The Survivors: Book One

"We'll get farther from here and start draining the tanks on every car, tractor, and lawn mower we can find until we get lucky and find a station with something still in it."

"We could try 191."

Adrian looked over at him curiously. "That's a highway crammed with dead traffic."

Kenn was eager to score bonus points to go with the full set of marks he'd earned earlier. "Exactly. Dead vehicles, like box-trucks and semis still full of food and water. Maybe even a fuel tanker or two."

Adrian grinned, clapped him on the back as the wind gusted again, now carrying a real chill they both felt and ignored. "You're just full of good shit today."

Kenn soaked up the praise, ready to volunteer, and stopped himself before he could - waiting to see if it would be offered. He had made good progress with the camp. Not as much as he wanted, but it would always come down to this man's opinion in the end.

"You'd like to go? Be in charge?"

Kenn nodded just once, trying to be cool about it.

The lightning storm to the west hadn't died down and they both watched, human souls more afraid than in awe. Things with nature were bad now, wrong. "Sure, when?"

"Head out in the morning, early. Catch up by Mess, day after tomorrow. I'll make the arrangements, have the Eagles meet you by the trucks. Anything else for me?"

"Nothing but Tonya; she wants to see you in her tent."

"Yeah, that'll happen."

The Marine kept quiet, frowning just a little at the quickly-thrown sarcasm. Tonya insisted, to anyone who would listen, that she and their leader were sleeping together, but Adrian would cut people dead for even hinting it. Most had decided she was lying, still chasing what she couldn't have, but not Kenn. They might not be a legal couple, but he didn't think their Commander and Chief was refusing that Pogue bait (13) when no one was looking.

"Kenn."

He looked up guiltily to see Adrian's thoughtful eyes on him. "You got a thing for redheads?"

Kenn dropped his own baby-blues, shrugging, "When they look like her, who doesn't?"

Adrian grinned, liking the honest answer, wanting to trust the Marine as much as he obviously wanted to be trusted. "She definitely gets a man's attention, but she'll do whatever she has to as long as she thinks it will get her what she wants."

"What does she want?" Kenn looked at Adrian curiously. He wasn't sure why he was asking, and was surprised - happy - to receive the same honesty he'd given.