Without Law 10

by Eric Vall

  “That was great,” Anna said. “Thank you.”

  “Well, thank you for catching it,” I said.

  “It really was delicious,” Tara said. “You’ll have to show me the recipe sometime.”

  “Mhm,” Paige agreed.

  “I don’t think I ever enjoyed fish that much,” Bailey laughed.

  “I’m glad,” I said.

  We sailed along for a while longer. The sun was high in the sky, and the day had grown hot so I took off my shirt and applied some sunscreen from my backpack.

  “Ow, ow,” Tara said, and she wriggled her eyebrows at me.

  “Thanks,” I chuckled. “But you should put on some sunscreen, too.”

  “Will you put it on for me?” the platinum blonde purred.

  “Quit with the dirty talk for a second,” Paige said as she looked through the binoculars.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “I think that’s Diamond Island,” the brunette said.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It means we should be at the end of the lake by sundown,” Paige said with a grin.

  I grabbed my binoculars and scanned the area. If we would reach shore by sundown, then we needed a plan for the night. It would be safer to stay on the water, but if we were too close to the shore, then there was a chance of us being seen by anybody who might be nearby.

  “Hey, Paige,” I said after a moment. “Are there any other islands nearby where we can stay tonight?”

  “You want to stay on an island tonight?” Anna asked.

  “I figure that will be better than getting too close to the shore in the dark,” I said. “Even if we can just park near the island.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Paige agreed. “Yeah, Tea Island is here in a little bit. We can stay there.”

  “Perfect,” I said with a grin.

  “Wherever we decide to stay for the night, you’re going to have to go to sleep,” Anna commanded. “Remember, no guard duty for you.”

  “Right,” I agreed. “No guard duty for me.”

  I did appreciate that the girls were concerned for my health. It was true, I hadn’t slept well in a while, there had been a lot going on the last few days.

  Between everything with Brody, and the men last night who had tried to rob us, I was pretty on edge. I didn’t mind staying on the water, but it was only about to get worse once we were on foot. There was no telling what we would encounter once we were back on land. If I wasn’t going to be on guard duty, I would make sure that we found a safe, calm space where there wouldn’t be any issues for the girls on guard duty.

  I wasn’t about to put them in danger for the sake of my sleep, and I knew that they knew that, but I also knew they would force me to get some sleep if they had to. I looked at my girls and gave them each a smile.

  “So how about a game?” Bailey asked with a grin.

  “I have a better idea,” I said with a grin.

  “What’s that?” the blonde asked.

  “We’re going to get some practice shooting your new gun,” I said.

  Bailey’s eyes lit up, and she jumped over to give me a big hug.

  “Do we get a few rounds, too?” Tara asked with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yes,” I said. “Everyone will get to shoot it a few times. I want you all to see the weight of the thing. It’s not an everyday weapon, and we won’t use it as one.”

  “Dang,” Bailey sighed. “I mean I knew it wasn’t, but still, I’m sad I won’t get to use it all the time.”

  “You still have your M14,” I chuckled. “And we’ll keep an eye out for an upgrade for you.”

  “Are we gonna shoot this bad boy or not?” Anna asked, and she walked over with the case in hand. “This thing is fuckin’ heavy.”

  “It’s thirty pounds at least,” I laughed.

  We set the case down and Bailey assembled the weapon easily. Then she put on the pair of earmuffs that came in the case. I also noticed that Brody had put a pill bottle of soft earplugs in one of the compartments, so I grabbed those and handed them out to all the girls. We didn’t have many targets around besides some trees on the edge of the water, but today wasn’t about aim as much as it was about feeling the power of the weapon. I knew Bailey could aim anything with or without a scope, I just wanted her to get used to the kickback of this beast.

  “Alright,” I told the blonde. “Line up and take a shot.”

  “Standing?” she asked, confused.

  “Yeah,” I chuckled. “It’s the only way for right now. And plus you’ll get to really feel the kick from it. All of you need to see how powerful this machine is.”

  “Get ready for a shoulder ache,” Tara mumbled.

  “Damn right,” I agreed.

  Bailey still grinned, and she lined up a shot, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger. I half expected it to knock her back a step, but the small blonde hippy had really set her shoulder into it, and she seemed as stable as a rooted tree.

  Damn, I was super proud of her.

  Our earbuds protected us from the brunt of the noise, but the thing was still loud, and it tore through the trees on the edge of the lake with a visible shake of the trunk that it made contact with.

  “Nice!” I hollered.

  Bailey turned around with a wide grin spread across her face.

  “This thing is awesome!” she exclaimed. She looked like a kid in a candy store, and I had to smile at how absolutely adorable her enthusiasm was.

  “Alright,” I chuckled. “Who’s next?”

  Chapter 8

  We reached Tea Island just as the sun dipped below the horizon. We had spent the rest of the afternoon practicing with the Barrett, and all four of the girls had gotten a chance to fire the thing from standing and prone positions. I knew their shoulders would be sore in the morning, but it was important to understand your weapons.

  “There’s a dock over there,” Bailey pointed out.

  “The place looks totally abandoned,” Tara said as she looked at the small resort that sat on the island.

  “Could someone survive here?” Anna asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “There’s probably some wildlife to hunt, but most likely only small game.”

  “We should have found an island to live on,” Tara said.

  “I like the campus,” Bailey said with a frown.

  “I mean, yeah,” the platinum blonde said. “But nobody would be able to get to us on an island.”

  “Which is why we need to be careful here,” I said. “We’ll clear the place, but don’t shoot unless you’re under threat. If someone does live here I don’t want to cause problems, we only need to stay here for the evening.”

  “Why don’t we just park the boat on the side of the island?” Anna asked. “That way we wouldn’t be by the resort.”

  “That could work,” I agreed. “I don’t want anyone sneaking up on us, though.”

  “Someone will be on guard all night,” Paige pointed out.

  “Alright,” I said. “Let’s find a place on the side of the island to park.”

  “Dang,” Tara pouted. “I was hoping to get into that resort and see what was left.”

  “That isn’t a bad idea,” Anna said. “But we’re going to have to leave the boat to walk to the refinery, so even if we found stuff we would have to risk it getting stolen anyways.”

  “We’re going to find somewhere to hide the boat, aren’t we?” Tara asked.

  “Well, yes,” Paige answered. “But that doesn’t mean someone couldn’t find it. There’s always that risk.”

  “Fine,” the platinum blonde said. “But next time we go by a resort we are totally stopping to check it out. They always have the best pillows.”

  “Sure,” I chuckled. “Next time.”

  Paige took over the rudder and led us to the side of the island as the sun dipped even lower and the sky darkened. She found a large tree to tie us to for the night, and I scanned the area to make sure there were no
signs of life nearby. It looked empty, and Tara was right. The resort did look abandoned, though we had been surprised more than once by a place that looked like nobody lived there.

  Still, I felt we were safe in the area that we chose. Even if someone was at the resort, it would have been a long walk for them to get to the other side of the island where we had anchored ourselves to a tree, and I doubted that was worth it to anybody, especially in the dark.

  So we built up our fire, and Tara took the uneaten fish from earlier and made a stew out of it.

  “That smells good,” Bailey said as the pot began to bubble.

  “I’m hoping that the fish will maintain its texture,” the platinum blonde said.

  “I’m sure it will be great,” I said with a smile.

  The stew cooked while we settled into the back of the boat where we had fished earlier. I had Anna and Paige on one side of me, and Bailey on the other. Tara leaned away from us toward the fire pit to cook.

  The warmth of the fire felt good on my feet as I extended them out to get them closer to the flames. It had been a long few days on the water, but it would be over in the morning, and I knew once we were on land and walking about thirty miles we would probably miss the ease of the water.

  The boat shifted slightly with the bounce of the lake as we sat and watched the pot bubble and the sun dip beyond the horizon as the last bits of daylight disappeared from the sky.

  I closed my eyes and let the warmth of the girls under my arms soak into me. I truly was tired, and it felt good to rest my eyes, even for just a moment. I hadn’t realized how much they stung until I closed them and felt the relief of my eyelids take over.

  “Tav?” Tara asked, and I jolted upright.

  “Yeah?” I asked.

  “You fell asleep,” Paige giggled.

  “Oh,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

  “Here,” Tara said, and she handed me a bowl of soup. “Eat this, then go to bed.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “It looks good.”

  The girls giggled a bit more, but I just smiled and ate my soup. It was tasty, with potatoes, corn, carrots, and fish. Tara had done a great job as usual, and the stew was hot so it filled my belly with a heat that radiated through me and made me that much more exhausted.

  “Alright, sleepy guy,” Paige said as she took my empty bowl from me and grabbed my elbow. “Come on.”

  I was led to the makeshift bed that the girls had made the night before, but they had moved it closer to the fire pit, and when I slid under the covers, my feet grew warm and toasty.

  “Sleep tight,” Paige said, and she kissed my forehead.

  “Who’s on guard duty?” I mumbled. “And aren’t the rest of you coming to bed?”

  “We’ll be there in a bit,” Bailey laughed.

  “Anna’s got first guard duty,” Paige assured me. “Just go to sleep.”

  They didn’t have to say anything else, I listened for a moment while they chatted easily by the fireplace, then the world went dark.

  I woke to the movement of the boat and a bright light in my face. Immediately I jolted up and looked around. It was daylight, and the girls were all at their posts on the boat.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, slightly panicked that we were moving and it was obviously daytime instead of dawn.

  “We’re almost to shore,” Paige said with a smile.

  “Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked quickly as I jumped up and looked around.

  “Whoa, there,” Tara said, and she handed me a cup of coffee. “Chill out.”

  “Yeah,” Paige agreed. “We have a little bit longer. And we thought you could use the sleep.”

  “Next time wake me,” I said as I took a sip of the coffee.

  “Sure,” Anna said with an eye roll. “Not like you ever let us sleep in because you think we deserve it.”

  “Fair point,” I said with a smile. “But I’m not you, I’m me. So next time wake me.”

  “You’re feisty this morning,” Tara laughed. “I like it.”

  “I’m sorry,” I sighed. “I just don’t like to sleep in, and the sun woke me so I got startled.”

  “It’s alright,” Bailey said. “We kind of figured this would happen.”

  “How was watch duty last night?” I asked.

  “Uneventful,” Tara said.

  “Yeah,” Anna agreed. “Nothing but a few birds near us.”

  “When did we head out this morning?” I asked.

  “Just before dawn,” Paige answered. “We’ve only been sailing for an hour or so.”

  “Alright,” I said, and I took another drink of coffee. I couldn’t believe that I had slept so long. I knew I had been tired, but this was a whole other level. I didn’t recall waking up once throughout the night. I took a seat next to Paige by the rudder and rubbed my hand through my hair before I took another drink of coffee. My eyes still stung slightly, but the coffee was definitely helping to wake me up.

  “How’s the coffee?” Bailey asked.

  “It’s good,” I said. “Thank you.”

  “There’s some breakfast for you, too,” Paige said.

  “You girls did everything this morning,” I chuckled.

  “Just doing our jobs,” Anna said with a shrug.

  “Well, I appreciate it,” I said and then I turned to Paige. “How long did you say until we reach the shore?”

  “Maybe half an hour or so,” the brunette said.

  I stood up to look out ahead and saw that the shore was definitely in sight. To our right there was a whole town, with large buildings and shops. On the left looked like a residential area with some houses, but there was a small beach nestled at the shore line in between the two.

  “What’s that area?” I asked with a point.

  “It’s called Million Dollar Beach,” Paige chuckled. “That’s where we’re headed.”

  “Good,” I said.

  “I like the sound of that,” Tara said. “Why is it called that?”

  “I’m not sure,” the brunette responded with a shrug. “I think there’s a nice building there, but I don’t know where the name came from.”

  “Well, either way, let’s check it out,” Tara said excitedly.

  “We’ll clear the building when we get there,” I said. “Paige, is there only one building, or are there more?”

  “I think it’s just the one,” the brunette said.

  “How about breakfast?” Bailey asked, and she handed me a plate.

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile.

  I ate quickly and finished my coffee, then I pulled out my binoculars to scan the beach and check for signs of life.

  “Do you see anything?” Bailey asked.

  “No.” I shook my head. “Just that building and some trash, it looks like.”

  “Alright,” Paige said. “Now that you’ve finished eating and everything are we ready to get to shore?”

  “I believe so,” I said. “How much longer?”

  “Not much,” the brunette said, and she pulled a rope that unleashed the main sail so we jolted forward on the water. I realized then that she had kept us a distance until I was ready to arrive, and I gave her a smile and a nod.

  She was a good captain.

  We reached the shore in no time, docked the boat, and hopped out.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let’s clear this building quickly.”

  The girls nodded and followed me as I led us to the large building. When we got to the front doors I saw that the glass had been shot out of them, so I stepped through and flanked left. It seemed the building was similar to one you might find at a rest stop, only larger. It had showers, some vending machines and bathrooms, but not much else.

  We all met back in the lobby area after a few minutes.

  “Well, the vending machines are all empty,” Anna said with amusement. “But other than that the place looks alright.”

  “Doesn’t seem like there was much here to take,” Bailey pointed out.

  �
�That’s good for us,” I said. “It means most people wouldn’t bother with this place.”

  “Alright,” Anna said. “What now?”

  “We need to hide the boat,” I said. “Then we’ll head out. It’s still early, we should try to get as far as we can today.”

  “There’s a patch of trees by the dock,” Bailey said. “We could try to hide the boat there.”

  “Great idea,” I said. “Let’s go check it out.”

  Bailey was right, that was pretty much the only area on the beach that provided any coverage. We pulled the boat over to the trees and tried to create an alcove of sorts to secure it inside and hide it with branches and leaves. By the time we were done, it was well hidden, and I was satisfied that nobody would accidentally stumble across it. The water there was shallow as well, so we easily hopped out and made it to dry land.

  It was only mid morning, but the sun was high in the sky already, and the day was warm. I knew it was gearing up to be hot, which was all the more reason to get moving. This time, I insisted that Bailey allow me to carry the Barrett, and she reluctantly agreed. The thing weighed too much for her to pack, so I wiggled it into my backpack and used some paracord to secure it. It would be easier to carry the large case on my back than to lug it around with my arms.

  “Okay,” I said. “Time to get walking.”

  “We need to head toward interstate 87,” Paige said. “Follow me.”

  “Stay vigilant,” I said as Paige led us out to the road. “We don’t know who could be around.”

  The brunette led us down the beach for a moment, then turned left onto Fort George Road. It seemed to be a back road, and after ten minutes or so I hadn’t seen a single driveway, store, or any other signs of people.

  “This must be the back way,” Anna said.

  “I was thinking the same,” I agreed. “There’s nothing on this road.”

  “Yeah,” Paige said. “Here in a bit we’ll get to town, though, this is just the quickest way.”

  “Good call,” I told the brunette with a grin.

  The sun shone overhead as we walked, but trees provided some shade on the road. We were surrounded on either side by forest, and I took in the overgrown trees and vegetation as we walked. It had probably been overgrown to begin with since most cities didn’t bother to clean up the edges of the forest, but I imagined it had only grown worse since the EMP hit. The woods looked lush with spring, and beautiful greens caught my eye as we walked along at a nice, quick pace.