The Whispers of Eris: Chronicles of the Collapse, #3

By Robert E. Taylor

The Whispers of Eris (Chronicles of the Collapse, Book 3)

Albertville. It was a place that should not exist in Nathan's world. A city that should have been a small town and which showed none of the ruin and devastation prevalent elsewhere. It was a city from another world, another reality. A city full of dark secrets.

For Nathan Smith and his band it was a place to plunder so that their own community, Fortuna, might survive. But setting up a supply route was not to be as easy as they thought. Nathan soon finds out that organizing a group has its own particular set of problems, of which he himself might well be one.

But whilst he had been away from Albertville other forces had been at work in the city, some of which defied explanation. A chance encounter will lead Nathan down a dark path from which he might not emerge. A path upon which he will learn a valuable lesson:

There were worse things than the Eyeless in Albertville.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert E. Taylor
• Release date: May 28, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476489179

Robert E. Taylor

Robert Taylor lives with his long-term partner just outside London, England. He has travelled widely, visiting most of Europe, much of North Africa and parts of the Middle-East. His jobs have included many diverse careers such as Bank Courier, Cinema Projectionist and even Scuba Diving Instructor. In his off time, he enjoys travel, reading, computer gaming and watching movies.

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THE WHISPERS OF ERIS

by

Robert E. Taylor

SMASHWORDS EDITION

PUBLISHED BY:

Robert Taylor on Smashwords

Copyright © 2012 Robert Taylor

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 9781476489179

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities are entirely coincidental.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank my partner, Susan Woods, for her support, and her contributions in the proofreading and cover design departments.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

I began writing over twenty years ago. However, writing was a lot easier back then than it proved to be getting published. For a time I put aside my aspirations and simply got on with the process of life; of living, and making a living.

Now, however, times have moved on. In nearly all fields of creative endeavor it is now far easier to make yourself known. To get published now all one needs to do is have the patience and perseverance to write. The actual act of publishing is now in the hands of the content creators and the whole industry is changing as a result.

This novel, The Whispers of Eris, proved harder to finish than I anticipated. There were revisions and revisions. Hopefully, you the reader won't notice any of that and the book will be a seamless read from start to finish.

There are undoubtedly mistakes and grammatical errors in this work. For those I apologize in advance. In spite of any mistakes, I hope you get some enjoyment out of this novel and please, please leave me some feedback about it. Positive or negative, I can’t get better at this if I don’t know where I’m going wrong.

Robert Taylor, May 2012

CHAPTER ONE

In the silvery light of the very early morning, the town seemed deserted. Heavy shadows stood across the street as Nathan made his way quietly down East Street towards the canyon wall. It was still dim enough that color had only just begun to register on his awareness, making the street’s Old World design look even more effective with its black and white tones.

There’s probably no other town I’d walk around in at this time of day. He thought. At least, not willingly.

Towns and cities were once the comfortable homes of humanity. But, like most of the world, they were places to avoid in the dark.

In the dark, there were things that were best avoided. Things with teeth and claws. Things that would kill without mercy.

But Fortuna, where he was currently walking, was a safe-haven from the horrors of the post-Collapse world. At one time it had been a tourist attraction, mimicking an Old West gold-rush era frontier town. It still looked like that today, decades on from its heyday.

Except now it really is a frontier town once again.

Nearly three hundred people called Fortuna home, living in the fake Wild West buildings and home-made shacks of their own. There had been more, but many had died recently during a failed coup by one of the inhabitants. A bloody, violent coup that, if successful, would have seen many more than the numbers of those that died being shipped off into slavery by the town’s new owner.

Jimmy Mack.

The name sounded friendly enough but the man behind the name was cold-blooded and heartless. If he had succeeded, the town would likely have had a short future under his control.

Short, and very unpleasant.

Jimmy Mack had tried to murder Nathan just prior to his attempted take-over. He hadn’t succeeded, but one of Nathan’s friends had ended up without a left foot as a result of the attempt.

Just another thing to chalk up on Jimmy’s slate. Nathan noted. It was an account that was now long overdue and Nathan meant to collect on it at his earliest opportunity. Because of Jimmy, a great many people had suffered and died, some horribly.

Maggie.

The image formed in Nathan’s mind no matter how much he tried to shut it out. The torn, mangled flesh, barely recognizable as human, let alone female. It was an image he would never get out of his mind, no matter how long he lived.

Billy, Maggie. Nathan thought. Many more I don’t know personally.

All had died because of Jimmy and his plans.

Plus those of us left behind, affected in other ways. He mentally added.

Lacey had lost a foot, little Sarah woke up screaming in the night at the events she had witnessed and Kyle had ended up being shot.

There was an awful lot of pain and heartache that could be laid squarely at Jimmy’s door. If he hadn’t had more urgent matters to attend to, Nathan suspected he might have headed out in search of Jimmy, tracked him down no matter how long it took. The man had escaped with his new-found slaver friends and fled the community.

I had him in my sights. I shot him. Nathan scowled. But not fatally. He still got away.

It was the single most galling thing that gnawed away at him.

I should have put him down for good.

Yes. Rufus reminded him. You should have.

The ex-Marine’s voice was not accusatory in his head, but it did seem a little… disappointed. Rufus had taught Nathan a lot of things about weapons and survival but, ultimately, all his knowledge and skills had done him about as much good as it did most people during the Collapse. The Cough had found him and, unlike Nathan, the Marine had not survived.

That didn’t stop Nathan from hearing the Marine’s voice in his head from time to time. He had drilled certain things into Nathan so often that his sayings had stuck. Rufus had opinions on just about every topic imaginable and he hadn’t been shy about sharing them with Nathan. Whether he consciously or unconsciously absorbed them, the sayings and comments came back to him, usually at times of stress.

Never mind, Rufus. Nathan thought. Next time I’ll make sure. He won’t be so lucky second time around.

The thought of gunplay made him check his own gun belt again. It was designed to hold his modern replica of an Old West, Army Outlaw pistol and ammunition. He’d added another weapon on the other side and hadn’t quite figured out the best way to wear it yet for comfort and ease of use.

The second weapon was a sawn-off, twin-barreled shotgun with a cut-down, pistol-style grip. The shotgun he’d found in the mines whilst trying to find a way out. Then, it had been full-sized. But Nathan found the length of the barrel unwieldy and awkward to use, so he’d had Basil, the town’s blacksmith, hacksaw the barrel short, right back to the end of the forestock. The weapon was much easier to use now, though a lot of the ornate woodcarving and some of the inlay had been lost in the process.

It wasn’t that the weapon was particularly useful, at least not as a weapon. Most of the creatures prowling the darkness of the post-Collapse world shrugged off shotgun pellets like they were confetti. But Nathan had long carried a pump-action shotgun and missed the solidity of the weapon in his hand. The Outlaw was not a weapon that it felt right carrying around in his hand. It was brutal and effective, but it belonged in its holster until needed. His pump-action, by contrast, had always felt like it should be carried around in one hand.

The sawn-off he wasn’t decided on yet. It was heavy and felt nice, but its effectiveness was questionable against non-human threats. The discovery of Albertville and its untouched resources had given Nathan another idea entirely for the shotgun.

Albertville would have plenty of outdoor suppliers and dedicated gun-shops still full of weapons and ammunition. In addition, there were other such sources, like police buildings where ammunition could be found. Given the variety of shells available for shotgun use – bean-bag and baton rounds, multiple slug and single ball shells – the shotgun might turn into something more than just a means of killing something. It might actually become a useful tool, able to fulfill a number of different jobs depending on what shells he put into it.

That was his thought, anyway. Plus, he had to admit that the silver chasing that remained looked nice. The worst that could happen was that he’d end up abandoning it as impractical. But it was worth a trial.

The shotgun was not the only thing that he’d had Basil work on. The other was a wide, gold torc that had been modified by the blacksmith to accept a padlock to secure it shut. Nathan had no idea if what he had in mind for it was sensible or not, but it was an option he wanted to have available, even if the thought of using it made him distinctly uncomfortable. As with the shotgun, the worst he felt would happen was the item would end up discarded someplace.

Both of shotgun and torc were finds during his recent sojourn in the mines below the town. That was not an episode he preferred to dwell upon.

Nathan was nearly at the end of the street when he came to his destination. The wooden church to his right was the home of Father Andrews and his slightly lunatic following, which now numbered over twenty individuals. It was likely that the events of the past few weeks had made even more people susceptible to the particular brand of pseudo-religion that Andrews spouted. The man was not a real preacher but, as with many others before him, had found God in a time of personal stress.

As far as Nathan was aware, the man had no Bible to work from, so all of his preaching came from whatever memories he had as a child of what religion meant. Accordingly his teachings were often far away from those of the old, mainstream, religions. In some cases, they bordered on offensive beliefs – not against any prior version of religion, just against human decency.

Most people in the post-Collapse world lived by simple rules. Mind your own business being the primary one. A lot of moral scruples had vanished along with the civilization that had created them, especially regarding sex and relationships and people tended to follow a live and let live policy towards each other.

Father Andrews, on the other hand, seemed to be a firm believer in bringing back a lot of the Old World’s values, especially regarding such things as chastity, same-sex relationships, moral decency and so on. It was like his private crusade to restore morality – his version, at least – to the townsfolk.

Most people ignored him or, if cornered by his Brothers, tended to tune out until the sermonizing stopped. They had better things to do than listen to self-righteous prating from people who, for the most part, were too young to remember the pre-Collapse world anyhow. But they tolerated the Brothers, and Father Andrews, seeing them as mostly harmless.

Nathan was not so sure that harmless was how he’d describe the little group but, for now at least, they caused little real trouble. In any event, he was not here at such an un-Godly hour to seek out religious guidance. He’d never had much time for it back before the Collapse and, like most, even less now.

His goal was not the church, but the graveyard behind it. Walking past the church he turned right and followed the little path down the side of the church until he reached the lych-gate that gave access to the cemetery.

The lych-gate had seen better days. Once roofed, most of the slats had been removed to furnish building materials for the innumerable shacks that made up the bulk of Fortuna’s housing. The same was true of the once neat picket fence that had surrounded the graveyard itself.

To their credit, he supposed, the Brothers occupying the church had repaired the fencing and the lych-gate roof as best they could using branches cut from bushes in the hills behind the town. No one was likely to steal those, at least. The gate and fence, however, looked primitive and make-shift with the repairs. But at least they were there.

He was at the cemetery as a result of Jimmy’s power-hungry machinations. In addition to the harm the man had caused to the likes of himself, Lacey and the Halpern family, there was one individual that had suffered more than the rest during the troubles.

Kandy.

Nathan could see her at the back of the graveyard, kneeling down beside one of the graves.

Maggie’s grave. He sighed.

Once upon a time he, Annie, Kandy and Maggie had been neighbors. They had all gotten along very well, even though he was usually off scavenging for the community much of the time. Then Jimmy’s hired thugs had butchered Maggie as a reprisal for his own wounding of one of Jimmy’s men.

Annie now lived with Carlos, the town’s doctor. Nathan himself was on the verge of departing the community. And Kandy…

Kandy is all alone. He thought. All alone and struggling to deal with the loss of Maggie.

Kandy and Maggie had been the town’s sole lesbian couple. The loss of her partner had done tremendous damage to Kandy, not least because she had been forced to be a witness to the grim butchery that had been performed that night.

For Nathan, the aftermath he had come across had been more than horrifying enough. He couldn’t begin to imagine how much worse it would have been to have seen those events unfold in front of you. But Kandy knew. She had been there.

The trauma had, for a time, unhinged her mentally. She had even pointed a shotgun at him and threatened to kill him, so far gone had she been in hate and rage towards men in general.

But she had recovered a little. Enough that she wasn’t a danger to anyone else at the moment. She had taken to working as a cook down at The Moon, a saloon-cum-brothel run by another of Nathan’s friends, Kirsty.

It was Kirsty that had told him of Kandy’s early morning graveyard visits. The brothel’s madam was, like everybody who knew the blonde girl, concerned for her ongoing health.

She cries herself to sleep most nights, Nathan. Kirsty had informed him. And sometimes she wakes screaming, thrashing about in panic. I worry about her.

Nathan worried too. Kandy had been outgoing and vibrant. The person that remained now was a pale imitation of who she had been.

All the color and life in her world has been washed away. He realized. All that was left, like the early morning itself, was a dim black and white facsimile of what had been.

He pushed the lych-gate open and slowly walked into the graveyard.

CHAPTER TWO

There were a lot more grave-markers than he remembered. Not that he had bothered to visit the cemetery before. No one that he had known was buried there other than Maggie. But in the past, he had slept on a ledge in the canyon wall that overlooked the graveyard. He had become quite familiar with the layout of the place.

That was also down to Jimmy. Nathan noted sourly. The man had a lot to answer for.

But he forced his anger away as he walked up the path towards Kandy.

There’s no place for anger during good-byes.

Kandy heard him approaching and looked up, startled. For an instant she had the same terrified look he remembered from the night outside the mine.

The night you executed one of her attackers.

Then she realized who it was, even in the dim light, and she relaxed visibly.

Nathan. She said quietly by way of greeting.

She looked the worse for wear. Dark circles outlined her eyes sharply. Had the light been better, he would have seen the redness there, too. She looked drawn and thin. Kirsty had mentioned she ate little but often made up for the lack of nutrition with alcohol, from the local rotgut still that was operated by Jason, the town’s resident engineer.

I’m sorry to intrude Kandy. I thought I’d best come say goodbye and… He hesitated. Pay my respects. If you’d rather be alone, though, I’ll leave.

For a moment he thought she was actually going to tell him to go. She looked lost and abandoned and didn’t seem to know how best to respond.

No. Stay. I’m glad you came. She said finally.

Since she made no move to stand up, he sat down next to her. The act was a little awkward for him. He had received yet more injuries during Jimmy’s escape. Injuries that would have certainly cost him his life had Carlos not been around to tend to them.

A punctured lung and a cracked skull. He thought. Yet somehow I survived.

But survive or not, he had not come away without cost. His right side had a tendency to pull unpleasantly when he twisted or folded up. Not painfully, but enough that he sub-consciously avoided doing certain movements, like sitting down on the floor.

Likewise, his cracked skull and subsequent brain swelling had left him a legacy of headaches, blurred vision, a ringing in his right ear and occasional bouts of dizziness. Usually the latter two only lasted a few seconds but the headaches could persist for hours.

Carlos reassured him that they would pass, in time. Nathan hoped so. The effects were damn annoying and distracting.

It has only been a week since I got back on my feet. He reminded himself.

In that week he’d worked hard to restore some of his strength and stamina. He walked as far as he could each day, pausing only during a dizzy spell or if someone engaged him in conversation. His general fitness had returned quite rapidly, despite his having spent the best part of a month unconscious in the doc’s surgery. But the effects of his injuries persisted.

His side pulled now, as he sat down next to Kandy, causing an involuntary grunt of effort from him.

Are you okay? She asked.

He nodded. Never better. Just aches and pains.

She gave him a wan smile. You’re getting old, Nathan.

I never denied that. He smiled back.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds as each struggled to find something to say. Finally, it was her that broke the silence.

So. You’re heading out today? It was a rhetorical question and her face expressed her disappointment at the knowledge.

Nathan nodded. In an hour or so. Once it’s lighter and safer to travel.

She swallowed. The place won’t be the same without you, you know.

She meant it as a light comment but he felt the sadness in her tone.

That’s probably a good thing. He replied. I think I’ve outstayed my welcome here.

She nodded. How... There was a catch in her voice. How long will you be gone this time?

It would be easy to lie to her. He thought. Reassure her. But she already knows the truth, so she’d know it was a lie designed to save her pain. What she needs right now isn’t people lying to her.

I’m not sure. He said after a moment more of thought. The supply base will take some time to set up. Weeks, at the least. Then I’m supposed to be in charge of it. I imagine I’ll be pretty busy.

He hadn’t said he wouldn’t be back, but neither had he promised to return. The truth was that he was sick of the town. He thought he’d done a good job of hiding it over the years, but even Jimmy Mack, when he had caught Nathan, had commented on it. If a man he never spoke to knew how Nathan felt about the place, then it was a fairly safe bet that everyone else did, too.

Fortuna had bitten him twice now. Once over the incident with Billy, Jimmy Mack’s son, and more recently over his execution of one of Maggie’s murderers. It would be easy for him to blame it on Jimmy himself and, to be sure, the man had been the instigator of both events. But the townsfolk as a whole had turned on him both times, preferring to mindlessly believe lies and rumor in the first incident and ignoring the facts surrounding the second event.

As a result, Nathan had almost no time for anyone in the town who wasn’t a friend of his. The rest, as far as he was concerned, could all go to hell.

Kandy, of course, was one such friend and she knew well how he felt about the place. She nodded resignedly at his words.

You know, Nathan added, seeing her expression. You could come with us. We could train you up to become a scavenger. You’d probably fit in better than you imagine.

I know. You suggested this to me a couple of days ago, remember? She answered. As I said then, I can’t leave yet. It’s too soon.

Her gaze fell upon the grave they sat beside.

Too soon for her to leave Maggie behind. He thought.

I understand. He told her. But the offer remains anytime you want to take it up. Once we get the shipments up and running, all you’ll have to do is hitch a ride with one of the returning trucks. You’ll always be welcome anywhere that I have a say in the matter.

She smiled, seemingly on the verge of tears and reached out to squeeze his hand. It didn’t seem like she trusted herself to speak without breaking down.

He smiled at her and then frowned in thought. I’ll also make you a promise. When we get the first truck up and running, I’ll bring it back here personally. Then I can pester you some more about joining us. How does that sound?

She nodded, her eyes full. That sounds wonderful!

For a moment more she kept her composure. Then she fell against him, crying. I wish you weren’t going!

I know, sweetheart. I know. He held her, settling in for what he expected to be a long crying session for her.

But she surprised him by thumping him on the shoulder repeatedly. You’re such an idiot! She told him, pushing him away.

Fearing he’d done something wrong, he let her pull away. What? What did I do?

Her face, in those moments, was the old Kandy, sarcastic and ready for a verbal sparring match. It’s what you didn’t do, you oaf!

Nathan looked lost.

She growled in exasperation. You didn’t get together with Annie, you moron! If you had, then there wouldn’t be all this talk of leaving!

You know Annie and I were just friends. Nathan objected.

She rolled her water-filled eyes. God, Nathan! You have to be the densest man I know! Annie really, really liked you! All you had to do was just… Arrggh! Do you know how infuriating you are?

She never said anything about being interested in me. He protested.

That’s not how women work, Nathan! How old are you, anyway? Haven’t you learnt anything about women?

Apparently not… He muttered, seriously confused. Anyhow, what does all this have to do with me leaving?

If you’d got together with Annie, then you wouldn’t be leaving….would you? She said.

He frowned. That doesn’t necessarily follow. Besides, if things had happened that way, we might both be leaving. Had you even considered that?

Kandy opened her mouth to say something and then abruptly shut it. Clearly she had not considered that possibility.

At least this way you still have one of us around to badger the hell out of! He grumbled. He was about to add more but then he noticed that, as fast as it had returned, the old Kandy had fled, leaving the frightened, very much alone woman that she had become.

It’s the thought of both of us having left. He realized. The verbal torpedo that he had casually fired off had struck home with unerring accuracy.

Nice one, Nathan! He told himself disparagingly. Good work!

Hey! He told her. I’ll be back before you even realize I’m gone! A few weeks at most. Then you’ll have the option of coming away with me again. Frankly, I think it would do you the world of good, but it’s your call.

Kandy nodded. Someday. But not yet. It doesn’t feel right, yet.

A time and a place for everything, is that it? He surmised.

Something like that.

They were silent for a few moments then he said. Annie really liked me?

There was a glimmer, as he’d hoped, of the old Kandy again. Yes, you fool! She really did.

There was a further silence that began to grow awkward.

So, She demanded. What’s this Cara woman like?

Nathan looked surprised. I…how did you hear her name?

She smiled. You called out whilst you were unconscious a few times whilst I was minding you. The other girls that kept a watch over you said the same thing. We all know.

So much for keeping that quiet. He thought.

I called out, huh? He muttered. So long as I didn’t say anything too embarrassing!

There was a hint in her expression which made him suspect that he had said something stupid, but she merely shook her head. No dumber than what you usually come out with, anyway.

I suppose you won’t let me go without me telling you something about her. He sighed.

She smiled properly again. Just curious. Considering your track record, I expect she had to batter you over the head to get you to notice her!

Not exactly. He replied. But she is…different.

So…what’s she like? Kandy persisted.

Nathan chuckled. A few years younger than you, I’d guess. Tall, blonde, woman-shaped. What more do you want?

Kandy scowled at him. All the details, of course!

Nathan couldn’t tell her all the details. He wasn’t sure he could even begin to explain Cara’s particular set of problems.

She has….issues…that I’m trying to help her with. Adversity threw us together, we formed a connection. I’m not really sure what else I can tell you other than we just sort of fit together.

Kandy frowned. What kind of issues?

Personal ones. Nathan told her, more bluntly than he had intended. Kandy looked a little disappointed, so he added. I’m not sure I’m even capable of helping her. There’s a possibility I’ll do more harm than good, but I have to try.

She nodded. I guess, if I want to know more, I’ll have to come visit you, is that it?

If it makes you leave this place behind, then yes, that’s the way it might have to be. He smiled.

Well, I’ll have to give it some thought. She smiled back. Her eyes turned back to Maggie’s grave and her own problems reasserted themselves. For a time she was silent again.

It will get better, won’t it? She asked, finally.

Nathan put his arm around her and drew her close. She leaned her head on his shoulder. Yes. You just have to be strong and give it time.

For a long time, the pair of them sat silently, each lost in their own thoughts of the woman who lay a few feet below them.

Around them, the light grew brighter and the first sounds of activity began to emerge from the town.

Finally, he said. I ought to get moving.

She nodded against his shoulder and slowly pulled away.

Standing up was harder than he imagined. Kandy clambered to her feet and helped him up.

God, Nathan! You are getting old! She told him again.

He scowled. It’s not the age, it’s the beatings! Got to try and avoid getting hurt for a while. Need to let my body heal up some more.

She frowned, the old Kandy once more. You know, I agree with you but, given your tendency to do dumb things like getting blown up, I don’t think it’s likely.

Probably not. He agreed. But I will try and be more careful.

See that you do!

He turned to leave and caught a glimpse of her face falling into hopelessness as he did so. He took a couple of steps away and then stopped as if a thought had just struck him.

Oh, by the way. He said, turning to look at her. Her face had brightened at his delay. I better not hear of you doing anything stupid whilst I’m gone. I’d hate to have to come back here and …chastise you!

She snorted, tears filling her eyes. Then she was hugging him fiercely. Maybe I’ll have to do that to get you to come back. She murmured against him.

Maybe you will, at that. He agreed.

They stood like that for some time before he forced himself to untangle her arms from him so that he could go.

*****

Kandy did not follow him back into the town. She was not done with her visit to Maggie’s graveside. He managed to get out of the graveyard whilst resisting the urge to check behind him to see if she was alright. But as he turned to head back into the town, he caught a glimpse of her still standing and watching him go. He waved goodbye and she responded in kind, then turned away from him to face Maggie’s grave. After that, he walked along swiftly, lost in thought.

Kandy was in desperate need of something to cling to. They all worried about her but, unless she was ready, there was little they could do to help her move past Maggie’s death.

It’s going to take a long time for her. He thought. A very long time.

By the time he reached the crossroads in the center of town, there were a few other people about. It was still early, but there were those that tended the crops growing in the hills behind the town that liked to get an early start. Anyone that did not have business at this hour stayed firmly in bed.

The townsfolk that he did pass gave him nervous glances, eyes flicking from his face to the weapons he wore at his side. Typically only the militia and the Sheriff’s men went about openly armed. Nathan was neither, plus the townies considered him dangerous and unpredictable.

He had heard the rumors during his week-long rehabilitation as he had moved about the town. He had murdered a man in cold-blood right in front of the Sheriff and got away with it. He had cut off a girl’s leg because she looked at him funny. He had even shot the Mayor. And, of course, the resurgence of questions about his sexual proclivities along with the attendant speculation on what he had really got up to with Billy out in the wilds.

Nathan didn’t really care what the townsfolk thought of him, or what twisted stories they made up. It did gall him considerably to think that he was leaving in order to help these people survive. To set up a supply route for the town so that they might all eat, and have fresh water to drink and regain a few of the luxuries that the Collapse had taken from them all. It was an irritation, considering how they had treated him and what he had done for the town already.

I won’t let them turn on me again. He reminded himself. Third time is most definitely not going to be the charm there!

The new council had rubbed salt into an old wound as well.

During the lead up to Jimmy Mack’s take-over, he had shot one of Maggie’s murderers in front of the town. Mayor Davis, the sole leader of the town at the time, had banished him. It had been a deal between the two of them that would have seen the supply route set up and Nathan readmitted to the town in due course. The new council, however, had seen fit to summon him and reiterate that the ban still stood but that they had generously commuted it to a one year only banishment.

Never mind that he had saved Mayor Davis from being dragged off by Jimmy and his band. Never mind that he had been almost killed in the process. All they saw was a troublemaker that the townies didn’t like much.

The new council, five strong, wanted to stamp its authority on the place. It didn’t even help that two of the council members were friends of his, former Mayor Davis and Carlos, the town’s doctor. The council had instituted a majority vote system, so three votes from five was all that it took to pass an edict. It would have been an improvement from the old regime with just Davis in charge, except for the three that had been chosen as the remaining