“We aren’t Indians,” she said.

  “Fine, then let’s see if there’s a justice of the peace in Dulzura.”

  “You’d do that?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  “But you haven’t asked on your own. You’ve only said it after I was upset. I’m pushing you into it.”

  Trevor chuckled. “You are the most important part of my life by far. I’m kind of a dork. I don’t show what I’m thinking easily, especially with the opposite sex. You know that. You’ve known me for a long time.”

  “Don’t say that,” she said. “You’re not a dork. I feel the same way about you. You’re the most important part of my life too.”

  “Then we should do it,” Trevor said.

  “What would your parents think?”

  “They’d love you,” Trevor said.

  “We aren’t the same race.”

  Trevor laughed. “Are you serious? My mom’s sister is married to a Japanese man. Has been for thirty years. He’s my mom’s favorite relative. Trust me. She’s not like that at all.”

  “You’re her son, though. Sometimes that makes a difference.”

  “Would it make a difference to your parents?”

  “Yeah, it would, but I don’t care, and they’ll like you once we start popping out kids.”

  “Oh, so that’s how it is,” he said, smiling at her.

  “Stop it. It doesn’t matter to me.”

  “I know,” Trevor said.

  “Maybe we should talk about something else.”

  “Kaylee?” Trevor asked, his face serious.

  “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “Will you be my wife? Will you marry me?”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Answer the question,” he said, a stern look on his face.

  “You really mean it, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I really mean it,” Trevor said. “I want to be with you for the rest of my life.”

  “Oh, Trevor,” she said, pulling him in for a hug, shaking as she cried. He pulled back from her.

  “Answer the question.”

  “Yes,” she said, smiling, then laughing. “Of course, yes.”

  They kissed tenderly, then backed up and looked into each other’s eyes.

  ***

  “Ed’s been behind us for too long,” Erica said, trudging along next to Sam in the mid-afternoon heat.

  “Should we go backwards and find him?”

  Erica thought about it for a moment.

  They stopped walking.

  “No, we should keep going,” Erica said. “He had two warriors with him, and they’re well-armed. I’m just being paranoid.”

  “Okay,” Sam said.

  They walked silently for a while, Erica’s brow furrowed.

  “We could try to call him,” Sam said.

  “Maybe in a little while. We don’t have much juice left in our phones, remember?”

  “Wait, I hear him,” Sam said. “Listen.”

  Erica turned her head backwards and then smiled. “Yes, that’s him.”

  “See, he’s fine,” Sam said. They continued walking, listening to the sound of the hovercraft getting closer and closer, and then it was right behind them. They turned around and watched as Ed drove next to them. He looked at them, brow furrowed.

  “What’s wrong?” Erica asked.

  “There’s a couple hundred Islamists on our tail.”

  The two warriors in the craft nodded in agreement.

  “Any chance we can take them on?” Sam asked.

  “Maybe, if we had a perfect setup,” one of the warriors said.

  “Describe perfect,” Sam said.

  “Nice ridges that we could fire on them from,” Ed said. “There’s nowhere like that for the rest of the trip.”

  “We need superior numbers, then, don’t we?” Erica asked.

  “It’s a race against time, at this point,” Ed said. “If we keep going, they’ll have a hard time catching us. They’re a few miles behind us, and they’re not moving quite as fast.”

  The warriors nodded in agreement, then one of them spoke. “They obviously aren’t used to walking through this terrain the way that our people are.”

  “Even if we keep going, we’ll have to deal with them eventually,” Erica said.

  “Yes, but we’ve got lots of strength at the destination,” Sam said. “Garrett has a huge force, and we have those battle wagons too.”

  “Do we need to warn them?” Erica asked.

  Sam froze for a moment, then smiled. “I have an idea.”

  “What?” Ed asked.

  “Garrett has cavalry. Maybe we ought to have them ride their horses out here with a few hundred men.”

  “You think they would do that?” Ed asked.

  “Probably. I’ll make the call, but my phone battery is getting pretty close to dead.”

  “We’ll charge you guys up,” Ed said. “That’s not a problem.”

  “I’ll bet the folks who came in Jeeps would come too,” Sam said. “There are others with Jeeps as well. Don’t know if we have good enough drivers for all of them, though.”

  “Call,” Ed said, “but while you’re walking. I’m going up to warn the others. We don’t camp tonight.”

  “Roger that,” Sam said, pulling out his phone. “Crap. No service.”

  “Don’t worry, there’s a higher place that we’ll get to in about an hour,” Erica said. “That’ll probably give you service.”

  “See you soon,” Ed said. He took off in the hovercraft with the two warriors.

  “He’s worried,” Erica said.

  “Yeah, that’s pretty obvious.”

  “What if they can’t get here fast enough?”

  “Then we’ll take them on when we get to Dulzura,” Sam said. “We’ve got almost nine hundred fighters waiting for us there.”

  “What if there are more bad guys on their way to Dulzura?” Erica asked. “On the highway instead of this trail?”

  “Then we fight them. Maybe we die. Maybe we live. I feel like I’m on borrowed time anyway.”

  “You don’t look worried, though,” Erica said.

  “I’m not. Not anymore.”

  “Why?”

  “I can’t tell you. Just trust me.”

  “No, that’s not good enough. It was that dream, wasn’t it? You seem more relaxed since last night.”

  “Maybe I’m more relaxed because of what we did,” Sam said, glancing at her.

  She stared into his eyes for a moment as they walked. “No, something’s different. Tell me.”

  “It’s just a dream,” Sam said. “If it makes me feel more confident, just go with it.”

  “Just go with it. Sounds like Ed.”

  Sam chuckled. “Yeah, that’s what he said about you. Just go with it.”

  She looked at him, a smile on her face. “Your wife told you something in that dream.”

  “I really don’t want to go into it,” Sam said. “It’s dumb.” He pulled out his phone and looked at it.

  “Nothing, right?” Erica asked. “Told you. We need to be at the higher place.”

  “Okay, you’re right. Just anxious, that’s all.”

  “But every time you check, you turn on the screen. It uses more battery.”

  “I know,” Sam said.

  “You’re really not going to tell me, are you?”

  “Nope,” Sam said. “Is it going to make you angry?”

  “A little, maybe.”

  They walked along for another half an hour, the grade of the trail climbing. “That’s it up there, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, but it’s further than it looks. You aren’t complaining about soreness as much now.”

  “You were right,” Sam said. “This is getting me into better shape. I’m into it now. I feel great.”

  “Good. Especially now that we won’t bed down tonight.”

  “Listen,” Sam said. “Ed’s coming back.”

  “Maybe he’s got some news.”

  “Here he comes, at a good clip. He’s alone.”

  Ed pulled up and stopped by them.

  “Climb in you two,” he said. “Plug your phone in here.” He held up a charging cable. “You’ve got Apple, right?”

  “Yeah,” Sam said, climbing in and then helping Erica. He fished his phone out of his pocket and plugged it in as the engine vibrated the craft.

  “Hold on,” Ed said, heading forward.

  “How’d they take it?” Erica asked. “Not stopping for the night, that is?”

  “Same as they always do,” Ed said. “Grit and determination.”

  “That’s what I expected,” Sam said. “You have a strong culture and strong people.”

  “We do,” Ed said. “Thanks for noticing.”

  They sped up the grade, getting to the top. “Okay, try it now.”

  Sam nodded and pulled the phone towards him, leaving it plugged in, bending down to get close enough. “Only got one bar. Hope it’s enough.” He hit Sid’s contact. It rang twice.

  “Sam?” Sid asked. “Everything okay?”

  “Hi, Sid. No, we’re being followed by a couple hundred Islamists.”

  “Dammit,” Sid said. “How far away?”

  “Maybe a mile. We aren’t stopping tonight. Hopefully they will, and it’ll allow us to gain some ground.”

  “You guys are scaring me,” Sid said. “You didn’t call just to tell me about it. You want the cavalry out there, don’t ya?”

  “How’d you guess? You know what trail we’re on. Think you could have a chat with Garrett and Ji-Ho?”

  “Perfect timing,” Sid said. “They’re here. I’ll go talk to them now. You said a couple hundred, right?”

  “Yep,” Sam said.

  “All right. How hard will it be to have another call?”

  “I don’t know,” Sam said. “Spotty coverage. We’re at the top of a ridge right now. Once we get off it I might not have service.”

  “Okay, don’t worry,” Sid said. “I suspect Garrett and his men would love a little cavalry operation. You know those guys. We’ll bring the Jeeps too. And mortars, and our other toys.”

  “Great, thanks,” Sam said. “Talk to you soon, I hope.”

  “If you don’t hear from me, trust that I’ve got help on the way, all right?”

  “All right, thanks,” Sam said. He ended the call.

  “Well?” Erica asked.

  “Sounds good,” Sam said. “Garrett just happens to be at the Williams place right now. He also said they’d bring the Jeeps with some of our toys.”

  “Toys?” Ed asked.

  “Mortars, M60s, BARs, a few RPGs. Everything you need for a good party.”

  Erica snickered and shook her head. “I’m gonna like these folks.”

  “And they’re gonna like you,” Sam said.

  “I’ll get you guys up with the main group. We’re gonna pass out food and rest for about ten minutes, then be on our way again. Can you still cover the back door?”

  “Whatever you need,” Sam said.

  Erica touched his arm, their eyes meeting as the hovercraft sped towards the main group. She mouthed I love you to him.

  ***

  Dinner was over, and desert, and after-dinner drinks. The rows of picnic tables still look festive between the warehouse and the groundkeeper’s quarters, with strings of clear lights above them.

  A tech approached Jules and whispered in his ear as he talked to Ted and Cody. He nodded at Shelly, who was sitting at the next picnic table over, chatting with Karen. She nodded back, then got up and came over.

  “Is our coach ready?” she asked.

  “Yes,” he said. “I’ll go get if you want to keep talking to Karen.”

  “No, she’s leaving now anyway,” Shelly said.

  “Where Tex?”

  “Already in their coach,” Shelly said as Jules got up. “She’s nervous about that bedroom.”

  “I hope it better,” Jules said. “Might not be enough.”

  “We’ll see,” Shelly said.

  “She still resist Tex?”

  Shelly smiled and glanced at him. “Funny how men and women are.”

  “What mean?”

  “She’s interested in what’s going on between you and me, and we’re interested in what’s going on between her and Tex.”

  Jules chuckled. “Humans.”

  “Yeah, we’re something, aren’t we?” They entered the warehouse, the technician waiting for them by the door.

  “There’s just a couple things I need to show you, sir,” the tech said. He led them inside. “First of all, watch your head. This grenade launcher is in a bad place.”

  Jules chuckled as he looked at it, an octagon-shaped structure hanging down from the ceiling. “You right. No matter how much I try, I still bump head. Wait and see.”

  “We put this hard rubber on the outside,” the tech said, pushing on it, “but it’s not going to be enough if you’re moving fast when you hit it. Please be careful.”

  “Okay,” Jules said, smiling, shooting a glance at Shelly. “You shorter. Not as bad.”

  “Yes, not as bad,” Shelly said. “Watch me bump my head too.”

  The tech opened the rear part of the structure. “Load here. Make sure the belt feeds properly through here and here.” He pointed to the spots, making sure that both Jules and Shelly saw it.

  “No problem,” Jules said. “What else?”

  “In front, see the new sight above the passenger seat?”

  “Yes,” Jules said.

  “The driver has to send the control to the passenger.” He showed a lever on the side of the driver’s sight.

  “Can the passenger fire both mini gun and M19?”

  “Yes,” the tech said. “The two sights work the same. The passenger might have their hands full, because the controls for the front and rear machine guns are still on the tray in front of the seat.”

  “Understand. Can one sight fire both big guns at same time?”

  “Yes, but it’s a new feature. It’s a little buggy. I’d avoid it if possible.”

  “How could you do both at once?” Shelly asked.

  “The dual mode splits the screen into two separate reticles,” the tech said. “Like I said, avoid it for now. We ran out of time. You’ll probably get some updated software in the next few days.”

  “We got it,” Jules said. “What else?”

  “Bedroom sight,” the tech said, walking back there. “Come on.”

  Shelly and Jules joined him.

  “See, on mini gun structure? Pull this down and in front of your face.”

  Shelly laughed. “So, we can lay in bed and fire?”

  “Yes,” the tech said. “We had a lot of fun with this back at the plant.”

  “Wow,” Jules said, a sly grin on his face. “I bet.”

  “Is this all?” Shelly asked.

  “Yep, that’s it,” the tech said. “There are the added siege mode features, but they don’t require any change in procedures.”

  “Okay, good,” Shelly said. “Let’s get this thing out of here. I’m tired.”

  “Yes, let’s,” Jules said.

  The tech nodded. “It’s all yours.”

  “Good,” Jules said. “How many more?”

  “Four,” he said. “We’ll be done mid-day tomorrow.”

  “All right, thank you,” Jules said. He got into the driver’s seat and brought the rig out of siege mode, as Shelly sat in the passenger seat. He rolled slowly out of the warehouse, then drove to the place they’d been parked before, backing in quickly. “I go hook up.”

  “Good,” Shelly said. “See you in a couple minutes.”

  He left the coach. Shelly took a paper towel, got it damp, and then wiped off a few places where she saw grease smudges, just finishing as Jules got back inside.

  “Everything look okay?” he asked, closing the door behind him.

  “Just a few smudges,” she said. “They’re gone. I’m going to bed.”

  “I join, okay?”

  “Okay, normal rules apply.”

  “Of course,” he said, smiling at her.

  {5}

  Milk Maid

  K aren entered the yellow coach.

  “Tex?” she asked softly. As she approached the bedroom door, she could hear him breathing, fast asleep. She slid the door open, looking around in the bedroom, waiting for the flashback of Lily to hit her. Nothing. She sighed, then slipped inside, stripping and climbing into bed. Tex stirred, rolled over to face her, and settled back into sleep. Karen glanced over at him and found his peaceful expression calming. She turned onto her back and looked at the ceiling, with its mini gun structure hanging down. How did I get here?

  Tex stirred again, moving closer to her, hand going over her stomach, making her jump. His eyes opened slightly. “Oh, sorry,” he muttered, pulling his hand back. She grabbed it and put it back on her belly, petting it tenderly, a warm feeling almost overpowering her. In seconds he was back to his light snore, and she felt herself drifting towards sleep. For a split second the peppermint smell rushed back into her head. She shuddered, waking Tex.

  “Hey, you okay, little lady?” he asked sleepily, not realizing that his hand was resting on her, or that she held it.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered. “I started slipping back into that dream, but I came out of it.”

  “Want me to go out into the salon?” he asked, pulling his hand back.

  “No, I want you to stay right here,” she said, taking his hand again. “Please?”

  “Sure, honey,” he said softly, his hand caressing her. She trembled, turning towards him, pulling his arm back over herself, moving tight against him, not caring that her breasts were resting against his hairy chest.

  “Can I trust you?” she whispered. “Really?”

  “Yes,” he said, his hand moving on her back now, pulling her closer. Her leg went over his hip, entangling them.

  “I feel safe. I’m not bothering you too much, am I?”

  “No. I’ll hold you all night if it helps.”

  “I know,” she said, checking herself, trying to bring on the bad thoughts. They weren’t there. She started to cry softly.

  “Is this bothering you?”

  “No, dummy. It’s helping me. Just hold me. Okay?”

 

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