Barry ‘Bardog’'s Arc

Chapter 11 of 13

Barry watched Sherrie's armored truck pull into the lot the next morning. The steel panels caught sunlight as it rolled to a stop near the door. Sherrie climbed out and walked to the back, dropping the gate with a heavy clang. She pulled out two crates and carried them inside without saying anything. Barry looked at the bottles lined up in rows—pre-war labels he hadn't seen in years. Sherrie set them on the bar and said this was what turning in the driver had earned him. One month's worth, delivered now instead of later. Barry ran his hand over the glass and felt the weight of what she'd brought. Then Sherrie pulled out the map again and spread it flat on the counter. She tapped the northern route where it crossed through Raven territory and told him what she wanted in return. Barry asked how she expected him to move the Ravens without starting a war in his own lot. Sherrie leaned against the bar and said he didn't have to fight them. He just needed to give them a reason to leave on their own. She told him the Ravens were digging something at the old train station, something they didn't want anyone to see. If Barry could figure out what it was and make it public, the Ravens would pull back to protect it. Barry looked at the map and traced the route with his finger. He asked what happened if the Ravens came after him instead. Sherrie straightened up and said that was why she was offering the trucks—so his bar would be worth defending. She said the choice was his, but if he wanted traders stopping here instead of bypassing Rust Creek, he needed to clear the threat one block over. Barry folded the map and put it under the bar next to the shotgun. He told Sherrie he'd do it, but not her way. He said he'd talk to the Ravens first and see if they'd take a deal before he exposed anything. Sherrie shook her head and said talking wouldn't work, but Barry cut her off. He said if she wanted him to handle it, she had to let him do it his way. Sherrie stared at him for a long moment, then nodded once and walked out. Barry heard the truck engine turn over and watched it pull away through the window. He looked at the bottles on the bar and knew he'd just committed to something that would either make his business work or burn it down. Either way, he couldn't stay neutral anymore.