Afterwards
Afterwards he drove away from the place.
He killed the three with guns first. Two others had dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender so he shot them last. Because of what they had done to her. Then he picked her up and carried her to his car.
At his house she cleaned up and drank his whiskey. He sat with her until she fell asleep then went to his own bed. In the small hours she crept under the covers and offered herself to him but he told her to go to sleep and held her until she stopped shaking. He wondered if his rejection was a mistake, perhaps she would think she was a bad person. In the morning he tried to tell her that she wasn't bad but wasn't sure that the words came out right. She stayed with him for three days and on the last night she asked him again. This time he made love to her.
He stopped calling her silly nicknames. He had only done so because he was afraid of her but he no longer feared her craziness, just wanted to keep her safe. He tried to make sure that she always had back-up but she often went off alone on some Machine errand. He began to hate the Machine.
She came to his place sometimes – to stay the night or not, in his bed or not. He worried that the other woman would choose the same night but she never did. Perhaps the two women coordinated their visits. Perhaps they had a rota to visit each of the men. He never asked her, he never asked the others either: perhaps he would not like the answers.
He saw her lying on the mortuary slab and swore vengeance but another had also sworn so they flipped a coin for it and he lost. Or maybe he won – one less death on his conscience. He waited in the car while she went inside and did what was necessary. Because of what he had done to her.
Afterwards they drove away from the place.