I didn't have time for this.

This hesitation, this 'thinking it out' I was trying to justify.

I'd already told Press I needed a minute, that there was some spiritual shit I had to do with the bodies, used those exact words as a matter of fact. She didn't press me further, but when I got here, actually leaned over the scraggly sweaty corpses, I hesitated. I hesitated far too long.

But I snapped out of it.

"Behold Uriga, I have slain these many foes, taken everything from them, their lives and their sacred flesh, so please for the love of fuck pour some more power into me? Behold me!" I whispered out.

Then I did it. Each and every body, a bite, a hard riiip, a few seconds of godawful chewing and a sputtering spit.

I went back to the pump when it was done.

Before I was done drinking Press came out, with a whole little squad in tow. Three more able-bodied folks and an old lady that looked like a damn carny.

"There's more of them, hidden beneath the earth, afraid," the old woman rasped out as she was walked to the water.

"Makes sense, this looks like a house, not an outpost, probably woman and kids bunkered down somewhere," I remarked.

I walked back into the house.

"You're not gonna kill them too, are ya?" Press asked, hands coming up to grip the rifle hanging around her chest.

"Of course not, Jesus," I spat back, thankful to see the relief on her face, that she believed me. "Once you get your water we probably want to fan out and search the place, I think we're at least entitled to all the crap we can carry after this. Some of those crops looked edible if not ripe, I think, so keep an eye out for baskets and bags and shit," I suggested, bringing my knife back to my hands as I reentered the building.

We'd already cleared most of it, the only other thing up here was a couple of privies and a big closet with a few sets of clothes hung up. I went ahead and helped myself to some less auspicious clothing, and a gas mask, if it was hanging here it was probably useful.

The next door I pulled open resulted in a gunshot.

Thankfully I had the presence of mind to open it from the side.

"IF YOU'RE STILL STANDING OUT THERE FUCK OFF! GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE WE DON'T WANT NO MORE TROUBLE!"

The voice was calm but demanding.

"Counter offer-" I began, keeping my position as far back from the door as possible. "You drop that gun, let us come take a look, and nobody else has to get hurt,"

"We have kids down here you bastard!"

"Well then, I suggest you drop your gun!" I spat back, though I did swap the gun in my hand for a knife, less chance of doing something horrible with friendly fire. It all proved to not matter, after half a minute the door opened, and out came a woman of maybe fifty, hands up and face trying damned hard to hide the fear.

"Lead me back down," I demanded, immediately approaching, using the woman as a shield as we came down the rickety wooden steps.

She had been honest.

There was nobody down here but four more women and three more kids, four if I counted the baby. None were armed. Some of them scowled, especially the two young boys, the rest looked like startled animals trying their best to hold still.

More to the point, there was quite an impressive stock of supplies lining the walls. Dried meats and pickled veggies, a hand pump, large bags of what looked like some kind of grain.

"Okay you've looked around, just woman and kids, let's go," Press insisted, having appeared behind me as I eyed the group over.

"They'll come after you again you know?" I brought up.

"So what do you want to do, kill them? I ain't gonna let you do that," she warned, again irking me with the implication of her words. The unintentional insult to my character.

"Maybe take all their weapons?" I asked thinking out loud.

"That's as good as killing'em!" she informed me aggressively.

We stared at each other in silence for a good while, I didn't like the idea, but I couldn't come up with anything better.

"You still want to set up down by the museum right?"

"What does that… I mean, yeah?"

"Great. Kids are coming with us, the baby's mother too," I demanded, receiving a gasp from everyone else in the room. "We'll send them back in a few years, once we're sure they won't try anything. If they want," I continued. The plan left a foul taste in my mouth, but either of those boys looked old enough to hold a gun if they really wanted to, and any of the women could. I just knew that if we left them they'd be coming after us, more willing to fight now that half their family was dead.

"You seriously want to do that?" Press asked me.

"If we're staying anywhere near here there going to give us trouble again, I'd prefer they not be able to just throw a frag grenade through our fucking window. Besides, we could use the extra hands I'm sure, lotta work in setting up an outpost,"

She signed at that.

Then she looked up at the assembled crowd, the spiteful family we had no good solution for.

"Yeah, a lotta work,"

Thanks for reading, check Macko Bole on the kindle store.