by Marla Monroe
Now, those who were smart and able to make the journey were returning to the west, away from all of the crime and disease that still festered there. Her aunt and uncle had wanted to do that, but neither of them thought they would be able to work a garden and handle the primitive living conditions at their age. It was what she knew they would have wanted her to do if something had happened to them.
Granger pulled up in front of a general store of some kind, jumping the curb and stopping just shy of the already wide open doors.
“Don’t know if there will be anything left we can use, but right now, we need a lot of things,” he said as he climbed out.
Marty opened the door for her to get out. In the end, he’d had to help her down. Her shoulder hurt enough that she was slightly nauseous, but she wasn’t going to say anything.
“Stay close to one of us, darling,” Marty said.
She followed close behind as both men entered with their guns pointed forward. Sunlight barely reached into the front part of the store, but Granger had brought a lantern with them. He led the way as they ventured deeper into the silent building. The shadows thrown around from the lantern swinging in Granger’s hand creeped her out.
“If you see any clothes you need for cold weather, grab them,” Marty told her.
She kept between the two men, afraid to leave their sides. She caught sight of some coats thrown over a rack that looked her size. She tugged on Granger’s shirt and pointed toward them.
“Yep, they look like they might fit you. Try them on until you find one that will work.” He held the lantern up for her.
She drew in a deep breath and grabbed the first one that she could reach. It was obviously too small. She tossed it back on the rack and grabbed another one, nearly screaming when a second one dropped on her at the same time.
I’m losing it. I’ve got to calm down. They aren’t going to let anything happen to me.
The second coat fit snuggly, but the one that had dropped on her was perfect. She kept it on and followed Granger as he and Marty picked through things, finding them jeans, long-sleeved flannel shirts, and even thermal underwear. Marty made two trips back to the truck with their findings before Granger called an end to their hunt.
“We need to find a pawn shop or something that hasn’t been emptied to get more ammunition,” he said.
They drove around several blocks before he located one set back off the street that looked like it hadn’t been touched. He had her stay in the truck while he and Marty made sure it wasn’t occupied and broken into. Then they let her follow them inside.
It was a wonderland of survivalist gear, including guns and ammunition. Knowing how important all of this stuff was, she didn’t even make fun of them when they acted like kids in a candy store. Even she was smiling when they finished loading the Jeep with everything from MREs to matches. After they had stuffed everything they could in the jeep, the two men closed up the building so that it looked as if no one had been inside. Going so far as to remove the pawn shop sign as well.
“Why did you do that?” she asked when they climbed back in the vehicle.
“It will keep people from just trashing the place, since it looks like no one’s been there, and it will keep things safe for others who really need it. Plus, if we end up back this way again, maybe it will still be there for us if we need supplies again,” Granger explained.
They made one more stop at a grocery store where they were still able to find a few cases of canned goods in the storage area in back that hadn’t been taken. She also found some first aid supplies in the employee area. Marty found a sling to keep her arm stationary, so she’d quit jostling her shoulder trying to use it out of habit.
“I think we’ve done all the damage we can here,” Marty said. “Time to move on and find a spot to sleep and plan.”
Thirty minutes later, Marty slept in the front seat, a soft snore drifting back to her every once in a while. He had to be totally exhausted. She was worn out, and she had slept much more than they had. She caught Granger watching her in the rearview mirror.
“What?” she asked, keeping her voice soft.
“How are you doing? Is your shoulder hurting?”
“It’s sore, but I’m fine.”
He frowned. “Don’t lie to me, Destiny. We can’t afford to.”
“It hurts, Granger, but I can handle it.” She wanted to cry now. Somehow acknowledging that it hurt made the pain worse, made the entire situation worse.
He nodded and didn’t say anything for a long time. She watched out the window as they drove through dense woods, then open fields that had grown wild. Some of the road was obscured by the overgrown vegetation beginning to brown. She couldn’t believe how wild it seemed out there. As a child, she’d always heard how there were no more wild places in the US anymore. Man had taken over every useable inch, leading to the extinction of many animals from the destruction of their natural habitats. Even the once protected national parks had lost valuable lands and funds toward the end.
During all the reading she’d done over the years, and with all the time she had to do nothing but think while she educated herself, Destiny had wondered if the disasters had all been nature’s way of fighting back and taking back her land, returning it to the way it had been before man had devastated it. Looking around her now, she could very well believe it.
Nearly two hours had passed when Granger spoke up, startling her from her thoughts. She jerked, jarring her shoulder in the process.
“What are you thinking about so hard back there?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Just wondering if everything that’s happened was nature’s way of cleaning house. I mean, when an animal population gets too large for an area, disease thins them out or a bad winter will kill off the weak. How is that any different than what happened seven and eight years ago?” she asked, watching his eyes in the mirror.
He met her gaze for a few seconds, then returned it to the road. “I don’t know. Maybe you’re right.”
“Man had overpopulated most of the nation. We lived on top of each other in the big cities, dug up whole forests to build more houses or grow more food. Maybe all of the destruction finally hit a nerve in the Earth’s center that caused everything to go haywire at once.”
“Either that, or God got tired of man and his arrogance and decided to stop holding back the disasters that everyone kept predicting were going to tear the world apart.” Granger’s eyes seemed thoughtful.
“Maybe so. All I know is that someone got pretty pissed off and took it out on us. I hope they’re happy with everything now and will leave us alone.”
Chapter Seven
“Marty, wake up.” Granger shook the other man’s shoulder.
“What’s wrong?” He straightened up, instantly palming his weapon as he did.
“Nothing. I think I found a safe place to hole up for a day or two.”
Marty blinked and looked over in the backseat. “She been asleep long?” he asked.
“No, about an hour is all. I’m going to go in and check it out. I didn’t want to leave with you asleep.” Granger climbed out of the Jeep, the lantern in one hand and the rifle in the other.
The place in front of him was a small house that looked to have been owned by an older couple. Though there wasn’t a car or truck in the drive, he wasn’t taking chances that someone was inside and would take a shot at him. He knocked on the door, using the old fashioned knocker someone had hung. When there wasn’t any sign of someone moving around inside, he tried the door knob.
Locked.
With a sigh, he tried looking in the mailbox without any luck. He searched under the welcome mat, but there wasn’t a key there either. He was just about to break the window by the door when he spotted the flower pot with a very dead plant of some type in it. He picked the pot up and sure enough, there lay the key.
He unlocked the door and carefully walked inside. The smell of a house closed up for a long time nearly choked him. It di
dn’t smell like old death, as if there were bodies somewhere that had decomposed in the house, just dusty, old house smell. They could open the windows for a few hours and air it out enough to be able to stand it.
As he made his way from the entrance hall to what must have been the living room, he noticed that it looked as if pictures had been removed from the walls. There were outlines here and there punctuated with nails. Whoever had lived there had packed up and left. He felt better about searching the house knowing that. He didn’t think he would stumble on a skeleton anywhere now, especially with there being an absence of the smell of decomposing flesh.
The kitchen looked pretty much untouched. He wasn’t about to open the fridge, though. Few people in a hurry would have taken the time to clean out their perishables. He turned down another short hall and found two bedrooms. The first one looked like a guest room that, other than dust, didn’t appear to have been used much. The next room was the master, and here the evidence of flight could be seen. Drawers were left pulled out, most empty, but some still held the remnants of someone’s life.
The closet was wide open, with empty hangers lying on the floor amid a pile of discarded clothes and forgotten shoes. He held the lantern higher to make sure there wasn’t anything in the room that could be dangerous, then he checked the bathroom in the hall. The house was empty. It would do for a short stay to regroup and make plans.
When he emerged from the house, he could see that Destiny had woken up. She was talking with Marty. He blew out the lantern and opened the Jeep’s door.
“Looks like it will be fine. I’m going to put the Jeep under the carport. There are plenty of canned goods for a few days, so all we need out of here are our packs and weapons, I think.” He climbed inside and started the engine again.
Once all three of them were inside, he felt better. Granger didn’t like being separated for any length of time now. It struck him as funny that only a few days ago, he’d scoffed at the idea of having to deal with anyone else, preferring his own company as much as possible. Here he was now, worried about leaving two near strangers alone for all of fifteen minutes.
“I think we all need to stay together in the master,” Marty said, echoing his own thoughts.
“Why? Aren’t we safe here? I mean, there are good locks on the doors,” Destiny said, looking very nervous at the prospect of sleeping in the same room with them.
“Sweetheart, anyone can break a window and come in. The locks on the doors wouldn’t have kept us out,” Marty pointed out.
Granger watched her shiver. Her reluctant nod reminded him that she was the one in the most vulnerable position. They needed to sit down and have a very serious talk as soon as they had everything set up.
“Marty, I’ll grab the food and some things to eat with. You and Destiny set up the bedroom for safety. Take the lantern with you.” He held it out to Destiny.
When she took it, their fingers touched, and a spark danced across their skin. He heard her gasp, and he managed to keep the torch from dropping when she snatched her hand back. Marty took it from him with a frown.
“Are you okay, Destiny? Did you hurt your shoulder?” he asked.
“No, just shocked myself. I’m fine.” She kept her eyes down, not meeting Granger’s, as she turned to follow the other man down the hall.
Granger wasn’t sure what that had been, but it hadn’t been static electricity. There was no reason for a buildup that would have resulted in a discharge between them. The only explication he could come up with had to do with attraction, and that sure seemed a little far-fetched to him. If he didn’t know better, he’d have wondered if he’d read too many romance novels while he’d been in prison. He grunted and walked into the kitchen to grab what they would need for a meal.
Ten minutes later, he eased down the hall toward the light flickering in the back bedroom, carrying a tray he’d found with three plates, three sets of utensils, a can opener, various cans of vegetables, and three bottles of water. He’d found an entire case in the bottom of the pantry. They’d be sure and carry that with them when they left.
“There you are. We were beginning to wonder if you’d decided to eat by yourself.” Marty’s voice held a thin line of strain in it.
Granger set the tray on the dresser and looked from Destiny to Marty, trying to figure out what was going on. Nothing on their faces gave him any clues as to what might have been the cause of the tension in the air.
“Let’s eat, and then we need to talk,” he said.
“What about?” Destiny’s quick response said she already had a good idea and didn’t want to have that conversation.
“Food first. Conversation second,” he repeated.
Once they’d finished the meal of green beans, baby whole potatoes, and sliced peaches, Marty loaded everything back on the tray and took it back to the kitchen. Granger watched as Destiny fidgeted where she sat on the foot of the bed. He didn’t say anything, waiting for Marty to return. This conversation needed to happen with everyone in the room at the same time.
He looked around and noticed that they’d moved the chest of drawers over in front of the window to help block it in case someone tried to get in. They could shove the dresser in front of the bedroom door when they got ready to sleep. He figured it was a pretty good plan, and he prayed that it really wasn’t necessary.
“I wiped off the plates, so we can use them tomorrow.” Marty walked back into the room.
“Let’s sit on the bed where it’s comfortable and talk.” Granger kicked off his boots and climbed onto the king-size bed and leaned back against the headboard.
Marty followed suit, taking the other side of the bed. Destiny merely turned around, scooting a little closer to them. Even in the dim light of the lantern, Granger could see how nervous she was by the way her eyes darted around, and she kept her right hand buried in her lap so they wouldn’t notice how much she was shaking. He hurt for her. She had to be scared to death as a woman alone in a man’s world now. She was trapped with two men she barely knew who could hurt her at any time. They needed to be careful around her. If she spooked and ran, she would end up in a much worse situation. He wasn’t going to let that happen.
“W–what did you want to talk about?” she asked.
“We need to talk about you, Destiny,” he said. He hoped that by making it about her and giving her choices, she would be more willing to accept them as her protectors.
“Me? What about me?” She stiffened, her chin going up.
“You’ve done an amazing job of making it as far as you have all alone, honey, but it’s not safe for you alone out here. You can trust us to keep you safe, but that has to be your decision. We can’t keep you safe if you don’t trust us and let us do it,” he said.
Marty nodded. “We’d never do anything to hurt you. But if you don’t do what we say, when we say to do it, it will put your life and ours in danger. We have to trust you as much as you have to trust us.”
“Why would you help me? What do you want from me?” she asked, the knowledge in her eyes of what she was worth to them.
“Because you’re a woman alone and in danger. We don’t want anything to happen to you,” Marty said.
“Because I think we could be a family, given time to get to know each other. Because a woman isn’t safe with just one man anymore. Out here, most families are made up of two or more men to each woman. Marty and I want to take care of you together.” Granger glanced over at the other man, hoping he would go along with what he was saying.
They hadn’t really talked about it in so many words, but they’d skirted around the subject enough while she’d been sleeping that he felt fairly sure the other man was on board with the idea. At least he hoped he was. Granger was attracted to Destiny, and he had been even when he’d thought she’d been a boy. Now that he knew she was a young woman, the attraction had developed into a raging wildfire.
“I promise you that we will do everything we can to make you happy, Destiny. You don’t
have to jump to a decision right now. We’re going to be traveling another few days looking for a community that we feel comfortable in,” Marty assured her.
“What we do need now, though, is your willingness to trust us with your safety. We need to know that you’ll do what we say without argument. We wouldn’t tell you to do something without a very serious reason. Can you do that?” Granger asked, his fingers crossed in his head.
She didn’t say anything right away, and he could see that her eyes were almost glazed over in shock. He hadn’t anticipated that she’d be affected like this. He’d actually thought she would get angry and accuse them of just wanting to get her into bed with them, but this hadn’t been his intention.
“Destiny, honey? Look at me. Nothing is going to happen. We aren’t going to force you into anything.” He looked over at Marty for help.
Marty looked just as confused as he felt. He scooted down the bed toward her. She jerked back so fast that she fell off the bed backward.
“Fuck! Her shoulder,” Marty shouted as both of them jumped down and hurried to the foot of the bed.
Destiny held her arm and used her feet to scoot away from them. Even in the dim light, he could see tears streaming down her cheeks. They’d scared her and caused her to reinjure her shoulder at the same time. What a fucking mess.
“Easy, honey. We aren’t going to hurt you. Let Marty check on your shoulder, baby.” Granger stayed back while the other man eased closer to her.
“We’re not going to hurt you, darling. I promise, we’d never hurt you,” he said again.
She stared from one man to the other as she started shaking all over. Hell, she was going into shock. She’d been through too much already, and he’d just delivered the straw that broke the donkey’s back suggesting she embrace them in a ménage relationship.