Guns and Ghouls

                                    

                                          
Polly laughed as she reached the front door of the weapon store.
She opened the door and two men of similar age looked up at her, one had a shaggy ginger beard and unkempt hair, Polly noticed his smile immediately and his twinkling blue eyes.
The other guy looked at her with some suspicion, unsurprisingly in the state she had arrived, she had enough sense to put her knife away before entering.
The friendly guy introduced himself lifting his arm in a brief wave. "Hey welcome friend, I'm Tee-jay, the grumpy dude next to me is Kellen."
Kellen just looked at her and began to cough.
Dooda came to her telling her to be wary of the people who coughed, the Coughers! Polly understood what her friend meant immediately.
"Hey Tee-jay, and other guy." Polly glanced at the angry looking guy with his swept back black hair and neck tattoo then completely blanked the ghoul that belonged in the graveyard she had just left, he felt off to her. "Yeah well it started to rain halfway here so here I am looking like a demented badger." She laughed and Tee-jay reciprocated.
"Kellen dude, you need to do something about that cough."
"No shit pal, it just came on suddenly this morning." He looked at Polly. "So what do you want?"
"Do either of you know what's going on outside?" Polly was surprised they weren't at least making some mention of the day's events.
"No, I own the place and I sleep in the back."
"You part own it with your dad bruh."
"Key word dude...'own'."
Kellen shook his head still coughing. "Shit man!"
"Just take the day off, I know you're not faking it."
"How do you know that?"
"I know because when you don't want to turn up for work you usually ring up and say things like 'fuck this shit for a day' or 'I can't be bothered to come in because I was partying with chicks all night'."
"Thanks for telling this stranger about my social life."
"No don't worry, I could tell you were an asshole before that." Polly gave Kellen a mock smile.
Kellen unsurprisingly in Polly's opinion didn't take kindly to this. "Fuck you bitch! If you were at one of my parties I'd throw you in the swimming pool, I only lay with the best chicas."
"Kellen this is not acceptable talk to customers."
"She isn't going to buy anything, look at her!"
"I'm sure you'll get gonorrhoea and go fertile before you can breed." Polly smirked.
"Goner what?"
Tee-jay laughed too. "Look seriously you should take off if you're not feeling good."
"I get you Tee, you want to land her right?"
"I'm a lesbian, gonorrhoea boy, it's people like you that let me know I made the right decision."
"I could pop a slug into your brain before you moved another step."
Polly looked at Tee-jay. "Your bro here is a real man huh?"
"Kellen I'm telling you to go, I don't need you here when you're acting like this."
"No one else will give me a job, I need my weed money man."
"You'll get paid for this morning."
Polly cut in. "You do know there's chaos happening outside don't you?"
Tee-jay shook his head. "No, I don't watch television or keep up with the news, too much negativity for me. I prefer getting out in the world when I can. Camping, hiking, sightseeing, you can't beat it, I'm a part time nomad. I'd love to be one full time."
"You look and smell like one, I can see you two getting along perfectly." Kellen kept glaring at Polly, she was thinking very seriously about planting her knife into him.
He continued to cough then flipped the counter, shoulder barging Polly out of his way.
"A sorry would be nice."
"Why do you have blood all over your hands, your clothes and on your face?"
The blood on Polly's face was minute although licking the blade earlier had left some particles of it stuck to her lips.
"I told you it's chaos out there, strange shit is happening."
"Tee I'm going, I'll see you tomorrow if she hasn't killed you by then."
"What's happened out there?" Tee-jay asked Polly.
"People are dying, shit is happening, I'm not lying!"
"Yeah by the look of it you're the one killing them. I mean shit bitch, is that blood over your bag? Let me take a look at this." He grabbed for her backpack but she was able to push him away. "Look at her, who the fuck walks around with a cactus in their breast pocket? Incredible small breasts I'll add, no wonder you're a dyke, not enough there for any man."
"Fuck you or I'll strangle you you little creep!"
"Fuck this, for real man call the cops on her or you'll probably get stabbed." Kellen who had been coughing between his infantile insults felt something sharp enter the back of his eye, Dooda had heard enough from him and launched a needle his way.
"Fuck! My eye!" He raged punching out at a random table, he left pointing his fingers at Polly in the sign of a gun and feigned pulling a trigger on her before leaving, a mixture of tears and blood caking his left eye socket.
"Polly you need to tell me what's going on because I'm completely lost here, you want a coffee? You look like you need one."
"Oh yeah definitely, please. And the blood, well I was attacked and defended myself, my knife is in my bag, you can have it if you want." Polly didn't really want to give it to him but was extending an opportunity of trust his way.
"Polly I shoot guns all the time, I know about the importance of defending yourself. Just sit down I'll get us a coffee."
"Things are happening out there, it's not safe."
Polly went to the door and changed the sign to closed then fell back in fright as a woman stared into the window right back at her screaming, half her scalp was missing, Polly fell to the ground.
The woman looked back, insanity on her face then turned and ran.
"What the hell?" Tee-jay pointed at the window. "What happened to her face?!"
"I keep telling you it's dangerous out there!"
Tee-jay helped Polly up then locked the door. "Come in the back with me, it's safe, but you have to tell me what's going on."
"If I don't look crazy to you now I'll sure as hell sound it five minutes from now."