The night showed the reflections of countless bullet shells in the sky that was overhead. Or, for people that aren?t gun-slinging zombie hunters, stars were visible for all to see. He sat plopped up on the roof of some apartment building with a small plastic shell-like container that strapped in a very small but finely dressed Emarie. She wore a tiny pastel yellow sundress with small navy blue floral patterns along its side. And along with that, yellow booties that had a blue linear stitching of cotton around the ankles. He drank out of a green bottle of beer as he stared at the sky. He sat on his elbows, while a propped up knee pushed that plastic shell-like carrying case back and forth in a gentle rocking pattern as the baby inside slept soundly.
He smoked no cigarettes in the presence of the little lady. That just wasn?t negotiable. And he made sure to pay extra money for a single beer from some sh*t kicking refreshments stand instead of the cheaper six pack available at any kwik mart. Only one beer, himself, the shiny bullet shells in the sky, and
Emarie. It was proving to be a fine night for the hunter.
Some of the finest he?s had since he left his broken home of Earth.
It was broken, and breaking still because of those walkers. Not a day goes by that he doesn?t think about the life he had lived before this place. In the here and the now, he was living the cr?me de la cr?me in luxury.
He had his eye on some new place this standup guy named Lucky showed him the other night, and was fixing to buy in his rent. It was a nice idea, to have a male roommate. He couldn?t stay at Cuyler?s much longer. He wasn?t the brightest crayon, but he could tell when his welcome was reaching its expiration date. The random casual boot-knocking was going to be sorely missed. But boy, was that woman talented. And why not, she?s been around more than her fair share.
And he was getting just too spoiled with that little girl of hers, too. The little heart breaker named Emarie.
He could hardly stand how much he loved that little snoozing miniature Cuyler next to him. ?Youwah one quiet date tuhnight, Emarie. I like dhat in a woman.? Of course, the baby said nothing in return, nor opened her eyes.
But that didn?t mean that Hank stopped looking. He was smiling down at her, loving how the dress looked even with the lack of a sun to bring the fabric justice.
?Don?t I know it. The second you configuyah somedhin?, anydhin? in that pretty noggin, you wouldn?t be sittin? heyah nextuh me of yah free will.? Nevermind that she was technically strapped into that little chair prohibiting any jailbreaks.
?I like it here. It don?t like me much. Ah but what gives?? He nursed more of his beer and kept nudging the small pod of a carrier with his knee gently, with a mastered speed that was so slow and tender to keep that little infant asleep.
?I didn?t expect muh job back at all, Emarie. Not after what I did.? He was chuckling like the miscreant that was proud of his handiwork. Sure, it didn?t end as he had planned, but it sure felt nice before an leg hurled its way to his head and it was lights out. ?Just dhe othuh noight she told her woman that I was her ?Best Employee?.? His fingers curled and bent to curled again along with the syllables.
?It didn?t make me feel good, Emarie. It shoulda, but it didn?t.? He scratched that stomach that was carved out of wood, solid and defined in its sculpture of constant maintenance, weightlifting, and work on the streets as Gigi?s personal foot soldier. ?I mean, she?s got that hot numbuh Emlyn on the payroll. The brainy doctor chick that could make more money naked dhen she ever could savin? lives.? Typical cruddy testosterone math hard at work. ?And what about Chuck? He does his job better than I do. Wit his mouth shut most of dhe time.?
Hank looked up at the shiny little dots in the sky that were messy. They were all over the place. ?Lucky stiff?s gettin? a foine gal like Emlyn as his wife. Well done, I say.? But that didn?t sound sincere at all.
Then again, what about Hank ?does- sound sincere? ?But even so, I guess I woik the hahdest. You?d oogle me liftin some artillery around Emarie. Just wait.? He laughed at that. And his head shook. ?Nah, Cuyler?d cut muh pecker off if I evuh tawk to yuh like I is right now. Good dhing she?s paintin? the town red. She keeps tellin? me I gotta meet a frienda hers named.. uh..? He thought and thought, tapping his temple with a demanding index finger as he got to figuring. ?Chas? Chastity? Yeah, sumdhin? like dhat.?
?Think you?d get jealous when I move away?? He peered down at her fondly, his voice even sounding different. It was softer, and with a different baritone than his callous potty-mouth New York pipes he had behind his jaws. ?People?s got too much shit goin? on. For me, it?s supah easy. Eat, Sleep, Smoke, Drink, Work, repeat. You know? And you?ll probably be havin? all sorts of stuff goin? on very soon. Enjoy it while it lasts, kid, sleepin? without a care in the world. I don?t know how to live without ?em, in muh old age.?
What was this? Confession booths in the form of baby carriers? This little girl along with the occasional couch buddy Charlie were the only real ears he had that would listen. And that Audrey keeps misnaming his checks, making it a pain in the behind to cash. It was almost routine at the bank. The tellers would share the name?s comedy with each other, but scramble to work when they saw the look on his face.
And the lovely array of steel jewelry he?d have on him.
?I think you?ll do alright, Emarie. And if any boys yuh run into even looks or acts like me, I?ll rip their lungs out and shove in their asses. You hear me? No badboy boyfriends. Ain?t nothin? but trouble. They just want somethin? from ya. They don?t nevuh see you.? Speaking from first hand experience, that no-good jailbird.
?I?ll see to it that you?re okay. Yeah, I bettuh get in line since Emlyn?s got you covuhed as far as anything medical?s concoined.? He smiled at her, and was truly relieved at that. Medical care was so important for that little girl.
?I ain?t said dhis to a woman othuh dhen muh muddah, Emarie. But I?ll say it because you?ve oined it.?
Hank stopped rocking her, and the baby still stayed sound asleep.
?I love yuh, squirt.?
He smoked no cigarettes in the presence of the little lady. That just wasn?t negotiable. And he made sure to pay extra money for a single beer from some sh*t kicking refreshments stand instead of the cheaper six pack available at any kwik mart. Only one beer, himself, the shiny bullet shells in the sky, and
Emarie. It was proving to be a fine night for the hunter.
Some of the finest he?s had since he left his broken home of Earth.
It was broken, and breaking still because of those walkers. Not a day goes by that he doesn?t think about the life he had lived before this place. In the here and the now, he was living the cr?me de la cr?me in luxury.
He had his eye on some new place this standup guy named Lucky showed him the other night, and was fixing to buy in his rent. It was a nice idea, to have a male roommate. He couldn?t stay at Cuyler?s much longer. He wasn?t the brightest crayon, but he could tell when his welcome was reaching its expiration date. The random casual boot-knocking was going to be sorely missed. But boy, was that woman talented. And why not, she?s been around more than her fair share.
And he was getting just too spoiled with that little girl of hers, too. The little heart breaker named Emarie.
He could hardly stand how much he loved that little snoozing miniature Cuyler next to him. ?Youwah one quiet date tuhnight, Emarie. I like dhat in a woman.? Of course, the baby said nothing in return, nor opened her eyes.
But that didn?t mean that Hank stopped looking. He was smiling down at her, loving how the dress looked even with the lack of a sun to bring the fabric justice.
?Don?t I know it. The second you configuyah somedhin?, anydhin? in that pretty noggin, you wouldn?t be sittin? heyah nextuh me of yah free will.? Nevermind that she was technically strapped into that little chair prohibiting any jailbreaks.
?I like it here. It don?t like me much. Ah but what gives?? He nursed more of his beer and kept nudging the small pod of a carrier with his knee gently, with a mastered speed that was so slow and tender to keep that little infant asleep.
?I didn?t expect muh job back at all, Emarie. Not after what I did.? He was chuckling like the miscreant that was proud of his handiwork. Sure, it didn?t end as he had planned, but it sure felt nice before an leg hurled its way to his head and it was lights out. ?Just dhe othuh noight she told her woman that I was her ?Best Employee?.? His fingers curled and bent to curled again along with the syllables.
?It didn?t make me feel good, Emarie. It shoulda, but it didn?t.? He scratched that stomach that was carved out of wood, solid and defined in its sculpture of constant maintenance, weightlifting, and work on the streets as Gigi?s personal foot soldier. ?I mean, she?s got that hot numbuh Emlyn on the payroll. The brainy doctor chick that could make more money naked dhen she ever could savin? lives.? Typical cruddy testosterone math hard at work. ?And what about Chuck? He does his job better than I do. Wit his mouth shut most of dhe time.?
Hank looked up at the shiny little dots in the sky that were messy. They were all over the place. ?Lucky stiff?s gettin? a foine gal like Emlyn as his wife. Well done, I say.? But that didn?t sound sincere at all.
Then again, what about Hank ?does- sound sincere? ?But even so, I guess I woik the hahdest. You?d oogle me liftin some artillery around Emarie. Just wait.? He laughed at that. And his head shook. ?Nah, Cuyler?d cut muh pecker off if I evuh tawk to yuh like I is right now. Good dhing she?s paintin? the town red. She keeps tellin? me I gotta meet a frienda hers named.. uh..? He thought and thought, tapping his temple with a demanding index finger as he got to figuring. ?Chas? Chastity? Yeah, sumdhin? like dhat.?
?Think you?d get jealous when I move away?? He peered down at her fondly, his voice even sounding different. It was softer, and with a different baritone than his callous potty-mouth New York pipes he had behind his jaws. ?People?s got too much shit goin? on. For me, it?s supah easy. Eat, Sleep, Smoke, Drink, Work, repeat. You know? And you?ll probably be havin? all sorts of stuff goin? on very soon. Enjoy it while it lasts, kid, sleepin? without a care in the world. I don?t know how to live without ?em, in muh old age.?
What was this? Confession booths in the form of baby carriers? This little girl along with the occasional couch buddy Charlie were the only real ears he had that would listen. And that Audrey keeps misnaming his checks, making it a pain in the behind to cash. It was almost routine at the bank. The tellers would share the name?s comedy with each other, but scramble to work when they saw the look on his face.
And the lovely array of steel jewelry he?d have on him.
?I think you?ll do alright, Emarie. And if any boys yuh run into even looks or acts like me, I?ll rip their lungs out and shove in their asses. You hear me? No badboy boyfriends. Ain?t nothin? but trouble. They just want somethin? from ya. They don?t nevuh see you.? Speaking from first hand experience, that no-good jailbird.
?I?ll see to it that you?re okay. Yeah, I bettuh get in line since Emlyn?s got you covuhed as far as anything medical?s concoined.? He smiled at her, and was truly relieved at that. Medical care was so important for that little girl.
?I ain?t said dhis to a woman othuh dhen muh muddah, Emarie. But I?ll say it because you?ve oined it.?
Hank stopped rocking her, and the baby still stayed sound asleep.
?I love yuh, squirt.?