Without law 11, p.9
Without Law 11, page 9
“That’s what you’re doing in your spare time now?” I teased.
“Damn right,” he said. “I’ll have a cold beer again before I die if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I’ll make sure it’s not,” I laughed. “But I’ll take one of those beers once you figure out how we’re gonna make ‘em.”
“That’s the easy part,” he said. “The hard part is buildin’ it.”
I chuckled and followed Rolly outside. We gathered some meat from the deer and started to form burger patties after we talked to Betty about making some buns for everyone. The smell from the barbecue filled the air as we let it get nice and hot, and the kids ran around with Winchester in the courtyard.
It was times like this that everything appeared almost normal. It was nearly as if we hadn’t gone through an EMP, as if nobody had suffered, and we were all just part of some strange community that needed each other.
If I didn’t think about the fact that my team was headed out to gather people to help us plant so we could all survive, or that there were druggies running around everywhere, then it was almost a perfect evening.
Unfortunately, that was all I could think about.
Chapter 7
I woke up well before dawn and got dressed. It had been a few days since we had talked to the women at the commune, and since then they had come and showered again, and filled up more water containers. The woman with the infection seemed to be improving, and the rest of the women had shown less fear each time they saw me. I thought that was a good start.
Now, it was time for us to head to Port Henry and get the rest of the people we knew on board. It seemed almost strange to know so few people, but that was just an effect the apocalypse seemed to have. There were fewer people to know. The warmer areas of the country where people had fled to were probably fuller of people, which meant you’d have more neighbors, but that could either be good or bad depending on who your neighbors were.
I was still on edge after what we’d encountered in Hinesburg and Montpelier, but the past few days on campus had been quiet. We had spent the time preparing for our trip and making sure that everything was settled for while we were gone.
I left the girls to sleep some more and headed downstairs, but found Rolly and Betty up in the living room.
“What are you guys doing up so early?” I asked.
“We’re old,” Betty told me with a smile. “We don’t require as much sleep as you young people.”
“I see,” I chuckled.
“Come sit down,” Rolly said. “Just made a pot of coffee. We figured you’d be up soon.”
“And I have breakfast cookin’ in the other room,” Betty said.
“Well, I was going to go start packing the boxes down to the boat,” I said.
“Wait until the girls are up,” Betty said. “They’re more than happy to help. Plus, it will be a lot less work for all five of you.”
“I know,” I said. “I just like to be on top of things.”
“We all know you’re doing that just fine,” Betty teased.
“Betty,” Rolly said with a shocked face.
“Oh, what?” the old woman asked. “It was funny.” She turned to me then. “Now, you sit.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said with a smile and I took a seat on the couch by Rolly.
Betty poured me a cup of coffee, and I breathed in the aroma before I took a sip. It was delicious as always, and I took another quick drink. The cup was warm in my hands, and I held it against my stomach as I leaned back and let out a yawn.
“So how long will you all be gone this time?” Betty asked. “Paige said two days, is that right?”
“That’s right,” I said. “Unless something else happens, and we’re somehow wrangled into another mission.”
“Let’s hope not,” she laughed.
“How’s that tractor comin’?” I asked Rolly.
“It’s comin’ along,” he told me. “We got just about everything in place, so today will be the ultimate test.”
“Damn,” I said with a frown. “I’m sad I won’t be here to see it.”
“It’s alright,” he chuckled. “There’ll be other vehicles to fix, I’m sure.”
“Speaking of,” Betty said. “Are you all sure that it’s better to take the boat? Wouldn’t it be quicker to drive?”
“Paige thinks we can get there quickly on the boat,” I said. “And with all the druggies we’ve had to deal with lately I think we’ll be safer on the water.”
“Alright,” she said. “Well, just be safe out there.”
“You know we will,” I told her.
“You’re bringing some supplies up there for Henry, too, right?” Rolly asked.
It was sweet of him to worry about his friend. We all knew he was a stubborn old goat, and he may decline our offer to come back to the campus, but the least we could do was bring him some supplies. He had two kids up there with him, after all.
“Yeah,” I told him. “We got them all packed, they just need to be loaded.”
“Alright,” he said with a small nod, but he looked down.
“I’m sure he’s doing fine,” I assured him.
“Oh, yeah,” Rolly said. “I just worry about him and the kids, ya know.”
“I know,” I said. “Don’t worry, if it looks like they’re too bad off, then we’ll tie him up and force him to come down here.”
“I don’t think he’d like being kidnapped,” the old man laughed.
“Who’s being kidnapped?” Tara asked, and I turned to see all the girls come down the stairs.
“Oh, just Henry,” Rolly said. “We were talking about you all checking up on him and the kids.”
“Sounded like you all were planning a kidnapping,” Anna laughed as she took a seat across from me.
Betty already had coffee cups lined up and she poured each of the girls a cup and handed it to them as they sat down.
“Mmm, thanks,” Bailey said as she sniffed the dark liquid.
Winchester laid down with his head on her feet and sighed.
“I think he knows you’re leaving,” Betty said softly.
“I think so, too,” Bailey said, and she reached down to pet the black headed dog. “But at least he’ll have you all.”
“We’ll take good care of him as always,” Betty told her with a smile.
“Something smells good,” Paige said. “I mean, the coffee smells good, but something else smells good, too.”
“That would be your breakfast,” Betty said, and she stood up and headed to the laundry room where the stove was.
She returned with a tray of roasted potatoes, a mountain of eggs, and some hoe cakes.
“Oh, you’re the best,” Paige said.
“I know the hoe cakes are your favorite,” Betty laughed. “I figured you deserved a treat before setting sail again.”
We all fixed our plates and dug in. The breakfast was hot and tasty, warmed my mouth and belly, and after I was done, I sighed with satisfaction and leaned back against the couch.
The girls finished soon after I did, and I stood up and stretched.
“Alright,” I said. “Time to get going. We don’t want to miss any daylight.”
“It’s still dark outside,” Tara chuckled.
“Exactly,” I responded with a grin.
“Do you all need any help to load up the boat?” Rolly asked.
“Nah,” I told him. “It’s just a few boxes of supplies for Henry and the kids. But we could use a ride, that way we don’t have to walk down to the boat.”
“Okay,” the old man said, and he pulled out five travel mugs from behind the couch. “Put these in your bags, too.”
“You’re awesome,” Paige said.
“Thanks, Rolly,” Bailey told him.
After we had all our weapons and backpacks packed, we loaded up the truck with the last few boxes that needed to go on the boat, and Rolly hopped into the driver's seat and fired it up. There wasn’t much room with both Rolly and I in there, so I ended up with both Tara and Bailey on my lap as we drove.
Rolly took us down the new driveway and to the river where we had parked the boat the day before so it was ready to go.
“You all be careful,” he said as we hopped out. “And get back here soon.”
“We will,” I told him with a smile. “Take care of the place while we’re gone.”
“You know we will,” he replied.
We loaded up the boxes and Rolly headed back to campus, then we hopped into the boat, and it was time to set sail, so we all took our usual positions and pushed off.
The dawn had just broken the horizon as we started to move up the river toward Lake Champlain. It was a cool morning, and it was only made colder by the surrounding water.
I watched as the girls leisurely manned their stations. They had grown accustomed to being on the water, and it all came back quickly once they were in position once again.
This was a familiar trip, so there were no surprise waterfalls like there had been last time we took the boat out, but there was also no guarantee that the people at Port Henry were still there. We were taking a chance going on this trip, but I hoped it would be worth it.
“Hey,” I said after a few minutes. “Does anybody remember the names of the people we met at Port Henry?”
The girls all looked at me with wide eyes.
“Shit,” Tara said. “There was something with a ‘c’ I think.”
“That’s really helpful,” Paige laughed.
“And I’m guessing you remember all of them?” the platinum blonde asked, and she cocked her hip out to the side.
“Uh, no,” Paige admitted.
“The guy's name was Ken,” Bailey said. “I remember that.”
“There were two guys,” Anna pointed out.
“Right,” Bailey said, and she bit her lip. “Uh, the Ken guy had dark hair. I remember thinking that it was like Ken from Barbie.”
“I don’t remember him being that good looking,” Tara said.
“Not look wise,” Bailey chuckled. “Just the dark hair and that his name was Ken.”
“Yeah,” Anna said. “And don’t worry, if anyone’s Barbie, it’s you.”
“Oh,” Tara said, and she put her hand to her chest. “That’s so sweet.”
Anna rolled her eyes but didn’t respond to the platinum blonde’s antics.
“I don’t think it will be too big of a deal,” Paige said. “We only met them for a night.”
“Right,” Anna said. “But what if they remember our names?”
“That would be awkward,” Paige admitted.
“Alright,” I chuckled. “It’ll be fine, but if you think of them just let everyone know.”
“When should we get there?” Bailey asked.
“About midday,” Paige said.
“We better think fast, then,” Bailey chuckled.
It would be awkward if the people remembered our names when we couldn’t remember theirs, but somehow I felt that we tended to meet more people than they did, so I thought that qualified us for a bit of slack on the name front.
The sun rose as we sailed the river, and soon we got to the inlet for Lake Champlain and headed south. I didn’t like going in the direction of Brody’s fort, but I knew he’d be far too occupied with his new refinery to be out patrolling, and Port Henry was still a ways away from Fort Ticonderoga. Still, I didn’t exactly want to run into him. I was still pretty pissed about his offer to trade us a few barrels of fuel for a tractor.
The lake was blue and silver as the sun shone down on it, and I stared out at the water as we glided along.
It was nearing midday, and we weren’t far from Port Henry. I made sure to scan the shore as we went along in case there was anyone nearby that we should know about. I didn’t see anybody, but I’d learned long ago that didn’t mean much when it came to warfare.
There was always the possibility that the people we had met at Port Henry before were long gone now, and someone else had replaced them.
“We should be there in about an hour or so,” Paige announced.
“Good,” I said. “If anybody wants a snack or something, now is the time.”
The girls rifled in their bags and pulled out some dried meat or leftover hoe cakes that Betty had sent us with.
“Dang,” Anna said as she pulled out the thermos full of coffee, “I forgot about this.”
“Me, too,” Tara said, and she pulled hers out as well.
That reminded me of my own, so I pulled out the thermos of Rolly’s coffee and took a long sip. The thermoses we had were well insulated, and the brew was still warm and invigorating.
It wasn't long until we reached Port Henry. It was just after noon when we arrived and pulled up to the small dock that was there. The cabin up the hill looked empty just as it had the last time we were there, but I pulled out my pistol anyway, and the girls followed my lead as we made our way up the hill.
“Hello?” I called out, my pistol still extended outward. “Ken?”
I peered through the windows of the cabin and didn’t see anybody, so I checked the door. It was unlocked, so we went inside and did a quick scan of the place.
“It looks like somebody has been here recently,” Tara said, and she pointed to some empty cans on the floor and the blankets that covered the bed.
“You’re right,” I agreed.
“Maybe they’re out hunting,” Paige offered.
“That’s possible,” I contended. “We’ll wait here for a bit and see if they show up.”
“Cool,” the brunette said. “You think we could do some fishing off the dock while we wait?”
“I don’t see why not,” I said with a smile. I would keep an eye out for anybody approaching, but there was no harm in killing time with an attempt to catch us some dinner.
We headed back to the boat and pulled out our fishing rods. Once they were hooked and baited, Paige gave the other girls a refresher in how to cast.
“Remember,” she said, “just flick it back, and then forward as you let the line go.”
“Back, then forward,” Bailey said as she whipped the pole and made a nice cast.
“Very good,” Paige congratulated.
Anna went next, and whereas she had gotten the hook stuck in her hood the first time she tried, this time she made a much better attempt, and the line went about half as far as Paige and Bailey’s.
“I guess I’m next,” Tara said, and she took a deep breath, tossed the pole back, and flicked it forward like an expert. It went just a hair past Paige’s cast.
“Wow,” Paige said with wide eyes. “That was great.”
“Thanks.” Tara grinned.
We sat on the edge of the small dock and stared out at the sun and our lines. It was a beautiful afternoon, and the water was clear and bright. It was quiet as we waited for the fish to bite, and I was reminded of my time in the woods alone when it was always quiet except for the local wildlife. I looked over to the girls and decided that I much preferred their company than the solace of living in the woods alone.
“You think these guys are going to go for it?” Tara asked after a while.
“They were pretty desperate last time we saw them,” Anna answered. “We had to give them trapping pointers, so I bet they will.”
“That’s a good point,” Tara said.
Bailey pole tugged in her hand, and she let out a quick squeal before she began to reel it in quickly.
“Bailey’s got one,” Paige cheered as the blonde struggled to pull it in.
Before Bailey could get her fish up, I heard talking that sounded like it came from out on the lake.
The girls were focused on the fish, so I grabbed my binoculars and did a quick scan. There was a rowboat headed toward us, and it looked like it was our friends, but I wasn’t sure.
“Check it out,” Anna laughed as she turned to show me Bailey’s fish. “Wait, what’s wrong?”
“There’s a rowboat headed toward us,” I said.
“Is it the people who live here?” Bailey asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But let’s put that fish out of its misery, then take cover before they get here just in case.”
“I’m sure they’ll notice our boat,” Anna pointed out.
“Yes,” I said, “but they don’t have to notice us.”
Bailey spiked the fish quickly, then we all grabbed our poles, tossed them back onto the boat, and headed to the woods that surrounded the cabin.
I had my pistol out and ready as the rowboat neared the shore. The sun shone directly down on us, and it made it difficult to make out faces, but once I heard one of the men yell out, then I knew it was the same people we had met there before.
“Hey!” I called. “It’s Tav and the girls, we met a while ago. Is that you, Ken?”
“Hey, yeah, I’m here,” he called back. “Where are you guys?”
I led the girls out of the woods and toward the dock where our five friends stood.
“Sorry about that,” I chuckled. “I had to be sure it was you guys before we came out.”
“We recognized the boat,” Ken told me with a smile, and he held his hand out. “Good to see you again.”
“You, too,” I told him as I shook his hand.
“We didn’t expect you guys back for a while,” one of the girls said, and as I looked at her, I remembered that her name was Karen.
“We didn’t expect to be back for a while,” I admitted. “But we have an opportunity to discuss with you.”
“An opportunity, huh?” Ken asked. “Well, let us make you dinner and we can chat.”
“That sounds nice,” I said. It was late afternoon already, and though the sun wasn’t low yet, I was feeling hungry after a day out on the water, and if Ken was offering us dinner, then I hoped that meant they were doing fairly well for themselves. It would make it easier to convince them to help us if they were still desperate, but I wouldn’t wish that on them, they were nice people.
“I caught a fish,” Bailey said as she retrieved the one off the boat.
“Perfect,” another of the women laughed. “It’ll go well with the fish we caught today.”
Ken and I built up a fire while the girls cleaned the fish, and the other male, whose name I couldn’t remember, went to grab us some larger logs to keep close by.
