"I understand," I told him. "I'm not completely opposed to an alliance or having you move into the neighborhood. But trust takes time to build, you know. I'm curious why you brought all of your women with you to our place. Seems like you would have left some of them over there to protect that house while we talked."
"That was actually my line of thinking, too," John answered. "But Corinne suggested that you would wonder where the others were, maybe even think that we were poking around your perimeter. She said that you might trust us more if you could see us all together."
"A wise woman, this Corinne," I said. "You make it sound like an alliance was not your idea."
"Technically, no. But I'm not opposed to the idea either, to be clear."
"Who in your clan specifically have spoken in favor of an alliance, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Corinne and Bianka," replied John without hesitation. He did not strike me as a seasoned negotiator. "They are the only two voices left that tend to bend my ear, so to speak. Camilla had a high position in our clan. I'm sure that she has been a great advisor to you already. It is a surprise to see her still alive. Some of the others will be pleased, as am I of course."
"It's good to see you, too, John," Camilla said before Alexa placed a hand on her thigh, communicating that she should not get involved.
"Maybe we should bring in these two women that you mentioned, Corinne and Bianka, and discuss possibly working together." I believed that it would be easier to judge their true intention if we had multiple people to read.
"Of course," responded John. "Only that will leave our three weakest out there alone."
"We'll help protect them if there is trouble," I said. "Don't worry about that."
"You have some rotten bitches in your backyard, by the way," John said. "I'm not sure if you are aware. I saw one enter the pool house as we were approaching."
"Well, that's a funny story, John," Camilla spoke up again. Before she could be shushed, she added, "Mason is letting them live there."
"Really?" John registered surprise at the comment with some restraint, the same as he did when he saw Camilla on the couch.
"The two women in the pool house have been infected, true. But they are still mostly human. I'm keeping them close as an experiment for now. Not that I need to explain things to you."
"Of course."
"I'd appreciate it if you tell the others in your group to let them be unless they become a threat," I said. Hopefully, keeping skanks on the side was not a leadership flaw in his eyes. His clan respecting our territorial zone would be a prerequisite for an alliance.
"I will do. As long as they stay on your property, we won't mess with them. So, yes, we could bring in Corinne and Bianka if you like."
"Unarmed," Jada added.
"Of course," John replied. He then called for them to enter after leaving their weapons with the other girls. Corinne did so without hesitation. Bianka, however, seemed to have a personal relationship with her two wooden stakes. Did she consider herself some sort of vampire hunter? A moment later I watched as she entrusted them to a young woman that was possibly in her mid-teens.
Corinne stepped in first with her hands in the air, obviously expecting to be body searched. She turned out to be the dark-skinned woman that was very similar to Jada. A beautiful female with a definite warrior vibe going on. Her muscular form filled out her dark green and black tights with matching short sleeve top. Her booty was noticeably larger than Jada’s. The bridge of her nose was slightly crooked reminding me that I had broken it with her own spear, just after she had pierced one of my women in the hip.
"Let me search her!" Jada yelled as she was about to abandon her post at the monitor. It was clear that she wanted revenge against the woman that caused her injury.
"Jada!" I raised my hand to stop her. "Please stay by the monitor so we know what is going on outside." Begrudgingly, she complied.
"Your security system is working, too?" John asked.
"I remember injuring you in battle," Corinne spoke like a leader. Her focus on Jada and addressing the issue so quickly impressed me. "If I had known that we would possibly join forces I would never have done it, of course."
"Is that supposed to be an apology?" Jada responded in disgust.
"The closest thing to an apology that you'll ever get out of her." Camilla interjected.
"Camilla!" Corinne seemed to just notice that her Brazilian friend was seated on the sofa. Her face exploded with joy as her diplomatic air got pushed aside. "You live! That is awesome! How are you?"
"I'm fine," she replied, still bouncing with enthusiasm on the sectional sofa. "Just not used to being on the bottom of the pecking order."
"You two can maybe catch up later," I told the dark-skinned visitor. "Right now, I need you to step over here where Riley can guard you. We don't want Jada to have a mishap with her pistol."
"It could still happen," Jada said.
Corinne went where I directed which allowed room for Bianka to enter. This girl was petite like Alexa, with long blonde hair, too. Her round face was quite attractive, as was her smooth tan skin. When she turned in a circle to be visibly checked for weapons, I couldn't help but take note of her pokey little ass in her tight jean shorts that we used to call Daisy Dukes. Surprisingly in this heat, she wore a leather vest that tied together over her ample cleavage, and no bra visible. She was most certainly a hottie but had a little attitude in the way that she handled herself. Adding to her unique appearance were five earrings in each ear, and a ring on every finger.
"Let's head over to the dining room table," I said, guiding the three of them to sit on the same side so they could be easily guarded. I asked Alexa to join me on my side and directed Camilla to stay silent on the sofa. Surprisingly, she followed my instructions without issue. It was clear, though, that she was very interested in the proceedings.
"So, Corinne," I addressed the black woman. Her short afro hair style was not near as attractive as Jada's hair, but appeared to be much softer. Interestingly, her eyes were as dark as my friend's. I wondered if that meant that she had not acquired a special talent either. "I understand that you suggested this alliance. Would you like to pitch me on the idea?"
"Sure, Mason," she replied respectfully. "It's nice to meet you by the way. You were quite impressive in battle the last time we met. My thinking is that both of our clans are small compared to others in the DC Baltimore area. An alliance would allow us to unite for conflict while still maintaining our independence otherwise. I had been toying with the idea but never suggested it until we were checking out the house next door. We certainly don't want to be enemies. I suggest that we put the past behind us and consider being friends, of sorts."
"Why did your clan attack us to begin with?" I asked.
"That was boss man's decision. I won't deny that most of us were fine with the idea, though. We were moving into the area and clearing all threats. It was simply a tactical procedure. He saw that you had three attractive female followers, and like the horny bastard that he was, he wanted to take them from you."
"And you no longer feel this way?" I asked.
"To be clear, I never desired your women. We had plenty of drama in our camp already. I also realize that joining forces is the smarter play now. A conflict between our clans would likely end in more casualties, making the surviving group smaller. There would be nothing gained in that."
"And, Bianka," I turned my attention to the tan beauty. "What is your reasoning for supporting an alliance?"
Bianka look surprised that she was given a chance to speak. I quickly got the impression that Corinne was the real leader of the group, and that Bianka was simply an outspoken supporter. John was clearly a figurehead and a physical intimidation to others. He might speak for the clan, but Corinne formed the words for him.
"I just agree with Corinne's line of thinking," she replied. But I wanted to engage her some more. Perhaps it was to give us a fuller view of their group dynamic and ment
ality. Or, maybe, I was just attracted to the girl and wanted to look at her more while she talked.
"Please explain in more detail while you support her line of thinking," I requested. "I'm sure that you are an intelligent person able to think for yourself. John mentioned that you spoke in favor of an alliance."
"To be brutally honest," Bianka replied. "I feel a little weak since our defeat in the attack on your clan. When I joined the group, we already had ten people, most of them skilled in battle in one way or another. We had a chance of fighting off the New Hampshire Avenue Militia. But not now. And though you four were fierce and unpredictable in your success against us, you too would struggle against a large military force. We have good people that I don't want to get killed. I'm sure that you feel the same way about your friends, too."
A huge part of this little sit-down meeting was for Alexa to get a good read on the intentions of our guests. I hoped that I was asking the right questions to help her isolate the emotions that would assist in that endeavor. I knew all along that she would also be reading me. She just couldn't help it. I had grown accustomed to this hazard and went with the 'nothing to hide mentality.'
When she leaned in to whisper in my ear, I was fully expecting some useful information regarding whether to begin this alliance. Instead, she whispered, "Sweetie, Bianka is a lesbian."
"I see," was my response. The others had no idea to what, unless one of them had super hearing, which did not appear to be the case.
"Also, they seem to be on the up-and-up. I don't detect any malicious intent."
"Good to know," I replied. "Well, I don't see any reason why you guys shouldn't move in next door. We can take this new alliance slow, kind of feel each other out as we go. I agree in the whole strength in numbers idea, as long as our philosophies and agenda align reasonably well. But we can talk about that some more later."
"If you don't mind me asking," John spoke up. "Does your refrigerator work?"
"Yes."
"That's awesome, man. Is it the solar power?"
"Yes, it is."
"Do you think you could help me figure out how to get the panels working at our new place?"
Brand new neighbor and he was already asking for favors. That’s okay. That sort of thing would speed up the relationship between our separate groups. And I’ll make sure that we get our share of favors as well.
"Maybe. I'm not real familiar with solar power systems but I managed to get ours running."
"In return, we could provide you with some venison for your freezer."
"That sounds good," I replied. Adding more meat to our diet was the plan now that we had electricity. In the recent, Jada had been our hunter, and it was mostly small game since we couldn't preserve the meat. I didn't want to pressure her to get back out there just yet. We had plenty of ammo now that I could possibly shoot something larger. But letting someone else do the killing was fine with me.
We invited the remaining members of John’s clan inside and spent a few minutes introducing the newcomers to our people. Camilla hugged everyone from her old clan making me wonder if maybe we should give her back. She certainly wasn't getting any hugs from our people. Losing her ability to confuse the enemy would be a big loss, though. We would need something significant in exchange. It wasn't worth considering at this point except that my whole mentality was not to claim women for my clan. By my own very code of conduct, she should be free to leave.
There was still some hostility between the ebony warriors, but overall it was like a brief visit from new neighbors. John had apparently found himself another rifle, or maybe they had a stash of weapons waiting for them where they had been staying. The bulge of a handgun in the back of Nadia's pants could not be overlooked as she stood just inside the door.
Nadia was the big girl that wielded the fireman's ax in our conflict with them. That weapon now sat in our coat closet, none of us comfortable with its weight to be used for anything but chopping wood, which was an unnecessary chore these days. I had no interest in offering it back to her at this juncture.
Stella was the girl that Camilla mentioned had good knowledge of plant life and farming. She was a cute little thing, undeniably looking younger than age twenty. Slender and toned, like my wife, with small breasts. Her yellow eyes were a little disturbing, but she kept her gaze downward most of the time due to shyness. The girl's straight brown hair was so silky looking. She must be washing it every day.
The last girl was Ling, a short chubby Asian girl with a constant frown on her face like she was smelling something bad. Maybe she was. The stink of our world was hard to completely accept. I doubt that a person could ever totally get used to it. The expression made her resemble an angry chipmunk.
Our parting words had us arranging to meet around noon the next day to start this cooperation of ours. After barring the door, we were each expressing the good and bad of forming this new alliance, mostly good. Our words were carefully chosen with Camilla among us. She was all for it, of course.
Our conversation was then interrupted when Seiko asked, "What's going on?" She seemed to be in near panic despite her waking from a drug and exhaustion induced slumber, perhaps forgetting the ordeal that had brought her to us.
CHAPTER NINE:
"Hi Seiko," Alexa was the first to greet her. "How are you feeling?"
"Lost," she replied as she pulled her legs up with her arms, a protective posture on the sofa. We all started to gather around her which only seemed to make her confusion worse.
"Do you remember coming here?" Alexa asked in a caring nurse's tone.
"Not really."
"What do you remember last?"
"I was running from Sawyer when I got shot in the arm. Hey, its bandaged up," she noticed. "It still hurts, though."
"The pain medicine wore off," Alexa replied. We all kept a reasonable distance as she handled the girl's memory issues. "Mason and Jada saved you from that man. Do you remember that?"
"Kind of. I know that Sawyer got distracted by other people and that gave me a chance to run. I guess that was them. When I got too tired to go any farther, I hid in the bushes. Yes, I remember those two finding me there and helping me to their house. It's coming back to me now. Then you and the skinny girl treated my arm. But you didn't do a good enough job because it still hurts pretty bad."
"Have you ever been shot before?" Jada asked with her urban tone.
"No."
"Yeah, well it hurts. And it would to continue to hurt even after the best doctor treats the wound. You are going to have to suck it up."
"Can I have some more pain medicine then?" Seiko was intimidated by Jada’s bluntness. Perhaps, it was exactly what the girl needed to hear.
"Sure," Alexa replied, gesturing for Riley to fetch the bottle.
"Maybe we can talk a little first," I suggested. I wanted some information before she passes out again.
"It will take ten minutes or so for it to really kick in, and I'm only going to give her half as much as before. She should be able to answer your questions." Alexa handed just one pill to Seiko and a cup of water. I waited until she took the medicine before I began my questioning.
"This Sawyer guy, was he with the gang that lives in the school?" Seiko nodded. "Were you part of their group?"
"No, I was traveling with a friend. But they killed her when she ran and took me prisoner. I was there for less than a day before I escaped."
"How many people do they have?" I asked. I tried to keep my tone friendly. Her cooperation might end if it begins to feel like I’m interrogating a prisoner. We did not consider her that way, but here I was demanding information instead of making her feel more at ease.
"I don't know, but it has to be at least twenty. I probably saw that many myself."
"Do they have a lot of guns?"
"I saw a few. Not everybody has one. Can I ask some questions?"
"Sure," I replied. She was not our enemy. An exchange of basic useful information would make her feel more comfor
table with us.
"Who are you people?"
Alexa replied before I could. "We are a small clan that likes helping people. Mason is our leader. I'm Alexa. These are Jada, Riley and Camilla."
"What about the people that just left?"
"They belong to another small clan. We are trying to be friends with them. Are you sure that your friend was killed? Is there a chance that they are still alive?"
"I doubt it," Seiko replied as she loosened her posture to look more at ease with her surroundings. "She got shot in the back. I have another friend that we had to leave behind. She got sick with the zombie flu. Shelby and I were going to look for the people that have a cure. Hey, you guys have lights! How did that happen?"
"It's solar power," I interjected. "Back up a bit. Did you say that there is a cure for the viruses?" Seiko nodded. "How do you know this?"
"People have been talking about it, I guess. Sawyer's people said that the army that controls the highway is trying to snatch up all the batches that have been made so far."
"Ah," I said. "That explains why they are gathering so many skanks."
"Skanks?"
"That's what we call the zombie-like women," Jada responded.
"I'm hungry," Seiko changed the subject again. "Do you guys have any food?"
The next half hour was spent fixing a meal for everyone and learning as much from Seiko that we could. She actually didn't know much that was useful. Spending years in Texas, California, and New York before coming to the DC area, she had never gone to college. Working a retail job at the mall, Seiko was living in an apartment when everything started going bad. Her father was Chinese and died early with the first virus. Her mother was half-Chinese, half Korean and came to visit after her husband passed. Surprisingly, she was also immune, but kidnapped while looking for food three months ago.
Seiko had been traveling north trying to keep up with the gang that took her mother, but lost track of them one night. Since then she was just trying to survive. When she asked if she could stay with us for a while, Camilla quickly informed her that she would be the bottom girl in the clan. Seiko said that she didn't care about anything like that. In her mind they would all die eventually anyway, might as well make your last days enjoyable.
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