Sherrie ‘Sharp-Shooter’'s Arc

Chapter 6 of 13

Sherrie left Echo Warehouse with the guards still posted at their stations. She'd promised Shield they would move to his hospital by morning, but the night belonged to her. The warehouse couldn't sit undefended without someone noticing, which meant she had hours, not days, to relocate what mattered most. The note arrived while she was loading the first truck. One of the traders brought it folded inside a requisition form, the handwriting careful and deliberate across torn paper. It read: Need to talk. Alone. Where the old merchants used to wait for convoy partners. The writing belonged to Gary. She recognized the way he pressed hard on certain letters, leaving grooves in the paper. He'd never asked to meet like this before. Sherrie drove to the spot an hour before dawn. The table sat under a faded umbrella at the edge of town where traders once gathered before heading north together. Gary was already there, his coat dusty from the road, bags heavy across his shoulders like he'd been traveling. He stood when she approached but didn't move closer. "The Ravens know about the vault," he said. "They've been asking questions about what you moved and who you're protecting. Someone's been watching Echo longer than three days." Sherrie didn't ask how he knew or who told him. Gary had built his scrapyard on information as much as salvage, and if he'd risked meeting her away from everyone else, the leak was worse than she'd thought. "Who else knows?" she asked. Gary shook his head. "Just me for now. But the Ravens aren't the only ones asking. Someone else wants to know what's in that vault bad enough to pay for answers." He set one of his bags on the table and opened it. Inside were supplies meant for Echo Warehouse, still marked with her organization's stamp. "Found these at a trader camp two days south. Your driver on the eastern route has been selling stock before it reaches you." Sherrie took the bag and checked the contents. Medical supplies, building materials, food stores. Everything the woman on the armored bus had warned her about. Gary had just confirmed her insider and told her the Ravens were closing in. She had what she came for, but now she owed him protection he hadn't asked for yet.