Odell Jones jumped when his office door opened without warning; he quickly clicked the home icon on his computer screen and the website he had been looking at disappeared.

Kerry Thompson laughed at him as she stood in the doorway. "Really, Odell, if you're going to look at porn sites, at least lock your office door."

"What do you need, Sergeant?" he asked as his face turned beet red.

"Where do the teens and young adults get together to screw? Assuming that they don't have a house or vehicle they can use?"

The deacon thought for a second and replied, "The rumor is that they go in the back of the cemetery. Since that isn't a part of the church property, we don't interfere, though if the caretakers wanted to do something about it, the...lovers could be charged with trespass. Why?"

The blonde smiled and said, "Tomorrow around 1300 hours..."

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. "One o'clock, you idiot. You and your two goons be waiting there. I'll bring 'Forever Kristie' to you and you three will take her to your truck or whatever vehicle you'll be using. If it's a van, that would be great."

"It's a truck, but it has a camper shell," he said and a leer appeared on his face. "I look forward to it."

"Keep in mind that you can't kill her."

"What would the fun be in that?" he asked. "I have 'other' plans for her."

She nodded and smiled. "You'll be a good associate, Odell. I can't wait to see how 'creative' you are. One thing. Be ready to go no later than 2 p.m., because by sundown, I want to be in North Carolina."

"Why there?"

Kerry leaned against the doorframe. "We're headed to Raleigh first. Lots of refugees there from the outskirts of Norfolk, and plenty of...young teens to take advantage of. Do you have any questions?"

"Not yet."

"See you tomorrow at 1 p.m."

"I'm looking forward to it."

oooooooooo

Daria laid on her right side facing Martin and said, "I still get...amazed at what we're doing."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

She moved her left hand over his chest to his belly, then rested it on his midriff. "If I was told the day before Black Saturday that in six weeks I'd be topless in the back of a pickup with some guy I didn't even know yet...I would have either laughed my head off or kicked them. Probably both."

Martin took her hand, pulled it to his face and kissed it gently, then gripped it. He looked at her and smiled. "Does what we've done bother you?"

For a few seconds, Daria closed her eyes and laid her head on his left arm. Finally, she kissed his bicep and said, "No. This may sound odd, but it feels perfectly natural...to me." She looked up into his eyes and asked, "But does what we've done bother you? After all, we aren't exactly being...chaste."

He touched the left side of her face and ran his hand down her neck to her shoulder. "I'm afraid I'm going to wake up and it will have all been a mirage. Sometimes when I hold you, I'm afraid that you will slip through my hands, like a shadow, like a dream."

Daria nodded and kissed him. "Interesting Odysseus reference. You also didn't answer my question."

"It doesn't bother me," he said. "I could pull your jeans and panties off right now and it wouldn't bother me. We could go all the way right now and the only thing that would bother me would be if I would hurt you...or disappointed you. The fact that it doesn't bother me...confuses me." He moved his arm around her and moved his face right in front of hers. "By how I've been raised and what I've been taught, I should have never seen your breasts nor touched them until you were my 'lawfully wedded' wife. Apparently, I've rejected that teaching."

She nodded in thought and scratched her side briefly. "Are you familiar with Robert A. Heinlein?" she asked.

"Starship Troopers? Of course."

She moved her body up against his and their embrace became tighter. "Before he died he wrote a novel titled Friday. One of the lines in it went something like this: 'Geniuses and supergeniuses make their own rules for sex. They do not follow the monkey customs of their lessers.'"

"I'm no genius," he said, "and when I think of supergeniuses, I think of Wile E. Coyote."

Daria chuckled and kissed his shoulder, then his neck. "Neither you nor I are average, Martin Peters. Were you ever called 'Egghead'? I was as a young child, and many times thereafter."

"'Bookworm' was the insult of choice for me," he said. "For a year, I was called 'The Bastard Bookworm of Carthage'. That stopped when Dad became supervisor at his factory. He put pressure on the fathers of the kids calling me that, since he was now their boss." He sighed. "You know, I hate school and I hate the memories I have. It makes me want to scream."

"Not in my ear, please." She looked at his shoulder and added, "Tell me something. Did you ever touch Sarah's breasts, like you do mine?"

"A few times," he admitted. "We had just gotten to that stage of our relationship when...she dumped me. That time we were nude together? That happened one week before it all ended."

"Did you kiss them?"

Martin looked at Daria in silence for several seconds and shook his head. "No. You are the only one I've ever done that to."

She smiled and pushed his head down to her chest. "Good. You know what to do then."

oooooooooo

Odell walked into the lunchroom and saw Tommy and his buddies eating pie at their table while being watched by Helen and the others in her party. "What are you three doing?"

"We're eating pie," Tommy said and glared at the other group. "They threatened us, Uncle Odell."

"Why?"

"I was just going to follow Martin and his cu...girlfriend around and bug them. That's all."

The deacon's expression darkened and he stared at his nephew. "Leave them alone."

The teen gave his uncle a defiant look and the other two boys watched them. "I owe him for my broken nose! I will get him back for it, no matter what you tell me. You're not my dad!"

Suddenly, Odell gripped Tommy's throat tightly and whispered fiercely, "You will show me the proper respect, boy. Your daddy left me in charge of you and if I have to beat the hell out of you, I will. Trust me, if you anger me, I'll make what Martin did to you feel like kisses from a girl. You understand me?"

The teen's eyes bulged. "Yessir!"

The deacon's glare went to Tommy's two friends. "The same goes for you two. All of you will leave them alone." He centered his gaze on Carl. "You take it easy and let your leg heal."

"Yes, sir," he said.

Odell looked at Tommy and Kenny. "You two have a job to do. Come with me."

"What?" Tommy asked loudly. "I don't want to do anything!"

The deacon grabbed his nephew's right ear and yanked him out of the chair. Kenny quickly got up, fear evident on his face, and the three left the lunchroom.

"Wonder what that was about?" Jane asked from across the room.

"I'd say he got tired of their shenanigans," Danny said and walked his fingers across her back.

"What plans do you two have this afternoon?" Helen asked as she stood up.

Jane smirked. "I'm supposed to pose for a painting."

Helen looked at Danny. "Oh, you're an artist, too?"

He nodded. "I was hoping to go to someplace like New York or Boston and maybe study or something. I saved up enough money, but then Black Saturday happened and..." He shook his head and Jane patted his back gently.

"What are you going to do, Helen?" Pam asked.

The older woman shrugged. "Part of me wants to go to Martin's garage, but I don't want to...upset Daria. I'll...help in the kitchen, or something. " She looked at Jane. "You and Daria look and act much older than you did before..."

"Daria and I took care of each other before we got here," Jane said. "A few times, it got really scary."

"Daria told me about it."

"Did she tell you about having to sew me up?"

"What?" Helen asked, her eyes widely opened.

Jane nodded. "One guy shot at me and Daria killed him. The bullet he fired grazed my arm." She rolled up her sleeve and showed everyone the scar. "After it was over, Daria cleaned my injury and sewed me up."

"What did she use for anesthetic?" Helen looked over the scar and shivered at the thought of what Daria had done.

"We didn't have any."

"Whoa," Trent said. "Both of you just earned more cool points with me."

The teen stuck her tongue out at him. "It's just like that Rambo movie, where he sewed up his own arm."

Helen sighed and looked at Jane. "You two must have nerves of steel, that's all I can say. I don't think I could do it."

"It didn't feel good at the time, I can tell you that." Jane shrugged. "We both learned what we could do if we had to."

oooooooooo

Odell took the two boys outside and said quietly, "We're leaving here tomorrow afternoon. Be ready to go right after lunch."

"Why are we leaving?" Tommy asked. "Not that I'm complaining. I hate it here."

The deacon looked at them. "We've got a job and we need to be away from here to do it."

"What kind of job?" Kenny asked.

"I'll tell you more about that tomorrow."

"We're taking Carl, aren't we?" Tommy asked.

Odell shook his head. "We may have to move quickly and he'll only slow us up." He looked at them both gravely. "I'll be honest with you two here. The other church leaders and a lot of the members have had it with you two. I figured that you could use a change of scenery."

"I could use a piece of ass," Tommy said and smirked.

"Watch your language while you're here!" Odell said fiercely. "Both of you keep quiet about this and take your stuff to my place. Get the truck ready."

"Why can't I pay Martin back for what he did?"

The older man looked at his nephew in exasperation and said, "Go ahead and get him. Then Daria's mother will kill you. I can assure you that if Martin doesn't kill you first, she will, and the Marines will do nothing to stop them. Now, if you two do as I say and keep your heads down and your mouths shut, I will see to it that you have some...female company by tomorrow night. Don't ask me any questions about that, but we'll have two...ladies with us when we leave."

The two boys smiled and nodded in approval.

oooooooooo

"You know, you're different than most girls," Martin said.

Daria frowned and tensed up. "Are you saying that I don't have the same dreams and concerns that others girls do?"

"No."

"O.K., then what are you saying?"

He stroked her back and said, "For the last seven years, I've watched how people interacted with each other. I've watched how friends acted together and how lovers acted, as well..."

"Pervert," she said and smirked.

"Ha, ha," he said. "I know I'm somewhat awkward. I've watched others while being totally left out of it. My best friend moved away when I was 10, Daria. Until Sarah came along, I was alone."

"How does that make me different?"

"You and Jane responded to me, you talked with me. After I lost Sarah, you two were the first ones to treat me..." He closed his eyes and sighed loudly.

"Martin?"

"Sorry. You two were the first to treat me as a person. But you alone make me feel...special."

"Didn't Sarah make you feel special?"

He shook his head. "It's not the same. I can't explain it, but I feel that I can tell you anything. I trust you with my life and I could not say that about Sarah." He smiled at her. "How do you see me?"

The question caught Daria by surprise. She blinked as she thought it over and said, "On the one hand, you have a little boy lost quality to you..."

"Oh, really?" It was plain from his expression that he didn't like the description.

She nodded. "Your fear of me being a dream ties into that. On the other hand, you have an independent, defiant streak to you. Kind of like you're as mad as hell and you're not going to take it anymore."

"I never saw that movie," he said and nodded. "But I do know who Howard Beale is and I like that line. But that can't be all of it."

Daria kissed him and laid her head on his shoulder. "You're strong, but tender. Your touch sends shivers down my spine sometimes. I feel...safe and comfortable in your arms. I feel as if I can tell you anything. You weren't afraid to ask me to be your girlfriend, despite the fact that you knew that your mother would disapprove. I liked that."

"Now, what about me...irritates you."

"Your tendency to hide when things get rough," she said quickly.

"I've fought that."

"Yes, you have, and I'm glad. I think you will...hide things from me, considering your stashes."

"Most of my stashes are ashes right now, Daria."

"Do you have anymore out here?"

He nodded. "It really doesn't matter anymore."

"Oh, is it more nudes, like Miss January?"

Martin sighed and said, "That's the only nudes I do have. I did have some pictures of a few women in their underwear, but they...were in the house. "What's out here...isn't worth much now."

"What is it?"

"About $1,500 in cash."

Daria looked up at his face. "Why didn't you keep it in the bank?"

"I started saving it when I was 11. Part of my allowance went into it, plus most of what I made on odd jobs. I had a bank account when I was younger, but my parents cleaned it out when they remodeled the house. They never paid me back, except a few bucks here and there. I was afraid that if I put it in the bank, they'd take it again, so I hid it. I was going to have it when I left for college."

"We'll take it with us, then, honey. It may still come in handy and I have some money, too." She sat up and stretched. "If I don't get up, I'll fall asleep in your arms."

"I'd love that," he said and smiled. "I'd love to spend the whole night beside you...part of it asleep."

Daria playfully hit his left arm. "We need to get up and actually sort through something out here," she said. "After all, Mom will want to know of our...progress, plus we actually need to decide what we're taking with us when we leave."

Martin sat up and stretched as well, then climbed out of the truck. He helped Daria to the ground and they hugged. "Most of the stuff out here is useless knick-knacks. But there are a few boxes we can go through."

"Oh?"

He moved to the loft area and pointed at three cardboard boxes. "The first one has some of my books, the second one has something of Dad's that I want and the third has blankets."

Daria moved the ladder and climbed up. Once again, Martin braced her by holding her buttocks and she looked down at him. "You know, one day, we'll be in a library together. I'll climb a ladder to get a book, you'll do that, then get us thrown out."

"What if I just pull your pants down instead?" he asked.

"That would mean instant death."

He reached around the front of her jeans and undid the button.

"Martin..."

Calmly, he unzipped the jeans and pulled them down to her knees. Then he whistled at her and smiled.

"You are so dead when I get down, boy."

He looked up at her face and said, "You saw me in my underwear, and turnabout is fair play." He looked back at her panties and said, "And I do like what I see."

"Pull my pants up, please. I don't want to fall off the ladder."

He pulled her jeans back, zipped them up and buttoned them. "How's that?"

"You didn't 'offer' to give me a hand like I did you." She smirked at him.

Martin thought for a second and said, "I would, but I don't know what to do."

Daria brought a box down, handed it to him and put her hands on her hips. "I won't kill you yet, then. I will...teach you...and give you a chance to redeem yourself."

"I'll be a good student. Does that mean I'm the teacher's pet?"

She rolled her eyes and climbed back up the ladder. Within a minute, she brought down the other two boxes and they had them opened on the workbench.

Martin dug through one box as Daria looked over the books in another box.

"These are mostly children's books," she said.

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "There may be something in there that we can give to Pam's girls, you know."

Daria pulled out a hardcover copy of Black Beauty and her face went pale as she stared at it.

Martin saw her expression and gasped as he saw a tear run down her right cheek. "Daria? What's wrong?"

She looked at him and her mouth dropped open. She shook her head, closed her mouth and said, "A memory. A memory from my childhood." She took off her glasses and wiped her eyes, then sat on the recliner.

He moved near her and touched her right shoulder. "Was it a bad memory?"

"I...I caused a fight between my parents," she said. "I could hear the fight from my bedroom and went to my play house to read Black Beauty. My copy was just like this one."

"Your play house?"

She swallowed and stared at the book. "It was a refrigerator box I had colored on and had a front door to. It was my sanctuary." More tears ran down her cheeks. "I miss my Dad. I miss Quinn." She laid the book on her lap and covered her face with her hands.

For several seconds, Martin stared at her as she cried, then carefully got on his knees beside her. He touched her right shoulder again; she turned and buried her face in his shoulder. Tears ran from his own eyes as she cried on him.

oooooooooo

It was nearly dinner time when Daria and Martin arrived back at the church. He carried a Japanese katana and several books. She held the copy of Black Beauty tightly in her right hand and held his right arm with her other hand.

"Thank you for letting me have this," she said.

"Anything of mine is yours, Daria," he replied.

She cleared her throat and gave him a weak smile. "O.K., I'll sell your truck, then."

He returned her smile and they quickly hugged before going back inside.

Trent saw them and approached. "Hey, man, that's a cool katana. Where'd you get it?"

"My Dad got it in Japan," Martin said. "He was in the Air Force Reserve and went to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa during his one of his two-week stints." He held up the books. "Do you think the girls will like these?"

Trent looked over the books and nodded. "They love it when I read to them. Thanks, you two. I was running out of books to read here."

oooooooooo

At 10 p.m., as everyone settled down for the night, the sound of helicopters outside brought everyone up and caused quite a bit of anxiety. The church's watches were brought inside the church by armed Marines and Rev. Harris asked a gunnery sergeant, "What's going on here? Why are our guards inside?"

"Colonel Armalin's orders, sir," the non-com answered. "Nobody's allowed outside for the rest of the night. "Phone service will be disconnected and there will be no computer use as well."

"That doesn't make sense, sergeant."

"I don't ask questions, sir. I just follow my orders. I do know that it's safer in here for you and your people. We'll stay in here with you just to...keep order while you folks sleep."

Daria moved next to Martin near their sleeping spaces and shivered. "I don't think I like this," she said. "What do you think is going on?"

"I don't know," he replied and put his arm around her. "Something they don't want us to know about."

"Or interfere with," she whispered and looked at him. "I'm going to lie next to you. I think I'll feel safer that way."

The two teens laid down, each in their own sleeping bags, but next to each other.

Helen moved on the other side of Daria and laid down as well. "Don't worry about this," she whispered to the two. "I saw this happen at the Frederick County Fairgrounds a few times. They're going to...take care of some problems."

"What do you mean?" Daria asked, her voice still a whisper.

"Since Black Saturday, domestic terrorist groups have been...eliminated, one by one. When they find where a group's hiding...they kill them."

Daria pushed back against Martin and shivered as she thought about it. He moved his arm in front of her and held her securely.

oooooooooo

One man stood outside the house and smoked a marijuana cigarette as he looked out over the countryside. Everyone at the house was tense and had been for several hours. Even the normal animal sounds one heard at night wasn't present. Stupid ass kids again, he thought. Trying to steal our dope.

He thought he heard the sound of a spitting duck and fell onto his knees hard. The cigarette fell from his lips and he stared at the holes that suddenly appeared in his chest. When he tried to scream, blood ran from his mouth and he fell onto the ground.

"What's going on, Todd?" a man asked from a darkened doorway. He saw the flash of moonlight on a machete blade, then saw nothing else as his head and his body fell in different directions.

"We're being raided!" a voice yelled from inside the house. "Fight back! Fi---" His words were cut off by more of the spitting sounds.

One man made it to a car, started it and tore out of the driveway like he was racing at Indianapolis. Before he made it a quarter of a mile, a rocket streaked in from somewhere in the east and the vehicle exploded in a ball of flame.

Kyle Armalin, wearing night vision gear, recognized the face of Armstrong Morgan from his picture. The man tried to load an SKS in the dark and did a bad job of it. He swung the machete at the homegrown Maoist quickly. The leader of the BLM dropped his weapon as his head left his body.

The raid took less than three minutes and the property was lit up by the searchlights affixed to several helicopters.

Armalin met "George Williams" outside the house and said, "You told me that there were only 15 of them left, Williams! There were 21 on the grounds."

The civilian looked at him and asked, "You killed them all, didn't you?"

"That's not the point! If we hadn't been ready for surprises such as this, they could have massacred us!"

"I'm sorry, Kyleton, I'm sorry. If you'll remember right, I told you that you outclassed them. I'll relay your complaints to the general, if you wish. I'm sure she can suggest something to you."

Armalin shook his head and looked as the bodies were carried out. "Never mind."

Williams looked at the five decapitated bodies and threw Armalin a sly look. "Only five?" he asked. "You losing your touch, Kyleton?"

The Marine rolled his eyes and walked off.

oooooooooo

The next day, discussion of what had happened the night before was discouraged, but it was whispered about from person to person anyway.

Renee Andrews decided that Forever Kristie would avoid this topic. She had already heard that her blog had the government's attention and she wasn't about to screw things up with them.

Instead, her most recent entry dealt with how handsome many of the young Marines were in their uniforms and on how Odell was walking on egg shells with so many tough guys around the church.

She hooked up her computer at the outdoor phone jack and uploaded her entry as she normally did.

After taking care of blog business, she walked back towards the church.

"Excuse me," a female voice said near her and she turned around to see a muscular blonde woman who looked to be a Marine sergeant.

"Yes?" the teen asked.

The Marine looked around and asked, "Can I ask you a question? It's kind of embarrassing, but I really need to know."

The girl smiled and said, "I'll be glad to help you, if I can. Just the least I can do for a member of the military."

Kerry Thompson returned the girl's smile and said, "My boyfriend and I need someplace where we can be alone, you know, to talk and maybe kiss for a few minutes. Do you know someplace around here we can do that? We don't want other people around us, you know?"

"Oh, sure," Renee said and nodded. "I know a perfect place. I just hope that graveyards don't creep you out."

"Not at all," the Marine said. "Can you take me there?"

"Sure. Let me put up my laptop and you can follow me."

When the girl came back outside, she led the blonde towards the cemetery.