Without Law, page 22
I was terrified that one of my friends had been shot.
I shook my head and forced out the awful thoughts as I charged forward, pistol in hand. Then I swung around a corner, entered the town square, and turned to see Anna standing over Garth’s lifeless body. Blood dripped off her spear, and she spun at the sound of my approach.
“Oh thank god,” she said as she dropped the spear and ran for me.
Behind her I could see the others run out of the house and into the street.
Anna wrapped me in a tight hug, and I could feel her body tremble.
“It’s alright, we’re safe,” I said as I wrapped an arm around her.
She sniffled, and I could feel the wetness of her tears soak my shoulder.
“He’s dead, Tav,” she whimpered. “I killed him.”
“She saved us,” Paige said as she walked up.
“It’s my fault,” Bailey said with her eyes focused on the ground. “I heard the distant gunshots and yelped.”
“Don’t blame yourself,” I said. “You’re all okay, and that is really what matters.”
Anna pulled away, wiped the tears from her face, and nodded.
“You were totes magnificent,” Tara said as she draped an arm over the redheaded athlete’s shoulder. “Super proud of you right now.”
“The dead guy heard us and started to poke around the houses,” Paige explained. “He was heading for ours when Anna snuck out the back door.”
“We saw her come around the corner behind him,” Bailey said. “He started to fire after she stabbed him but--”
“Yeah, I stabbed him a few times,” Anna said quietly. She sighed and looked back at her discarded spear. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
“It was the right call,” I assured her. “So everyone is okay then?”
“Yeah,” Bailey answered as she wiped another tear from her eye and gave me a smile.
“Okay, good,” I said. “Everyone get in the Jeep, except I need to talk to Anna for a second.”
“I don’t know how to feel about what just happened,” Anna sniffled after everyone had gotten into the Jeep and were out of earshot.
“They were all bad guys,” I said to reassure her.
“Yeah but he was a living person,” she said. “What if he had a family or something?”
I looked past her at the dead guy and raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.” I walked forward and gave her another big hug. “It’s normal to be unsure about killing. Though what you did was not only brave and necessary, but commendable. Without your swift action there is a chance that one of the other girls could have died.”
“I suppose,” she said as she leaned into me. “How do you do it, Tav? We watched you kill two guys the day we met you, and it didn’t seem to bother you much.”
“I was a soldier, Anna, putting down bad guys is kinda what I do,” I explained with a grin. “And have no doubt, these bikers are bad guys. They are amoral, hedonistic, anarchists that will do anything to get what they want.”
“Yeah, but did I do the right thing?” She asked as she locked eyes with me.
“Look at yourself, your act of bravery and self-defense has left you shaken,” I said. “The guy you killed wouldn’t have been shaken. These assholes revel in the violence and killing. Think about your friends who are still alive because of you and you’ll know the answer. The first time you kill someone is usually a difficult thing. If you didn’t feel any remorse or regret, you might have mental health issues. But you didn’t so you don’t have issues. I’m proud of you, and I’m proud of this reaction. It shows you care about people.”
She sighed and looked over at the burned out police station and the headless body in front of it. Then she straightened up and took a breath. “Thanks, Tav.”
“Of course,” I said with a nod. “Be proud of your actions today. Your quick thinking is why I want you as my second in command.”
Anna smiled a little and nodded. Then she went back over and retrieved her spear, cleaned it on the grass, and headed off to join the others at the Jeep.
“What’s the damage?” I asked when I returned to the Jeep.
“They really didn’t do too much,” Paige replied as she sorted through our loot.
“Yeah, they ate some food but didn’t mess with any of the other stuff too badly,” Bailey said as she repacked a milk crate with cans and set it in the trailer.
“So, like, what’s our plan now?” Tara asked as she leaned against the Jeep. Her makeup and hair were a mess, but she still looked gorgeous.
“Looks like we have an hour or two until sundown,” I said as I looked at the sky. “Let’s finish what we started and head out around dark.”
All the girls nodded, but the frowns they wore told me that they weren’t exactly happy with the plan. I knew that I would need to do something to help them get over our run in with the bikers. “I think we should all start off by going back to that liquor store together.”
“That sounds amazing,” Anna said.
“None of you are driving so it might even be okay to share a little before we get outta town,” I said with a shrug. “Sound agreeable?”
“Yes please,” Tara said.
“Yeah, I don’t think anyone is going to complain about that one,” Bailey said.
“Well, you are all here or I would hit up Tav for some stress relief first,” Tara said as her grin returned.
“That does sound nice,” Paige admitted with a smirk.
It looked like my girls had started to bounce back a bit. Long term, I had to set up some things to help us all blow off some steam recreationally besides drinking, but for now this would be great.
“Let’s find a place with less dead guys before we start getting romantic,” Anna said as she rolled her eyes.
“I don’t think anyone said anything about romance,” Bailey said with a smile.
“Hey, if we’re gonna flirt, let’s at least do it while we walk,” I said as I motioned them forward.
“I dunno, last time we spent time together I found it a little hard to walk after,” Tara purred as she made her way up behind me.
“Man, I am really starting to get jealous,” Bailey said playfully.
“I don’t know why,” Paige started. “He doesn’t seem the type to turn away gorgeous women.” the brunette giggled and shot Bailey a wink.
The hippie blond shook her head and went a bit red.
I looked over my shoulder and gave her a grin. Paige wasn’t wrong though, but I could be patient.
“How about we stick to alcohol for now?” Anna asked with a chuckle and an eye-roll.
We stepped into the liquor store, and the ground was sticky from split drinks and broken bottles. There was still a fair amount sitting on the shelves, and two cardboard boxes full of sealed bottles waited on the counter.
“Hey, our loot is still here,” Tara said as she skipped over to the boxes. She started to pull out bottles and check the labels. “What are we in the mood for?”
“Tequila,” Anna said. “I want a drink of something hard.”
“Careful,” I warned. “We still can’t get drunk.”
“Don’t worry, we know the rules by now,” Tara said as she cracked open a fresh bottle, took a swig, and then handed it off to Anna.
Anna popped the bottle in her mouth and gulped down two mouthfuls of the liquid before she pulled it free. Then she let out a refreshed sigh and wiped her mouth. “Much better.”
“Well come on, pass it along,” Bailey urged as she grabbed at the tequila.
“Right, sorry,” the redhead said before she passed the bottle.
Bailey took a drink, made a sour face, and passed it to Paige. The mousy brunette downed a gulp without a face and handed the bottle to me.
“To our victory today,” I said as I held the bottle aloft. “And to the brave women I brought with me.”
The girls cheered, and then I tipped the bottle back and smiled as the liquid burned its way down my throat. The warmth that grew in my belly was a welcome one after the last couple hours of waiting and combat. It was just enough to calm me down after the adrenaline of combat without impairing my ability to operate the Jeep.
“Come on, let’s get these boxes back to the Jeep,” Tara said after I handed her the bottle back. “I am starting to, like, miss the campus.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think it would happen this fast,” Bailey agreed.
“That whole part of the day with the bikers certainly didn’t help,” Anna joked.
“But we got through it.” I chuckled, and we all left the liquor store with our loot.
In the short walk back to the Jeep, I pulled out the bald biker’s Glock and popped the magazine. There were three rounds of 9mm left in the magazine, and a quick check revealed a fourth in the chamber. In the hands of a professional these four rounds could go a long way, but I didn’t understand why the guy hadn’t refilled the magazine. This was just another example of how amateur this whole group seemed to be. They might be tough guys, but they weren’t warriors.
I tucked the gun into my jeans as we arrived at our transportation and helped the girls load up what we had into the Jeep. The trailer still had lots of space in it despite the half dozen boxes and milk crates we had moved into it, and I didn’t want to leave until we had scavenged for more stuff.
“I think a good goal for the day should be to fill the trailer,” I said.
“What else do we need though?” Bailed asked.
“As long as you can think of a use for it, we need it,” I said. “We don’t want to be working on a project a week from now and realize there was something we left in town that would be useful. Especially some large containers to hold water.”
“I bet we could find some plastic barrels or something,” Anna said with a nod. “That would certainly help us keep greater volumes of water on hand.”
“Exactly,” I said. “I will keep my eyes out as I take care of these bikers. I can’t just leave them in the street to be found by the next group passing through.”
“I’ll help,” Bailey said. “I mean, if that’s okay.”
“Yeah, I would welcome the company,” I replied. “The rest of you stick together then. Keep in mind our four pillars of survival and don’t overlook items of comfort. A nice pillow or a fresh blanket could go a long way to just making sleep a better experience.”
“It is hard to pick up things that just sorta look nice to have around,” Paige admitted with a shrug.
“Don’t,” I stated. “We don’t need to bring the whole of Lanceton with us but we need to keep our morale up just as much as we need food and water. If that means grabbing a trinket to put in the dorms then do it.”
“I saw some bicycles back in sporting goods,” Anna said. “Could I bring one of those along?”
“Hell yeah,” I said. “That’s actually a great call. Despite finding vehicles that run, we won’t be able to rely on gasoline forever. Bikes will probably be our ideal mode of transportation once all the fuel goes bad, so grab as many as will fit.”
“What about horses?” Tara asked.
“Of course the princess would want a horse,” Paige said with a smirk.
“What, they are pretty and fun to ride,” the platinum blond replied.
“Horses would be a good choice, too,” I said, “but bikes would be better since we don’t have to worry about getting them food and water.
“Alright, I feel like we know what we are looking for,” the muscular redhead said.
“Good, we won’t be gone too long,” I said “Come on Bailey, let's get rid of some corpses.” I turned and started towards the convenience store as I waved for the blonde to follow.
“I am surprised you volunteered to come along,” I said a few moments later when we were alone in the street.
“Yeah, that’s kinda why I did it,” Bailey said. “I know I am sorta the softest of the group and I want to change that.”
“That’s an admirable goal,” I said.
“I hope so,” she said with a shrug. “I just don’t ever want to be the one to drag us down, but I feel like my major contributions so far have been putting us in danger.”
“I think you have shown a tremendous amount of strength in your willingness to adapt to our situation,” I said.
“Thanks,” Bailey said. “I have always tried to be more than just the stoner hippie chick.”
“You’ve more than proven you’re more than that,” I assured her as we stopped in front of the small convenience store. “Gotta warn you that it’s not pretty in there.”
“I saw the guy that Anna took down,” Bailey said. “I think I can handle it.”
“Alright,” I said as I held the door open for her.
“Oh my god,” Bailey said as she stepped past me and into the store. “Why are his pants off?”
I chuckled and stepped in behind her.
Her eyes went wide as she spied the porno mag sitting in the pool of blood around him. She looked from the magazine, to the pantless man, and then back to me. “Was he--” She put a hand over her mouth and shook her head.
“I was just glad that I was able to sneak up behind him,” I said with a chuckle.
“I suddenly regret coming along,” The flower-child groaned.
“Too late now,” I laughed. “Now come on and grab an arm.”
“Ugh, do we at least pull his pants up?” Bailey asked as she leaned over and grabbed one of his hands.
“Not unless you want to get closer to that,” I said as I nodded towards his gore smeared crotch.
“Yeah, no,” she said before she gagged.
I chuckled as I grabbed the other arm, and we began to pull the fat bastard through the broken glass and out into the street.
“Where do we go from here?” Bailey asked as she looked around.
“We will just take him out of the direct line of sight,” I explained. “See if you can find a fenced backyard or maybe even a dumpster.”
“What about that one?” Bailey asked and she nodded to a spot behind me.
I turned and saw a large green dumpster less than a block away. I looked back at Bailey, smiled, nodded, and began to drag the body in that direction.
We reached it a few seconds later and, with a tremendous effort, lifted the heavy man up and into the metal container.
The corpse landed hard with a dull thud, and I moved some trash bags on top of him before I slammed the lid shut.
I stood there for a moment as I tried to catch my breath. This guy had to have been the heaviest thing I had actually needed to move since coming out of the woods, and I could feel it. Despite her willingness to help the small blond hippie beside me hadn’t really been able to aid me much.
“Well that was gross,” Bailey said after she caught her breath.
“Yeah, and I didn’t even have to grab the hand he was using on himself when I killed him,” I said with a grin.
Bailey went pale and wide eyed as she looked at her own hands. A moment later she leaned over and emptied her stomach onto the street.
“Don’t worry, we can find some hand sanitizer,” I joked as I patted her on the back.
“There is not enough hand sanitizer left on this planet to clean me now,” Bailey said. She went to wipe her mouth but thought better of it. “You could have warned me.”
“I honestly didn’t think about it until just now,” I said and shrugged. The situation was amusing, but I never would have made her do that on purpose. “If it helps, none of the other guys were touching themselves when they died.”
“That does help, kinda,” the hippie admitted.
“Come on, the next guy is right down the road here,” I said with a chuckle before I started to walk off towards it.
“Alright, but when we get back to campus, I am burning these clothes,” Bailey said.
“I’ll help you get them off,” I said.
“I’m sure you will,” Bailey said as she caught up to me. “I bet it would be fun too. You come highly recommended.”
“Oh, do I?” I asked while I raised an eyebrow.
“Tara and Paige speak highly of your skills in bed,” she replied. “If even half of what they say is true, then I would be in for a real treat.”
“You could always find out for yourself,” I offered with a smirk.
However, a moment later we found ourselves back in the shop and in front of the skinny bald body of the second biker. The blood on his jacket was still slick and wet, and we stood there for a second or two in silence.
“Wow, dead dudes really kill the mood,” Bailey muttered.
“No kidding,” I said as I stared at the corpse.
This one wasn’t as large as his buddy, so I was easily able to pick him up and sling him over my shoulder.
“You want any help?” Bailey asked as I started to march back towards the dumpster.
“He’s light. Just open the dumpster for me, and we’ll call it even.” As I carried him, some of his blood started to drip onto my shirt, but there wasn’t anything I could do about that now. I just had to finish with the tasks and then worry about getting clean tonight.
Ten minutes later, after we scavenged the Beretta and a spare magazine from him, we dropped the third, and final, biker into the dumpster.
“Glad we are done.” Bailey took a step back and tried to wipe a spot of blood from her shirt.
“Now you really need to burn those clothes,” I said.
“Good thing we just got more,” she replied after she let out a groan.
I chuckled, and we headed back up the street. We came around the corner to see the other three girls all carrying a large plastic water tank.
They moved slowly as they all tried to keep the same speed despite not being able to see each other over the tank.
I rushed over and grabbed a corner. It was heavier than I expected and some water sloshed about inside of it.
“Good timing,” Paige said.
“Yeah, I wanted to wait until you were almost there then come in and take all the credit,” I laughed. “This is good though, where did you find it?”
