June 27, 2025; Clay looked around at the scene before him. Bodies lay everywhere and every once in a while as Tonya or Luke found a wounded Orc they made sure they wouldn't have to worry about them anymore. Not that there were many. The giant cats managed to cause a lot of wounds that disabled or incapacitated their victims.

  He looked back at Amy and Dawn who were taking care of Sigrid and the other woman. "Can we move yet?" He asked them.

  He heard Amy mumble something as a soft, green glow enveloped her hands again as she started healing the woman the Orcs had been using as bait. The woman let out a gasp and Clay knew exactly what she was feeling as he watched the cuts start to close and realized she was in nothing but a thin pair of underwear! It was easily in the upper thirties with the wind chill and he quickly summoned a blanket from his spatial storage space and handed it to Dawn for the woman.

  Luke soon returned to his shredded pack and took out his sleeping bag and piled everything into it that had strewn across the ground as he rolled away from the giant cat's swipe. Luke even threw the torn backpack inside, wadded it up as he picked up his walking stick and two spears and hobbled over to them.

  Tonya was now holding a knife to the Orc, keeping him quiet as everyone else searched the dead bodies for anything useful. There wasn't much, and soon Sigrid stood, her UMSL jacket torn and he could see bare skin from her midriff. She had some crude, puckered fresh scars that hadn't been attended to properly and they had left jagged white streaks on her soft pale pink skin.

  She walked over to the cat and Clay's attention was drawn to the Orc as he swayed. He had lost a lot of blood, but Tonya held him tightly with her knife against his neck, the point having drawn a small trickle of blood.

  Just as he was about to say something about needing to move, Amy's hands stopped glowing and she slumped to the ground, panting. Dawn moved to help her up and he heard her say, "I'm ok, I can still manage. I'm just a little tired is all." She waved her hand.

  "Alright, better hurry up it's already past midnight. How far is it?" He asked the Orc.

  Tonya squeezed the man's dislocated shoulder and with a painful cry he answered, "About four hundred yards that away!" He pointed into the darkness. Luckily the path leading to the cellar was quite well used and as their eyes adjusted from moving away from the light, they were easily able to follow it.

  Sure enough, the burnt two-story remains of a farmhouse came into view. Off to one side was a cellar door, steal, and secure at the bottom of seven steps. Clay motioned for the Orc to go first and followed close behind. He didn't bother with his axe, instead, he held his buck knife against his back near the man's kidney. The Orc swallowed hard and knocked three times, paused, and then knocked three more times.

  The door opened with a loud clang and a gruff voice came out. "About time you guys got back. How fucking long does it take to skin the damn..." He was cut off suddenly as Jill plunged a spear into the dumbfounded Orc guard's collar bone, snapping the feeble bone, and plunging it deep into the man's chest. She had been waiting patiently from the edge of the cellar entrance for the man to step close enough to the door to be stabbed. The Orc that had led them there started begging Clay immediately, and Clay could hear water dripping from its pants leg as it pissed itself again. The man was shaking and whimpering in fear.

  Clay jerked the man's shoulder violently, "How many more?" He asked as the door guard hit the ground, lifeless in the doorway. Jill's spear having found the man's heart and ended its miserable life. Clay dug the tip of the knife into its lower back near the large slash from the mutated cats.

  "None, I swear! All the women should be locked up in the room off to the right, and the supplies are in the back. I swear!" Came the Orcs cry. He reached over and opened the door all the way. He could distinctly make out sweat and alcohol wafting out from the cellar. He grabbed the man by the shoulder and roughly led him inside. After a quick inspection Clay could tell the man had told them the truth. It didn't take long for everyone to move inside the stinking cellar. It was shelter after all and the night was already early morning.

  He made the Orc help remove the dead body from the doorway and then he led the lone male survivor from the group of Orcs a good way away from the ruins of the burnt-out farmhouse and told the man in a dangerous tone, "Run, and don't fucking stop."

  With his hands tied behind him, it was effectively a death sentence if the man couldn't get them free soon enough. It was only Paracord so Clay knew he could work with a sharp rock to eventually cut through it. The Orc just grunted, lowered its head and began to move as quickly as it could northward through the trees. Clay looked up at the hazy night sky and let out a sigh as he sheathed his knife. He should probably have just killed the man but he hadn't. He shook his head and turned back towards the cellar.

  He didn't know what kind of mess awaited him there, but after about five minutes of walking, he heard the Orc he had just let go scream in fright before it suddenly sped away, the screaming becoming distant very quickly before disappearing. He could vaguely make out a large winged beast as it flew past overhead only a few moments later. Clay could hear it land near the bonfire and the large dead cat corpses.

  Clay found himself very thankful for having the Orc take them to the cellar now more than ever as another large flying beast flapped its wings to kill its momentum before settling down near the other one. He hurried back to the cellar not wanting anything to spot him as it flew overhead.

  Luke let him in the door as soon as he heard it was Clay outside. The man looked worried about something and Clay found himself asking, "What's wrong?" Luke just shook his head and sat back down on a crate. Clay could see he was sewing his rucksack back together.

  It took him a minute to respond. "It's bad Mr Clay. I never imagined I would see people sink so low. Never. It's despicable." Luke shook his head in disgust and spat off to the side. "Nobody deserves to be treated like that, especially not fucking kids, and not like that."

  Clay knew exactly what the man was talking about, he had seen the girls handcuffed to pipes running through the ceiling rafters as he cleared the room of hostiles and then left them to be dealt with by the rest of the group. Seeing his reaction Clay had to ask, "How bad is it?"

  Luke just looked at him and shook his head, his clenched jaw told Clay everything he needed to know. He patted the man's shoulder and asked, "Can the ladies handle it?"

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  "I hope so Mr Clay. I sure as hell don't know what to do." Luke continued to shake his head as he went back to sewing. Clay took a breath, let it out with a slight sigh, and then stepped into the main chamber. Jill immediately stepped in front of him, worry etched on her face.

  "Are you okay?" She asked, looking him over for any wounds he might be ignoring in the dim lantern light.

  He gestured as he said softly, "I'm fine, how's the others?" He looked around her as if weary of what he was going to see.

  She immediately answered as if she had been expecting his question. "They're fine, I..." She stopped, then looked nervous as she grabbed his hand. "The others are busy and I wanted to take this opportunity to express my feelings, Clay." She blushed scarlet even under the thin facial fur Clay could only make out when she stood this close!

  "Unlike someone else," She waved to the room with Tonya in it, "I have some self-control." She looked into his eyes, her crisp blue eyes seemed to look right into his damn soul and he was cussing himself for even thinking he could take care of this woman who deserved so much better than what he would ever be able to give her. Especially now the way the world had gone to shit!

  She stepped in closer, one hand still laced with his as she wrapped the other around his middle in a gentle embrace. "I have feelings for you Clay. I know I look different. And you don't seem to care. But I was truly interested in you even before this cluster-fuck we call reality took a sharp right turn into a fucking shit show." The hair on the back of Clay's neck stood on end as if he were in danger.

  She lowered her voice as she placed her head on his chest. "I just wanted you to know I don't care about any of it. As long as I'm with you." With that, she pulled away enough to raise up and kiss him. He couldn't help but groan as she pulled away and walked towards the backroom, her hips swaying so provocatively he could feel his blood pressure rising in his pants from the view. "I'll see what kind of supplies they have."

  He had to shake his head to clear the image of her swaying hips as she strode away. Those fucking blue jeans looked to be painted on her! He couldn't look away until she was finally out of sight. That seemed to break the spell she had on him and he turned to see what Dawn and Tonya were up to. He noticed Amy was already in the room Jill had disappeared into. That left one room and as he turned to walk that way he nearly collided with Tonya who was standing right behind him. She was so short and moved so silently he hadn't heard her approach.

  She had a mischievous grin on her face as she noticed his startled look. "Oh, whatcha doin'?" She asked looking at the door Jill had disappeared through. He was caught off guard and started to stammer, tripping over his tongue.

  "I, uh, I was just getting ready to find you as a matter of fact." He managed to stammer as she stepped even closer. He could swear he could feel her perky nipples on his abbs. She flashed him an ornery look and her right hand grabbed his now engorged cock. "Tonya, I..."

  She let out a giggle as she squeezed it gently and stepped back. Clay found himself even more flustered. He didn't know how to deal with this shit! "Oh, don't worry, I'm willing to wait." She liked her lips like she was eyeing an expensive steak. "You can even say no." She looked down at the bulge in his pants before looking back into his eyes. "But someone else is yelling pick me!" She giggled again looking around, pulled her shirt up and flashed him!

  "Just something to think about." She winked flirtatiously as she re-situated her perfectly perky C-cups in her bra. He was still standing there with his mouth open when she stepped up next to him and gave him a peck on his cheek before hurrying towards the supply room. He knew without looking his face was as red as the Coke sign hanging crookedly on the wall behind him!

  "How the fuck was a man supposed to deal with this fucking mess! Just one woman almost bled me dry. And why now for some god-forsaken reason would he draw the attention of two drop-dead gorgeous women? What the fuck?" He said to himself as he growled. He looked back at the door Jill and Tonya had gone through and still didn't have an answer to those questions as he decided it was a mess he would just have to figure out later. He still had to make it home.

  He moved to the door on the right and stopped, bracing himself mentally, he always dreaded dealing with Doc, the woman acted like she wanted to stab him half the time. He knocked twice. "Dawn, is it okay to enter?" He asked softly.

  "Umm, could you give us a moment please Mr Clay?" Came Dawn's response.

  "Of course. I'll wait hear until you tell me it's clear Doc." Clay said. He could hear several female voices and he looked back to where Luke was sitting, remembering his words and grimaced himself. It must have been pretty fucking bad.

  After a few minutes, he heard Dawn call out it was okay for him to enter, and he braced himself for whatever was waiting for him. As he stepped through the door into dim candle light he instantly smelled body odor and the coppery smell of blood. His eyes were drawn to four sets of handcuffs still draped over a metal pipe running overhead.

  Dawn was putting medical supplies back into her pack and gave him a nod. "They'll live, but not without help." She pointed at a quilt that shook visibly. He could see the woman that Luke had saved, she was maybe in her mid-twenties and looked at Clay as if he had an extra head growing out of his neck. She hugged the quilt protectively.

  "P...please don't kill them, I'll do anything." She slid forward as if to submit herself to him but kept herself between him and whoever was under the quilt. "They're just girls! Please don't hurt them!" She sobbed, and Clay could hear three more girls whimpering under the quilt behind her as she spoke.

  He raised a hand, trying to reassure the woman who looked at Dawn as she started to panic.

  "Don't worry, I told you we won't hurt any of you," Dawn said trying to reassure her. "This is Mr. Clay, he's just going to take a look at your conditions so he knows what I say is true. Now stop that." Dawn chastised them gently as she walked over and pulled the quilt back to allow Clay a look at the girl's conditions.

  Bruising covered most of the green orcish bodies that Dawn uncovered as well as fresh cuts only recently healed. Bandages covered wounds that were too severe for Amy or Dawn to heal with their available mystical points or were too old for the ability to affect. Dawn tucked the quilt back around them and patted the woman on the edge of the bed's shoulder reassuringly.

  He looked over at Dawn who looked ready to argue about something. He cut her short though in a soft voice. "We won't leave them behind. But we'll need to move soon Doc. Those fucking bodies are already drawing in scavengers. And big ones!"

  He looked back at the quilt and then said, "Good work Doc. I'll have the other women help me find some clothes for them. Can you and Amy get them ready to move?" He asked not expecting to be able to move for a while if Dawn had her say. "Make sure they eat well. Any water we can't take with us let them use to bathe." He stepped back out, closing the door softly behind him.

  He closed his eyes and took a long deep breath. Not one of the girls under the quilt had been over sixteen or seventeen and he understood what Luke had said even more so after seeing their haunted, blank eyes. It made him want to go back and kill those fucking Orcs himself.

  When he opened his eyes he saw Sigrid looking at him. She had changed her shirt and had a small Coleman gas burner with a pot on top starting to simmer. She added some things and went back to braiding a leather cord. The look she gave him made him shiver as it vaguely reminded him of the unabashed affection Tonya kept throwing his way. This look though made him feel like he was being slowly cornered.

  Where Jill and Tonya were obvious about it, she acted more like she was bidding her time. Like a patient hunter waiting to spring the perfect trap. He smiled at her, and she realized she had been caught staring at him and quickly went back to focusing on braiding the leather cord and stirring the pot occasionally. But as he walked past her he could swear he heard her fucking purring as he walked by.

  Amy, Jill and Tonya were busy organizing the supplies. A large stack of canned goods and bottled water sat on an old folding table. There were no clothes though that he could see fit for anyone to wear in sight. He determined he and Jill would go out to a few nearby houses and see if any clothes were available for the young women.

  "Hey Jill, you mind helping me find some clothes for those girls tomorrow? They can't travel like they are now." He asked her. For some reason, the question seemed to surprise the three women.

  "Sure can, Hun." Jill replied with a smile. Tonya shook her head.

  "I'll go to. An extra set of eyes couldn't hurt and I'm sure everyone else can manage without us for a couple hours." Tonya said with a smirk, slyly volunteering to go with them.

  He was getting tired, and he soon found himself leaning against a concrete cinder block wall of the cellar and quickly fell asleep.

  He was warm. And comfortable. He could stay like this forever. Had the end of the world as he had known it just been a dream after all? And it smelled so good. He'd smelled that before. What was it? Something fuzzy brushed against his arm and he instinctively reached over and patted the soft thigh that was draped over his waist. Life couldn't be any better...

  His eyes snapped open and he put the smell with the soft thigh. Tonya was lying next to him under the quilt he had used to cover up with. He could tell his clothes were still on, and he was definitely still alive by his body's reaction. When he tried to move though, he was even more surprised to find Jill tucked under his other arm. All of them were under the quilt.

  He sighed, resigned to lay there and fucking enjoy this before either of them woke. Or he had to move. He found himself smiling from ear to ear. This was nice, he thought looking from Jill to Tonya. He just wasn't sure he could pick one! He closed his eyes, silently asking any higher powers for their assistance while enjoying the feel of both women.

  He didn't know how long he lay there, but eventually, a slim hand shook his foot and Dawn said, "Mr Clay, you said, uh, wake you for your watch. I, uh, I'm sorry for disturbing you all." He opened his eyes and saw Dawn blush, as she started to turn away. He carefully extracted himself from the two women careful not to wake them.