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Chapter Sixteen
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Baelil wiped the sweat off of his forehead and the back of his neck as he stopped to rest his horse. Reaching into his saddle bag, he pulled out a fresh shirt. Stripping the sweat soaked polo from his muscle defined torso, he rolled it up and put it in a small sack that was designated for such a purpose and donned a clean one that had been rinsed in lavender water to help retain its brightness and, therefore, gave off a light and refreshing lavender scent. They’d combed the area for weeks without any sign of the girl and her companions. How could they just up and disappear?
“She has to be here somewhere,” Ari groaned as she pulled her horse up next to his and released the reins so that it could graze on the thick blades of grass that not only managed to survive the nuclear holocaust, but they’d grown back stronger than ever.
It never ceased to amaze Baelil about how flexible and adaptable nature could be when it came to survival.&nbs
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Rex pulled his leg from the clear, cool water of the stream that he’d been fortunate to stumble upon hours earlier. The wound on his leg looked cleaner, and the bleeding had slowed considerably. He’d never been bitten by a rattler before so he had no idea how deep to cut to get the poison out. Since he could see his bone, he suspected that he’d gone further than was necessary. At least he’d managed to get enough of the poison out before it spread through his system. The little that did eke into his blood stream had made him nauseous, tired, and slightly disoriented to the point that he was forced to rest in a small grove of trees at the far end of the canyon where he’d made his kill.It was in this grove that he found the running water. After testing it to make sure that it was potable, he immersed his face in hopes of flushing the fog from his head. It didn’t completely bring the world back into clear view, but he w
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Kendra packed up the makeshift tent that she’d assembled for the night and doused the fire with the remnants of the pine tea she’d made. It never tasted right when she made it, but, since she was on her own, it had to suffice.She took a moment to look around her for something that would clue her in on where to look for Rex. She was worried. She’d taken the route that he’d clearly gone when he left the camp, but it was so late in the day by the time she’d gotten herself packed up and out the door that she’d had to make camp less than thirty minutes out. She’d hoped that he’d see her campfire and join her on his way back to the compound. The thought of making love to him beneath the night sky was erotically appealing. In fact, it occupied the little bit of dreaming she did for the few times that she’d drifted into a light sleep. Sleeping was dangerous when on your own at night, so she was caref
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Ari paced the interior of the small spa house. “I know that was her leaving the grounds late yesterday. I’d recognize her anywhere.”“This isn’t working like we thought it would,” Baelil complained. “Did you see her come back?”“Not before dark,” Ari grumbled. “We need to get out of here. I don’t trust that old woman. She looks at me funny.”“I get creeped out when she looks at me. It’s like she wants to eat me or something,” Baelil said with a shudder. “Do you think they’re cannibals?”“I didn’t get that impression from Kendra, but the old woman gives me pause to wonder. What’s with the long stares?”“Beats me,” Baelil said. “We dirtied up enough. I’m sure of that.” After a moment of silence, he added, “Why do they have a mutant living with them?&
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Felix sat on the front porch steps with his elbows resting on his knees, his head held low, and the shotgun an easy reach on the porch floor next to him. Things were a mess and he had no idea what to do about it. Kendra and Rex were missing and his aunt lay on the sofa in the great room with a bag of ice on her face. When he pouted about her condition and declared his remorse over having left the cave and exposing themselves to strangers like they had, she scolded him and said that they should be happy that there was ice to treat it. Had they still been living in the cave, she’d be suffering a lot more. When he proceeded to express concern over the fact that Kendra and Rex had been gone for two nights, she reminded him of the many times that Kendra had gone out hunting and how it had taken several days for her to return. She’d insisted that it wasn’t yet time to worry.He wished that he had a bow and arrow instead of the shotgun, but Kendra had t
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Olga leaned her back against the porch railing as she watched Rex slip through the perimeter fence and headed toward the house with his head hung low. She could tell by the slumping of his shoulders and his slow, methodical walk that he’d been unsuccessful in his search for Kendra, once again.As he climbed the stairs, she said in a mournful tone, “That girl is like a daughter to me, so it pains me to say this, but it’s been several months… maybe we should stop torturing ourselves. She’s more than likely in the hands of the alien regime. All we can hope for is that they entered her into the reproduction program and not done worse with her.”“The regime isn’t all alien,” Rex said in an off-handed way.“The people in charge are owned by the aliens. Don’t make the mistake of thinking differently.”“I should have gone after her right away.
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Ari sauntered up to the bench where Kendra sat reading a book. “Is it good?” she asked as she slid onto the seat next to her. When Kendra made no move to acknowledge her presence, she added. “For crying out loud, Kendra. It’s been a few months now. You’re married to my brother and carrying his child as well. That connects us. We’re family. Sisters. When are you going to stop ignoring me?”“Maybe when hell freezes over,” Kendra said as she turned a page of her book while never taking her eyes off of it.“You didn’t strike me as being so hateful when we first met.”“Maybe you’re not as good at reading people as I am. I distrusted you from the start and I see that I was right in doing so,” Kendra said as she slowly closed the book and turned to face Ari. “Let me say this as clearly as I can so that there is no misunderstanding. I don’t
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