by Eric Vall
You had to not have many people you cared about if that was the case, though.
“Stop!” Tara squealed, and I hit the brakes.
“What is it?” I asked, my hand on my pistol.
“There’s a candy store,” the platinum blonde said as she hopped out of the jeep.
“She really needs to work on when to scream and when not to,” Anna said, and she pinched her brows together in confusion.
“I mean, I could use some candy,” Paige said with a grin.
“Me too,” Bailey said, and she hopped out of the jeep.
I followed the girls to the candy shop. It looked like it had once been brightly colored, but the pinks and yellows had since faded, and the “Candy Shoppe” sign out front looked like it could fall down at any second. Both of the large storefront windows were broken, and the girls stepped over them easily and headed into the store.
“Are you looking for anything in particular?” I asked. “The place looks pretty picked over.”
“We’ll find something,” Tara said. “Don’t you worry.”
I just shook my head and chuckled, and then I leaned back against the counter as I watched the girls scavenge through the store. They were adorable as they ooed and awed over each piece of candy. I knew it had been a while since they’d had sweets other than the ones Betty made for them at home, but I still found their wonder at the place endearing.
I peeked behind the counter as I waited, and I found a few pieces of saltwater taffy, several dark chocolate bars, and a bag of skittles. I put the treasures into my pocket, and then I moseyed on over to the girls.
“How’s it going over here?” I asked.
“Great,” Bailey said with a wide grin, and I looked down to see two of the handheld baskets almost full with sweets.
“Wow,” I chuckled. “That’s a lot of candy.”
“I told you we’d find something,” Tara laughed.
“You were right,” I agreed.
“I think Tav is trying to say we have enough,” Anna said.
“I said nothing of the sort,” I responded with mock indignation.
“Is that a fat joke?” Tara asked, and she put her hand on her hip.
“Well?” I asked Anna. “Is that a fat joke?”
“Oh, whatever,” the redhead laughed, and she hit me on the arm. “Let’s go, guys, we still need to find that trailer.”
The girls gathered up their goodies, then made their way back to the jeep. It wasn’t too much longer before we were able to find a trailer on a truck that sat in an abandoned parking lot. We hooked it up to the jeep, then headed to the Million Dollar Beach where we had left our boat.
Luckily it was right where we had left it, and not a single thing had been touched. I backed the trailer into the water, then the girls helped maneuver the boat into it, and before long it was all complete.
“Well, that wasn’t too bad,” Tara said as we all hopped back into the jeep.
“No,” I agreed. “But it is getting late now, and we need to head back to the refinery.”
The girls were quiet as we drove along. The sun was low in the sky and the world grew darker with each passing second, so I turned on the lights and hit the gas. I couldn’t go too fast, not with the boat attached to the back of us, but I didn’t want to be out after dark. I hadn’t seen anyone in the area, and I knew that we had eliminated the largest threat, but who knew if there were other drug addicts around that were also pissed off that we cut off their supply.
Either way, I didn’t want to be out after dark, so I hurried down the highway toward the refinery.
“How are you feeling?”Anna asked Paige as we drove.
“I feel alright,” the brunette said. “Just a bit sore.”
“Yeah,” Bailey said. “Well, at least we got some sweets for you to have.”
“I think that will help a bit,” Paige said with a smile.
“We should probably eat something substantial before we dig into the sweets,” I chuckled.
“Geez, Tav,” Tara joked. “You’re like our dad or something.”
“Oh, hardly,” I laughed. “But we’ve had a long day, and I know I could use a hot meal.”
“Tav is right,” Anna said with humorous exasperation. “We should eat something before we have dessert.”
“Thank you,” I laughed. I would take the win, even if it was in jest.
Besides, I really was hungry.
Once we got back to the refinery I checked in on the civilians and found them getting everything in order inside. Anna and Bailey set to work on building a fire pit, while Tara and I gathered some supplies from the boat for dinner. Paige sat in one of the chairs and looked dejected. She was obviously upset that she felt she wasn’t being helpful, but nobody wanted her to strain herself so we had told her to take a seat and relax.
“Don’t look so sad,” Tara said as we made our way back to the group and took our seats.
“Oh,” Paige said, but her face didn’t change at all. “I didn’t mean to.”
“I just mean that nobody minds,” the platinum blonde said. “We know you’re hurt. Nobody’s trying to make you feel bad for resting for a bit.”
“She’s right,” Anna agreed. “Take it easy and don’t feel guilty about it.”
“That’s sound advice,” I said with a soft smile.
“Duh,” Tara said with a wink, and I rolled my eyes at her.
Paige got the fire going, and we sat around as the sun finished its descent and turned to night. As we sat and waited for the civilians to join us I thought about the way they had acted the night before.
Something seemed off, especially with the women at the fort, and I wanted to make sure that Brody was who he claimed to be and that none of the civilians felt as if they were being forced to do anything they didn’t want to do. Part of me wanted to believe that a brother of mine could never be capable of doing anything so sinister, but the other half of me knew better than to believe that. We had seen so many National Guard guys and other soldiers or police go rogue, or follow bad orders, or simply become drunk on power. I had lived long enough and seen enough bullshit to know that anybody was capable of anything.
Soon the civilians came out and joined us by the fire, and Tara held out a basket with some chocolates and some things we had gathered from the resort, like peanuts, trail mix, candies, and pretzels.
The civilians looked at each other with wide eyes, then they passed the bin around, and when I said they could take a few things, not just one, they each grabbed several before they passed it to the next person. It always made me sad to see people so hungry.
“So how did everything look in the refinery?” Paige asked as she opened a candy bar of her own.
The group looked around, and I saw a few people glance at Renee. It seemed they had chosen her as their resident spokesperson.
“It looks good,” Renee said. “Pretty much like we left it.”
“You all used to work here, then?” Paige asked, and she looked around to the group, who nodded in reply.
Tara made us some dinner while we all sat around the fire and got warm. I wanted to push the civilians to talk, but I knew that wouldn’t do any good. I wanted them to like us, not feel like we were pressuring them.
Tara made a huge amount of chili in a large pot we had picked up in Fort George, and cornbread to go along with it. She dished up bowls and passed them to the civilians around the fire, and once everyone had a plate, we dug in. I noticed, too, that Tara made sure to dish extra large portions to all the people from the fort. I wasn’t sure if it was the fact that she knew what it was like to go hungry, or the fact that she hadn’t had to feel that way in a long time, but I’d seen her dish herself up less in order to give someone more food multiple times, and it never failed to make me smile.
The chili was delicious and hearty, though I knew that only the seasonings were Tara’s, as we had found several large cans of chili on our Fort George adventure. It had been a good score, and I
was happy to share with the people at the refinery. I watched their faces as they breathed deep and devoured the meat and bean dish with fervor.
“Can we have dessert now?” Tara asked with a raised eyebrow and a hand on her hip.
“Hm,” I said and I thought for a moment. “I guess so. Only if you’ve been good, though, have you been good?”
“I think you know I’ve been good,” the platinum blonde said with a wink.
“Oh, geez,” Anna said with an eye roll. “Just give me the damn chocolate.”
The girls passed around the bins of candy they had scavenged from the shop in town earlier and passed them around to the civilians as well. I pulled a saltwater taffy from my pocket and opened it up.
“What the hell is that?” Tara asked with a gesture at my candy.
“Saltwater taffy,” I said.
“It’s really good,” Bailey said.
“One of my favorites as a child,” Renee said with a small smile.
“You like it?” I asked, and I offered both her and Bailey a piece.
“Oh, yeah, thanks,” the blonde said as she took the offering.
“Thank you,” Renee said.
“Sorry,” Tara chuckled. “I just always think of that as old man candy because my dad used to love them.”
“Have you ever tried them?” Paige asked.
“Yeah,” the platinum blonde said. “They were never for me though, they get stuck in your teeth.”
“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “That’s why I never liked them, or caramel.”
“Okay, that’s where I draw the line,” Tara said. “Caramel is awesome.”
“Taffy is far superior to caramel,” Bailey said, and I nodded my agreement.
“That’s some bullshit if I ever heard it,” the platinum blonde said.
“Caramel is good,” Paige said. “I like both, but caramel is better, I think.”
“I guess we’re the only ones with good taste,” I mock whispered to Bailey.
“Oh, whatever,” Tara laughed. “You wouldn’t know good taste if it bit you in the butt.”
“You’re probably right about that,” I chuckled.
“So what’s our plan for tomorrow?” Anna asked.
“Do you all need any help here?” I asked Renee.
“I don’t believe so,” she said with a shake of her head. “There’s not much you can do unless you know the equipment. We should have everything up and running tomorrow, though.”
“Okay,” I said. “We can get a tally of all the supplies as well.”
“That would be great,” she replied.
“So are we staying here all day?” Bailey asked.
“For the morning,” I said. “But we’re going to go scouting after we tally supplies.”
“Where?” Paige asked.
“Fort Edward,” I said.
“Where the captain sent those guys the other day?” Bailey asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “We drove through there on the way to get the boat, and I think it looks like there’s some good potential there.” We would need to stick around to make sure the civilians got settled anyways, so I figured we should get something out of it.
I knew that we had some medical supplies, but I didn’t know if they’d be enough to trade with Brody after we kept what we needed, and we would definitely need more fuel before fall so we could harvest the crops. We had eliminated one problem with the refinery, but we had created another in the process, we still had to figure out what to bargain with for fuel.
The ten drums we would get from this mission were a good start, and it would get us through most of the summer, I thought, if we used it wisely, but fall and the harvest was a whole other beast.
The girls and civilians all stuffed their faces with candy, and I watched as they grew sleepy around the fire. I looked up to the night sky and sighed to myself. It had been a long, long day, but we had made it through.
We helped the civilians set up the tents that Brody had sent them with a hundred or so feet away, just in case the girls and I needed some privacy, then I sent Brody’s people to bed since they were obviously exhausted. I tried to send the girls as well, but they insisted they stay up with me a while longer. We all sat quietly around the fire as I watched the flames rise and fall with the wind.
I was disappointed with Paige’s injury, but I knew she would heal well, and there was nothing that I could do about it except train her harder for the next time. The cut itself wasn’t bad, but she would be sore from the impact with the concrete. I knew from experience that a hit like that hurt like hell.
I kicked my legs out to the fire as I sat and stared up at the stars. I tried to rack my brain and think about what Brody possibly needed. He had all the basics, and most everything he could want, including booze and food, but what could I trade with him that he couldn’t get everywhere?
I doubted he cared too much about medical supplies, and he was about to get at least one vehicle from the jeeps at the refinery, so what else could he possibly use?
“What are you thinking about over there?” Anna asked.
“Oh,” I said and I sat up straight. “Just trying to figure out what we could trade with Brody.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, too,” Paige said. “I can’t seem to think of anything, though.”
“It does seem like he has everything,” Bailey agreed.
“We’ll need more fuel for harvest, though,” Paige said.
“Exactly.” I nodded.
“They have a garden there,” Bailey said. “But it won’t be nearly as big as what we’ll harvest.”
“Yeah,” I said. “So you think we can trade him some supplies?”
“Well, maybe,” the blonde hippie said. “Especially if we have some good stuff like berries and watermelons and stuff. I bet they’d like those.”
“Hm,” I agreed. “You might be right. But I’m sure he would want a lot of supplies to trade for fuel.”
“Well, how much extra would we need for harvest?” Anna asked.
“Another five barrels at least?” Paige guessed.
“I think we could manage that,” Bailey said.
“It’s a good idea,” I said. “We’d have to see Brody’s take on it, though.”
“Yeah,” the blonde said with pursed lips.
“It’s alright,” I said. “We’ll consider it more tomorrow. Why don’t you girls get some sleep, and I’ll keep watch?”
“Are you sure?” Anna asked. “I can take the first shift.”
“I got it,” I said. “You all go to sleep.”
“Alright,” Bailey said with a soft smile, and she gave me a kiss on the forehead before she headed off to the tent.
The barracks were readily available, but after searching through there the girls had decided that it was much too gross for them to want to sleep anywhere near where the guys had slept, especially because of all the crusty porno mags.
I waited a few minutes for the girls to get settled, and then I grabbed a dark chocolate bar with sea salt from one of the baskets, kicked my feet back, and looked up at the stars.
I opened the wrapper carefully, then took a bite of the deep, intense chocolate. It was rich as it hit my tongue, and I let it melt there for a moment without chewing. My eyes closed as I leaned my head back and smiled.
“Hey!” Tara called from the tent, but I wasn’t sure if it was addressed to me or not, so I waited.
A minute went by and nothing else happened, so I shrugged and leaned back once more.
“Tav!” the platinum blonde yelled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked seriously.
“Are you eating my candy?” she asked in an accusatory tone.
I looked at the chocolate in my hand, then lowered the bar down by my side.
“No,” I said slowly.
“Liar,” Tara said.
“Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?” I laughed.
“I am sleeping,” the platinum blonde said. “But keep your m
itts off my chocolate.”
“Why is it just your chocolate?” I chuckled.
“You told us we had too much earlier,” Tara sniffed.
“And now I’m helping you with that,” I said.
“I thought you weren’t eating it?” the platinum blonde retorted.
“I’m not,” I lied.
“Mhm,” she said. “Goodnight!”
“Night,” I called.
I leaned back once more and chuckled to myself. It was moments like that that made me love the girls so much. Each of them was so unique, with such a fun personality all their own. I was lucky to have the love of four very different, yet totally amazing, women.
After a few minutes, I lifted the chocolate back up and took a bite.
I let out a sigh as I leaned further back in my chair and enjoyed the taste of the cocoa and sea salt on my tongue. Dark chocolate with salt had always been one of my favorite treats, both as a kid and as an adult. I savored the flavor and closed my eyes for a second as it melted on my tongue.
“Enjoy your chocolate,” Tara whispered from the tent.
Chapter 15
It had been a few hours since I sent the girls to bed when I heard rustling in the tent. I peeked toward it curiously, and a moment later Anna stepped out and came to sit by the fire with me. Her long, red hair was wavy as it fell around her shoulders, and I gave her a smile as she sat down.
“You didn’t have to get up,” I said. “I was going to have you sleep for another hour or so.”
“It’s fine,” the redhead said with a yawn. “I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep.”
I smiled at the redhead and offered her the candy bin. She reached in and grabbed a chocolate bar, opened the wrapper, and took a small bite.
“I used to never eat chocolate,” she sighed. “With practice and trying to keep in shape I just tried to avoid it.”
