by Eric Vall
The falls were much smaller than I expected, but they were enough to dip the front of our boat and send a large splash up. After that the water was calm, and just as quickly as the current had attacked, it let us loose and the water seemed safe once more.
“What the fuck,” Tara said, and she punctuated each word as if it was a sentence of its own.
“Everyone alright?” Paige asked with a grin as she wiped some water off her forehead.
“No!” the platinum blonde shouted. “I don’t think we’re alright.” Tara looked down at her drenched shirt. “I’m soaked!”
“I’m fine,” Bailey said with a soft smile.
“Look at what you did to poor Anna,” Tara said, and she pointed to where the redhead was leaning over the side of the boat, her sea sickness obviously back from the choppy water.
“Oooh,” Paige said with a grimace. “Sorry, Anna. There wasn’t another way around, though.”
“It’s cool,” the redhead said as she sat up and wiped her mouth. “We’re done now though, right?”
“Yes,” the brunette agreed. “We’re done. Why don’t you drink some water?”
“Water,” Anna repeated, then she heaved and spun around to vomit over the side once more.
“Oops,” Paige said, and she gave me a guilty look, but I flashed her a smile.
We continued on down the river for a while. The water was surrounded by the city, and I didn’t like the fact that we were so close to where there could be people, but we didn’t have much of a choice. There were houses and restaurants, and plenty of other places where people could have been hiding out in. I made sure to keep my weapon drawn and an eye on the shore at all times, but I still didn’t feel comfortable surrounded by the city.
“Hey, Paige,” I asked after a while. “How long will we be in this residential kind of area?”
“A little bit longer,” the brunette said. “But we should be out of it before we need to stop for dinner.”
“Okay,” I said, and my eyes narrowed in on the shore once more.
“It’s a good thing the water is so high right now from the snow,” Paige said with a small smile.
“You did a good job back there,” I said.
“Thanks,” the brunette responded. “I used to go rafting with my dad. Never on a boat like this, but still.”
“That must have been fun,” I said.
“It was pretty great,” she chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I scared the other girls, though.”
“They’ll be fine,” I laughed. “So how far will we get today?”
“There’s a town called Baldwin,” the brunette said. “I’m hoping we can make it there today.”
“I’m sure we can,” I said and I looked at the sky. It was early afternoon already, and the day was warm and sunny. We still had several hours before it would be dark, and I figured that was plenty of time to make it down to Baldwin.
The day flew by as we travelled through the residential area of town, and farther down the river toward Lake George. The small river we navigated was long and windy, and Paige had warned me that it might take almost a full day to get through it. I watched the scenery as we went and kept an eye on the shores in case any unwanted visitors decided to show up. It had been quiet all day. I didn’t know if it was that everyone had moved on and gone south, or if everyone who had been there was dead, or maybe there still were people around, but they didn’t figure it was worth it to attack or address us. I wouldn’t blame them if the latter was the case. At this point everyone was probably low on ammunition, and if you didn’t have to fight, then it would be a waste of ammo to start something.
The sun began to make its descent, and just as it lowered onto the horizon and the sunset fully began we came out of the small channel we had been on and reached a larger body of water.
“Are we off La Chute now?” I asked with a grin.
“We are off La Chute now,” Paige responded, and waved an arm out wide. “Welcome to Lake George.”
“Oh hell yeah,” Tara said. “We’re, like, halfway there already.”
“We still have another full day of sailing ahead of us,” Paige said. “But this was great progress for today.”
“Let’s pull off and make a fire,” the platinum blonde suggested. “I’m hungry.”
“Dinner does sound good,” Bailey said. “I could go for a hot meal.”
“Alright,” I agreed. “We’ll find somewhere to pull off and get some dinner and some sleep.”
“Baldwin is nearby,” Paige said. “But I don’t think we’ll make it quite there before sunset.”
“That’s alright,” I said. “Let’s find somewhere to pull off for the night.”
“Hey guys,” Tara said, and she pointed to the shore on the right.
“Whoa,” Bailey said.
There were several large, obviously very expensive houses on the shore, each with their own boat dock.
“Let’s stay in one of the fancy houses,” the platinum blonde pleaded.
“I don’t see why not,” I said. “But we’ll need to clear wherever we stay.”
“Of course,” Tara responded with a grin.
“That one,” I said and I pointed for Paige to see.
“On it,” the brunette said.
“Nice choice,” Tara said, and she elbowed me in the side.
“I didn’t pick it because it’s nice looking,” I laughed. “It’s the most secluded out of the ones around.”
“Whatev,” the platinum blonde said with a shrug. “It’s still super nice.”
The sun continued its descent, and the world was lit with a beautiful orange glow by the time we reached the dock and parked the boat.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s clear this place efficiently and quickly.”
“Let’s do it,” Tara said with a grin, and I knew she was just excited to stay in such a nice place.
“Alright,” I said as I checked the chamber of my pistol. “Let’s go. I’m left, whoever is behind me is right, and so on. Everyone got it?”
The girls all shook their heads. They held their pistols out, but pointed to the ground, and each of them had a determined look on their faces.
“Let’s do this,” I said with a grin.
I led the girls up to the house and checked the front door, it was locked, but the door was wooden, so I backed up a step and kicked it open.
“Jesus,” Paige said.
“That was hot as fuck,” Tara whispered.
“Girls,” I hissed.
“Right, right,” the platinum blonde said, and she put on her serious face once more.
I shook my head, entered the house, and flanked to the left. The sun through the windows gave enough light to see by, but it was fading fast, and we needed to get the place cleared quickly.
We did the downstairs first, then we made our way upstairs. There were no signs of people, though I found a couple busted windows, so it looked like people had come through at one point or another, though it seemed nobody had stayed.
“Clear!” I called.
“Clear!” Anna called back.
My team and I all met at the top of the stairs, and I was satisfied that we were alone.
“Alright,” I said. “Tara, can you grab some supplies for dinner out of the boat?”
“Got it,” the platinum blonde said, and she headed outside.
“I’ll go with,” Bailey offered.
“Thank you,” I told the blonde. “Paige, Anna, we’ll head outside and see if we can find a place to set up a fire.”
“Sounds good,” the redhead said. “I’m pretty starved.”
“We seem to always forget to eat lunch when we’re out on the water,” Paige said.
“It’s true,” Anna agreed. “Though I’m not sure I could have kept lunch down at this point.”
“Yeah,” the brunette said. “Sorry about the rough water earlier.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” the redhead said. “My body just does not like boats.”<
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“You’ll get used to it eventually,” Paige chuckled.
“Somehow I doubt that,” Anna laughed. “I’ll leave the sailing expertise to you.”
We found a small, metal fire pit out near the dock, so Anna and I gathered some wood and got the fire going while Paige brought out some chairs from inside. They were high back, obviously expensive dining chairs, and I found it funny that we sat around them now out on the grass when they had probably never been outside except for the trip into the house.
Tara and Bailey returned with some canned goods, spices, and a pot, and once the fire gained some speed the platinum blonde started to cook our dinner.
The sun had set by then, and the sky was filled with stars that gleamed on the water. The night sky was a deep blue with a waxing crescent moon that hung low above the river, and I admired it while I allowed the fire to warm my feet.
“It’s so nice out tonight,” Bailey said with a smile.
“I think it’s just nice to not be at the fort,” Anna chuckled.
“That’s true,” the blonde agreed.
“I thought you liked Brody?” I asked.
“I don’t think he’s a bad guy,” Bailey said. “But I wasn’t comfortable at the fort. I’m comfortable at our home, or out with you all. It felt weird to be at someone else’s place.”
“It did,” Paige agreed. “Especially since we haven’t been anywhere except the campus or out on runs for a year or so now.”
“You guys are crazy,” Tara chuckled. “The fort had running water and chocolate cake. I was plenty comfortable.”
“I’m sure you were,” Anna laughed.
“It’s a good skill to be able to be comfortable anywhere,” I said with a small smile.
“Hey,” Tara said. “Since we’re here already, can we scavenge the house?”
“I don’t see why not,” I said.
“So you’ll watch the food while we go look?” the platinum blonde asked with a hopeful smile. I hadn’t realized she had meant right that moment, but I commended her trickery and gave her a smile.
“I can do that,” I chuckled. “But don’t take too long. And grab anything useful first.”
“Don’t worry,” Anna said. “I’ll go with her. You guys coming?”
“I think I’ll stay,” Paige said.
“I’ll go, then,” Bailey said, and she stood up. “I’ve never been in a house this nice except for the ski lodge.”
“Oh man, I miss that place,” Tara sighed and their voices faded out as they walked.
“You can go if you’d like,” I told Paige after the other girls had left.
“Nah,” the brunette said. “I’m sure they’ll grab anything that we really need. And I don’t personally need anything. I’d rather stay here by the fire where it’s warm.”
“Good point,” I said. “It’s a bit cold tonight.”
“It’s always cold on spring nights,” the brunette said. “I used to love to sleep in the cold with big blankets on me, but now I’m just happy to be warm and comfortable.”
“That makes sense,” I said. “Before you had the luxury to choose. Now you don’t always have that.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought of that,” the brunette said with a soft smile.
I grabbed Tara’s wooden spoon and gave the stew in the pot a good stir. It bubbled slightly as it got nice and hot, and I figured it would be ready soon.
“That smells good,” Paige said.
“It does,” I agreed.
“Tara can make anything taste good,” the brunette chuckled. “I wish I had that superpower.”
“You have plenty of superpowers of your own,” I said.
“I know,” she responded with a smile. “But aren’t there some skills you just wish you had?”
“Hm,” I said, and I thought for a moment. “I guess if I had to pick any skill I would pick Bailey’s sniping skills.”
“But you’re good as a sniper, too,” Paige said, confused.
“I’m good with a sniper rifle,” I agreed. “But Bailey’s better. And it came so naturally to her, I have to admit I was a bit jealous.”
“I guess that makes sense,” she said. “It is kind of annoying when something you work really hard for just comes super easy to someone else.”
“Right,” I chuckled. “But they can’t help it.”
“No,” she sighed. “It’s not their fault.”
Paige and I sat in silence for a while while the stew bubbled and the fire crackled below it. I could hear the grasshoppers and other nocturnal creatures as they created their nightly symphony, and I smiled to myself at the peaceful sounds.
I stirred the stew once more, but it bubbled like crazy then, and I figured it was time to pull it off the fire.
“Is it done?” Tara asked as I removed the stew from the flames, and I turned to see the girls approach.
“I believe so,” I said.
“Let me see,” the platinum blonde said, and she dipped the wooden spoon in, pulled it out, blew on the contents, and stuck it in her mouth. “Mmm, yup, it’s done.”
“What did you all find?” I asked.
“A few useful things,” Bailey said. “Some lighters, sleeping bags, a tent.”
“They must have liked to camp,” Paige said.
“Yeah,” the blonde agreed. “They were in a box in the garage. That’s probably why they hadn’t been taken yet.”
“Great,” I said. “Anything else?”
“I found this diamond bracelet,” Tara said, and she held out her wrist.
“I meant anything else useful,” I laughed.
“Not really,” Bailey said.
“That’s alright,” I said. “Still a nice score, especially with how picked over everywhere is now.”
“Ahem,” Tara cleared her throat.
“Yes?” I asked.
“I have gifts for you all,” the platinum blonde said. “Or do you not want them because they aren’t useful?”
“What are they?” Paige chuckled.
“Here,” Tara said with a grin, and she pulled out several pieces of jewelry from her pocket. “A necklace for Paige.”
“Thanks,” the brunette said as she took the silver necklace. It was gorgeous and dainty, with a small anchor as the centerpiece. Paige’s smile grew as she inspected the jewelry. “It’s really beautiful.”
“An anklet for Bailey,” Tara said and she passed the blonde an anklet that resembled a charm bracelet.
“Thank you,” Bailey said, and she looked at each individual charm with awe.
“And for Anna,” Tara said. “A ring.”
The ring she handed the redhead was a ruby set in silver, and it was absolutely stunning.
“Wow,” Anna said. “Thank you, Tara.”
“You’re welcome,” the platinum blonde said with a wide smile.
“What about Tav?” Bailey asked with a frown. “He didn’t get anything.”
“Oh, right,” Tara said, and she reached in her other pocket and pulled out a watch.
“A watch?” Anna asked. “Does it work?”
“Not right now,” the platinum blonde said. “But it will. It’s a kinetic energy watch. My dad used to have one. So it’s powered by your movement.”
“It’s great,” I told Tara. “Now if only I knew the time to set it to.”
The girls all laughed, and we examined our new gifts and thanked Tara once more. I was surprised with how thoughtful each of the pieces of jewelry had been, it looked like all the girls really liked their presents, and I was happy with my watch as well.
I served us up some dinner as we chatted by the fire. Tara had made some potato, corn, meat, and carrot stew. I didn’t know how she managed to do it, but it was delicious. Even after the extravagant food we had eaten at the fort, I was much happier to sit outside and eat Tara’s cooking. I had never really liked going to fancy restaurants or cooking complicated meals, I was always satisfied with a simple dish that warmed my belly and made me feel
at home.
“So where are we sleeping tonight?” Bailey asked after we had finished our food.
“The living room will be our best bet,” I said. “It has a view of the boat out here.”
“Alright,” Anna agreed. “I’ll take the first watch.”
“I can do it,” I said.
“Oh, no you don’t,” the redhead said. “You’ve stayed up late for how many nights in a row?”
“I’m fine,” I said, somewhat shocked with Anna’s attitude.
“We know you are,” Tara said with a wink.
“Look,” the redhead continued. “We just don’t want you running yourself ragged because you want to take care of us. We’re a team. And you deserve to get some rest tonight.”
“Thank you,” I said sincerely after a moment. “You’re a good Major.”
I didn’t like the idea of being restricted on what shifts I could take, but I knew that I would do the same for any of the girls if I felt they were pushing themselves too hard, and I had to remind myself that they cared about me just as much as I did about them. I knew Anna only wanted to help, and I appreciated the thought.
“Damn right.” The redhead grinned.
“I’ll take the second shift,” Bailey offered. “That way Tav can get a full night's sleep.”
“Are we ready for bed, then?” Tara asked. “I’m pretty beat.”
“I know I am,” Paige said. “That stew hit the spot. I’m all warm and tired now.”
“Alright,” I said. “Let’s get the place secured and get some sleep.”
We put out the fire and cleaned up the area, then we made our way back into the house and set up the sleeping bags Bailey had found in the living room. There was a nice, large couch, but we opted to sleep on the floor, and Anna took the couch so she had a nice view of the boat.
“You sure you’re good to take first watch?” I asked the redhead once more.
“Go to sleep, Tav,” she said with an amused smile.
“Alright,” I chuckled, and I settled in next to the girls.
