The sun was rising timidly when I finally decided to leave my post. I removed all of the shells from my gun and placed them back on the box, then took a few sips from a bottle of water. Got my backpack ready, got my flashlight, and walked down the hill.

People on the camp were pretty early risers, so it was much safer once the sun was up. You could see some of the families already leaving their sheds to cook breakfast on the outside, as usual.

They all had to get out despite the cold weather. There had been at least six houses that were burned down by attempts at making coffee in the bedrooms. My friend Henrietta had a silly rule of thumb, something like “between walls, there are no waffles”.

Needless to say, I don’t hang out with her very much.

I walked through a long array of sheds until arriving at my own. It was basically the same as everyone else’s, but there was this old welcome mat outside the front door. I always thought it was unnecessary, but since dad became kind of the “leader” of the camp, he wanted to shift into a more approachable persona.

That wasn’t a very easy task, since dad could be very intimidating sometimes. Fisically, I mean. He was over six feet tal, and built like a wardrobe. Also, he wouldn’t be caught dead with a razor blade, so he had this bushy, grey-ish beard that scared away any passersby, some wild animals and, basically, everyone else that didn’t know he was actually a sweetheart.

I pushed the front door open and saw dad putting on his jean jacket and double-checking his holster. I dropped my bag on the floor and hanged my gun on the wall.

“Morning, Pa.”

“Morning, Laura,” he said with a smile, and more than a little drowsy.

“Why are you up so early?”

“There’s this meeting at City Hall today. They’re gonna decide whether the old gas station is a historical landmark, and if should be fixed up.”

“Really? A gas station? How historical could it be?”

“That mayor, I’ll tell ya,” he grinded his teeth a little. “Half of the town has had nothing but beans and tap water for the last month, and he wants to give some charity to the richest guy in town.”

“And you are bringing a .45 to City Hall? Are you sure that’s a smart move?”

“Oh, I’m not actually going. I’m just gonna stand outside lookin’ like a derranged sunnavabitch. I’ll try to put the fear of God on them on the way in.”

We both laughed for a second while he struggled to find the keys to the truck.

“No, Tom is the one going to the meeting. He is a much better public speaker than I am.”

“I see.”

“So, how was the monster hunt?”

“Worthless. Saw absolutely nothing out there.”

“That’s for the better, I suppose. Wouldn’t wanna see you fighting for your life all alone up there.”

“You know that’s not gonna happen, Pa. Those things know when to not show up.”

“Just make sure to get some sleep now, alright? You’ve done good, honey.”

“It’s no big thing. Really.”

He hugged me and left the shed with a literal wink and a nod, like some sort of cool cowboy impersonator. I smiled and walked towards my bed. Well, it was more like two single mattresses stacked on top of each other. It wasn’t ideal, but hell, it was pretty darn confortable after a whole night leaning against a rock. I just fell down without taking any of my clothes off, and in about thirty seconds’ worth of time, I dreamt of nothing.