July 2, 2025; He made sure he had the keys Loyd had given them the day before. He thought about taking Dawn or Amy but decided against it. He'd try to convince them to come with him or ask if they would be okay with him bringing a healer along just in case they could do something the next time he visited. And the extra room in the cab could be used to bring the elderly couple back if they would agree to come with him.

  Jill was already packed and ready to go. So after he quickly went over everything they started up the hill in the Gator. Soon they entered the fog and both of them could smell woodsmoke as they moved across the ridge through the trees. Thankfully it had been several decades since they had been logged off and the larger trees had mostly choked out the underbrush. Occasionally they would see a dogwood blooming, its white flowers stark against the muted green of most everything else. They only took about forty minutes to reach the Founders farm.

  Or what was left of it.

  The house still smoldered and even the sound of the few chickens he hadn't managed to catch the evening prior and the horse neighing in the barn sounded muted and somber as they idled up. Clay couldn't believe it. "Shit!" He said, anger beginning to bubble up. "I should have made them come with us..." He immediately thought about the men from Houston that Loyd had mentioned and thought maybe they had returned.

  He stepped out of the Gator and took a chance. He knew he shouldn't but they might have gotten far enough away if they were wounded then Clay might still be able to help them back to Dawn and Amy. "Loyd! Etna!" He yelled as he started walking around and looking for anything that might tell him what happened to the elderly couple. "Yell if you're out here!"

  There was no answer, and after about thirty minutes of searching the area, Clay assumed the worst. After checking the perimeter out to about one hundred yards he determined with the help of Jill's tracking ability that there hadn't been anyone other than him, Samantha and the boys since the last rain. In or out of the valley the Founders farm was located in.

  He slowly made his way to the storm cellar. It had been locked from the outside and Clay soon found the key and unlocked it. Downstairs were several wooden barrels and crates marked "GUNPOWDER" and "M67" respectively. Several guns with suppressors, scopes, clips and a shit load of ammunition for them in green metal military ammo cans stacked together near the stairs. There was more stacked up, but any writing they had was worn off the crates and barrels so he couldn't immediately tell what they were. If that was even what the others contained.

  A piece of paper was taped to the top of the barrel. It read a simple "Thank You." With both Loyd and Etna's signatures. That's when Clay understood. He had smelled the woodsmoke only a couple of hours after they had left here. They had been married for fifty-four years and Clay could tell yesterday neither of them had been in very good health. He shook his head, folded the piece of paper to put in his pocket and said, "I think they wanted to go together after so long..." It was a somber thought.

  "Clay, I think I found something we can use. I'm not sure though." Jill called from behind an old lean-to just tucked into the edge of the wood line. He could barely make her out as he walked up the storm cellar steps. "It looks like we can anyway!" She started to get excited so he hurried over to her. "Right?" She asked as he arrived.

  He stopped behind her and immediately looked back at the Gator before answering. "I think so. We'll just have to be careful not to overload it. Here, let's get it hooked up." Clay stepped around her and grabbed the little ten-foot trailer tongue then started to pull it out of the grooves the tires had made while settling in the soil. Jill helped him work it around the few trees that seemed to have sprouted recently, but they didn't delay their efforts much. Before long they had managed to hook it up to the back of the side-by-side and were loading it with supplies that Clay couldn't fit in his Spatial Storage Space.

  Jill was able to find a worn saddle and other tac. Enough she managed to get the horse ready to go while Clay was placing everything in the cellar in his storage. As soon as he saw her leading it out of the barn he asked, "Can you ride?"

  "Well, I used to ride when I was younger. It's been a few years but I think I should be able to manage her back to the cabin." Jill said smiling at him as she tied the horse off on the trailer railing until they were ready to go. They were still loading feed and managed to get most of the grain for the animals and would just have to come back for the hay and alfalfa bales still in the barn if Erin and Dolly said they needed them.

  Jill managed to catch the rest of the chickens too and after about two hours of work, they finally left the farm, fully loaded. The journey back took a little longer than the trip there had but they made it, and Clay went to find Samantha as everyone swarmed around the Gator and started unloading it, and the trailer. He couldn't find her though as he emptied his storage space out for Freya, stacking the canned meats and vegetables as neatly as he could while hurrying. He left the weapons, gunpowder, and fucking grenades that old man Loyd left him in his storage space though.

  He did see Erin and Dolly though, and they both agreed they needed what they could get whenever they could get it. They made a good point that the only way they could count on it was if it were at the cabin. He'd have to fix that soon, he thought as he climbed back into the side-by-side with Jill for a second trip.

  This time though, he drove a little farther than the Founders farm. Across V Highway and onto another long gravel drive. Soon they made their way up to a large ranch-style home with a separate garage. He remembered this particular house because it belonged to Billy, his cousin.

  Billy had disappeared around the same time Jake had passed away and everyone assumed that because Billy and Jake were so close Billy had taken Jake's death hard and went on a long, exotic hunting trip around the world. At least that's what his coworkers had said. He'd bragged about setting up an all-expenses-paid hunting trip to various places to hunt who the fuck knows. Clay wasn't ever a trophy hunter. Don't get him wrong, he had liked to bag a bigger buck than Jake when they were younger but that was more of a brotherly rivalry type thing.

  Billy though had something else they were going to need.

  "Head around back. There shouldn't be anyone here, but be careful, Dear." He gave her a wink as she flashed him a smile and hefted her mace. But it was empty of anyone or anything hostile. As they met in the hallway after clearing the house he told Jill, "Grab anything usable and put it in a pile in the living room. We're going to take the beds too."

  "Sure thing, babe." Jill said as he went by, "What are you going to do?"

  "That garage has a shit-load of tools and materials we can probably use back at the cabin and since I mostly emptied my storage space back at the cabin, we're going to take as much as I can manage to fit before we go grab some bales of hay and alfalfa from the Founders barn," Clay replied. Soon he'd broken the lock on the door and slid it open enough to get inside.

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  Billy was a jack of all trades and had collected tools ever since he was a teenager. And the garage was full of them. All hanging up, neatly organized, or in tool cabinets. The latter which Clay immediately walked over to and touched, placing it inside his storage space. He smiled to himself as he saw a pile of alternators under a bench, extra belts, chainsaws, wrenches, air tools... Fucking everything in the garage was usable! "This is going to be handy." He said as he continued to walk around placing everything into his storage space. Everything, before making his way back to the house where he found Jill just finishing up.

  He checked his available space and took the bed's first and then almost managed to take all the usable supplies Jill had placed in the living room, mostly toiletries, towels, blankets, men's clothes, three shotguns and twelve boxes of shells, a 1911 and a small black Glock 9 mm, and some nonperishable supplies. Though not much of the latter. Clay and Jill fit everything he couldn't fit in his storage on the back of the Gator, and they made their way back towards the Founder's farm.

  They made it to the highway when Jill grabbed his arm and pointed off to their right. "What the hell is that?" She leaned over and asked.

  Thirty yards down the highway stood a herd of large mutated beasts. They were a cross between a bison with a set of fucking bull elk horns and a hippopotamus. Only a small patch of red fur on top of their large front shoulders adorned their naked, pale bodies. As they slowly moved down the highway grazing as they went Clay could see their rear legs were like that of a bison, but the front two legs had three thick stubby fingers and an opposable thumb. The creatures would move a few yards and sit down on their haunches then pick at the edible grasses around them.

  "I have no idea. Let me try something." Clay said. He'd never been in a situation to use his Eyes of Insight ability on anything but other members of his group. He didn't even know if it would work on creatures. He slowed the Gator down as they started to head down the Founder's drive and focused on the nearest creature.

  Bluffaloo, Large Mutated Beast;

  Level: 10

  Type: Animal

  Health Points: 1200

  Mystical Points: 124

  Strength: 58

  Dexterity: 40

  Intelligence: 14

  Wisdom: 14

  Passive Abilities - Endurance; Resilience

  Skills - Regenerate; Rending Claws

  "Bluffaloo's are herbivores. Heard animals that roam a certain area claimed by the herd's eldest matriarch. They can be domesticated, however the process can prove difficult. Bluffaloo's produce pink milk that is very high in protein and vitamins and is highly sought after in many worlds for consumption or to create a highly potent milk wine. The meat of a Bluffaloo is lean and is good for cooking." Kris said, in his head.

  He repeated what Kris said back to Jill and watched her as she shook her head. "Many worlds? What the hell? How would you even keep them in a pen? They have fucking hands and are the size of a damn Van..." She asked shaking her head as they started down the Founders driveway.

  "I wouldn't even know where to start. But maybe Erin and Dolly would have a few ideas." Clay said steering the gator down the rough road. Thankfully they were soon coming up on the still-smoldering farmhouse and Clay pulled up to the small barn.

  "Can you toss the bales down to me, Dear? It'll make it quicker." He asked flashing her a smile as she stepped into the barn.

  She turned long enough to give him a "Sure, Hun." And disappeared up the wooden ladder built onto the interior wall. After a minute the loft door opened and Jill latched it to keep it open with a short chain already hanging just for that. Soon they had the trailer nearly loaded.

  And no Jill. Clay waited a good minute before he called up. "Everything okay up there Jill?"

  It was quiet for a moment and then a hesitant call came down to him. "I... I need some help please, Hun..." Jill's voice sounded shaky and nervous! What the hell was going on? He hopped off the top of the stack of bales and rushed inside. Seeing the ladder he hurried over to it and in just a few heartbeats, was in the loft containing quite a few bales still.

  "Jill?" Clay called not seeing her. He made his way towards the light from the open loft door. "Where are you at, Dear?" He called again as he rounded a corner to see Jill splayed across a short stack of bales, her clothes laid out underneath her as she lay there, nude, her arm crooked and holding up her head as her strawberry blonde hair was tied up behind her.

  "So..Hun, do you like what you see?" She arched her slim eyebrow and traced a hand down to her thighs where she positioned herself and her hand and movement just right to block his view of her pussy. Her hand gestured him closer.

  He was nodding as he found himself standing near enough she raised up onto the edge of the hay bales and grabbed his shirt. Her hands deftly unbuttoned it and he found himself saying, "Yes, very much so..." He bent down and kissed her upturned face as he pulled his shirt off. He was pretty sure she wasn't finished unbuttoning it but he didn't care. He lost himself to his base instincts as Jill jerked his belt loose and pulled his engorged dick free, gently pulling him down on top of her.

  She spread her legs as she pulled him closer and he grabbed her right breast as he kissed her harder. She moved her hips as she rubbed the tip of his cock against her clit as she looked at him and whispered, "Fuck me..." As she guided him into her lips. He only had a few inches in when she started moaning and gyrating her hips up and down, greedily taking more and more until he was fully enveloped as she started going fucking crazy!

  Like a sex-crazed beast, she dug her nails into his back and rolled him over as she raised one knee so he could see her in the dim sunlight as she moved herself up and down in a slow deliberate rhythm as he cupped both her large breasts and idly plaid with them as she clawed his chest letting out cries of pleasure as she stroked his pulsing dick.

  She used her toned body to squeeze his member as her soft moist lips moved up and down on his shaft. He could feel himself getting ready to release as Jill lowered her leg to grind on him deeper and deeper as he blew his load deep inside her warm moist pussy. She didn't stop as she moaned and kissed him passionately still bouncing up and down as she lowered her breasts down onto his chest, her nipples tickling his skin as they brushed him.

  Her cries grew louder and louder and Clay didn't give a shit about anything else but her at that moment as he grabbed her and flipped her over onto her back, eliciting a "Ahh!" As he did so.

  He slowly pulled almost out as she moaned and bucked her lithe hips closer, sliding him back into her wet slit as she clutched at his sides and convulsed, orgasming as he licked his fingers and reached down to gently toy with her clit as she gasp again and again while he worked it, moving his hips so his cock worked in and out as she moaned and cried out, "Give it to me! Yes... Yes, come on baby, fuck me!"

  She moaned as he picked up his pace, "Harder!" She called out as she took over playing with her clit. He grabbed her legs and raised them up to either side of his head as he stroked in and out harder and harder. His nutsack slapped against her ass as he felt himself nearly at climax again.

  "Ready, baby?" He asked looking into her eyes as she arched her back in pleasure.

  "FUCK YES! YES!" She dropped her legs to either side of his waist and wrapped them around him, clenching at him again as he tried to pull out, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed him. For a long time in fact. He could feel himself stirring again when he forced himself up off of her, breaking her embrace. "Mmm..." She moaned as he sat up and moved to look out the loft door for anything that might have come to investigate the loud sounds they had been making.

  Well it was mostly Jill, but he'd sure as hell participated! "Jill, I have to tell you..."

  "Don't." She said, rolling over and off the other side of the hay bales and onto her feet. Her full breasts bounced teasingly as she grabbed her clothes and began wiggling into the skin-tight jeans she seemed to prefer if she wasn't wearing a skirt. "I don't care, Clay. While I'm with you I don't want to hear about the other women." She buttoned her pants finally and started putting her bra on, fastening it in front before turning it around to finish putting it on. He was mesmerized for a second watching her, a few stray pieces of hay laced through her hair.

  "I think I'm falling in love with you, Jill." He started putting his pants on. "I never thought I'd say that again... But I think I am." He buttoned his pants and fastened his belt as she slipped her shirt over her head, shrugging it on. As he put his tank top on and slipped his arms back in his shirt she stomped her boots on and walked over to him, a smile ear-to-ear as she took ahold of his shirt and began buttoning it up.

  "I do love you, Clay. I don't know why it took the fucking apocalypse for me to realize it. But I'm glad I went with you. I'm glad that fucking shelter was humans only because otherwise..." She bit her lip, a tear running down her cheek, "Otherwise I would have never realized it in time to do anything about it." She looked him in the eye and nodded at his boots. "Come on, we've been gone a while. Let's get this loaded and with any luck, we can make another trip before it gets too late." She raised up and gave him another long kiss before she broke away and grabbed a bale of hay to toss down on top of the trailer.

  Soon they were on their way back with the second load, Jill sat right next to him on the side-by-side bench seat, her hand idly playing with his third leg which had been at a constant half-mast since she'd started playing around at the beginning of the damn trip! Clay had to admit he enjoyed every fucking bit of it though as they idled up to the cabin.

  They quickly unloaded everything, including the tools and supplies from his storage space and headed out again. The third and final trip took less time than all of them as they only had about three-quarters of a load on, Clay managed to fit the rest into his storage space and they took extra tin and lumber from the farm to fill out the load. Within forty-five minutes they were back at the cabin, the sun just sinking behind the trees at the top of the ridge.

  He had just sat down after unloading everything, watching as everyone else worked together to get it put away where it needed to be when Samantha appeared beside him with a small glass of whiskey.

  ~Thank you all for reading! I hope to continue producing content you can enjoy.~

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