July 1, 2025; That's when Etna walked through the doorway. She was followed closely by one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen, followed closely by two teenage boys of about fifteen and seventeen. One of the boys had a rabbit-like appearance though a felt hat covered most of his ears.

  The woman was of Asian descent. She kept her head and eyes lowered and her hands clasped together in front of her. "Our son Eric married Samantha while stationed in Sole. He was recalled home and naturally brought his family with him." Loyd said, grief crossing his wrinkled, weathered features. "Anyways he was the reason those assholes are sitting out there bloating in my fucking yard. That was a while ago. They tortured him when he went into Houston to see what was going on. That's how they found out we had a few supplies. They weren't easy for them to get though as you can see."

  Loyd started coughing again and pulled out a stained white handkerchief to cough into. Clay could hear Samantha sobbing and saw her wipe her face and bite her lip. He grew even more nervous watching Loyd cough as he realized the man had never switched the safety on. He recovered and continued.

  "Samantha's a good woman, Clay. Take her as your wife and take care of our grandchildren. That's what we ask. Make SURE they survive son." Clay looked back at the assault rifle and tried to say he'd take care of them, there was no need to force a marriage. Not like they could just run down to the fucking courthouse and elope. But Etna spoke first, picking up right where Loyd had left off wheezing again.

  "Will you watch over and protect them as your own Clay Benton? Swear it on your family's good name." Etna's voice took on a tone that said she wasn't brokering any nonsense and Loyd's finger still resting on the rifle's trigger tightened ever so slightly to Clay's perception. Loyd's eyes were tense the old man's entire body tense like he was a spring with built-up tension.

  "Yes." He managed, his voice suddenly horse as his mouth went dry. Very, very dry. "I swear it." He looked both of them in the eyes knowing instinctively nothing good would happen to him if they thought he was lying in the slightest. So he couldn't, and didn't.

  Etna nodded, slowly then turned to Samantha and said, "You, listen to me, girl." The woman immediately looked up at Etna as she addressed her. "You were a good wife to our Eric. You even took his two love children as your own and raised them right." She shook her head. "This man is now your husband. You'll be his wife, and treat him as your husband from here on out. Do you understand?"

  The woman nodded meekly. "Yes, I will." She was so nervous and probably distraught that she was shaking. Clay could see it.

  "Swear it!" Etna snapped, her sharp command caused the woman to jerk but Etna stepped forward and grasped her hands. "This is important." She looked right into Samantha's eyes as she spoke and her voice had softened to a stern motherly tone.

  "I swear, I will," Samantha said, nodding at Etna as the elderly woman reassured her with a nod.

  Clay was about to relax. He could explain to her after they left that it hadn't been legitimate.

  "Good!" Said Etna. Loyd scooted the chair back and stood and walked over to a hutch on one wall holding dinnerware and pulled a drawer open. The old man sat the rifle down next to the hutch and pulled out a large yellow envelope. He pulled out a piece of paper and nodded. He took a pen out of the drawer too, grabbed the rifle and walked back to the table. He scribbled a few things and then called Samantha over. She signed it where he prompted her to, and then he handed the pen to Etna and she signed it. Then Loyd slid the paper and pen over to Clay.

  It was a marriage certificate, however, Loyd had written that Eric had passed away and written the date in parentheses on the side. Samantha had signed again under her old signature, and Loyd and Etna had signed as witnesses. Clay's hand fucking shook as he picked up the pen. He glanced at Loyd and Etna, then at Samantha. This was a little much!

  But he realized something as he saw all of them looking at him. They didn't think there was any other way to ensure he wouldn't just take the fucking supplies and ditch them at the first opportunity. And with their health being as bad as it looked and Loyd had said it was...

  He took a breath, steadying his nerves. He carefully signed the paper. He would talk with Samantha later and try to fix this. That was the only course now. After he signed it though it felt like a mountain settled over his shoulders, instantly.

  "Congratulations! You're now married." Etna looked sharply at both of them. "Now listen to me, the both of you. This may not be the best arrangement. But we expect it to be binding. Do you hear?"

  Clay couldn't help but notice both Samantha and himself nodded at the same time. "Good, now if you're going to make it home before dark you're going to have to hurry," Etna said and Loyd stood up, still holding the assault rifle.

  "Come on." He wheezed as he walked over to the screen door to the backyard and held it open. As Clay stood to follow the old man he saw Etna herding the two boys and Samantha to hurry up and get their things ready as he exited the house right in front of Loyd.

  "Most of our animals went bat shit crazy but we managed to keep two sows, and an old boar hog that I'll be honest with you probably isn't going to be worth holding onto for next year's breeding." He walked to a shed, stepped in and took out a small metal bucket of feed. "Grab that bag, son." He pointed the rifle at a large burlap sack, and Clay followed the old man's instructions.

  Loyd scooped a bit of seed out of a large 55-gallon barrel and they walked outside to see the chickens already running across the yard towards them. Loyd simply walked into the chicken coop and strung the feed out a little bit on the ground. Loyd gestured to the bag and the door all the chickens were now crowding through. "Grab as many as you can." And Clay went to work, pretty quickly he had seven hens and a feisty red rooster in the bag and the other three chickens that had scattered and wouldn't let him near them. Not wanting to give them a heart attack or something he decided that was enough, and left the coop.

  Loyd had a length of red bailing twine held out as Clay came out of the chicken coop door. "Tie that up good now." He waited patiently as Clay did so, his wheezing steady. After he'd gotten it tied the old man gestured for him to follow him again and they walked over to a concrete doorway sticking up out of the ground. He motioned for Clay to go ahead and open it, so Clay did and went inside and down several stairs. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw the shelves and shelves of canned meats and vegetables.

  "We'll send what we can with you. And some other things. But you won't be able to take it all in one trip." Loyd wheezed, he'd followed him down into the cellar. "When you come back, don't bring Samantha or the boys with you. Let them remember us like this." He tossed Clay a keychain with four keys on it. "When you come back, that'll let you get back in here if something happens to us." Clay nodded at the man.

  "Me and Etna will gather everything for you, and put it down here." He turned, walking back up the stairs with labored breathing, Clay ran his hand across a few dozen jars as he walked out behind Loyd, taking them into his spatial storage space. Soon they had the sows and boar hog tied up with a rope to lead them through the woods. Clay stood waiting for the goodbyes as the sun continued to sink lower on the horizon. The muted orb still barely visible in the sky. He was trying to gauge it. They should have enough time to get back home to the cabin. He saw Etna hand Samantha the large yellow envelope and she gave the younger woman a long affectionate hug, then said a few more words to her.

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  They told their grandsons goodbye. They were both old enough to understand what was happening but reassured their grandparents they would listen to Clay and Samantha because their lives depended on it. With a last wave they set off and Clay was surprised at how easily they made their way, leading the hogs with the shake of the bucket of feed. He had no idea how they were going to keep the hogs right now back at the cabin but he would worry about that when they got there.

  They had just entered the fog when he caught Samantha looking at him and saw a golden halo around her iris. She hadn't looked at him yet, and the realization that she was a Saint shocked him for a moment. He tried several times to speak with the woman, but she seemed shy and withdrawn into her own thoughts, so he gave up for the time being and spoke to the boys.

  Jim was the older boy, he liked farm work, surprisingly, for someone so young and was handling the hogs easily. Tom was a typical fifteen-year-old. He was interested in having fun, but there hadn't been much of that since the Sky Rain happened and the power eventually went out. He was going to be surprised he could charge his Nintendo Switch he had sticking out of his hoodie pocket as he readjusted the backpack he had on his back.

  A low growl issued from the dim forest around them and Clay knew it was the large cat. Samantha and the boys huddled with each other, the hogs crowding in as close as they could to the humans, they were shaking.

  Clay summoned his axe from his spatial storage space and handed the chickens over to Samantha as he stepped forward with his Ox resting on his shoulder. The giant black cat materialized out of the fog only ten feet from Clay, its ears laid back as it locked eyes with Clay. It circled them once never breaking eye contact with Clay as it let out a loud feline roar and leaped away quickly disappearing into the foggy forest.

  He could smell a lot of smoke hanging in the air suddenly, something big was burning. Clay breathed a sigh of relief at the cat's decision and hurriedly took the chickens back and picked up the pace. He kept his axe out and handy though, just in case the cat returned.

  Just as it got fully dark they dropped off the top of the ridge, passing the giant propane tank as they led the hogs down the driveway they emerged from the fog to see lights on at the cabin. A small fire was visible through the trees as they worked their way down into the valley. The temperature rose again as they descended and Samantha said in wonder, "It's warmer here." Her voice was soft in the moonlight.

  He looked over at her and smiled, "Yeah, I think it has something to do with the springs. Soon we'll be growing our own food and with any luck, we'll be ready for this winter." He said. He noticed that the woodsmoke smell had lessened quite a bit as they dropped off the hill.

  Finally, someone noticed them approaching and Luke and Sigrid came to see who it was as well as a couple of others, Joanna, Erin and Freya all came out with spears ready until Clay called out that it was him, "Erin, good deal." Clay said seeing the fox-like Beastmen, "Jim has some hogs we need to do something with and here." He held out the tied burlap sack full of chickens.

  "Lucky Draw System initiated for gaining an average Loyalty of 55% or greater. Congratulations! The host received 5 lucky draws. Initiate your draws? Please select Yes or No." Kris said.

  He focused on the yes.

  "DING! The host has received the one-time use Skill Book Regenerate (PA). DING! The host has received one Godly Health Potions. When used they increase the user's Health Point total permanently.DING! The host has received one Legendary Level Item Blue Print, usable on any weapon in the host's possession. DING! The host has received one Godly Mystical Potions. When used they increase the user's Mystical Point total permanently. DING! The host has received an Ability or Skill Upgrade Elixir." Kris said. "Thank you for playing. Remember, increase your follower's loyalty to receive bonus draws."

  Everyone was excited about the animals and the three people Clay had brought back. The notifications from the system draw just made Clay happy. He introduced Samantha, Jim and Tom and as he made his way into the lit-up cabin he could see both Anna and Martha had showered already. He took the few dozen cans of canned meats out he'd placed in his spatial storage at the Founders.

  He happily let everyone else introduce themselves to the newcomers and quietly slipped away to the fire to fix himself a plate before sitting next to a tree not far away. Soon the others had congregated around the fire with nearly everyone else, Samantha, Jim and Tom already had plates and were listening to everyone and occasionally answering questions.

  He finished his plate and decided to use his Greater Eyes of Insight and focus on Samantha.

  Samantha Benton, Saint Female, Age 35

  Level: 1

  Class: Battle Mage

  Health Points: 120

  Mystical Points: 46

  Strength: 12

  Dexterity: 12

  Intelligence: 16

  Wisdom: 14

  Passive Abilities - Endurance; Mystical Well; Resilience

  Skills - Bless; Dark Bolt; Regenerate

  Oh damn. Only Level 1! That was an impressive number of skills and abilities though. He spotted Jill and Tonya, both of them looked to have taken showers and had clean clothes on. He stood and stretched as a wave of fatigue washed over him. He made his way inside, washed off the plate and fork he'd used and made his way upstairs where he found the master bedroom empty. He grabbed a quick shower, needing one badly and soon was stretched out on the king-size bed. He didn't even manage to get dressed, he just passed out a few seconds after laying back on the soft mattress.

  * * *

  "Bro, are you stupid? No. No. Don't answer that." Said his brother. He blinked a few times realizing that he was sitting in the boat with Jake in farmer Loyd's pond. He turned to look at him realizing he was dreaming again.

  "What are you talking about?" He scowled at Jake. "I'm trying your fucking motto of 'rolling with it', I mean fuck! I never ever thought I'd be in this kind of situation. I didn't even think for a moment Dawn was interested in me." He threw a hand up in exasperation. "I mean for fucks sake I only might have said a hundred fucking words to her all the way from Chicago!" He exclaimed, clearly at his wits end with it all. Jake was shaking his head a shit-eating grin spread wide across his face.

  "Well, that's not that far, what six hours to drive by car eight with traffic?" He popped off reeling his line in a little more.

  Clay was shaking his head. "Try a fucking month of traveling together brother." His brother squinted at him before replying.

  "Damn, your joking? You? And she?" Jake asked.

  "She shoved a fucking shoehorn in the top of the door jam and I couldn't get out." He shook his head remembering everything about the encounter with Doc in the room. "And she wasn't taking no for an answer... I think she might have tried to sedate my ass if I resisted too much." He looked at his brother. "She chloroformed Joanna so she wouldn't wake up while she cornered me for an 'Examination'." He looked at Jake knowing his face was as red as the top of a bobber. "It's not funny brother!" As Jake nearly doubled over with laughter. It took him a few minutes to recover.

  "That's not what I was talking about though," Jake said. "Farmer Loyd's daughter-in-law? I mean really Clay?" He shook his head. "That man will kill you if you wrong their family Clay! And before you say, 'It didn't really count' did you see her reaction? Of course not! Your head's always been so far up your ass sometimes I swear little brother." He paused at Clay's puzzled look. "I'm a figment of your fucking conscience Clay. Of course, I can read your mind." He paused with an ornery grin on his face. "I mean it's only the size of a fucking peanut anyways."

  Clay shot him a go-to-hell look and was rewarded with a middle finger from Jake. "I was too worried old man Loyd was gonna shoot my ass if I refused," Clay said in a more somber tone. "I fucking know it was a mistake!" Clay said defensively.

  "Was it though?" He had reeled the lure in and with a casual flick, Jake re-cast his line. "I know you thought she was gorgeous as soon as you saw her." He teased. Clay didn't know if he could get any redder than he already was, but his face was trying. "In case you didn't know little brother, in her mind you are her husband. Just remember that. Remember she's not from our culture."

  "Okay, I get it." Said Clay. He was just holding his pole, he'd never caught anything in these dreams and just assumed in his mind it was more about talking his problems through with his brother. But Jake just kept pulling out Bass and Sun perch. "It's Sigrid that scares me. I feel like that woman wants to claim me too. And with her, I feel like I'm being hunted!"

  His brother just shook his head and said, "You just don't get it do you?" He reeled in the line a couple of clicks and then continued. "How hard do you think it'll be for any of those women to find a man that can provide safety, food, shelter, and happens to look like a fucking hoss on top of it." He waved a hand and dismissed what Clay was about to say about evolving and mutations.

  "Even before whatever happened to you Clay, you weren't a small man little brother. Hell after you started having problems with that first wife of yours I had several fucking local women hounding me looking for an opportunity to hook up with you. Dropping by or stopping me at the damn grocery store to inquire about you, hell they did the same thing to Glinna. I'm surprised she didn't give out your number actually." Jake shrugged.

  "Hell, their mothers were trying to figure out how to get your damn number for their daughters. You were pretty fucking popular with the woman around here from your quiet demeanor and upstanding morals before you ran off after high school. I think you crushed a lot of their plans to snag your ass as a husband." He chuckled. "I was even tempted a couple of times to set you up." Jake shrugged.

  Clay looked at him, abject horror painted on his face. In a soft voice Clay said, "Well, I thank you for not." He finally cast his line, putting it between two lily pads. They just sat there for a while. Neither one saying anything. Then Clay couldn't take it anymore. "So... You're not going to say anything about burying Cindy by you in the family cemetery?" Clay smirked, surprised his brother hadn't already went off about it.

  "You did what!" Jake exclaimed, his face going red. "Listen here little brother, I'll, I'll..." He stood up and Clay smiled his plan coming to fruition. "I'll fucking haunt your ass till..." He didn't get to finish as Clay grabbed the edge of the boat and jerked sideways, tipping the boat just enough for Jake to pitch over the side with an "Ahh!"

  Clay couldn't help but laugh, he laughed so hard he choked on a bug. As he was spluttering and coughing trying to dislodge it Jake came up out of the water and easily flipped Clay out of the boat. It was cold! He came up with a "Holy Shit!" As he sloshed the five or so yards to the pond's bank. "Damn, that's cold!" He said as he pulled himself out onto the bank. He rolled over soaking the sun's warmth into his body, it felt so good. It even smelled good. Was that wildflowers?

  And so warm. He almost wanted to lay there and take a little nap.

  He heard Jake laughing, distantly. "You realize you forgot to lock the door, right?" He started laughing again, harder as everything faded away from Clay.

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

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