After the Crash

"Don't touch me," Ky said defensively, the moment I put my hand on her. Her voice was hard. I pulled my hand away, before opening my mouth to apologize. I didn't mean it as an aggressive touch. But she stopped me before I could speak, “don’t touch anyone, but especially, don’t touch me.” She turned quick. I didn’t get the chance to respond before she began toward Dale’s tent. I decided to let it be and walked back over to where Mac was.

Mac nodded as I took my seat, “problems with the warden?” I shrugged, and he continued, “any advice for my watch shift.”

“Well, don’t talk to her, don’t touch her, and if you can manage it,” I smiled, “try not to breath.”

“How was the trip,” he raised his eyebrow.

“Rough,” I let out a deep breath. He took a bite of his food, before giving me a look that said he was intrigued. I let out a deep breath, "Mac, these were a vulgar lot of men, kind that even the PCD wouldn't associate with, and the one in charge, complete pig. Should have seen the way he felt her up," I paused because Mac had his eyebrow raised. I released the tension in my hands, and went on, "anyway, I wasn't allowed in the back, so I had to wait outside with his moronic lackeys. After a while, I couldn't put up with their talk and let it slip that we were leavin' soon and their boss wasn't going to get any alternative payment." I shrugged, "they didn't like this." He laughed, and I went on, "basically started a brawl in there, almost got the two of us killed."

He raised an eyebrow, "you okay?"

I shrugged, "I was pretty lucky, bullet grazed my arm, but given the situation, it could have been much worse.”

He raised an eyebrow, “should I look at it?” I shook my head. “I should at least clean it out,” he said, and I nodded. He took a spoonful of rice, then after giving it a thorough chew, he shrugged, “graze on the arm isn’t bad, especially if you got what went for.”

“We did,” I nodded, “but she took a bullet to the shoulder.”

“You’re telling me the girl who just berated everyone here for sitting too close to each other took a bullet,” I nodded. He looked past me. I turned, seeing her walk out of Dale's tent, then turned back to Mac. He shook his head, looking at me, “she’s walkin’ around here like nothing happened.”

I nodded, “had me pull it out with a knife.”

He followed her with an expression of awe on his face. I turned around and found her with a few kids. “Incredible,” he said, and I turned back. He was still looking at her, shaking his head, “I’ve seen trained men twice her size crying and screaming from bullet wounds, even non-fatal wounds. Hell, I've seen a couple decommissioned. But it's like it was nothing. I mean," he finally turned back to me, "she’s got to be in pain, right?”

I took a bite, and shrugged “if she didn’t wince when I pulled it out, I’d believe she really was bionic." He glanced back at her, shaking his head in disbelief. "Mac, you should have seen her," I continued, "I mean, yesterday, I didn't buy it. When they said she kept them safe, or they owed her their lives or any of it. But she was amazing," I shook my head, “her precision ... Guy pulled a gun on me, and she shot it from his hand, like a cowboy from a Western movie." I shook my head, "like it was nothing." He looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "It's just," I shrugged, “she’s …”

“Not in the market for a hero,” he nodded.

“No,” I shook my head and looked over, “she’s, just,” I sighed, “I didn’t expect to meet someone like her.”

“Ren,” he looked at me, “don't." His face held a heavy, foreboding kind of expression, which forced my eyebrow up. He sighed, "I know that look you've got on." I shook my head, waving aside the comment. "I get it," he looked at me, "it's been a while since you've been around women, we're in the same boat, but there are several women here to talk to, to pursue as a companion, to protect," he let out a deep breath, "but not her.” I looked at him and laughed. But he wasn't amused, “I’m serious, Ren, I talked to Whitney yesterday," he took a breath, “the girl's not well.”

“I’m not interested in her like that," I insisted, "I'm curious about her abilities." He looked at me, unconvinced. I laughed, "come on." His expression didn't change. I rolled my eyes, "if I'm interested in her at all, it's as a case study, a unique specimen, a sort of anomaly of the human race.”

He laughed, not completely buying my story, “alright, well, I’ll talk to this anomaly of the human race tonight, and I’ll report back my findings.” He looked at me, “and you have a shift with Whitney." He pointed a stern finger at me, "you will report back anything worth reporting.” I nodded. Then he craned his neck around me, and shook his head, “look at Eric.” I turned around to see. Mac yelled, “hey rookie,” Eric looked over, “you heard the warden, five inches, or we’ll all get in trouble.” I laughed as he put the space between himself and Val, then I turned back to Mac. He let out a deep breath and a sigh, “idiot’s going to knock that girl up within the week, and Ky’s gonna castrate him.” I nodded, then after a few more minutes of food, I had to grab Eric and drag him to the tent. The boy was a minute away from making out with his girlfriend. He had the second shift, and I had the fourth. As soon as I got Eric out of harm's way, I was ready to get some rest, some continuous rest. I hadn’t had that for a while. Hours later, I walked out of the tent well rested, threw my rifle over my shoulder, and headed to my post. I tapped Mac on the shoulder, then took his place. Whitney hadn't come out yet.

Ky watched Mac as he walked toward the tents, "your friend asks a lot of questions." I raised an eyebrow. She turned her gaze forward, "I'll wait with you 'til Whit gets here." She looked at me through the corner of her eyes, "can't leave you alone."

"Still not ready to trust me," I looked at her.

"After today," she raised her eyebrow, then scoffed, "if I can't even trust you to keep yourself safe, how can I trust you with my people?"

"They're our people now," I said.

She shook her head, "you don't care about these people. Right now they're useful because they're giving you food, and you probably like the attention. Maybe eventually you'll form a relation, claim one of the girl's as your dolly, or whatever you call your possessions." She paused. She shook her head again, "and still, if a better offer comes along, you and your men will jump." I opened my mouth to protest, but she turned toward me, "I'd be a fool to put my faith in you," she looked away, "and I'd be weaker for it when you leave." I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. I just looked at her, curious. Then she turned, "Whitney's coming." She met Whitney, just out of earshot, said a few things to her that I couldn't hear. I turned my eyes forward, keeping watch.

“Morning,” Whitney came up behind me and handed me a cup. I looked at it, unsure. “It’s coffee,” she said taking a sip from hers, “it’s absolutely awful, and we can’t have it all the time, but it’s coffee, and I thought you could use some.” I raised an eyebrow. She smiled, “how’s the arm, heard you got shot.”

“It barely broke skin,” I looked at her.

“Ky said it wasn’t deep, but she said to watch it,” she smiled, “make sure it doesn’t get infected.”

“Does she get shot a lot,” I raised my eyebrow.

Whitney laughed, “I mean, more than the rest of us, but it’s not a weekly occasion if that’s what you’re asking.” I kept my eyebrow raised. She shrugged, “Ky’s strong, she’s got a high tolerance for pain.” She laughed, "I mean, you wouldn't believe some of the stories I could tell you."

I shook my head, "so she gets herself in trouble, a lot."

She shook her head, "she only gets herself in trouble to help other people out of trouble." I looked at her skeptically, and she raised her eyebrow at me, "she's met Gabe at least a dozen times, and this is the first time she's ever come back with a bullet wound." I opened my mouth, and she laughed, "don't worry, it happens." She shrugged, "I mean, you know what its like out there, from what Mac told me yesterday, you’ve done your share of good deeds since the crash.”

I smiled, “I do my part.”

She smiled, “that’s good, we could use a few more people who pull their weight.” I raised my eyebrow and she shrugged, “if you haven’t noticed, we’ve got very few useful people around here. Sarah takes care of our food. Dale and Rosa assign chores, they play mother and father to everyone here. Rosa was a nurse, so sometimes she helps Sam if needed and Sam’s only useful if he’s playing doctor. We try not to let him keep watch alone; Ky says he'd get us all killed. Jen, Lola, and Val are almost completely useless. Cheyanne and Nikka sometimes help with the domestic stuff. Cali can fish really well, so she’s useful in her own right. Rosa and Ky both try to educate the children, though they hardly see the point of math and reading, not given the current status of the world. I help with hunting and general maintenance. Sometimes Ky and I try to teach the girls self-defense.”

“Mac and I could help with that,” I looked at her, “I wouldn’t trust Eric on the job, he’s a kid, went from high school to basic training to this and right now, given the demographics of this party, he’s only got one thing on his mind.”

“I don’t know how Ky would feel about you two helping with self-defense. She’s really trying to show them that they can’t rely on men,” she laughed, “your assistance might negate her entire lesson.” I raised my eyebrow, and she shook her head, “I wouldn’t mind, I only know as much as Ky’s taught me and I'm pretty sure she’s not trained.”

“You know her story,” I raised an eyebrow.

“Only as much as she’s willing to share,” she said, “and as you might imagine, she’s pretty closed off.”

I nodded, “how bout you, are you closed off?”

She shrugged, “depends, what do you want to know?”

I raised my eyebrow, “before the crash?”

“Pretty boring,” she said, “knocked up at seventeen, worked as a receptionist at a small tech company, never went to college. Just got lucky, started on the ground floor. The company did home repairs and installations. I organized the calendar, answered the phones. When the crash happened, Jen was spending the weekend with me. We hauled up in my basement apartment for a month, until the riots slowed. Then we started moving, but only in the early morning. Got picked up by PCD soldiers about a year in, were transported three times before Ky and Sam rescued us, along with Dale's family. Dale was PCD, met with Ky a few times, he didn’t want Zack to be a PCD soldier and was afraid for Cali. He wasn’t high enough in the ranks to protect her, so he was a willing defector. Cali wouldn’t leave without Cheyanne and thus began our caravan.”

“What happened to the father,” I asked.

“Gone long before the crash,” she said, “how about you?”

“As I said, worked as an on-base attorney,” I said, “when the crash happened the base closed off. We did try to maintain order during the riots, but by then it was too late. Traveled for a while. Course, we were all offered positions with the PCD. There was a good deal of us, who weren’t willing to sign on with them and those who did gave us two days head start to get to Charleston. There was a strong resistance camp there for a while.” She nodded and then I continued, “about a year ago the PCD froze us out, and before our last stand we sent parties of ten in different directions. One headed to Birmingham, another to St. Louis, and the three of us are all that’s left of the Boston party. We were ambushed not long before we met up with you, lost two men, one sold us out to the PCD, and the other was caught in the crossfire.”

She let out a deep breath, “so you think there’s safety in Boston?” I nodded, and she did the same, “we’ve only heard rumors. We can’t get too close to the PCD, Dale and Ky are both wanted. Dale’s got execution waiting for him; they don’t take kindly to defectors.” I nodded, and she shrugged, “I think they've got something different in mind for Ky.”

I nodded, “they’d put her up for breeding.”

She laughed, “whatever their plans for her, they’d torture her first. Her warrant comes from high on the chain of command. She’s got enemies in high places.” I raised my eyebrow, and she laughed, “the ex.”

“Ugly breakup,” I said.

“You know, she could have resigned to a cushy place in their infrastructure,” she said, “or at least that’s what she was told, but as you said, some people just aren’t willing to sign on with them. If we can rebuild, hopefully, it won’t be on their terms. But I’ll tell you, if I were offered the protection and guarantee that she was,” she shrugged, “as a single woman,” she let out a breath, “I don’t know if I’d have it in me to refuse, but for her, it’s not self-preservation," she smiled with a sort of admiration, "its right and wrong.”

“It’s brave,” I said.

“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing,” she said. I nodded, and she continued, “I may not be an ideal ally, but I’ll stand with her.”

I smiled, “a good leader often provokes such thought.”

She looked at me, “I believe with all my heart that the hope for a better future rest with people like her, not because she spins pretty words to rally men behind her, but because she has acted where men have sought refuge, and she’s done so selflessly.” It got quiet and then she continued, “she’s rough around the edges, but if you prove to be a good ally, she’ll come around.”

I nodded, “I hope I get the chance to prove that.”

“We’ve got a long way to Boston,” she said, “and Dale’s right, we need help, especially with our growing numbers.” I nodded my head. She looked down at her watch, “I’m going to get Sarah up to start on breakfast, gotta get things started if we wanna pack up and start movin'.”