Forsaken World:Coming of Age

by Thomas A. Watson

  Walking back, Lance tried to reason out what was going on. When he walked toward the buggy, Jennifer saw the look of deep thought. “What the hell has you thinking that hard?”

  “I just saw a stinker try to sneak up on a doe,” he told her, putting his bow and quiver in the buggy. “When the doe ran off, the stinker didn’t follow it. It was like she knew she couldn’t catch it.”

  “So?”

  “Jennifer, they always chase. Well, not chase but head in the direction after food,” Lance said, grabbing the thermals and looking over at the ridge. “Another thing, she smelled like rotten eggs but not until I was right up on her, like feet away.”

  Putting her trash in a bag, Jennifer threw Dino the rest of her food. “You know I was going to mention last week that I didn’t smell them until I got really close,” she said, looking around.

  Lance thought about it and had to agree, but he never paid it much attention. “They’re still changing,” he said, scanning the ridge.

  “They need to fall over dead and stop learning new fucking tricks,” Jennifer huffed, pulling her AR across her chest.

  Lowering the binoculars, Lance nodded. “You got my vote on that.”

  They waited for an hour with Lance sitting on the ground beside the buggy and Jennifer standing beside it, scanning around. “Our friend seems to have made it,” Lance suddenly said.

  Spinning around, Jennifer lifted her rifle, looking at the ridge across from them almost a mile away. “You saw her?”

  “Yeah, I can see her through the trees, jogging with two dogs along the ridge,” Lance said as the woman stopped where they drove up. He could tell she was looking at the ground, and the dogs were sniffing around. The woman looked up and continued down the ridge.

  “Where is she?” Jennifer asked, lowering her rifle and moving to the buggy, grabbing the regular binoculars.

  “You know where we drove up?”

  “Yeah, past that small clearing where a finger runs up to the ridge crest.”

  Hearing her use what Ian and he had taught her, Lance grinned. “Yeah, she just passed it, following our trail.”

  Zooming in, Jennifer searched the ridgeline and saw something moving between the trees. When it stopped in a break between the trees, Jennifer grunted. “I think she stopped where we came down.”

  “No, she found where we came down,” Lance said. “Bitch is good.”

  “She got caught by a gang. She can’t be that good.”

  “Think about that, Jennifer,” Lance said as the woman and dogs started down the slope. “She kept looking around for the better part of an hour and didn’t see anything. She walked past the RV. She had no reason to suspect people would jump out when she walked back. How many cars have we seen just abandoned on the road?”

  “Okay,” Jennifer huffed. “Why did the gang just let her walk by?”

  “I’m just guessing, but they saw her carrying that jug and knew she would have to sling her rifle to carry it back to where she came from.”

  Jennifer looked over at Lance, following the woman down the slope in the thermal binoculars. “Your reasoning sometimes scares the shit out of me.”

  “Now you know why I act paranoid sometimes,” Lance grinned. “She’s following our exact path. I know Ian and I have crossed that slope, never taking the same way twice, and she and those dogs are on our trail.”

  “What are we going to do?” Jennifer said as fear gripped her heart. With her adrenaline gone, she didn’t want to hurt the woman. She knew the woman only wanted someplace safe.

  Slowly, Lance put down his binoculars and thought for a minute. “She’ll find the cabin. I doubt she’ll make it to it with all the traps, but I really don’t want to hurt her,” he said, bringing the binoculars back up. “Let’s talk to her and see what she has to say.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, she’s not a threat,” Lance said.

  “She has an AR.”

  “That she has kept slung on her shoulder,” Lance said. “She knows we might be watching and doesn’t want to present a threat. With stinkers running around and after almost being raped, I would have my rifle in my hands, ready to use. Hospitality be damned.”

  Jennifer watched the woman and two dogs she could now tell were German Shepherds run down the hill. “Lance, if she doesn’t stop following us and the gang catches her again, they can make her talk.”

  “I know,” he said in a low voice.

  When the woman reached the small valley floor, she stopped in the trees, looked around, then sprinted across and back into the trees, coming up the slope toward them. “How do you want to handle this?” Jennifer asked.

  “Let’s see what she says then decide if we take her to the cabin.”

  A shiver ran up Jennifer’s spine at the thought of letting anyone else near the cabin but realized it was bound to happen sooner or later. “At least it’s a girl,” Jennifer said. “I don’t like the idea of bringing men to the cabin.”

  Fighting a wave of nausea, Lance didn’t have the heart to tell Jennifer there were women at the scene he and Ian had watched cheering men on and even participating. He understood her reason though; men posed more of a physical danger. Getting up, Lance put the binoculars in the buggy and pulled his AR across his chest. “Stay on that side of the buggy, and keep your rifle in the low ready position.” Taking a deep breath, Jennifer patted her leg, and Dino moseyed over and sat down beside her.

  It took a half hour for the woman to reach the clearing. When she saw them on the other side, she raised her hands. “I swear, I’m not a threat, but please let me talk,” she called out in a low voice.

  “You can put your hands down. I know you’re tired,” Lance said, and the woman gave a sigh of relief and moved over to them. “Just don’t make sudden moves, and just to let you know, Dino can kill both your dogs before they attack. He’s been trained.”

  “Judy, George, heel,” the woman said, and the dogs moved over to her and sat on either side of her, panting. “I’m not stupid enough to challenge a full-grown Mastiff even with two German Shepherds.”

  Tilting his head, Lance smiled. “Just wanted to get it out in the open, you wanted to talk to us?”

  “Yes, my name is Lilly. Can I please come with you? I can work and know how to shoot. I was two months shy of being a veterinarian before the infection hit. I can help your group,” she said with an almost pleading look. “Can I talk to your parents to see if I can join?”

  “Why do you want to join us? You don’t know anything about us,” Lance said, watching her face.

  Lilly’s eyes grew misty. “You saved me and didn’t ask for anything. You’re teenagers, and you did that. I know if the adults in your group taught you that, I don’t have to worry about my safety.”

  Feeling very sorry for Lilly, Lance swallowed the lump in his throat and dropped his hands off his rifle. “Do me a favor, and lay your rifle on the ground at your feet, and if you have a pistol, place it there too,” he said, walking around the buggy to Jennifer. “I need to talk to my partner, and it would make us feel better knowing we didn’t have to watch you.” Lilly nodded and put her rifle on the ground then pulled out two pistols, placing them beside her AR.

  When Lance was beside her, Jennifer whispered but didn’t look away from the woman. “Lance, we can’t bring someone back without talking it over with everyone. That’s the rules.”

  Looking at Jennifer, Lance smiled, seeing she was staring at the woman. “I know, but it’s not like we can leave her here, drive back, talk to them, then come back and get her. Stinkers are around and will be coming to that one I just killed.”

  “Okay, we blindfold her at the very least,” Jennifer said, finally looking away from Lilly and up at Lance’s face.

  A grin split Lance’s face. “She followed us this far; she wouldn’t have trouble finding the cabin.”

  “You’re right, but she won’t know how to get through the field of traps,” Jennifer snapped quietly.

 
; “Good girl,” Lance said, patting her arm. “You’re thinking out past the moment.”

  “Hell, I have the best two teachers for that,” she said as she looked over at Lilly, who had her hands clasped together at her waist, staring at them with hope on her face.

  “Come on,” Lance said, turning around and walking toward Lilly. “Lilly, I’m Lance, and my partner here is Jennifer. We’ve talked it over and will take you to our group but with conditions.”

  “Oh thank you,” she said, dropping to her knees with tears running down her face. For the first time, Lance really looked at her. Lilly was filthy as hell. And then he smelled her and thought she could give a stinker a run for their money on BO. She had black hair past her shoulders, and what wasn’t soaked in sweat was sticking out with leaves and dirt caught in it.

  “You can keep your weapons, but you ride up front with me and will wear a blindfold. Our area is surrounded by deterrents, and we don’t want you to know how we get in. You will have to be voted in for a trial period, and if not, you will have to leave. Now, if that happens and any scouts see you, they will shoot first. If accepted for a trial period, you have to prove your worth, and if not, you’ll be asked to leave, and the same thing goes: If you’re seen, you’ll be shot.”

  “Lance,” Lilly said, still kneeling. “I grew up on a ranch. I’ll work; I promise you. I’ll do whatever your group needs me to do. What you saw today wasn’t the first time someone’s tried to rape me, but I know without your help that this time, they would’ve succeeded.”

  Looking at the two dogs beside her, Lance looked at Lilly’s face. “Just why in the hell did you go out without your dogs? They would’ve smelled that gang.”

  Reaching up with both arms, Lilly put them over the dogs. “When an infected gets too close, they attack no matter what I tell them. They’re young, and I’m working on that.”

  “Well, I hate to tell you, that’s a good thing,” Lance said, holding out a hand to help Lilly up.

  “Not when you’re hiding, it’s not,” Lilly said, grabbing his gloved hand, and Lance pulled her up. “I’m sure you know if you stay out of sight and don’t move, the infected will pass you by. Judy and George haven’t grasped that concept yet. When I make a short run, I leave them at camp so if I see infected, I can hide. When I’m moving, we just run away, or if it’s only one or two, we kill them.”

  Lance looked at the buggy with the netting over it. “Yeah, we learned that, but it seems the stinkers are getting smarter.”

  Lilly forced a chuckle. “You think?” she said, throwing up her hands. “I had one open a car door on me two days ago. How he knew I was in there under that blanket, I’ll never know.”

  “Opened a car door?” Jennifer gasped.

  “Yeah, scared the holy hell out of me,” Lilly said, petting one of the dogs. “George knocked him down so Judy and I could get out, then we killed it and a few others.” She looked up at them. “Stinkers?”

  “Infected,” Lance said.

  “I trust you’ve noticed they aren’t putting out as much hydrogen sulfide now,” Lilly said, and Lance’s eyes grew wide. “I started noticing it a few weeks ago. When you kill them, they still put out a bunch but not when they are moving around—alive if you want to call them that.”

  “You seem to know something about it,” Lance said, watching her face intently.

  “Hell, I should. I was at school when it was turned into a research center when all this started. We even got samples from the meteorite. I wasn’t in on that, but after the shit hit the proverbial fan, I was brought in since I know my way around a lab.”

  “Get your weapons, and sit up front with me,” Lance said, turning around. “We need to talk to the group.”

  With tears of joy streaming out of her eyes just for the chance to stay with a group, Lilly grabbed her weapons and put them in the back of the buggy. When she sat down in the front seat, Jennifer leaned over. “I’m just blindfolding you,” she said, taking out her shemagh, and wrapped it around Lilly’s eyes, tying it behind her head.

  “I can still see,” Lilly said and tucked the fabric up, blocking her vision. Lance looked at Jennifer, who had a smile on her face. Lance nodded as he sat down with a grin.

  Grabbing his radio, Lance pressed the button. “Enterprise, away team returning with one extra. No alarm.”

  “Copy,” Ian replied shortly.

  “I hope we are going to Picard’s Enterprise because the others sucked,” Lilly said as Lance turned the buggy around. “Don’t get me wrong; I liked Kirk but really want to beat his ass for not listening to Spock.”

  “Shit, you’ve got my vote already,” Lance said, easing into the trees.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “All that and she knows Star Trek? I think we should give her a chance,” Ian said, looking around the table at everyone.

  Lance had taken a roundabout route home then pulled up to the rear of the cabin. They took off Lilly’s blindfold and asked her to wait. She stared around at the cabin, goats, pig pen, chicken coop, and buildings in wonder.

  Getting out of his chair, Lance walked over to the living area and pointed at the screen showing the backyard and Lilly sitting in the buggy. The others looked at Lilly wearing an old army jacket, baggy pants, and tennis shoes. “Dino is outside sitting with her. I know he’s an animal, but he’s saved our asses too many times not to get a vote, and you can see where his vote is,” Lance said, walking back.

  “She’s tough,” Jennifer said. “She ran after us and tracked us down.”

  “She’s an animal doctor,” Carrie grinned.

  “She has dogs, a boy and a girl, so they can have puppies,” Allie cheered.

  “And she said she grew up on a ranch,” Ian said, nodding. “I propose we let her stay and see if she will work out. It’s not like we don’t need some help around here. All of us are getting worked to the bone.”

  “All those in favor,” Lance said, holding up his hand, and everyone raised theirs. “Okay, but I think we should tell her she can’t go into the basement and see the bunker or the hidden area behind the shop until we’re a little more certain that she’s on the level.”

  Everyone looked around, nodding. “And when she comes in, she is taking a shower,” Lance said.

  “Lance, she’s been living on the run,” Jennifer said, throwing her hands up.

  “Yes, she has, and that alone proves how tough she is, but she’s not anymore. So she hits the showers.”

  “I’m sure she would love one,” Jennifer laughed.

  “Will you go and get her?” Lance asked, and Jennifer nodded, almost running for the door.

  When Lilly came in behind Jennifer, she stopped, looking at the kids at the table. “Where are your parents?”

  “They’re on the way here,” Lance said then introduced everyone. He looked over at Jennifer, who was looking at Lilly’s AR in her hands. Stepping over, Lance grabbed it. “You used this!” he cried out, looking at the filthy weapon.

  “Yeah, I cleaned it the best I could, but my dad never had a rifle like that,” Lilly said remorsefully. “I can take that Ruger you have in the buggy apart and clean it, but that was the only rifle I could get my hands on, and I took it off an infected soldier. I never found a manual for it and had to figure out how to work it. I was scared to take it apart.”

  “It worked?” Ian asked, stepping over and taking the rifle from Lance.

  “Well, I could only shoot once or twice before it jammed, and I had to clear it.”

  Ian looked up at Lance. “Dude, this thing is going to have to sit in the sonic bath for a week before we can even touch it.”

  Lance looked up at Lilly. “We’re going to give you a new one, but you’ll learn how to use it and clean it.”

  “Thank you.” Lilly smiled. “I will take care of it if I only know how to take the thing apart.”

  He didn’t want to sound rude, but the body odor was somewhat strong, making his nose twitch. Lance pointed to the girl’s b
athroom. “Lilly, go take a shower while we get supper ready.”

  “Shower?” Lilly mumbled in holy reverence.

  “Yeah, and don’t take this the wrong way, but we’re burning your clothes,” Jennifer said, pulling her to the bathroom. “I’ll get you some new ones.”

  When Jennifer pushed Lilly in the bathroom, she shut the door and ran down to the basement. Allie looked up at Lance. “Whew, she was smelly.”

  “Said the same thing, Allie baby,” Lance said with a grin. They started on supper as Jennifer ran back up carrying an armload of clothes and boots. A few seconds later, Jennifer came out carrying a bra.

  “Boy, got that wrong,” Jennifer mumbled as she headed back downstairs.

  Ian moved over to Lance. “My God, did you see the size of those things? I bet you could put cantaloupes in them.”

  “Yeah,” Lance nodded and started setting the table. When Jennifer came back up, Lance’s jaw fell open, seeing her carrying a bigger bra. “Jennifer, that’s not going to fit her,” Lance hissed.

  Jennifer scoffed. “Then you weren’t paying attention to how that baggy jacket fit her.”

  Lilly may had been naked in front of his scope, but Lance never noticed her; he only noticed the men around her, laughing as she screamed.

  “I could use that thing as a slingshot for soccer balls,” Lance said as Jennifer went in the bathroom, and Ian walked over to him.

  “I’m glad you did something to stop them from hurting her no matter if she works out or not,” Ian said, grabbing Lance’s shoulder. “We couldn’t the other time because thirty against two are dead man’s odds.”

  “Thank you, but I’m sorry we did without calling back,” Lance said, slowly setting the table. “I couldn’t watch it again, Ian. I know it was stupid, but I just couldn’t watch it again.”