leftover food.
“ Well fuck you too!” she shouted at him.
He ignored her, then flinched when her plate bounced off his arm and ricocheted off the fridge to the floor.
“ I’m out of here,” she fumed, hopping off her chair. “C’mon?” She turned to Tanya and Dustin, waiting for them to jump up and follow her.
“ Where you gonna go?” Carl asked her, his voice a few octaves lower than usual.
“ Ain’t nowhere that ain’t a few days of walking,” he continued. “No water, no food, you ain’t got a chance.”
“ Oh, right, we should just stay here with you? Give you a nice little cult that way,” she sneered.
“ You got a lot of issues,” he observed. “A lot of hate too. I don’t care, I got plenty of my own, but mind you don’t try and take it out on me.”
“ I’ve got issues?” she spat out, eyes wide. “Yeah, you live in the middle of fucking nowhere and I’ve got issues! Guess I’ll just take my chances.”
“ Jessie, please,” Dustin said. She stopped and looked at him, surprised, then a genuine smile threatened to come over her face.
He looked to Tanya, but she remained tight-lipped. What she was seeing was proof of what she suspected, that Jessie was nothing but a snake. He looked back at her, realizing he was on his own. “I’ll go with you, but we need to stay a little longer. Carl said we could lay up here until we felt better. A couple weeks maybe, then we can go.”
Jessie looked around, her rage leaving enough for her to realize what an ass she had made of herself. She looked at him and shook her head. “A couple of weeks,” she muttered.
“ Got a natural spring well, it’s clean,” Carl offered neutrally. “Solar cells and a wind farm for power. Plenty of hunting around here and most of the animals are clean.”
“ Hoping to start your own little harem?” Jessie asked bitterly.
“ I don’t remember inviting any of you,” Carl growled back.
Jessie tried to glare at him, but he easily stared her down. She found herself staring at her hand and realized it was shaking again. She grabbed it and turned away, heading over to sit in a chair at the table. The silence stretched for several minutes, until finally Jessie stood up again and moved over next to Dusty, her only apparent ally in the room. She smiled at him as he grimaced while repositioning himself on the couch so that she could sit on it too.
“ What happened?” he asked her softly.
She was staring at her hand At his question she jumped a little and put her hands between her legs. She looked up at him and smiled, then shrugged. “It was a long time ago, you probably hadn’t even had your first boner yet.”
He blushed a little at how easily she talked about sex. She smiled, feeling a little better, and shrugged. “Happened in the Army, back when the U.S. was fighting in the Middle East.”
Carl looked up from the cleaning he was doing, interested in what she had to say. She didn’t offer any more though, and Dustin didn’t push for it. He was afraid of what she might say next about his boner. He blushed a little deeper at the realization that seeing her sitting so close to him in her short denim shorts and bulging halter top.
“ You really were in the Army?” Tanya asked, trying to keep her suspicion out of her voice.
Jessie looked up, her expression steeling a little. “Yes, I was. I was a corporal before I realized what a waste of fucking time it was. They didn’t want us there and we didn’t want to be there.”
“ Bullshit,” Carl spat out, surprising everyone. Seeing he had their attention he scowled at his own lapse of control then realized he needed to explain.
“ Kuwait, Iraq, the Pakis and Afghans-they loved us. Maybe the pussies in Hollywood back here thought different, but we all knew we were doing something good.”
Jessie turned to stare at him, looking shocked. “You fight in the same war, Uncle Sam?” she asked sharply. “If they loved us so much, why’d they
“ Well fuck you too!” she shouted at him.
He ignored her, then flinched when her plate bounced off his arm and ricocheted off the fridge to the floor.
“ I’m out of here,” she fumed, hopping off her chair. “C’mon?” She turned to Tanya and Dustin, waiting for them to jump up and follow her.
“ Where you gonna go?” Carl asked her, his voice a few octaves lower than usual.
“ Ain’t nowhere that ain’t a few days of walking,” he continued. “No water, no food, you ain’t got a chance.”
“ Oh, right, we should just stay here with you? Give you a nice little cult that way,” she sneered.
“ You got a lot of issues,” he observed. “A lot of hate too. I don’t care, I got plenty of my own, but mind you don’t try and take it out on me.”
“ I’ve got issues?” she spat out, eyes wide. “Yeah, you live in the middle of fucking nowhere and I’ve got issues! Guess I’ll just take my chances.”
“ Jessie, please,” Dustin said. She stopped and looked at him, surprised, then a genuine smile threatened to come over her face.
He looked to Tanya, but she remained tight-lipped. What she was seeing was proof of what she suspected, that Jessie was nothing but a snake. He looked back at her, realizing he was on his own. “I’ll go with you, but we need to stay a little longer. Carl said we could lay up here until we felt better. A couple weeks maybe, then we can go.”
Jessie looked around, her rage leaving enough for her to realize what an ass she had made of herself. She looked at him and shook her head. “A couple of weeks,” she muttered.
“ Got a natural spring well, it’s clean,” Carl offered neutrally. “Solar cells and a wind farm for power. Plenty of hunting around here and most of the animals are clean.”
“ Hoping to start your own little harem?” Jessie asked bitterly.
“ I don’t remember inviting any of you,” Carl growled back.
Jessie tried to glare at him, but he easily stared her down. She found herself staring at her hand and realized it was shaking again. She grabbed it and turned away, heading over to sit in a chair at the table. The silence stretched for several minutes, until finally Jessie stood up again and moved over next to Dusty, her only apparent ally in the room. She smiled at him as he grimaced while repositioning himself on the couch so that she could sit on it too.
“ What happened?” he asked her softly.
She was staring at her hand At his question she jumped a little and put her hands between her legs. She looked up at him and smiled, then shrugged. “It was a long time ago, you probably hadn’t even had your first boner yet.”
He blushed a little at how easily she talked about sex. She smiled, feeling a little better, and shrugged. “Happened in the Army, back when the U.S. was fighting in the Middle East.”
Carl looked up from the cleaning he was doing, interested in what she had to say. She didn’t offer any more though, and Dustin didn’t push for it. He was afraid of what she might say next about his boner. He blushed a little deeper at the realization that seeing her sitting so close to him in her short denim shorts and bulging halter top.
“ You really were in the Army?” Tanya asked, trying to keep her suspicion out of her voice.
Jessie looked up, her expression steeling a little. “Yes, I was. I was a corporal before I realized what a waste of fucking time it was. They didn’t want us there and we didn’t want to be there.”
“ Bullshit,” Carl spat out, surprising everyone. Seeing he had their attention he scowled at his own lapse of control then realized he needed to explain.
“ Kuwait, Iraq, the Pakis and Afghans-they loved us. Maybe the pussies in Hollywood back here thought different, but we all knew we were doing something good.”
Jessie turned to stare at him, looking shocked. “You fight in the same war, Uncle Sam?” she asked sharply. “If they loved us so much, why’d they
Similar Books
