Exhaustion and Preperation

My anger is engulfing me like a sandstorm. I have been trying to focus for sometime now but my rage is just not subsiding. Why can Kelly not understand that in this harsh world, “what does not kill you makes you stronger”?

A sigh escapes my lips. Sarah is right. The people here are too soft. Too comfortable to be able to survive in this cruel wasteland. Even if the two of us protect them though-

“I’m back.”, Kelly’s voice interrupts my thoughts. How long have I been trying to calm myself?

I open my eyes to see my smaller room mate haggard like an elder.

“What aged you?”, I let my snark slip out.

“Honestly,”, Kelly wearily responds seemingly ignoring my remark. “I had to go to a meeting.”, She continues as she shuffles towards the fridge. “You should’ve been told to go too.”, She adds as she reaches her destination.

“Why?”, I inquire. She opens the fridge and grabs a bottle of water.

She takes a sip from the bottle an agonizingly long time before she speaks, “It was about the raiders around here.”

“And why do you think I should’ve gone?”, I question. Despite her exhaustion, Kelly’s gaze breaks through any facade I am attempting.

“We both know why.”, She answers before taking another sip of water.

Well shit. When did she figure it out?

“Things are going to be really terrible soon.”, Kelly says knocking me out of my thoughts.

“What happened in that meeting?”, The question slips out between my lips. I put a hand over my mouth as I realize I did not internalize that inquiry. Kelly drinks the rest of her water before she sits down on my bed.

“Raiders are going to be attacking sometime soon.”, Kelly states. I can sense the terror in her voice. I have only heard it once before but it is unmistakable.

A stillness weighs heavily between the two of us. Instead of trying to break the silence however I move to Kelly’s side and wrap my arms around her. I expect Kelly to say something in surprise but she simply rests her head on my shoulder and embraces me back. The quiet is broken by her soft sobs.

-- -- --

My vision is filled with a wondrous sight. The way Kelly’s blonde hair frames her face accenting the beauty of her delicate features arose a feeling of comfort within me. Involuntarily my hand cups her soft face and luscious locks. Kelly lets out a quiet groan at my touch. My eyes go wide for a moment hoping I did not awaken the small teen from her much needed rest.

“I love you.”, I mutter to the sleeping beauty after I realize I have not awoken her. A sweet silence falls as I continue to admire Kelly’s alluring face.

Kelly lets out a groan as she awakens. I quickly move my hand from her face to hide my physical affection.

“How did you sleep?”, I ask her to try to distract her tired mind from finding out I was touching her so intimately.

“Hmmm…”, Kelly groans as she languidly opens her eyes. “AH!”, She screams while sitting up in shock at the realization of us sharing a bed together. “Did we?!”, My room mate inquires. I shake my head no as an answer. She breaths a sigh of relief, “Okay, good.” I mean, I did not want to do it either but I find her response a bit offensive that she seems happy about us not being intimate together. We are also still wearing our clothes so she would have figured it out eventually anyways.

“So how was your sleep?”, I ask again ignoring her rude reaction. Kelly sits up on my bed and looks down at her sock covered feet for a moment.

“Pretty well.”, She finally answers. Well that was comforting to hear.

“I slept well myself.”, I state before she can ask me the same question. To my surprise though she simply sighs in response as she rises to her feet. She lets out a loud yawn while she stretches her small frame. “So what’s your plan today?”, I question Kelly as I sit up in the bed.

She slumps her shoulders as she speaks, “Gun training…” Her voice is full of tension and fear. Even resting well cannot dispel all of a person’s fears it seems. She turns her head to look at me and seems to want to ask me a question. I already know what she is going to ask.

-- -- --

I squint my eyes to get a better look at the targets far away from the small group of us.

“None of us are happy about this.”, The tall security officer starts as he looks at Kelly, Conti, and I. “But since you’re gonna be on the front lines with us you’ll need to be able to defend yourselves.”, He finishes while inserting the magazine into his rifle.

“I’m good without a gun.”, I respond as I put a hand on my brow to shield my eyes from the sun.

“And why might that be?”, He understandably asks me.

I close my eyes and move my hand off my brow and in front of me. Focusing on the hot air surrounding me I channel it into a rapid burst from my hand towards the targets.

“Holy shit!”, The officer exclaims in surprise at the sight. I open my eyes to see my handy work. The target I was aiming for is in shreds and the stand it was put on tips over onto the ground from the force.

“That answer your question sir?”, I inquire with a smirk.

“You know magic!?”, He questions me in anger.

“I do.”, I respond keeping my calm.

Thankfully before things can escalate between the two of us, Jose steps out of the base and spots us.

“Sorry I’m late.”, The chief says before he notices the target.

“Sir!”, The mountain of an officer responds with a gesture as Jose looks at him and then the targets.

“What happened here?”, Jose asks with squinted eyes at the demolished target.

“I was showing why I didn’t need a gun.”, I answer plainly while I look at Jose.

“Sir, why is she still allowed here if she can use magic?”, The officer stops glaring at me and looks at his superior with concern.

“I’m going to answer that with a question of my own.”, Jose responds as he puts his arms behind his back and turns to look at the officer. “How do you think she, Kelly, and I alone cleared out the second floor of the base?”, The lithe man asks with a gaze that could drop a griffin dead.

“I-I…”, The mountain of a man stumbles on his words. I could applaud him for not fainting on the spot but he still looks like he is trying to shrink himself in fear.

“Don’t remember the report? Or did you even read it?”, Jose asks his underling.

“I forgot sir.”, The tall officer states in admission. “I’ve been so focused on the raider threat and safety of the town in general I forgot about the floor clearing.”, He swiftly adds for context probably hoping to reduce his punishment. Instead of reprimanding him, Jose simply turns back towards the targets.

“I see you didn’t nearly kill yourself this time.”, The chief says with a hint of snark in his voice. Clearly talking to me.

“A much simpler spell with much less power behind it.”, I respond politely looking at the ground.

“I see.”, He retorts. He seems rather uninterested in the specifics. Which honestly I could not even explain without first teaching about the fundamentals of all magic.

“Neither of you have to use anything too heavy. Even just a handgun should be enough to defend yourselves.”, Jose looks at Conti and Kelly as he speaks. I notice his voice is very rough, but it always seems so full of emotion. Like the opposite of Sarah’s voice.

“If we’re lucky you won’t even need to fire it.”, The bigger officer adds as he walks over to a few boxes laid out. He opens one up to reveal many of the same kind of handgun as he continues, “But that’s incredibly unlikely.”

I stop paying attention and slowly walk away from the gun practice since I am clearly not needed for it.

-- -- --

“Well look who it is!”, Sarah’s dulcet yet passionless voice states as I turn the corner towards Kelly’s place. I stop mere steps away from running into the beautiful woman.

“Hello Sarah.”, I greet my fellow outsider. A moment of silence hangs between us before I finally break it, “When we talked yesterday you said the people here needed us.”

“Have you ever heard of sheep?”, Sarah asks me. What did this have to do with the people here? I shake my head no in response. “They’re a type of animal. People from before the bombs fell apparently raised them. They look like fluffy grenades with a head and legs sticking out.”, She explains. I raise a brow and am about to voice my question about her point but she quickly answers, “The people in New Yuma are sheep. They can’t survive by themselves.” She rolls her shoulders releasing a loud creaking sound before she continues, “Sheep are preyed upon by wolves. And dogs protect the sheep.” A stillness falls between us, only the hot wind making any sound. I open my mouth to speak but I cannot find the words.

“We are the dogs.”, Sarah finishes.