Stone - By Hook or by Crook

S ometimes Molly found herself wondering what it was about her that always seemed to land her hip deep in trouble. Most people would never know what it was like to have their future turn on the fall of the cards. They didnt get shot at, pushed from airships or tracked by bounty hunters. Some people lived their whole, long lives without once seeing a flesh-eater except for in the papers. But then those people had never been forced to scavenge through Reaper-infested territory just to make a living.

There was that.

She hadnt exactly picked this life by choice. It had picked her.

Flynn hopped from the airship to land lightly on his feet and turned to extend his hand, as if he were a gentleman at a ball inviting her to dance. The dry wind ruffled his dark hair, and his eyes glittered with excitement.

The man was enjoying himself. Of course he was.

She accepted his hand so as not to hurt his feelings, but let go as soon as her boots hit the ground. Flynn locked the hatchwouldnt do to come back and find out a Reaper had decided to make a den of the shipand she looked around at the barren spot where theyd landed.

Shed fallen asleep somewhere over New Providence, so she wasnt sure how far into Reaper territory they actually were, but this was nowhere shed ever been. The land was flat and covered with prairie grass. To the west, mountains ripped into the horizon like spiked teeth. A sluggish brown river curved around behind the ship. And straight ahead, directly in their path, was a sorry, forgotten little town painted orange by the dying sun.

There were no Reapers about that she could see, but it was that weird time of day when shadows stretched long and deep. There were too many shadows. Too many places to hide.

She frowned. You said we were making a quick stop at your bank to make a withdrawal.

Flynn turned from the hatch and drew his pistol. Thats what were doing.

Here?

Here.

The place was a dump even by ghost town standards. Most of the buildings were roofless and the walls were beginning to crumble. The wide main street was covered with grass and weeds. Wildflowers sprouted up here and there like flowers on a grave.

Twenty years. About twenty years gone.

They must be a hundred miles into Reaper territory, further than shed ever dared to go looking for scavenge.

Youre telling me this is where you keep your money?

Flynn shrugged, and his collar slipped, exposing the tip of the crows wing inked on his neck. The money is safer here than if it was sitting in the Federation vault on Eyrion.

You have a funny definition of the word safe.

Well be in and out, twenty minutes tops. Itll be easy. Flashing her a devilish grin, he started off toward the town.

With a sigh, she followed. I break out in hives whenever you say somethings going to be easy.

The back of her neck was starting to itch already.

Flynn moved gracefully over the broken ground, avoiding a rusted plow and the shattered remains of a wagon. His back was straight and his pace unhurried. He held his pistol loosely in his hand. He looked like he was out for a stroll on the paved streets of a sky city, but she wasnt fooled. She saw the tension in the set of his shoulders, the attentive sweep of his gaze from one building to the next, the way he ignored her. Flynn never ignored her. He was as nervous about this stop as she was.

It was unusual for Flynn to take risks over money. Hed turned outlaw to piss off his stepfather, not because hed been born to this way of life. He was like a prince whod escaped from the castle to see how the peasants lived. Money had never been about survival for him.

They passed into the shadow cast by the church. The building blocked the breeze, and the world went suddenly quiet. This hadnt been a large town. She saw the remains of a stable and inn. There were several shops and about a dozen houses.

How far? she asked.

Flynn pointed with his gun to a large building in the center of town. A bank. She might have laughed under other circumstances. As it was, she was too spooked to do more than nod.

She wasnt a coward. She scavenged towns like this all the time. She knew the look, sound and smell of them. This one felt off.

From the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of movement in a busted-out window. She stopped short, her blood turning cold.

Flynn.

He turned, and she lifted her hand. There. Something in the general store.

They both stared at the old building. The awning was broken. One of the support beams had collapsed onto the walk. The door was ajar. The empty black windows stared silently back.

Theres nothing there, Flynn said. We keep moving.

She grabbed his arm. I saw something move.

It could have been a bird, a sun shadow, anything.

It wasnt a bird.

Can you say for sure it was a Reaper?

She pressed her lips together. What else could it be? Were not too far in yet. We can still make it back to the ship before it can reach us.

He hesitated a moment, but then shook his head. If theres only one, we can handle it.

Her mouth fell open. He didnt look like hed lost his ever-loving mind. If there is a Reaper, we dont know its alone, and gunfire will only draw more.

Flesh-eaters had keen senses. They were feral but canny hunters. The one across the street was surely already aware of their presence. Itd probably just been lying in wait for them to pass by.

Flynns jaw firmed. We go around, then. We can get in through the back.

Its not worth the risk.

We need the money, Mol. We have to repair the ship, buy new clothes and

Finery? Thats what were doing here. Risking our lives so we can dress up to impress a bunch of rich folk?

Finery will open the doors we need open.

I have my lock picks, she said. Theyll open any door I want to get through.

Not any door. He pulled his arm free. You go back to the ship. Ill meet you there in a few minutes.

And he was gone, down along the back of what had once been a saloon, the grass rustling softly with his passage. Molly closed her eyes, gripped her gun and cursed him soundly before following right behind. Because she was a stupid, lovesick fool, and no matter that Flynn was capable of handling most things, he still needed someone to watch his back.

She caught up to him when he paused at the corner of the saloon. He barely glanced at her before nodding and taking off at a run along the back of the crumbling structure. The street had been clearer, even overgrown as it was. The town had been picked over a long time ago. Whoever had done it had left items scattered about in the back. Rusted-out pots and broken furniture. A childs doll stared up at the empty sky. Its cloth body had long since rotted away, but its porcelain face was eerily well preserved. Rosebud mouth. Cornflower blue eyes.

Molly repressed a shudder and jogged a few steps behind Flynn, keeping her ears and eyes peeled for any sign of movement. The windows above gaped black and open. Most of the doors were hanging loose, rotting away from their hinges.

Flynn paused outside the bank. The paint had long since peeled off the place. The bars on the windows and door were still intact, but the glass was all broken out and the frames sagged like they couldnt support the weight of the iron. There was a swinging sign above the door with faded writing.