“Isn’t it a little early?” I asked, watching Zeke roll a joint.

  “Never too early for a wake and bake,” he replied, licking the paper and sealing it. “Figure we chill after a busy night, you know?”

  “Fair,” I sighed.

  “Wanna call Joy?” Zeke said.

  “Nah, let her sleep.”

  She’d decided to stay at Hooks’ place after the raids. Fair enough, I wouldn’t want to deal with me all the time either; I just didn’t get a choice. Well, that was fine, I’d clean her carbine myself. Joy was the reason only a single person died last night, a massive success considering how things could have gone without her. Would have, because I wouldn’t hesitate.

  That was...well, that was just how things were now. Play stupid games, win a couple hundred grains of lead. I couldn’t let that be more complicated because I’d go fucking insane, more than normal anyway. At least my team didn’t seem to bothered, that or they were hiding things well enough that I didn’t really care.

  Now what were we going to do next? There were still a bunch of places to hit, though I knew we needed to let things cool off for a day or two at least. That was fine, my team probably needed a break after how hectic last night was. Just because I could keep going didn’t mean we should.

  Of course we couldn’t wait too long, there were still Nazis controlling nearly a quarter of the city. I was confident we could wipe them out, but it was going to take time and resources. Today though, we should tally our loot and make plans to go out again. I explained as much to Zeke and got a sigh in return, but he at least put the finished blunt down.

  “Sorry dude,” I said as we headed into the living room and gathered the guns and cash we’d taken. “Just figure we should work first, you know?”

  “Nah it’s cool,” Zeke replied, dumping rolls of cash from a plastic bag onto the table. “Won’t take too long to get this done, then it’s a stoned day.”

  “Amen.”

  Despite my...experience last time, it wasn’t like I disliked weed. It made me feel good, chilled out when I was usually on edge and keyed up for a fight. Besides, it wasn’t the drugs that had caused my...issues, at least not according to the two people I knew who used them. Hopefully this morning would just be a slow, relaxed time.

  “Man they just got shit for guns, huh?” I said as I grabbed one of the pistols we’d captured. I shook it in front of Zeke, making the slide jiggle. “Like fuck sake.”

  “That thing looks older than Papa,” Zeke said with a snort as he began counting up the money. “Guess they don’t have a rich boss giving them the good shit.”

  “Or their boss is busy spending on drugs and shit,” I said, taking the gun apart. I should call Salomon’s, see if they wanted these things. Then again maybe it was a better idea to keep a little armoury… “Still wish I knew where they got these carbines. Hadn’t even heard of an MC51 before they delivered them to us.”

  “Ben Fen know what they were?” Zeke asked.

  “Ben Fen?” I snorted. “Not bad. No, he didn’t. Said the markings were British, but that’s about it. Suggested it might be a commando weapon, considering the size and caliber, which means those guys they sent after us were their top dogs.”

  “And you smoked ‘em like nothing,” he said.

  “We were lucky,” I countered. “Not something we can rely on really. Just means we have to be the ones kicking doors and making our own luck.”

  “Hell yeah.”

  I hummed quietly to myself as I took apart and reassembled the pistols we’d taken. A couple Glocks in poor condition, some revolvers, and the absolute garbage guns with the name ‘Hi-Point’ on them. Yeah no way Salomon’s would want them, they seemed to offer quality products. Oh well, I didn’t mind keeping some extras on hand, though I might mind if I had to use them…

  “One sec,” I said as my phone rang from my bag. I got up and retrieved it, leaning against the wall and flipping the handset open. “Yeah?”

  “T, grass,” Tattletale said.

  “You know my number, you know my voice, and you have a power that can tell you it’s me,” I said, rolling my eyes. She didn’t reply and I sighed. “Fine, R weed, whatever.” Zeke snorted.

  “You little pothead,” she said snidely.

  “Tattletale, what do you want?” I said sharply.

  “My cut,” she replied. “Don’t think I missed your operation, you made the morning news after all.”

  “Fine, fine,” I sighed. “When and where?”

  “Before you go getting high on me,” Tattletale said. “Come to the cafe, soon as you’re able. I don’t have a lot of time, thanks to you.”

  “Right,” I said, not wanting to turn this into a fight. Seemed a bad way to start the day. “See you then.” I snapped my phone shut and returned to the couch, leaning over the back. “How much we make?”

  “Ten Gs,” Zeke said glumly. “Damn, was hoping for a bit more with three places.”

  “It’s fine, plenty more to go for,” I said, patting his shoulder. “Take a grand and lets go, I need a ride.”

  “Huh? What about waking and baking?” he asked.

  “Do it when we get back,” I said, retrieving my pistol and holster. I put them on my belt and threw on my jacket, concealing them. “Come on.”

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “Man we need a union,” he groaned, rising from the couch.

  “Stay here,” I told Zeke as he parked outside the café. “You got your MAC?”

  “Down by my seat,” he confirmed. “You gonna be good going in there alone?”

  “Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Got my pistol. Besides, if she wanted to ambush us, she’d do it here and now.”

  “I guess,” he sighed. “You’re crazy, know that?”

  “You have no idea,” I muttered, getting out of the car and bracing myself against the cold wind.

  The lot was empty, besides our car. Fog was rolling in off the bay, making for an eerie early morning. My hackles were up as I went inside the empty café, eyes roaming even though I knew there was exactly one person inside. She waved to me from her usual table, and I walked over, taking a seat and placing the thousand dollars I was carrying on the table.

  “At least you’re punctual,” Lisa said coldly. She had heavy bags under her bloodshot eyes.

  “You don’t have to stay up late when we’re working,” I said dryly, fighting the urge to grin.

  “Oh how I wish that were the case,” she retorted, snatching the money and clicking her tongue. “Barely even worth it.”

  “You didn’t lift a finger,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Not like I’m making any money, buying ammo, gas, and giving my team the rest.”

  “Spare me the martyrdom,” she snipped. “I thought I told you to not burn and pillage.”

  “You said you cared,” I said. “I just didn’t.”

  “Got to learn to take a hint,” Lisa growled, massaging her temple. I saw twitching movement behind her ear and narrowed my eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, stupid as you pretend to be I know you can interpret things how I mean them.” My eyes widened as a fat black widow crawled over her ear, staring at me.

  “Uh,” I stammered and swallowed. She wasn’t reacting...fuck sake. “Yeah, sorry, I’ll do better.”

  “And what’s with the body?” she demanded as the widow crept over her forehead, trailing a shimmering line of silk behind it. “I thought you were trying to be a hero. Not very heroic, something like that.”

  “He shot me,” I said, hating how weak my voice sounded. The spider’s eyes were locked with mine as it continued circling her face, spinning its web. “I shot back. Nothing more simple.”

  “Except, without suspects, now the PRT is looking at me,” Lisa snapped. “And I’m not exactly keen on giving you up because you’re useful, but if you keep doing this shit you won’t be worth the trouble.”

  “It’s fine,” I croaked, throat dry. The widow was sitting right over her lips, just below the center of its web, red hourglass glistening and ticking the hours of my life away. “Look was that all? I...I should be going.”

  “Got to go off and get high right?” she muttered, rolling her eyes. The widow bared its fangs and I started, making my chair squeak on the linoleum. Lisa’s frown deepened and she studied me like the spider, making sweat prick at my back. “What are you seeing?”

  “I don’t—” I swallowed hard. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m just looking at a smug bitch.”

  “Lia, don’t be pretend like I’m as dumb as you,” she chided. “Told you to lay off the weed didn’t I?”

  “I didn’t smoke any,” I snapped, rising from my seat. “Look if you don’t have anything else I’m done and going home.” The spider seemed to be amused at that.

  “Fine, go lay down,” Lisa said, lowering her voice. “Next time at least warn me before you go on a rampage, okay?”

  “Okay…” I nodded as the spider glared. “You uh, watch out for spiders.”

  I left with that, cheeks practically on fire. What the fuck had possessed me to say that?! It had been days since I smoked, no way I was high right now. Did that mean Joy and Zeke were right? That the weed wasn’t making me see things? But if that was the case…

  “Drive,” I barked as I got into the car, slamming the door.

  “Shit, it go that ba—”

  “Zeke, drive.”

  Fortunately he did, but no matter how far we got away from Tattletale I knew that spider was still watching me.

  “Go easy girl,” Zeke drawled as I coughed my lungs out. “Ain’t a race.” I flipped him off as I passed the joint back.

  “Rather not be sober,” I muttered, shutting my eyes and rubbing my temple. “God, fuck this tastes like shit.”

  “Yeah, it’s pretty stanky,” he said, taking a puff and coughing it out into the cold air. “Damn. Anyway, how’d that meeting go? You seemed pretty shook up.”

  “Just…” I sighed and scratched my stubbly hair that hadn’t been soaked in blood a few days ago, not for real. “It didn’t feel good, I guess.”

  “Bad vibes,” he said, nodding as he passed the blunt to me. “Yeah I mean, last time we met up we got shot at.”

  “I guess that was it,” I said, not wanting to get into the actual cause. Would he even get it? “Anyway, now I just...kind of want to go back to bed.”

  “Nah that’s a waste of a high,” Zeke replied, shaking his head. “Look I got a bunch of movies that are banging when you’re stoned. How ‘bout I make some popcorn and we chill watching Harold and Kumar or some shit?”

  “Sure, I’ll call Joy, make it a team thing,” I said.

  “Hell yeah.”

  After we finished the joint, I headed in and grabbed my phone, flipping it open and dialing Joy’s number. My good one had been in my pocket the day Miss Stanford…the day I was shot up. Unfortunately, my projection didn’t count it as part of my body, so now I was down to my work phone or nothing. It was fine, if a little low-tech.

  Joy agreed to get on the next bus, and in the mean time Zeke rolled up another joint for us to smoke. I was already dazed, but I didn’t want to be conscious, so I was down for more. I laid down on the couch and shut my eyes while we waited, letting Zeke pick out whatever for us to watch. Before long, Joy had arrived and we went out to smoke again.

  With any luck, I could forget this shitty morning.

  “Damn, can’t believe she didn’t see that coming,” Zeke commented.

  “She’s psychic, not magic,” Joy said as her arm squeezed my shoulders, making me hum. “All good Lia?”

  “Yeahhh,” I groaned, giggling as the protagonist ducked another axe swing.

  We’d graduated from stoner movies that made us laugh, to horror movies that Zeke promised were dumb fun, and delivered. Visions on the screen was about a girl who, well, had visions. But when she paid attention to the stuff she saw, it manifested and could actually hurt her. It started with small things but had morphed into a full on pursuit with an axe murderer.

  “I hope mine aren’t like that,” I mumbled, eyelids drooping.

  “They’re not,” Joy reassured me, fingers digging into my scalp. Not hard enough to make me bleed, hopefully. “Don’t worry.”

  “‘kay.” She was a nurse, she probably knew better.

  “What you talking about?” Zeke asked.

  “Seeing things,” I said. “Like in the movie but real.”

  “What like on acid?” I shook my head at the question, making Joy shift.

  “Nooo no drugs,” I sighed. “Just things.”

  “Huh.” There was a beat of silence as the vision was vanquished by the dull-ass love interest...somehow. “Like what?”

  “Spidersss,” I drawled. “Crawling on Tattletale.”

  “You were seeing things when you were with Tattletale?” Joy asked, voice wavering.

  “Mhmm,” I nodded against her shoulder.

  “Did you...did you have anything before?”

  “Mm-mm.” I shook my head.

  “Did you eat or drink anything she gave you?”

  “No,” I snorted, opening my eyes and looking up at her. “I’m not stupid...well, not that stupid.”

  “Okay.” Joy chewed her lip. She had nice lips, soft looking. “And you’re okay?”

  “Mhmm, not seeing anything right now.” I smiled. “Except you.”

  “Gay!” Zeke exclaimed, getting a laugh out of us.

  I settled in and enjoyed the rest of the evening with my team watching shitty movies and seeing things that were almost certainly there.