Adventures in North Carolina- Chapter 3-Introduction

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.

Blog Babe

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.