Without Law 7

by Eric Vall

  “Are we starting tomorrow?” Jenny, Dan’s sister, asked.

  “I’d prefer to,” I said. “But if there are more pressing matters on the farm, we can get started without you all.”

  “We’re basically done with the harvest,” Justin said.

  “Yeah.” Cathy nodded. “There’s not a lot of canning left either.”

  “Okay,” I said. “So we’ll start tomorrow.”

  “Sounds good,” Jeff said.

  “Thank you, everyone,” I said, “for your willingness to help.”

  “Sometimes I think you forget that this will be our home soon too,” Donna said. “You don’t need to thank us for helping.”

  “This is already your home,” I said. “And I may not need to, but I find that people are happier when they feel appreciated.”

  “Smart man,” Donna said with a smile.

  “Back off,” Tara teased. “He’s ours.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it,” Donna chuckled, then her face grew confused. “Wait, what do you mean ‘ours’?”

  “We share him,” Paige said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  “Interesting,” Donna said, and she cocked her head and studied the girls and I for a moment. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m a psychologist and I just find relationships fascinating.”

  “I think it’s less fascinating and more practical,” Anna said.

  “It’s both to me,” Donna said.

  “Alright, alright” I chuckled. “I think this has been sufficiently awkward, let’s finish our dinner.”

  Everyone laughed and turned their attention back to their plates, and I looked over to Bailey to see that she was red from embarrassment, so I put my hand on her knee and gave it a little squeeze.

  “They don’t care,” I leaned in and whispered to the pretty blonde.

  “You’re right,” she said softly and she reached down to pet Winchester who was happily chewing on a bone. “It’s just a little embarrassing.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed,” I said, then I smiled and kissed the blonde on the top of her head. I looked over to see Donna staring, but she quickly looked away, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “This turkey is damn good,” Jeff said.

  “Thanks,” Tara said. “I seasoned it with some rosemary.”

  “Y’all still need to come get some maple syrup,” Briar said. “I have buckets of the stuff.”

  “Maybe you can show us how to get some ourselves too,” Paige said.

  “I’d be happy to,” the old farmer said.

  “There are plenty of turkeys out,” I told the group. “You all should try your luck at some turkey hunting.”

  “I used to turkey hunt every year,” Jeff said. “Always bagged my own turkey for Thanksgiving.”

  “Just watch out for bears,” Bailey muttered.

  “Bears?” Cathy asked, wide eyed.

  “We had a bit of a run in,” I said. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “You ran into a bear?” Joanna asked, astounded. “What happened?”

  “We took it out,” I said with a shrug.

  “What the hell,” Donna said, and sat slack jawed, staring at me.

  “It wasn’t a big deal,” I laughed. “We ran into one earlier this year too.”

  “Geez,” Jim said. “I’ve lived in Vermont my whole life and I’ve seen maybe two bears in that time, you all saw two within a year.”

  “We got attacked by two in a year,” Anna chuckled.

  “Well, Bailey did,” Paige snickered.

  “Are you okay, dear?” Donna asked, concerned.

  “I’m fine,” Bailey said, and she waved her hand at the woman. “They just seem to like me for some reason. But Tav took it out, and nobody got hurt.”

  “And we still got the turkeys,” I said proudly.

  “Are you all talking about turkey?” Betty asked as she came out of the dorm building.

  “We are,” I said. “We’re just complimenting Tara on her cooking.”

  “Actually, we were talking about how Tav and Bailey got attacked by a bear this morning,” Cathy said.

  “Oh yes, Rolly told me” Betty said with a grin, then she turned to Tara. “The turkey was delicious,”

  “Thanks,” the platinum blonde said. “I’m sure you make a mean turkey yourself.”

  “Oh yes,” the curly haired woman said. “But my favorite thing to make is turkey bacon.”

  “Turkey bacon?” Bailey asked, and she looked confused.

  “It’s been too long since you ate meat,” Anna chuckled. “Turkey bacon is like bacon for people who don’t want all the fat.”

  “Right.” Betty nodded. “But it’s delicious if you make it right.”

  “It’s true,” Jenny said. “Grandma makes the best turkey bacon, I’d eat it over regular bacon any day.”

  “Thank you, dear,” Betty said, and she leaned down to kiss her grandchild on the top of the head.

  “If we get some turkeys you think you can make some for us?” Cathy asked. “I’d love to try it.”

  “Of course,” Betty said with a wide smile, and she looked down at Dan. “I’m always happy to cook for those who appreciate it.”

  “One time.” Dan rolled his eyes in an exaggerated way. “I forgot to say thank you one time. And I was ten!”

  “Never forgot after that, though, did you?” Betty raised an eyebrow at Dan, and they both laughed.

  “Grandma would always make us turkey bacon the morning after Thanksgiving when we were kids,” Jenny said, and her face was etched with the fond memory from her childhood.

  “It was almost better than Thanksgiving itself,” Dan chuckled.

  “I miss Thanksgiving,” Paige sighed.

  “I miss Halloween,” Anna chuckled.

  “Halloween is the superior holiday.” Donna nodded in agreement.

  “No way!” Tara exclaimed. “What’s better than eating a bunch of food and sitting around the house all day?”

  “I agree.” Betty smiled, and she picked up the drinks she had poured and headed toward the dorm building again. “Thanksgiving is superior.”

  “They’re both great,” I chuckled.

  “It’s pretty sad to think we won’t get them again,” Joanna said with a frown.

  “Who said that?” Paige asked. “We can make our own traditions now.”

  “She’s right.” I smiled at the brunette.

  “What day is it anyway?” Cathy asked. “Did we miss Halloween?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Paige informed, and she pushed her glasses further up her nose. “It’s November fifth.”

  “Remember remember,” Jeff chuckled.

  “Remember what?” Tara asked.

  “It’s from V for Vendetta,” Jeff said, and Tara gave him a blank look.

  “It’s a movie,” I told her.

  “Actually,” Paige remarked. “The saying is the first line of a John Milton poem that refers to November fifth 1605.”

  “What happened on November fifth 1605?” the platinum blonde asked.

  “A man named Guy Fawkes was arrested for planning to blow up the British government,” Paige said.

  “And they made a movie about that?” Tara asked with a raised brow. “Boooring.”

  “It’s a good movie,” Anna remarked.

  “You’ve seen it?” Tara asked.

  “Sure,” the redhead said with a shrug. “Though, I thought it was more of a horror flick when I rented it.”

  “Of course you did,” Bailey chuckled.

  We all finished eating and had a couple more drinks, then I realized we needed to figure out how to divide the workload for tomorrow.

  “Who wants to be on insulation duty tomorrow?” I asked.

  “I’ll do it,” Jim offered.

  “Great,” I said.

  “I can help too,” Jeff said.

  “And I’ll help,” I said. “That’s three, I think that should be enough.”

  “How long will the insulation take?” Paige
asked.

  “I’d say the morning,” I said.

  “Okay,” Paige said. “It’s about a mile, so with twenty seven of us, that makes about two hundred feet of digging per person.”

  Jeff whistled low.

  “It is a lot.” I nodded. “So let’s make sure the animals are fed early in the morning, and everyone try to get here at dawn.”

  “We’ll make coffee,” Anna said.

  “Oh, good,” Cathy sighed. “I’m used to getting up early, but caffeine helps a lot.”

  “I don’t want anyone getting too tired either,” I said. “So we’ll take plenty of water breaks. And Marla, I know you need to look after the boys.”

  “I can help,” Marla quickly interjected. “The boys will love to pitch in as best they can. Little boys love digging in the dirt.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But I need you to keep an eye on those working to make sure nobody is pushing it too hard.”

  “Okay,” the woman said, and she reached down to put her hand on one of her boy’s shoulders.

  “After we’re done with that what else is there to do before winter hits?” Cathy asked.

  “We might need to blow the bridge,” I told her.

  “I can’t wait for that part,” Jeff said.

  “How long do you think the digging will take?” Donna inquired.

  “I’d say three days,” I said with a frown. “It’s a large job.”

  “Okay,” the black haired woman said with a nod.

  “It’s getting late,” I stated. “We should all get some rest, but remember to have someone on guard duty at all times.”

  “If anyone is tired from guard duty, they can rest some here in the morning,” Anna offered.

  “Good idea.” I smiled at the redhead. “This is a big project, we don’t want to push anyone too hard.”

  I said my goodbyes to the civilians, then I headed to the roof to retrieve Betty.

  “Hey,” I said, and I smiled at the two of them as I walked out onto the roof. Betty was snuggled in Rolly’s lap, and the two were necking.

  “Oh,” Betty said, and she cleared her throat. “I didn’t hear you coming.”

  “I imagine you didn’t.” I raised an eyebrow at the curly haired woman. “You seemed a bit preoccupied.”

  “Sorry, boss,” Rolly chuckled.

  “No need to apologize,” I laughed. “I just figured Betty would want to head home for the night.”

  “About that,” Betty said, and she stood up. “Would you mind if I take Rolly with me tonight?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “But everyone is to be here around dawn tomorrow to start the digging.”

  “No problem,” the woman said.

  “Alright then,” I said.

  “Do you want me to send Paige up here?” Rolly asked. “I think it’s her watch.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Let the girls sleep, I’m not so tired right now.”

  “Okay,” the old man said, and he walked toward the door.

  “You two behave now, ya hear,” I teased in my best southern accent.

  “We will if you will,” Betty teased back.

  “On second thought,” I said with a grin. “Go nuts.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Betty chuckled, and they headed downstairs.

  I sat on the rooftop and watched the others pack up and head out, then I looked over to the horizon and scanned the area. There was no sign of a threat, and I settled back into my chair and smiled to myself.

  “Hey,” I heard Paige say behind me, and I turned around to see all my girls and Winchester.

  “Hey,” I said, and Winchester ran over to me for pets. “What’re you all doing up here? I told Rolly to tell you to sleep.”

  “Yeah,” Anna said. “But it’s only like seven o'clock.”

  “We have an early day tomorrow,” I said.

  “We’re used to early days,” Tara said with a shrug. “We thought maybe you’d like to have a nightcap with us.”

  “I’d love one,” I said. I smiled at my girls, and they all came to sit around me, except for Tara who planted herself firmly on my lap.

  Anna poured us each two fingers of whiskey, and Paige and Bailey poured some sprite into theirs.

  “Hey,” Paige said, and though she was looking down, I could see she was frowning. “Listen, I’m sorry about earlier.”

  “What are you talking about?” Tara asked.

  “When I told everyone that we share Tav.” Paige frowned harder.

  “I did it first.” Tara shrugged.

  “Yeah,” Paige said with a nod. “But I said it outright, and I’m sorry if I embarrassed anyone.”

  “I think she means you,” Tara said to Bailey.

  “Tara!” Anna hissed.

  “What?” the platinum blonde said defensively. “That’s who she’s talking about.”

  “You are so insensitive sometimes,” Anna said with an eyeroll.

  “I’m sorry,” Tara sighed, then she turned to look at Bailey who had her head down and was petting Winchester, and she became more sincere. “I really am sorry, Bail.”

  “It’s okay,” Bailey said, and she gave Tara a small smile.

  “We didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Anna said, and she put her hand on her friend’s arm.

  “I’m sorry you’re upset about it,” I told the blonde softly. “But it was bound to come out eventually.”

  “You’re right,” Bailey sighed. “Probably hard to hide something like that once everyone moves in.”

  “Were we supposed to be hiding it?” Tara whispered to me.

  “No,” I chuckled. “Nobody was supposed to be hiding anything. But this probably isn’t something Bailey would’ve done before, so she’s a bit embarrassed. It’s understandable.”

  “You’re, like, a total hippie though,” Tara said. “Don’t you support free love?”

  “Well yeah,” Bailey chuckled. “But Tav is right, I’d never done anything like this before.”

  “Neither had I,” Anna told her.

  “Me neither,” Paige shook her head.

  “Guess that leaves you and me,” Tara said, and she grinned at me.

  “Nope,” I chuckled. “This is a first for me too.”

  “You did this before the world went to hell?” Bailey asked Tara.

  “Kinda.” Tara shrugged. “I had a few boyfriends at the same time before.”

  “That’s just cheating,” Anna chuckled.

  “We weren’t exclusive,” Tara scoffed. “Can’t cheat if you aren’t exclusive.”

  “Touche,” Paige laughed.

  “Besides,” Tara said. “Donna was totally the one who made it weird.”

  “Oh my God!” Anna exclaimed. “So weird, right?”

  “She just stared at us for so long,” Paige giggled.

  “It was rather strange,” I chuckled.

  “I guess we do have a strange relationship,” Anna said.

  “Not really,” Paige said. “People used to do this all the time way back when, and some people still practiced it up until the apocalypse.”

  “I guess it’s not that strange then,” Anna said.

  “Bailey,” I said. “Do you think it’s strange?”

  “In theory,” the blonde mused. “But it doesn’t feel strange.”

  “That’s all that matters then,” I said. I smiled, pulled Tara closer to me, and put my hand on her ass.

  “But don’t you think people might treat us differently?” Bailey asked, and she bit her lip.

  “No way,” Tara said. “If anything they wish they were us.”

  “What do you mean?” Paige asked.

  “Well,” Tara started. “Everyone wants to be loved and have great sex and get taken care of, and we all have that, regardless of if it’s all with one person.”

  “True,” Anna said. “And all the guys are probably jealous as hell of Tav.”

  “I did get that feeling,” I chuckled. “I think Mike wanted to high five me, I saw
him raise his hand, but then he put it back down.”

  “I thought that too,” Anna laughed.

  “The way we live is nobody’s business,” I said. “And we’ve done so much for everyone, I really don’t think they care. And if they did, then that’s their problem.”

  “Yeah,” Bailey said. “You’re right. I’m not ashamed of what we are.”

  “Our shy little baby is growing up,” Tara teased.

  “All grown up and off to fight in the war,” Paige added.

  “What is with you two and that movie?” Anna chuckled.

  “Bite your tongue, bitch,” Tara feigned anger. “Mulan is a classic.”

  “Yeah,” Paige added with a mocking tone. “What’s with you and horror flicks?”

  “Got me there,” Anna said with a shrug, and they all laughed.

  We all sat on the roof a while longer, drank our whiskey, laughed about Donna’s perpetual staring throughout the night, and once the girls grew quiet, I sent them to bed with the promise of waking Tara in a few hours to take over for me.

  I was surprised, but Winchester opted to stay with me on the roof, so I called him to me, and he put his front paws on my lap. I lowered my forehead to meet his while I stroked his ears.

  “You’re a good boy,” I said, and I smiled at the black headed dog. He licked my nose, then climbed up into my lap.

  He was a heavy pup, but still lighter than one of the girls, and I didn’t mind him curling up with me. He had been through a lot in his short life, and yet he was still so trusting of others. That’s when I realized why he loved Bailey so much, even though it had been Paige who had rescued him. Bailey was like him, she wanted to see the good in people, and she wanted to help. Even after Winchester had been treated so poorly by those guards, he had still grown to love us as his family.

  Chapter 3

  The next morning I woke before dawn and headed downstairs, checked our rabbit traps, then I started some coffee for the group since I figured they would arrive shortly. Paige was on guard duty, and the other girls came down just as I was about to pour the coffee grounds into the boiling water.

  “No!” Tara shouted, and she snatched the bag of grounds away from me.

  “What the hell?” I chuckled. “I’m trying to do something nice.”

  “Rolly has to make it,” Tara said, and she rolled up the bag.