Knives & Levels - Chapter 88

After the meeting with Nick ended, Colt made an excuse and left. Though he had been the one to give him a chance to pay back the debt he owed to the city, it didn’t mean he felt like talking to the guy any more than necessary. Nate seemed fine to take responsibility for that particular action, and Julia would tag along and help…

Whether or not that meant he was in a cell up until they spotted the dungeon and went in it, or Nick was going to be loose in the city and trusted not to run off, well, Colt would let it be what it was. Instead, he wandered the night, making his way back to the surface and trailing through the city.

After the confrontation with Nick, it felt best to just get out and let his body move.

It was improving now. With access to the Faction Menu, they had been spending all the accumulated points on general building resources and food, especially food, now that scavenging had become more dangerous. 

It was getting late. And with the darkness and lack of people, Colt felt a relief. Not getting the usual looks that he’d grown accustomed to on the street.

A man was plucking a guitar on a ‘porch’ as he walked by—the noise a welcome comfort. A sign of healing in the city of Nashville and a representation of the city it had been before.

Colt stopped, looking at the old man running his hands over the piece of wooden beauty. The man had a cigarette in his mouth, and he flicked it as he saw Colt staring.

“Late to be walking home, no?” he asked, his voice raspy as he plucked another tune, switching the mood to a more ambient sort of vibe than the previous almost southern swing it had been before. Colt hesitated and then shrugged, moving in to stand before the guy. Sure, why not chat? After all that he’d dealt with today, ending it with a conversation and some music seemed as good as any.

“I’ve had a long day,” Colt said, taking the invitation of conversation as permission to sit himself next to the old guy. There was another strum, and the man let out a hum and a nod.

“You’re the one who killed Denny, right?”

Of course.

That was why everyone gave him the looks constantly, rumors about him ran around town, and given the magnitude of what he’d done, Colt had no choice but to accept it for what it was. There were fears in their eyes, respect, and caution. As if he were a dangerous animal on the prowl on the street.

It left him on the edge, stopping him from relaxing the way he could’ve back before the world ended.

Colt moved to get up and leave. It’d been a long day, and he wasn’t keen on adding this to the list of issues he’d be dealing with today.

“Hey, now. Hold’n. I am not saying it’s a bad thing; sit down. I’ll play you tunes, might be we can talk a little. You got that kind of look to you; considering you’re wandering around on the street at this hour, I reckon you want to chat to someone about your problems. Hell, aint every day you gotta go around putting a bullet in the head of a dictator.”

“It was a knife, not a bullet,” Colt said, still wavering.

The old guy flashed him a grin and stopped playing, patting the porch next to him. Hesitant but still wanting to bask in the atmosphere of live music again, Colt sat down.

The strumming started immediately, and then the old guy let there be silence for a long while. The sound of the music was doing all of the icebreaking for him as Colt settled in; there was a faint mist in the air, even now. The way that it ran through the streets, like wisps of ghosts trailing through the city, was a threat in itself. It was ever-present, and it would be only increasing, he knew. And the reaction of the people to it now that they knew it brought monster…

He just hoped they could end it before the fear and paranoia grew worse. 

Where it came from, and what kind of bosses would be in the dungeon that brought it… That part gave Colt a chill in his heart, knowing that he’d have to face down whatever was the cause to protect these people.

A group of people that some he knew didn’t even like him. Condemning him for taking down Denny—even with the evidence still pouring outward, the old governor had a base of supporters who hadn’t let up and simply rolled over to the new changes… But unfortunately, there was a finality with what he’d done. Whether or not they could accept Denny being gone was inconsequential to the fact that he couldn’t return now, which left Colt as a target for his ire.

Nate, Julia, and Sarah—they didn’t receive as much of the focus. For the people of Nashville, he’d become something of a symbol of change.

Naturally, people hated change.

“Guy was a scumbag,” the old man said, with a grin as the melody picked up, “Now I aint saying that going around ‘knifing’ folks is the right way, but I aint saying it aint either. When the throat gets someone in your town and is gonna lead you into wars, you aint got no chance of surviving because they wanna be king… Well, in a world like this, there aint no law and order, no real right way to go about things. So, I am not saying what you did was wrong, either. Especially since you’re trying to protect us.”

Colt raised an eyebrow.

“I’m trying to protect you?” Colt asked, unsure where he got that from.

“Our local hero. Like ya walked outta those comic books. Rumors about you taking on that monster at the wall spread. People like to talk here. Now, you might feel like a lotta us hate you, but keep in mind… A lot more don’t mind a man not trying to run this place to the ground for his own profit. A lotta folk see you trying your best and are cheering ya on. So keep at it.”

Colt didn’t know what to say to that but felt a certain lightness in his heart as the melody continued, feeling relief.

The judgment of others wasn’t what weighed him down. It was the question of whether or not what he was doing was right. Lost in his own mind, the ideas and way he wielded his power could so easily go wrong without care taken in his actions.

The confirmation here helped alleviate that a little bit.

He let the soft power of the music carry him into the night, occasionally taking breaks to talk to the old man about life in the town to get a feel for what he thought of New Nashville and what the rest of the folks thought about him and their group.

Somewhere else tonight, he knew that his friends would be dealing with a far more awkward situation then a friendly chat with an old man playing a guitar.

###

Nate folded his arms as he watched Nick sort together his bed; the man was sharing a room in his apartment. Julia sat near him on a table, watching Nick assemble his things and make the place his own. The guy hadn’t spoken much since he’d been saved down below.

Sarah had argued that he be thrown back into a jail cell until they went and did the dungeon, and Nate had managed to talk her out of such harsh action. If they were going to work together, the first step on the road was to treat him with decency and respect. Otherwise, they could never foster a relationship that would work inside the dungeon and would need all their firm attention to make it through.

He just hoped that by then, he could talk Sarah into a more agreeable position than she was now or that, too, would be too much trouble to deal with.

“He’s awfully quiet,” Julia said, even though Nick could hear them plainly.

“His life has changed a lot, and he was in a cell for a week without knowing what would happen to him. I imagine a lot of thoughts go through your head when you’re like that. When you’re trapped in a situation without any way out and find yourself saved… It has a way of changing your perspective.” Nate replied, mindful to keep his tone a bit quieter.

Nick hesitated as he moved but didn’t glance over. Setting his sheets on his bed. Julia was going to stay over, too. The two of them are playing ‘unofficial guards.’

Trust, yes, but also with a due bit of diligence. Though privately, Nate thought there wasn’t any fight left in this man to go and betray them again. There was a hollowness to his gaze and a sluggishness to his movements that spoke of shellshock and guilt.

Nate decided to keep Colt out of it. Something had shifted in the man since he started slinging around his golden blade, and god knew he needed a breath. After a few more days of keeping to himself and recovery, Colt would be able to take on more roles. By then, they would probably have located the dungeon and relied on him for his strength. That was fine, Nate had figured out what kind of a soldier that man was.

“Hey, Nicky,” Julia said, waving at him.

Nick grunted at her, pulling a pillowcase over a pillow.

“Don’t have to go all silent act now. We all know you fucked up, and that’s out there. But you heard us, this is a chance to make things better. We’ll need to know how to talk to one another again if we’re going to live through what’s to come. So you better get talking.” Julia prodded and stood up, refusing to let him roll over her and ignore what she was saying.

Nate watched on, letting this pass without a comment. She was right, and if someone was going to break the ice, he could think of no more fitting candidate than her. After all, she’d joined their group pretty much at the same time as Nick.

“I aint have nothing to offer you a lot, and I’ll take my chance to survive with pride.” Nick finally spoke, his voice hard and with remorse, like he was on the border of his voice breaking. 

“Come off it. Only Sarah wanted you to die, and that’s because she doesn’t forgive easily and is protective. You messed up, and in your little begging for your life, I noticed there was a lack of a certain couple of words that should be there when you fuck up as royally bad as you did.”

Nick stopped trying to put his case together, turning to Julia with a frown.

“I told you I know I don’t deserve this.”

“Stop being pathetic, and that’s not the words I’m asking for. If people are forgiving you, then you should generally say ‘sorry,’ too. Or do you not feel sorry? If that’s the case…” Julia let it hang, staring at him hard.

“Sorry,” Nick said, trying to placate her.

Nate watched impassively from the sidelines, focused on his body language. This right here would determine how much he knew to watch this man. There was always the chance of deserting, and Nate meant it when he said he wanted as much reinforcement as possible to get into their next challenge. Nick could be a good soldier. Not the same type as Colt, but another good man on the battlefield to have in your corner.

“Say it by meaning it, and less by hating yourself, and maybe I’ll believe you. In fact, say it to yourself in the mirror every day until you can mean it when you say it to me and the rest of us. Then show us you mean it just as much. And if you don’t, if you don’t think you got even that much in you, then you should leave. Sneak out in the night and don’t bother turning back.” Julia focused on the man, not letting him shrink away underneath her might.

It was kind of shocking to see her facing down a much bigger guy than herself with the attitude a drill sergeant might take… But she was a lot more adaptable now that she’d figured out things were life and death.

“Sorry,” Nick repeated again, lowering his head. Getting words out of him would be tough for a time. Not unexpected.

Julia sighed.

“Listen, man, we’re going to be living together for a bit. You need to quit with this self-hating stuff, or it’s going to drive me crazy. There are no secrets here about what happened, but you don’t have to act like we’re about to blow up on you. For what it’s worth, I’ll accept your apology and forgive you. I recommend you offer it to everyone else… After a little practice.” She gave him a light tap on the shoulder, then walked back over the Nate with her eyebrow raised.

“Well done,” Nate said quietly, this time too low for Nick to hear.

This would be a thing of progress, to be sure. But somewhere in there, he hoped, they could dig out the old light archer who they’d brought into dungeons with them before.

All they had to do was bring it back to the surface.