by Eric Vall
She was putting a lot on the line for us, and I was counting on her in ways I didn’t like to count on people. Normally, I wouldn’t trust someone else’s judge of character, but I had to rely on Renee and hope that she knew the people at the fort well enough to be able to predict their reactions. If someone reacted poorly or gave away our presence, then we were screwed. I was glad it was just Tara and I going in, because I had the most confidence in the two of us to be able to take on the worst situations. If our presence was given away then it would be a fight for our lives, and we’d be at a disadvantage, but Tara’s stealthy skills would give her a good start in getting out of the situation. Of course, I hoped we could avoid that altogether, but I wanted to prepare for the worst possible outcome.
“Where will the children be?” Tara asked.
“I think they’ll be in this room right here,” Renee said as she pointed to the room next to Brody’s on the map. “I’m sure that one of the women there is in charge of the children. I’ve never really seen Brody around kids, but he doesn’t seem like the type to be patient enough to deal with them.”
“That’s for sure,” Bailey said.
“If they’re with one of the women then that’s a good thing,” I said. There were no women followers of Brody’s, which came as no surprise. If I was a woman I definitely wouldn’t support him, I was a man and I hated him, I couldn’t even fathom the hatred the women there held for him.
“Is there any way your friend can alert the woman who’s watching the children?” Tara asked. “It would be a lot easier for us if we knew that they’d be safe and out of the way when we got there.”
“I can certainly try,” Renee said. “I have no guarantee that she’ll be able to get in to see her, though. If Brody has them locked away, then he may not be allowing anyone inside, even other civilians. It’d probably be his own men only.”
“Alright,” I said with a nod. “Just do your best, even if she doesn’t know we’re coming hopefully she’ll hear something and get the kids to safety.”
“I’ll do my best,” Renee said. “And like I said before, whatever my friend is able to pass on or learn, she’ll come tell you.”
“Thank you, Renee,” I said with a soft smile.
“Of course,” she said. “Take that sonofabitch out.”
“Will do,” I chuckled.
“I think the plan is in place then, right?” Anna asked.
“It seems like it,” I agreed. “Anna, why don’t you go over the new guard assignments with Renee?”
“Happily,” the redhead said. “Come on, guys.”
Everyone headed out the door behind their second in command, but I grabbed Paige by the elbow and sat her down.
“Are you alright?” I asked after everyone was gone. The brunette had seemed incredibly upset about us separating, which concerned me since she was usually the most logical person in the room.
“I’m fine,” she sighed. “I just hate having to split up.”
“I know,” I said. “I don’t like it either, but I know you understand.”
“I do,” she said with a soft smile. “I’m just not sure what to do with myself while you guys are gone.”
Paige made a good point, there wasn’t exactly a lot for them to do while Bailey, Tara, and I were away. They needed to keep busy, though, or else they’d just worry themselves sick.
“How about you and Renee come up with a deal?” I asked.
“What kind of deal?” the brunette asked.
“A trade deal,” I said. “You know our supplies and what we need better than anyone. You’re the right person for the role.”
“What about Anna?” Paige asked. “She’s second in command, shouldn’t she do this?”
“She’ll be there to help,” I said. “But you’re more than capable of doing it yourself. I have total trust in you.”
“You’re just giving me this assignment to keep me busy while you’re gone,” she said with an amused smile.
“I am,” I chuckled. “Only because I don’t want you to worry.”
“It’ll be hard not to,” she sighed, then she looked up at me with dark brown eyes. “But thanks.”
“Anytime,” I said with a grin. “Now, come on, we still have work to do.”
After we went over the guard schedule with Renee, I had her write down her friend’s name and description so that we would be able to spot her even if she wasn’t around for some reason. We’d be in the drums during the hiding process, so it would probably make it difficult for us to actually get a good look at anybody, but if we knew what she looked like then we had an advantage in case things went south.
We also figured out how to drop Bailey off without being spotted. The king’s garden wasn’t far from the fort, so someone would see if Renee brought the truck over there. Instead, we’d have to stop before she reached the fort, when she was still out of sight, and Bailey would have to make the journey on foot. It shouldn’t take her long, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of her being on her own, but I knew she could handle herself. She was a capable girl, and I was confident in her skills.
“Hey,” I said to Kimmy as I walked up to her and took a seat on the grass next to her. We had all broken for lunch, and she sat alone eating some crackers and smoked meat. The day had grown hot as hell, and I could feel sweat on my forehead as I looked over at her.
“Hey,” she said. “Seems like everything is going well.”
“It is,” I assured her. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m glad everything is working out. Missing Anthony so much got me thinking about Henry and those kids. I can’t believe this Brody asshole would take children… I mean, that’s just so cruel.”
“He’s a cruel individual,” I said.
“It’s amazing to see what goes into every time you all leave the campus,” Kimmy said. “I knew you guys were badasses and that you ran around and took care of people who were causing trouble, but I had no idea the level of planning that went into it.”
“It’s not always quite up to this level,” I said. “But most of the time we like to be prepared if we can. You don’t always get that luxury, though, as you found out yesterday.”
“That’s true,” Kimmy agreed. “That was both exhilarating and terrifying. I mean… one wrong move and you could be dead. How do you deal with that thought?”
“I haven’t been afraid of death for a long time,” I said. “The thing that scares me is the thought of someone I love getting hurt.”
“You love all those girls,” Kimmy said with a soft smile.
“I do,” I said. “But I love everyone in my community, too. In a different way, of course, but I’d trust every last one of you with my life.”
“It must be amazing to be that confident,” she chuckled.
“I guess it’s not so bad,” I laughed.
We ate for a moment and looked up to the sky. It was a clear, blue day and the sun beat down on us with a forceful heat that made me sweat even more.
“So, is Tara always so blatantly dirty?” Kimmy asked me after a moment.
“Pretty much,” I said. “You get used to it after a while.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to that,” she laughed.
“She knows what she wants,” I said with a shrug.
“I envy her that,” Kimmy said, and she looked over at me, but then averted her eyes quickly.
I wasn’t sure if Tara scared her so much, or if it was the thought of us together. The platinum blonde had already made it clear to her that she and the other girls were in support of a relationship between us, but I didn’t blame her for wanting to be cautious. It was a strange dynamic that we had if you weren't’ used to it, and I figured that not everyone would be okay with it.
Typically, I didn’t like to make the first move with women. I never wanted them to feel pressured, so I only went for it if I was one hundred percent certain that they were on board, but with Kimmy it was difficult
to read her. I could tell that she liked me, but I wasn’t sure if she was willing to get involved with me since I was already involved with the other girls.
“You don’t know what you want?” I asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Kimmy sighed. “I know what I want, but it’s confusing, too. This whole apocalypse thing is hard to navigate, especially when it comes to relationships.”
I remembered that Anthony’s father had been killed after the EMP hit. She had lost him before he ever got to meet Anthony, and from the way she spoke about him, she obviously loved him. No wonder she had so much hesitation. Her lost love was probably a big part of it.
“It can be,” I said to keep the mood light. “But only if you make it hard.”
“What’s this about hard?” Tara asked, and I turned to see her and the girls come up behind Kimmy and I.
“Nothing,” I said with an eye roll.
“Didn’t sound like nothing,” Tara said. “Did we interrupt something?”
“No,” I laughed. “Kimmy and I were just chatting.”
“Was it about your cute little crush on each other?” Tara teased, and Kimmy’s cheeks darkened in color.
“Tara!” Paige hissed.
“What?” the platinum blonde asked with a shrug. “Nothing to be ashamed of.”
“You’re making Kimmy uncomfortable,” Anna said as she laid down in the grass by us.
“Girl, it’s the end of the world,” Tara said. “What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
“Just because it’s basically the apocalypse doesn’t mean that people don’t have feelings anymore,” Bailey chuckled.
“It should,” Tara said. “We’ve literally got nothing to lose at this point.”
“We have each other,” Paige said.
“Well, yeah,” Tara said with an eye roll. “But you know what I mean. There’s nothing to lose in saying how you feel. Either it will work out, or it won’t, but either way nothing has to change unless you want it to.”
“It would be amazing to have your confidence,” Paige said with a shake of her head.
“Yeah, you’re not in control of everything, you know,” Bailey added.
“You’re in control of yourself,” Tara said. “That’s enough for me.”
“Alright,” I said to save Kimmy from further embarrassment. “We still have work to do today.”
“Right,” Paige agreed. “We need to do a test run of the barrels.”
“Why?” Tara asked. “Don’t we just crawl in and you close them up?”
“Something like that,” the brunette agreed. “But don’t you want to see how well you fit and what gear you can bring with you?”
“Good idea, Paige,” I said.
“Thanks,” she replied with a smile.
“Do I have to ride in the barrels?” Bailey asked. “I mean, since I’m being dropped off first.”
“That's a good point,” Anna said.
“Oh, no,” Tara said. “If we have to ride in the barrels, then so do you.”
“But wouldn’t it make more sense to keep as many full barrels as possible?” Bailey asked.
“You’re riding in the barrels,” Tara said with a glare.
“Alright, alright,” Bailey laughed and put her hands up in surrender. “I’ll ride in the barrels.”
“Come on,” Paige said, and she stood up and the other girls followed, but I grabbed Kimmy by the shoulder to hold her back for a second.
“I’m sorry about Tara,” I said with a small smile. “She means well.”
“I know she does,” Kimmy said, and she bit her lip. “She’s very open.”
“You can say that again,” I said. “But seriously, if it really bothers you I’ll have a talk with her.”
“No, no, that’s okay,” Kimmy said with an amused smile. “She’s sweet.”
“I think that’s the first time anyone’s called Tara sweet,” I chuckled.
“What I mean is, you’re right, she means well,” Kimmy clarified with a laugh.
“That seems more accurate,” I agreed.
We followed Paige to the fuel drums, and Renee met us over there. Next to the metal fuel barrels were fifty-five gallon barrels that were used to transport tar or asphalt. Since they had removable tops they would serve our purpose.
“I’ve got a few cleaned out for the test run,” Renee said. “We normally bring some tar with us for building purposes so it won’t seem abnormal to have these barrels with the fuel drums.”
“Great,” Paige agreed, and she turned to me, Tara, and Bailey. “Climb in.”
“So bossy,” Tara muttered.
“Damn right,” Paige chuckled and smacked the platinum blonde on the butt as she walked by. “Remember to try to make yourself somewhat comfortable, it’s not a short ride to the fort.”
“What is it, about an hour?” I asked.
“About that, I’m afraid,” Renee said with a frown.
“Alright,” I said as I walked over to the drums.
I watched as Tara and Bailey climbed over the top and stepped inside. They were both fairly short, so the step over would probably be the worst part for them. Their small frames would fit inside the barrels easily, I was sure. I wasn’t so sure about my own, though. I stepped into the barrel and was happily surprised when my legs had plenty of room. I thought that maybe it wouldn’t be too bad after all, but as I tried to slink down into the barrel I came up short.
My shoulders wouldn’t fit inside the small, circular opening.
“Well, shit,” I breathed as I tried to unstick myself.
“I was worried about that,” Paige said as she watched me wriggle around.
“A little help here,” I said as I tried to pull myself up.
“Oh, right,” Paige said, and she and Anna rushed over to me and pulled on my shoulders to get me up.
“What’s going on?” Tara asked as her head popped up.
“Tav’s too big,” Paige said.
“We already knew that,” Tara said with a wink.
I rolled my eyes at her dirty joke as the girls and I tried to pull me out again. Finally, I was freed, but it wasn’t without a few scrapes to my biceps.
“Shit,” Anna said. “You’re bleeding on this side.”
“It’s not that bad,” I assured her.
“When did you last have a tetanus shot?” Paige asked as she frowned at the slightly rusty barrel.
“Just a few years ago,” I told her.
“Good,” she said. “Because that’s one thing I’m fresh out of.”
We’d need to figure that out, if someone happened to step on a nail or something I couldn’t have them die from lack of a tetanus shot. For the moment, though, we had to focus on the task at hand, though it seemed we’d have to figure out a new plan. There was no way I was going to fit into one of the barrels, and I couldn’t exactly ride up front with Renee.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “We need to figure out a new plan, though. I’m glad you suggested we test this out, better that we figure it out now than be surprised by it tomorrow.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Paige agreed. “Come over here and let me bandage you up, we’ll think of a plan while we work.”
“Can we get out of the drums now?” Tara asked.
“Yes,” Paige said. “For now. We need to figure out what to do about Tav.”
“Bailey,” I said, “will your rifle fit in the drum?”
“If I take it apart it will,” she said with a nod.
“Good,” I agreed. “Tara, you and I will go in only with pistols and knives.”
“I’m good with that,” the platinum blonde said.
“I don’t want us to have any unnecessary equipment on us,” I said. “The less stuff we have the less noise and the stealthier we can be.”
“That’s all well and good,” Paige said as she sat me down on a nearby bench and started to tend to my scrapes. “But that doesn’t help us with what we’re going to do with you.”
&n
bsp; “Can’t you, like, ride under the jeep?” Tara teased. “You’re strong enough to hold yourself under there for well over an hour, right?”
“Oh, ha, ha,” I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “We’ve talked about movies. They’re not real.”
I said this, but if it had been a short distance then that could have been a viable solution. I’d have rigged something up that would help me stay in place, but in reality it wasn’t a completely terrible idea, it just didn’t apply to this situation. I wouldn’t tell Tara that, though.
“Well, he can’t ride up front,” Anna said. “Could he?”
“What if we covered him with a blanket or something?” Bailey added.
“No,” Renee said with a shake of her head. “Brody’s guys are on the wall, and they watch the deliveries most of the time. I think it’s pretty much out of boredom, but still, there’s no way to sneak you from the jeep to the hiding spot without you being seen.”
“We have to be in the barrels,” I said.
“Is there any way we could modify one of the barrels?” Kimmy asked.
“That sounds interesting,” Renee said. “What did you have in mind?”
“If we could bend one of them so that it’s not so circular, then maybe his shoulders could fit,” Kimmy explained. “It still wouldn’t be comfortable, but he would be able to fit inside.”
“That’s what she said,” Tara said under her breath and Bailey giggled, but I shot both of them a glare that quieted them down.
“Huh,” Renee said, and she thought for a moment. “I think I might have a solution, actually, I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll help,” Anna said as she followed Renee to the back of the refinery.
“This will sting,” Paige said as she pressed some alcohol to my cut. It did sting, but I just closed my eyes and breathed through the pain. I was irritated that I had gotten a few scrapes just before we had to go into the fort, but they’d be more annoying than painful, so I was sure I could manage.
“Is he alright?” Kimmy asked as she walked up and looked over Paige’s shoulder at my bicep.
“He’s fine,” Paige assured her. “Just some scrapes, but you can never be too careful.”
“Right,” Kimmy said as she watched Paige work. “It’s amazing that you’re able to do this without technical training.”