"How's our perimeter?" I whispered to Bianka.
"Nothing so far," she replied. "The new-HAM scout is reporting the whole thing on his radio, though. We should probably wrap this exchange up as quick as possible."
"What is your proposition?" I asked Tamika.
"Join forces with us against the militia. Let's create a mutant superpower from the ground up. Camilla has already enlisted with the movement. More will come soon. Losing Alexa is a disappointment. Gaining you and your friends, though, would be a great step forward."
"I'll have to think about it," I replied, cutting her short much like I did the army threesome.
"We should talk more. Show me some respect and hear me out. I've done nothing against you. Taking Alexa was a total misunderstanding. She'll back me up on this. And I was real cooperative when you had me strapped to that chair in your house."
"So, Judah and Lenah here," I said. "What happens to them and the other normal people?”
"Minions," she shrugged. "Every army needs some. If we can get more of the cure that the militia is holding on to, we can heal a lot of your rotters, and draw in a lot more, too. This is a good idea, Mason. You should listen to the full game plan."
"And we'll all be answering to you, then?" Riley asked.
"No, not at all," Tamika smiled. "I know that would be a deal breaker. Mason can continue to rule his group, and I'll control mine. We won't steal each other's people. Again, taking Alexa was a total misread of the situation. And I'm handing her right back to you now, without hesitation. Do me a solid and don't take these two teenagers. Yeah, I can see that they have already gotten comfortable with you. The same goes for Camilla. Her loyalty will be tested with this new development, I know."
Behind Tamika, far in the distance, I saw the woman returning. Alexa was by her side. When my wife spotted us, she took off running in our direction. The guard made no attempt to stop her. That was truly a good sign. It supported Tamika’s claim as much as anything else I had seen.
Bianka then said urgently, "We need to get going quickly, Mace. As soon as Alexa is with us."
"That scout is not calling in an attack," Tamika declared. "He's just reporting what we saw here. There is no rush."
Tamika was mirroring Bianka's heightened sense of hearing perhaps. It allowed her to pick up on the scout's communication as well.
Alexa's beaming smile as she approached was the most joyous thing that I had seen in quite some time. I could see that her face was wet from tears. I wanted to run to her, pick her up in my arms and kiss her all over her face, neck and chest. My heart was aching without her. Seeing her running toward me like a slow-motion scene in a commercial made the painful knot in my stomach disappear.
As she was about to go past Tamika, the woman held out her arm to stop her. "Hold up!" We all tensed up, and Alexa stopped in her tracks. Tamika stepped over to her and grabbed a hold of her by the elbow. It was not a violent gesture, just enough to keep her from pulling away. She then stared at the three of us one at a time before settling on me.
I knew then what was happening. She was mirroring Alexa's gift of sensing our emotions. She couldn't possibly be as good at it as Alexa was, though. The mutant power was supposed to just mirror the ability. Perhaps the physical contact was required to direct it toward us.
I could not tell if the information that Tamika was reading from any of us would change her mind about letting Alexa go. But I did know one thing. If she didn't soon release my wife, I would kill them all to get her back.
CHAPTER TWELVE:
"You be sure to tell Mason how well I've been treating you," Tamika said after releasing Alexa's arm. We all let go the deep breath trapped in our lungs. The two guards still did not raise their weapons toward us. That was a good sign. For them. If this thing turned ugly, I wouldn't hesitate to deal fatal blows.
"I will," Alexa replied, casually turning toward the woman that we had assumed to be her captor. "I know that you thought that you were doing the right thing." They stared at each other for a moment, then my wife turned her attention back to me and smiled.
"Mason," Tamika called out to me as Alexa quickened her pace toward me. "Let's talk tomorrow. That gives you time to debrief your wife. How about right here in this same spot at noon."
"Noon is not good for me," I replied without thinking. That was the time that I had the military delegation returning to talk. I couldn't tell Tamika that and make her wonder what side I was on in this large-scale situation.
"No?" Tamika raised an eyebrow.
"I'll be sleeping in tomorrow, I think." Alexa reached me and dove into my arms. I squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head as she buried her face into chest. Her heavy sobs shook her body against mine.
Tamika laughed then answered, "I understand. You two deserve some time alone. I get it. How about three o'clock then."
"Three is good," I replied, pulling Alexa to my side. We had plenty of time to catch up. At that moment, I needed to focus on leaving Tamika on good terms. Returning this close to her stronghold was not desirable, though. "Come to our place instead. Follow the fence east until you see the two transport trucks at the street. I'll meet you there."
I could tell that the statement raised some questions in her mind. Did we have a fence all around our territory? How many trucks did we obtain in our victory over the military attack? And what else did we gain? But more importantly, was I trying to trap her?”
"I'd prefer somewhere more neutral," she said.
"You know that we only use violence to defend ourselves, Tamika. There is no risk in coming to me."
She nodded, outwardly accepting that as truth. Our lack of aggression was well known. "Okay, three o'clock then at your place. I look forward to it. We have lots to talk about."
I gave her a final nod before turning around with Alexa still gripped to my side. After taking a few steps into the brush and away from the school, Riley followed. Bianka, however, waited for Tamika and the other four members of her gang to leave before joining us. We returned the rifles that we had confiscated from the guards that we jumped.
I knew that those two teens had hopes of leaving with us. I was all about people having the right to choose. But technically, they were not captives of the new gang management. Their membership was voluntary. Insisting that they be allowed to join us would not have gone over well with Tamika. And if I did choose to ally with her, the not stealing each other's people rule would certainly be broken if I allowed them to switch over to our clan.
We walked in near silence for a couple hundred feet before I asked Bianka if we were clear. She reported that we were, except for a New-HAM scout watching from his high perch in the distance. Tamika had called them the ninety-five army. I heard Celeste refer to the martial governments as the Transition Coalition. We spotted them first on New Hampshire Avenue, thereby birthing our name for them. Maybe tomorrow I’ll ask what they want to be called.
"I don't think we need to worry about the scouts anymore," I said as I came to a halt. Then I took a minute to welcome Alexa back properly. Several kisses to the mouth between us both saying how much we missed and loved each other.
After that I stepped back to allow Riley to do the same, only with just one kiss to the mouth. I remembered them doing that as part of their morning greeting for the last few weeks. When Bianka stepped up to welcome Alexa back, I watched in anticipation to see if she would copy the gesture. A kiss from her, of course, would have been more awkward and meant something completely different perhaps. Unfortunately, Bianka refrained, though I could see Alexa preparing for it. Maybe Bianka had considered it and was unable to hide it from my empathetic wife. Or the emotion was there inside the beautiful lesbian, if not the intent.
On the way back to our home we continued to avoid the houses but followed the trail along the river. We only veered from it when getting close to the extra stinky corpses of the crazed white-eyed women that we were forced to kill.
"Tamika mentioned a new
virus strain," Alexa told us when we filled her in on the zombie-like attack that we suffered on the way to rescue her. "She said that it was more aggressive than the others."
That was the first conversation that we had about anything other than how much we missed each other. We returned to the more pleasant dialog afterwards, but my mind still lingered on the new virus victims. Fighting off skanks was a nasty necessity until just recently. If a new wave was coming, I was glad that we were encircling our camp with a sturdy fence. Would it stand against an army of these new versions? Probably not.
With Alexa back, I was already returning my thoughts to the defense of our growing colony. It was easy to be more confident about our future. The fact that the militia came to us in request of a peaceful relationship was a good sign as well.
Alexa was impressed when she saw the new fence, even though it was not completely finished yet. We still needed to extend it almost a hundred feet before it reached the river on the northwest side. On the other end, which was closer to the street, the work would have been done by now if we hadn't pulled workers to improve our defensive posture in my absence.
"So that's what you guys were doing instead of coming after me," she said. The statement didn't sound as malicious as the words suggested. In fact, her tone definitely seemed like it was meant in jest. But I couldn't let the subject pass without clarifying things.
"We did search for you," I insisted, holding her softly by her shoulders.
"I know," Alexa replied apologetically, her eyes threatening precipitation like a rain cloud. "I mean, I knew that you would. I just worried about you when you didn't show up that first day, or the second. Tamika and Camilla tried to convince me that you were all dead, but I couldn't believe it. I'm so glad that no one was seriously injured."
"I originally thought that Tamika took you back to New Hampshire Avenue. We had just killed two squads of their people and were bracing for another attack. When that didn't come the next day, we sent scouts looking over by their compound. Their reports that you weren't there was the first notion we had that Tamika might have taken you this way. Bianka scouted the schoolhouse area last night. That's how we knew to go there today."
"Ah," Alexa replied. "I thought I sensed someone familiar in the middle of the night. I even got up and looked around, but the sensation went away."
"Weren't you under guard?" Bianka asked.
"Sort of," Alexa replied. "I mean, I didn't know for sure that you all survived. Tamika insisted that our place was taken over by the military and that there was no sense in me trying to come back here. They tried not to make me feel like a prisoner, but the guards watched me closely whenever I was outside. I knew that they wouldn't let me just leave. Perhaps they thought it was for my own safety."
"So, catch me up," Alexa said, turning to continue walking toward the fence. I guessed that the issue was settled then. I had expected her to put up more of a fuss that it took that long to rescue her. "How is Stella doing in her new role. I guess she was actually your second wife while I was gone, wasn't she? And Riley was your first. I have no doubt that she did a great job in that role."
"Thank you," Riley answered before I could. "Stella has done well. She'll be so happy to see you again."
I watched Alexa's face when she responded. My first wife was not fond of adding Stella to my harem originally. I knew that she eventually conceded to the idea for the sake of our clan. I could completely understand her resenting the innocent acting girl while she was gone. After all, in Alexa's absence she had to know that there would still be women in my bed, and one of those would be Stella.
"I can't wait to see her," Alexa said. She seemed to be genuine in her enthusiasm. "I miss her, too. I know that we had some problems before, but she is such a good person. I can't wait to work closely with the two of you again."
"We are both looking forward to working with you again, Alexa. She has missed you as much as the rest of us."
"Wow, you guys have a lot of guards now," Alexa said as she rounded the fence. She was greeted warmly by a few reborn, all armed. "Where did all these women come from?"
"They were the infected," I informed her. "Twenty-seven are healing or are already fully healed. Jamila calls them the reborn."
"A fitting name," Alexa responded as she greeted each recovering skank with a gun. "How is Jamila, by the way?"
"She's good," I answered, unable to think of any additional words to add that wouldn't start a conversation that I would just as soon avoid at that point. Then realizing I was focusing too much on the negative, I said, "She's been very instrumental in getting them organized into work groups. Bianka and Jada are going to be training them in combat skills so we can more easily fight off any future attacks."
"Ah," Alexa replied. "How is Jada? I miss her so much, too. I bet she kept you straight while I was gone. She wouldn't let you come searching for me yourself, would she?"
"I'm sorry about that," I said. That was the second time the subject came up.
"Don't be," she told me. "She was right. All these people are depending on you to keep them safe. And fed. I'm sure that you have had your hands full. Besides, I'm back now. And I am so very happy to be back in the arms of the man that I love." Pulling me into another hug, she asked, "Will I be able to share your bed tonight?"
"What?" I blurted out in disbelief. It had always been our bed before. Was there anyone that could conceive of a possible scenario where I wouldn’t want her with me for the night? "Of course," I told her.
"Good," she said with a smile. Then she kissed me on the lips and led me by the hand back toward our house.
There was a grand reunion there in the street when Stella and Ling saw us coming. Even Jada came running up, gripping Alexa in an embrace that threatened to break ribs. The tears streaming down her beautiful dark skin were the first that I had seen since she was struggling with her injury obtained in our first clan battle. It reminded me that she was still a kind and lovable person under her hard exterior.
I stepped back and let the others have their turn welcoming back the woman that started it all. I still remembered that none of this would have been possible if not for her. Hell, I might not have survived the ordeal with Earl and his women if it weren't for her intervention.
Bianka told me that she would take over controlling guard duty so Jada could spend time with Alexa. I watched as people I had just recently met, even some that I didn't yet, took their turns in the receiving line. Alexa was queen of the hour and she seemed to be handling it quite well. She thanked every person sincerely for their concern about her welfare.
Glancing around at the gathering I finally noticed Jamila. She was bouncing, as she was known to do when overly emotional, and clapping her hands. She was crying as much as the others, truly happy that Alexa was back. I could see it in her face. It was undeniable. But she did not approach the welcoming committee.
I gestured for her to go to Alexa. She shook her head and gestured at her clothes. Her attire did not match up with Alexa's demands of a few days ago. I waved her forward again. She continued to shake her head as I walked up.
"Go to her, Jamila," I insisted. "It will only be worse if you don't."
She took a deep breath, then hesitantly stepped forward, walking as if on hot coals. She was still a good distance away when Alexa spotted her.
"Jamila!" Alexa shouted. My sexy little lap dancer stopped in her tracks, obviously frightened. Alexa had to come to her, and she did so happily. My wife initiated the hug. Once in the embrace, Jamila returned it with full enthusiasm. "I'm so happy to see you."
"You are?" Jamila asked. She looked so incredibly vulnerable in that moment.
"Sure, I am," Alexa answered, releasing the contact of their chests but still holding her at less than arm's length. I could see by her expression that she was not going to pretend that there was never a problem between the two of them. "I know that I didn't treat you well, and I want to apologize for that."
"No!" Jamila insiste
d, shaking her head, eyes wide.
"Yes, dear. I am sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"Yes, I did," Jamila replied. I was thinking oh shit! Jamila is going to tell her about our lap dance fueled sexual encounter last night. Right here, right now!
"No, you didn't," Alexa said, placing her finger to Jamila's lips to prevent another response. "And we'll talk about that later. Okay?" My newest lover was still a little scared but nodded her agreement. "Things are going to be different from now on. Do you forgive me?"
"You didn't..." Jamila started, but Alexa's finger pressed against her lips again.
"Just say yes, please," Alexa whispered to her. People were watching this whole scene like it was a critical moment in their favorite TV show.
Another tear raced down Jamila's cheek as she nodded, but she wouldn't say the word. Or couldn't. Alexa hugged her once again before returning to the rest of the group.
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