The Days After
Chapter One — The Present Day
Julie spent an extra moment to be sure. She stood in front of a store window, gauging herself in the reflection.
She looked down the main street—now nearly deserted—before proceeding.
She stopped at the next shop for one more check. She had to be certain. And, she tried the door. Locked. Peering in she saw empty shelves.
Looking at her reflection in the glass of the abandoned store she adjusted the padding under her top, then when satisfied she moved on to the next store…. the only one open on this side of the main street.
The store door rang a small bell as she opened it. In another time she’d have thought this was quaint.
There was dust most places except on the floor between the door and the counter. She knew that this meant there were people about.
Julie wore a tight blue cotton T-shirt under a large heavy green ex-army duffle jacket. She wore camouflage pants and heavy combat boots. She bore a dirty canvas shoulder bag hanging over her right shoulder.
In her jacket pocket she had a flick-knife. She wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
Julie had bright blue eyes almost covered by untrimmed, dirty blonde locks. She was just twenty years old. She had seen a lot in her short life.
As she approached the counter a woman emerged from behind the bead-curtain separating the store from the rest of the building. The woman aimed a shotgun straight at Julie’s face.
A feeling of relief came over her the woman’s face when she saw Julie and she took a step back, placing the shotgun just out of sight behind the doorway.
“What a reception” Julie said.
“You had me worried, that’s all” the woman said, “You can never be too sure” she added giving Julie another once over.
“What can I do you for?” she asked Julie.
“I’m just here to pick up some supplies” Julie said, reaching into her coat pocket and pulling out a heavily creased list of goodies.
She handed these to the woman. “My name’s Julie” she said, offering her hand.
“Brenda” the woman said, but refusing to shake.
Brenda looked like she was in her late forties—she looked like she’d lived a hard life. She wore a simple floral dress that bulged around her very large stomach.
She wore no shoes. No jewellery. No makeup. She was almost as dirty as as the store was.
“You ain’t from around here” Brenda said as she rummaged through shelves for items on the list.
“No.” Julie said unwilling to volunteer information.
“So seriously…?” Julie continued “What’s with the gun?”
“You ain’t heard?” Brenda asked
“No. What?”
“We found a pack of rats about five miles out of town—south.” Brenda said.
“My Lord!” Julie gasped. She hadn’t thought that they’d be many men left alive now.
“Around here?” Julie asked
“Fer sure” the woman said. Brenda stopped, and there was hatred in her eyes at the idea of men still alive
“But we’ll get ’em all!” Brenda added with a smile. “Like the vermin in town here… Done killed them all”
She stopped in telling this tale to look at Julie. She grew a little suspicious about the lack of enthusiasm from Julie.
“I didn’t think any men were around these parts” Julie said
“Men?” Brenda spat. “You mean rats! Rats the whole lot of ’em!”
Julie still roused her suspicion.
“So when was you taken?” Brenda asked.
“Two years ago” Julie said, patting the padded stomach. “And you?”
“Two years ago… just like most of us.”
“It seems longer” Julie added. And then she realised she was drawing suspicion. “But it’s been wonderful… to serve” she added with her best sincere smile.
“I don’t know about that” Brenda said “It just is what it is. We’re women. We carry the masters. That’s it!”
“Mind you” Brenda said leaning in closer “I do love all the fucking”
“Me too” Julie added.
“Say…” Brenda thought having an idea… “My two daughters are about your age and the three of us are pretty good in bed…”
“You want me to join your orgy?”
“I don’t know about no orgy” Brenda said “But we do fuck… and my daughter Callie has a right wicked tongue!”
“I… I would…”
Just then the door rattled the little bell above it.
Julie turned around to see the Sheriff enter.
The Sheriff wore mirrored glasses over her face. She bore a badge saying “Parsons” above her star-badge.
“Morning, Brenda” she said.
“Morning, Louise” Brenda called back with a familiarity that made Julie nervous. She didn’t know that the two women were sisters.
Sheriff Louise Parsons began checking over Julie. She moved around her. As she did she got very close. Louise’s pregnant stomach even brushed against Julie’s stomach. It was clear she was sniffing out Julie to see if things were okay.
When she was satisfied she was more relaxed; so was Julie.
“You staying girl… or just passing through?” Louise asked Julie
“I’m not sure”
“I already invited her to fuck me and my daughters” Brenda chirped in.
“Oh” Louise said. She’d thought of fucking the stranger—who was far more attractive than her own sister
“You staying for the bonding?” Louise asked “My youngest daughter’s getting bonded!” Louse added with some obvious pride.
“Is she sixteen already?” Brenda asked.
“Yup” Louise said.
“I’d like to… but I want to get going.”
“We’ve got seven local girls and four we gone captured all going to be bonded.”
“You captured some?” Julie butted in
“Sure did… they were out there living with rats… in sin”
“In sin!” Brenda chimed in.
“Two gone and escaped” Louise said.
“Shame” Brenda added.
“But we gone got four of them.. and they’ve all been checked out by the doctor… and they’re all ready to be bonded.”
“Two escaped…?” Julie asked. This interested her.
“Yep” Louise said “They got away before we could check them out.”
“Do you know where they went?”
“Back south, I reckon” Brenda chimed in
“Yeah… but we gone and alerted Baker County to be on the lookout for un-bonded pussy.” Louise said. “But anyways, the bonding’s going to be on tonight—at the old High School. My daughter’s really proud she’s going to become a host at last.”
“Much as I’d like to stay…” Julie said “But I really do need to get my supplies and get moving.”
She looked over at Brenda who was now running up a total.
“That’ll be $6.33” Brenda said.
Julie fished through her pocket for coins. One thing she was grateful for was how cheap everything now was… no one worked for profit. All worked for the masters who didn’t need money. And the masters all worked together.
Taking her now heavy duffle bag Julie headed out the door.
She walked a bit and then made sure she wasn’t being followed.
She found her motorbike where she’d left it and then adjusting her bag now with both her arms through the handles till it became a backpack she got her bike started and was off in a pale of two stroke smoke.
Brad was anxious at the approach of the bike. He drew his revolver out.
“Off the bike!” he said to Julie.
Julie didn’t argue. She knew the routine.
She knew why it had to be done. It was all for him
She could have been a danger to Brad… if she’d been bonded.
He ordered her to let the bag to the ground. Then she had to throw off her coat.
Next, off went her T-shirt.
She shivered as the cool air kissed her pale white breasts. She reached behind … slowly… and undid the belt around her waist.
The padding over her stomach fell to the ground.
She turned slowly around, arms in the air, till Brad was certain she wasn’t actually pregnant.
“We done?” she growled impatient by the cold on her breasts.
“Yes” Brad said, holstering his gun. He began to retreat to their shelter.
“You’re not going to help?” she growled.
“Sorry, Sis” he said.
He grabbed the bag as she put clothes back on.
He wrapped an arm around her and rubbed her shoulders to bring warmth back to them as they walked back to the shelter.
Julie hopped in their cot, under the heavy blankets to get warm.
Brad looked through the goodies that Julie had gotten.
“Well done, kiddo!” he smiled.
She hated being called kiddo. She found herself falling asleep and began dreaming about the day of days—two years ago.