The City had towering walls with torches just as tall lined across it every twenty feet. It was still early in the day, and the sun had only started to peek over the horizon. Pairs of guards were lined up across the gates themselves, and as Vera, Soliz and Minnie made their way closer they saw the queue of people waiting to get in.

There were three lines at three separate gates, with as many as fifty people eager to make their way inside. Most of them had little more than the clothes on their backs and the shoes on their feet, but some sat atop horses and a handful of pull carts dotted the line with wares they had brought to trade.

As they reached the front of the queue, the guards demanded they relinquish any guns they may have. Soliz had been here many times before, and knew the drill. She handed over hers and Minnie’s pistols, which were promptly tagged with an ID number, and Soliz was given a slip of paper with a corresponding number for them to pick their guns up when they left.

Vera had only the one rifle to hand over, and was pushed ahead of them through the line as it was quickly tagged. Soliz gave him a nod goodbye as he continued into the city streets alone. There was a large billboard just past the entrance that had the word ‘bath house’ hand painted in thick letters with an arrow pointing to the east. Vera didn’t need to read the sign to know where the bath house was, as he’d been there many times before.

The building itself was one of the few ones with active running water that had supplied each of the old hotel rooms people came to use the facilities in. Vera checked in at the front desk and was quickly shown to his own room to use. The suite itself had the front door removed as well as the furniture, but the bathroom inside was open to use. The attendant gave him a thirty minute time limit, and left him to his privacy.

Vera wasted no time in stripping his clothes and turning on the water in the shower. Unfortunately, the water was quite cold but it didn’t matter to any traveller who came to wash up. The city was one of the few places left in the world that offered such amenities, and Vera did not take it for granted. With the water running down his body, he stood under it until it shifted from a grey-ish brown to a more clear colour.

When he stepped out, he pulled one of the towels off the rack and threw it over his head to dry off his hair. Once everything else was dry, he reached for his dark pants on the ground and pulled them on. He saw the head of the attendant poke around the doorway to check on him, and once she saw he was getting dressed she disappeared again.

Vera pulled his boots on last, and he pulled a small note out of his duster coat pocket. Vera carefully smoothed out the folded lines with his thumb, and his eyes glanced over the words on the paper. The handwriting was neat and to the point, simply reading out:

Vera

Flint will be in the city bazaar for two days next week. Try to catch him and get your ass home.

Love, Javi

Vera carefully folded the note back up, tucked it deep into his pocket, and made his way to the bazaar.

***

The bazaar was always busy and crowded with at least a few hundred people during the day, and many make-shift wooden stalls were set up throughout to sell their wares. Relying on trade, many of these items were exchanged between the stall owners themselves. Several carts sold different varieties of warm and fresh food, while others sold textile supplies or gardening items.

The stall that Flint was browsing specialized in construction and metal materials, with rows of rebar and sheet metal mixed in with wooden beams of varying length and width. This half of the bazaar specialized in more gritty items, with a few stalls set up purely to trade weapons. The busiest stall in the market was the gunsmithy, where people clamoured to get their hands on just one bullet or working firearm.

Flint was a man that stood exactly six feet, but had the presence of seven. His dark curly hair hung into his eyes, blending with the thick beard along his strong jawline. He was a quiet man, with a near-constant look of fatigue under his grey eyes. As he shopped over the construction stall, his advisor prattled away into his ear.

The advisor was named Fox Astonne, and was half a foot shorter than Flint. Fox was quite young in comparison, but a handful of years older than he appeared with his youthful face. His dark hair was long enough to reach his chest, and he had eyes that seemed to sparkle with curiosity at all times. He had been informing his boss about a recent incident in the farmlands that their scout group had encountered, but Flint had seemed to be ignoring his every word.

When Vera arrived and locked eyes with Flint, he could immediately tell that Flint was quite sour about something. He leaned in as Flint picked out a rather strong looking piece of rebar and rolled it around in his palm.

“Things good?” Vera probed rather bluntly.

Flint continued to roll the bar around in his palm quietly, and Fox answered for him. “Some runner killed one of our guys and took off. Nearly killed another.”

“It happens.” Vera shrugged. “People are dangerous.”

Fox scoffed. “And if people know they can just kill us any time they want, then what does that make us?”

Vera did not respond, but instead watched Flint’s face trying to read any expression off of it he could, but Flint was not a man who showed his cards.

“It makes us weak.” Fox continued, turning his gaze out towards the crowded marketplace. “Especially when it’s those Hillcrest bitches doing the killing.”

“Hillcrest?” Vera raised his brow in confusion.

Flint finally looked up and met Vera’s gaze, with pure venom in his eyes. “LaFleur’s group. The traders.”

Fox perked up suddenly, and put a hand on Flint’s shoulder. “Ain’t that one of them?”

Across the bazaar, Soliz was shopping at the hot foods stall with Minnie clung to her hip. Fox had recognized her thick black head of curls, her sour resting face, and the fact that they had run into each other many times over trying to haggle trades from other sellers. Flint recognized her too, and his face fell dark as he gripped the rebar tightly in his palm and slowly began to cross the marketplace.

Vera followed his trajectory and saw who they’d set in their sights, and with the bar in Flint’s hand it didn’t take long for him to figure out what his plan was. Normally he’d let Flint do whatever he wanted to whoever, but in this instance…

“She has a kid with her.” Vera stepped out in front of him and put a hand on his chest to stop him.

Flint's hard eyes locked with his, and he didn’t need to say anything with his mouth to get his warning across. Vera could see that if he did not move out of the way, he’d be the one facing that metal rebar. He dropped his hand in frustration and was conflicted. He couldn’t get in the way, it would spell trouble for Javi back home, and he couldn’t not step in either.

He didn’t have much time to think about it, as Flint had already pushed past him and Soliz turned around to see him. She didn’t process it at first, but when he raised the rebar over his head to strike she threw her arm up to block it- and the metal hit the bone with a resounding crack.

The high-pitched shrieks that escaped Minnie’s throat as her mother’s arm snapped sent the entire bazaar into a frenzy. Vera tried to make his way to them to do something, but was constantly pushed back by others trying to get as far away as possible.

Flint swung again, this time hitting Soliz in the side of her abdomen, and she buckled to the ground. Minnie’s cries penetrated deep in Vera’s ears, and he rushed his way forward. Flint rose the bar again to make a final strike, and Vera unsheathed his hunting knife and pressed it to his neck from behind.

Flint froze in position as the cold serrated steel scratched at his neck ever so lightly.

“Drop it.” Vera ordered through gritted teeth.

Flint did not immediately reacti, but eventually opened his palm and the rebar fell to the ground, ringing against the pavement. Vera yanked Flint back by the collar of his jacket, and spun him around to face Fox on the other side. Vera pushed him away and stepped back, placing himself between the girls and Flint.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” Fox clicked his tongue at him. “Now why did you have to go and do that? Javi would be so... disappointed.”

Flint did not bother to look back at the scene he had caused, and instead returned to the stall he had gotten the rebar from. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a single bullet, and tossed it to the shopkeeper.

“For the trouble.” He said as he disappeared into the crowd, with Fox slinking along behind him.

Vera turned his attention to Soliz crumpled on the ground behind him, and Minnie cradling her mother’s head in her little hands. He put his knife back in his coat and crouched down beside them, and pushed Soliz’s hair out of her eyes that fluttered with a faint bit of life.

“We can’t stay here.” Vera informed Minnie as he pulled Soliz over his shoulder, and she followed quickly after him.

“Where are we going? Where are you taking her?” Minnie gripped his coat so as not to lose him and they wove through the crowd.

Vera stopped in his tracks as his eyes darted around the city streets. He racked his brain for an answer, but he decided against taking her directly to one of the local clinics- Flint might find them there.

Vera’s thoughts were interrupted when a tiny fist hit him in the hip, and he looked down to see Minnie’s angry tear-stained face.

“Hey!” She called up at him. “Where are you taking her!?”

Vera looked back up to one of the many painted signs along the street, and finally found one he could follow. It was a simple sign with no words at all, with only the motif of a diamond etched in a thick black paint and an arrow to follow.

“We’re going to get her help.” Vera answered the girl. “Hold on, and stay close.”