by Eric Vall
“I did some calculations,” she said as she cleaned her glasses from the rain.
“What did you find out?” I asked.
“The Guard could be coming anytime,” she said. “We already knew that since they have vehicles.”
“Right,” I said with a nod. “What else?”
“I think we have three days before the Canadians get here,” she said.
“Three days?” I asked, somewhat surprised.
“Yeah,” she said. “They’re mostly on foot, so I think that’s about right. Could be a bit more or less depending on how quickly people walk, and this storm is sure to slow them down.”
“Good job,” I told the brunette. “Now I need you to go help Marla.”
“Alright,” she said with a nod. “Did she tell you what’s wrong with Frank?”
“He’s been sick for a couple days,” I informed her. “Marla said he’s dehydrated and has severe diarrhea.”
“That’s not good,” Paige said with a frown.
“I was kind of hoping you’d tell me the opposite,” I said.
“I wish I could,” she said. “But dehydration and diarrhea can be pretty bad, especially for a child.”
“I’m hoping it’s not--” I started.
“Dysentery,” Paige and I said together.
“It’s possible,” I said with a sigh. “But if that’s the case then this is incredibly serious.”
“I’ll do some research after I look him over,” the brunette said.
“A lot of soldiers died in the civil war from dysentery,” I said with a frown. “That might help with your research.”
“Thanks,” Paige said with a hard nod. “We’ll figure out what it is. But even if that is it, we should have the means to fix it with the modern medicine we have now.”
“Marla was beside herself when we found her,” I said. “That’s why they hadn’t seen the smoke. They were all too worried about Frank.”
“I can’t blame them,” the brunette said. “But if Marla is out of sorts, it can’t be good.”
“Regardless,” I said. “I want you to take a look and see what you can figure out. Help her however you can, you know where the medical supplies are.”
“Of course,” Paige said, and she turned to head outside.
“Oh, Paige!” I called just before she opened the door.
“Yes?” she asked, and she turned to look back at me.
“I need some sign materials,” I told her.
“In the back supply closet there’s some spray paint,” she said, and she headed out the door.
I went to the supply closet and found it filled with poster board, puffy paint, sharpies, and various other office supplies. In the back was some white, black, and red spray paint, so I grabbed the red and black stuff and headed outside.
I found Anna and the civilians from the Miller’s farm off-loading the truck they had come in.
“Cathy,” I said as I approached. “I need Anna, can you be in charge of getting all of this inside?”
“Of course,” the sandy blonde haired woman replied.
“Anna!” I called over the rain to the redhead who was coming out of the gym.
“Yeah?” she asked, and she ran toward me.
“I need you with me,” I said, and I jogged into the gym with her behind me.
“What are we doing?” she asked as we stepped inside.
“We’re making signs,” I told her, and I set down the spray paint and retrieved the piper college signs we had taken down a few weeks before.
“What kind of signs?” she asked.
“‘No Trespassing,’” I said. “And ‘Trespassers will be shot on sight.’”
“Alright,” the redhead said with a nod, and I noticed that all her usual flyaway hairs were stuck to her face from the rain. A further look over showed that she was absolutely drenched, but I looked down at myself and realized I wasn’t any better off.
“Yeah,” Anna said dryly after she saw me give her a once over. “This rain sucks.”
“It does,” I said with a smile, and I picked up a can of spray paint and started to work on a sign.
“We should take the spray paint with us when we hang these,” the redhead said.
“Good idea,” I said with a nod. “There are some other signs down there we can paint over.”
“Paige told you her theory?” Anna asked as she started to work as well.
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I think she’s pretty close.”
“Hopefully since the guard is in a hurry, they’ll go right by,”the redhead said.
“Maybe,” I said. “But we shouldn’t count on it.”
“Of course not,” she said with a grin.
“Hey,” I said after a few moments of silence. “You did good today.”
“Thanks,” Anna said with a smile.
“I really mean it,” I told her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to get everything going, but you kicked some serious ass handling it all.”
“I was upset you weren’t here at first,” she said with a small smile. “But it was a nice test of my ability as a leader.”
“I think it’s safe to say you passed,” I said with a grin.
“Thanks,” the redhead said, and she smiled at me. “So was the new girl the reason you got hung up?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “That and there was a flash flood.”
“Shit,” Anna said with wide eyes.
“Yeah,” I said dryly. “Today has been hectic.”
“I’d say,” she chuckled. “And somehow you came home with a mom and baby.”
“They needed our help,” I said softly.
“Of course,” Anna said, and her eyebrows pinched together. “You didn’t think any of us would be mad, did you?”
“I wasn’t sure,” I said. “I had faith you would understand though.”
“We trust you,” she told me seriously. “And we know you’ll do whatever you can to help people.”
“I think you just got a plus attached to that A from earlier,” I chuckled.
“So that makes it an A plus plus, right?” she joked.
“I don’t think you would accept anything less,” I laughed.
“You’d be right about that,” she said with a grin.
Anna and I finished the signs quickly, and when they were done, I took a step back to admire our handiwork.
“So where are we stringing these up?” she asked.
“Down by the bodies,” I said.
“Alright,” she said with a nod. “We’ll need some string.”
“I think I saw some in the supply closet,” I said, and I walked back, retrieved the string, and picked up the signs.
“Are we taking the ATV?” the redhead asked.
“No,” I said and I shook my head. “No sense in getting the signs more wet than we have to. Plus fuck driving the ATV in this storm.”
“That’s what I was hoping you’d say,” she chuckled, and we ran out into the storm toward the truck.
I started the truck and headed down the driveway. Thunder sounded as I drove, and lightning flashed through the dark sky. I looked over to my redheaded lover. I really was proud of her and what she had done today. I don’t think she realized it, but not many people could stand up and lead a group like she was able to, though most leaders didn’t realize that leading was a true ability, and something that not everyone was born with.
The rain started to come down harder on the windshield, and I felt that it must be a bad omen for the days ahead of us. The Guard could come through any minute, and after them there would be thousands of desperate Canadians to deal with. We had worked so hard to prepare for winter, but in reality the hard part had just begun.
“You know that rain is supposed to be a good omen,” Anna said with a soft smile as she looked out the windshield.
“That’s funny,” I said. “I was just thinking that it was the opposite.”
“No,” she said, and she shook her head. �
��Rain is cleansing.”
“Cleansing?” I asked with a raised brow.
“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “So maybe it’s good that it’s raining. Maybe it’s cleansing our worries about the guard.”
“That still leaves the Canadians,” I said with a sigh.
“Yeah,” she said with a frown.
“Maybe we should hope for more rain,” I said with a smile.
“I think we should,” she replied with a grin.
We reached the bottom of the bridge where we had hung the bodies, and I shut off the truck, but we sat in the truck for a moment and enjoyed the sound of the downpour on the windows.
“Let’s get to work,” I said with a soft smile.
“Let’s,” she said, and she grabbed the signs and hopped out of the truck.
I stepped into the downpour and breathed in long and deep. Water was all I smelled, and I thought that perhaps Anna had been right about the rain.
Chapter 4
“Over here,” I called from a tree by the bridge.
“One second!” Anna yelled back as she finished tying up one of our signs.
I watched the redheaded woman work and admired her strength as she wound the rope tightly through the sign and around the tree.
“Okay,” she breathed as she ran over to me and into the bit of coverage the tree provided from the rain.
“We’re going to start sentry duty,” I told her as we tied up the sign.
“Okay,” she said with a nod.
“I want you to be there with the newbies when I’m not,” I said.
“So you and I will be on duty all the time?” she asked.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head, and rain flew from my hair and landed on the sign. “But until everyone gets comfortable and we’re confident in their abilities, I want us to take charge. Is that okay with you?”
“Are you kidding?” the redhead asked with a grin. “That sounds great.”
“Good,” I said with a smile. “It will be dangerous, though. And a lot of hard work.”
“Dangerous and hard work are my middle name,” she joked.
“Well, alright then,” I chuckled. “I knew I could count on you.”
“Always,” she told me with a smile.
We finished tying up that sign, spray painted the stop signs in the area with some skulls and crossbones, and Anna spray painted ‘Keep the fuck out’ on one of the road signs by the bridge. The last sign I decided to hang on one of the bodies that was already strung up.
“This thing smells disgusting,” Anna said as we approached the body.
“It’s a dead body,” I laughed. “You can’t expect it to smell good.”
“Well, no,” she said with an eye roll. “But good Lord this thing is seriously gross.”
“Let’s get it done quickly,” I told her, and I grabbed the rope and tied it to one side of the sign.
“Are you going to slip it over their neck?” she asked as she watched me work.
“That’s the plan,” I said, and I threw the rope around the neck of the body and secured it to the other side of the sign. “What do you think?”
“It’s spooky,” she said with a grin. “I love it.”
“Of course you would,” I chuckled.
“Well, I kind of figured that’s why you asked me to come help,” she said with a smile.
“Part of it,” I replied. “You aren’t as easily spooked by gory things as some other girls.”
“Is that our last sign?” the redhead asked, and she looked around.
“I believe so,” I said with a nod.
“We should get back to the others,” she said. “Plus, it’s freezing out here.”
“Let’s go,” I said, but I looked down at Anna’s hands and realized they were turning a faint blue color. She must really be cold from the rain and keeping her out in it for any length of time could risk her becoming sick. The last thing I needed was my second in command catching a cold.
“Whew,” Anna said as we hopped in the car. “I’m soaked.”
“Me too.” I looked over at the redhead again. Her thin sports jacket stuck to her body and hugged every curve she had. Her long red hair was still pulled back in its braid, but a few strands clung to her face and neck, and her lips were bright red from the cold outside.
“Can we hang out here for a minute?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said with a nod, but my eyebrows pinched together. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said, and she shivered slightly. “I’m just so cold, I just want a minute to get warm.”
“Okay,” I said. “Do you want to come closer?”
“Are you suggesting we cuddle for warmth?” the redhead asked with a raised brow.
“I think I am,” I chuckled.
“I’ll take it,” she laughed, and she scooted closer to me.
“I was hoping you would,” I said, and I wrapped my arms around her.
“This feels so nice,” she said, and she snuggled against my chest.
I could feel her warm breath on me, and it was soothing and sensual all at the same time. I wanted that hot breath all over me, so I leaned down and kissed the top of her head, then I held my lips against her and breathed slowly.
“Tav?” Anna whispered.
“Yes?” I asked, and I pulled away so she could look up at me.
She didn’t say anything to me, instead she stared at me for a moment with wide eyes, and then she leaned up and kissed me tenderly on the mouth. Her lips were cool against mine, but her mouth opened to a heat that drove me crazy.
“You taste good,” she whispered after a moment.
“You taste better,” I growled, and I captured her mouth with my own once more.
As I kissed her, I reached around to undo her long red braid and ran my fingers through the length of it. It was damp from the rain, and slightly wavy from the braid, and I brushed it gently with my fingers.
Anna’s hands found their way to my shoulders, then down to my biceps. She squeezed my muscles and sighed into my mouth when I flexed.
The rain continued to beat down on the truck, and it made a tranquil pattering sound that drowned out the rest of the world. In that moment it was only Anna and me, and I was going to hang onto that for as long as I could.
I kissed my way down her jaw line to her neck, then I licked and sucked on her cool, wet flesh.
“Oh, God,” she groaned. “That feels so good.”
“Do you like that?” I whispered against her skin, then I nibbled her with my teeth and her whole body tensed until I let go.
“Fuck,” she breathed, and I pulled back to look her in the eyes.
“You are unbelievably sexy,” I told her as I took in the sight of her with her hair tumbling over her shoulders and down her torso.
“I want you,” she said and she looked down, then back up at me through her lashes. “Right now.”
I growled as I grabbed her by the hips, laid her down on the seat of the truck, and climbed on top of her.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned and closed her eyes as I kissed down her body.
I unzipped her athletic sweater to reveal a bright pink sports bra underneath. I stopped there and rubbed my mouth against her breasts as she arched against me, then I licked the fabric just over her nipple and felt her body twitch.
“Oh, God, please,” she breathed, so I lifted up the sports bra and grazed her taut nipple with my bottom lip.
I let her wriggle under me as I teased her with my mouth, never fully taking her small, pink nipple inside it.
“Tav,” the redhead groaned, and she writhed beneath me. “Please.”
I figured she had had enough by that point, so I wrapped my mouth around the small, pink mound and sucked hard.
“Fuuuuck,” she moaned, and she arched back once more.
I continued sucking, but I couldn’t take it any longer, I could feel her heat against my leg, so I reached down and slid my hand into the front of her athletic p
ants.
Her pussy was dripping wet, and I groaned when my fingers touched it. I slid one inside of her easily, then another, and I pushed them hard into her as I felt her hot pussy spasm around my fingers.
“Fuck,” I breathed. “You’re so wet.”
“Taste me,” she moaned, and I looked up to see her biting her bottom lip.
I yanked her pants down to her ankles in one swift motion, threw her legs over my head, and buried my face in her sweet pussy.
“Oh, fuck yes,” Anna moaned, arched back, and pushed her slit harder into my face.
I used my tongue to tease her clit, then I licked down to her tight hole and shoved my tongue inside. She tasted sweet and tangy, and I gripped her hips and pulled her harder against me.
“Yes!” Anna screamed, and she gripped my hair and held my face against her.
I licked her up and down and side to side, and I felt my erection throb against the seat each time she twitched with pleasure.
“I’m gonna come,” she groaned, and her body tensed, but I didn’t lose pace, I kept going until she came on my tongue.
Her release was sweet tasting, and I shoved my tongue deep inside her to feel her spasm around me.
“Fuck,” she groaned, and she fell limp against the seat.
“We aren’t done yet,” I said with a grin, and I leaned up and wiped my mouth.
I grabbed the redhead by her hips once more and flipped her around so her ass was up the air, then I undid my pants and thrust the length of my cock into her.
“It feels so good when you fill me up,” she said, and she looked back at me with her mouth parted in pleasure.
“You’re so tight,” I said and pushed deeper into her still.
“Oh, fuck yes,” she laughed, and she pulled herself forward then pushed back against me hard, taking me into her once more.
“You’re being naughty,” I said with a wicked grin.
“Why don’t you spank me?” she asked with wide eyes, and she bit her lip.
“God,” I groaned, and slapped her on the ass. The hit left a bright pink mark on her butt cheek, and I was afraid I had hit her too hard.
“Yes,” she moaned, then she looked back at me with a smile. “Harder.”
“As you command,” I said with a grin, and I slapped her harder than before. Her ass jiggled, and I felt her legs spread wider for me, so I shoved myself in even deeper.
