“It’s an antique,” Harry said. “If it were automatic…
.”
“If it were automatic, you couldn’t afford it.” Bankole shrugged. “This thing is cheap because it’s old and it’s legal.”
“And it’s slow,” Zahra said. “And if you think that old guy’s price is cheap, you’re crazy.”
“I know I’m new here,” Allie said, “but I agree with Bankole. You guys are good with your handguns, but sooner or later, you’re going to meet someone who sits out of handgun range and picks you off.
Picks us off.”
“And this rifle is going to save us?” Zahra demanded.
“I doubt that it would save us,” I said. “But with a decent shot behind it, it might give us a chance.” I looked at Bankole. “You hit any of those deer?”
He smiled. “One or two.”
I did not return the smile. “Why don’t you buy the rifle for yourself?”
“I can’t afford it,” he said. “I’ve got enough money to keep me going and take care of necessities for a while. Everything else that I had was stolen from me or burned.
I didn’t quite believe him. But then, no one knew how much money I had either. In a way, I suppose he was asking about our solvency. Did we have enough money to spend an unexpected windfall on an old rifle? And what did he intend to do if we did? I hoped, not for the first time, that he wasn’t just a handsome thief. Yet I did like the gun, and we do need it.
“Harry and I are decent shots, too,” I said to the group. “I like the feel of this gun, and it’s the best we can afford right now. Has anyone seen any real trouble with it?”
They looked at one another. No one answered.
“It just needs a cleaning and some 30-06
ammunition,” Bankole said. “It’s been stored for a while, but it appears to have been well maintained. If you buy it, I think I can manage to buy a cleaning kit and some ammunition.”
At that, I spoke up before anyone else could. “If we buy, that’s a deal. Who else can handle the rifle?”
“I can,” Natividad said. And when that won her a few surprised looks, she smiled. “I had no brothers. My father needed to teach someone.”
“We never had a chance to do any shooting,” Allie said. “But we can learn.”
Jill nodded. “I always wanted to learn,” she said.
“I’ll have to learn, too,” Travis admitted. “Where I grew up, guns were either locked away or carried by hired guards.”
“Let’s go buy it, then,” I said. “And let’s get out of here. The sun will be down soon.”
Bankole kept his word, bought cleaning things and plenty of ammunition— insisted on buying them before we left town, because, as he said, “Who knows when we’ll need it, or when we’ll find other people willing to sell it to us.”
Once that was settled, we left town.
As we left, Harry carried the new rifle and Zahra carried the Beretta, both empty and in need of attention before we loaded them. Only Bankole and I carried fully loaded guns. I led the group and he brought up the rear. It was getting dark. Behind us in the distance, we could hear gunfire and the dull thunder of small explosions.
20
God is neither good
nor evil,
neither loving
nor hating.
God is Power.
God is Change.
We must find the rest of what we need within ourselves,
in one another,
in our Destiny.
EARTHSEED: THE BOOKS OF THE LIVING
SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2027
(from notes expanded TUESDAY,
AUGUST 31)
Today or tomorrow should be a rest day, but we’ve agreed not to rest. Last night was full of distant shooting, explosions and fire. We could see fire behind us, though not in front. Moving on seems sensible, in spite of our weariness.
Then, this morning, I cleaned the little black earring radio with alcohol from my pack, turned the thing on, and put it in my ear. I had to relay what it said since its sound could not reach the others.
What it said told us we should not only forget about resting, but change our plans.
We had intended to follow U.S. 101 up through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge. But the radio warned us to stay away from the Bay Area.
