Fight Like a Man: A Post-Apocalyptic Thriller (The SHTF Series Book 1)

by L. L. Akers

  A woman like this shouldn’t be stranded far from her knight in shining armor, as she put it.

  “You ladies have food and water?” he asked.

  Tina gave him an almost patronizing smile and nodded. “Yeah, we’ve got plenty.”

  How could they have plenty if they’d walked here and been camping for days? Surely any food they’d had with them—and water—would be gone by now. Jake wasn’t aware of a river or creek anywhere near. Maybe that was her pride talking?

  His conscious pricked at him. What if Gabby and the girls needed help right now wherever they were stranded? He’d been hoping and praying for days that someone would step up and help them, if and when they needed it. He’d be a hypocrite to not do something for these women now.

  “Can I meet your friend?” he asked, hoping to get a look at their campsite and see how they were faring before making any decisions.

  “Sure. Come on.” She tilted her head toward the woods. “Here’s a wide enough opening to get your 4-wheeler through.”

  Jake waited for her to get out of the way, and then drove the ATV through the ditch, and just into the edge of the woods, hiding it from view. He got off and followed as Tina quietly stalked through the woods, admiring her skills. She barely rustled a leaf, quiet as a mouse.

  He sounded like a herd of elephants as he walked.

  They approached the campsite from behind, and he saw the other woman, Tarra, who was doing something that nearly blew Jake’s mind. She had a small piece of wood tapped into a tree, and under that she was tying an empty water bottle to the trunk, held tightly to the tree with a boot shoelace.

  In just a moment, he watched in astonishment as clean, clear water began to drip into the bottle.

  “How’d you do that?” he asked, startling the woman, who reacted by whipping around and reaching for her own pistol, quick as lightning.

  Jake flinched. These women were no shrinking violets.

  Before she pulled the gun free, Tina stepped in front of Jake. “Wait, Tarra. This is Gabby’s husband. He’s okay.”

  It took Tarra a moment before her face fell into a friendly smile and Jake studied her. Strong chin and clear hazel eyes, she wore a ReelCamo Girl tank top with tight blue jeans and boots. The headband she wore with her bouncy pony-tail was also ReelCamoGirl. Jake recognized the brand, as he’d been forced to look through pictures of women on Facebook wearing it when Gabby decided she wanted some for her birthday. She looked clean enough to have just finished a photo session. She also didn’t look as though she needed his help.

  These women couldn’t hold a candle to his Gabby, but they were both attractive women; too cute to be out on their own in a strange town living in the woods. Grayson might get mad, but Gabby would never forgive him if he just left them here.

  And he was more afraid of Gabby then Grayson; by a long shot.

  Jake tried to make friends with Tarra, feeling terrible for catching her off guard. “Can you show me how to do that? Is it a special tree or something?”

  Tarra laughed. “They’re all special trees. Most of them are good for something. This one is a Birch. They’re everywhere in this area. Plenty of water. Just have to make sure you don’t drain too much from one tree and that you cover the hole. Otherwise, you’d kill the tree.”

  “That’s so cool. I want to learn how to do that.”

  “Google it. There’s tons of YouTube videos that show you how,” Tarra answered, and then laughed, letting him know she was kidding—sort of.

  “Tarra,” Tina admonished her. “She’s kidding. It’s easy to do. First, you need a Sycamore, a Birch or a Hickory Tree. Then you just find a small stick to use as a spout—or a tap—you’ll need to carve it down to flatten it on each end so the water runs smoothly off of it.

  Then find a flat spot on your tree and angle your knife up and give it a firm smack to imbed the tip of the knife into it about two centimeters. Give it a little wiggle. If you did it right, you’ll see water right away running down the knife. Then you drive your tap up into the hole with the flattened end you made, making sure it’s pointed down. Keep messing with it until the sap rolls down the stick instead of the trunk of the tree and position a container under it. It takes about an hour to get a full bottle, but works every time. Just be sure to cover the hole really well when you’re done or you’ll kill the tree, like Tarra said. You can even get sugar sap from Maple trees this same way if you need a sugar spike, or if you want some pancake syrup.”

  Jake nodded. “Impressive. I’ll have to try that.”

  He looked around at their campsite. They’d built a solid lean-to against a large fallen tree and covered it with layers of full branches, still green, and even plugged the holes with moss. It looked cozy enough. From the opening, he could see two good sleeping bags stretched out with travel pillows and pads underneath. Between their beds, there was a small sawed-off log being used as a table. A lantern sat on the table beside a solar charger, not being used at the moment, with an emergency hand-crank radio/flashlight combo.

  “You picking up anything on the radio?” he asked.

  “Not yet,” Tina answered. “Maybe soon, though. We keep trying.”

  Outside their lean-to shelter, they’d built a nice campfire ring with stones. One side had a make-shift rock oven of sorts. The other side held two racks made of sticks between two forked branches. On one of the racks a small pot of soup hung, bubbling, and on the other side a rabbit was slowly browning. It smelled delicious and Jake’s mouth watered. Stacked on a nearby log they were using as a table were camp-plates, two spork combos and actual condiments; salt, pepper, and Texas Pete. A half dozen more bottles of water were lined up next to it.

  Tina stepped up and expertly turned the rabbit on the spit.

  A sizable stack of firewood lay cut and split, all ready for burning, and an axe leaned beside it. The campsite was neat, functional and cozy. He looked around in awe.

  Definitely not shrinking violets. He was impressed. Maybe they didn’t need his help after all? Heck, maybe he and Grayson needed their help.

  He took a deep breath and gave it another thought. The least he could do was offer. “I’m headed to my brother-in-law’s homestead down the road a piece. Y’all are welcome to follow me there if you want.”

  Tarra and Tina exchanged serious looks.

  Jake hurried to answer their unasked question. “Gabby and her sisters are hopefully on their way. They were on a beach trip when the lights went out. They might even be there now.”

  “Who else is there?” Tarra asked suspiciously.

  Jake held his hands up, palms out. “I don’t know for sure, but I assume just my brother-in-law, Grayson. He’s married to Gabby’s twin sister, Olivia. He’s harmless. We both are,” he finished, followed with a nervous laugh. “We’ve got plenty of food and water there. You two can hold up until we figure out a way to get you home, if you want.”

  Tina and Tarra exchanged another look with each other and then looked around their camp. They were unfazed. They had what they needed right here, obviously.

  Tarra shrugged. “We’ve got plenty of food and water, too. We actually eat pretty well between the small game and the vegetation out here. We can get bigger game if we need it. I got that rabbit today, but yesterday Tina trapped two squirrels and we had squirrels and gravy for dinner. We’re not going hungry. But a bath would be nice.”

  Tina laughed at her friend and then nodded. “Agree. A bit more company would be cool too—and we’d both love to meet Gabby. How about you draw us a map, and we’ll talk about it between ourselves. Maybe we’ll head that way. Maybe we won’t. But we really do appreciate the offer.”

  Jake nodded, relieved. “Sounds good. It’s no more than an hour’s walk. I’ll write it down if you have some paper.”

  Tina crawled into the lean-to and grabbed a huge backpack, and conveniently pulled out a pen and notebook.

  Of course she did.

  Jake took a few moments to map it out and the
n shook both of their hands, promising to give their regards to Gabby, if they didn’t show up themselves to say hello. He wished them well and hurried back to his ATV, in a hurry to get to Grayson’s—as well as to get out of the woods alone with two pretty women…just in case his wife should happen that way all of a sudden.

  Crazy times and all that…

  He noisily forced his way back through the woods, feeling like a bull in a China shop. When he saw the road, he expected to see his 4-wheeler. Somehow, he must’ve got turned around.

  It wasn’t there.

  He turned in a circle. Behind him, he could just barely see the women deeper in the woods. He was in the right place…

  Stepping out of the woods into the road, he looked first one way, and then the other, just in time to see his—actually, not his—4-wheeler hauling ass and kicking up dirt behind it as the thief high-tailed it out of there. Tucker wasn’t going to be happy with him.

  “Damn it!” he yelled, taking Gabby’s hat off and slapping his leg. He couldn’t care less about the 4-wheeler, but he and Gabby’s wedding picture was in his bag. And they took that, too.

  Tina and Tarra jogged out to find Jake stalking up and down the road, swarping and swearing at his loss. They gave him his space and talked quietly until he noticed them.

  Jake faced them with a red face, still spitting mad. “Took my damn bag. My stuff. My water. My gun. And me and Gabby’s wedding picture for fucks sake!”

  “You didn’t have your gun on you?” Tina asked in amazement.

  “No! I hate guns. Damn thing isn’t even loaded.”

  He stomped off and paced back and forth another minute and then turned back to the women and took in a deep breath. He held it for a moment and then apologized. “I’m sorry about my language, ladies. I’ll be heading out now.”

  He turned to walk away.

  The women whispered to each other, and Tarra spoke up. “Wait. Give us time to break up camp. We’ll walk with you.”

  “You’re coming with me?” Jake asked, confused.

  Tina shrugged. “Not much choice now. You showed that thief where our camp was. He’ll be back for more, probably sneaking in tonight after it gets dark. We don’t plan to be here when he does. And you…well, someone needs to watch your six.”

  27

  The Ladies

  Mei watched as Gabby, Olivia and Emma all lined up for training by Elmer. He was teaching them how to shoot a shotgun, while she sat on the porch step watching them closely. He insisted the girls take the gun with them, just in case. They were going to finish shooting, and then get on the road, hoping to be home by nightfall.

  More walking…

  She couldn’t take it anymore though. They wouldn’t all be leaving here.

  She’d let them have their peaceful breakfast, and she’d eaten her fill and then some. Why not? She was hungry. But the repeated blast of the shotgun had her nerves jumping. She sat with her hand and her stump over her ears, flinching each time the gun roared.

  Gabby and Olivia had handled the shotgun without a hitch, both shooting toward the stack of hay that Elmer had attached a huge target to. The target was now scraps of paper, blowing in the wind and the hay had a large hole blasted in it. It was Olivia’s turn. Mei almost felt sorry for her.

  Almost.

  It was clear that Olivia’s twin sister, Gabby, was head and shoulders above her twin in nearly every way. She was stronger, braver, smarter, not as whiney, and knew how to survive in the woods without a man—or at least she did okay as long as she had the bug-out bag, as Gabby ridiculously kept calling it. And her husband had packed that. However, she had to give full credit to Gabby for getting her out of the clutches of the motorcycle gang and getting them this far.

  But had Gabby really done her a favor? Maybe she would have been better off trading her body for food and water and at least having someone take care of her. After hearing the girls talking earlier, she knew she wouldn’t have a home with them. She couldn’t fight the demons inside of her. These women would eventually throw her away, just as everyone else in her life had done.

  It wasn’t fair. Why should they all be blessed, and not her? She wasn’t always like this. She could be either one of them. A mother. A wife. A sister.

  But she wasn’t.

  Not anymore.

  She’d always drawn the short straw in life.

  It’s time to even up the straws.

  She watched as Gabby stood shoulder to shoulder with Emma, encouraging Olivia to just give it a try. She had her hip cocked out, thinking she was all that. The pistol she hoarded and lorded over them stuck out from the waistband of her shapely pants. A real Annie Oakley there, she thought. Gabby acted as though it didn’t bother her at all it was back there.

  Maybe it should’ve.

  “Come on, now girl. You can do this,” Elmer grunted. He was getting irritated. “Your sisters did it. They’re still alive and kicking.”

  Olivia stuck her hands in her pockets and smiled shyly. “We already have a gun, Elmer. And Gabby knows how to shoot it. We don’t need another one. I don’t need to shoot,” she insisted.

  Elmer snorted. “Can’t depend on your sister to get you out of every scrap. What if someone takes her gun? Come on up here. You’re stronger than you think you are.”

  Gabby took Olivia’s hand and dragged her forward a few steps. “He’s right, Olivia. Anything could happen out there. Emma and I will trade off carrying the shotty,” she winked at Elmer, having adopted his nickname for the gun. “You only need to know how to shoot it in case of an emergency.”

  Mei rolled her eyes at Gabby. Clearly, Olivia didn’t want to. Why was it okay to force her sister to do something she didn’t want to do?

  Olivia adamantly refused. Good for her.

  Elmer caught Mei’s eye. “How ‘bout you? Want to learn to shoot it?”

  “No,” Mei answered.

  Elmer gave her a stern look. “Why not? Step up here, I’ll show you how.”

  Gabby ran a hand over her face and turned her back to Mei, and said something. It was clear she didn’t want Mei to hear what she was saying, but Mei wasn’t stupid. Either Gabby didn’t trust her, or she thought she couldn’t shoot with one hand.

  She was wrong.

  Mei stood up, fire boiling in her veins. She wasn’t a bad person. She was just like Gabby, except she’d made the mistake of trusting her doctor. Two years ago, she’d been normal. A botched abortion and an even worse hysterectomy had led her to pain pills—pills that she was legally prescribed. She’d had no idea they’d trap her in a never-ending cycle of grief and need and more pain. When she couldn’t get the prescriptions anymore, she’d been left alone to deal with the withdrawals.

  To relieve her pain, she’d turned to other drugs that she could find out on the street.

  Then they took her little girl from her and she had more pain—more pain needed more drugs.

  When she ran out of money, she’d stolen drugs—a lot of drugs—from the wrong person.

  She’d paid heavily for that, and ended up with only one hand.

  And then, she’d never stolen again. But she kept paying with what was left of her body.

  And her soul.

  She had to feed the need.

  And now she was here.

  But that didn’t mean Gabby was any better than she was.

  She bit down on her lip and stomped over as though she were going to take a lesson from Elmer, but walked past him straight to Gabby, who still had her back turned to her.

  Mei jerked the pistol from the back of her pants and jumped back, holding it in the air with her one shaky hand.

  Gabby gasped and whipped around. “What are you doing?”

  Emma put her hands up and stepped back.

  “Young lady, put that gun down!” Elmer roared, stepping toward Mei.

  Mei pointed the gun at him. “Stop. I’ll shoot.”

  “What in tarnation’s going on with ya? Have you done lost your mind?�
� he yelled. He tore his hat off his head and slapped his leg with it. Tufts of his cottony-white hair danced in the wind.

  Olivia stood frozen. Emma stood still and silent, her hands in the air beginning to shake.

  Gabby stood defiant, not stepping back or holding her hands up.

  Mei waved the pistol, pointing it at Gabby, then back again at Elmer. “Maybe I have lost my mind. If I have, it’s your fault. All of you. People just like you. You all think you’re so much better than me. I heard you talking. I listened to you sleep so soundly. I see you. But no one sees me. No one knows my pain. No one cares,” Mei screamed at them, tears running down her face. “I had a daughter. I was a mother. I was a good person, too.”

  Olivia took a step forward, “You are a good person. Of course you are! We know that.”

  “Stop,” Mei screamed, whipping the gun around to point at Olivia. “You don’t know. You know nothing!” Her skinny arm shook in an effort to keep the gun up. Hot tears streamed down her face.

  Olivia visibly cringed and backed up another step.

  “Put that damn gun down, girl,” Elmer yelled. “Before you hurt someone.”

  Mei turned the gun on him again. He stood stock still. “There’s only one person I want to hurt.” Then she waved it around to aim at Gabby. Her finger moved into the trigger-guard as the gun shook violently. She stared at Gabby with hatred in her eyes, and firmed her jaw.

  “No,” Emma screamed while Olivia dropped to her knees with her hands up and begged, “Please. Please don’t shoot her,” she said. She clenched her hands together as though in prayer while her knees sunk into the soft ground.

  Gabby took another step toward Mei, watching her carefully. “Get up, Olivia. You and Emma go into the house. Hurry.”

  “No! I’m not leaving you!” she yelled at Gabby, and looked to Mei. “Listen to me. We saved you. Gabby saved you. Please don’t do this,” Olivia begged through tears. “We’ll help you, I promise.”

  “There’s no help for me.”