American Apocalypse IV - Heartland Chapter 6f

We drove along in silence for about five minutes. I looked back to check on the dogs a couple times. I was worried they might decide to do something stupid like leap out or piss on the tailgate. They seemed to be enjoying themselves though. All of them but the mutt had their heads hanging over the side and were vacuuming up road scent with their noses and grinning.  The mutt was curled up in the middle of the bed and taking a nap. Life was good for them it looked like.

Thursday noticed me checking on them but didn't say anything. Instead he turned on his radio and lowered the volume quickly. He had it on stun and I was glad he had turned it down. I didn't recognize the song or the language. Hell, I was surprised he was picking anything up at all since he had what looked like the original radio that had come with the truck.

I asked him "What station is that?"

"Oh...Radio Norse." He replied like it was no big deal. It probably wasn't. Where I came from we had, at least before things went so wrong,  radio stations that played music from Asia, India, and south of the border.

"Yeah? I know someone who would probably understand that." I told him casually. I was being crafty. I knew he would ask "Who's that?" Then I would tell him and gauge his reaction to her name.  That would tell me more about him. I was right. He asked "Who's that?"

"Her name is Freya."

He didn't even blink. Instead he said "Hmmm....that's nice."

I was rather disappointed by his reaction. We were going to have to start doing more advertising if one our goals was to become known as a blood thirsty Horde. I was going to pursue my questioning a bit more with him. See what I could find out about the locals and the Colonel. How he felt about it, and where he stood, when he changed the subject on me.

"Why you going into town?" He asked me.

I decided to tell him. If he didn't like it I could always shoot him when we stopped I figured."

I could tell by how he furrowed his brow, he was thinking about it. "Okay. I like it. A warrior and a quest for a lost child as a favor to a beautiful woman." He started slowing down. I looked over at him and said "What are you doing?"  I felt pretty calm. I wasn't sensing anything strange and the dogs were still grinning in back.

"A couple reasons. We're going to be hitting a road block in about ten minutes. We get through that then we are in town." He pulled off the side off the road and backed into what had been, or was someones driveway. Once done with that he continued "Not that I am adverse to just going into a town and kicking ass and hammering heads. I know you aren't." He grinned at me. I just stared back at him. I was half a mind to just get out and walk as it was.  He looked at me. Held up his hands and said "You're right. Lets just play it by ear." He pulled back on to the road and started grinning. I was still a little bit irritated. I wasn't sure why and I didn't remember asking him to come along.  So I asked him "What the hell is so funny?'

"Nothing." He looked over at me and saw the expression on my face. He added "I feel good. Been a while since I've done this."

"Done what?" I was still pissed but the joy I saw in his face was hard to deny.

"Road with warriors to battle."

I was beginning to think Thursday has slipped a gear during the long winter. Nothing wrong with that. A lot of people had. I told him "Ah...Thursday, I am the only warrior here."

He looked at me. No laugh or grin this time. Instead I heard "We shall see...yes we will." For a second I saw another Thursday staring out of his eyes. Probably a much younger one. I didn't get a chance for a retort. The roadblock was coming up.