It was early fall a year on from the plague. I was enjoying
the evening sunset, sitting on my porch cleaning my shotgun and watching my
hound run about chasing ghost rodents.
Now most folks will tell you that a good oiling never hurt no gun, but
me I like to clean my gun with a neat dribble of moonshine. It sure brings up
the gun and stock right shiny and my ‘Lilith’ looks as young an’ fresh as the
day my Pa gave her to me. I fills me a pipe, pours myself a shot and commence
to clean. Happy in life.
I heard the jalopy a good ten minutes before I seen it and
when I did I was surprised to see it was a Bulls’ car. I slipped my flask of oil
under the porch and rose to greet my visitors.
“Evening Ernest,” says Sergeant Lynch as the vehicle pulled
to a halt.
“Sergeant Lynch,” says I, “been a while.”
Two officers, my old compardres, from the plague times,
Officers Jack Regan and George Carter, accompanied the Sergeant. They were all
looking dusty and tired.
“Coffee?” I ask.
“Sounds good,” replies the Sergeant, and I goes and sticks
on a pot.
A short time later I’m out with four mugs of Joe.
“Any cream?” Carter hints. I glance at Lynch who just
smiles and I pass around the gun oil.
“What brings you boys out this way?”
“Just passing, Ernie. We’ve been up past the Pedersen place.
There’s been a report of some roamers up there.”
‘Roamers’ were the name that had been given to those persons
that had fallen to ‘the sickness’ of last year and had not been dealt with in
the razing of Purgatory. They stumbled
around the backwoods looking for prey. Occasionally they made it to town but
were soon dealt with and it fell to the cops to keep them in check.
“You get ‘em?”
“Nope, we just aint got the time to spend trackin’ em down.
Can’t say it’s a decent job, we got more then our work cut out in the city.”
I took a sip from my fortified coffee; “maybe I could take a
look up there for you?”
Lynch pursed his lips and shot a glance at Carter, who
shrugged, “don’t see why not,” says he, “Ernie was there with us and he knows
what he’s up against.”
Lynch looked back at I, “OK Ernie. I tell you what if I can
square it with the council maybe we could get you a bounty for any you clean.
You bring us back proof of your cleaning and I’ll see to it you get a fair
price.”
“Expenses as well?”
“Shot only.”
“Up by the Pedersen place, you say?”
“Yep.”
“I’ll be on it at first light.”
We pass the next hour on idle jibber jabber, sippin' joe and 'gun oil', just watching Buck
chase his imaginary rabbits. When the cops climbed aboard their vehicle they
bade me farewell and left. I suppose that was my first commission and the start
of my new career.
Last week's 1/2 coconut went once again to Zabadak, with the film title, "The Coffin of Dr Calgari." the Zed Babe was Lil Dagover.
This week's zombie babe is?
Batrep to follow in next publication.
Thanks for popping by. Ya all come back now ya here.
Lorcan.
