile as he started to unscrew the cap, “You gotta understand—we can't stay out there. You know what it's like.”
“Yeah, I do. But the farm is too crowded as is. I'm sorry. You'll have to keep looking.” Rick said with a stern voice.
“Keep looking. Where do you suggest we do that?”
“I don't know.” Rick shrugged. “I hear Nebraska's nice.”
Dave laughed, “Nebraska. This guy.”
Then, before I saw it, Dave made a quick move to his pistol but Rick saw it and got to his pistol faster and shooting Dave in the head leaving a blood splat on the mirror that hung behind Dave. Before I could take care of Tony, who was readying his gun, Rick turned and unloaded two roads into his chest. Tony hit the wall and slowly sank down onto the floor, Rick walked over quickly sending another bullet into Tonys head. Hershel stood watching Rick as he stood over Tony holstering his pistol. I shared a look with him knowing he did the right thing.
“You alright?” Rick said looking at me, I nodded, “Hershel?”
Hershel didn't respond just looking at Tonys body then over toward the bar when Dave laid then back at Rick doing a slow nod, saying “Let's head back.”
Rick kneeled down taking Tonys gun and took the bullets found in his pants pocket as I head back behind the bar and took Daves pistol, picking it off the floor carefully. We were able to leave when a car passed by sending light through the windows.
We hurried to the front of the bar leaning next to the windows out of sight. I quickly out away my knife and gripped the pistol upon hearing the car stop outside and the engine died off and doors opening.
Footsteps were heard as someone called out, “Dave? Tony? They said over here?”
Another man answered, “Yeah.”
A third man spoke up sounding convinced, “I'm telling you, man, I heard shots.”
The second man spoke again, “I saw roamers two streets over. Might be more around here, it's hot. We gotta get out of here.”
“Dave! Tony!”
The man yelling was hushed by one, “Shut up, you idiot! You wanna attract 'em?” He said harshly and quietly.
I saw their shadows pass by, they all had guns pointed looking inside the windows, and whisper Dave and Tonys names walking further down the way. Their shadows slowly passed as I tried to breath slowly holding onto the gun but relaxing my shoulders hearing their footsteps fading. Rick finally stood for a quick second to peer outside then dropped down slowly moving over to whisper to Hershel and I.
“We can't sit here any longer. Let's head out the back and make a run to the car.” Rick whispered.
Hershel nodded and we moved to leave but then gunshots went off alerting us to move back against the doors. I handed the gun over to Hershel realizing he had been unarmed and pulled my pickaxe up.
“What happened?” I heard outside.
“Roamers, I nailed 'em.”
“They disappeared but their car's still there.”
“I cleared those buildings you guys get this one?”
“No.”
“Me neither.” Their footsteps started to get closer to the doors.
“We're looking for Dave and Tony and no one checks the damn bar?”
Rick grabs his pistol ready to fire but when they tried to open the door I quickly jumped up and slammed my body against the doors closing it.
“What?”
“Someone pushed it shut. There's someone in there.”
“Yo someone in there? Yo, if someone's in there we don't want no trouble. We're just looking for our friends.”
“What do we do?”
“Bum rush the door?”
“No, we don't know how many are there. Just relax.” He spoke more loudly, “We don't want any trouble. We're just looking for our friends. If something happened, tell us. This place is crawling with corpses. If you can help us not get killed, I'd appreciate it.”
“Dude you're buggin. I'm telling you nobody's in there.”
Rick started to twitch moving his head rubbing his face in a quiet angry debate on what to do now.
“Someone guard the door. They might know where Dave and Tony are.” Then some of them where heard walking away and were almost gone until Rick spoke up.
“They drew on us!”
Hershel wiped at his mouth shaking his head as the footsteps came back asking, “Dave and Tony in there? They alive?”
“No.” Rick finally said.
“They killed Dave and Tony. Come on, man, let's go.”
“No, I'm not leaving, I'm not telling Jane. I'm not gonna go back and tell them that Dave and Tony got shot by some assholes in a bar.”
“You're friends drew on us! They gave us no choice!” Rick yelled looking back at the door to their shadows. “I'm sure we've all lost enough people, done things we wish we didn't have to, but it's like that now. You know that! So let's just chalk this up to what it was—wrong place, wrong--.”
Rick didn't finish as the glass above me broke from them shooting it, I quickly covered my head from the glass ducking down.
“Get out of here!” I heard Rick yell so I scrambled up with Hershel running to the back of the bar quickly. I stopped to hide behind a piano and Hershel continued behind a wall barely avoiding a bullet that hit the wooden wall. Hershel quickly came around and tossed me my pick, which I caught with both hands moving to my chest. The gunfiring had stopped and Rick dropped down to rest against the doorframe again reloading his gun.
“Hey! We all know this is not going to end well! There's nothing in it for any of us! You guys just—just back off, no one else gets hurt!” Rick yelled out.
Nothing. Then rustling could be heard behind the bar and I looked over at Rick and he jerked his head toward the back door. I shot up moving quickly and carefully opened the back door looking out into the storage room. I walked out making the stairs squeak loudly making me pause and walked out further not seeing anything until I heard a gun being cocked.
“Shit.” I heard someone whisper behind a set of door leading outside. I saw the doorknob start to turn so I looked down quickly picking up a bottle throwing it at the door breaking the glass. It wasn't a gun shot but it startled him enough to make him run away.
“Cat? Cat!” I heard Rick call out.
“I'm fine!” I called back moving to hide behind a wall nearby.
I was watching the door when I heard footsteps behind me causing me to turn quickly raising my pick but stopped seeing is was Hershel.
I let out a breath, “I'm sorry.”
“Rick wants you to try for the car.”
“Try?” I asked letting out another held breath.
“You'll try and succeed. I'll cover you.” Hershel told me confidently.
I walked over to the doors pushing them open and waiting to see if anyone was still out there before looking out carefully. I headed out heading for the street when a gun went off and a bullet hitting the fence next to me. I quickly ducked running forward to hide behind a set of trash cans with extra fencing leaned up against them.