The Irrevocable Series Boxed Set

by Samantha Jacobey

  Apparently making the same observation, the man allowed her to settle in, then doused the lights and tied the blanket back so he would in fact have a view of the road in front of the house. Or at least he would have once the snow quit falling.

  “You think it’s going to stop soon?” she alluded to the swirling flakes.

  “I have no idea,” he stared at the white blanket through narrow slits after he finished securing the cloth. “I have to admit, it kinda concerns me. We never got snow; or rarely did I should say. This’s odd, gettin’ so much of it. An’ I’m on th’ fence with how I feel about it. It does make things harder for us, but at th’ same time, it makes it harder for them, too.”

  Turning to his place of rest, he covered himself in a half-reclined position, taking in her prone form in the near darkness. “It’s called Pouty; the town is. I think it’s named after the guy who put it together. They built everything from scratch; planned it all, kinda like we did, only at a much larger scale. They got a charter, an’ all the governmental paperwork, so they’re legal. The county sheriff had a hand in it, but they got an actual police department there, too.”

  “Really,” she stared at the blond spikes, glistening in the shadow, “So it’s a big place?”

  “Not really,” he elaborated, “A few hundred people. Devon an’ Luis came here about a year before those guys set up. They went an’ did some recon after it became clear they was here t’ stay. Nung had been here since I was a kid, an’ he didn’t like it at all; too close for comfort he said. But, he’s not part o’ the menfolk, so I don’ think they really listened t’ what he had t’ say.”

  “Looks like maybe they should have,” she countered quietly.

  “Yeah,” he shifted uncomfortably, cutting his eyes over at his brother, who observed from his smaller set of cushions in silence. “You prolly figured out, our community don’t take kindly t’ strangers. Or newcomers, for that matter,” he glared at the window again, becoming lost in the past for a moment, allowing it to swallow him, “Nung didn’t like it, an’ Don wasn’t here yet. So, Devon an’ Luis made a few trips over to poke around. There may be more o’ them, but they’re jus’ as guarded as we are.”

  “They put up buildings, arranged so that there’s a jail, an’ center o’ town, with the houses surroundin’ it. Plus they put in a few apartment buildings or condos, so they are packed in there pretty good. No wall, though. I went over a few times on my bike an’ had a look. Ate at the diner an’ flirted with a few o’ the local girls a couple o’ years ago,” he grinned at his few attempts at interacting with women outside of his small hometown. “Some o’ their guys made it clear pretty quick that I wasn’t welcome there, an’ their women were off limits.”

  “Did they know you were from here?” her eyes grew wide in the darkness.

  “I don’t think so,” he shrugged. “It was the principal o’ the thing.” He paused for a few moments, his mind sifting over the time after that. “We left them alone for th’ most part, an’ they didn’t seem too interested in us. So it was quite a surprise that they would attack us like they did.”

  “Maybe they weren’t ready and needed the stores of food,” she suggested, growing tired after her long day of chores. “Or they might have needed the animals, either to eat or for breeding.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that was part o’ their motivation. But the food won’t last that many people long,” he shifted his gaze to watch her, hearing her voice fade. “I think tomorrow we should be able to finish the houses. Then we can start on the pens.”

  “The pens?” Carson piped up, having finally heard something that pertained to him, “Why would we bother with that? They got all our animals, so they prolly slaughtered ‘em, don’ ya think?”

  “No, I don’t believe so,” Bailey quietly agreed with the older male, “They took them to use as stock, the same as we were. We’ll get their homes ready the same as ours, and if we get the chance, we’ll steal them back as well as our people.”

  Caleb smiled at her wording, placing herself in the we of the group. “Goodnight, Bailey,” he called softly across the small space.

  “Goodnight, Caleb,” she retorted before she lost consciousness.

  Leaving the hospital, Devon crossed the street and entered the diner for his evening meal and a cup of coffee. Sliding into a booth facing the entrance to the medical facility, he didn’t bother to look up when Don took the seat opposite him.

  “Hidy,” the younger man proffered, “How’s your wife?” He snickered slightly, having had his fill of the girl and passed her on.

  “She’s doin’ ok. They’s still keepin’ an eye on ‘er. Say she’s anemic.” Glancing up, he recognized Phillip Pipes and offered him a hand, “Hey, Phil, wha’s up?”

  Shaking the dark appendage vigorously, their new friend sank down onto the cushion next to Don, “Can you guys believe this snow? We’ve been here a few years, and haven’t ever seen so much as a flake; then we get this blizzard,” he laughed anxiously, “Makes me wonder if we shoulda taken a place further south.”

  “I knows,” Devon agreed, “Good thing you guys showed up an’ we got the stores cleared out ‘fore it hit. Who knows how long it woulda been if we hadn’t.”

  “I know that’s right,” the other man ran his hand over his balding scalp while he ordered a cup for himself. “You likin’ your place Don?”

  “Oh, yeah,” the man next to him agreed, “It’s not real big, but since I ain’t got a woman, it suits me fine.”

  “Well, don’t you worry none. Plenty o’ women here; I’m sure it won’t take you long to settle down,” Phil smiled, flicking his wedding band and shifting the conversation to the other man, “So, when’s your wife gonna be ready to go home? We got your place lined out; whenever you wanna see it, o’ course. That last set of condos we built are for housing our new families as they form, so one o’ them goes to you.”

  “I’m thinkin’ dey let her out tomorra,” Devon provided, considering his bride and their child briefly. “When will we be gettin’ back to Da Ranch?” He sipped from his cup, maintaining his calm poker face. “If’n dats still da plan.”

  “Not until the snow clears a bit, at the soonest. Maybe not ‘til spring. Settle in here, guys. We got nothin’ but time; that place is deserted an’ not goin’ anywhere.” Grinning at his most highly regarded recruits, Phil stood, taking in the rest of the nearly empty diner. “I’ll see you later,” he dropped casually, on his way out the door.

  As soon as he had gone, Luis slid into the vacated spot, adopting a much lower tone, “We can’t wait too long.” He had been listening from the counter while flirting with the waitress, pretending to mind his own business. “You know eventually someone’s gonna get a meal outta th’ Knight stores, and then things are gonna get ugly.”

  “Yeah,” Don agreed with a nod, “I been thinking the same thing. When we stacked everything, we put it in the back, so maybe it’ll take a few weeks to get that far down, an’ we’ll be gone by then.”

  His dark eyes flicking around at the other patrons, Devon nodded slightly, “Play it cool, fellas. Certain people are gettin’ things ready for us over there. If they make us wait more ‘an a week, we may make a break for it.”

  “That’s an awful risk. All the other men, an’ half the women are locked up in that stockade o’ theirs,” Don frowned heavily.

  “So figure out how you’re gonna get ‘em out,” Devon’s features remained placid. “You,” he pointed at Luis, “Get a line on our young ‘uns. An’ I’ll take care o’ their equipment. We’ll need some transportation, an’ whatever we don’ take’ll need t’ be eliminated.”

  Don grinned, pleased with the idea of hurting the group after seeing his friends shot five days before. Leaning back in his cushion seat, he gazed at the man across from him, “We can do that.” Flagging the waitress, he felt ready to have a bit of dinner followed by a good night’s sleep.

  Snow Angel

  Bailey awoke the following mornin
g to a soft glow filtering in from the drawn blanket. Blinking at the window frame, she could make out the shadow of Caleb, dark against the light, coffee mug in hand. Sliding quietly out of her nest, she sidled up next to him to enjoy the view.

  Noticing the auburn hair, Caleb placed his hand tentatively on the small of her back, “Good mornin’, little bit.”

  “Good morning,” she replied, pushing her way in front of him slightly and folding her arms across the wood framed lower pane to lean on. “God, this reminds me of home.” The swirl of flakes had come to an end, and a white blanket covered everything seen from their vantage point.

  Resting his cup on the bookcase to his right, Caleb freed his other hand. Boldly pushing it around her belly to embrace her from behind, his left fingers found their way to her head and tenderly weaved through the hairs to massage her scalp. “I think I see the beauty after all,” he breathed against her right ear, giving her chills at the intimate act.

  “I told you it was there,” she grinned, her mind leaping to Ked for a moment, with his bold and grasping manner. Allowing her best friend to hold her, she whispered, “It’s almost a shame to disturb it.”

  “I know. Like I said, we’ve only had snow here a few times, an’ I’m not even sure Carson was old enough t’ remember it,” he glanced over at the slumbering boy, not wishing him to see the display the couple would make against the growing daylight.

  Shifting her gaze so that she could see the younger male as well, she mused aloud, “Maybe we should enjoy it a bit today. Play in it a little, while we can.”

  “Maybe so,” he tightened his grip on her, feeding on her willingness to be held. Pushing his nose against her, he blew warm air across her ear. “I think you may be my snow angel, Bailey,” his voice low, his words were only for her.

  She gasped with a wide grin, her breath creating a small amount of fog on the glass, “I thought we were just friends,” she used a finger to make dots in the coating.

  Nuzzling her, he felt reluctant to let her go, “We are,” he quipped, a little more loudly, “I was testing you.” Dropping his hands, he turned away, grabbing the empty mug to refill with steaming brew, “You want some o’ this coffee?”

  “I don’t drink coffee,” she remained for a moment, saddened by the removal of his warm embrace. “Did I pass?”

  Caleb only laughed, digging through their supplies for what looked like breakfast. “I guess it’s an acquired taste,” he referred to the beverage. “You can play with him for a bit. I bet he’d like that.”

  Joining him after a trip to the bathroom to shower and dress, the girl began to prepare the meal, while Caleb roused the boy, sending him to do the same. Watching him stretch on his way up the stairs, Bailey smiled briefly before her thoughts grew dark, “You think Jess and Jase are ok?”

  “Sure, they’re ok. Why wouldn’t they be?” he took a seat on a kitchen chair to watch her.

  “They were taken, remember? Along with everyone else. I wonder if anyone got my message yesterday,” she pondered aloud.

  “Well, I can check, what’s your login?” Jotting down her details on a scrap of paper, Caleb left her to her chore. Firing up the computer, he sighed with pleasure to see the internet connection, well, we’re not totally gone. Opening the browser, and navigating to Facebook, he entered her information and whooped at the sight of the little red one, “Someone did!” he called to her in the other room.

  Clicking the inbox, he discovered it had been Devon, late last night. His reply seemed cryptic; see you soon. Blinking at the screen for a moment, he noticed the girl planting herself beside him, “Whadda you make o’ that?”

  “I have no idea,” she sounded breathless, her mind racing. “Is it the only one?”

  “Yeah,” he checked the news feed, then logged off to try his own account. Finding nothing, he directed her back to the morning meal. “You guys go ahead an’ have a bit o’ fun, but not too long. If he’s plannin’ on seein’ us soon, we need t’ be as ready as we can be.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, putting plates on the table.

  Carson joined them with his damp red hair sticking out in chunks, “We’re gonna play in the snow?” he inquired while sliding into his chair.

  “Sure,” his brother grinned, “You like snow?”

  “Not really,” he made a face, “It makes a terrible mess outta everything, so it’s not really all that great to me,” he glared at the girl with distrust.

  Bailey laughed out loud, Caleb smiling at her lightened mood. “I’ll show you how to build a snowman,” she cajoled, “And make you some hot chocolate, although I’m not sure how it’s going to taste with the powdered milk.”

  “Mix it up now,” the blond offered, “Put it in the fridge while you play. I think it tastes better after it’s aged a bit.”

  “Huh,” she shook her head, “I’ll try it. I wasn’t real impressed with the batch I made yesterday.”

  As soon as she had finished her meal, Bailey prepared the white liquid and placed the container in the refrigerator, frowning slightly at the device as the door closed. At least we still have a few comforts; for as long as the turbines last anyways. “Do they have electricity, over in Pouty?”

  “Oh yeah,” Caleb nodded. “They got some big windmills for that an’ water, same as us. If they had copied our wall, I woulda said we were their inspiration,” he chuckled loudly.

  “Hmmp,” she grunted, “They shoulda left us alone,” she mumbled under her breath.

  Picking up the hiking boots she had retrieved from the ranch house, the girl laced them up and shoved her foot inside, pleased that they still fit. “Well, I think these will be better. I hate when my feet get wet,” she wafted a hand at her sneakers that were still drying by the back door. Turning to the boys she indicated the outside, “Let’s get moving, shall we?”

  Carson’s crinkled features appeared hesitant, but he followed the girl, donning his coat, gloves, and a knit cap beneath the hood of his jacket. A few minutes later, they were working together, pushing a massive, albeit lopsided, ball of snow. Helping her form the second segment, his mood improved, and he began to laugh and speak more openly.

  “Your brothers did this back home?” his flushed lips curled. “I don’ really like the cold,” he admitted slightly under his breath.

  “Yes, every year,” her breath frosted heavily in her excitement. “Jess and Jase both love the snow. I’m sure wherever they are, they’re driving everyone nuts wanting to get out in it,” she briefly pictured her younger siblings and their yard back in Illinois.

  Sensing her diminished mood, Carson reassured her while patting snow to fill in the low spots, “I’m sure they’re ok. You’d be pretty sick t’ hurt a kid, an’ I don’ think they would.”

  “I have to agree,” she nodded. “It’s funny though. I never really cared if they were around back then. Now…” she paused, reflecting on her past, “Now, I can’t imagine my life without them.”

  At that moment, Caleb joined them, lifting the smallest sphere to place it atop the stack, “Not bad,” he praised. Slapping his younger sibling on the back, he continued, “You ready t’ get some work done?”

  “Yes, sir,” he brushed the red hairs that stuck out from his cap with a salute.

  “Good. Bailey can continue with gettin’ the houses in order, an’ you an’ I’ll go make sure the pens are ready. We need t’ double check the horse stalls as well.”

  “Yes, sir,” the girl waved, smiling to herself as she plodded up the path towards the towering structure in the farthest corner of the estate.

  God's Creatures

  Bailey grinned broadly as she crunched through the thick white blanket of frost in her new boots. Boy that was fun, she reflected on her adventure with the youngest Cross. It’s hard to imagine having never played in the snow before. Her thoughts shifting to her younger brothers, her smile lessened; I wish they could have been here.

  Climbing the steps to the veranda, she reminded herself that they wou
ld be back, and their family would be whole again. What’s left of it will be, anyways. Making her way into the kitchen, she forced the dark thoughts from her mind, throwing herself fully into the task at hand.

  She had worked her way through the house, for the most part, the day before, but wanted to finish up with each of the beds and common areas. Recalling her time as part of the household the summer before, she took special care with the bathrooms before she put the large living area in order and tackled the kitchen.

  Running a sink full of warm suds, she washed the few items that had been left in the kitchen, her mind still turning what would be next on her list. When she had finished, she swept and mopped the floor, then gave the room a satisfied sigh from the doorway; I bet even Connie would be pleased.

  Closing the exit behind her, she decided to cross the small section of ground and tackle the Knight residence next, since the guys had already repaired the only busted glass; the large picture window that spanned the front, measuring six feet across. “That’s a real shame,” she muttered, peeking into the living area through one of the narrower panes that flanked the new plywood.

  As she did so, the girl froze, picking up on an odd sound. Her hand suspended for a moment, she slowly rested it against the painted trim, focused on listening to the silence. Again, she heard it; a distinctive squealing that brought Carson’s story of eating a rat to the front of her mind.

  “Surely not,” she spoke aloud, turning to notice snow had begun to drift lightly to the ground again. Damn.

  Moving to the door, she shuddered at the idea of being confronted by vermin when she entered the structure. Pushing against the large wooden portal, she heard the sound again, louder this time, and she realized it emanated from directly beneath her. Curiosity getting the better of her, she closed the entrance, and trotted down the stairs to investigate.

  The porch itself stood about three feet off the ground, as did the house. Under it, a covering made of wooden lattice allowed her to see beneath. Scraping a section of snow out of the way so that her knees could make contact with actual earth, she grimaced into the darkened space.