Without Law 14, page 9
One good thing had come from the fire, and that was the fact that the Millers’ house was gone. It was behind Betty’s place so there was no doubt in my mind that it was burned to the ground. We had meant to burn it earlier in the year, but I felt that a fire that large would be too difficult to control, especially in the spring or summer. My plan was to wait until winter to get it done.
After the cannibals had taken over the house, Marla and Justin had told us to get rid of it. They never went back in, mostly because I told them not to, and I didn’t blame them for wanting it gone. It was their family farmhouse, but some things just couldn’t be saved. The house had been a complete disaster, and if we had still been living in the world before the EMP it would have most definitely been condemned.
I shook my head when I realized that I’d managed to find one good thing that came out of a fire that had caused nothing but stress for us. Bailey’s sweetness appeared to be rubbing off on me.
Once we pulled up to the farmhouse we hopped out and started to fill up water jugs so that everyone could water the crops more easily. The girls and I were once again assigned to the carrot plot, and we spent the middle part of the day pruning and watering the area.
The rest of the crops were split up among everyone else, but they required some extra attention since we had been focused on fire lines and the wedding the past few days. It was nothing that we couldn’t handle, though, and everyone was done by mid afternoon so we headed back to campus.
Betty started dinner while the girls and I headed to the library to do some research on where the North Korean base might be.
“Alright,” Anna said with a clap as we walked into the small building. “Where do we start?”
“Maps of the area,” Paige said, and she walked over to a nearby table that had some rolled up papers on it.
“And what exactly are we looking for?” Bailey asked. “Airports, right?”
“Or military bases,” I agreed.
“That doesn’t seem so hard,” Kimmy said as Paige unrolled several maps.
“How many airports can there be nearby?” Tara scoffed.
“Apparently a lot,” Paige said, and she bit her lip as she inspected the paper in front of her.
“Really?” Anna asked, and she looked over the brunette’s shoulder.
“You see all those red circles with yellow planes in them?” Paige asked. “Those are all airports.”
“All of them?” Bailey asked, and her eyes went wide with surprise.
“All of them,” Paige said with a sad nod.
I glanced at the map on the table and realized that Paige was correct. A quick look proved there to be at least ten nearby, but I stopped counting and shut my eyes for a second.
“How do we narrow this down?” Bailey asked quietly.
“This isn’t even including the military bases,” Paige added.
“Shit,” Tara breathed. “This is going to be harder than we thought.”
I thought for a moment about how we were going to narrow down the search with the limited resources we had. In order to figure out how large an airport was we’d need a map that was closer to that area, and there was no guarantee that we had those ready to go. The North Koreans would want a large base, though, so any small airports were out of the question. Unfortunately, this map didn’t tell us that.
As far as military bases, it’d be the same thing. They’d need a large area, particularly something with an area dedicated to aircrafts.
“Paige,” I said as my thoughts came together, and I took charge.
“Yeah?” she asked, and she looked at me with expectant eyes.
“We need any map that will give us a better idea of how large each airport is,” I instructed.
“Okay,” the brunette agreed, and she quickly ran over to a filing cabinet behind the reception desk.
“We’ll need the same for military bases in the area,” I said. “Anna, Kimmy, Bailey, you all work on the military bases. Find the largest ones, or any that appear to have dedicated space for aircrafts.”
“On it,” the redhead agreed.
“Don’t worry about how many you have at first,” I said. “We’re going to keep narrowing it down.”
The girls nodded at me with newly determined looks, and I took a deep breath as I focused on the task at hand. This definitely was not going to be as easy as I’d hoped, but we were going to find those sonsabitches.
The fate of the United States might just rest with my tiny group of women warriors, and we weren’t going to let it down.
Chapter 6
The girls and I spent the next few days working on figuring out which airports or military bases were the most likely to house the Korean army. We had figured that the military bases were less likely than airports. The bases would be more conspicuous, and they’d likely be the first places that the U.S. troops would search. The airports would also have more area available for landing planes and storing them, and it seemed reasonable that they’d be less picked through than the bases. With that in mind, we had narrowed it down to four airports to search.
Before we knew it, though, it was almost time for the meeting, so the search was put on pause. We were to meet with the survivors tomorrow at the King’s Garden, so today we were going to head to Renee’s and stay the night at the fort.
I wanted to solidify our plan once more and also make sure that we were there first thing in the morning in case someone showed up early.
I woke up early but let the girls sleep as I headed downstairs to get started on the day’s chores. We were going to leave around noon to head to Renee’s, so I wanted to do my part before we left.
“Good morning,” Betty greeted me as I stepped off the landing into the living room. She, Rolly, Kimmy, and baby Anthony all sat around the coffee table.
“I figured you would have slept in some today,” Kimmy said with a small smile.
“It’s rare that I sleep in,” I told her. “I did let the girls rest, though. Why are you up?”
Kimmy said nothing, just gestured down to baby Anthony, and we both laughed.
“I guess that’s fair,” I said as I took a seat next to her and grabbed the boy’s foot playfully. He reached for my hand in response, but I had to laugh and pull it away when he immediately tried to put it into his mouth.
“Coffee?” Rolly asked.
“Yes, please,” I agreed, and the old man poured me a cup of java and pushed it across the table.
“Are you nervous for the meeting tomorrow?” Betty asked softly.
“Not nervous,” I said. “I’m expecting the worst and hoping for the best.”
“Well, that’s a nice outlook,” the old woman chuckled.
“I’m expecting there to be some trouble,” I added. “But nothing that we can’t handle.”
“Be careful,” Kimmy said with a frown.
“We will be,” I told her and squeezed her hand in my own. “How are the walkies coming along?”
“I was missing a couple of parts,” she informed me. “But I think I’ve found a way around that.”
“Okay,” I said, and my eyebrows pinched together. “We can always look for what you need while we’re out.”
“Don’t be silly,” she said with a wave of her hand. “You’re only going to the fort, there’s no reason for you to stop anywhere else.”
“True for today,” I said. “But we’ll be checking out airports soon.”
“You’ve narrowed it down, then?” Rolly inquired.
“We have four spots we want to look at,” I said with a nod.
“Four isn’t a small number,” the old man said. “Not when it comes to travel.”
“I know,” I sighed. “But we don’t have any other choice. We need to find those bastards and see what they’re up to.”
“I agree,” he said and he took a sip of his coffee. “No way we can let them take over the east coast. I’ll get my old ass out there and fight before I let that happen.”
“Take it easy, old man,” I laughed. “Let’s see what we’re up against first.”
“You know what I mean,” he said with a smile.
“I know,” I agreed. “And I appreciate it.”
I picked up my coffee cup then and took a long pull. The liquid was hot and fresh, and it felt nice on my throat as it went down and warmed my belly.
“Morning,” Anna said, and I looked up to see the girls all coming down the stairs headed for the couch.
“Morning,” Kimmy greeted back.
The girls all sat down and accepted coffee when they were offered, but I could tell that they were slightly on edge. It was basically mission day after all, and I didn’t expect them to be nonchalant about it.
The real mission wouldn’t be until tomorrow, but we still had work to do today, and they understood how serious the situation was. That was one thing I was incredibly proud of when it came to their training. As goofy as the girls were with each other, they always knew when to be serious. The situations we got into were life or death and there was no joking around when it came to that.
Everyone was quiet as they drank their coffees, then Bailey stretched and reached down to pet Winchester who laid at her feet.
“He’s such a good boy,” Betty said as she smiled and reached down to pet the dog as well.
Winchester rolled over onto his back so that his belly was exposed for pets.
“He is,” Bailey agreed, and she smiled down at the black headed dog.
“I’m glad he has the kids here now,” Paige said. “They play with him so much.”
“I’m sure Marla and the other moms are glad he’s here, too,” Betty laughed. “He keeps them preoccupied quite well.”
I sat back and watched as the casual chatter about the dog softened everyone’s moods slightly. Even Tara joined in after a moment, though she constantly claimed to dislike Winchester.
“I’ll check the traps this morning,” I offered when everyone seemed to be in a better mood.
“I’ll help,” Bailey said with a smile.
“Alright,” I agreed.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Tara teased.
“I’m not a magnet for wild animals,” Bailey protested through gritted teeth.
“Your history in the woods suggests otherwise,” Paige snickered.
“It was twice!” the blonde exclaimed with frustration.
“Three times actually,” Anna said from behind her coffee cup.
“She’s totally right,” Tara agreed. “It’s two bears and a pack of wolves now. Are you Goldilocks or Little Red Riding Hood?”
“Shit,” Bailey mumbled under her breath, and everyone laughed.
After we finished our coffee, Bailey and I headed out to the woods and checked on the traps. We had only reset the rabbit traps, not the trotlines, but we still managed to find one rabbit. Winchester tagged along with us, and it was a quiet and peaceful walk through the area. There were no animal attacks as the girls suggested, but honestly, I was beginning to think they were right about Bailey. She had been the one attacked by wild animals the most, which was ironic since she was the biggest animal lover among us.
By the time we made it back to campus the rest of the girls had the jeep packed and ready to go, and the chores on campus were finished. Betty had made breakfast, but we all decided to head over to Renee’s early to get a jump on things, so we took breakfast to go and hopped into the jeep.
“Wait,” Kimmy said as I started up the vehicle.
I rolled down the window as she ran over to us.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, but the words barely got out of my mouth before her lips captured mine, and she pulled on my neck to bring me closer to her.
“Ooooh,” the girls teased around us, and Kimmy broke our kiss with a laugh.
“You get him all to yourself for a couple of days,” the dark skinned beauty said. “I had to get a kiss in before you all left.”
“I’m glad you did,” I told her with a smile.
“Be careful,” she said seriously.
“Always,” I agreed, and I kissed her softly once more before I started down the driveway.
It was only mid morning, but the day was hot already as we turned onto the main road, and I slid my aviators on to block out the sun.
“I like Kimmy,” Tara said suddenly.
“Well, I would hope so,” Paige chuckled. “She’s part of the group now.”
“Yeah,” the platinum blonde agreed. “But that’s not all. She’s super hot and a mom, too. I totally respect that.”
“Really?” Anna asked with a raised eyebrow. “I didn’t peg you as the kind to really care about having kids.”
“Oh, I definitely want kids,” Tara said. “My babies would be so cute.”
“You know they’re a lot of work, right?” Paige teased.
“You don’t say,” the platinum blonde replied sarcastically.
“I’m just telling you like it is,” the brunette laughed. “They’re super cute, but they’re not the easiest things in the world to deal with.”
“And they’re not that cute when they come out,” Bailey added.
“What do you mean?” Tara asked. “Babies are cute. Except the skinny ones.”
“Not newborn babies,” Anna agreed. “They’re wrinkly and weird looking for like the first two weeks.”
“Are they?” Tara chuckled. “Are you guys serious?”
“Yeah,” Bailey said. “I have younger siblings, and I remember when they came home from the hospital. They were totally weird looking baby raisins at first.”
“Gross,” Tara said with a grimace.
“We’re just trying to prepare you since you want to be a mom and all,” Anna said with a shrug.
“Maybe I’ll hold that thought for a little while longer,” Tara chuckled.
“Shouldn’t Tav get a say in this?” Paige asked. “I’m assuming he’s the dad.”
“Well, duh,” the platinum blonde said, then she caught my eye in the rearview mirror and flashed me a toothy grin. “What do you say, wanna be my baby daddy?”
“I don’t think I’d mind that too much,” I laughed.
The girls were being playful, but part of me hoped that one day that would become a reality. It was strange, but I wanted kids with each of them. I wanted to see what my kids would look like and how different they would be. All of the girls would make great mothers, and if the world continued on as it was, then repopulating couldn’t hurt. The next generation would be needed to carry on the legacy and the human race.
Granted, I didn’t know if the North Koreans had invaded anywhere else, but something told me that they wouldn’t stop with just the United States. We were the most powerful country in the world, so it would make sense to try and take us out first, but we wouldn’t let that happen.
Rolly had packed us to go cups for the trip to the fort, and I sipped the coffee and ate my breakfast sandwich as I drove. The road was clear as always, and I thought about how strange it had felt at first to drive down a road with no other vehicles. Now it would be strange if I saw another one.
The trip to the fort didn’t take long, but I was hot as hell by the time we arrived. My shirt was stuck to the back of the seat with sweat, and my hair was damp to the touch.
I waved to the man above the gate, and he opened it for us so I could pull the jeep in. I kept it outside of the gate the last couple of times that we’d dropped by, but this time I pulled it in and parked it near the jeeps that Renee kept in the yard.
“Hey!” the leader of the fort called as she came down the steps toward us. “We weren’t expecting you for another couple of hours.”
Renee had her long dark hair up in a ponytail, and she wore a pair of shorts and a tank top. She was probably older than I was, though I’d never asked, but she was an attractive woman and looked good for her age.
“We finished the chores on campus early,” I explained. “And I think we were all a bit antsy to get here.”
“I understand,” she said. “Have you eaten?”
“We have,” I replied with a smile. “Thank you, though.”
“Alright,” she said. “Well, if there’s anything you want to put into the room you can do that now. I’ll show you where it’s at.”
“I think that can wait,” I said. “We should go over the plan for tomorrow once more. I want us all to do a runthrough.”
“Sounds good to me,” Renee agreed. “Let’s head over to the garden.”
We headed out the gate and made the short walk to the King’s Garden. All the girls had the weapons on them that they’d have the next day, and I had them get into the positions that we’d talked about.
The wall around the garden was thick enough for people to stand on, and we found Bailey a spot that was covered by foliage where she could remain unseen with her sniper rifle. Anna was closest to the door, and she was responsible for ushering people through and making sure that nobody had weapons drawn as they came in. She had a good view of the area outside of the fence, so if she saw anybody coming with dangerous intent then she could give us a heads up before they got inside.
Bailey also had a view of outside the fence, and she had orders to take out anybody who seemed like they were going to come in with a weapon drawn. I’d give them one warning to holster it, but that was all. I wasn’t taking any chances here, and I hoped that whoever showed up wasn’t, either.
Once I felt like we had the plan down, we headed back to the fort.
“Have you all heard anything on the CB?” Renee asked as we walked.
“No,” I said. “We’ve had someone in there basically at all times to keep an eye on it.”
“So have I,” she agreed. “We haven’t heard anything, either.”
“Do you think that’s good or bad?” Bailey asked.
“Could be neither,” Renee said with a shrug.
“How do you figure?” Paige asked.
“It could mean that nobody is coming,” Renee said. “Or it could mean that whoever is coming doesn't want to talk over the CB. Or maybe they didn’t have one. I don’t think it has to be good or bad necessarily.”
