The Balance of Silence Read Online Free Page B

hopefully.”
    This time he got a shrug, or at least it looked like one. The movement was so faint that he couldn’t be sure, and he wondered briefly just how much the man understood. There was fear, but he hadn’t seen that marked blankness he usually associated with the mentally ill.

    www.samhainpublishing.com
    17

    S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore
    “Do you care if I stay here tonight?” He smiled, hoping he’d managed to make it reassuring. “It’s guaranteed to be more comfortable than curling up in the back of my hopper.”
    While he’d been talking, the piano guy had reached the pallet on the floor. Eyes not leaving Riv’s, he nodded slowly, then sank down, knees tucked under him.
    “Thanks. I wasn’t sure if I could contort myself into that seat another night. I think my spine’s permanently curved. Although I’m a little concerned about my cargo. This town’s a bit rough around the edges. Uh, no offense, though.” Although he doubted he’d have any disagreement. It wasn’t like the town was treating this guy particularly well. “You think anybody’s going to fuck with it?”
    His new friend’s nod was accompanied by what could almost be called a smile—slight, ghost-like even, but still a smile.
    “Great, I was afraid you were going to say that.” Riv found himself grinning in return. “Good thing I locked up tight before I left then. And I’m thinking that booby trap was probably a good idea.” He’d be awake for whatever attempt they made on it now, at least. Riv swallowed, grimacing at the taste. Too bad he didn’t have any ration bars with him, because once the nausea wore off, he was going to be hungry.
    Leaning back against the wall, he tried to make himself a little more comfortable without pulling the whole place down around their ears. He sighed, opened his mouth, and then closed it again. The conversation was definitely one-sided, but complete silence while the two of them were about a meter and a half apart just seemed uncomfortable.
    “Hey, you played something back there, something I knew.” Riv hummed a few bars. “Karibee’s anthem. How do you know it? You’re not…” He paused, looking closer. “You’re not Karibian, are you?”
    They tended to scatter. It certainly wouldn’t be unheard of to find a fellow countryman this far away from the homeworld.
    The mystery man shook his head, pointing a finger at Riv.
    “So that was just for my benefit, eh? Trying to distract me so your friend could slip me a mickey, or trying to get my attention so I wouldn’t drink it?” He waited for some other gesture, some attempt to carry on the conversation, but he might as well have been alone for all of the sudden disinterest being shown.
    Eyes downcast again, the man steadfastly ignored him, and Riv took the hint and shut up.
    Sometime later he found himself shaken lightly awake. Outside, the rain had nearly ceased, and he could hear at least two voices nearby, one of them raised in a curse. He shook the sleep from his mind, scrambling to his feet in the now-empty shack and heading towards his vehicle in a loping run. It was a good job that at least a part of the forest floor had been cleared here, because otherwise he would have been flat on his face instead of rounding on the bartender and the idiot who’d been foolish enough to try jimmying the lock. He was still shaking his hand, holding it at the wrist like he could keep the sting from traveling farther up his arm.
    18
    www.samhainpublishing.com

    The Balance of Silence
    “Did you see who it was?” he asked, managing to hide the amusement in his voice. “They warned me that there had been trouble in this area with people trying to break into aid supplies, but they thought the new alarm system might help.”
    “Your fucking hopper—”
    “What he means,” the barkeep said, interrupting hurriedly, “is that we only got here in time to chase them off. We didn’t see who it was. Omal here was trying to see if