CHAPTER THREE:
I heard gunfire echo through the trees before I arrived at the skank gate. Someone was shooting at us from the woods to the northwest. I broke out into a sprint once again. My girls needed my deflection ability before someone got shot. Hopefully, no one already had.
Someone was returning fire from our side, and there was a lot of shouting. People were pushing their way hastily through the narrow gate as I ran toward it. They appeared to be the refugees. Many more women were running toward their location from various parts of our compound. Others crouched down for fear of being hit by a stray bullet. Jada and Bianka had trained them on responding to a crisis, but these were not soldiers. It was a wonder we had as many as we did, rushing toward danger instead of away from it.
I saw Bianka focusing her attention on keeping the new arrivals under guard, not being thrown off by the attack. Their weapons had been confiscated and they were lined up kneeling inside the fence, most of them with their hands raised. Judah and Lenah were among the refugees, the two teens that I had met a couple times before.
Two members of the old schoolhouse gang were lying on the ground receiving medical attention. I assumed that they had been shot, not noticing the bloodstained clothes right away. I slowed as I approached and heard Jada's footsteps gaining on me. Then I overheard her as she wisely instructed the rest of her squad to cover the front entrance in case this was a distraction.
"Who's shooting at us?" I asked loudly, raising one hand toward the gate to block any bullets that might find their way toward me. Jada and I were the only ones not taking cover. My dark-skinned friend was confident in my ability to protect her with my mutant power.
"Soldiers!" Bianka replied. "At least three of them!"
"Four!" Judah informed me. "We counted four."
One of our guards had been shot in the leg. Lisa, a young brunette that I had only met once, was being helped toward the house where she could receive the best medical treatment that we had to offer. She clutched at the wound on her thigh as blood flowed through her fingers and down to her knee before dripping to the ground. She hopped on the other leg as a hefty recently reborn woman supported the shoulder on that side. It didn’t look too bad, as far as gunshot wounds go, but those dingy white shorts were ruined. They looked like they were designed for men anyway, reaching nearly to the knee.
The skank gate where the new arrivals came through was still wide open. Felicia peeked through from the left side with her rifle ready. She popped off a shot toward the right but took a bullet to her shoulder before she could fire again. Her body flew twisting backwards violently from the impact.
"Shut the damn gate!" Bianka ordered. Several women started toward the opening despite the fear evident in their eyes and body language. If they could pick off Felicia when she was mostly behind cover, anyone reaching for the thick wooden door was certainly at risk of being hit.
"No!" I shouted. "Leave it. Don't take a chance on getting shot. Let me block the opening." I scurried up and held one hand forward as I approached the gateway. Several bullets came my way, but I managed to deflect them into the ground. "Where are they?"
"Two o'clock!" Felicia shouted through the pain as another woman was trying to drag her clear of the danger using only her good arm. "Forty yards." That had to be the one that she was shooting at when she got wounded.
"Two of them at twelve o'clock," another guard told me. I didn't turn to see who it was, and I wasn't able to recognize the voice in the chaos. "Both of them within thirty yards."
"The last one is off to the left a bit," Judah informed me. "I guess at ten or eleven o'clock. He's probably the farthest away. And the only male."
"Jada," I said to the talented woman clinging to my side. "Do you want to use your dogs or a gun?"
"A gun," she replied immediately, holding her sniper rifle pointed forward and down. She was not yet in a position to take aim. Though going back after the pack of canines didn't make any sense, I was really looking forward to watching her unleashing them on an opponent.
"Would you like to borrow my assault rifle?" I asked. I had it hanging from a strap down my back and somehow didn’t even consider grabbing it with my shooting hand when I darted for the opening. Defending my people was my first thought.
"No. There are just four targets. Let me snipe a couple quickly. Then we can pursue the others."
"Okay," I replied. "Since they are spread out, I'm going to use both my hands for deflection and let you do the shooting."
I saw her nod out of the corner of my eye and bring the sighted rifle up to horizontal. Then, I slowly stepped through the gate. I slanted my fingers slightly forward which helped my mind to redirect incoming rounds toward the ground. Allowing shots to go upward and past me could put people in the compound at risk.
My power of deflecting projectiles was not just a defensive talent. Picking out targets was challenging when cowering behind cover. My mutant ability allowed me to walk right out into the open, giving me a clear view of where the shots were coming from. Under my protection, Jada reaped the same benefits.
The two shooters front and center began firing with automatic weapons. All rounds struck the dirt in front of me, missing by a safe margin. The woman off to the right had a rifle. Jada took her out first before she could get a shot off. Her head flew backwards as the plants behind her were instantly painted red.
Jada then swiveled like an experienced SWAT team shooter to put two bullets in the chest of the closest soldier girl. Center mass, those shots would likely end her life quickly. I tried not to register the shock and fear that appeared on her face. Humanizing the opponent should always be avoided in battle, but it was something that I struggled with every time. These were real people just like us, just trying to survive.
The other girl up front took cover before Jada could adjust her aim. At that time the man on the left fired his sniper rifle. The projectile struck the ground dangerously close to my left foot. He also took cover before Jada could swivel and get on bead on him.
I shifted to the right slightly, placing both remaining opponents in the same trajectory. Keeping my left hand up as a shield, I pulled out my forty-five-caliber revolver instead of using the rifle. My focus would be the closest enemy. Jada knew to target the sniper without me having to tell her.
As we slowly approached, the shrub concealing the female was no longer sufficient. I could see her leg and use it to gauge the position of her torso. I fired a slug through the bush. She screamed out as she fell backwards. I had shot her in the pudgy gut. She scrambled to aim her sub-machinegun but was unable to pull the trigger before my next bullet pierced her forehead, redecorating the tall weeds behind her. My stomach twitched at the sight.
The sniper turned to run for it. Jada calmly placed a high velocity round through his left ass cheek, sending him to the ground, but still very much alive. I fired two shots in his direction as Jada reloaded. One took him in the shoulder but the other missed entirely. Twisting toward us he pulled up his rifle and fired again frantically, too high this time. My companion's next shot pinned him to the ground, no longer moving.
Methodically, Jada and I scoured the area for more soldiers. There were only the four, all of which were verified kills. Their aggressive stance had not permitted me the opportunity to offer them a chance to surrender. My battle experience had hardened me considerably over the past few weeks. Ending lives no longer phased me as bad as it once had, as long as it was done to protect my women. The soft heart of the old me would have taken risks to attempt to spare these people.
The two wounded refugees died before I returned inside the fence. That brought the number of surviving schoolhouse gang members down to just five. I was already inclined to allow Judah and Lenah into my camp. When the boy vouched for the other three women, I conceded quickly but placed them under guard.
"Bianka," I called out. The gorgeous lesbian responded without any hint of a personal issue with me. Professional in a crisis, I expected no les
s of her. "Get Alexa when she is not needed in medical. Have her with you when you question the refugees."
Bianka nodded and headed toward the house after instructing guards where to take Judah and his friends. I thanked the boy for his intel which helped us defeat our common foe. I also assured him that the prisoner routine was simply a formality. I looked forward to welcoming him into the colony soon.
"I thought the woods were empty," I said to Jada.
"They must have circled around down by the river. We need to get more organized if we want to defend beyond our current borders. Otherwise, we'll be taking unnecessary risks when we send the girls out there."
"Agreed." It would be great to take advantage of the missing Coalition spies to extend our territory, but we were set up more for defense at the moment. An aggressive shift would require better planning.
"It would be great if I was working with the same girls all the time, too,” Jada told me. “The same goes for Bianka. Having a third group to take shifts would be awesome. I personally don't mind working twelve-to-fourteen-hour days, but a lot of these girls can only handle an eight-hour shift, if that."
"Secure the compound," I instructed my head of security. "Then meet me at the house in an hour. I'll get the rest of the girls assembled. We'll get these things worked out."
Felicia was on the lone cot in the newly designated infirmary by the time that I reached the garage. Lisa had already been treated and released to rest at her home. The bullet had grazed her thigh, taking a big enough chunk to draw significant bleeding but not enough to require admittance in our limited emergency room.
Camilla had happily given up her bed and was even assisting Alexa as best she could. Checking in on the wounded was a very important part of my job. These women, most of which were barely trained for combat, were putting their lives on the line for the security of our colony. They deserved as much appreciation as I could give them.
"How is she doing?" I asked.
"It actually doesn't look too bad," Alexa replied. "I called for a couple of the girls that have nursing experience to come help. We're going to need to get a second bed in here for Camilla or move her into the house prematurely."
"I'm ready for the house," Camilla informed us, showing eagerness without exhibiting any sign of her previous demanding nature.
"You can rest inside when you need to," I told Camilla. "We'll figure out your bed for tonight later on." Then to Alexa, "I need you with Bianka as she questions the five new arrivals."
"I'm kind of busy here, sweetheart."
"When the nurses arrive, then," I said. "If Felicia is stable and in good care, your talents are needed elsewhere."
Alexa inhaled deeply and released before nodding her agreement. Her caring nature made her a much better medic than a prisoner interrogator.
"Thank you for your service at the gate, Felicia," I said as I grabbed the redhead's hand. Her skin was even paler than before. Her smile was weak due to her drained state, but sincere.
"Finish up the interrogation quickly," I told Alexa. "We're having a meeting in less than an hour. Tell Bianka. We have some important things to work out."
CHAPTER FOUR:
Camilla was already seated in the living room when the other women began arriving. After giving it some thought, I decided to let her stay for the meeting. All our previous differences aside, she belonged there. A powerful mutant and an experienced leader, there was no longer a reason to avoid utilizing her to the fullest. She had no other alliances and had expressed repeatedly that being an important member of my clan had been her preference ever since we took her in that first time.
Alexa and Bianka sat on each side of the bronze skinned beauty on the sofa as Jada leaned on the far side padded arm. Ling sat in one recliner as Jamila and Stella argued over who should sit in the other. They both were too humble to accept the seat from the other. In the end, they shared it. Their slender bodies had no trouble squeezing in. But Jamila was much more comfortable with the arrangement, wrapping one arm around her friend and resting her head on the timid girl's shoulder. I wish I had a camera. The scene was begging for a social media post. Of course, the internet no longer existed. So, a mental snapshot would have to do.
I caught a couple jibes at my newest wife coming from Camilla. I knew that she was upset about the less confident younger woman getting so far ahead of her in the clan hierarchy. When others came to Stella's defense, the shapely newcomer played it off as a joke. I had my doubts.
"The attack on our compound is a breach of the treaty," I told the girls.
"Well, that depends on your point of view," Jada replied. "The Coalition would probably consider us in breach of the agreement since we accepted refugees."
"But we didn't accept them at that point," Bianka retorted. "They were being held at gun point outside the gate. For all they knew we were planning on turning them over to the military."
"I bet they didn't see it that way," Alexa responded. "The question is, did they report it to their headquarters as us breaking the treaty before they opened fire?"
"Mason and Jada's zombies could convince them that we did no wrong if they came knocking again," Bianka suggested. It was good to hear her making humorous comments again.
"I'm not sure that the Coalition is a big threat right now," Jada told the group. "As far as we can tell there are no soldiers patrolling or scouting the woods to the north, or to the east, possibly right up to New Hampshire Avenue."
"Agreed," I stated. "Either way, we have some adjustments to make. The first is to get our members organized into better squads. They can stay grouped together whether they are on guard duty, learning combat skills, or handling other assignments throughout the compound. I know they were grouped together by headband color before, but these new workgroups need to be thought out as each squad will have a slightly different role. The second issue is to improve our communication. Our boundaries are growing too fast to rely on shouting or messengers. Bianka has something for us, I believe."
"Yes," the gorgeous blonde said as she stood up to address the others from the center of the room, displaying a cell phone for everyone to see. She had finally discarded the thin leather vest due to the extreme heat lately. Her sweaty blouse clung to her like a wet t-shirt. I had to avert my eyes. "We've confiscated a dozen of these phones from the militia. It turns out that they double as two-way radios. We're still getting the details figured out, but it looks like there are hundreds of frequencies that can be used. Chances of our conversations being overheard are slim."
"We can develop a list of code words for classified information," Jada suggested.
"Oh, how cool," Camilla chirped in. "When do we get them?"
"Well," Bianka said as she turned and looked to me. "I'm not sure who will be assigned these radios. That will be up to Mason. But most of them are not fully charged yet. By the time that they are, we should have enough details worked out to put them to use. Sometime this afternoon."
Camilla looked at me with begging eyes. She wanted to be included first and foremost. But just as badly she needed to not get embarrassed in front of the other girls. She was pleading that I don't exclude her.
"Everyone in this room will get one of the new radios," I announced. All of them could easily see Camilla's relief. "That leaves three extra radios that will go to the second in command of three squads. Of course, we can pass them around as needed to keep our gate keepers in constant contact. Hopefully, we'll gain some more radios as we go. It appears as though the Coalition had plenty of them. So, that brings us to organization. We are going to group most of our members into four squads."
"Four?" Jada asked in surprise. I could see that the others were alarmed to hear it as well.
"Yes, four squads. Jada and Bianka will each lead their own units, of course. They will be our primaries when it comes to patrolling or any aggressive maneuvers that we decide to make. Jada's group will have control of the dogs and the zombies since it is her skill that is required there.
"
"Working with the same people all the time," Jada explained to the group. "I'll be able to train girls to help me with anything that I've tamed."
"Bianka's team will mostly be reborn women that have responded well to her combat training. The third squad will be led by Jamila."
"Me?" the tiny spinner was shocked somehow. We had been relying on her for a while already. She had a huge group of women committed to following her lead. The number of reborn was growing as more skanks were given refuge and treated with the miracle drug that was only effective on a small percentage.
"Yes, you," I continued. "You'll have whatever infected women that can be relied on, as well as several of the reborn. I'll make sure that you get two strong sergeants on your team to help carry the load."
"Okay," Jamila responded timidly, looking around the room for reactions from the others. Only Camilla showed her any degree of disrespect, and it was barely noticeable. "If that is what you need from me."
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