Without Law 8

by Eric Vall

  “Really,” I said. “It was the least I could do given the situation.”

  “Well, I appreciate it nonetheless,” the woman said.

  “No problem,” I told her. “Oh, one other thing, did you ever get to examine Kimmy and baby Anthony?”

  “I did,” Marla said with a nod. “I examined them this morning.”

  “Not to pry,” I said. “But how is she doing?”

  “Anthony is doing well,” Marla explained. “Kimmy is a bit worse for wear.”

  “How so?” I asked.

  “She’s a bit malnourished,” she said.

  “How can we help that?” I asked.

  “Well,” Marla sighed. “I think it’s from breastfeeding and not drinking enough water.”

  “Alright,” I said. “So we make sure she drinks extra water each day.”

  “That’s a good start,” Marla agreed. “And she needs to up her eating as well.”

  “Okay,” I agreed. “Did you talk to her about it?”

  “I did.” Marla nodded. “But I got that feeling that she didn’t want to be a burden or to take away from anyone else.”

  “We have plenty of food for the winter,” I said with a shake of my head. “I’ll speak to her about it.”

  “Thank you,” Marla said.

  “But baby Anthony is fine,” I said. “You’re sure?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Actually, like I said, I think that’s why Kimmy is a bit malnourished. She’s feeding him, and her body isn’t keeping any nutrients for itself.”

  “I guess that’s what any good mother would do with that situation,” I said gently.

  “You got that right,” Marla said.

  “Alright,” I chuckled. “I’ll talk to her.”

  “Thanks,” she said, and I headed back out to the common area.

  I made my way back downstairs and found Kimmy sitting with some of the other civilians.

  “Hey, Kimmy,” I said softly. “Can I talk to you?”

  “Sure,” she said, and she stood up and followed me to the stairwell.

  “Marla said she checked you out this morning,” I said.

  “She did,” Kimmy agreed, then she looked at me with large eyes. “Have I done something wrong?”

  “Not at all,” I said. “But Marla warned me that you might be a little underweight.”

  “Oh,” Kimmy said, and she put her head down slightly.

  “Did you already know this?” I wondered aloud.

  “I thought that might be the case,” she said with a nod.

  “It’s nothing to worry about,” I said. “And Marla said baby Anthony is doing just fine.”

  “I was glad to hear that,” she said, and she put her hand over her chest where the baby slept.

  “So for now I want you to make sure you drink plenty of water,” I said. “And up your food intake during meals.”

  “I did not want to take from anyone else,” Kimmy said quietly after a moment. “You all let me come here, but I haven’t done much work.”

  “I didn’t bring you here to work,” I told her gently. “I brought you here to help you.”

  “You are too kind,” she said.

  We were both quiet for a moment as I studied her face. Her deep, brown skin was smooth, her cheekbones were high on her face, and her soft, plump lips were pouty, even when she smiled. I wondered how old she was, and where she had come from.

  “I’m sure things were tough for you out there,” I said. “And Marla explained to me that the reason you’re underweight is because you’ve been feeding Anthony and your body hasn’t been using nutrients for itself.”

  “I couldn’t let him go hungry,” she said, almost defensively.

  “I know,” I told her. “You are a good mother, and you’ve done well to protect your child.”

  “Thank you,” she said, and tears welled in her eyes.

  “So,” I said gently. “Drink plenty of water and up your intake at meal times. I’ll talk to Marla and see what snacks are high in protein for you and we’ll get you some to put in your room.”

  “Thank you,” she repeated, and she cocked her head to look at me. “Until now I didn’t fully understand why you would bring me here.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, genuinely puzzled.

  “That’s what I mean,” she said with a smile. “You are a smart man, Connor. You are wise on many subjects it seems, but what makes you truly remarkable is that you couldn’t fathom why somebody wouldn’t help another person in need.”

  “There have been plenty of people I haven’t helped,” I sighed.

  “I’m sure there have been,” she said. “And I’m sure you have thought about each of them many times.”

  “I have,” I said softly.

  “You are a good person,” she said, and she patted my arm.

  “So are you,” I told her and I looked her in the eyes for a long moment before I cleared my throat. “We should get back to the others.”

  “Alright,” Kimmy said, and I followed her back out to the common area.

  “Stew’s on,” Tara announced with a smile as she walked in from the wood stove room.

  “Thanks for cooking lunch,” I told the platinum blonde.

  “No problem,” she said.

  “Listen,” I whispered to her, and she leaned in. “Make sure Kimmy eats plenty.”

  “Okay,” Tara said, and she looked up at me with concern. “Is she alright?”

  “Marla said she’s a bit malnourished,” I explained.

  “Like, she’s too skinny?” Tara whispered.

  “Yes,” I chuckled.

  “I’m on it,” Tara said with a determined look on her face.

  I watched as the platinum blonde pranced over to where Kimmy sat on the couch. She plopped down next to the woman and gave her a wide grin.

  “So Kimmy,” Tara said. “We don’t know much about you.”

  “I suppose not,” Kimmy chuckled. “I haven’t been here long.”

  “It would be nice to know about you,” Paige said.

  “Yeah,” Anna agreed. “What did you do before all this?”

  “I was a computer engineer,” Kimmy said.

  “No shit,” Paige breathed.

  “Truly,” Kimmy said proudly.

  “What exactly is that?” Tara asked, confused.

  “She made computers,” Paige explained.

  “Not in so few words,” Kimmy said with a smile. “But yes, that’s generally right.”

  “What else did you do?” Anna asked with genuine interest.

  “Well, computer engineers are responsible for a lot of research,” the dark complexioned woman said. “And we do the product development and testing of hardware and CPUs.”

  “Were you from around here?” I asked.

  “Wait,” Tara said, and she held out a hand to me. “So, like, does that mean that you know how to fix electronic stuff?”

  “Generally speaking, yes,” Kimmy said with a nod.

  “Can you fix the TV?” Tara asked very seriously.

  “I’m not sure,” Kimmy laughed. “I’d have to look at it.”

  “Tara,” Paige said. “You’re being rude.”

  “It’s an important question,” the platinum blonde scoffed.

  “Kimmy,” I repeated. “Were you from around here?”

  “I was from a bit farther north,” she answered.

  “So how’d you end up down here?” Anna asked.

  “We were headed south,” Kimmy said. “To my uncle’s farm.”

  “And what’s his deal?” Tara asked while she gestured at the baby strapped to her chest.

  “Tara!” Paige exclaimed.

  “Paige!” Tara exclaimed back. “Yeah, doesn’t feel so good, does it?”

  “It’s alright,” Kimmy told Paige with a laugh. “Anthony was conceived before the EMP.”

  “I remember you telling us that on the drive,” Paige said with a frown. “You found out a mont
h before, right?”

  “Right,” Kimmy confirmed.

  “Who was his dad?” Tara asked.

  “My longtime boyfriend,” Kimmy said with a reminiscent smile. “We met in college.”

  “Wait, how old are you?” Tara asked.

  “I’m twenty six,” Kimmy said.

  “You’re older than all of us,” Anna said.

  “You don’t look older than us,” Tara said, and she eyed the woman up and down. “Good for you, girl. Black don’t crack.”

  “Tara!” Anna groaned.

  “What?” Tara snickered. “It’s true. Besides. Kimmy looks like she can take a joke.”

  “It’s all good,” Kimmy laughed.

  “You’ll get used to Tara,” Anna said.

  “She’s really funny,” Kimmy said, and she smiled at the platinum blonde.

  “So your boyfriend,” Tara said. “He died?”

  “Yes,” Kimmy said, and she turned to Paige. “Did you tell them?”

  “No,” Paige said with a shake of her head.

  “I just assumed,” Tara said.

  “What would make you assume that?” Kimmy asked, puzzled.

  “Well,” Tara said. “You two were together a long time and you had a baby together, so I figured he wouldn’t just up and leave you once the world went to hell.”

  “You are right,” Kimmy chuckled. “He was a good man.”

  “I’m sorry,” Tara said softly.

  “It’s okay,” Kimmy said, and she patted the platinum blonde’s hand.

  “What’s the baby’s name again?” Tara asked.

  “Anthony,” Kimmy answered.

  “Could I hold him?” Tara asked, and she bit her lip.

  “I don’t see why not,” Kimmy said, and she lifted the baby boy out of his sarong on her chest.

  She passed the infant over to Tara who took him gently and set him on her lap.

  “Oh, my God,” Paige cooed, and she moved to crouch on the floor and get a better view of the baby.

  “He’s so cute,” Anna said as she too moved in for a closer look.

  “He’s sending my ovaries into hyperdrive,” Tara said with a grin. “He’s so cute!”

  “Look at his little curls,” Paige said, gently brushing the child’s hair with her fingers.

  “We totally need one of these around,” Tara said.

  “Good thing Kimmy’s here,” I chuckled.

  “Yeah, yeah,” Tara said with an eye roll. “One day I’ll have one of my own.”

  “You barely remember to feed the horses,” Anna teased.

  “I would make a great mother, I’ll have you know,” Tara sniffed.

  “I’m kind of sad that Bailey isn’t here,” Paige said. “She would love to see him.”

  “I’ll let her hold him when she comes back in,” Kimmy promised.

  “Speaking of Bailey,” I said. “Tara, when will lunch be ready?”

  “What?” Tara asked, and she spun her head around to look at me. “Oh, lunch.”

  Tara opened her mouth to speak again, but just then baby Anthony sneezed, and she looked down at him with total amazement as the women laughed and cooed.

  “I’ll just go check on it,” I said to myself, since nobody else was listening.

  I chuckled as the women continued to fawn over the child, and I headed into the wood stove room. I saw the stew sitting on top of one of the stoves in some contraption Rolly must have thrown together. The pot was massive, so I grabbed a large bowl and filled it up and took it to Kimmy.

  Anthony had been passed off to Paige at that point, so Kimmy was empty handed, and I passed her the bowl and mouthed the word ‘eat’. She smiled up at me and took the bowl with a mouthed ‘thank you’.

  I found a large Tupperware and filled it with stew, then I grabbed six regular sized bowls and spoons and took them out to the dorm area. I set the stew on the piano while I threw on my winter gear.

  “Where are you going?” Anna asked.

  “I’m just going to check on the sentries,” I said. “And bring them some lunch.”

  “Do you need help?” Paige asked.

  “No, no,” I said with a smile. “I’ll be fine. In fact, I’m sure Kimmy would appreciate it if you watched Anthony a bit longer so she can finish eating.”

  “We’ll watch him forever,” Tara said, and she turned to Anthony to speak in her best ‘baby voice’. “Won’t we? We’ll watch you forever. Aunty Tara won’t ever give you back.”

  “We’ve created a monster,” I told Kimmy.

  “He likes the attention,” Kimmy said, and she watched the girls fondly.

  I finished putting on my winter gear and weapons, then I grabbed the stew and bowls and stepped out into the cold.

  The top layer of the snow had melted a bit from the sun, and it crunched under my feet with each step. The wind blew slightly, but overall the day was sunny and beautiful.

  I decided to go through the woods once more, and I maneuvered through the trees to get to the sentries. The stew was still hot in my hand, and the heat was a welcome companion as I trudged along.

  Finally, I saw Bailey ahead, and I scanned the area quickly before I called out.

  “Hey Bail,” I said.

  “Tav?” she asked, and she turned around to look at me. “Hey.”

  “How are things down here?” I asked.

  “A few more groups have come through,” the blonde said. “But we’ve got it covered.”

  “I brought you all some hot lunch,” I said, and I raised the tupperware up slightly.

  “That sounds great,” Bailey said with a wide grin.

  “Everybody,” I said loudly so all the sentries could hear. “I brought you lunch, come grab some. I’ll keep watch while you eat.”

  “Oh, hell yeah,” I heard Jeff say, and I heard rustling from all around as everyone got up from their positions and made their way over to me.

  Jeff, Jenny, Joe, Donna, and Mike all made their way over to me and circled around.

  “Here,” I said as I passed the bowls and Tupperware to Bailey. “Dish everyone up, I’ll keep watch.”

  “Thanks,” the blonde said.

  I headed down to the tree line and pulled my rifle off my back.

  “Oh, my God,” I heard Donna moan behind me. “This is delicious.”

  “I don’t even know what’s in it,” Joe laughed. “But it’s warm and good tastin’, what else can you ask for?”

  “Not much,” Bailey chuckled.

  I kept watch while the sentries ate, and I scanned the area as I did. I saw more bodies piled up by the bridge. It seemed that soon there wouldn’t be any room to walk, it would all be a mass of corpses. I was fine with that if it kept people from trying to get up to our home, but I grimaced when I thought about the cleanup in the spring.

  “I think everyone is done,” Bailey said as she came up behind me. “Did you eat yet?”

  “Not yet,” I said, but just as I was about to speak again I heard a loud yell from down the road.

  I repositioned my rifle quickly, and Bailey was on the ground next to me with her eye in her scope before I could even blink.

  “Well, now,” a leather clad guy said as he appeared in our eyeline.

  He walked with an easy going gait that told me he was far too confident in his abilities. He had an M16 in one hand, a pistol strapped to his hip, and he wore blue jeans, cowboy boots, a leather vest, and a large hat.

  “This must be the famous body dump we’ve been hearin’ so much about,” he called out.

  The rest of his group followed closely behind him, and I noticed that they each had an M16, but the frontman was the only one with a pistol. The others in the group wore vests that matched their leader’s, and similar cowboy boots and jeans.

  “Why don’t you all come out of those woods and fight me like a man, eh?” the guy hollered with a laugh, and he swung his rifle in an arc that spanned the trees around the bridge. “Or are you too big of pussies!”

  �
��Murderous bastards is what they are,” another guy in the group with missing front teeth said. It looked like he had been in far too many bar fights and his nose was permanently crooked from having it broken one too many times.

  “Murderous bastards,” the first guy repeated, and he spit on the ground.

  “Yer a bunch a cowards!” another guy yelled.

  “Takin’ people out from the trees,” the leader tsked. “Not very manly of you at all.”

  I heard a rustle near me and I looked to see that Jeff had grown agitated, he looked like he was ready to hop up and go out there and whoop this guy’s ass.

  “Easy,” I whispered. “Everyone stay in position.”

  “We know you’re in there!” the leader yelled as he paced back and forth with his strange, jaunty gait. “Come on out now, little boys. We won’t hurt ya.”

  I scanned my group of sentries once more and gave them each a hard look that said ‘don’t fucking move’. The last thing I needed was for someone to run out into these assholes’ trap and get themselves shot. This guy was just trying to egg us out, but I wasn’t about to play into his little game.

  The leaders rifle swung back and forth as he walked, and I shook my head at his blatant disregard for such a powerful weapon.

  “No?” the leader asked after a moment. “Well, suit yourself then.”

  I had my scope trained on the guy, but he was quick. He pulled his rifle up and sprayed into the woods. It was obviously in full auto mode, and bullets whizzed by me and my team. I quickly readjusted and fired one bullet that took him down with a shot to the dome. The gun continued to fire for another second as the guy went down with his finger still pressed on the trigger.

  “Fuck you!” another one in the group yelled, but Bailey took him out before he could even lift his rifle.

  “I’ve been hit!” Joe called out.

  “Bailey,” I said, and the blonde nodded.

  Within one breath she let off four more rounds and took down each guy with the slightest adjustments to her rifle for each shot.

  “Got ‘em,” she breathed.

  The two of us shot up and headed to where Joe laid on the ground.

  “Where were you hit?” I asked seriously.

  “My shoulder,” the man breathed, and he rolled around in pain.

  “We need to get him to Marla,” Bailey said.

  “I need you to stay down here,” I told her quickly.