Dystopian Girls 4

by Rodzil LaBraun

  There was no mistake about it. I was thoroughly delighted to have my wife back. Her new attitude toward the other women, and her easy-going response to me not rescuing her sooner was an unexpected gift. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to her while she was gone. Did she use the time to reflect on her relationships, like many people do in life-changing moments? Or, was this a very convincing act.

  My mind went so far as to question whether or not my wife had been brainwashed by Tamika. I thought back to that moment just before the woman released Alexa to come back to me. They stared at each other. From my angle I was able to see Tamika's calm face, but not Alexa's. Perhaps, Tamika had a power that no one was aware of yet. And she was using it to alter my precious wife.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

  It took a while for everything to settle down after Alexa's return. That was to be expected. Not only was she well-liked by most people, her role in our community had always been an important one. Once things did return to normal, she was eager to resume her duties to the colony. Previously, almost all of those responsibilities were within the house.

  Riley helped the others get their schedules adjusted so they could return to the rotation of tasks which included fence building, guard duty, fishing, water filtering and combat training. As with any group of people, there were always minor squabbles and adjustments. One girl would complain that construction work hurt her back too much. Another would claim that is was unfair to allow some girls to choose their assignments. And so forth. I was lucky that I no longer needed to get involved in those issues. Of course, it didn’t stop some of our new women from coming to me with complaints.

  Alexa took over the kitchen but kept deferring to Riley's judgement on matters. She had only been gone for three days. It wasn't like she had forgotten how to do things. But significant progress had been made in our community during her absence. The old Alexa would have just done her own thing regardless, until Riley or I suggested otherwise. But this was not the old Alexa that we saw before us.

  When Riley was finally able to join my first wife in the kitchen, Alexa asked, "Can we schedule a rotation for the kitchen and housework, too?"

  "What do you mean?" Riley responded with confusion. Alexa had always been in charge before and simply told the others what she needed help with.

  "Things have changed," Alexa replied with a casual tone as she continued chopping up some vegetables from our garden. "I respect that. Unless it causes a hardship for anyone, I'd like to be rotated around like everyone else."

  "Really?" Riley asked. I was nearby waiting for an opportunity to pull key people together for a debriefing. Alexa would have valuable information regarding Tamika's clan, and possibly the outside world. To me, that was more important than chopping vegetables.

  "I mean," Alexa said. "I'd rather not be put on guard duty, but there is no reason for me to hog all the domestic work. You and Stella should get your share. I can spend some time with farming for sure. Do my share at least. I know I'm not as strong as Ling, but if Stella can do it, I don't see why I can't. If Jamila needs help getting the houses clean for the reborn, I can assist her with that, too."

  "Seriously?" Riley asked, bordering on being offensive in her surprise over Alexa's statement. That was not Riley's style, so I hovered waiting to see how this would progress.

  Alexa stopped what she was doing and turned to face Riley. Despite Riley’s immunity to her gift, she had to know how my second wife was feeling, even thinking. Her special ability did, however, receive signals from me. Processing my emotions had to help her assess the situation.

  "I'll go wherever you need me, Riley," she said, lacking any anticipated anger. "If you want me to go straight back to my old workload, I'll do it. I'm just offering to do more. Tell me what is best for you and the colony."

  "Why would I tell you what to do, Alexa?"

  "Because you are the colony’s administrative assistant. You and Stella handled things in my absence, I'm sure. There is nothing about what I do around here that requires a special skill set, other than a basic understanding of cooking. Am I wrong to suggest a change?"

  "Maybe Mason should get involved in this discussion," Riley suggested, starting to turn toward me.

  "Mason wants us to handle this," Alexa replied, drawing Riley's attention again. "I would suggest that we bring Stella back in here to join us for this conversation, but she'll just say that whatever you decide is fine with her."

  "We," Riley replied. "Whatever we decide. I'm truly sorry, Alexa. I don't mean to come off sounding offensive. Like you said, things had to change while you were gone. Not all of them had to do with your absence, either. It is obvious that you have made some changes, too. I'm just trying to figure things out. I had in my mind a certain transition once we got you back. I was not expecting this change of viewpoint from you, but I am happy to adjust. Maybe you can tell me how you see things going now. That will probably help me a lot."

  "Okay," Alexa responded.

  "Maybe we can sit at the dining room table for this after all," I suggested. "Just us three for now. We can call in other key people as we need them."

  I lowered my ass into the armchair at the end, which was my typical seat anyway. Alexa instinctively went to chair to my right. In everyone's mind, that was her place at the table. At the last second, she diverted and took the seat opposite, gesturing for Riley to take the position on my right instead. Again, Riley appeared dumbfounded by the gesture, though she had assumed that position by my side the last couple days.

  "Let me first say," Alexa started. "I am very happy to be back and returning to work with you guys. I'm sure that you all continued to work hard while I was gone. I, on the other hand, spent a lot of time sitting around. Tamika’s clan is not a very productive group. It's sort of like I'm back from vacation."

  "I understand why my request is confusing. I know that I was a certain way before. Selfish and demanding are some descriptive terms that Camilla used when we talked. My time away gave me some new perspective on things. I know that if I don't make changes right away, I'm going to slide right back into that old mindset. And to be honest, I'm happier with the new me. There were things before that were stressing me out, and it was totally unnecessary."

  "So, Riley, you asked me to explain how I see things going now. I'll do that, but please understand that I am not making any demands." After we both nodded, Alexa continued. "Mason is in charge, over everything. That is a lot of responsibility. Over a hundred people now, I'm told, are relying on him to make good decisions. I should not interfere in his ability to do so. I know full well that I personally could not do near as good of a job as he does."

  "Thank you," I said.

  "You're welcome, sweetheart. And Riley, you are the best at certain things around here. These whiteboards and the way you orchestrated the schedule adjustments for so many people are a prime example of that. You are much more logical and organized than I am. When it comes to running things around camp, not including security, you are the number two. I don't resist that, and I won't resent it either. That's why I asked that you tell me what to do."

  "Thank you," it was Riley's turn to say. "I understand and appreciate you spelling it out for me."

  "You are welcome, too, dear. You know I love you both very much. That has not changed. But my respect, I believe, has increased considerably. So, Jada is in charge of security, of course. Bianka assists with that and is now in control of training the troops. All those pieces of the puzzle fit nicely."

  "I understand that Ling has taken more of a leadership role regarding farming. That frees up Stella to handle other things, which I'm sure that she did in my absence. Given my preference, I would like to share the household duties with Riley and Stella. We are all officially wives of Mason, so that kind of makes sense. But I would like to spend some time working alongside some of the other women. I have kept them at a distance in the past, and that is something that I would like to change right away."

  We did not i
nterrupt, so Alexa continued. "I can take Bianka's combat training class. We all know that I am the weakest link when it comes to physical combat. That should also have me rubbing shoulders with some of the reborn, which is exciting. New friends are a wonderful luxury in this world, I think. Putting me in the fields periodically will help improve my relationship with Ling and Stella. I can also take lunches to the reborn according your schedule, help clean up our compound. I just want to do my part and not separate myself from the others anymore."

  "Again," Alexa reiterated. "This is just what I am hoping for. I'll do whatever you two want me to do. What do you think?"

  "It sounds good," Riley answered, still looking a little bewildered. "While you were explaining all this, I made the necessary adjustments in my mind. I think your suggestions are awesome. But I will never put myself above you, Alexa. I vowed my devotion to both you and Mason from the beginning. That will never change."

  "Thank you, Riley," Alexa replied, reaching across the table to hold the other woman's hand. "I understand why you feel that way. But I want you to take the lead in many ways, so you wouldn't be placing yourself above me, or even be going against your vow. Understand?"

  "Yes, but it will take us a few days to get completely comfortable with the new arrangement. What do you think, Mason?" Riley asked me. Her emotional tells were always slight, but I could see that she was happy how this conversation was going.

  "It all sounds very good to me," I replied. Of course, Alexa had to already know that, as well as have a good idea what I was about to ask next. "That doesn't cover everything, though. There is still a cause for friction that needs to be addressed."

  "Yes," Alexa replied, without the heavy sigh that I expected. "The bedroom. There are parts of me that I cannot change. I am an emotional person, even more so since acquiring this empathic ability. Mason is my husband, and I am eternally bound to him. Very happily so. That is the only area where I would still like to be considered the first wife."

  I took a deep breath and leaned back. Riley nearly copied my body language. In my mind I was saying, 'Here we go again.'

  "Wait," Alexa raised her voice. "Let me continue please before you judge me. You listened to my suggestions about everything else. Will you not hear me out about this?"

  She was right, of course. With this new attitude of hers it was unfair to assume that she retained the exact same mentality regarding my love life. I gestured for her to continue.

  "I'm just saying," Alexa said patiently. "Put me in charge of the bedroom. That is all. I can even work out a schedule of who shares his bed each night. Of course, Mason's preferences would be the major factor. But all his wives should have the opportunity to sleep alongside him. That is only right. And two of us can fit in the bed, plus Mason, so we should get plenty to make us feel special to him."

  "As far as the sex goes," she continued. "That will sometimes be a day to day kind of thing. If he's horny for Riley today, then it's Riley that he will have sex with. It's that simple. In that regard, more than just his wives will be involved. I understand that. Again, Camilla's viewpoint was instrumental in helping me adjust my perspective. Any willing healthy female is available to him."

  "Really?" I asked.

  "Absolutely," Alexa replied, looking me in the eye. "That includes Jada, of course. I know that she only gets hot and bothered once or twice a month to the point that she comes looking for you. And you oblige, of course. That was something that we agreed to before. Now there is Jamila. For the time being, she falls into the same category as Jada, I think. I mean, maybe eventually you'll want her to be a wife as well. I don't know. Until then, she is available for sex. Spending the night in your bed is optional and up to you, Mason."

  "Let me get this straight," I said, trying hard not to look too shocked. "You don't have a problem with me having sex with Jamila?"

  "No, not anymore," she replied. "I can't fully suppress the feelings that it conjures up, but I will work very hard to improve in that area. I know that you two have already been together, of course. Fear of repercussions over that is the dominant emotion for Jamila when she is around me. And honestly, that just makes it harder for me. Please explain to her that I will not block her attempts on my husband in the future."

  "I think that you need to have that conversation with her, Alexa," I said.

  "And I will." There was a long pause as we all studied each other's reaction. "So, can we make it official?"

  "What?" Riley asked.

  "I get to schedule to bedroom."

  "That's absolutely fine with me," Riley replied. "But Mason's decision is what matters."

  "If you are planning to make those adjustments," I told my first wife. "I don't see any reason not to let you be in charge of the bedroom. In fact, having someone take responsibility for that area is probably a good thing for all of us. Put it out there in the open. Don't make the girls wonder, you know."

  "Thank you," Alexa said, slightly teary eyed as she leaned over to kiss me on the lips.

  "Tonight," I said. "Please schedule yourself for my bed. I don't think that anyone would expect otherwise. You alone, sex and sleep. Is that okay?"

  "That is excellent. I am looking forward to it," Alexa replied before giving me another kiss. "Now, I believe you are anxious to learn more about Tamika's new clan. Are we ready for that?"

  "Maybe we should get the others in here?" Riley suggested.

  "Since it is of importance to security, send for Jada. She'll fill in Bianka later since she is currently guarding our borders. There is no need for Stella or the others to hear this firsthand. A small group will help us process the information more efficiently anyway."

  Alexa actually had more valuable information for me than I had expected. It could be grouped into different categories. The first was pertaining to the treatment of the infected. The current batch of medicine had a successful heal rate of less than twenty-five percent. That was due mostly to the variety of viruses that caused the condition. A new batch, however, was becoming available to the military groups that was more effective. Early testing suggested as much as a fifty percent heal rate. Unfortunately, in their haste, the center for disease control unwittingly released a concoction that had a negative effect on some of the patients. That presumably caused the zombie women that we had to kill on our way to rescue Alexa. She suggested that we be prepared to defend against more of their kind soon.

  The next category of intelligence provided was regarding Tamika's clan and her intentions. They were smaller and not as well-armed as us but had lofty goals. Their lack of powerful members was holding them back at the moment. As far as defense went, they were in a better position than us simply due to the advantages associated with their building. The school was easy to secure, only a few entry points despite the massive size of the structure and had excellent sniping points on the roof. The courtyard could be converted to farmland to make them self-sufficient even under siege, if they could somehow manage to get clean water piped in. Their distance from the river and lack of a mass filtering process was their weakness.

  Tamika's and Camilla's knowledge of the New Hampshire Avenue Militia was also significant. Alexa relayed to us what she was able to learn from them. The organization had over five hundred armed soldiers, though many were inexperienced new recruits. Their positioning gave them control over several major roads, including New Hampshire Avenue, Colesville Pike, Interstate Ninety-Five and a small portion of the DC beltway. In doing so, it made them defend a massive area from many angles.

  The ambassadors from earlier in the day had claimed that it was easier to make a treaty with us, since we had no aspirations of overthrowing their regime. However, that mentality could not last forever. If they succeeded in securing their territory, and aligning with neighboring military groups, they would not tolerate our independence in the long term.

  The military organizations, or Coalition as they called themselves, were sending all confirmed mutants to a secure facility for testing. It wa
s unknown whether they would be converted into weapons to join the cause or be eliminated. It was rumored that the holding facility was the old Pentagon building in northern Virginia across the Potomac River from DC.

  Unhealed skanks were being sent away as well. Some believed that they were being incinerated, though the authorities claimed they would be detained until a cure was discovered. Any way you looked at it, if you were captured by the military, they had plans for you.

  Jada and I continued to talk regarding our defenses and any adjustments that could be made while Riley and Alexa started on dinner. The place was beginning to feel like home again. During the meal Alexa shared with us what she had to eat at the school, the poor conditions of their outside toilets, and updates on Camilla's doings. Though the voluptuous bronze-skinned beauty maintained the same personality, she appeared to be maturing in some ways.

  It had been a very long day for me. An unexpected meeting with a large enemy, a rescue mission, and all the emotions of having Alexa return to us. I got sleepy a couple hours earlier than usual.