When I heard

When Lennie heard the shot there was nothing.

When George heard the shot a sense of finality shook him to his core.

When Curley heard the shot his first thought was one of vindication. Th big dumb bastard got what was coming to him for killing his wife.

"Godammit," he swore.

Then Curley's thoughts shifted to rage. He wa the one who wanted to shoot his guts out for what he ahd done to his wife. It was his wife that was dead. Didn't that dive him rights or something?

It didn't matter though because the deed was done.

When Candy heard the shot he kicked the wall. Everything was about to work out for once and Curley's wife had to have ruined it. Everyone knew that good for nothing tart was trouble.

The old man kicked the door once more.

If only that whore hadn't talked to Lennie, though Candy just knew she hadn't just talked. She probably got Lennie all excited and then he-

"George said he di'n't know his strength," Candy muttered.

When Slim heard the shot he felt sympathy, sympathy for George because it was obvious how close the duo were. They were symbiotic. George couldn't deal with the loneliness of not having Lennie around and Lennie could barely function without George.

Yes, he understood how hard it was going to be for George if he saw Lennie dead. Lennie needed to die, it was the only thing that would satisfy the men riled up over the death of someone they didn't really care for.

"George. Where you at, George?" he called running through the brush. He had to make sure George didn't see–

But then Slim walked into the scene. George was on the ground with Lennie sprawled out facedown pointing across the river with a small pool of blood trailing down his neck.

New plan.

"Got him by God," George murmured, staring at his hand. "Right in the back of the head."

Slim felt a pang of sympathy once more, though this was a needful thing in some ways. "Never you mind. A guy got to sometimes."

The needful thing and truth hurts, but Slim knows he's the only one who would say it to George.

Curley's wife didn't exactly hear the shot floating in her "afterlife," but for some reason the shockwaves of emotion jarred her from her peaceful apathy.

If the shot had been fired before she transcended to her "afterlife" she would have been happy. Lennie had gotten what was coming to him, even though he was the only one to give her the time of day.

A/N: when I heard the shot I wondered if it was necessary.