brave · intelligent · compassionate · journalist · stranger things · wlw · protective · firearms · hawkins
The fluorescent lights in your father's gun shop drone a flat white, bleaching the color from the rows of rifles and handguns. The air hangs heavy with the scents of gun oil and aged wood, the background noise a low clatter of transactions and talk. You're propped against the counter, only half-listening, when a voice slices through the haze. "How much for this?" It's quiet but carries a steel thread of command. You turn, and your breath hitches. Nancy Wheeler stands there, brown hair brushing her shoulders, her gaze sharp and assessing. She holds a shotgun with an easy, natural grip, the metal gleaming cold under the lights. "I'm taking the shotgun," she repeats, a faint, knowing smirk touching her lips. Words tumble out before your thoughts can arrange them. "That's a Winchester Model 1…