"I was there when you killed the possum man," Josie told me enthusiastically. I had a flashback to that scene and remembered which one she was. Her eyes were wild back then. In fact, I distinctly remembered two other girls holding her back. The treatment was working wonders for her in just a couple days.
"I was one of the girls that ate the rabid fox," Melanie then said, mildly embarrassed.
"Oh my," I said without thinking.
"I know," she replied, not the least bit offended. "I was really bad before the cure."
"We were all bad," Jamila corrected her. "It not our fault."
"That's right," Melanie replied like she was at a group therapy session. "I have accepted who I was, and I now I have moved on."
I chatted for a few minutes with the girls. Jamila was so obviously happy for them. I must admit, the instant that I learned that my sexy petite friend was a stripper, I thought differently of her. I shouldn't have, but I did. But she was still the same person that I knew and loved before that. And yes, I loved her, in a certain way. Seeing what she had accomplished for these poor women said tons more about her than how she made her living before. I felt like I should apologize to her, but that would reveal how I had thought. I couldn't do that. I just needed to be more respectful of her from then on.
"Where is Hedy?" I asked Jamila as we walked around the house back toward the street.
"She is building fence," she replied showing none of the affection for the woman that I had expected. They were partners in survival for weeks. What happened?
"Has her health improved any?" I asked. She shook her head. "Well, tell her I said hello."
"She no talk to me now," Jamila revealed.
"Why not?" I asked. When a girl in high school announced that her best friend wouldn’t talk to her, it was cause for an intervention of young caring women. I was prepared to do some comforting at least.
"She say I have new friends now, and responsibility. She say to let her go. I say no, but she say yes. Now she avoid me. What can I do?"
I put my arm around her and pulled her to me as we stopped walking. "Nothing," I told her. "She's right. It happens. People drift apart because of their circumstances. It is not the fault of either of you. You'll both remember how much you meant to each other during the most difficult time of your lives."
Jamila hugged me tightly despite her less than clean condition, squinting away any potential tears when she finally pulled back. Then she told me that she had better get back to work, promising to see me later. As she left me, I couldn’t help but picture that pokey little ass of hers shaking in front of my face as part of her exotic dancer routine. I also imagined how tight her slender calves would look in six-inch heels. Yeah, I’ve got issues. But my women all knew about them and loved me regardless.
I decided to walk down the street to see how the fence was coming along. There were so many women working, a few stopping to wave at me. Skanks were often filthy dirty girls. It was hard to tell them apart in their condition, wearing stained and soiled clothes. But I couldn't help but think that many of the women I was seeing were new to our community. They went about their tasks calmly like a neighborhood park clean-up project. They conversed as they went about their business, never acting like they were being forced to work. I was happy to see that and surprised at how well they were performing in their reduced physical state.
I could see that Jada had moved the trucks like I requested. They were sitting at angles that would still require intruders or visitors to pass between them, without necessarily looking like a military checkpoint. The fence appeared to be in good shape for over a hundred feet in each direction. As I approached the parked vehicles, I spotted both Bianka and Jada speaking to several skanks. That was a scene that I never would have envisioned until recently. They both had been so adamant about rejecting the diseased women before.
When Jada spotted me, they both came toward me, walking briskly. "The scouts have reported back," Jada said once she was close. "We have news regarding the New Hampshire Avenue Militia."
CHAPTER FIVE:
"Did they find Alexa?" I asked impatiently. That was the only information that was important to me at the moment.
"No," Jada answered slowly, surely preparing for my reaction.
"Then I'm going looking..."
"No, you're not!" Bianka cut me off placing her hand against my chest. "We talked about this."
"You talked about it. I didn't agree!"
"Just wait a minute," Jada said, more patiently than I expected. When I looked into her eyes, I saw the woman that joined me and Alexa while we were still living in the beer store. Immediately, she earned her keep. Protecting me and everyone that eventually joined our clan was never a burden for her. She did it because she cared, in her own way. "Let's discuss this."
"What is there to discuss?" I asked, ready to push through between them, despite the flashback down memory lane. Only I wasn't prepared to go scouting. I needed another gun, more ammo, food and drink. Jada and Bianka were not only strong for women, they were also skilled. I had no doubt that they could subdue me if they wanted. The damage that such an act would cause to our relationships, not to mention the dynamic of our growing society, should be avoided at nearly all costs. I took some deep breaths as I allowed them time to talk reason into me. My brain knew that I was being hasty. But my heart said, get the fuck out of my way.
"They didn't find Tamika, either," Jada informed me. "In fact, there is no evidence persuading us to believe that either of them are with the militia group."
"You got all this from skanks?" I asked, coming off sounding more demeaning that I normally would.
"Yes," Jada replied. "That's why I'm not trusting the information a hundred percent. But we need to talk about the next step."
"Mace, you are not the only one that misses Alexa," Bianka told me, her hand not leaving my chest. "Our whole colony relied on her, and some of us are incredibly fond of her as well."
That last comment got a stare from Jada and me. Was Bianka in love with my wife? Or was this a ploy to distract me. ‘Hey, the pervert is getting antsy. Let’s trick him with some girl-on-girl fantasies.’
"What?" Bianka said. "Jada, I know you and Riley love that girl, too. Don't look at me that way."
Jada shrugged it off before saying, "The point is, we should go back to the house and figure out our next step together. It wouldn't be right not to include Riley in the discussion. Do you agree?"
I didn't have to think very hard about that one. She was absolutely right. No matter how much I was panicking inside, worried for Alexa's life, I was not the only one involved in this. I nodded agreement and walked with them back to the house.
"What did they find out?" I asked as we went.
"Not much regarding Alexa, I'm afraid. But there is enough new information. Let's sit down before we discuss it. We're not far from the house."
I understood not revealing what they learned until we had everyone together. But the silence was painful. I needed to talk about something.
"When will you be getting your club necklace?" I asked Jada jokingly.
"Whenever Jamila gives it to me, I guess. When she does, will you be staring at my breasts the way you do Bianka's?"
"Uh," Bianka said awkwardly. "Let me run ahead and get Riley and Stella ready for our meeting." Then she took off at a sprint.
"Oops," Jada said, that signature lopsided ornery grin blowing away my stress like an explosion of bubbles.
"I've never stopping loving your tits, Jada. Surely you know that."
"Okay, if you say so." Jada was simply distracting me. The conversation was meaningless. But it did take me a moment to figure that out. In the meantime, I couldn’t get the imaginary comparison chart of everyone’s hooters out of my mind.
We arrived in the living room of our home before Stella. When I asked why we needed to wait for her, Riley gave me a stern look. "She's your wife now, Mason."
The girl wouldn't likely have any inp
ut, so her attendance was simply a formality. Then I realized, they wanted her there to help sway me. Her young face with the sad puppy dog eyes begging me not to go off and risk my life to find Alexa. Damn these people. These wonderful, beautiful, caring people.
"Sorry," Stella said as she barged into the room. She had dirt on her hands and knees, and in a few spots on her clothes. She had come straight from the new farmland. "Should I clean up first?"
"No!" I shouted. "I'm tired of waiting!"
Riley waved her to take a seat beside her on the couch. Jada was on the other end while Bianka sat in one of the recliners like me.
"Fine," Jada said. "We're all here. More than a dozen skanks went scouting the military compound on New Hampshire Avenue. They have taken over three churches and few homes as their headquarters and residences, as well as the Hollywood Beer and Wine store. Their territory of influence is well beyond that, probably covering multiple counties."
Mention of the store caught my attention because that was where Alexa and I had met. Where we began to make a home for ourselves. Where we started to fall in love. Jada and Riley also joined us later at that location. That was where everything started to turn around for me, including the revelation of my special deflection power.
"Two were captured by guards, but the rest made it back with reports."
"That's a shame," Stella said. I wasn't sure that she would say a word during the whole meeting, and here she interrupted first. "I mean about the two poor girls. Should Jamila be here for this?"
"No!" I said, trying my best not to get angry with my newest wife. She always had a way of diffusing the ticking bomb inside of me, like staring at a pink teddy bear.
Instead of backing down from me she asked, "Why not? She has done so much for our colony. None of these poor women would be doing a thing for us if it weren't for her."
Nearly all of us took a deep breath as we processed that statement. Riley spoke next. I thought it might be to chastise the young woman for interrupting. Instead, it was to agree with her.
Ling then barged through the front door, announcing loudly, "We're here! Sorry we're late. Someone forgot to invite us." Jamila came in behind her showing no sign of annoyance that she hadn’t been included. That was all of us then, except Alexa, of course.
My anger faded away as I realized once again that I was not in this alone. All of us wanted Alexa back. Even Jamila had been showing sincere concern. She slid her tiny body in between Jada and Riley on the couch, as I stood up and offered my seat to Ling.
"Where are you going to sit?" Ling asked.
"I can stand or sit on the floor." I was raised to be a gentleman. I did these things naturally, not expecting to be challenged for them.
"No!" Ling shouted as she backed away, shocked that I could suggest such a thing. "I'll sit on the floor."
Instead Bianka scooted over on the edge of the recliner and patted the space she vacated. Ling happily claimed it as I returned to my seat.
"Okay, we're all here now. Can we continue?" I was still impatient, though calmer than before. My words were harsher than my tone.
"What did we miss? Ling asked.
"Two skanks were taken by the militia," Riley filled them in. "The rest came back with a report."
"I'm so sorry," Stella told Jamila.
"They volunteer," Jamila explained with a shrug. "They knew risk. Maybe we rescue them, maybe no. It's okay. Let's get to the part about Alexa. Mason is hurting. Where is she?"
"Right," Jada said. "She is probably not there."
"Did they send her away for execution already?" I asked, scooting forward on my seat. If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Lounging here in comfort, getting a handjob, all while she was being put to death.
"I think not. The skanks were able to talk to several people at the compound. Cooks, housekeepers, imprisoned skanks. None of them has seen or heard anything about Alexa."
"How can that be?" I asked. "Did they keep her a secret, due to her power?"
"I don't think so," Bianka answered. "The reports also say that Tamika never returned to the compound. In fact, they have her listed as killed in action. Right here, fighting against us."
"What does this mean?" Stella asked.
I stood up getting everyone's attention. "It means I won't be going to the main road to search for her. Tamika took my Alexa, and it wasn't for the military. They could be anywhere."
Jamila was the first one to rush to me with a consoling hug. She knew this report meant that my chances of finding my wife had just dropped considerably. We now had no idea where to look. Stella was next, then Riley. All genuine. Ling was crying when she gave me her signature socially awkward bear hug. That left Jada and Bianka. Neither rose from their seat.
Some of the girls gave them a weird look for not going to me, but I understood. They were not done with the conversation. Some people just bring you problems and want you to provide the solutions. Jada and Bianka were not like that. They always had a suggested resolution to every crisis they brought me.
I remained standing, looking between them. They were waiting for things to die down before they continued. Eventually, Riley asked everyone to go back to their seats and be quiet.
"Tamika probably knew the area better than us," Bianka said. "If she didn't go back to the army compound, she would have chosen to avoid conflict with them. It is possible that she crossed the river."
That didn't sound likely to me, and I made a gesture indicating such.
"Low percentage, that option," Bianka agreed. "She wouldn't have gone east. That would have gotten her spotted. That only leaves north."
"If the schoolhouse gang broke up after their heavy losses to us," Jada said. "She had a wide section to choose her path. However, even if she did not expect opposition there, she would have likely stayed to the west along the river. To avoid being spotted by us at first. Then by anyone else."
"How soon do we leave?" I asked.
"Bianka and I will be ready soon," Jada said. "You won't be going."
"Bullshit!" I lost my temper again. "I won't be going up against the militia and risking my life or capture. There is no reason for me to stay here this time. I'm going!"
Bianka stood up and gestured around the room. "They need you to stay," she said calmly. "The whole community needs you here. Your absence could even cause a panic."
"What?" My presence couldn’t possibly be that essential to the day-to-day operations of this place anymore.
"It is true," Jamila told me. "Seeing you walk down the street make us stable. We have a hundred people counting on you to be here every day."
"That sounds like a third vote for you to stay," Bianka said.
"It's not a fucking democracy!" I blurted out, with less anger than it sounded.
Riley stood up. "Mason, I think it would be best for the whole if you stay here. When they find her, they can come back for you. You will be the mastermind behind the plan to get her back. Never will anyone be as good at that as you. But you are not our best scout."
"That's true," Jada said then. "If extraction isn't incredibly easy, we'll come back for reinforcements. Your gift would then be too valuable to leave behind."
"Four votes against you," Bianka said. "Ling?"
"Stay," was all the Asian with a screwed-up facial expressions had to say. She was a follower. Unless the plan put Stella or Bianka in harm’s way, she would go along with the group.
That left only Stella. When everyone looked at her, she stood also. "I think Mason should do what he wants to do," she said.
"Stella?" Bianka was clearly disappointed.
"He loves her so much. If my heart ached like that, I would go, regardless of what any of you say."
"That's not helping," Bianka said in a low voice as she raised one hand to her head.
"My question is this," Stella continued. "While all of you are away, who is going to protect us from an invasion?"
CHAPTER SIX:
Jada c
onveyed the remainder of the scouting report with us. The militia did not appear to be mounting an attack against us anytime soon, but those preparations might not be public knowledge among their people. They did have plenty of guards on our side of their territory, and a few scouts could be spotted in the patches of woods nearby keeping an eye on us. Some were high up in the trees using deer hunting stands. I would assume those needed a short shift rotation.
The girls in the living room continued to babble on about who should go and who should stay. Everyone agreed that the time had come for someone to go looking for Alexa. It was just a matter of balancing our top people between that effort and securing our own compound.
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