Without Law, page 3
All the stainless steel surfaces made it so the facility would be easier to clean and keep sterile. The rest of the kitchen turned out to be well stocked with cooking implements, various sized knives, and an almost unnecessary amount of spices. If any of these girls had even a little talent for cooking, our meals would never be bland. I found more salt and some sealed bags of rice too. All the fruit and most of the vegetables I came across were well past spoiled but there were a couple bags of potatoes that looked salvageable.
The hall was another big open room full of tables and chairs. One of the tables held all of their food while another was piled with their dwindling water supply.
Rolly had overestimated on how many bottles remained. I took the bottles from my back and added them to the table. Only fourteen individual bottles and one gallon jug of water remained, and that was including what I’d just added. This would barely last us three days, but there was a rather generous supply of soda that looked almost untouched. It was helpful but didn’t give them much more time.
“Not a fan of soda?” I asked as I picked up a bottle of cola.
“I make a point of trying to avoid the stuff,” Anna said. “It’s not exactly good for you.”
Tara agreed. “Plus I only, like, enjoy the stuff mixed with rum.”
“Man, alcohol sounds good. I would kill just to get a beer right now,” Bailey said as let out a small groan and rubbed her stomach. She looked at me and hung her head. “We didn’t realize what was going on and, well, we uh, kinda sorta went through all the alcohol in the first few weeks.”
I chuckled and set the soda down. “We will keep an eye out for some in our searches,” I said. “Never hurts to unwind once in a while. Though the soda is good for us in this situation. Carbs are important, even empty ones. It will help us keep up our energy and make sure we don’t waste away entirely. It’s just another way we can stretch out our supplies as long as possible.”
I turned to the table holding the food. It was piled high with canned goods, dry meals, and sealed packages of crackers and chips. It was an almost impressive amount of food. They could eat comfortably for at least a month with just what was here.
“What have you been doing with the trash?” I asked. So much of what they had stored was sealed in containers they would need to dispose of. Keeping it in here would only attract bugs, rodents, and breed bacteria.
“Rolly has been taking care of that,” Paige said. “I think he takes the bags of trash somewhere out behind the school and burns them.” She shrugged and adjusted her glasses.
I made a note to check in with Rolly about his disposal method. If he was burning the waste that could signal to anyone close enough that someone was here. Burying it might be a better option.
“So, what do you think? How fucked are we really?” Anna asked while she sat on top of a nearby table and played with her red braid.
That’s when I realized all the girls were staring at me. They all looked tired, like they hadn’t slept a solid night in a few days. “Well, our food stores are solid,” I said as I smiled wide. “We might want to find some more protein but it looks like we can eat comfortably for at least a couple weeks. Even longer if we eat light and keep ourselves from snacking.”
“That’s good news!” Bailey exclaimed as she took a seat next to Anna. Her shoulders dropped, and she took on a more laid back posture.
“What about the water? You only mentioned the food,” Paige said. She stood with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. She stared at me with a harsh intensity that made it clear I still needed to earn my place.
“You’re right,” I said. “The water is an issue, and one we need to address immediately. We cannot use any of what we have for anything other than drinking.”
Tara rolled her eyes. “Whatev’. Not like I wanted to shower anyway,” she said.
I walked over to her. “Hey, chin up. We will take care of it,” I said.
“Thanks.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug.
I hesitated before returning the gesture. Though her embrace lingered as I let go. “It’s going to be okay.”
“We knew things were getting desperate,” Anna said. She stood and started to pace around the water table. “That’s why we went to find more supplies today.” She stopped abruptly. “If you hadn’t shown up when you did...” She didn’t finish the sentence. The shudder that ran through her body said enough.
“No need to think about that anymore. We got through that, and we will get through this. We need to work on the essentials first. That means food, water, and some comforts to keep our spirits up. A shitty attitude can be almost as dangerous as not having water. Thankfully we have a warm place to stay. I assume you have been staying in the dorms?”
“Kind of,” Bailey said. “We turned the common room on the second floor into our sleeping area. It’s where we have been spending most of our time.”
“None of us have really felt like being alone,” Paige added.
Anna hugged herself tightly and moved closer to the others. “Yeah, doubt that is going to change after what happened today,” she said.
Bailey rubbed her arm and smiled. “At least we know Tav will be close by.” She looked at me with hope in her eyes and a bright smile. “Right?”
I nodded and grinned. “Of course. I will grab my own room close by.”
I looked at the light coming in and guessed that it was only a little past one. They still had a solid five hours before the sun was down. Plenty of time to get some stuff done, and the girls could probably use a task to help take their mind off their earlier situation too.
“Let’s grab Rolly and head back into town. No reason we can’t finish what you guys started today. We’ll pick apart the general store and go from there,” I said as I moved toward the front door.
I didn’t need to look behind me to know that they would be on my heels. We still had a way to go but already the goal of survival had begun to galvanize the bonds we shared and shape us into a team.
Chapter 3
A pleasant spring breeze blew at our backs as the six of us walked into town. I left the Triumph in Rolly’s tool shed and left the contents of my pack in the dorm so I would have space to carry anything useful that we might find. Anna, Paige, and Bailey all had backpacks they agreed to bring as well. Tara insisted that she did not have a backpack, but we found one of those reusable shopping bags for her to carry. We all had to pitch in.
“This seems like a bit of a strange place for a school,” I remarked as we walked. It was a beautiful area with trees pretty much surrounding the town and the school beyond it. Though I didn’t understand why someone would come this far out just for a liberal arts degree.
“Its isolation is part of the appeal,” the bookish brunette said as she blew a stray hair from her face. She walked beside me but continued to look towards the path ahead. “It is a serene place where one can focus on their studies. The low student count helps it not feel as crowded as other colleges too.”
“I came here because of how close it was to nature,” Bailey said from behind me. “That and the fact that it is a more personal place. You really got to know all of your teachers and fellow students. We got to be more than just another cog in some shitty corporate machine.” She scoffed as the words left her mouth. “Society kinda sucks.”
“I dunno, I kinda liked it,” Tara said. The group fell silent so that only the sounds of our shoes on the pavement could be heard.
Anna broke the silence. “Yeah, I did too,” she said.
“You think there is any society left beyond this place?” Paige asked, and she looked to me.
I gave her a reassuring smile and nodded. “You bet your ass there is,” I said. “This is the greatest goddamn country in the world. A little loss of power won't stop us. Just might take a moment for everything to shake out.”
“Hell yeah,” Rolly said.
“We just have to be ready when they come around.” I grinned at everyone and continued on.
For the second time that day, I found myself in front of the silent general store at the end of a row of houses. Only this time there was no scream. If any more thugs had shown up, they were doing a damn fine job of hiding, but, at least for the moment, we appeared to be alone. Though I had to wonder how long it would be until more of them came this way. These biker types usually looked after their own, and they would want to find out what happened to their buddies at some point.
“This your guy’s handiwork?” I asked as I kicked the lock out of the way and looked back to see Rolly grinning.
“I still have some strength left in these ol’ bones,” he said as he flexed. Despite the denim shirt I could still make out some muscle underneath. He chuckled and nodded.
“Well done,” I said with a little admiration and then turned my attention back to the girls. “Alright, you’ve been through here before so let’s take our time. Search everywhere regardless of if you thought you cleaned it out before. You’d be surprised what you can miss when you’re in a hurry.”
A bell jingled as I pulled the door open, and the closed sign flapped against the window due to the pressure change. The girls fanned out, and Rolly took up a position by the door. I noticed he wasn’t the quickest member of our group and usually liked to stay close to the exits. I didn’t mind as he had already done so much to help these girls. It was my turn now.
I moved to the counter as I listened to the others ransack the shelves. The register was unimportant as I guessed there would be little use for money unless things went back to normal. However, the plastic display of disposable lighters were useful, so I pulled off my backpack and set it on the counter as I started to shove the lighters into it. There were nine lighters in total, and I put all but four into my pack. Then I let out a shrill whistle and hoped it would grab the girls’ attention.
“Did you just, like, whistle at us?” Tara asked as he poked her head out of one of the aisles. Her eyes were narrowed at me frowned.
“Sorry,” I said. “Guess it’s just an old habit. I meant nothing by it.”
I held up the cheap multi colored lighters. “Just thought you guys might get use out of these. Didn’t mean to make you upset.”
Tara stifled a laugh and tried to keep her frown as the others came into view.
“She’s playing you Tav. You didn’t really think she was upset, did you?” Anna asked with a smirk.
“Yeah, even I could see through that one,” Paige stated as she shook her head.
“Ah come on guys, he hasn’t even been around us for a single day, and we all know how persuasive Tara can be,” Bailey laughed.
“Especially with men,” Anna said as she approached. She plucked a lighter from my hand and sparked it on. The small light it gave off barely shifted the gloom hanging in the store. “Thanks, I don’t know why we didn’t think to grab these last time.”
Tara strutted toward me and swung her hips purposefully with each step. “It’s not my fault that guys, like, get confused when I’m around,” she said with a pout. She reached down and slowly teased a purple lighter out of my hands.
I watched her with a barely concealed grin. I had almost forgotten just how much I had missed women while I was alone this past year. Tara fluttered her eyes at me and giggled.
“Well, we all have to be good at something,” Paige said, as she took a blue one for herself. She looked it over before she shoved it in her pocket. I pulled my attention away from Tara and nodded.
“A varied skill set is good too,” I said and then leaned around and looked at Bailey who was still picking through an endcap. “Need a lighter?” I held up the last one, and she shook her head.
“I have a couple in my dorm room,” she said. She smiled and the light caught the metal of her nose ring so that it looked like her smile shined. “Thanks though.”
“Okay, carry on,” I ordered. Each of the girls headed back to their respective areas of the store, and I found it hard not to watch them walk away. All of them were gorgeous in their own way, and I’d been alone in the wilderness for a year.
I shook my head and focused on the task at hand.
I found a dusty, but unopened, box of hand warmers, and half a dozen caffeine pills. The list of ingredients in the tiny yellow capsules was longer than I had hoped, but if things became dire, I would be happy to have them.
I was just about to join the others in the aisles when I noticed something hidden in the back of a cubby underneath the counter. I pulled out a sawed off pump-action shotgun. My excitement quickly faded as I noted the rust eating away at the barrel. I gave it a pump, and an old paper shell popped out of the breech. I shook my head and unloaded the gun onto the counter. I thought about seeing if I could salvage the shotgun, but the more I looked at it the worse it appeared. So I tossed it back into its dark home and scooped the five shells it had contained off the counter. I doubted they would work but the black powder inside could be useful if it had managed to stay dry.
As my eyes had adjusted to the gloom of the interior, I realized just how picked over this place really was. The little food that was left was molding bread, and mushy fruit.
“This places looks like it couldn’t hold enough food to feed a town this size. Where do people shop around here?” I asked as I browsed a selection of useless trinkets. A lot of what was left on the shelves was school keychains, bumper stickers, and dollar toys for a child who had endured a drive up here.
“There’s a town called Lanceton not far away. Ten miles if I remember right,” Anna called out.
“Yeah, we thought about trying to get there a couple times. It never seemed like a good idea though, and no one wanted to get stuck out there, even on the roads, in the dark,” Paige added.
“Probably a good call,” I replied. I headed for the door and poked my head outside. Rolly was sitting on the ground as he leaned up against the glass. “How’s it looking out here?”
He cracked a smile and glanced my way. “Quiet as a mouse,” he muttered. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “Just let me know when we’re ready to make like a tree.”
I nodded and ducked back inside after making sure the area was indeed clear. “Alright, let's huddle up,” I said with a clap. They gathered around and started pulling on their packs. “What did we get?”
Tara held her bag open toward me. “I filled up with paper plates, and like, cups and stuff. That’s totes important right?” She asked.
“Having clean surfaces to eat and drink from are always good. Anything to keep up cleanliness will help us reduce the risk of sickness and infection,” I said with a smile. I rubbed her on the arm. “Well done.”
Paige cleared her throat in an obvious attempt to get my attention, so I turned my gaze to the petite brunette and raised an eyebrow. “What’d you grab?”
The cute brunette with glasses smirked and tossed me a bottle of ibuprofen. “I got two of those, some tylenol, peroxide, a travel first aid kit, and a pair of sharp scissors. It won’t help us much if we get seriously hurt, but at least we won't get gangrene from basic injuries.
“Well alright then,” I said as I inspected the bottle and then tossed it back to her.
“Who’s next?” Bailey asked.
I chuckled. “You aren't in school anymore, and I’m certainly not your teacher,” I said.
“I don’t know about that. I feel like I might actually learn more from you than I did from most of my professors,” Paige replied.
“Professor Tav, what do I need to do to get, like, a passing grade?” Tara asked as she rubbed herself up against me. Seemed she was warming up to me fast, and I couldn’t say that I minded much.
“Can we at least finish going over what we got before you suck him off?” Anna groaned as she rolled her eyes.
“Or at least let us leave the store first,” Paige added as she brushed a stray hair out of her face.
Tara feigned offense and pushed herself off me. “Like, what sort of girl do you think I am?” She asked. She rolled her eyes when none of the others reacted with more than a groan. “Whatev’.”
“Okay then,” Anna started. “So I picked building material. Maybe anyway. I grabbed all the duct tape and super glue. I also found a spool of twine that I figured might come in handy.” She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t fucking know, really. It could all be shit.”
“It’s not,” I said reassuringly. “We will make good use of it for sure.” With that all eyes fell to Bailey. As she realized this, she went a little red.
“I guess my area didn’t have as much good stuff as the others, but I uh, saw you grab some salt from the faculty lounge earlier,” She stammered. “So I picked up some more of that. Like, a lot more of that.”
“At least our food won't be flavorless,” Anna said half-heartedly.
“Actually,” Paige spoke up and pushed her glasses more securely onto her nose. “We will need the sodium. Especially if we have to start finding food that we don't dump out of a can.”
I nodded. “Exactly. It can also be used to preserve meat, clean wounds, and, as Anna said, flavor our food,” I concluded.
“Are we done for the day then?” Bailey asked hopefully.
I headed outside and surveyed the houses. “No, I don’t think so,” I said as I looked to the sky. We still had plenty of time left. “Let’s start going through these houses again.”
“We’ve already done that,” Anna argued.
Rolly pushed himself upright, straightened his shirt, and joined us. “Well we didn’t have his eyes now, did we?”
“Yeah, but I am pretty sure the only food we left behind is the stuff that was going to rot,” Paige said.
“Well, at this point I am assuming that you ladies have found all the food and bottled water this town has to offer,” I said. “However, I bet if we go back through these houses we will find some useful tools and equipment. You don’t live in a secluded place like this and not have at least some basic camping supplies.”
“You’d be surprised, “Rolly muttered. “But, I am sure that we could find something.” He started towards the first house but I held him back.
