>>5409404A classic rock song that you can’t quite place crackles through the old radio built into the truck’s dashboard as the air conditioning buffets your face and chest. Stealing a glance at your driver, you find Talbot deftly navigating the post-apocalyptic traffic with relative ease, but despite circumstances he wears a hard look on his face.
S-so, you begin, that was… that was a lot!
“Yea…” he mutters as he glances your way for a second, “Who the heck orders a <span class="mu-i">salad</span> on a date?”
Pssh, you snicker, <span class="mu-i">RIGHT!?</span> And when Sybil pulled out those plans-
“And she did ‘em on a friggin’ <span class="mu-i">placemat</span> too! HAH!” Laughs Talbot as he nearly bumps the fender of the car in front of you! “Man…”
The levity disappears as quickly as it arrived. Falling into uncomfortable silence again, you look up at Talbot’s stony face with concern in your eyes. Is… is he cool?
“... Yea…” replies your bodyguard in a preoccupied voice, “I just…”
Talbot pauses to take a left turn down a coastal road. Despite the hordes of construction workers all around you doing their thing, beachgoers flit left and right like ants at a picnic, and as you watch the sun slowly make its way towards the horizon, the image is dispelled by your friend uncomfortably clearing his throat.
“I thought we’d be <span class="mu-i">done</span>, y’know? With all the bad shit.”
Yea, you reply, feeling your innards uncoil after hearing the words ‘<span class="mu-i">we’d be done</span>’. Feels like all you did was piss people off…
“Well to be fair we <span class="mu-i">REALLY</span> pissed ‘em off!” Replies Talbot as a faint smile forms on his face!
You know what? You kinda did!
“Not to mention we, err, I mean, all of us became friends, right?”
Looking at the redhead with a reassuring smile, you give him a nod for good measure. Yea, you grin, you sure did…
“And look where it got ya.”
The familiar voice sends a spike through your heart that nearly jolts you out of your seat! Whirling to face its owner, you feel your brain go into freefall as you find yourself staring at a familiar man clad in <span class="mu-g">GOOD BOY COVERALLS</span> wearing <span class="mu-g">RED HEADPHONES</span> over his blonde hair!
<span class="mu-r">BORIS!</span>
“Whoops, am I interrupting something?”
>CONTD. 