gripped Stephen’s arm tightly with one hand. “Stephen, you’re not wealthy or prestigious anymore. Now, you’re just another living human being. You’re a part of this town. This fort. I wish to God you two would settle down and just adapt. Look, I get that you used to be spoiled rotten, but those days are gone. All of us need to carry our own damn weight and help everyone out here in this fort. Do you get that? Do you understand that? We can’t afford to be selfish anymore.”
Wrenching his arm away, Stephen looked unsure of what to say next. He rubbed his arm, his eyes cast downward.
“The old world is gone. This is the new world. You gotta adapt. Be a part of us. Settle down. Learn some useful skills. Chip in. Make some friends, Stephen.”
“You know, everyone keeps talking about the old world being gone. But it’s really not. It’s just waiting for us to push back the dead then everything will go back to the way it was. I will rise to the top again. I will take care of my wife. You’ll go back to being a foreman of a construction site, working for me, not strutting around acting like you’re the mayor.”
Stephen’s voice was angry, but defensive. “All these people you want us to be friends with will go back to their pathetic lives. You think everyone is equal, but people with power, like me, have that power because we worked hard to gain it and we deserve it.”
“Stephen, you got your money cause your great-grandpa was smart enough to take advantage of the railroad when it came through these parts way back in the day. He worked his ass off to be a success and bring commerce to this area. He put this town on the map. He built this hotel. He brought jobs into this town and he made it happen. Hell, this town is named after your great-grandma. I’ve been in that little museum down the hall that shows him working side by side with the townspeople. So maybe you should follow his example and join us in making this fort a success. Let that be your legacy.”
“You don’t get it, Travis. You think I’m just a spoiled, rich man who never did anything to earn my keep. Well, I have. I have worked damn hard. And I love my wife. I want her to be happy and she is not happy. She wants our supplies back and our Hummer. She wants an armed escort and some people to come along to work the estate. I think she deserves those things. Being here is hard on her. And being a good, decent husband, I plan to do what she needs to make her safe and happy.”
Stephen was close to being enraged.
Travis shook his head, frustrated at not being able to get through to the man. “You go out there and it will be just you and her unless someone is dumb enough to fall for your ruse.”
“I am not a man to be trifled with, Travis.” Stephen stared at Travis for a long, piercing second, then turned and stomped off without another word. Travis raised his hand to rub his very tired eyes. When he lowered his hand, Bill was staring at him. “What’s up?”
“He isn’t an easy man, Travis. You can’t make him be what he doesn’t want to be.”
“You heard that, huh?”
Bill nodded, his hands resting on his belt. It was cinched tighter than in the past and his once round face was now more oval, with a hint of jowls.
“They ain’t never been easy people. Stephen is the younger brother who wasn’t supposed to inherit his Daddy’s mantle, but his older brother managed to get his ass killed doing some fool stunt in a race car. He’s always trying to prove himself, and his wife ain’t much better. She’s from the trailer park and got lucky becoming a beauty queen. Stephen has been smitten with her since the day he saw her. He has poured tons of money into making her sister’s political career work. They don’t wanna be here, Travis, because this is what they wanted to avoid all their lives. Being common folk.”
Travis inclined his head, acknowledging this was probably true. “Do you want to give them a bunch of
Wrenching his arm away, Stephen looked unsure of what to say next. He rubbed his arm, his eyes cast downward.
“The old world is gone. This is the new world. You gotta adapt. Be a part of us. Settle down. Learn some useful skills. Chip in. Make some friends, Stephen.”
“You know, everyone keeps talking about the old world being gone. But it’s really not. It’s just waiting for us to push back the dead then everything will go back to the way it was. I will rise to the top again. I will take care of my wife. You’ll go back to being a foreman of a construction site, working for me, not strutting around acting like you’re the mayor.”
Stephen’s voice was angry, but defensive. “All these people you want us to be friends with will go back to their pathetic lives. You think everyone is equal, but people with power, like me, have that power because we worked hard to gain it and we deserve it.”
“Stephen, you got your money cause your great-grandpa was smart enough to take advantage of the railroad when it came through these parts way back in the day. He worked his ass off to be a success and bring commerce to this area. He put this town on the map. He built this hotel. He brought jobs into this town and he made it happen. Hell, this town is named after your great-grandma. I’ve been in that little museum down the hall that shows him working side by side with the townspeople. So maybe you should follow his example and join us in making this fort a success. Let that be your legacy.”
“You don’t get it, Travis. You think I’m just a spoiled, rich man who never did anything to earn my keep. Well, I have. I have worked damn hard. And I love my wife. I want her to be happy and she is not happy. She wants our supplies back and our Hummer. She wants an armed escort and some people to come along to work the estate. I think she deserves those things. Being here is hard on her. And being a good, decent husband, I plan to do what she needs to make her safe and happy.”
Stephen was close to being enraged.
Travis shook his head, frustrated at not being able to get through to the man. “You go out there and it will be just you and her unless someone is dumb enough to fall for your ruse.”
“I am not a man to be trifled with, Travis.” Stephen stared at Travis for a long, piercing second, then turned and stomped off without another word. Travis raised his hand to rub his very tired eyes. When he lowered his hand, Bill was staring at him. “What’s up?”
“He isn’t an easy man, Travis. You can’t make him be what he doesn’t want to be.”
“You heard that, huh?”
Bill nodded, his hands resting on his belt. It was cinched tighter than in the past and his once round face was now more oval, with a hint of jowls.
“They ain’t never been easy people. Stephen is the younger brother who wasn’t supposed to inherit his Daddy’s mantle, but his older brother managed to get his ass killed doing some fool stunt in a race car. He’s always trying to prove himself, and his wife ain’t much better. She’s from the trailer park and got lucky becoming a beauty queen. Stephen has been smitten with her since the day he saw her. He has poured tons of money into making her sister’s political career work. They don’t wanna be here, Travis, because this is what they wanted to avoid all their lives. Being common folk.”
Travis inclined his head, acknowledging this was probably true. “Do you want to give them a bunch of
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