Grim looks at the 4 armed newcomer and thinks, Hmmmm... four arms... That's a lot of guns, and says, "I appreciate your enthusiasm friend, but I rekon we may have some business to deal with. Name's Grim, and I aim to collect a bounty on these two pieces of shit and every other Skull that was involved in the raids on Deliverence, a farming town about a week's walk away."
Grim considers shaking hands with the four armed fellow, but then notices the semen dripping from each palm and things better of it.
Shank lifts his voice so that everyone, hoping that even the fellow with the cd headphones can here.
"Here's the deal. It's 100 bottle caps a head, and this here fellow tells me there are about 20 heads. " Grim pulls back the hammer on his revolver, "That's right isn't it Shank, it was about 20 of you skulls that were involved in that raid, not just Reed and Clovis."
"ya ya, about 40 of us.... Look maybe we can make a deal..."
Shank stutters.
"Now, we don't know why they were raiding Deliverence, but now Shank here tells me that its Mutants coming this way. Mutants in large numbers, based on those two sorry bastards that came in before. Now maybe them Muties are just wandering around. Maybe they're coming for something else though. Maybe's they got a purpose, if you get my meanin'"
He pauses, hoping the new comer understands.
"I figure in the long term, we got to either stop them mutants or at least figure what they come after. Maybe they figure its a vault, maybe they're looking for more pure strains, or maybe they come looking for hardware. Whatever, they're comin, and I figure they planned to kick ass on whatever that stands between us and them. That includes Deliverence, so we got to tell them folks too, so maybe they can plan a defense strong enough that the Mutants figure it better to avoid the town."
Grim takes a sip of his beer. He's not used to long speeches.
"In the short term, I figure there's alot of Skuls. Maybe some of them are drunk, maybe some them ain't. But I figure they probably heard the commotion, and probably curious. That they made a deal with the mutants and there are two dead Muties in the door way, mean's that both Skuls and Muties's ain't welcome in this bar. Maybe we here ain't welcome either."
"But then 40 skulls means 40 heads, 40 heads is enough bounty to go around. Let's be fair. We all in business, and we deal in lead. I'd say we're open for business, should you all want to partner up."
"Either way, I figure them skulls are going to surround us pretty soon and start shootin up this place, regardless if we are friends or foes."
Grim turns to Trent, "If you've got a grievance with this fellow, that's between you and him. But I reckon them Skuls run with the same crowd as Papa Smurf. Maybe he's got more info we can use. If you think you can get it from him by using his arms as toothpicks, by all means, help yourself."
Shank stutters again. "I don't know what them Muties are after. I swear.... I only know that they made a deal with the Skuls."
"WHy's that?"
Shank looks at Trent, and his fear makes him speak. "Skuls raiding parties, maybe draw out the defenders, make it easier for us to crush 'em. Take out light targets, going North, Muties follow, north somethin the Muties want. Maybe its' an energy source, like a reactor, maybe its a gun or somethin."
"I hope you can do better than that Shank?" Says Grim.
"No, no, I swear, that's all.... The Skuls, I don't think even the Boss knows tha truth...." Grim stutters, "Please man, don't let that four armed freak fuck with me."
"Shank, I reckon you outlived your purpose." Grim says, lifting the pistol away. "My friend, " he says to Trent, "Time for you to get your payback."
Shank turns his attention to the bodies of Reed and Clovis, taking the shotgun and slugs from Reed, and a couple of stim packs from Clovis. He draws a bag from his pack and puts Reeds head inside. He thinks about the chopping off Clovis's head but outside he hears the voices of a crowd gathering outside.
From outside he hears-
"What the hell is going on 'round here."
"Some mother fuckers killed them mutants" says another.
"Ya, I heard the shot guns go and a pistol too."says a third.
"I thought I heard Reed scream, and I heard a pistol go off."
"Reed and Clovis, probably Shank in there too. You think they dead?" Says a fourth.
"Maybe, But fuck me, I ain't going in there. First person through them doors going to get dusted. Fuck that!"
"I say we burn this fuck'n place. They water them drinks anyhow."
"Ya's lets light it up, make a big bon fire. Maybe someone's got marshmellows, we can sing Kum bay Ya and other songs too."
The bartender is places two rounds in the smoking barrels of his shotgun. The bartender swears, "Shit, and I just got the still workin again." He starts to remove floor boards near the walls, revealing a place where one could kneel down for cover. Then he removes blocks of wood to reveal fire holes. The redhaired waitress removes a pistol and chambers a round before removing a rifle from behind the bar.
Grim reloads his pistol with the new cartridges and places the new pistol in his pocket. He checks the rounds in the shotgun and his hunting rifle. To the rest of the room he says, "Anybody interested in getting down to business?"
Outside they can hear one of the raiders say, "Hey, light up this hear molotov cocktail. AIn't nothin better to watch a bitch burn."
