"Okay," I answered, my empty hand in the air palm forward. My rifle was still pointed down. "I won't hurt you."
"Why in the world not," Camilla said from somewhere behind me. "Just kill them already."
"No!" the second skank shouted from her position on the floor.
"Camilla, we prefer to handle matters peacefully whenever possible," Riley calmly reminded her.
"You guys are boring. My old clan hunted these stinkers for sport."
"Perhaps you should wait by the gate, then," Riley told her, some impatience finally creeping into her tone of voice.
"Yes, please," I added without taking my eyes off the two skanks. They were plausibly pretty women before the catastrophe, maybe in their twenties or thirties. The exposed breast of the petite Arabian lady would have been very awkward in other circumstances. When I couldn't help but glance at her tiny dark nipple, the woman followed my eyes and became suddenly self-conscious. She quickly placed one hand over her little brown titty. Her reaction made me very curious. Could some infected people maintain much of their humanity? Or, were some regular survivors just recently coming down with the skanks?
"How long," I asked, "have you been infected?"
The toilet sitting skank shook her head. She either didn't know or she didn't understand my question.
"Long time," the other one replied. "Only here three days."
Their ability to speak clear enough to be understood was amazing. I had not been able to communicate like this with an infected person since way back when my parents died. It seemed a shame to run these women off to a less secure place, but they certainly wouldn't be joining us in the house. Contagious or not, no one would want to be touching the same things as skanks, or even breathing the same confined air, assuming you could put up with their odor to begin with.
"What are your names?" I asked in a voice normally reserved for addressing lost children. "Do you remember?"
They both nodded and told me their names. It took a few tries to understand them correctly, but in the end, I felt confident that the small one was Jamila and the fair skinned one was Hedy. I had never met anyone by those names before.
I was feeling incredibly compassionate from the brief exchange. These women might not live much longer, but there was no need to run them out of the pool house if they were not a threat to us. They smelled bad, but not as bad as most. It was just a little worse than standing in a long line at an amusement park.
"If we let you stay here..." I started.
"What the hell?" Camilla exclaimed in disbelief, obviously still close enough to overhear the conversation.
"Camilla, please," Riley quickly chastised her. "If you want to be in Mason's clan you will need to show more respect for his methods."
I couldn't tell how Camilla responded because I couldn't see her. I imagined a huff immediately followed by a toss of her wavy hair. Her silence was enough for me for the time being, so I continued.
"If we let you stay here, what will you eat?"
"We find food," Jamila replied almost enthusiastically. I saw food wrappers filling an empty bucket outside the bathroom. They weren’t even littering! Another bucket closer to the door had two animal carcasses that they had picked clean. Eating raw meat was nasty enough. Eating the hairy flesh of a dead animal that had been laying on the ground was much worse. But as a skank, what were your options? At least they did not appear to be cannibals. Unless that was the reason for the corpse in the pool. I tried not to think too much about that.
"You won't bother us in the house?"
"No, no bother," said Jamila.
"Okay, you can stay. I'll tell the others to leave you alone. Before I go, I'm going to take a couple of those buckets over there and toss some chlorine in the pool. Try not to make a mess out here. I plan to clean it up some. Maybe soon. If we don't have any trouble you can stay as long as you want."
"Thank you," Jamila replied holding both hands to her heart to show her appreciation, inadvertently flashing me her titty once again. Hedy just started crying, sobbing heavily. My life since the world went to shit had been absolutely horrible until I met Alexa. I couldn't even imagine how rough it was to live like a skank. I felt myself tearing up and decided that it was best if this visit came to an end.
I grabbed the two buckets of chlorine and spread them evenly in the disgusting water around all four sides of the pool. The concrete was already stained a variety of shades of green. The stench from the pool water was multilayered making it impossible to tell all the sources. There were some lumps floating on the surface that were completely unidentifiable.
During that time Riley guided Camilla outside the pool fence as Jamila and Hedy watched in amazement from inside the small shelter. They even waved back with smiles when I told them goodbye. They were like happy little children being dropped off at the playground.
The gate was busted and hanging at an angle that prevented it from closing properly. Maybe I could fix that for them. It would help keep animals out. If we ever end up with an abundance of food, perhaps we could share with them. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow they will leave anyway. Or die. It just wasn't going to be by my hand.
CHAPTER THREE:
"Camilla, I'm starting to get concerned about you," I stated immediately after reentering the house. Riley helped Alexa bar the door as I gently pulled our newest clan member aside. I was giving an impression of a private conversation without genuinely going out of earshot of the other two. Camilla's issues were a matter of clan security, so I would like for the reliable members of our group to overhear.
'Well, I'm sorry," Camilla said in a huff.
"You don't sound sorry," I replied.
"Okay, I'm not sorry. Not really. But I honestly don't want to show you disrespect. I just come across that way. I'm more than a little confused by how you do things around here. My way of life these last few months has resembled a zombie movie. Fight off the undead, gather more survivors, take down opposing clans, recruit more people. I've gotten used to it. But you, you treat everything more like a feel-good romance movie. I'm having a hard time adjusting."
"Would you rather leave?"
"No, please," Camilla responded as she rested her hands on my shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. "I want to stay. I want to be part of your group. You have a lot of good things going for you. Your ability to defend yourselves against larger clans is impressive alone. The fact that all your followers are in love with you tells me that you are a natural born leader. I am very sorry for misbehaving. This time I mean it."
I turn to Alexa and Riley, focusing more on my lovely wife's expression than the thin brunette's. Her intuition was a huge asset in this situation, and still unknown to Camilla. Her slightest of nods let me know that she believed Camilla's story. Neither of them seemed to disagree with the new woman's statement about everyone falling in love with me. That was a nice warm feeling, but I couldn't think about that right now.
"Okay," I replied as I turned to face Camilla again. She was the first of our group to get me really angry. I had grown accustomed to my instructions generally being followed by the other three. I appreciated feedback but could not tolerate outright disobedience. I took a deep breath before patiently saying, "I'd like for you to stay. How can I help you transition into our group?"
"Well, I have a few questions. Let's have a seat on the sofa while we talk." Camilla then lead me by the hand, fingers interlocked, into the living room. I was not a control freak, so I followed her as I gestured for the other two to join us. This was a side of Camilla’s personality that would take some getting used to. She transitioned quickly from a situation there she was pleading to stay, into what appeared to be a negotiation interview.
Camilla gave a meager frown as Alexa sat down next to me and placed her hand on my thigh. It was her way to helping Camilla appreciate the order of things. Jada had needed some adjustment at first, but nothing like this. The bronze skinned beauty continued to hold my hand, though, caressing the back
of mine with her free hand.
"My first question is about the rotten, infected people. The skanks, as you call them."
"The men we refer to as skunks," Riley added.
"Delightful," Camilla replied without taking her eyes off me. "Explain to me why you let them live in the first place, let alone reside in your backyard."
"To me, they are not much different than homeless people from before. They are the victims of unfortunate circumstance. Some of them are deserving of our charity. However, if the homeless formed a gang and attacked us, we would defend ourselves with deadly force as needed. We have killed skanks before and will likely have to do it again. I just prefer to find a peaceful way of handling the situation when it is available."
"Ok, I kind of understand that," replied Camilla, looking sincere. "That analogy helps a lot. But I wasn’t big on helping the homeless before. And I lived in Baltimore where there were tons of them."
"These two particular women in the pool house maintained much of their humanity as well. Their appearance, limited odor, intelligence, and ability to communicate created a new situation. I felt like adjustments to our normal way of dealing with them was in order. They are the first skanks that I've allowed to live this close to us. I don't consider them a threat. Perhaps the viruses will change them soon. I'm prepared to deal with that matter when it happens. For now, I don't see a reason to force them off the property to be hunted down by other clans for sport, as you say."
"I'll do my best to act in harmony with your skank philosophy, but it will take some time. Please be patient. My next question is why did you let Corinne, Nadia and the others walk away?"
"Are those the women that left with John?"
"Yes. Not only could they have strengthened your clan, they would have been much happier here. You would have been doing them a favor by claiming them. I mean, John's okay, but he basically went along with what the other guys did. And he's going to have a harder time keeping them alive than you would. That still doesn't make any sense to me."
"I understand why you feel that way. Riley and Jada made the same points, and they hold merit. I didn't know anything about John. He surrendered, but I selfishly had little interest in keeping another man around. That was an error in my judgement, perhaps."
"No, I totally get not keeping John. He's a big guy with questionable loyalty. It's only natural to not want to share your beautiful women with him. And you are developing quite an impressive collection of lovers here, by the way. It was a huge factor in my decision to stay, though again, I don't understand why you gave me a choice. You should have just claimed me, along with the others."
"That many people would be hard to control, I'd think. I would be taking a chance on a mutiny that would put my friends in danger."
"You could have kept us as prisoner until you were sure. I've seen that done effectively when I was still in Baltimore with the Harbor clan. Those that didn't convince the leader that they were loyal would be killed, but you could just let them go."
"Taking prisoners is not really my style. I mean, I realize that we kind of treated you like one the first day or two..."
"Actually, I was treated very well considering the circumstances. Thank you for that, by the way."
"You are welcome. I guess my answer to your question is that I made the decision that I thought was best at the time. Given the opportunity to do it over again I may have encouraged some of them to join us."
"Sounds like you two are working things out," Alexa interjected. "I must admit that I was not excited about the idea of you joining us, Camilla. Until now I was wondering how you would fit in. I can see that you are finally making a sincere effort to adjust to Mason's ways. If he were to ask for a vote I would choose to keep you."
"I feel the same way," Riley added. "To be clear, though, Mason doesn't need to ask for a vote. He knows how we feel and then makes the best decision for the clan as he sees fit. And we respect that."
"As will I," Camilla said. "My final question is this: How do I get in on the love making rotation?"
"Okay, I've changed my mind!" Alexa announced.
I took a moment to choose my words correctly. There was no love making rotation, at least not formally. I only had two lovers, which I was incredibly grateful for. If Alexa had refused to share me, I would have fended off all offers from other women. At this point, only Jada was permitted to share my bed. I could not foresee Riley doing so in the near future, though Alexa's recent conversation had me wondering about that.
Camilla, though, was all kinds of sexy. Her skill at flirtation rivaled Jada's. She had a beautiful round face with full lips and mesmerizing eyelashes. Her long hair was a gorgeous wavy brown that complimented her fuller form very well. The woman's skin was so smooth looking that it drew you in. Would I consider sleeping with Camilla if I were single? Hell, yeah! But our situation was incredibly more complicated than that.
I could see Alexa leaning into my field of vision awaiting my response. I had to be the next person to speak. However, before I could say anything, I heard Jada calling to me.
"Hey, Mason," Jada yelled excitedly as she limped down the hall towards us. "I think I found something important."
"What is it?" I stood up to greet the woman that had been sent searching for instructions to the solar panel power. In the process I casually slipped my hand out of Camilla's tender grip. Jada's timing was perfect, a 'saved by the bell' kind of moment. "Did you find the solar power manual?"
"Not exactly," she responded as she entered the room with a smile. "I was searching the last bedroom which obviously doubled as an office. I couldn't find a manual in the desk or the file cabinet. The closet was locked so I considered getting a tool from the workshop to force it open. Instead, I eventually found a key in the back of a drawer."
"Okay, what was in the closet?" I asked, ready for her to get to the point that had her excited.
"Another door," Jada replied with an even bigger smile.
I was a little confused and shook my head to match my state. "Another closet door? I don't get it."
"It's not really a closet door," she replied like it was some sort of puzzle for me to figure out. She just wasn’t supplying sufficient clues, though. "Maybe you should come see for yourself."
I let Jada lead the way to the farthest bedroom in our ranch style home. The hallway was horror movie dark since there were no working lights, just splinters of sunlight coming through boarded up bedroom windows. I could see the glow of Jada’s lantern on the far wall of the room at the end of the hall where she left it. The wood panel wainscoting designed to prevent scuffing up the walls in the hallway did not help brighten the area either. The other three women followed me in their enthusiasm to see what Jada had discovered. Once we entered the room I understood completely.
The closet door was swung open to reveal another door directly behind it. This one was made of thick metal, like a safe. It filled the entire closet apparently and had a bulky lock on one side. The logo centered around eye level made its purpose abundantly clear. It was a gun cabinet.
"Holy shit!" I exclaimed. Jada's little dramatic revelation made total sense now. Though we couldn't be entirely sure, since the weapon storage locker was still locked, there was a chance that we could have stumbled across a small arsenal to help protect us from enemies.
So far, our clan was basically hiding from big threats while seeking out a measure of comfort in this shitty new world. Security from animals and skanks was fairly easy while inside any building in good condition. The way we had this luxurious house boarded up gave us some protection against other clans, but it would not hold for long against a militia group. Adding firepower could change the odds considerably. We needed to get into that locker.
If we could score some weapons and ammo, as well as get the solar power working, we'd be on top of the world. We’d easily grow our clan while picking who we wanted to join us. In a world where sleeping conditions were sub-par for most people, we could surely hous
e a dozen or more clan members. But then we would need to be able to feed them. Every advancement seemed to come with its own new set of problems. Still, I was becoming very optimistic about our future.
"So, did you find the key for this one?" Alexa asked Jada.
"No, it's not here in the office. I’ve searched thoroughly."
"Can we break into it?" asked Camilla.
"I doubt it," I replied. "Not easily, anyway. There ought to be a key for it somewhere. Probably two."
"They could both be on the home-owner's dead body a hundred miles away," Riley said.
"Or, on the bottom of the pool," Camilla added.
We all turned to her as I replied, "that one seems less likely, but thanks for playing."
"We need to search the house," Jada said. "We can get it done a lot faster if we all look. And keep an eye out for that solar panel manual, as well."
I sent each person into an assigned area, spreading everyone out to maximize the search. Riley went to the basement focusing initially on the workshop. That would be a good place to store up manuals and keys. I took the garage. I figured there would be just as good a chance of success there. Camilla, Jada and Alexa went rummaging through bedroom closets and kitchen cabinets.
The four-car garage actually had room for four vehicles, despite all the storage and workspace that had been built into it. Only two cars were present, a Silverado pick-up truck and an antique Rolls Royce. That turned out to be a replica that the owner must have built himself, gauging by the complete library of instructions that I found in a cabinet. They both had plenty of gasoline if I ever wanted to go for a spin and draw all kinds of attention to myself.
I didn’t have time to admire the interior design of the building as much as it was due. Often, in reasonably safe neighborhoods people left their garage doors open on nice days. Some were so full of junk that you couldn’t fit a motorcycle in there. Others had room for a car, but it had to be parked just right to get the garage door closed and allow the driver to exit. Several times I had seen a tennis ball hanging from a rope to help the driver know where to stop the vehicle in the exact space. This garage here was not only huge, it had room for a dozen people to be working on projects without interfering with the four parking spaces.
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