The corridors inside the makeshift town were crammed with people. It was hard to concentrate on just one person. As I followed Dan and his brothers through the first floor I wondered how it was possible for all these people to live here. There can't possibly be that much room in this abandoned hospital.

"Mind your pockets." Dan shouted over the commotion without looking back. "A lot of the folks here have wandersome hands. Especially the little ones." I suddenly had an urge to look downward. I met eyes with a little girl who suddenly disappeared in the crowd. I patted myself to notice that my lighter was missing. Damn.

"Why is it so crowded?" I asked while paying close attention to those around me.

"Beats me. Doesn't matter much, so long as they don't cause any real trouble."

"But considering the recent attacks wouldn't you want to keep track of everybody?"

"It's been like this long before the attacks. Ever since the days of my father, founder and lifelong mayor, Dan Senior. I have more important concerns, Mister, so stop pestering me with inane questions." He stopped before a hole in the wall that exposed a crowded stairwell. "This is where we part. You should find most everything you need down here on the first floor. Enjoy your stay."

"What about my gun?"

"It'll be waiting for you when you leave." Dan nodded my way and then made his way up the stairs. His large brothers obediently followed.

I walked about the first floor of the crowded building looking for something that interested me. This area seemed to be a strip mall of sorts, each room a venue for different odds and ends. One store sold different kinds of "fresh" meat. Another man boasted having the best painkiller in the tri-floor area. One woman just sold bones of different kinds. Apparently she did very well because she had just put up a sign stating 'SOLD OUT.' I wondered what useful applications bones had when I came upon a gun store. Finally, I can trade up.

When I entered three dogs surrounded me sniffing and pawing me. When I looked up I noticed a very attractive woman behind a desk wiping a shotgun with a rag. She looked up and smiled charmingly, "Welcome! Take a look around. See anything you like, give me a holler. All prices are negotiable."

"Thank you." I couldn't help smiling at the lady. She had this appeal that made you want to be a gentleman. I slowly circled the shop looking at all the toys. They were organized neatly into type and condition. It was like a thrift shop for guns. A somewhat rusted 10mm caught my eye but an M1 carbine nearby is what I grabbed. "How much for this?"

"That? Hmm, how does fifty caps sound?"

"Fifty? Wow, that's a deal! I'll take it." I walked over to her and placed fifty bottle caps on the desk. "You must be doing pretty well to be offering deals like that."

"Eh, just offering some menial protection for people out in the Wastes." She collected the caps in a drawer and grabbed the rifle from my hand. "Now, I have to give this to the checkout guy. You can get it from him when you leave. The guy next door sells ammo. Just tell him what you need."

"Thanks for the help."

"No problem. Have a good one." I left the gun store excited to test my new toy once I left. I planned on spending the rest of my caps on bullets since I wouldn't really need anything else. However, fate had other things in mind.

Directly across the gun store was what used to be two rooms but most of the walls have been torn down. A curtain was drawn to cover the hole and whatever activities were going on behind them. I could hear music and inebriated banter behind the fabric. I went to investigate.

As I suspected, a bar was conveniently placed in my path. I approached the make shift counter and nodded to the bartender. He nodded back and asked what I wanted to drink. I said, "A lot of whiskey."