Chapter Twelve
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NAZAB FELT UNEASY ABOUT leaving Monica behind, but he refused to endanger her life and take her with him.
She should be safe as long as she remained hidden behind the trees.
Sprinting to the town, he easily avoided the townsfolk.
Most were inside their homes, but a few were out and about.
He stopped in between two empty houses that faced a row of stores.
Scanning the names of the shops, he zeroed in on one of them.
While finding a ham radio was his main goal, finding clothing was also high on his list.
“I need to find something that fits me,” the knight said, looking down at the trenchcoat that kept trying to come loose.
It was a wonder Monica could take anything he said seriously while he looked like an idiot.
An electronics store was just down the street from the men’s clothing store he was eyeing.
It couldn’t hurt to duck inside and see if any clothes were left before moving to the electronics store.
The female’s clothing store directly across from him had been cleared out.
He waited for two armed men to amble past, then sped across the road to the back of the buildings.
Counting the back doors, he came to the fourth one and tested it.
The door was locked, but the town didn’t have electricity.
Only a few buildings had solar panels and generators chugging away.
Taking a chance, he rammed his shoulder into the door to break inside.
He didn’t trigger any alarms and relaxed slightly.
Just as Nazab had hoped, not quite all of the clothes had been stripped from the store. He found shirts and pants in his size and quickly pulled some on. They even had shoes that fit his gigantic feet. He shoved a few outfits into large shopping bags, then left the store.
Shrubs ran along the path at the back of the stores. The warrior hid the bags, then loped three doors down. He found that the electronics store was also locked, but it wasn’t as easy to break into. The metal door banged loudly when he tried to force it open.
“What was that?” someone on patrol asked in a hushed tone.
“It sounded like it came from one of the stores,” another male replied.
“We’d better take a look,” the first guard said grimly.
Nazab saw a ladder leading to the rooftop and quickly scaled it. He hid behind air conditioner machinery as the guards began searching the buildings below him. They systematically worked their way through each shop. He tensed up when one of the men entered the clothing store.
“It’s empty,” he reported after a brief search, then moved on to the next building.
Relaxing again that his theft of the clothing hadn’t been discovered, Nazab sent out his senses. Monica hadn’t moved from her position and no one had discovered her presence. He wanted to find a ham radio and get back to her before his luck ran out.
“There’s no one here,” he heard a guard say when they’d finished searching all of the buildings.
“It was probably just a raccoon in the ceiling again,” his companion figured. They snickered, then resumed their patrol.
Nazab stayed low and moved closer to the edge of the roof.
Waiting until no one was in sight, he dropped down to the ground, then ducked into the electronics store.
He strode to the back door and rolled his eyes when he saw a metal bar keeping it shut.
“No wonder it wasn’t easy to break into,” he murmured, then removed the bar.
It would be far safer to leave through the back door than risk someone spotting him exiting through the front door.
Gazing around, he saw a wide variety of devices and waited for the information Fate had imbued him with to kick in. None of the items on the nearby shelves were ham radios, so he crouched down to remain out of sight and moved to the next section.
It only took a few minutes to search the entire store. “Where would they sell ham radios in a town this small?” he whispered in annoyance.
He hadn’t seen any other shops that might offer the devices to the public.
His only option was to search every house in the hope that someone might have one stashed away somewhere.
That would take time he didn’t have, unless he took Monica back to their temporary base.
He didn’t like the idea of her waiting for him and being in danger of being discovered.
Right on cue, he heard a loud sneeze come from the direction where he’d left Monica.
“Someone’s spying on us!” a guard with a black soul called out. Humans came running to the blockade, brandishing their guns. Nazab called on his sword and prepared himself for battle. He would wipe out every last person in this town if he had to in order to protect his female.
Shocked by that thought, he heard Monica sneeze a few more times before she spoke. “I’m not armed!” she called out. He crossed to the door and peered outside to see her emerge from the trees, holding her hands up.
“Why are you hiding in the trees?” the black-souled male demanded.
“Um, because you’re all armed and I wasn’t sure if you’d kill me on sight,” the cambion said with an engaging grin.
“She’s not dangerous,” a female said as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. “Are you out here all on your own?” she asked with a hint of sympathy.
“Yeah,” Monica lied and pretended to look sad. “My friends and I were attacked by bandits. I got separated from them when we ran. They were captured and killed.”
“The bandits will probably eat them,” someone muttered. “They were picking us off and taking the corpses back to their lair before they moved on.”
“Ew,” Monica said, wrinkling her nose. “That’s disgusting!”
“Times are hard, but we’re not that desperate,” the female said. “We can give you some supplies, but you can’t stay here. We’ve already got enough mouths to feed.”
“We don’t even know this girl!” another man with a black soul snarled. “Why should we give her any of our food and water?”
“I can trade for it,” Monica offered. She’d lowered her hands and put them on her hips.
“By spreading your legs?” the male said with a sneer. Nazab readied himself to sprint forward and skewer the vile human.
“I was thinking more along the lines of cutting everyone’s hair,” the cambion said wryly.
“You’re a hairdresser?” a woman asked in a hopeful tone. “A real one?”
“I worked in one of the expensive salons in Manhattan,” Monica said proudly. “Does this town have a salon or a barber shop?”
“Yeah, come with us,” the female responded, grabbing her hand and tugging her into motion. “We’ve got a barber shop.”
“We’ll give you everything you need if you can fix our hair,” another woman whispered as females surrounded them.
“I don’t need much,” Monica said. “A few changes of clothes and a bit of food will be great. It will take a few hours to cut everyone’s hair,” she said, looking directly at the electronics store where Nazab was lurking.
He knew that message was meant for him. His female had just given him the opportunity he needed to search the town for a ham radio.
Chuckling beneath his breath at how resourceful she was, he left the shop through the back door.
Grabbing the gear he’d left in the shrubs, Nazab hurried away and began systematically working his way through every house and building. He found duffle bags and transferred his stolen goods into them before continuing his mission.