Desperate Measures

Larry drove the truck around the front of the house and Glenn brought out his CB radio to test. They found the right frequency and Stu, being the leader of the biggest group, spoke for them.

"This is Stu Redman calling on the band to anyone that's listening. We're on our way to Boulder and we need an address for when we get there. I've been told Boulder's a big place." He winked at Landi as he said it and she blushed.

"It sure is," a new voice came on the line. "This is Ralph Brentner calling from Boulder. You're the first people I've heard from all day. How many in your group?"

"Uh, nine adults and a child. And a dog," he added at the barking on the other side of the yard.

"Holy shit," Ralph laughed in amazement. "I haven't heard a dog since the third week of June."

"That's what most people say when they see him," Stu laughed along with him. "You can expect us around dusk tonight. We're at the homestead right now. I'm afraid that Mother Abigail's larder is a little emptier after our meal out here."

"The Mother won't mind. She'll just be happy that all that food isn't going to waste. Ain't that place a beaut?" Ralph laughed again. "I was surprised at just how accurate my dreams were. Listen, we'll be expecting you around dusk today. We've been trying to clear the roads and the houses in anticipation of those that's coming, but it's been hard with so few hands to help. Which way are you people coming from?"

"I expect that some of us will be willing to help after meeting the Mother. We'll be coming in from the North on Route 36," he answered the first question, looking at the map Dayna handed him. "Where in Boulder should we be looking for you?" Ralph gave him the address and they signed off.

"We'll have to get a good map of Boulder when we get there," Larry said once the call was done. "I don't know about you people, but my map shows Boulder as a little dot with a bunch of roads intersecting it."

"Same," Judge Farris nodded. "But I suspect that if we're the first, that someone might meet us and guide us to the Mother."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Glenn grinned. "Let's get moving!" The group set off in high spirits, Lucy and Larry cuddling in the front seat of the truck while Joe, Landi, and Kojak sat in the truck bed. Landi made sure to bring another cow bone for the dog. They'd also made sure to post duplicate signs on either sign of the road leading to Hemingford Home so that people could bypass the Homestead and still know about the CB radio band if necessary. They only stopped once on the road to Boulder. They all wanted to look their best to meet Mother Abigail. Once they reached the outskirts of Boulder, a man named Brad Kitchner guided them to their destination. Everyone got out of the trucks and motorcycles to meet the woman who represented the light in this struggle against the darkness.

"Mother Abigail, I dreamed about you," Fran said from the bottom of the stairs.

"I know you did," Mother Abigail said, standing up to greet her guests. "Come on up here. Just you and your man to start with." Everyone was moving towards the old woman, but Harold couldn't take it anymore. Fran was his! Stu had stolen her from him! 'Her man', indeed. He grabbed Landi's arm and fast-walked away from the group and down the street.

"Harold?" she asked, keeping pace with his longer strides just barely. He was about a foot taller than her five-foot-one frame after all. "Harold, get off of me!" she exclaimed after about a block. She yanked her arm out of his hand and stopped her forward momentum, staring at him incredulously.

"You're one of his virgins, aren't you?" the young poet asked. "You're headed out to meet him now, right?"

"Are you nuts? I'm not going to that lunatic!" she hissed. "I'm here to find a way to avoid that fate!"

"But… You've been chosen…"

"Not all things one is chosen for are worth pursuing," she said sternly. "I would never trust the gift of my innocence to a demon." Harold looked at her as if she were crazy, then walked away from her. Landi shuddered and then headed back to Mother Abigail.

"Where'd you get off to, little girl?" the old woman asked directly. Landi fidgeted under her scrutiny, feeling shy to reveal Harold's plans to the group. "Come on up here." the girl grinned enthusiastically and ran up the stairs into Mother Abigail's open arms. She hugged the woman almost desperately, feeling like everything would be alright now. A Polaroid click ended the tender embrace. The girl disengaged from the Mother without drawing away completely. Both black women were grinning from ear to ear and sniffling. Larry went ahead and snapped another photo now that they were both facing the camera.

"Goodness, girl. You hug like you mean it!"

"I don't do things halfway," she smiled, looking around at the new people. Her eyes just about popped out of her head when she laid eyes on the most attractive man she'd ever seen. He was smiling at everyone rather vaguely, his five-foot-ten lean frame muscled even under the flannel shirt. He had long shaggy dark brown hair and the prettiest blue eyes she'd ever seen. She blushed under her honey-brown skin, happy that she'd brushed her teeth during their clothes stopover, and picked a nice, flared-out, knee-length, size 12 dress to wear to meet the Mother. Nothing but the Sunday best for Mother Abigail; even Joe had cleaned up for the occasion. But that amazingly attractive man before her had her full attention now. He had her loins stirring like no man had ever before in her life! Suddenly realizing that she was staring and that the conversation had gone on for too long without her, she ducked her head and pushed a braid behind her ear, taking a step off the porch. Looking up, she noticed that Larry was looking at her strangely.

"He's hot," she mouthed to him. The Guitarist blinked in confusion. She nodded her head shortly at the man she was talking about. "Like, lava hot," she mouthed with another blush. Larry looked at the man and saw nothing special about the deafmute. But little Landi was blushing like a maiden under her honey golden skin right now. The man in question was writing on his pad with occasional glances at her. Well, this should be interesting.

She jumped when a piece of paper bisected her embarrassed line of vision.

I can read lips.

Thank you

She gasped and covered her mouth, her face on fire as she looked anywhere but at him.

"Is everything alright, ma'am?" Ralph asked as he shook hands with the girl. She looked flustered and tongue-tied at the moment.

"Y-yes," she nodded, stealing shy glances towards the porch. Ralph looked at her doubtfully, then his face cleared up and he pulled her into a one-armed hug.

"I don't think you've had a chance to meet my good friend, Nick Andros. He don't talk and he can't hear, but he's one of the smartest men I've ever met. What's your name, sweetheart?"

She stammered something unintelligible, then stopped, closed her eyes, and seemed to put her thoughts together. Larry was wishing for popcorn. He'd never seen his little sister react to anyone like this before. She was usually so self-possessed. This was entertaining, to say the least. He indicated the little drama unfolding on the stairs to his wife. She glanced over and giggled softly, settling in to see what happened next.

"I'm Landi Granton. H-hi," she finally managed to get out.

"Well, how do you do, Landi? I'm Ralph Bretner. Nick, come meet Landi." She reached out to shake his hand and felt a zing of electricity low in her belly. She twitched and gasped, pulling out of his grasp and ducking out of Ralph's hug. She was looking for an exit and starting to attract attention to herself. She was halfway down the stairs now, shaking out her hand as if she'd been on the receiving end of one of those hand buzzer gags. Nick followed her, having felt the same jolt when their hands touched. He approached her slowly like one would a frightened animal. She flinched when he touched her hand again and the same zing jolted through her. He held onto her hand this time though, using his other to touch her face where a tear was forming. He smiled and nodded encouragingly at her. She smiled back timidly and his smile widened. She relaxed slightly and her smile widened shyly.

"Mother Abigail," Larry said suddenly, remembering the Dark Man reaching into his truck for his supposed concubine. "Landi needs-"

"I'd rather not talk about my personal business right now," Landi broke in desperately. "I'd rather wait for a-"

"-some kind of protection. Randall Flagg is after her!"

"-more private time to talk about this…" She finished uselessly. Everyone was staring at her in horror by now, and she could feel her face heating up. She plastered a big, fake smile on her face and turned to her brother, who she was seriously considering disowning. "Thanks, bro," she said brightly. She pulled herself away from the sexy deafmute touching her face.

"What's going on here, Landi?" Stu asked not unkindly. This was it; she had the proverbial floor. She suddenly got an icy feeling in her gut. What if Mother Abigail couldn't help her after all? What if they decided to kick her out of Boulder rather than risk that demon coming here?

"Flagg is rounding up virgins," she said at last, wishing for a bucket of water to splash on her burning cheeks. "There aren't many of us, but-"

"Us?" Ralph asked in shock.

"Yes, 'us'," Landi ground out sharply. "As in 'included in'. Otherwise, this wouldn't be my problem." she rolled her eyes at the farmer.

"How many virgins are we talking about?" Glenn asked.

"As far as I know, two. His intended and… Well, I'm a bonus. An extra." She smiled another of those big, fake smiles and gave him thumbs up. The smile faded just as fast and she cast a worried look around the gawking group. "I don't exactly know what his plan is for me - beyond the obvious - but he's been pretty relentless. He's even chased me through the real world now that I take my sleeping pills at night."

"I'm sorry, Landi," Ralph said in amazement. "I just thought that your kind didn't last through puberty with that intact." Yolanda turned on him slowly with a swagger in her body language that clearly said 'you done fucked up' to all assembled.

"Excuse you? 'My kind'?" She continued to glare the farmer down menacingly as the Caucasian members of the assembled group started backpedaling for the ignorant man. Ralph himself blinked.

"I… I meant no offense, ma'am."

"How… How is that not offensive?" she growled.

"Alright," Stu said, taking control of the conversation once more. "What are we going to do about Flagg?"

"That's a very good question," Landi said, with one last hard look at Ralph. "Whatever 'my kind' may be, I have no desire to be raped in the middle of the desert by a demon!" she sounded scared and very alone despite her harsh description. "I was just… I wanted to know if… I don't know… If there was anything that could be done." Everyone looked at Mother Abigail.

"Child… I'm not a magician. I can pray your strength in the battle ahead, but there's nothing I can do for you. I'm not equipped."

"Yeah," she said dejectedly, her beautiful brown eyes filling with tears. "I didn't think anything could be done for me." She turned and walked away from the group,

"Landi, wait," Larry called. She sped up in response and Nick followed her. Larry went to follow her as well and was surprised when the Mother grabbed his arm with a strong grip.

"Let her go, Larry."

"What? So Flagg can track her down and make her his concubine?"

"No," the old woman said wisely. "The only solution for that girl is for her not to be a virgin anymore. I can't help with that. I'm not equipped. You are, but I believe that you are already attached to this young lady here." Understanding dawned on his face and he awkwardly returned to the suddenly stilted conversation on the porch.

And now, introducing the main ship of this particular fic; Nick Andros/Yolanda Granton! I have to admit that Nick was my first big crush as a child. Deafmute or not, he captured my heart and my imagination as I read about this post-apocalyptic world. I wanted to survive the plague just to meet such an amazing and sweet man and possibly claim him for myself! Oh well...

Landi's cards are now on the table and Nick is in play. What happens next - besides the obvious - is anyone's guess. See ya next chapter. Reviews are loved! ^_^