Without Law 3

by Eric Vall

  “That smells amazing,” Anna said as I set down the food.

  “Rabbit, good choice,” Paige groaned as she looked at the food and licked her lips.

  “Thanks, Tav,” Bailey said with a smile as she grabbed a granola bar from the tray.

  “Yeah, thanks,” Tara said. “You really didn’t have to do this for us.”

  “It just felt right,” I said with a shrug. “Plus, I haven’t made any food for us lately.”

  “Well I appreciate it,” Rolly said. “Oh hey, while you were cooking I was thinking about the whole moving target thing. I think I could rig up a simple little box with wheels that we could set a target on and then pull around with ropes.”

  “That sounds like a solid plan,” I said as I started to load plates with food and pass them around. “That’s really all we are looking for too. We don’t need anything fancy.”

  “I’ll start on that after breakfast then,” he replied.

  “Much appreciated,” I said.

  For a few minutes no one spoke as we all sat around the table and stuffed our faces with hot meat, sweet fruit, and slightly stale granola. Though there were enough happy groans as people bit into the rabbit to let me know that the meal had been well received.

  “Oh, that was good,” Anna said as she pushed an empty plate away from her and leaned back in her chair.

  “Yeah, you don’t really expect us to get up and go after that meal do you?” Paige teased.

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have eaten so much,” I replied with a grin.

  “Well then maybe you shouldn’t have made it all taste so good,” Paige said.

  “I didn’t stuff myself,” Bailey chimed in. “I’m good to go whenever.”

  “Same,” Tara added. “I mean, I’m a little full but I’ll get over it.”

  “Good enough for me,” I said as I pushed myself away from the table and stood up. “Take your dishes to the kitchen and then go gear up. I want you all loaded with a long gun, pistol, spear, spare magazines, and your backpack full of supplies. I will check you all over once you arrive and when I am satisfied with your loadout, we will head to the bridge and do this all again.”

  “Alright, but if I throw up it’s your fault,” Paige said.

  “At least then you’d have room for more food,” Bailey joked.

  “That’s one way to look at it,” I chuckled. “Now get moving or I might just make you run it twice.”

  “Yes sir,” Tara said before she gave me a sloppy salute and rushed out of the library with the others.

  “You really know how to get those girls moving,” Rolly said.

  “They aren't exactly hard to motivate,” I said with a shrug. “Especially when their lives depend on it.”

  “I suppose,” the grey haired man said. “Still, I think you’re good for them.”

  “Thanks, I am just making sure they are prepared,” I said.

  Rolly nodded and groaned as he pushed himself to his feet. The older man yawn and stretched before he emptied the last of the coffee into his cup. “Well, I’m gonna go get to work. You guys have fun out there.”

  “You too,” I said. “Good luck with your idea.”

  “Thanks, but it shouldn’t be too hard,” he replied. Then he downed his coffee, set the cup on the table, and left the building.

  I left a moment later and went to my room to gather all of my gear as well. I had my rifle, my pistol, my knife, and my backpack was filled with some medical supplies, simple food, and extra ammo. After loading up I went downstairs and found the girls awaiting me.

  Each of them was decked out in their full gear set. Anna had the SKS slung over a shoulder, Bailey had her meticulously cleaned AR-15 with 4x sight cradled in her arms, while Paige carried the tactical black Mossberg 500 pump shotgun on her backpack and a Wilson Combat AR-9 9mm carbine in her hands. Tara had an old National Guard M16A2 hanging from one shoulder, and they each had their sidearm of choice strapped to them. Most wore it on their hip or thigh, but Bailey went for an older style shoulder holster.

  “Looks good ladies,” I said. I did a quick inspection of each of the four women. Their backpacks had food, water, and medical supplies. They all had at least two extra magazines, and in Paige’s case, a bandoleer of extra shotgun shells as well, and each one of them had their spear strapped to the side of their backpack. On top of that they were all wearing jeans, hiking boots, and t-shirts or tank tops. They looked ready for a day in rugged terrain. Though I was not entirely sure why Paige had decided to bring two guns.

  “You really shouldn’t carry both the shotgun and that carbine,” I said

  “I really like the shotgun,” she said with a shrug. “It will make a big mess of some asshole’s chest if I shoot them. Don’t worry, I will be alright carrying both.”

  “You sure?” I asked. “It’s a bunch of ext--”

  “I did my research,” the brunette said with a grin. “I want to be sure that I’m prepared to protect the other girls in case someone slips by too fast and gets close. Plus, the entire time we are in town we will be fighting in fairly tight spaces. The only downside to this Mossberg is going to be reloading.”

  “Alright, but if I see that it’s slowing you down then you leave the shotgun at home next time,” I said.

  “Fair enough” she replied.

  “Alright, you are all prepared,” I said. “Now let’s go and do it all again.” Then I hopped on the beat up black Triumph motorcycle and led the group back to the bridge. From there we stashed our vehicles just inside the forest where we could easily reach them, got into position, and started another run-through of the plan.

  It went smoothly, and if any of the girls had any complaints they decided against sharing them. Instead they trucked along like good soldiers and stayed alert and attentive during the entire process. Despite them carrying their weapons not once did they slip up and do anything stupid. They either had them stowed or pointed in a safe direction the entire time.

  Everyone was out of breath by the time we finished up and emerged from the forest at the back of the campus grounds. Not even Anna, our resident athlete, was spared. The moment we were finished the four girls started to strip off their backpacks and set their weapons in the grass. A moment later they slumped to the ground as well and sat there as they sucked in large lungfuls of air.

  “I’m proud of you guys,” I said once I caught my breath enough to speak. “We are going to do that run at least twice a day in full gear until the bikers come, but I feel you guys are ready now.”

  “I feel like we are doing pretty well too,” Anna said. “We didn’t really have any issues with that last run.”

  “Adding in our gear made that uphill trek kinda brutal, but it felt good to know we can do this so smoothly,” Paige added with a nod.

  “Do we get to shoot now?” Bailey asked.

  “Yeah,” I chuckled. “We can go shoot now.”

  “I’ve been looking forward to this all morning,” the blonde hippie said with a smile.

  “Then come on,” I said as I started out for the range and waved for them to follow. “Let’s see if Rolly has gotten his moving target all put together yet.”

  The girls grunted as they picked themselves up off the grass, but they grabbed their guns and followed after as I headed over to the shooting range where I saw Rolly tinkering with something.

  I got closer and saw the strange contraption that he had put together. There was a square base with what looked to be office chair wheels on the bottom. A four foot length of 2x4 stuck up from the base, and the handyman had already stapled a target in place. On either side of the base a rope was attached so that the whole construct could be pulled along. The rope was long enough, so that whoever pulled it could stand a good fifty feet off to one side and be well out of the field of fire. It was a crude first attempt, but it was perfect for today, and I knew I couldn’t have come up with anything better given the timeframe.

  “What is that?” Tara asked as she walked up a
nd saw the strange thing.

  Rolly stood up, wiped off his pants, put his hands on his hips, and smiled at the thing. “It’s a dummy, of sorts. I think I can come up with something better given enough time, but I tested it, and the thing rolls along just fine.”

  “That’s all that matters,” I said. “Is the bottom weighted down enough so that it wouldn't topple over when we pull it?”

  “Yep, took care of that first,” Rolly confirmed.

  “Perfect,” I said before I turned to face the team. “Alright, pick a lane. I’m going to be the one pulling the target along. I want you guys just to focus on hitting the target. You don’t need to go for any particular spot right now. Just hitting the paper will be good.”

  “Got it,” Anna said.

  “Doesn’t sound so hard,” Paige said as she started to set up.

  “Don’t get cocky,” I said. “This is a different sort of challenge than you are used to.”

  “We’ll see about that,” Tara said with a smirk.

  I was all for the girls growing confident, but if they got overconfident, we could run into trouble. This exercise would probably help to humble them a little though. They had little experience shooting a moving target aside from the wolves, and those charged right at us making the shots a little easier.

  “Hey, so, like, this gun can be automatic, right?” Tara asked.

  “Sure can,” I confirmed with a nod.

  “Can I try that out, please?” Tara begged

  “All it’s going to do is burn through ammo,” I said. “Automatic fire is most useful for suppressing the enemy, not hitting them. Let’s just stick with semi auto for now. We might work on automatic fire at a later point.”

  “Oh, fine,” the platinum blonde pouted.

  “Rolly, you’re shooting today too,” I told the grey haired man.

  “You sure?” he asked.

  “Of course, you need the practice just as much as they do,” I explained. “Plus it’s fun, and you already did your work for the day.”

  “Alright, I’ll grab a gun,” he replied.

  While the team got ready, I positioned the target on the left side of the range so I could run and pull it far to the right. Then I would have them unload their guns so I could switch sides and do it again going the opposite direction. It was going to be a very simple practice, but I figured I could challenge them a little by changing the speed at which the target moved.

  “We’re all set here,” Anna called over to me as she gave me a thumbs up.

  “Alright, ear protection in,” I yelled back as I balled up the small orange foam bits and stuffed them into my ears. Then I picked up the rope and got ready to move. At first I planned to just walk the target to let the girls get used to the idea of tracking a target. “Range is hot. You get five shots at the target. Once it reaches the edge of the range cease fire and unload your weapons.”

  Everyone gave me a nod and hunkered down into position as I started to walk.

  We spent an hour out there playing with our simple target. They did pretty well when it moved slowly, but a couple of them, notably Tara and Paige, had a little trouble with the follow through at first. Then I picked up my pace and jogged the target back and forth. It took them a minute to learn how much to lead the target, but once they did, they got that too, but it was when I started to run with it that they really had trouble. They were not used to tracking something moving that fast and several of them would panic shoot for fear of missing their opportunity. However, Bailey and Rolly caught on fast, and were able to help the others slow down and take their time enough to put a few shots on the paper.

  Next, I mixed it up my changing the speed of the target at random. The erratic movement forced them to think on their feet and choose the right moment to shoot. Bailey was again exceptional at this. She truly was a natural with a gun, and it made me a little sad to think that the only reason she got to discover this talent was because of the EMP.

  Once everyone had emptied their two magazines, we called it quits for the day. I didn’t want to burn through our bullets too fast, and everyone had been working hard.

  “That was a shit ton of fun,” Anna said as we all sat down and started to strip and clean our weapons.

  “Yeah, you were right Tav, that was certainly a bit different from just shooting at stationary targets,” Paige admitted.

  “You guys still did pretty well,” I said. “Especially for having so little experience.”

  “I feel like I might have a better chance at hitting wolves now,” the platinum blonde said.

  “Don’t worry, Bailey can do it for you if you can’t,” Anna teased.

  “No joke,” Rolly said. “You’re a really Annie Oakley there Bailey.”

  “Who's that?” the blonde hippie asked.

  “She was a famous female sharpshooter,” I said. “She was one of the most amazing shots to ever live.”

  “She sounds like a badass,” Tara said. “How come I never heard about her?”

  “I have,” Paige said.

  “Yeah, me too,” Anna added.

  “Damn, I feel like maybe I missed out on something growing up,” Bailey said.

  “I know there are a couple books about her in the library,” Paige said. “I can find them for you if you want. She was a pretty amazing woman.”

  “Wait, she didn’t, like, kill a bunch of people or hunt animals to extinction or anything did she?” Bailey asked.

  “No, she was a performer,” Anna said, “and, from what I’ve read, a pretty good human being.”

  “How the heck did I never hear about this girl?” Tara asked.

  “Well maybe you guys can read up on her this afternoon,” I chuckled.

  “I don’t know if I will have the energy for that,” Bailey said.

  “How come?” I asked.

  “Well I don’t know, you haven’t told us what we are going to do next,” the blonde replied with a shrug.

  “Once you finish cleaning your guns, you guys are done for the day,” I said.

  “Wait, really?” Paige asked.

  “Yeah, we could all use a little break,” I said. “Take the rest of the day off and be ready to get back to it tomorrow.”

  “Oh my god, thank you!” Tara exclaimed. She hurried to reassemble her rifle which was now clean and coated in a fresh layer of gun oil.

  “I call shower first!” Bailey called out.

  “Damnit,” Anna grumbled.

  “I call second,” Tara said quickly.

  “Aw come on,” the athletic redhead whined. “I haven't gotten to use the shower yet.”

  Tara pouted for a moment but then nodded. “Okay, fine. I suppose it’s only fair that you get a turn.”

  “You’re the best,” Anna said as she hugged her friend.

  “I guess,” Tara grumbled.

  I chuckled and shook my head. Clearly one shower was not enough. The first one didn’t take that long to put up, so I wanted to install a second one. If all went well there was even a chance that we would have time to get that done tomorrow. However, today some of the girls would have to suffer and go without a shower.

  Everyone quickly finished maintaining their gear and ran for the dorms to get their stuff stowed away. They then dispersed and went their own way to enjoy some much needed time off. Even Rolly put his stuff away, grabbed a book, and spent the majority of the day reading out in the sun.

  The main thing I noticed with the transition was the sense of urgency the girls all had. They moved quickly, and with a driven purpose. They all had matured and learned a bunch in the last few weeks, and I felt my chest swell with a bit of pride when I realized that they were my lovers.

  They were no longer sheltered liberal arts major college coeds. They were now badass babes that I loved more and more every day.

  Once it got dark we all met up again out by the firepit. Everyone was in an exceptionally good mood as Tara worked on dinner. We didn’t even drink that night, but Paige did spend a while si
nging for us.

  Her soft and smooth voice floated through the cool evening air as she covered her favorite songs from a variety of genres. No one spoke, we instead just sat and listened to her in a state of comfortable awe. Every time one of the girls was kind enough to show off their musical talent it reminded me of the things I actually missed. Music was definitely one of those things. Still, I wouldn’t give up all I had here even if it meant I could see all of my favorite bands live.

  Paige finished, and took a seat as Tara passed out plates of hot wolf, and the last of our fresh vegetables from Betty’s farm.

  “That was wonderful,” Anna said as she started to eat.

  “Thanks,” Paige said as she went a light shade of red. “For years I wouldn’t sing in front of anyone. I was so afraid they would say I was terrible.”

  “Well you have yet to disappoint us with your music,” Rolly said.

  “I wouldn’t mind hearing it more often,” I said.

  “Same,” Tara added.

  “I’ll sing more if you’ll play the piano for us more,” Paige offered.

  “That’s fair,” Tara said.

  “Does this mean we can expect weekly music nights?” Bailey asked with a big smile.

  “I think it might,” Paige said.

  “Man, this day keeps getting better and better,” Anna said.

  “What I have to say might add to that,” I said.

  “Oh?” Anna asked as she looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

  “Tomorrow everyone can sleep in,” I said.

  Everyone around the fire, including Rolly, let out a cheer at my words.

  I laughed and shook my head before I took another bite of wolf.

  “It must be the weekend,” Tara said.

  “Might as well be,” Bailey said.

  “Well I’m still going to work you once you get up,” I said. “I’m going to check the traps in the morning, but once I am done with that we are going to load up in full gear and run the place through a couple more times.”