by Eric Vall
“You’re so sexy,” I told her with a smile.
“Not as sexy as you,” she said, but she blushed slightly as she leaned into my hand.
I wasn’t sure when it happened, but at some point in the night I woke up in my dorm room bed with Anna still naked sprawled across me. I tossed a blanket over us, but the feel of the redhead’s deep, sleep heavy breaths, and her warm naked skin on mine was enough to send me right back to sleep.
The next morning I woke before dawn and carefully peeled Anna off of me. I smelled of soap and sex from the night before, and I smiled at the scent as I got dressed in the dark and hurried out of the room. I closed the door quietly behind me, but before I could turn around I heard someone clear their throat, and the light came on in the common room.
“Ahem,” Tara repeated as I turned around, and the platinum blonde raised an eyebrow at me.
“Um, yes?” I asked, half chuckling at her insinuation that she had caught me doing something wrong. Part of me felt like a teenager who had gotten caught sneaking back into the house after curfew.
“And just where were you all night?” the platinum blonde asked.
I said nothing, just cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow at her.
“We missed you last night,” Bailey said with a smile, then she elbowed Tara. “Isn’t that right, Tara?”
“Ow, hey,” Tara squealed, and she narrowed her eyes at Bailey, then let out a sigh. “You girls are no fun, you could’ve at least pretended to be mad for a few minutes.”
“What good would that do?” Paige chuckled.
“We could’ve guilted him into doing our chores or something,” the platinum blonde said.
“You’re just mad because Anna beat you to it last night,” the brunette replied with an eye roll.
“That’s true,” Tara sighed.
“Don’t worry,” I laughed. “I’m free tonight.”
“I just might take you up on that,” the platinum blonde purred, and she winked at me.
“Are you all ready to go?” I asked as I looked around at the girls. They were all dressed and it looked like they’d been up for a while.
“Pretty much,” Paige agreed. “We were waiting for you and Anna.”
“Has anyone woke Kimmy up?” I inquired since I didn’t see her in the room.
“She’s downstairs with Rolly, Betty, and Henry,” Bailey said. “She wanted to feed Anthony before we left.”
“Right,” I said with a nod. “I should wake Anna up then, then we can do the chores in the woods before we go.”
“Already done,” Bailey said. “The chores, I mean.”
“You already did them?” I asked, and my eyebrows pinched together with concern and curiosity. “It’s not even light out yet.”
“Yeah, but we didn’t have nearly as much to drink yesterday as you did,” Paige giggled.
“It was a special night,” I replied with a grin.
“It was,” the brunette agreed. “We thought you deserved a bit more sleep.”
“I appreciate it,” I said.
“Honestly, we only came up here to grab some supplies for the day,” Bailey informed me. “It was just luck that we caught you coming out of the room.”
“Good to know you weren’t just waiting for me,” I chuckled and I turned to open the door to the dorm room. Before my hand grabbed the handle, I heard a loud thud and a subsequent ‘ow’, then the door swung open from the other side.
The redhead definitely looked as though she’d just woken up. Her long, red hair was wavy and hung down her back and around her face. She had on the same clothes she’d worn the day before, and her eyes were still heavy with sleep.
“I’m up, I’m up,” she said as she adjusted her sock and nearly fell over.
“Whoa, there,” I laughed and grabbed her elbow to steady her. “Why don’t you throw on some clean clothes and meet us downstairs.”
“Yeah, we’ve been waiting all morning, what’s a few extra minutes?” Tara teased, and Anna narrowed her eyes at her.
“You’re such a brat,” Paige told the platinum blonde, and she gave her a playful push.
“I was kidding,” Tara laughed. “Come on, we’ll get some coffee from Rolly downstairs. Take your time.”
“Thanks,” Anna muttered, and she headed over to the dresser to get some fresh clothes.
I followed the rest of the girls downstairs and found Kimmy on the couch with Rolly and Betty, and baby Anthony was in her arms. Henry sat in one of the chairs to the side of the couch, and the whole room was filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
“Mmm,” I hummed as I walked up and took a seat across from everyone. “Smells good down here.”
“Thought you might say that,” Rolly chuckled, and he passed me a to-go thermos filled with his special home brewed java.
“Thank you,” I sighed, and I took a deep pull from the canister. The black coffee tasted just right on my tongue, and it reminded me of R&R weekends in the service when the boys and I would drink too much, then get up early the next morning to run laps and do chores. I never felt totally awake those mornings, not until we made it to the cafeteria and I was able to get a hot cup of coffee in my system.
“Where’s Anna?” Betty asked, and her eyes were full of concern.
“She’s getting herself together,” Tara snickered.
“She and I woke up a little late,” I said, and I shot Tara a quick look to silence her, though it only made her giggle under her breath.
“The rest of the girls helped me get everything ready in the jeep,” Kimmy informed me.
“You got a solar panel in there?” I asked.
“Yes,” the dark skinned beauty answered as baby Anthony opened his mouth for more mushed veggies. “We got some tools and things that we might need as well.”
“Alright,” I said with a smile. “I can’t say I know what I’m doing, but we’ll help however we can.”
“That’s okay,” Kimmy chuckled. “Paige and I managed last time with the rest of you keeping lookout.”
“I did nothing,” Paige whispered, and I had to laugh.
“You assisted,” Kimmy insisted.
“Hardly,” the brunette chuckled. “But I’m trying to learn so that I can help.”
“Your interest is appreciated,” the dark skinned woman said with a smile.
“I’m ready,” Anna announced as she came down the staircase in a fresh set of athletic wear and her long hair pulled back into its usual thick braid.
“Hm,” Tara said, and she narrowed her eyes as she studied Anna.
“What?” the redhead asked, and she looked at the platinum blonde curiously.
“I like your hair better down,” Tara said with a shrug.
“It is really pretty down,” Bailey agreed.
“Thanks,” Anna said. “But it’s not exactly practical.”
“Right,” Paige agreed. Her locks were just as long as Anna’s, so she understood the struggle of having long hair and going into battle or dangerous situations. Bailey and Tara’s hair wasn’t nearly as long, so they didn’t have to worry quite as much about keeping it out of their way.
“Your hair is beautiful no matter how you choose to do it, dear,” Betty said with a smile.
“Thank you,” the redhead replied, and she blushed slightly.
“I made you all some breakfast to go,” Betty told us, and she grabbed a large wicker basket from beside the couch and handed it to me. It had some egg sandwiches, fruit, and even a few power bars in it.
“Thank you,” I told her sincerely. Betty was not only thoughtful and sweet, but she made Rolly really happy. There wasn’t much more I could ask for in a member of our team.
We sipped our coffee for a few more minutes, and I waited until Kimmy had finished feeding Anthony, then I waited a few more minutes so she could spend some time with him before we left.
“We should probably be heading out,” I said as I stood up.
“Oh, wait one s
econd,” Kimmy said, and she pulled out a pink iPhone from her back pocket and took a picture of baby Anthony in her arms as he giggled and played with a teething toy.
“Awww,” Bailey cooed. “Can I see?”
“Of course,” Kimmy said, and she handed her the phone.
“Let’s try that again,” I laughed after everyone had a good look at the adorable photo.
“Right, sorry,” Kimmy said, and she stood up. “Let’s go.”
“Be careful out there,” Rolly told us.
“We will,” I assured him. “We’ll be back this evening.”
“We’ll hold you to that,” Betty said, and she took baby Anthony from Kimmy, who kissed him on the top of the head as she passed him over.
The girls and I grabbed our gear from by the front door and tossed it on before we headed out to the jeep. Dawn had just broke across the horizon as we stepped outside, and the girls looked like badasses kitted out in the glow of the morning sun.
Anna wore all black, from her short athletic shorts to her athletic zip up she had on top. Even her holster and pistol were black, and since her legs were fully exposed I could see how toned they were, and I thought of how she’d nearly suffocated me between her thighs the night before.
Paige had on a pair of dark green athletic pants paired with a gray V-neck T-shirt that showed off more of her cleavage than usual. Her long chestnut locks were pulled up into a messy bun, and the shotgun that was casually slung over her shoulder only made her seem more like someone you didn’t want to fuck with.
Tara wore a pair of ripped up denim shorts, hiking boots, and a red tank top. She had her pistol on her hip, her platinum blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, and dark black mascara on her eyelashes. Her pouty lips looked extra pink, and I realized that she had some lipstick on, too. I didn’t comment, but I thought it was kind of sexy that she’d put on lipstick just to go on a run. Even on your average day, Tara was anything but average.
Bailey wore a pair of high waisted denim shorts, hiking boots, and a dark blue baggy shirt that hung off of one shoulder over a white tank top. Her medium length blonde hair was hidden under a gray beanie, and she had her aviators on with her sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. She reminded me of the kind of girls I used to go after when I was in the military, and I felt my stomach jump slightly at how sexy I found her.
It was only Kimmy’s second time going on a run with us, but she’d already gotten the hang of it based on her outfit. Her curly brown hair was pulled back into a bun on the top of her head, and she wore a green tank top with a pair of black denim shorts and hiking boots. She had her pistol holstered on her hip, and I couldn’t help but notice that just the barest amount of her buttcheeks poked out from the bottom of her shorts.
Once we had our rifles in the back of the jeep with the other equipment, we all piled in, and I took off down the driveway.
It was still somewhat chilly out since the sun hadn’t fully risen, but the coolness of the morning felt nice, especially since I was sure it was going to be another hot day. I rolled my window down slightly to let in a little bit of breeze and started down the highway toward Burlington, though we wouldn’t need to go quite that far.
The sun continued to rise as we drove, and I sipped on my coffee and took an egg sandwich when I was offered one. After I had finished it, I glanced at Paige in the rearview mirror. I had forgotten to ask about the jewelry store last night.
“Did you happen to find a place where we can stop for Rolly?” I asked the brunette.
“Yeah,” she agreed with a frown. “But it’s a pawn shop, not an actual jewelry store.”
“Sometimes you can find really cool stuff at the pawn shop,” Bailey said with a smile.
“Actually, that might be better as far as looking for jewelry,” Kimmy said with a shrug.
“Why do you say that?” Anna asked.
“Well, I would think that people looting pawn shops would be more focused on the weapons instead of the jewelry,” she explained.
“Hm, good point,” Paige agreed. “And if the place already looked ransacked, then a lot of people would probably just pass it over.”
“Exactly,” Kimmy agreed.
“I didn’t even know that they sold jewelry at pawn shops,” Tara said.
“Have you ever been to one?” Bailey asked.
“We’ve looked through them,” the platinum blonde pointed out. “But I never noticed the jewelry.”
“Let’s hope nobody else did, either,” Paige chuckled.
“Who’s honestly looking for jewelry in times like this anyways?” Anna scoffed.
“I mean, I probably would have,” Tara said with a shrug. “At first at least.”
“Why?” Anna laughed.
“What if the world went back to normal soon after?” I suggested. “You’d be rich.”
“Oh,” the redhead said, and her eyes widened with surprise. “I hadn’t thought about that.”
“I mean that, plus also you’d just have a bunch of awesome jewelry,” Tara said.
“Of course, that’s why you’d look for it,” Anna laughed.
“Well, what would be the first thing you’d loot?” Tara asked with narrowed eyes.
“Food,” the redhead said. “That’s what we did loot.”
“I mean aside from food and water, obviously,” the platinum blonde said with an eye roll.
“Hm,” Anna said, and she thought for a moment. “I probably would have stolen some high end skis.”
“Skis?” Tara asked.
“Yeah,” the redhead replied. “I had really nice ones, but I mean, there were nicer ones out there I could only dream about buying.”
“Not a bad choice,” the platinum blonde said with a nod, then she turned to Paige. “What about you?”
“Oh, um,” the brunette said, and she took a second to think. “I’d probably break into like Area 51 or something and get all the documents about it. Then I could release them after everything blew over.”
“Not at all what I expected, but okay,” Tara replied, then she turned to Bailey. “Bails?”
“Are we just glossing over Paige’s apparent obsession with aliens?” Anna laughed.
“You know, I think we are,” the platinum blonde chuckled. “Bails?”
“I’d rob a bank,” the hippie said with a sweet smile.
“Again, not at all what I expected,” Tara said. “But I respect it.”
“Why the hell did none of us think of that?” Anna scoffed. “We could have all been rich by now.”
“It would only come in handy if the world went back to normal, though,” Bailey said with a shrug. “It’s risky.”
“Still pretty smart,” I chuckled.
“What about you, Kimmy?” Bailey asked.
“Yeah, what would you have looted?” Tara pushed.
“I’d have gone to Sephora and just filled up as many bags as I could,” Kimmy laughed.
“Oh my god,” Tara said, and each word seemed like its own sentence. “You’re a fucking genius.”
“I try,” Kimmy said with a nonchalant shrug.
“What’s Sephora?” I asked.
“It’s a makeup store,” Bailey explained.
“I see,” I chuckled.
“Oh, what about you, Tav?” Paige inquired.
“I’d have stolen a tank,” I said matter of factly.
“Ummmm, okay,’ Tara laughed.
“I’ve always wanted one,” I said with a grin. “Wouldn’t it be awesome for us all to cruise around in one and blow shit up?”
“I like it,” Paige giggled. “I’d love to shoot a tank cannon.”
“Me too!” Anna laughed, and then the girls all spoke at once about how cool it would be to have a tank and how they would take turns driving and shooting it.
We drove on for a little bit longer, then Paige had me turn down another road that led us through several small towns and some farmland. The morning sun was completely out then, and I put on the sungla
sses that Bailey had gotten for me as I downed the rest of the coffee in my thermos. It had already grown somewhat warm out, so I rolled the window down even further to let more breeze in.
“Stop!” Tara exclaimed with a gasp as we drove through one of the small towns on our way to the radio station.
I slammed my foot on the break and immediately my pistol was in my hand aimed out the window, but Tara already had the door open and she was out on the road.
“Do you guys see this?” the platinum blonde asked, and she gestured behind her.
“You know,” Anna called, “you could have said something without giving Tav and everyone else a heart attack.”
I saw the redhead holster her weapon again then, too, and I realized I wasn’t the only one who had been startled by Tara’s outburst.
“Oops, my bad,” Tara said, and she blushed a little and bit her lip. “Sorry.”
“What is it?” Paige asked as she tried to look around Kimmy and Bailey.
“It’s a jewelry store,” I said as I took in the sign above Tara’s head.
“Yes!” the platinum blonde squealed, and she jumped up and down.
“We’re still about fifteen minutes from the radio station,” Paige said, and she gave me a concerned look.
“We’ll make it quick,” I told her, and I pulled the jeep over and parked it in front of the jewelry store.
It was an old shop front that had probably been around since the 1950s, and it looked like it was family owned. The sign above the door read ‘Johansen’s New and Antique Diamonds, Jewels, and More’ in large gold cursive letters. Like the rest of the town, the windows were busted out, and there was some trash floating around outside the storefront, but overall it looked to be in good condition.
“This place wasn’t even on the map,” Paige said as she looked at the store.
“Clear it first,” I insisted, and the girls all pulled their pistols out quickly.
We lined up and rushed in, but it didn’t take long to clear the small building, and then the girls all immediately became fascinated by the jewels still left in the cases.
“Do we know what size?” Bailey inquired.
“A size six,” Tara hollered as she used a magnifying glass she’d found to inspect a ring out of one of the cases.
