“Why don’t you come back? It’s not safe here,” Ell said.
“Eh…it’s complicated.”
“Because you did kill some people. I knew it!” Stone said. He smirked, letting Ramsey know he was joking. Half-joking, at least.
“No, my hands are clean. I ain’t never killed no one that didn’t deserve it, but I am guilty of breakin’ a heart.”
Mia scooted closer to the table, saying “Oooh—” She forgot to take into account the girth of her protruding belly, and when belly and table collided, the Oooh evolved into an Oops, and the table almost flipped. It rocked to one side, causing a plate and a few empty boxes and wrappers to hit the carpet and scatter along the floor.
Stone and I shifted the table back into place while Ell and Ramsey picked up what fell. Mia uttered an apology before she continued on with her thoughts.
“Broken hearts? Now this is gettin’ juicy. I like, I like very much.” She folded her hands, rested her chin atop her fingers, and peered at Ramsey. “So that’s why you won’t go back?”
Ramsey gave no answer.
“Spill the beans,” Mia said, frowning.
Ramsey hefted a heavy sigh, and then he gnawed on his bottom lip, deep in thought. “Fine. I got stationed over here right at the beginnin’, like I said. Government wasted no time sendin’ the military in. Mostly ‘cause shit hit the fan so fast.”
I caught a glint of tears in his eyes before he slickly swiped them away. No one else noticed.
“I’m a Southern boy through and through, so comin’ up here wasn’t too long a trip. My honey came with me. Lizzy’s her name, and we was sweet on each other since high school. Got hitched about a year after, and she stuck with me through it all. Even when they told me I had to move to Germany for a couple years. I gave Lizzy the news and she packed her bags and hopped the plane without a moment’s hesitation. I love her to death.” Taking in our somber faces, Ramsey shook his head. “Nah, it ain’t like that. She didn’t die or nothin’, although I think I’m pretty much dead to her. And for good reason.”
Mia twirled her fingers. Get on with it.
“Yeah, yeah, well, here’s the why. It don’t make me look good. It actually makes me look like a righteous prick, but I’ll tell y’all the truth. Doing that, it’s good for me, I think, and my momma raised an honest boy, God bless her soul. So I got sent out on a supply run about a month in with the Scavs—short for Scavengers, which the name pretty much sums up their purpose—and we was only headin’ to a place a few miles from the City. About a three-hour trip. But then things went south like they always do, and me and my company, we was stuck for nearly a fortnight. Those things, those shadows, they tortured us. The things I seen, man, that shit about drove me insane. Half a dozen ended up dead, and I was pretty sure I was next.”
“I don’t get it,” Mia said. “Just skip to the good part, Ramsey. You’re losing my interest.”
Ramsey chuckled. “Right. Well, there was this pretty little thing in the group. Her name was Brittney. The boys—not me—gave her a hard time, but she didn’t take shit from no one. Momma taught me to respect women like she taught me to tell the truth. Brittney, she took a liking to me. Always flirtin’ and telling me things a man in a committed relationship shouldn’t hear. Then one night, it got colder than ever, and she huddled up next to me, asked me if I’d keep her warm. I obliged, but I promise y’all I had no bad intentions. Problem is, a fella at the end of his rope’ll do things he wouldn’t do otherwise. And well, I, uh…kept Brittney warm that night and a few nights after. Minus the clothes, I mean.”
Stone just about jumped from his chair. He thrust his hand up and toward Ramsey. “That’s what I’m talking about! Whoa! You said you didn’t give her a hard time, but man, it sounds like you did!”
“Stone!” Ell shouted.
“What?” He faced Ell and I, nodded in my direction. “Grady knows what I’m talking about, don’t you, dude?” His other hand prepared for a high-five.
I shook my head, feeling Ell’s burning glare on the side of my face. “No, man. Sorry.”
He deflated. His arms fell to his side, and his shoulders slumped.
“You’re a pig, Stone,” Ell said.
“Hey now, it’s not like I’m the one who banged her.”
“Ignore him,” I whispered.
Stone laughed. “I know you guys love me, don’t worry.”
“Guys,” Mia said, “Ramsey just bared his soul to us, and you’re makin’ a joke about it.”
“I deserve much worse,” Ramsey said. “Anyway, as y’all can see, I didn’t die. I made it back when the clouds cleared. Brittney did too. I told her it was a mistake, that I shoulda never done that, but Brittney, she didn’t understand that I wanted to stay with my wife. And the first thing she did when we got back was let Liz in on what I thought was gonna stay a secret.”
“Damn. So instead of having two slam pieces, you ended up with none,” Stone said.
“‘Slam pieces’? Really?” Ell mumbled under her breath.
“Correct,” Ramsey said. “Not for lack of trying, believe you me. But Liz wasn’t having it. Then the shit went down with the escaped shadow, and Brittney was one of the ones to go.”
“Whew, dodged a bullet there,” Stone said.
This time, Ell lunged across the table and slapped him on the arm hard enough for him to wince.
“Anyone got a muzzle?” Mia asked. “No? Damn.” Chewy whimpered. She bent to the side and scooped the dog from the floor, ruffling the fur atop his head. “Not for you, silly. For the other dog over there.”
Rubbing his shoulder, Stone
