The last thing I wanted to do was rescue Daphne again with all that needed to be done running around in my head. But, at breakfast, I was outvoted. Even Wondah wanted to go get her and bring her back to be with us. So I relented.

"Okay then, somebody has to stay back and continue work on our defenses. We still aren't fully protected from attack. And, there's a lot of other things to do."

Derek volunteered. "I'll see Daphne when she gets here. You guys can go and get her. I can work on the drones and more booby-traps. We have to make sure those booby-traps are out of the curiosity of children. That will be tough. Kids get into everything."

Wondah piped up. "In that case, I'll stay, too. Der will need a lot of help from me if he is going to do what he says. I'd like to see if we can make that old tank fire remotely." She clapped her hands joyfully, so we joined in. What a great idea!

"I was thinking more of infrastructure. I know, the boring stuff." Everyone laughed. "It will take some doing to get this old neighborhood self-sustaining before the end of summer." I could see sober looks on their faces. Dad had a long list of subcontractors. I was thinking that maybe we should call as many as we can find to join us here with their families so we can have a real construction firm again. Rebuilding, not only here but all over. Based on the number of people out there still alive and struggling, I see this neighborhood, while sound for us, inadequate for all of them. I even have a idea for how to contact them. But that will have to wait till later when we get this place self-sustaining."

"I see what you mean. Wondah and I will make some calls today when taking breaks from the work outside. Okay with you, Wondah?"

"Drae, you certainly are ambitious and visionary to say the least. Of course, I'll help out, look up their websites, locate them if they are alive."

"Der, call Daphne and tell her we will be there are about 9, 9:30 am. Tell her we'll be armed in case there is still trouble there. We'll take the AR-15s along with our pistols and a shotgun."

Melody piped in, "I can't wait." Adventure ran to that woman's veins.

Very soon, we were on our way. We were pulling the trailer, "In case Daphne wants to bring her Ferrari," I quipped. Melody laughed. It wasn't that far-fetched.

I was glad to leave the mosquitoes and flies behind, but the windshield soon became filled with suicides. I had to use the washers and wipers to smear them off. Thankly, as the sun got higher, there were fewer of them swarming in the air.

There were more water leaks where sometimes the high stance of our truck really helped, fires that kept burning, probably because they were fed by natural gas, and generally more trash and abandoned vehicles from people still trying to find resources or treasure that probably wasn't worth the price of water. Or, what drinking water would eventually cost. Occasionally, neighborhoods stunk of natural gas leaking or dead bodies rotting. There just wasn't enough predators to get rid of all the rotting flesh.

There was more rubbish along Laurel Canyon Drive, indicating to me that gangs were expecting to find wealthy people and had made several raids into the canyon. Gates were smashed and bullet holes pocked every one of the entrances, large or small. But all was quiet and eerily silent. We saw no bad guys on the road, thank goodness! Halfway up into the canyon where Daphne was, there wasn't as much destruction. I saw that as a good sign until we came upon the Louie's hidden entrance. A pickup truck with a swivel machine gun on its truck bed was all crumpled up across from the entrance as though blown there by a tremendous explosion. There were three dead inside and body parts on the road.

The steel gate had been rammed and broken off where it pivoted. Two male gang members and a heavily tattooed woman lay dead there, both with AR-15 type rifles still in their hands. I decided not to drive in, but to walk in carefully with our guns ready first so we wouldn't be surprised by anything or anybody. I cautioned Melody.

"Don't close the truck doors when we get out. Be careful not to step on anything that makes noise like a piece of metal or a twig. You walk up on the right side of the drive and I'll walk on the left, not in the middle. Don't say anything. If you see something suspicious get my attention by waving your hand and pointing. I will go very slow. Keep pace exactly with me. Make sure your gun is fully loaded and that you have the safety off when we are on the road going up."

"Yes, sir, Sarge!" She laughed. And then, got a serious look on her face. "That's exactly what I would do, but thank you for making sure."

We left the truck as quietly as we could and proceeded up the drive trying not to disturb the overhanging brush that was often in our way and our line of vision. There were two more bodies, both men, on that drive, mangled by obvious booby-traps. There were countless shell casings that we had to be careful not to step on or kick as we climbed the steep road. When we reached the top, everything seemed to be quiet. Ahead, there was a rock wall that was part of the circular drive. One spot on the wall showed evidence of heavy bombardment.

When we got there, we could see that all of the vehicles had been shot up except for a couple of the classics that he had that were now gone. Uncle Louie lay dead behind that rock wall with his head nearly blown completely off. Around him were three automatic rifles and a few unused magazines on top of a great pile of expended shell casings. It looked like he lost by being outnumbered, not his superior position and firepower.

With everything appearing to be safe, I yelled out, "Daphne! Daphne, are you there! It's Drake, coming to get you!"

Daphne came out with a rifle in hand. Threw down the rifle and came running to me, jumping up on me wrapping her legs around my waist and showering me with kisses. Saying, "Oh, Drake! Why didn't I go with you the first time! It's been a nightmare! I'm so glad you came. I want to get out of here… She looked over at Melody who was standing there with a surprised look on her face. "Who's that?"

"That's Melody, my neighbor who lost her husband to Covid. She's with us now. Derek and  Wondah stayed back to beef up our defenses from attacks like this."

"Hi Melody, you're cute! But this guy, he's the man! Wondah is with you? I just wanted to have her stop calling me with her sob story."

"Well, we rescued her and she's become a great asset. Will you?" I could see Melody smirking a bit out of the corner of my eye.

"Of course. I'm great at organizing activities. And I promise I will work hard, because from my experience here, food and water will be hard to find. Louie was well stocked, but I could see that his stores would run out in about six months and we would have to go hunting."

"Are you ready to go? Do you want us to do something with your uncle? Bury him?"

"I'll have to get a few things. As for Louie, there," she pointed at him with disdain, "That lecth can rot in hell! It slowly dawned on me that I had forgotten the trauma he caused to me. That bastard stuck his finger in me repeatedly when I was nine. That's when I lost my hymen!" Daphne started crying. Melody came forward to hug her, understanding better that I.

"I was so ashamed for not having a hymen that I told all the girls at school that I had lost my virginity at 13 with a guy that I met when we were on vacation in Switzerland. I fooled them, but I'm still a virgin!" Her tears flowed freely admitting it, she hugged Melody tighter and I began to understand why Daphne was so standoffish and conceited in school.

We entered the house that, from the front, exhibited lots of bullet holes and broken windows. Inside was no better. A wild party had taken place with bullet holes in the walls, ceilings and artwork. Some of the artwork was slashed with knives, paint was spilled everywhere, making the floor sticky in places. Liquor bottles were empty and broken all around. All of the food and liquor that Louie had put away for the long run was taken. The place was cleaned out. Even his inventory of guns, explosives and ammunition.

When she returned earlier that morning with great trepidation, Daphne had found her closet invaded with most of her clothes taken along with her computer. She worried about all of those pictures and videos she hoped against hope they wouldn't put on the Internet. Glad that she was way off out in the woods out back where they couldn't find her when she saw some of her ripped clothes with blood on them. These were real savages. From their graffiti, she told me…

"Drae, I think they were Blods. I know that graffiti, those symbols. We were warned about them in school to avoid association with them. Most of what I had here is ruined. Let's pick up a few pieces and go back to mom and dad's place where I can get some more. I will need clothes that fit and protect me if I'm going to work."

We hurried up and gathered up all she wanted. We didn't have to drive the truck up the drive. As we left the house, I noted that several vehicles that were heavy had made deep impressions in the soft soil of the unpaved circle drive. Probably why the classic cars were gone--trophy cars. But gasoline cars and gasoline wouldn't last much longer without parts and newly refined gasoline.

We left the bodies as a deterrent, but gathered up all of the guns and ammunition and drove back to Daphne's home. Typically, she jumped in the front seat between Melody and me, to Melody's disdain. Then, she put her hand on my leg to brace herself and seemed to feel obligated to tell us the rest of her story along the way there.

"I'm sorry, Drae, but I'm bad at making decisions. For some reason, I thought staying with my Uncle Louie would be a way to reconnect with him from my happy remembrance of staying with him as a child. At first, he was real nice. Giving me that back room over the deck where he had a bird and squirrel feeder. It was always pleasant in the morning to wake up there with birds singing and the dappled light coming in through the windows. He helped me fix up the room and fed me, mostly canned rations that he had a huge store of.

"He had a large water tower and an outdoor shower on the deck, 'To save water,' he said. And then, the first time I used it and found that the water was pleasantly warm, but without pressure, I lathered myself up and saw him in the bushes peeking at me. I yelled at him and he left down the hill for something.

"I heard some shots with a shotgun, and when I got dressed he came back with two quail for breakfast. That fresh meat was great and I skipped the cereal with water because there was no milk except powdered milk he normally ate. After that, I got on my computer in my room trying to contact folks and he went off into his studio working.

"But then, the next morning over breakfast, he asked me if I'd like to pose for some photographs that he could turn into paintings, 'If I liked.' I foolishly agreed. He had me go to my room and put on an outfit and then come out into the studio where he would take several pictures and poses. Sometimes, he would come up and move some fabric here or there, do something with my hair and brush up against me accidentally in a way that I knew was intentional.

"By the end of the morning, he was having me pose in my nighties, bikinis and even bra and panties. All the while, he took pictures he kept saying things like, 'That's great. Beautiful. You make a great model, Daphne. Smile, look as beautiful as you are.'

"In that single morning he already had me nearly undressed and I was actually liking it, getting all that attention. At lunch, Louie told me he thought I had a great body and he wondered if I wouldn't mind posing in the nude for him so he could paint me. I had seen some paintings of nudes and some he made of me as a child in cute outfits and I liked them. I hadn't been painted by anyone, since. He explained that it might be boring to sit so long, so he would have me change poses and I could use my cell phone to occupy me while I waited.

"I don't know why I fell for that line, but I agreed. I went in my room, undressed and put on a bathrobe. Uncle Louie got me a stool for me to sit on it. My feet didn't touch the floor and if I had to sit there a long time, I was worried I would get dizzy and fall off. Louie thought for a minute, and then, had me go over to a red mohair antique couch. He had me lounge on it like a Victorian lady. I took off my robe and handed it to him and he positioned me for the first pose. All the while eyeing my blond pussy hair that I hadn't shaved.

"Louie shook his head, 'I guess that will do for this 18th-century style painting, today. But I think I'll have to shave you clean for something more contemporary tomorrow.' He said it so matter-of-factly, it got my mind stirring on what was it that made him so obsessed with seeing me naked and wanting me to be shaved clean.

"That old couch was quite comfortable while I sent out text notes to people who didn't answer back until I dozed off… Only finding him in my face adjusting my body in a way that was obviously more for his pleasure than the painting. By late afternoon, he had finished a painting that certainly did look like it came right out of Victorian America. Louis was talented. He added my nude to his collection of nude paintings of women that he had painted.

"When I put on the robe he said, 'Why don't you go without it. I usually go naked around here when it gets as warm as it's getting. Keep my clothes handy in case I have to go out or somebody is at the gate.' Again, so nonchalantly that it unnerved me.

"I kept the robe on and got dressed back in my room. He told me that he was going to his bedroom to take a nap. I suspected in his bedroom he had monitors with cameras around the place so he could peek at me whenever he wanted.

"I looked for a camera in my room and found one neatly disguised behind a two-way mirror. One that I had used to look at while I was changing outfits earlier in the day. I began to wonder if he would be putting videos of me on the Internet on websites that might still be operating that sort of smutty thing.

"I was incensed. Put on some clothes in the closet while checking for a camera and went outside for a walk where the air was clean of smog and there weren't any flies or mosquitoes. Just the kind of tick that carries Lyme disease. But under those oak trees there were no grassy areas that they like. From blades of grass, those ticks grabbed onto anything with blood in it that passed by. Some say they jump… Maybe so. I checked later and didn't have any on me.

"At dusk, I heard him calling me and he had brought out some venison steak and prepared quite a feast for us. In addition to the wine, he suggested after dinner drinks. I told him that I saw the cameras, and he apologized. 'But they were originally for security for the place when they came available. Once in a while a starlet would come here to have a portrait made, and I would admit to spying on them, like I spied on you… I'm sorry.'

"I told him that I wasn't going to pose for him anymore and that I was going to leave as soon as I could find someone who would take me… You! But that damned Wondah kept calling and you rescued her, first. Oh well," She sighed, shrugged her shoulders and patted my leg too close for comfort. It's okay now."

We were pulling into the long drive leading to her parents' house. When we got to the gate, I was surprised when it opened to her cell phone code. At least some things were still intact and working well. I was glad there didn't seem to be any signs of marauders.

The place smelled of death so badly that we had to tie kerchiefs over our noses just to run around her bedroom and closets gathering up more clothes for her. I told her to take only work clothes like shorts and jeans, blouses, jackets, but most of her clothes were not utilitarian so we had to dig around in everything to find what we needed. We all were glad to get out of there with a couple of suitcases and a few dresses on hangers. There was no Ferrari to pick up. That was a joke among us at home. I didn't tell Daphne. I remember she had sold it before graduating, wanting to buy a new car to take with her to college.

Occasionally, we stopped and picked up useful things that were in the street, like garbage cans that could hold water. Basically, a scavenger hunt. It slowed our progress.

When we were about three miles from home, we came upon some people hiding behind an electric station wagon. They looked really scared when we drove up, so I yelled out, "Hello! We mean you no harm!" While I was pointing frantically to Melody to get her pistol out. And then, I pulled mine out of the holster and had it ready on my lap as I ran the window down a little more so that they could see my face better.

The big man called back, "Hello! You won't find me any harm! It's just me and two of my kids. We're desperately trying to get to the beach. We are out of water and hope we would find food there. I'm running out of options." His head dropped and he started crying.

I went back to the truck to get my thermos of water. The boy and girl came out from behind the car and ran to me as I handed them the thermos and they both drank heartily before giving it to their dad. They were clearly desperate. Soon, Melody and Daphne joined me as I reassured them.

"You ran into the right people. We are here to help. I'm Drake, this woman is Melody and the other one is Daphne. We just rescued her from a bad situation." The guy nodded hopeful recognition to both of them.

Regaining his composure, the man responded, I'm August Palmer, but my friends call me Augie. This is my son, Rocky. He's 15, and my daughter, Ginger, she's 13. We were all sick with Covid. My wife, Sharlotte, and my little girl, Jeny, didn't make it." He burst out crying again.

"I know." I patted him on the shoulder with my left hand. "I lost my parents and my sister. We all lost someone. That was a vicious virus. But we're trying to get back on our feet and making progress."

"I was an analyst for a tech firm you may have heard of, USpan. I made good money and we lived a comfortable life in Pomona. I didn't see this coming. We weren't prepared. Ran out of food two days ago and only got water from broken water lines and got sick from that. And then, thinking that maybe we could catch fish or dig up clams on the beach, we couldn't find any charging stations that worked near here and ran out of power."

"You're really lucky that we came along. We have water and food with us and were headed back to our home. You're welcome to join us if you're willing to pitch in and work hard so that we all have enough water, food and everything else we might need by working together. We, with my partner, Derek Jones, who also lost his parents, are both sons of contractors and are building a community of people like you who need help. What do you say?"

Augie stopped crying and a relieved look came over his face while his kids, their thirst quenched and munching on almonds that Melody had given them, fairly beamed with anticipation.

"The beach was a desperate choice. And look where it got us. I'm willing to take your offer. Any strings attached young man?"

"Only that you are a team player and you and your kids give us more than you take. My trailer is equipped to carry vehicles for my family construction business. Let me take your station wagon with us and we will get it charged up. If you don't like living with us, after we feed you and show you where you might live, you are free to leave. Derek and I are not going to make anyone stay with us that doesn't want to."

The negotiation over, we busied ourselves with getting the electric station wagon on the trailer and were soon on our way. We answered questions from them as I drove home.

When we arrived at the main gate and opened it, Augie was impressed. I told him. "Our houses are filling up but we have a couple of great teachers for your kids. Right now, it's more tutoring than classes. I'm thinking that you could occupy the house directly below mine. I would expect you to put in a garden and help me give you power and water on your own. But for now, you could eat with us, because there is no food in that house. What there was we have taken."

Amazingly, Daphne had kept quiet the whole time with these new people horning in on her parade. But she was squirming alongside me when we arrived at Martha Rosenberg's house to introduce everyone to her and see if she had any food ready for us to eat. I parked the truck in front of her place and automatically opened her gate from my phone with her code.

Martha, Wondah and the kids all came out to greet us and Derek was with them, too. When Daphne saw Derek, she broke from the rest of us and ran down, jumped up with her legs around his waist and kissed him like she had me. Gushing…

"Oh, Derek. Thank you. Thank you for saving me! I don't know what I would've done without you and Drake!"

She clung to him as we walked into the house.

I asked Martha, "Do you have enough food for this gang?"

"Of course, I do. I expected you to be hungry when you got back, so I made a stew using some of that frozen venison and young carrots and onions from the garden. I'm running low on potatoes and the ones in the garden are nowhere near harvesting. Also running low on meat, the frozen stuff is disappearing fast. Soon will have to rely on those survival foods that Stephanie brought. I'm already using the powdered milk if you hadn't noticed. Even with that, it won't last very long if we keep bringing people in with us." 

"Thanks for the assessment, Martha. I think it's time we'll have to see about getting some fresh meat or fish. I think we should all think about what we can do to replenish our food sources. It's not going to be easy."

Everyone sat down around two tables. One for the adults and another for the kids while Martha and Stephanie served us. My mind was full of what to do next. So, while I was eating, I stopped and tapped on my glass to stop everyone from chatting to announce what I thought.

"I think, since my house is full, that Daphne, you should stay here and room with Stephanie while I get the Palmers situated in the house directly below mine."

Daphne suddenly piped up, cutting in to what I was saying. "I don't want to stay here. I want to stay with Derek in his house!"

I could see Wondah squirm in her chair and get a mean look on her face. Derek saved me when he spoke up.

"Ah…Ah… I'm afraid that wouldn't work. I've been staying with Drake because my house, after my parents died, is unlivable until we get it cleaned up and haven't had enough time to do that."

Daphne replied, "Well, I'll help you clean it up. But I don't want to stay here with a bunch of kids around. I've been to the house on the top of the drive a couple of times at parties when Barbara Wilkes-Hodges invited my parents over. That's the kind of place I want to live. Is anyone there? Is Barbara still there?"

I stepped in again. "Unfortunately, Barbara is dead. And we've left the property to all of the neighborhood dogs and released all of her exotic birds outside."

"That's fine, whatever, Drake. Just take me over there and I will make do with the way the house is. I remember those birds. They were fabulous. I hope they all haven't flown off and some are still around."

"Some of them are still around because we have bird food that we put out. You can help us by doing that and feeding and watering any dogs that are still there. I guess it's okay for you to stay there, but since the place is so large, maybe you can accommodate some other people with you, later."

"That's a deal Drake. And Derek, as soon as I get the place cleaned and fixed up, I want you to come over and see it. And then maybe, maybe we will clean your place?"

Derek joined us after dinner and we put the Palmer car on Derek's garage charger and walked Daphne with her suitcases and dresses over to the estate. Once inside, she ran immediately upstairs and into Barbara's bedroom where she jumped on the satin sheets as though she had arrived at a posh hotel and was testing out the bed.

She exclaimed! "I love it… I love it!" And then, she looked around the room and said. "You guys can go now. It looks like I've got a lot to do around here before dark. I sure hope the plumbing works, I need a bath. But, I know you guys are too busy to join me… Maybe later?"

After that, we got the Palmers into their house needing quite a bit of work for them to stay and they started working on it right away. I told them they could come over to my house for breakfast. Afterwards, Derek and I returned to the Rosenberg house and continued working with Wondah until it got dark and we were all tired and gritty.

Ready for another swim In the pool and a good night's sleep. Once again, Derek excused himself and he and Wondah went over to his place for the night. I could see she was happy going, but I wondered how the situation with Daphne would play out. Just another thing to worry about. Maybe I needed to intervene. But how?

And then, Melody swam over and wrapped herself around me, giving me a deep, wet kiss with her exploring tongue that gave me tingles of what would be coming next.

Instead, she whispered in my ear, "Don't you think that Wondah is hot! She tells me that she is bi and really interested in me! If you don't mind, I'm going to join Derek and her tonight. You won't be too lonely without me, will you?" Giving my ear a nuzzle with her lips that only increased the tingling.

It was hard to resist going with her, but I knew I needed the rest. I put on my best Clark Gable response. "Of course, I won't be, dear. Go and have your fun." Actually I was relieved.

I left the pool, took a brief shower to remove the chlorine smell and hit my bed and sleep for the first time in the past several days.

Copyright 2023 © Ronald W. Hull

5/3/23