It’s Not Easy Making Money In the Apocalypse - It’s Not Easy Making Money In the Apocalypse – V5 - Chapter 15

“Hey, little one, scram!” One of the guards escorting me snapped.

I looked over my shoulder to see that Misty was still following me. After the merchant paid up, the crowd started to disperse. The guard who had allowed my transaction with the merchant to remain honest still held the bag with his earnings in it, watching me worriedly as I was led. From the looks of it, the big wigs were getting involved. It was anyone’s guess what he was thinking at that moment. Everyone in the crowd was left behind except for Misty, who had followed quietly until they started approaching the end of the merchant district.

“Ah… she’s with me.” I declared, giving her a wink.

The guard shook his head. “Even if that’s so, the councilmen has asked for you alone.”

His words seemed to cause Misty to worry even more. I gave her a slight shake of my head.

“Head back to your house. I’ll see you later.”

Misty didn’t say anything in response, but she continued to look worriedly. As the guards continued, she didn’t take any more steps and was left behind. There was a high fence separating the next area from the merchant area. Although the fence wasn’t particularly high, at the top of the fence was some barbed wire that appeared to be electrified. There was an entrance with a guard outpost. The only thing blocking the path was a large boom barrier that looked designed to block a tank, not a pedestrian.

There was also an automatic turret trained on the area, so I didn’t make any sudden movements as I waited for the guard to speak to his compatriot. After they were done, the gate was raised and we were allowed to continue. Upon passing the fencing, my mouth did fall open slightly. The sudden jump in quality was a bit jarring. While the merchant section was nicer than the lower district, and that was a lot better than the squalor district, they all still had a rundown feel to them. It was clear that it was an apocalyptic area built in the ruins of a former neighborhood.

This was the first time since coming to this world that I stepped into an area that reminded me of home. There was an entire street with large mansion-sized homes. The homes were painted and maintained, and there was even green grass in the yard. It took me only a few moments to realize the grass was artificial. There were signs specifically saying not to walk in the grass, perhaps to prevent it from wearing down. Each home had its fenced-off area. Those areas and most of those warning signs were next to turrets. That didn’t even mention the barbed wire above the fencing or the guards stationed every few houses.

Perhaps, saying it was like my home was an exaggeration. If I had lived under a militaristic authoritarian regime, I could imagine things looking this way. Although I wanted to look around, the guards moved me forward quickly. They had all seen this sight a dozen times before, and I probably looked like some kind of yokel gawking at the place. I recovered pretty quickly though. After all, I came from another world, and such a place was a dime a dozen where I came from. This was only upper middle class where I came from. I quickly focused on following the group and not stepping out of line to risk triggering one of those turrets. The leader gave a slight nod of approval as he watched me act logically and rationally.

The road went on for about a block and ended with a cul-de-sac. At the very end of the circle was the largest of all the houses. This wasn’t originally the size of the house, but it had had extensions made, parasitizing the houses on either side of it so that it ended up being larger than everywhere else.

“The councilmen’s house,” I whispered as I saw the place.

“You’re correct. This is where he runs the Twin Elms.” The guard spoke up. “It’s best if you treat him respectfully. Being banished from Twin Elms is a death sentence for any entrepreneur in Argos. I’ve seen entire merchant caravans collapse at a single displeased word of the councilman.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I nodded, feeling a bit intimidated now.

The only other man in charge of a community I had spoken to was the Rink’s mayor. He was a far more practical man who understood his position and situation. He didn’t have nearly this much security, guards, or fanfare. The guard nodded, stopping at the front door and standing to the side.

“You may go in.” He declared, showing that he and his escort had no intention of following me.

“Thanks.” I gave him a polite nod and then continued.

The door slammed behind me, leaving me seemingly alone in this mansion. Its majestic appearance started to take on a creepy vibe now that I was alone.  It was hard to say what it was. Perhaps it was the low lighting. Maybe it was the walls that seemed to be covered in the remains of dead creatures. Actually, it was probably that.

The room I had entered was the main foyer. There was a large staircase that split into two and went to the sides and a large and elaborate chandelier overhead. However, the thing that caught my eye the most was that it was filled with skeletons, pelts, and taxidermized creatures. It might not have been unnerving had they been the typical variety of bears, birds, and elk. However, these creatures were all mutant in nature. I recognized the skeletal remains of a murder dragon. There was a neer rat queen as well. Some looked nearly human, and I was guessing they were feral mutants. I might not have cared at one point, but after meeting Zara and realizing many mutants were just as human as the humans, it felt almost like looking at human remains.

Most of the other creatures in this menagerie I couldn’t even recognize. There was a three-headed creature that looked like a dog, and the head of some beast with more teeth than a skull. Rather than making me feel the desire to explore, they made me feel right in my decision to stop adventuring in this world immediately.

“You like them?” I heard a voice behind me, causing me to nearly jump.

I had been staring around intently and hadn’t realized someone had entered behind me. I turned around to see a man standing there. He was wearing odd attire. He was wearing a button-up shirt, a tie, and a tweed jacket. He had an ivy hat on his head and a long rifle slung on his back. He looked like some kind of British fox hunter.  His eyebrows were dark and brooding, and his smile looked a bit creepy. He instantly put my hackles up, and I knew that he wasn’t the kind of guy I wanted to mess with.

“Yes, they are incredible.” I declared. “They’re your hunts?”

He grinned. “That they are. I find it difficult to go a week without killing something.”

The way he said that set off alarms, but there was nothing I could do about it. I put on a friendly smile.

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never gone on a hunt before.”

“That’s a shame.” He started moving as he pulled his rifle from his back. “You should try it sometime.”

I tensed for a moment, but he walked away from me and to a large cabinet. Using a key he pulled from his shirt, he unlocked it and put his gun up. He reached down and pulled something else from the cabinet. It was a bottle of alcohol. He poured two glasses before locking up the cabinet. It was only at that point that I started to relax. He walked into another room that appeared to be a living room. I followed behind him, still glancing around the room uneasily. It had just as many strange mutants killed as the previous room. Without saying a word, he put the two glasses on the coffee table and then sat in a seat.

The seats were facing each other, and to the side was a large fireplace. Over the fireplace sat the skull of some massive horned beast. It looked almost like a dinosaur, except somehow more terrifying. He watched me, and I could only walk over and sit on the couch directly across from him. Each reached out slowly and took his glass, but his eyes were on me. I uneasily reached out and took the second glass, bringing it up to my mouth.

“Cheers,” I said.

I took a sip, using all of my power not to choke on the burning liquor. The strange man only took a sip after I did, his eyes on me the entire time. Only when I tilted back and drank the entire thing did he finally stop watching me. I put the glass down with a click, doing my best to keep my face from twitching.

“Hillshire, 1978…” he sighed. “It’s getting harder and harder to find good brandy.”

“You need brandy?” My eyebrow twitched as I felt an unexpected opportunity.

A small smile formed on his lips. “You’re not saying you could acquire some, are you?”

I returned the smile. “That depends on the cost.”

Perhaps this negotiation wasn’t going to go so bad after all.