14) The last person I wanted to see

I had to stop to rest a couple of times on the way to the Dungeon. Once to sit on the old kitchen chair I had in my inventory for a lack of anywhere else to sit. But a little further on I found a bus shelter. The windows were all broken, but half of the cement bench was still intact.

Sipping on water from one of my pop bottles that was still cold from the tap, I finished up about half of it, then poured it out little by little into the palm of my hand to let the three coyotes lap it up.

I had to open the second bottle up for them before they seemed to get enough.

Well, it was pretty sunny out, and it wasn’t like I was walking around in a fur coat.

After another half hour, I could see tents up ahead.

Green, big, and surrounded by free standing orange plastic fencing on grey poles set in cement bases to hold them up. There were also low walls made out of sandbags, with armed army guys standing behind them. Very alert looking ones.

And a bus, from the Elysian Fields Assisted living facility.

“No…”

I began to try to get the cart turned around, if the damned pups weren't in it, I would have just abandoned it, coat and all.

But before I could get away, the last person I wanted to see called out to me. “Harold…”

“Aw no. I don’t need this.” I began shaking my head as I hunched over the push bar on the cart. “Just let me leave, I don’t want this.”

“I’m sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry. “But people are going to die if you don’t come with us. Good people… You know what, just get over here or I’ll tell the army guys to chase you down and drag you back.”

She would too.

I turned around to see Beryl, my ex, standing there with a big old guy close up behind her who was looking a little lost.

The big guy looked like someone who was confused a lot as he tried to get clued in as to what was happening here from Beryl. "Do you know this guy Honey?"

Honey. Well, she did like them stupid. She picked me, didn't she? I snorted.

Wylina growled.

“Down girl, you don’t want to bite her. She’ll make you sick.”

Beryl rolled her eyes, she had heard worse from me. The new boyfriend frowned, “I don’t think there’s any call for that…”

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The Ex set her hand on his arm to stop him. Just like she used to… My chest hurts.

“Don’t Brad. He doesn't change, he won’t care, and nothing he says to me can hurt me anymore.”

She glared at me. “I would have to care about him.”

I let a slow smile break out on my lips. “That’s my girl.”

She rolled her eyes again, but Brag seemed to think that settled it. “I’m Bradley Wesson. Cook.”

I gave him the look that deserved, “Harold Bright. Retired?”

He seemed confused, again, but even more now. “You got the Retired class? What does that do?”

I began to slowly shake my head, then stopped with a shrug, “Yeah. Retired. I collect coyotes, it was that or cats but I’m a guy. Guys get coyotes.”

Beryl set her hand on his arm again. It hurt less this time. Somebody needed to deal with a guy, it might as well be her.

“Harold, I got a class called Seer. If we go into the dungeon with just the five of us, I saw only three of us making it out, but I also saw you. If you go in with us as well, everyone lives.”

I nodded, even as I began pulling pups out of the cart in preparation to run.

She sighed. “I know that look. Soldiers. Secure him.” She pointed back and forth from two guys in uniform to me. “You aren't getting away, and remember, I know where you live.”

The woman was right, but… “Another betrayal. You haven’t changed any.”

She tilted her head, “You taught me how to be like this. Now follow us.”

Barely There Wesson held back until I began to catch up, along with the cart, and three coyotes.

“So… you two were together.”

Can I ignore this guy? He doesn't seem the sort to take a hint… So, “Married, twenty years or so. You would have to ask her since I’ve tried to block out most of them. But I would rather not talk about it.”

That shut him up. For half a minute.

“Are those really coyotes?”

I began to open my mouth to say something hurtful, but I snapped my mouth shut when I realized it would only encourage him.

Wylina sneezed.

Then we were at the entrance to one of the tents set up outside of the Lannis Industrial plant.

I stopped in my tracks to take a good long look at the place. Time had not been kind.

It never was.

“So, have they tried burning it down?”

Brad seemed a little shocked, but one of the army guys nearby spoke up. “The building would collapse on top of the dungeon sir. And if the entrance gets blocked it opens up a new one. Right now we at least know where this one is and got patrols killing anything coming out of it."

I gave the guy, a kid even younger than the one cop a good long look. That was actually some good, helpful information. I should say something. "Got it."

Beryl called out from inside the tent, “Brad?” and the... Cook? What is that about? He held open the flap of the tent for me.

The inside of the tent had electricity and lights strung up, a bunch of army guys milling about, and a whiteboard on a frame with wheels and a map of the factory taped to it with a big red dot in the middle of what had been the main floor.

And three more old geezers. Or two more and one geezet.

There was a dumpy little old woman in a sweater made up of hand knitted squares, all in different colors. An old black guy with a droopy face and a big white mustache, and a skinny little old guy who was grinning at me with a wide smile showing off his fake teeth.

“Hi Harry.”

He seemed to know me, chances are that even if I had known him I still wouldn’t know his name.

I looked over at the middle aged guy that seemed to be in charge. “I need a gun. A lot of bullets, and some grenades. I brought a cart so just give me a case.”

The army guy snorted. “How about taking a seat, and then we’ll see what we can do.”

Looking around, I pulled a chair from the table out to about four feet away and sat down. Blue reared up to set her front paws up to my knee so I lifted her up to my lap while her mother set herself by my other knee, looking around at everyone staring at me.

I kind of lost track of Chubby. Ask me if I care.

Lifting one hand, I waved it around. "Continue."