Without Law 18 by Eric Vall (most difficult books to read .txt) 📗

the Skysweeper. It had taken us a good ten minutes just to get the damn thing hooked to the jeep. I had to leave the generator behind, but I knew our forces had more diesel generators on hand we could use, so it wouldn’t render the machine inoperable.

I pulled out onto the main road in Norfolk and hit the gas. I couldn’t go as fast as I would like with the Skysweeper behind us, but I went as fast as I felt I possibly could go, which still felt like crawling since all I could think about was the time ticking by.

“So, who’s gonna operate this thing?” Anna asked, and she pointed behind us with her thumb.

I pursed my lips and thought for a moment. Usually, I’d say one of the girls should operate it, but considering our attack plan, I wanted them free to move about wherever they might be needed.

“I think it’s best if we get a few of the civilians to operate it,” I answered. “Maybe the doomsday prepper guys.”

“You don’t want one of us to do it?” Paige asked.

“Yeah.” Bailey nodded. “I’ll volunteer. I can do it.”

“Hey, if we get to volunteer, then I want in on that,” Tara said.

“Really?” Anna asked.

“Um, yeah,” Tara said with a look of disbelief. “Who wouldn’t want to shoot an airplane out of the sky? That’s badass.”

“It is,” I chuckled. “But for the time being, I’m going to assign it to someone else.”

“What?” Tara asked. “Why?”

“You all are valuable,” I told them. “And until everyone’s positions are locked down completely, I don’t want to assign you to anywhere in case I need you somewhere else.”

“That makes sense.” Paige nodded.

“If you’re just trying to butter us up by telling us we’re valuable, then you’ve succeeded,” Tara said with a fake glare.

“Good,” I laughed. “But it’s true, too. I couldn’t do any of this without you girls.”

“Oh, whatever,” Anna teased. “If it wasn’t us, then I’m sure you would have just found four other girls to pal around with.”

“Right, because beautiful, intelligent women are everywhere in the apocalypse,” I chuckled.

“You never know.” Tara shrugged. “They totally could be.”

“I mean, we do know, though,” Anna said. “We’ve picked up quite a few women since this all started, remember?”

“True,” Tara said, and she pursed her lips. “Most of them are pretty, at least.”

“Tara!” Paige chastised.

“What?” The platinum-blonde shrugged. “I’m not naming names or anything, but there are a few… unfortunate-looking girls in our group.”

“You’re talking about the chick from the women’s compound who refuses to shave her legs, aren’t you?” Anna asked.

“Oh, my god!” Tara exclaimed. “She has to have been growing them out for, like, yeaaarrsss at this point. Yeeeaaarrrss!”

“It’s not that bad,” Bailey laughed.

“It’s terrible,” Tara declared. “And it’s worse because she always wears shorts and skirts. It’s like she wants me to look at it.”

“I don’t think she cares if you look at it,” Anna giggled.

“You should be nicer about it,” Paige chastised. “Pretty soon you’re not going to be able to reach your legs to shave them.”

“Okay, one,” Tara said, and she held up a finger. “That’s not for months and months.”

“Ehhhh, I’d take off one of those months,” Anna said.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah,” Tara said, and she wagged her finger in Anna’s face, then turned it back to Paige. “Two, when that happens Bailey will help me.”

“Me?” Bailey laughed. “Why do I have to help you shave your legs?”

“Because you’re the nicest one here, and I know you won’t be able to resist helping a pregnant lady,” Tara said with a half shrug, as if it were completely obvious. “Especially if I cry.”

“I mean… yeah, you’re right,” Bailey chuckled.

“See?” Tara asked Paige, and she lifted her chin to the side. “I’ll get my legs shaved when I’m too fat to reach them. That chick has no excuse.”

“Okay, one, her name is Melissa,” I laughed. “And two, you’re not going to be fat, you’re going to be pregnant.”

“Eh, same difference.” Tara shrugged. “I’m okay with it.”

“You’re okay with us calling you fat?” Anna asked.

“I said I’m okay with being fat,” Tara corrected. “Not with you calling me fat.”

“Can I call you fat?” Bailey asked. “It only seems fair since I’m going to have to shave your legs.”

“Fine,” Tara said. “But only because I know you won’t.”

“How do you know me so well?” Bailey guffawed.

“I spend like every day with you, duh,” Tara replied.

I shook my head at the girls’ conversation and focused back on the road. Their silly talk had made the trip go by a lot faster since I had something else to focus on. We were nearly to the bridge that led to Yorktown, and after we crossed it, then we’d only be about ten minutes from our destination.

The sun was still high in the sky, but it had floated west, so I knew it was at least mid-afternoon. We still had a few hours until sunset, but the NK troops were supposed to arrive right around that time, so we had to make those hours count.

Lately, the shorter days of fall either worked against us, or in our favor. Luckily, today it was in our favor. If the NK troops showed up around sunset, that would give our group more cover.

I doubted they would show up after it got dark, but late evening was definitely on the table, and I always found twilight to be more difficult to see in than the actual darkness of night. Once my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I could see in the dark just fine, but during twilight the light was changing by the second, so the eyes had to constantly adjust. It was that adjustment that made it so incredibly difficult