by Eric Vall
I looked over at the woman, concerned that I might upset her if I killed the little rabbit in front of her. The rabbit let out another squeal when it saw us, though, and Kimmy raised an eyebrow at me.
“Did you want me to do it?” she asked.
“No,” I said quickly. “I just…”
“It’s okay,” she chuckled. “I know where my meat comes from.”
“Right,” I said, and I walked over to the bunny and quickly snapped its neck before I pulled it out of the trap and reached for my knife to skin it.
“You know,” Kimmy said as I worked on removing the fur from the rabbit. “This is still more humane than the way we used to get our meat.”
“That’s funny,” I said. “Bailey says that, too.”
“She’s right,” the dark skinned woman said with a smile. “I used to limit my meat intake severely because of the inhumane treatment of the animals. Though I could never say no to ribs.”
“I can’t blame you there,” I laughed. “Ribs were always one of my favorites as well.”
“I don’t know what it is about them,” Kimmy chuckled. “They’re so tender and delicious, and the barbecue sauce, oh, man. They’re just a little slice of heaven.”
“My mom used to make her own barbecue sauce,” I said. “I never did figure out how to make it properly so I always just bought some, but homemade sauce is always better.”
“Barbecue sauce is easy,” Kimmy told me. “It’s one of the things I actually know how to cook quite decently.”
“You’ll have to show me sometime,” I said as I stood up with the rabbit now attached to my stick.
“That’s a deal,” she agreed, and the brunette smiled at me and blushed slightly before she looked away.
My breath caught in my throat as I watched her, and I felt my stomach jump with excitement. There was something about this chase that was driving me crazy. I knew she wanted me, but she had more to consider than the other girls did. Kimmy was a bit older than them, and she also had a child to worry about. As much as I wanted to be at the top of her list, I knew I could never be number one, and I was alright with that. Still, I wanted her desperately, and I knew she’d be worth the wait.
We made our way to the other spots where the bunny traps were and found another one in its grasp. Then we gathered up our catch for the day and returned to campus. Before we hit the tree line I could smell fire, and I knew that Betty and Rolly were at least up for the day.
Winchester sprinted by us then, and I heard Bailey laugh as I’m sure he jumped on her.
“Mmm, is that coffee I smell?” Kimmy asked as we walked through the trees and found Rolly, Betty, and the rest of the girls around the fire. Winchester was laid down by Bailey’s feet, and the blonde stroked his head absentmindedly.
“It is,” Rolly said, and he poured two cups and handed each of us one as we sat down.
“Here, let me help you, dear,” Betty said as she reached into Kimmy’s pack and pulled out baby Anthony.
“Oh, thank you,” Kimmy said with a smile. “I can take him.”
“Nonsense,” the old woman told her. “You drink your coffee before it gets cold.
“Thanks, Betty,” the dark skinned woman replied with a soft look on her face.
“Anytime I can hold this little chunk is time I’m happy with,” Betty chuckled.
“Betty!” Paige scoffed playfully. “Can you say that?”
“What? Call him a chunk?” Betty asked. “Of course.”
“Babies are cuter when they’re chunky,” Kimmy explained before she took a sip of the hot coffee in her mug.
“It’s totally true,” Tara agreed. “Have you ever seen a skinny baby?”
“I don’t think so,” Paige said with a shake of her head.
“Good,” the platinum blonde said. “Don’t.”
“It’s not exactly something you can avoid,” Bailey laughed. “Some babies are just skinnier than others.”
“I refuse to believe that,” Tara said. “Just fatten them up, then people will totally babysit your kid for you.”
“I was a thin baby,” Rolly announced, and the girls all looked at him as if he had two heads.
“Really?” Anna asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Really,” the old man said with a nod, and he took a sip of his coffee.
“It’s alright,” Betty told him, and she put her hand on his shoulder. “You turned out cute anyway.”
“You sayin’ I wasn’t a cute baby?” Rolly chuckled.
“Um, yeah,” Tara laughed.
“I may have a picture around here somewhere,” the old man muttered. “I’ll have to find that and show you all proof that skinny babies are just as cute as the fat ones.”
The girls began to laugh, but I noticed that Kimmy grew quiet and sipped her coffee.
“Kimmy, what’s wrong?” Bailey asked softly, having noticed the dark skinned beauty’s change in mood as well. “We didn’t mean to upset you talking about babies.”
“Oh, no, it’s not that,” Kimmy said with a wave of her hand. “It’s just… Well, Anthony won’t really have any baby photos.”
“That’s so sad.” Paige frowned.
“We’ve got to have a camera around here somewhere,” Betty added.
“We can always look for one, too, while we’re out,” Anna said with a smile. “On the next run I bet we can find one.”
“Yeah, we have power so as long as we get a digital camera you can charge it,” Bailey said.
“That would be wonderful,” Kimmy said with a smile. “Thank you. I would have used my cell phone, but it got left behind a long time ago.”
“Wait,” Tara said. “I have mine. You can totally use it until we get you your own camera.”
“Really?” Kimmy asked.
“I don’t think anyone else has ever even held Tara’s cell phone,” Anna stage whispered to Paige, who snickered behind her hand.
“Well, I haven’t used it in, like, forever,” Tara said with an eye roll. “But I just realized that I should have been using it to take pictures.”
“That’s pretty much all it is now is a camera,” Bailey said with a nod. “I think I still have my phone around here, too.”
“I’d definitely appreciate the use of it for a while,” Kimmy told Tara. “I promise not to take too many. He’s gotten so big, though, I would like to capture something before he grows even more.”
“Of course,” Tara said, and she reached over and grabbed baby Anthony’s foot and gave it a little tickle so he giggled and squealed in Betty’s lap.
We all drank our coffee quietly for a bit while breakfast continued to cook, then I broke the silence when I realized I hadn’t checked on the day’s chores.
“Kimmy and I took care of everything in the woods,” I announced. “Did anybody tend to the animals?”
“All taken care of,” Bailey assured me.
“Good,” I said with a smile. “Thank you.”
“We figured we’d let everyone sleep a little bit longer this morning,” Anna told me. “It was a long day at the farm yesterday, and with all the booze everyone consumed last night we thought they might need it.”
“I’m sure you’re not wrong,” I chuckled.
“You all are going to the fort today, right?” Betty asked.
“That’s the plan,” I sighed. “We’ll try to make it quick, but can you do me a favor while we’re gone?”
“Of course,” Betty said.
“What do you need?” Rolly asked at the same time.
“Can you gather up those water drums we used before?” I asked. “Make sure they’re ready when we need them.”
“You got it,” Betty agreed, but the nod that she gave me showed the concern that she had, and I felt my stomach tighten in response.
I hated that my little community was under stress. Not that we weren’t used to it, but I knew that it took its toll on everyone and I wanted to make sure that people felt comfortable and safe. It was my job
to make that possible, and I needed to give them some sort of good news, and fast. I only hoped that our visit to the fort would prove to be worthwhile, as long as we could get the extra fuel to make sure we would be able to haul water, then for the moment that should be enough to relieve everyone’s concerns.
Betty and Tara finished up breakfast, and the civilians began to wander out shortly after, so we all ate quickly and soon enough we were ready to hit the road and head over to the fort.
I decided to take one of the jeeps since there was a little bit more room in them than there was in the military truck, and with Kimmy coming along we’d need the extra space. Besides, we weren’t planning on getting any more fuel today. We wouldn’t get any until we needed it, that way we got the most out of our deal without over exerting ourselves for an amount that we didn’t even need.
Once we were all in the jeep, I pulled off down our dirt driveway and onto the main highway. Rolly, Betty, and the rest of the civilians would head out shortly after us to go to the farm and check on the crops, so we needed to make our trip to the fort as fast as possible. The longer they were there without any answers about the water situation the more they would think about it and stress over it, which would only lead to panic, and I definitely didn’t want or need that at the moment.
The sun was high up in the east as we drove down the highway toward the fort. We’d made the trip enough times by then that I no longer needed a map, so I just drove and enjoyed the sunshine as it beat down on us. It was still early in the morning so the heat of the day hadn’t set in yet, and the sunshine actually felt quite nice.
Anna was in the passenger’s seat, and she stared out the open window, the few red flyaways around her face bobbing in the breeze. She wore a pair of athletic shorts as usual, and with one sneakered foot up on the dash, I got a good view of her pale, lean thighs. On top, she had a jogging hoodie on, though I was sure there was nothing but a tank top under it. Still, the bright yellow color looked nice on her, and I figured it was one of the articles of clothing she’d picked up when we’d stopped by Nordstroms on our venture to check out the outpost not too long ago. It was nice to see the girls in new clothing. Not only did they look great, but I knew it made them feel good after having only the clothes they were left with when the EMP hit for well over a year.
Tara, Bailey, Kimmy, and Paige were all piled in the back, but since they were all slender, they still had some room between them and they didn’t appear uncomfortable in the slightest.
Paige sat behind Anna with her elbow resting on the window frame. Her long, chestnut brown hair was up in its usual messy bun, and she chewed absentmindedly on her nails as she stared out the window. Where she used to often wear baggy sweatshirts and jeans, she’d taken to wearing more tight fitting athletic wear similar to Anna’s, and it looked good on her. Today she had on a pair of pink leggings that came to just below her knees, and a tank top that showed off her hourglass shape and small, but perky, breasts. Her thick rimmed glasses covered her eyes and only added to her stereotypical role as the smart one in the group.
Kimmy leaned back in the seat, her curls like a halo around her head, and I couldn’t help but steal a glance at her cleavage in the rearview mirror. She saw me, though, and she gave me a playful smirk before she leaned back even further so her breasts pushed up more.
Bailey sat next to Kimmy, her blonde hair down around her face and whirling in the wind from the open windows. The hippie girl wore a pair of high waisted denim shorts and a tie dye crop top, something I assumed she had also picked up when we stopped by the clothing store. She also had on a pair of aviator shades, and I had to smile at how absolutely adorable she looked.
Tara was, of course, beautiful as ever. The platinum blonde had on a white tank top with a black bra underneath that didn’t leave much to the imagination. Below that she had on an extremely short pair of ripped up denim shorts, and when she caught me staring at her thighs in the rearview mirror she wiggled her eyebrows at me and blew me a little kiss.
I shook my head and chuckled to myself as I turned back to the road. Even with the stress of the water situation, I was lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful and powerful women. Not only were they my lovers, but they were my teammates, and I couldn’t imagine my life without them.
The trip to the fort was about an hour long, and as we drove, the day began to heat up and I felt some sweat bead on my forehead, so I reached up and wiped it off. This summer was already proving to be much hotter than the last one, and I made a mental note to remind everyone to increase their water intake when we got back to the farm. Even with the water issue, we couldn’t afford to have anyone get dehydrated from working out in the fields. Heatstroke was nothing to be messed with and even with Marla, our registered nurse, ready to assist, it wasn’t something I wanted anyone to have to go through. When one of my buddies in basic had overworked himself and not had enough water in his system, he was sent to the medic tent and stayed there for at least two days.
By the time we reached the fort it was already sweltering out, and I could feel the sweat on the back of my neck.
I pulled up to the gate and waved my arm out the window to the men on duty. They smiled and waved back at me, then they opened the gate so I could drive through and park near the entrance.
“Hey,” one of the guards called down. “Is Renee expecting you?”
“No,” I said with a shake of my head. “I hope that’s okay. Is she here?”
“Oh, yeah,” he said with a smile. “Let me go get her.”
“Thanks,” I called up to the guy.
“We probably should have let her know we were coming over the radio,” Paige said with a frown.
“You’re right,” I agreed. “I didn’t want to discuss business over the radio, but we could have at least let her know that we were planning on stopping by.”
“It’s still fairly new that we have them,” Kimmy said with a shrug. “I’m sure she understands.”
“Hey!” Renee called, and I turned around to see her coming down the stairs toward us.
“Hey, Renee,” I greeted the dark haired woman.
“Hm,” she replied, and her eyebrows pulled together with concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Intuitive,” I chuckled. “Can we talk?”
“Of course,” she answered and gestured up the stairs. “Let’s go to my office, we can talk there.”
“Thanks,” I told her, and we all followed her up the stairs and down the hallway. She’d made her office in one of the old studies where Kimmy had set up the radio. The place was filled with antiques. It had a beautiful oak bookshelf against the wall behind the desk and a fireplace on the other wall. There were some paintings of soldiers on the walls and a large victorian style couch in front of the fireplace.
All the girls quickly piled onto the couch while I leaned against the stone wall by the window. Renee took a seat at the desk and turned to look at me.
“So, what’s going on?” she asked, and her voice was filled with concern.
“We’re having trouble with our water supply,” I said.
“What kind of trouble?” she asked as her eyes grew round with surprise.
“The stream we were using is drying up,” Bailey chimed in.
“Yeah,” Paige agreed. “And Otter Creek is getting low this year, too.”
“Oh, no,” Renee said, and she looked back at me. “What can I do to help?”
“We’re okay on fuel for the time being,” I said. “But we’re going to have to start hauling water to the farm from the creek so we can continue to use the stream for campus.”
“That makes sense,” the dark haired woman agreed. “Get the water for the crops from the larger body.”
“Right,” I said. “But we may need more fuel than we had anticipated before because of the drive to and from the farm.”
“We were hoping to strike a deal with you for when we need more,” Anna said in her best Major voice.
“We’re w
illing to up the amount of crops from our harvest,” I told her.
“Whatever you need, you have,” Renee said. “And I trust that you’ll supply us fairly, no need to hash out every last can.”
“I appreciate that,” I told the woman with a smile. There was a mutual trust between us that I respected. I knew that she wouldn’t try to screw me over, just like I wouldn’t try anything like that with her. I’d taken out Brody, and that was enough to gain her trust, but even more than that we trusted each other because there was a mutual sense of respect. Renee was an intelligent, no nonsense woman, and that was something I admired about her.
“I also have another CB radio for you in the jeep,” Kimmy announced. “And I put some instructions with it so you can set it up at the refinery since we moved that one here.”
“Oh, great, thank you,” Renee said, but then her face grew puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“That just reminded me,” the dark haired woman started. “I was in here the other day going over some things and I think I heard something.”
“Heard something?” Anna asked.
“Not surprised,” Tara said with a smirk as she looked around at the room. “This place is definitely haunted.”
“Why is that the first place you go to?” Paige asked with a shake of her head.
“I mean, look at this place,” the platinum blonde said, and she gestured to a painting of a colonial-era general on the wall. “That guy is totally haunting this place.”
“Um, I don’t think she meant a voice as in something paranormal,” Bailey said.
“I didn’t,” Renee agreed, and she raised an eyebrow at Tara.
“Oh,” the platinum blonde said, and she leaned back and crossed her arms. “Continue.”
“Thanks?” Renee chuckled.
“What kind of voice?” I asked.
“It was a male voice,” the dark haired woman explained. “It came over the CB radio.”
“Are you sure?” Kimmy asked, and she leaned forward in her seat.
“I’m fairly certain,” Renee said with a nod. “I think there’s someone else nearby.”
Chapter 4
