by Eric Vall
The brunette nodded and took off in front of the pack. She led us down the road to the interstate, but instead of getting on I-87 we hopped on the road right next to it, Hwy 9.
Paige knew exactly where she was going, and she led us from road to road with ease. We stopped a couple of times to get a drink of water and to have a snack, but for the most part we just kept riding as long as we could. We wound up on Hwy 4, which Paige said would take us straight to the refinery.
We had gone at least twenty miles that day, and the sun had begun its downward descent toward the horizon. The road we were on was quite rural, so I waited until I spotted an alcove of trees on the side of the road, then I hollered for the girls.
“Pull off,” I said as I stopped my bike.
“What’s going on?” Anna asked as she came up next to me.
“Thank God,” Tara groaned, and she crawled off her bike and collapsed onto the ground.
“We’re going to stop here for the night,” I said.
“We’re almost there, though,” Anna said, then she looked to Paige. “Aren’t we?”
“Yeah,” the brunette agreed. “A little over five miles.”
“Right,” I said. “And that’s why we’re going to stay here tonight. It will be dark within an hour or so, and we don’t want to camp out anywhere near the refinery where we might be spotted.”
“Good point,” Anna said.
“Do you think they have patrols?” Paige asked.
“They might,” I said. “But not for five miles out, so we’ll be fine here for the night. We’ll head there first thing in the morning.”
“This is a nice little alcove,” Bailey said with a smile.
“I thought so,” I agreed.
“I’ll start a fire,” Paige said.
“I can put up the tent,” Anna offered.
“I’ll help,” Bailey said.
“You guys do that,” Tara said from her spot on the ground.
“You’re really not going to help?” Anna asked with a raised brow.
“I’ll cook,” the platinum blonde offered.
“I guess that’s good enough,” the redhead said with an eye roll.
I collected some wood for the fire while Paige got a pit made, and Anna and Bailey set up the small tent we had brought with us.
It didn’t take long for the alcove to look like a nice little campsite. The bikes were all leaned up against a set of trees, we had our fire pit in the middle, the tent set back against the trees, and I had found a couple of large logs for us to sit on.
“Alright,” Anna said after everything was set up. “We did all the work, time to get up and cook some dinner.”
“Fine by me,” Tara said as she sat up. “I feel better.”
“I’m sure you do after a half hour of laying on the ground,” the redhead chuckled.
“Normally I wouldn’t lay on the ground,” Tara said, “but I was exhausted, and this grass is nice.”
The platinum blonde dug around in our bags for a good combination of canned goods, then poured them into a pot and set it on the fire.
“It should be ready in a bit,” she said.
“So,” Anna said. “What’s our plan for the refinery?”
“We’ll know more once we do some reconnaissance,” I said.
“Are we going to do reconnaissance all day tomorrow?” Bailey asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I want to know what we’re dealing with. We need to see what their daily routine looks like.”
“We can’t shoot the refinery though, right?” Tara asked. “Like we couldn’t shoot the meth house?”
“Actually,” I said. “Bailey is the only one who won’t be able to shoot at the refinery.”
“What?” the blonde hippie asked.
“He’s right,” Paige said. “Normal bullets won’t cause an explosion, but a round at a high enough speed that can ignite through air friction could.”
“Dang,” Bailey said with a frown.
“You’re telling me we have to do this without Bailey?” Tara asked with wide eyes.
“Not exactly,” I said. “I’m just saying she won’t be able to shoot her new .50 cal into the refinery.”
“Honestly, I don’t think we want to, either,” Paige said. “We don’t want to damage any of the equipment.”
“Right,” I agreed. “We technically can shoot into the refinery without causing an explosion, but we’re going to try to avoid that at all costs.”
“Another ‘lure people out’ situation?” Tara asked with a raised brow.
“Possibly,” I chuckled. “We’ll know more after tomorrow after we’ve had a chance to scout it out.”
The pot on the fire began to boil, and Tara gave it a stir, then pulled it off and set it aside.
“Brody said there were at least twenty guys there, right?” Paige asked.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “There could be more or less by now, we’ll have to see.”
“I can count,” the brunette offered.
“That would be great,” I said. “It’s a good idea for each of us to have a specific job for reconnaissance.”
“I can keep an eye on patrol patterns,” Anna said.
“Good call,” I told her. “Make sure to mark the time that the shifts change.”
“Got it,” the redhead agreed. “Can I use your watch?”
“Great idea,” I said, and I pulled out the watch and handed it to her.
“What can I do?” Bailey asked.
“Hm.” I thought for a moment. “Actually, Bailey, I want you to take Paige’s job.”
“Why?” the brunette asked.
“Because I want you to map out the refinery instead,” I said.
“Oh,” Paige said. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“So I’m counting all the men?” Bailey asked.
“Yes,” I confirmed.
“Okay,” she said. “I can do that.”
“And me?” Tara asked. “What do you want me to do?”
“You’ll be with me,” I said. “We’re going to make our way around the refinery and see what we can find.”
“Nice,” the platinum blonde said with a grin.
Tara dished us each a bowl full of stew, and we ate in silence as the fire crackled around us.
“How do you think everyone’s doing back on campus?” Bailey asked as we ate.
“I’m sure they’re fine,” Anna said. “They’re capable.”
“I know,” the blonde hippie said. “I just miss them, I guess.”
“Yeah,” Paige said. “It has been weird being away for so long.”
“I don’t mind it,” Tara said. “It’s been kind of nice having just us out for a while.”
“It has,” I agreed. “But I do worry about the people at home, too.”
“I wonder if the farmers are going to want to go back to their farms soon?” Bailey asked.
“Probably,” I said. “They’ll want to get a jump on planting.”
“They’ll be happy when we bring back some fuel,” Paige said with a grin.
“I’m sure they will be,” I chuckled.
“There’s land out behind the campus,” Bailey said. “Why can’t we plant there? That way nobody has to leave?”
“I’m not sure if that soil is up for the task,” I said. “We can always ask the farmers to check it out, though.”
“What about the Millers?” Anna asked.
“We’re still going to have to take care of their house when we get back,” I said with a shake of my head.
“Do you think we really need the land at their house?” the redhead asked.
“Between Briar and Betty’s house, I bet not,” I said. “We should have more than enough crops.”
“I say we forego using their property, then,” Paige said. “I don’t want to make them go there at all.”
“I agree,” I said. “But also if anybody does want to leave we aren’t going to try to stop them.”
“I don’t want anybody to go,” Baile
y said with a frown. “I like our big family.”
“I do, too,” I said with a soft smile. “But they’ll always be welcome.”
“If anything, they might want to go to the farms for the summer and fall,” Paige pointed out.
“Yeah,” Anna said. “I’m sure they’d come back for winter.”
“And to shower,” Tara said. “I know I’d come back to shower.”
“Probably that, too,” I laughed.
We finished our dinner, and I stared up at the stars. It was a nice spring evening, the air was cool and fresh, and the fire felt good against my tired feet.
“Anna,” Tara hissed.
“What?” the redhead snapped.
“Stop touching my leg,” the platinum blonde said.
“I’m not touching your leg,” Anna said.
I looked up to see that both of the girls sat with their heads up toward the stars, so neither looked at each other when they spoke.
“You’re the only one next to me,” Tara said.
“Well, it’s not me,” Anna said with irritation.
“Well, it has to be,” the platinum blonde retorted with a higher level of irritation.
“Seriously,” the redhead said. “I’m not touching you, see?”
Anna held her legs up above the fire, and Tara turned her head to look.
“Wait,” the platinum blonde said, and her face grew pale. “You’re not touching me.”
“No,” the redhead snapped. “I told you I wasn’t.”
“Guys,” Tara said, and her voice had grown panicked. “Guys, something is touching my leg.”
“What?” Paige asked. “What do you mean?”
“It’s probably just a stick,” Anna said, but she looked down to Tara’s feet and her eyes grew wide.
I couldn’t see because the fire was in my way, but I slowly stood up and walked around the fire toward the platinum blonde.
“There’s something on my leg!” Tara screeched. She was almost in tears, and her face was pulled into a terrible grimace.
“It’s alright,” I said calmly as I made my way toward her.
“Tav,” Anna whispered.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I don’t think I should say,” the redhead whispered.
“Just get it off!” Tara cried.
I finally made it to where I could see Tara’s legs, and I looked down from the platinum blonde’s horrified face to see a large snake wrapped around her left shin.
Chapter 10
“Tara,” I said softly as I watched the snake creep further up her leg.
“What?” the platinum blonde asked through clenched teeth.
“I need you to stay very still,” I said.
“What do you think I’ve been doing?” she snapped, but then the snake moved a bit more, and her body went rigid as she tried not to cry.
“Just don’t move,” I repeated. “Whatever I do, just don’t move.”
The platinum blonde didn’t answer, she just nodded.
“Can I move?” Anna asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Everyone else get over by the tent.”
The girls moved quickly away as Tara’s sobs grew harder.
“Tav,” the platinum blonde cried. “Please hurry.”
“Don’t worry,” I said.
I moved closer to the snake to get an idea of what kind it was. The end of its tail twitched, but there was no rattle, and the more I looked at the snake, the more I knew I recognized it.
It was a milk snake. They were common in New York, and virtually harmless, though I imagined it did hurt some if they managed to bite you.
I watched as the snake rose up further on Tara’s leg, then I quickly reached my hand out and grabbed it just below the head. The body tried to cling to Tara’s shin, but I pulled him off and held him out.
“Oh my God!” Tara screamed, and she jumped up and ran to the other girls.
“It’s huge,” Anna said, and she looked away.
“Kill it!” Paige shouted.
“Calm down,” I chuckled. “It’s just a milk snake.”
“What do you mean just a milk snake?” Tara asked with a hand on her hip. “That thing came into our campsite and tried to strangle my leg!”
“Wait,” Bailey said. “Did you say it’s a milk snake?”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “They’re harmless.”
“He’s right,” the blonde agreed as she walked toward me and the snake. “People keep them as pets.”
“Well, people are fucking crazy,” Tara said. “I want that thing decapitated!”
“Easy there, Don Corleone,” I joked.
“What?” the platinum blonde asked, but Anna laughed.
“It’s from The Godfather,” the redhead explained, then she pointed at me. “That was good.”
“Thanks,” I said with a grin.
“I don’t care what it’s from,” Tara whimpered, and she hopped up and down and pouted. “Just get rid of it!”
“She’s right,” Paige said. “Even if it’s not poisonous, that was really scary for Tara.”
“Thank you,” the platinum blonde sniffed. “At least someone feels bad for me.”
“Alright,” I said. “I’m sure it was scary. I’ll release him across the road.”
“As far away from here as you can,” Tara said.
I walked the little tan snake with brownish spots on him over to the field on the other side of the street. He was just over three feet long, and I had to chuckle to myself to think that such a harmless little creature had caused such a stir in our camp.
I had seen these girls take on full-grown men with knives, I’d seen them run into battle, and take out opponents twice their size, but somehow a three foot long snake had been what broke them that night.
When I got back to the fire, the girls were all crowded around the flames once more, and Tara leaned her head on Paige’s shoulder.
“It’s getting late,” I said with a soft smile. “We should head to bed soon. I’ll take the first watch.”
“No way,” Tara said. “I can’t sleep, I’ll do it. You should probably check the tent for snakes, though, the door has been open this whole time.”
“Alright,” I laughed. “I’ll check the tent for snakes.”
I smiled to myself as I went through the small tent and all the blankets inside. There were no snakes, but if it would make them feel better, then I would gladly check for monsters under the bed.
“All clear,” I said after a thorough examination of the tent.
“Thank you,” Tara sniffed.
“You aren’t even going to bed right now,” Anna chuckled.
“Yeah, but I’m going to eventually,” the platinum blonde said. “And I think it’s obvious who the snakes are attracted to.”
“Right,” the redhead said with a sarcastic nod.
“Oh, shut up and go to bed,” Tara said. “You wouldn’t be so smug if you had had a snake halfway up your leg.”
“You’re right,” Anna sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” the platinum blonde said
“You girls head to bed,” I said. “I’ll stay up with Tara for a minute.”
“Thank you, Tav,” Tara said, and she gave me puppy dog eyes as I sat down next to her.
The other girls headed inside the tent, and I opened my arms so Tara could cuddle against me.
“Are you alright?” I asked softly.
“Yeah,” the platinum blonde sighed. “That was just nerve wracking.”
“I know,” I said. “You did great, though.”
“I panicked,” she grumbled.
“It’s alright to panic sometimes,” I chuckled.
“You don’t panic,” Tara said.
“I panic when I need to,” I said. “And I think a snake halfway up your leg is a great reason to panic.”
“Thanks,” the platinum blonde said, and then she snuggled her face into my neck.
Her breath was hot against me, a
nd the feel of her drove me crazy as I pulled her closer.
I knew she had just been through a traumatic experience, but she felt so good I wanted to take her right then and there.
“Alright,” I said, and I kissed her on the head. “Are you sure you’re okay to take the first guard shift?”
“Yeah,” the platinum blonde agreed. “I’m good. I do have one favor, though.”
“What’s that?”I asked.
“Kiss me,” she purred as she looked me right in the eyes.
“Gladly,” I said with a soft smile, and I leaned down to capture her plump, pink lips with my own.
Tara kissed me deeply as she reached around to tangle her fingers in my hair.
I traced my fingers along her sides, then back up to undo her ponytail and let her long, platinum blonde hair fall down her back.
I pulled her closer to me as my tongue entered her mouth, and she moaned into me as she pressed her chest against my own. I reached down to unzip her sweater quickly and pull her black tank top over her head to reveal a lacy pink bra I hadn’t seen before.
“You like it?” the platinum blonde asked, and she bit her lip.
“I love it,” I said as I cupped one breast in each hand and watched as Tara threw her head back with a moan.
I kissed her deeply once more as I stroked my thumbs over the top of her bra and felt her push her breasts harder into my hands.
I broke my mouth free to kiss down her chin to her neck.
“God, you’re so gorgeous,” I breathed into her ear.
“I want you,” she whispered back, and she ran her nails down my chest.
“How bad?” I asked in a husky voice.
“I’m soaking wet,” the platinum blonde panted.
My head tilted back at that confession as my erection pushed against the front of my jeans in a tireless attempt to get out of my pants.
Tara must have sensed that as well, because she crouched in front of me, and her lacy pink bra barely contained her ample chest.
I watched as she slowly unzipped my pants, pulled my erection free, and licked it from base to tip.
“Fuck,” I groaned.
“Mmm,” the platinum blonde cooed. “You taste so good.”
She wrapped her supple lips around my cock and worked her way all the way down until I could feel that I was in her throat, then she held herself there for a moment and I felt myself twitch inside her mouth.