Dystopian Girls

by Rodzil LaBraun

  "You love me, Earl?" Tammy asked.

  "What? No! I mean, this is not the time to discuss it. Damn it, Tammy. I'm trying to get you out of the way. Hey, boy! Who is that over by the cars? Tell her to come over here now or I'll shoot you where you stand."

  "No, he won't," the voice said again. It sounded like a young woman, and maybe a little frightened. I was surprised that anyone would get involved in somebody else's mess. I had no idea who the person could be. I was certain that we had never met. Well, at least not in the last few weeks since the world completely went to shit. "He won't take a chance on hitting Tammy by accident," she declared from her hiding spot.

  Earl then swung his rifle to aim in the general direction of the parked cars and fired off a shot that hit something metal. The hidden girl let out a startled squeak. When Earl looked ready to fire again, I took my chance. Throwing Tammy to the ground hard enough to keep her from coming after me in the next few seconds, I bolted toward the rifle bearer with adrenaline speed.

  Instead of sending another bullet toward my concealed friend he quickly refocused on me and squeezed the trigger. Though charging at him as fast as I could, I could clearly see straight down the barrel of the rifle. His aim was true. Time slowed way down as I came to realize that I was about to be shot. My guess was that it would strike me in the neck or chest. Nowhere near as fast as a bullet, obviously, I still tried to dodge the shot. I grunted as I raised my hand instinctively in the path of the projectile.

  My head and arms struck the man in the knees after the rifle round buzzed past my shoulder, barely catching my shirt threads. He had missed somehow. I felt Earl's fat belly and elbows strike my back as his legs flew backwards causing him to land on top of me on the ground. We both grunted loudly with the impact as Tammy started screaming profanity somewhere behind me. Then Earl rolled off and puked on the ground. I quickly scrambled to grab the rifle before either of them could realize what was happening.

  I stood there and waited as comprehension appeared on Tammy's face and Earl wiped his puke from his chin.

  "Hold on now," he said with a rougher voice than before. Drops of spittle the color of whatever he had eaten last flew in all directions as he spoke. "We weren't really going to shoot you."

  "No?" I replied, unable to hold back my laughter. I knew that I had not imagined the gunshots. I could tell that Earl came to realize that he would not be able to talk his way out of this. He was completely at my mercy. "I tell you what. Why don't you both head on down New Hampshire Avenue towards DC with your hands in the air. No, scratch that. Grab Chreyl's fat ass and carry her all the way to the city. If I ever see you again, I will kill you without a word. Got it?"

  Tammy looked very angry, then turned her attention to her sister crawling on the ground. Cheryl had woken up but was unable to stand on her own. Despite the attack on my life, I was glad to see that I hadn't caused her death. Surprisingly, Earl had a tear in his eye as he mouthed the words, "thank you." He was clearly disappointed in the way things worked out, and ready to concede. I watched as they gathered their wounded friend and dragged her down the street. Tammy tried to yell threats back at me, but Earl kept shutting her up. Eventually, their three forms faded into the darkness on the highway.

  It wasn't until I was sure they were gone that I turned my attention to the parked cars. Lowering the rifle to face the ground I called out. "Hey over there. Thanks for your help. Are you okay?"

  I waited for a response, but none came. Just before I opened my mouth to speak again, I noticed slow, cautious movement behind the pickup truck. A girl's head gradually raised up into view as she began walking around the vehicle. She looked at the rifle.

  "I'm not going to shoot you," I said. "Why would I? You just helped me. Possibly even saved my life." I gently placed the gun on the ground beside me to reinforce my good intentions. It must have helped because she walked less cautiously toward me until I could see her well in the moonlight. She was utterly beautiful.

  CHAPTER TWO:

  The girl that had just helped me defeat three enemies, or at least distracted them enough so I could do so, stood silently before me. If I had to guess I would say that she was about five foot, four inches, and maybe a hundred and twenty pounds. She was small breasted and had just enough muscle tone to suggest that she worked out with five-pound weights and lived in a fourth-floor apartment. I surmised that she was probably about my age and had silky long straight blond hair. The moonlight further revealed piercing blue eyes and fair skin.

  She was dressed light and casual like myself. The increased temperatures since the comet struck Asia months ago had everyone skimpily garbed. Her short blue shorts and bulky blue sneakers showed off her sexy slender legs. A white t-shirt with a small Maryland Terrapin logo above the left breast covered her modest chest with about two inches of flat belly exposed. Her round face looked flawless in the dim light. Those large blue eyes had me thinking that she might be an anime model of my own hallucination.

  I tried to speak, but my words were caught in my throat as my heart pounded against my chest. I was never confident when speaking to girls in general. Beautiful women like the perfect piece of DNA standing before me pretty much crippled me. Finally, I was able to say, "Hey."

  "Hey," she replied softly.

  I saw her check me out as well, and I began to wonder how she would judge me by my orange, quick-dry cargo shorts and black acrylic t-shirt. I did my best to keep my clothes as clean as possible in this dirty, burnt down new world. My black basketball shoes were a little scuffed up, but in good shape for the most part. When she looked me in the eyes again, I just couldn't speak.

  Finally, she said, "I'm Alexa."

  "Mason," I choked out. I must have been holding my breath. "My name is Mason."

  A few more seconds passed as I stood there in stage fright. Eventually, she showed signs of annoyance and shrugged. I began to fear that she might turn and leave. I couldn't let that happen.

  "I'm sorry," I said as I lowered my gaze to the ground. It was easier to speak if I wasn't looking directly at her. "I get a little shy sometimes around pretty... I mean, I don't get to talk to people much these days. Sorry, again. It's nice to meet you Alexa."

  "You, too, Mason," she answered serenely. "It's okay."

  "Thanks," I replied. I was not sure if I was thanking her for not being put off by my shyness, or her willingness to talk to me a little more. I believed that I wasn't a bad looking guy, but I had never really acquired a girlfriend, and my lack of confidence around the ladies was very embarrassing.

  "Well, hey," I said alternating glances between her attractiveness and the asphalt. "Thanks for your help. I know you don't know me, but you are welcome to join me inside, if you want. I mean, it's generally not safe to stand around out in the open like this."

  She nodded, "I agree. We can go inside if you don't mind."

  "Okay, great," I responded. "I don't mind at all. Is it okay if I pick up the rifle?"

  "Sure," Alexa answered as she began to step toward me and in the direction of the building. "Let's get inside and we'll talk some more."

  The entrance was clear, and I figured I better leave it that way for now. I didn't want this hot young lady to feel like I was trapping her in. But, before it got too late, I knew I would have to barricade both the front and back doors for safety. Would she be interested in staying the night? I don't mean like sleeping with me, of course. But this was a fairly secure place to stay. Maybe she needed somewhere to sleep. Would she trust me enough to do that?

  As I entered the store, I realized that the place was not up to standards for receiving guests. Until now, I had only thought about making it safe and comfortable. If this were the old world, and I was bringing a pretty girl home, she would bolt by now. Though not as shitty as the area around us, it was still a mess.

  "I'm sorry," I muttered embarrassingly. "The place isn't as nice as it..."

  "It's fine," she said softly, much closer behind me then I realized. My breat
h caught again as I thought about having a beautiful young lady following me into my makeshift home. I was so nervous. I had been bent on survival for so long. I didn't think my old shyness would debilitate me like this.

  Once we reached the sales-counter I realized that I didn't have any chairs set out for guests. I was about to apologize again when she stopped me. We were standing there in the dim light of the lantern close enough to reach out and touch each other.

  "Mason," she said. "It's okay. Don't worry about the place, and don't worry about whether I will trust you. Honestly, I've kind of been watching you for a couple days. And, I feel like I have a good read on you."

  "You've been watching me?" I asked, surprised. I had not seen her around, that was for sure. Was she super stealthy or was my recon slipping? I immediately began retracing my steps to remember if I had done anything lately that I would be ashamed of. Then I realized that I had not said much yet. How did she know what I was thinking?

  "Uh, not to be impolite, but how did you know what I was about to say? I mean, that I was going to apologize again. And, to think of it, how did you know that Earl loved Tammy and wouldn't shoot her?"

  Alexa shrugged. I could see that she was struggling with whether or not to say something. I tried my best to hold my stare waiting for a reply, getting slowly more comfortable with her presence. Eventually, she did answer.

  "I just have a talent for reading people."

  "Is it like mind reading?" I asked. Again, quickly embarrassed about my thoughts since meeting her. Could she tell that I was so strongly attracted to her? Just a moment ago I thought about how nice it would be to place my arm around that slender waist of hers. Did she know what I was thinking?

  "No," she replied quickly. "I can't read minds. It's just a feeling that I get. It's more like intuition."

  "Oh, okay," I said. "So, you can't tell what I'm thinking right now?"

  "No," she answered timidly while biting her lip. "I can only tell that you are shy and polite, and that you think I'm pretty. But you don't need intuition to figure that out. Your awkwardness, if you'll forgive me, is obvious. I can add that I get the feeling that you are a good person. That combined with your skill in fighting off intruders has me wondering if you are interested in a roommate. I hope that I'm not out of line in asking. I know you just met me, but I've gotten to know you a little bit already. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier."

  "No," I answered quickly. "That's fine. It's a dangerous world out there. You have to be cautious. I completely understand. And, yes, you are definitely welcome to stay if you want."

  "I don't eat much," she said. "And I can do some cooking and cleaning. Beyond that, I'm probably not worth a lot. I can't fight at all."

  "Actually, your intuition in itself is probably worth your room and board. And, as you already know, I wouldn't mind the company."

  "Excellent," she said, smiling for the first time. She was even more beautiful than before. "Should I help you barricade the doors?"

  "Oh! Yes. I mean, no, I can do it. I meant yes, it needs to be done." She watched as I stacked the usual stuff in front of the store entrance, then began touring the place as I sealed up the back. I gathered a little extra food and pulled two chairs out of the back office so we could eat behind the sales counter. That was the area where I kept most of my supplies. I split my bedding into two so she could sleep comfortably at the other end of the narrow space. I was delighted to see that she was pleased with the arrangement.

  It was too early to sleep for me, and I was excited to learn more about my new guest. Alexa told me she was twenty-one years old, just two years older than me, and a student at the University of Maryland. I was right about the fourth-floor apartment, seeing those toned calves. She lived in a dorm in College Park until things got too bad to stay. She was originally from Hagerstown Maryland, but there was no reason to return there since her parents already passed away. She had some friends at college that she was traveling with, but they all eventually died from the viruses. It turned out that she was the only one totally immune in her group.

  I was surprised to learn that the gift of extra intuition was a recent development for her. She said that she began sensing additional things about people just a couple weeks ago. I got the feeling that she had seen more of the world since the catastrophe than I had, so I focused on learning about what was going on out there. She was able to confirm that the vast majority of survivors were female. She laughed pretty hard when I told her that I called the sub human people skunks and skanks. Evidently most people thought they were zombies. She guessed that there were at least three times as many of those decaying creatures than regular survivors. The majority of humans died from the multi-pandemic. Those that lived but didn't deteriorate appeared to be completely immune. There were several viruses that attacked humanity. That's why it took months to kill off an estimated nine hundred and ninety-nine out of every thousand.

  In this new era of self-preservation and distrust I was very much surprised to see how quickly Alexa became comfortable with my presence. It wasn't long before she dosed off, curled up in the pile of blankets on the floor. Too hot for covering up, her sexy slender form remained exposed. If it were some other lonely guy here with her, she would be taking a serious risk. I, however, had always been a gentleman. It was how I was raised.

  Though the battle I had just survived may have been my most traumatic, I believed it ended up being a very good day. I began to fantasize about how much more hopeful the future could be with Alexa as a roommate. Not only was she very attractive, her friendly personality would make her a joy to be around after all these solitary days and nights. The fact that she trusted me so easily broke down all the usual barriers of first contact these days. I would need to do a better job of keeping her alive than I had done with others in the past. Her willingness to depend on me could make all the difference in that respect.

  I knew that I should be more cautious than this. I basically invited in a stranger to stay the night. I was letting her appearance sway me too easily. Eventually I fell asleep in my usual spot which was about ten feet from sleeping beauty. I was positioned closer to the door with a protection mentality. If someone were able to sneak in past the barricades, they would get to me first. I had become an extremely light sleeper lately, though. The chances of be approached while sleeping was slim to none.

  In the morning I woke to the sound of her sneakers softly squeaking as she walked around the counter into the main room of the store. I remained quiet, raising to one knee so I could watch her unaware. This was my opportunity to see if she had any mischievous ideas when she offered to join me here. So far, she was just wandering the aisles checking out what merchandise was left on the shelves. Nearly half of the beer and wine were untouched. I cleaned up much of the mess of broken bottles shortly after I moved in, but I could now see clearly it was a superficial job. But Alexa wasn't paying much attention to my housekeeping skills. Eventually she grabbed a bottle of red wine and started walking back to the counter. I tried to duck down before she could see me.

  "I don't know what we have planned for dinner today," she spoke just loud enough to make it clear she knew I was awake. "But I think this bottle of Cabernet will probably go well with it."

  I nearly laughed. It was the first thing I really found something funny in quite some time. I stayed quiet. It was almost like a game. I was very excited to hear her making dinner plans with me, but I felt like I should pretend to still be sleeping. I guess I didn't want to be caught peeping on her. I laid back down on my pillow before she came in view around the corner.

  "Sorry, Mason," she said plainly. "I could sense that you were awake. Do you drink wine?"

  I gave up the facade and sat up to face her. I don't know if she had brushed her hair since waking, but she stilled looked perfect in the lantern light. I figured once we got outside in the daylight, she would have to have physical flaws that would dent my fascination with her. Perhaps skin blemishes. Maybe a dumpy ass,
or a poorly placed mole. I almost hoped that she had several flaws.

  "Uh, yes. Sometimes. I suppose that I drank beer more than wine before the, you know."

  "I'm guessing the beer is not as good warm," she said, sitting down crosslegged to look at me as we talked. She must have a razor in her backpack because her legs were recently shaved. "Hanging out in a beer and wine store must have you drunk half the time. Did you consume all those missing bottles?" She cracked a playful smile.

  "No," I answered smiling. "The store had been looted quite a bit before I got here. I do admit that I tried some of the craft beer, out of curiosity. And I think you are right. It's not so good warm. I did have a bottle of Moscato that tasted like candy. That was probably the only day I got drunk."

  "Ah, Moscato," she said. "So, what are our plans for today?"