Without Law 18

by Eric Vall

  I also slipped my gun holster on my hip and inserted my plasma weapon inside. It didn’t fit perfectly, but it was good enough, and the weapon was so quiet and deadly that it was worth a bit of maneuvering to take it with me.

  My tanto blade got hooked to the other side of my jeans, and I slipped my standard issue M9 into the holster in the waistband of my jeans. Even though I had my plasma gun, I still liked to have my tried and true with me as well. And while my M9 would fit in the holster better, I didn’t exactly trust that plasma shit anywhere near my junk quite yet.

  After I finished getting ready, I stepped out of the tent and went to find Hammer. I knew the girls would be ready when I returned. I didn’t need to give them instructions on what to do, they’d been on enough missions to know the drill.

  I wandered over to where the SEALs and the rest of the Navy guys had set up their tents on the opposite end of the old dirt parking lot. The men were awake, and a couple of them nodded to me as I went by, but I didn’t see Hammer anywhere yet.

  “You lookin’ for Hammer?” a familiar voice asked, and I turned to see Rivers on a seat behind me. The short man sat on a homemade wooden bench near one of the fires the SEALs had going.

  “Yeah.” I nodded. “You know where I can find him?”

  “Try inside,” River said with a nod toward the building. “Cap’n wanted to talk to him. Though, I’m not sure he’s the Captain anymore.”

  The last part was said with a laugh, but I still wasn’t quite sure how to take it. Not long ago, these men all seemed to despise me for showing up and taking over. I didn’t think it was like that anymore, but I also didn’t want to upset them. I’d learned a long time ago that working with happy people was a lot more productive than working with pissed off ones.

  “Yeah, about that...” I said as I rubbed the back of my neck.

  “It’s okay.” Rivers shook his head and smiled at me. “Congratulations. We’re all looking forward to serving under you.”

  “Thanks, man,” I told him with a clap on the shoulder and a smile.

  I headed toward the old soda factory we were camped out behind, and once I got inside, I made my way up the rickety old stairs and to the manager’s office which served as the Captain’s quarters.

  “Captain?” I asked with a knock on the door. “Have you seen Hammer?”

  “Come on in,” the Captain said, and I opened the door to see him sitting behind the desk. His wild salt and pepper eyebrows were in a mess as usual, and he wore the same Navy issue blue camo coat and white T-shirt as always.

  Across from him was Hammer. The Lieutenant had on a gray T-shirt and blue jeans, and his military buzzed hair was slightly grown out and flattened in the back from where he’d slept on it.

  “What can I do for you, Captain Ranger?” Hammer asked with a playful smile.

  “Just Tav is fine,” I chuckled.

  “Damn, I was hoping that one would stick,” he laughed.

  “I just wanted to let you know that the girls and I will be leaving soon,” I told him.

  “Where are you headed?” he asked, and his brown eyebrows furrowed together.

  “We’re just going to scout the area,” I assured him. “We should be back before sunset. We’ll keep one of the walkies on us.”

  “Okay,” Hammer agreed. “We won’t contact you unless it’s an emergency.”

  “And vice versa.” I nodded.

  “Mind if I ask what exactly you’re looking for?” the SEAL asked.

  “We’re looking to see if there’s a good ambush place we can funnel the Boston troops into,” I told him.

  “I see.” He nodded. “Let us know what you find. And be careful out there.”

  “Always.” I smiled. “You should have some of the men do inventory. I’m sure a decent amount of bullets were used up last night, and it’s always good to have an up to date list.”

  “Right,” he agreed. “Oh, that reminds me, Minji said something about having something for Tara.”

  “She did?” I asked.

  “Yeah.” He nodded. “She’s probably in her room if you want to go find her.”

  “Where is it?” I asked.

  “It’s down by the storage room,” he explained. “To the right.”

  “Got it, I’ll see you later.” I turned to look at the Captain with a smile. “Captain.”

  “Captain Ranger,” the Captain teased, and Hammer laughed and high fived him, but I just rolled my eyes, shook my head, and headed out of the office.

  I went down the rickety stairs once more, then I headed to the supply room. It was at the end of the hallway, but instead of going in, I turned to the right and found the smaller door across from it.

  “Minji?” I asked with a knock on the door.

  “Tav?” I heard her ask, and her voice sounded high-pitched with panic.

  “Yeah,” I answered. “Hammer told me you had something for Tara?”

  “Oh, right, yes, come in,” she said, and I could tell she was slightly flustered.

  I opened the door to see her bent over a small filing cabinet. She was opening the drawers and rifling through them quickly. Her frustration was absolutely adorable.

  She’d come onto me not long ago, and we’d had sex in the supply room. Since then, she’d been slightly embarrassed around me, even though there was no need to be. Part of me thought it was because she couldn’t help but think about our time together, and honestly, I couldn’t, either.

  The beautiful Korean woman turned to me with a small colorful plastic bag in her hands. She bit her full pink bottom lip and held the bag out to me, but I could barely look at whatever was in her hand, all I could do was take in the sight of her. Her long, slender nose, deep brown eyes, and long dark-brown hair were absolutely gorgeous. She had on a pair of black cargo pants, boots, and a black tank top that showed off her full, perky breasts. My erection stirred in my jeans as I thought about what she looked like without those clothes on.

  “Here,” she said, and her dark eyes locked on mine. “This is for Tara.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”

  I looked down at the bag in my hand. It was candy. Crystalized ginger to be exact.

  “I know ginger is supposed to help with pregnancy sickness,” she said. “I had a stash of it here for myself just because I like the stuff, but I feel like she needs it more.”

  “That’s really sweet of you,” I told her, and I reached out and gently placed my hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s nothing,” she murmured as she looked over at my hand.

  “I’ll make sure to tell her it’s from you,” I said. “We’re heading out in a little bit, but we’ll be back later. Will you eat dinner with us tonight?”

  “Oh,” Minji said, and her lips parted into a beautiful smile. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  “Great.” I smiled back. “I’ll see you later, then.”

  After I left Minji, I headed straight for the jeep, refilled the gas tank, and then waited for the girls to show up.

  It didn’t take long for them to make their way over to me, but it was worth the wait.

  Anna had on a pair of tiny black athletic shorts that showed off her toned thighs and perfectly sculpted ass. She had on the same long sleeve green jogging hoodie as she wore before, and it was skin-tight so I could see the beautiful curve of her waist and her small, perky breasts underneath it. She had her long red hair pulled back into two braids instead of the usual one, and it was a great look on her. She had her M9 under one arm, and her plasma gun under the other. Her emerald-green eyes caught mine, and the corner of her mouth raised in a half smile. She knew I was looking at her, and she wanted me to know that she knew.

  I didn’t care, though. She looked sexy as hell, so I just smiled back and gave her a little wink.

  The redhead rolled her eyes, but I could tell she loved the attention.

  Paige stood just behind her friend to the left. The brunette had on a pair
of skinny jeans that hugged her in all the right places, a dark gray long sleeve shirt that clung to her body in the sexiest way, and of course, her hiking boots. Her chestnut locks were pulled up into a messy ponytail, and she had her shotgun slung over one shoulder and her plasma weapon on the opposite hip. Her thick-rimmed glasses fell down her nose as she walked, and she absentmindedly ran her tongue across her bottom lip and pushed her glasses up with one finger. Something about it was downright hot.

  Bailey was next, and I wasn’t surprised to see the blonde hippie girl was in the same outfit she’d been in earlier. The only difference now was the Barrett she had on her back. It was clearly heavy for her, but she refused to let me help because, ‘it’s my gun, I’ll take care of it’. I heard her voice in my head, and I had to hold back a laugh as I watched her walk toward me. She leaned to one side to counteract the weight of the weapon, but even with her added burden, she still looked at me with a sweet smile on her face.

  Tara was on Anna’s other side, and the platinum-blonde also had on the same outfit from earlier, except she’d added a dark-blue zip up hoodie overtop of it. Her long blonde hair was now pulled up into a messy ponytail, and even though she was pregnant and vomiting every hour, she still looked absolutely flawless. I never did figure out when she had the time to apply mascara, eyeliner, and chapstick, but somehow she managed. They were odd priorities, but they were ones she never forgot. I knew how important it was for her to feel good about herself, and makeup seemed to help boost her confidence. I’d rarely seen her without it, and that was the way she liked it.

  “What are you staring at?” Tara asked, and she put her hand on her hip and cocked it to the side while giving me a sexy smile. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were trying to get lucky.”

  “He already did,” Anna snickered, and Paige giggled along with her.

  Tara glared at the pair of them, then she stuck her tongue out and gave them a little mocking face.

  “You’re just jealous you don’t have Tav’s baby growing inside you right now,” the platinum-blonde said.

  “Yup, that’s us,” Anna teased. “Super jealous of all that throwing up you’re doing.”

  “Oh, shut up,” Tara laughed and shoved the redhead playfully.

  “Speaking of our baby,” I said, and I couldn’t help the huge smile that spread across my face as I said those words. “Minji gave me something for you.”

  “She did?” Tara asked, and her eyebrows pinched together in confusion.

  “Here,” I said, and I pulled the bag out of the front seat and tossed it to her.

  Tara caught the candy and turned it in her hands so she could see what it was.

  “Crystalized ginger?” she asked. “What the hell?”

  “You’ve never had that stuff?” Paige asked. “Oh, it’s so good.”

  “I think Minji was hoping it would help with your morning sickness,” I explained.

  “Oh, right.” Tara nodded and shrugged. “Well, it is ginger. It’s got to do something, right?”

  “Let’s hope so,” Anna groaned.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Tara said with a glare. “Is my getting sick irritating you?”

  “I mean, kind of,” Anna chuckled. “But I’m just worried about you being out in the field in your state.”

  “She does have a point,” Paige said. “What are you going to do if you need to throw up while we’re in a fight?”

  “Then I’ll throw up and keep shooting.” Tara shrugged nonchalantly. “Honestly, it’s like you guys have no faith in me.”

  “Don’t worry, Tar,” Bailey said with a smile. “If you need a puke break, I got your back.”

  “Thank you, Bails,” Tara said sweetly, and she glared at Anna and Paige. “That’s why she’s my favorite.”

  Anna chuckled and rolled her eyes, then we all hopped in the jeep to get scouting. It was already late afternoon, and I didn’t want to waste any more time. It was fall already, and the days were growing shorter all the time, so I wanted to get the most out of the daylight we had left.

  Once the girls piled into the jeep, then I turned the vehicle over, waved to the civilians near the fire, and pulled us around to the main road.

  I rolled down the window and breathed in the crisp fall air as we drove. The sky was bright blue with the midday sun shining ahead of us, and the roads were as clear as they could be given the circumstances. There was some trash and debris, but not a single other vehicle in sight. Except the random ones on the side of the road, but even those were few and far between.

  I’d almost forgotten what it was like to drive with other vehicles around. I’d gotten so used to being the only car on the road that if society ever got back to the way it was, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to deal with rush hour traffic again. I’d rather walk at that point.

  We’d been driving for about half an hour when Paige piped up from the back seat.

  “There’s a gas station up here, and just after that I think might be a good spot to try and ambush,” the brunette said. “It looks like there’s plenty of forest on the side to give us cover.”

  “Alright,” I said. “Let’s check it out.”

  Sure enough, just a few minutes later a small gas station came into view on the left hand side of the road. The place was dingy and covered with a good layer of dust from being out of business so long. It clearly hadn’t been pristine to begin with, but it was even worse off now. The open/closed sign in the window was so faded it was nearly unreadable, and the writing on the outside of the shop was the same way. There was some trash on the ground around it, and some abandoned cars parked outside, but overall it looked like pretty much everywhere else in the apocalypse.

  I slowed down and pulled into the parking lot near one of the pumps, then I shut the jeep off, hopped out, and stretched.

  While the rest of the girls got out, I glanced around the area to see if there were any signs of people. I didn’t expect there to be considering everything that had gone on in the area, but there were a few cans set up at the edge of the building where the rain runoff would land.

  My eyes narrowed in on the cans, and I slowly placed my hand on my plasma gun.

  “The place is right up the road,” Paige started, but I held up my fist, and she stopped speaking at once.

  “What is it?” Anna asked, and suddenly she was right beside me with her plasma weapon in her hands.

  “I’m not sure,” I said. “But I think we might have company.”

  I kept my eye on the building, and just when I was about to give up the idea that there was anybody inside, I saw the top of someone’s head as they peered outside from behind the counter.

  We definitely had company.

  Chapter 2

  “Shit,” I breathed.

  The girls and I immediately ducked behind the jeep just as the head I saw dipped back behind the counter.

  “Is there somebody in there?” Paige panted as we squatted down to avoid being seen.

  “There’s at least one person,” Anna said.

  “I saw them behind the counter.” I nodded.

  “Me, too,” the redhead agreed.

  “What’s our plan?” Tara asked.

  “We don’t know if they’re armed or not,” Bailey said.

  “That’s true,” I agreed. “But I don’t want to risk them being armed and trying to take us out for our transportation. Vehicles are probably the most valuable commodity in society now.”

  “Right.” Bailey frowned. “But we can’t exactly storm in there, they would have the advantage.”

  “You’re right about that, too,” I told her.

  “We should try and call out to them,” Bailey said. “See how they respond.”

  I looked around while I thought about what Bailey had said.

  There was a large tank to our left, and if someone was able to get over to it, that could give them a good vantage point to see through the store windows.

  “Alright,” I said. “I’m going to
call out to them. Anna, Paige, wait for my signal, and if they respond with hostility, I want you to get over to that propane tank. We’ll give you cover fire.”

  “Got it.” Anna nodded.

  “Alright,” I said, and I took a deep breath and raised my voice. “We know you’re in there! You can come out, and we can talk, or you can fight and end your life right here. The choice is yours.”

  I waited a couple of seconds, but I didn’t hear anything.

  Anna caught my eye and nodded.

  I was about to nod back, which was the signal for her to go, but just then a frail male voice called out.

  “Wait!” he hollered. “We’ll give up. You can take whatever you want, just let us go.”

  My eyebrows pinched together. The logical part of me told me I had to remain on edge, this could be a trick. However, my gut told me he was being authentic. Something about the terror in his voice sounded incredibly real.

  “They sound scared.” Bailey mirrored my thoughts.

  “I know,” I said. “But it could be a trick.”

  “Tell them to come out,” Anna suggested.

  “Come out and place your weapons on the ground,” I called.

  “We’ll come out,” the voice said. “But we don’t have any weapons. Just a few pocket knives from the gas station.”

  This was becoming more and more real each second, but I glanced over and saw Tara hidden behind the back tire. I couldn’t risk anything, not with her carrying my child.

  “Okay,” I hollered. “Come out first, then we’ll do the same.”

  “Alright,” the voice said, and a minute later I heard the sound of the door opening.

  I waited a moment, then I carefully peered over the hood of the jeep.

  There, just outside the store, were five very thin looking individuals. One was a tall dark-haired man with a stained gray T-shirt and pants that were much too large.

  There was also a shorter dark-haired man who looked like he could be the older man’s son. He wore a Nirvana shirt and blue jeans.

  There were two older women. One with dirty-blonde hair down to her shoulders, the other with red hair that had grown out black at the roots.

  The final survivor was a younger woman in a terribly stained white collar blouse and dark-blue slacks.