"What Comes After" (closed)

[PennySaver]

Becky was awake through Lily's own awakening and waited until the other young woman had turned to face her before opening her own eyes … then smiling. She only whispered, "G'morning."

She wanted to kiss Lily, but she knew where there would lead. Instead, she reached out to caress the redhead's cheek, then run her fingers through the knotted up hair before giggling. "If you want, I'll brush it out for you."

Becky rolled away and let her feet fall out to the floor. She hesitated before standing, remembering that while she was still wearing her bra and tank top she had shed her pants and was wearing only a tiny pair of panties. But then she smiled to herself -- unseen by the girl at her back -- and realized she wanted Lily to spy upon her scantily clad back side.

She stood and walked slowly over to the window to look down upon Pembina. Becky shifted her weight to one leg while the knee of the other bent; she didn't have any idea what the view from the bed might be like -- she hadn't considered that the bright light outside might put her in silhouette -- but somehow she knew that what she was doing was … oh, what was that word her mother had used sometimes … taboo.

 

[SandS13]

Lily blushed as Becky touched her cheek and then into her hair.

"Um, sure. I usually braid it. Keeps it out of my eyes." She watched as Becky got up. Her lips parted and she stared as Becky moved to the window.

Her entire lean, beautiful body was in silhouette. Lily stared. Her heart beat a little faster. The swell of breast, curve of her hip..

Lily's eyes moved downward and then feeling the heat increase in her body pulled her eyes away. She was struggling to breathe normally. Her feet went to the floor and her back now to Becky.

Don't be weird...just a body. You have seen lots of clothed and naked bodies. Bodies are beautiful and strong...

Lily stood up and grabbed her pack. She pulled out clean underwear, a new tank top and her cargo pants. her hand fished around until she produced fresh socks.

"I think I will raid a couple of houses for some clothes if you don't mind. I still want to find a sweater and who knows...maybe more pants like you found. They wouldn't look as good on me as they do you but can't hurt." Lily smiled. She pulled off her pants and folded them neatly. She removed her tank top. Now, she was just in routine mode. Clothes off...clothes on.

Bare chested, she reached down and stripped of her panties. They were bundled into the pack to be washed later. The clean ones were slid up her legs, over her hips.

"We should see about something from breakfast too. Really make sure we take what we can, you know?" Her arms lifted as she started to pull the new tank top on.

 

[PennySaver]

As Lily stood from the bed, Becky tried to be casual about ogling the young woman.

"I think I will raid a couple of houses for some clothes if you don't mind,".

"No, great idea, I think," Becky told her. "There's lots of clothes still in dressers and closets in most places … not in this one unfortunately. I have a suspicion that this family lit out … weren't here when the rest of the town pretty much died … literally."

Actually, literally wasn't the right word to be used for Pembina. Becky had searched through dozens of homes and businesses during her three days here, and she'd come across only six bodies. Some communities were like that; the government or radio or internet had warned that the gases or dust or debris or whatever from the asteroid -- ejecta, Becky had been told to call it -- was heading there way, and people by the dozens, hundreds, or thousands simply loaded up their vehicles and split. Becky had often wondered, Where'd they all go?

Lily talked about finding warm clothes, then spoke of getting some that were less about function and more about looking hot like Becky's second skin pants and tank top had made her look. "They wouldn't look as good on me as they do you but can't hurt."

"Stop it!" Becky laughed, blushing. She are totally hot … or … at least that's what Kendall would have said. Kendall … did I talk about him...? He was the only boy in the compound who wasn't related to me or hooked up with someone else, and he was always wanting me to be his girl friend … but he was weird sometimes and besides, Pop Pop would have beat him senseless if he'd even tried to kiss me."

Speaking about kissing made Becky want to walk over to Lily now and resume their interactions from the night before. But as she'd been talking, the other woman had begun stripping her clothes off … and suddenly she was standing there in the buff, as Becky's eyes grew to the size of silver dollars -- the big Eisenhauer ones from Pop Pop's day, not the new little Sacagawea ones her own.

She was simply incredible, and Becky found herself unable to look away as the beauty continued, "We should see about something from breakfast too. Really make sure we take what we can, you know?"

"Stop!" Becky said suddenly, startling Lily enough that she froze, leaving her bosom on display. Becky didn't try to hide her gawking at the sexy woman … because, well, she didn't honestly even realize she was gawking. She only knew she wanted to look upon Lily a moment longer before saying softly, "Okay."

 

[SandS13]

Lily chuckled at how shy Becky was about compliments. "No you never mentioned a Kendall."

Boy. Potential boyfriend. Why did that make Lily feel...jealous? No, that wasn't right. It couldn't be right.

Stop!

Lily froze, tank top over her head, partially over her eyes. Her breasts, pale with dark pink areola and dime sized nipples were on display. Her ribs were wide, matching her shoulders. Good for dancing and gymnastics, not that those things happened anymore. Her stomach a cluster of freckles close to her belly button, flat and tight moved with heavy breaths.

"What? What is it?..." She hissed. She was worried someone had snuck up on them or something equally as terrible as Lily was vulnerable and exposed.

Muscles relaxed, the tank top pulled down as Becky said okay. Lily frowned. "All good?"

She pulled the garment down but found it didn't quite reach her waist. At 5'5 her torso was a bit longer than the average. Her legs were longer still though. Built for dancing, her father would say. Just like her mother. Lily shrugged. She pulled the cargo pants on over narrow hips.

She dug out her brush. "You said you would brush it for me?"

 

[PennySaver]

"You said you would brush it for me?" Lily reminded.

Becky's gaze was all over the other young woman, from face to bosom to hips to legs and back up again. She couldn't believe how beautiful Lily was ... or that she'd just seen her fully nude. She found the two of them so different from one another, which was oddly pleasing after having lived most of her life with people who had been so similar to one another.

Becky was taller by 3 inches which had been obvious the day before as they'd been walking about Pembina, but the rest of the dimensions of their bodies were fairly similar; they both had wide shoulders and narrow waists and long legs, and they were both fit and well curved, though Lily's bosom was a bit more fuller and had those incredible, pert, pink nipples where Becky's were darker and only presented themselves when it was very cold or she got very excited … as she had been last night kissing Lily. Oh, God, I want to kiss you again.

The differences were what made Lily seem spectacular to Becky: fair skin, all those freckles, and that bush of kinky, red and golden curls at the meeting of Lily's thighs. Becky had only gotten a quick glance at Lily's groin area as the girl had been mostly turned away as she was changing into a clean pair of panties, but Becky had caught just enough of it to see that it was so dissimilar to her dark bush.

Seeing Lily's privates and then thinking of her own reminded her of being a young teenager and learning that her mother shaved her body from her groin downward. She'd asked mom why she went to that effort once, maybe more, she couldn't recall now; it all seemed so long ago. Her mother, with a smile on her face, had only told her Daddy likes it that way without any further explanation.

"Of course, yes!" Becky responded finally when she pulled herself out of her musings. She didn't have her own brush with her, but Lily did. Becky leaped up onto the bed again, sat with her haunches upon her calves and ankles, and parted her knees to make a place for Lily. Patting the edge of the bed, she said with joy, "Sit here."

Becky didn't immediately begin brushing, but instead only ran her fingers through Lily's hair, organizing it in a sense but mostly just admiring it … and the girl upon whom it grew. She let her fingers grace gently over the other woman's body, both where the clean shirt covered her and where Lily's arms were still bare. Finally, she began with the ends and began carefully brushing, moving upwards as she talked about what might lay ahead of them.

"Pop Pop says the cabin is still there," she began, describing an old log cabin that sat near enough the lake for a beautiful view but far enough back to avoid the seriously cold temperatures that came off it in a hard wind. She spoke of the outbuildings for chicken and rabbits, pointing out that they would likely have to be replenished with new animals, of course. And she spoke of the outhouse, grimacing and adding softly, "I hate peeing and pooping in the wild. Ick! Maybe we can figure out plumbing to the cabin or something."

Becky was talking as if she had no doubt that she and Lily were going to be together long term. It hadn't even occurred to her that perhaps today or tomorrow or next week, Lily might take a different direction without her. That just wasn't something about which Becky wanted to think right now.

"Your hair is amazing," She complimented at one point about half way through the brushing, which Becky wasn't hurrying. There was still a lot of brushing of her hands over the other girl's body, and the heat it was causing Becky led her to suddenly say softly, "I really enjoyed kissing you last night. I hope you did … but … if you didn't … that's alright. I'd understand. I never kissed anyone before, like I said."

 

[SandS13]

Lily sat on the bed between Becky's knees. She was acutely aware of the heat from Becky's body. Her mouth was once again dry as Becky's hands moved over her hair. It felt so good. Relaxing and...Lily shivered a little.

Becky's hands moved over her shoulders and upper arms. Lily bit her lower lip. She wasn't used to being touched but Becky's fingers were nice...a little rough but not in a bad way. Lily liked that Becky was on her own and resourceful and her hands spoke of a woman, independent and tough.

The brush moved through her hair and Lily forced herself to breathe slowly and centre.

Becky was talking, cabin...out buildings...animals...then it occurred to Lily. She kept saying we. Her mind began to work, putting the implications together. Lily had planned to just keep walking east. She had never considered settling down any place. Why bother? Now, the option was presented to her but she knew very little about this woman. Too little to decide to stay with her. Admittedly, she did like the idea of living with someone again. She missed the commune and the constant bustle.

She was pulled from her thoughts. Your hair is amazing. Lily smiled and shrugged. "I take after my dad. He was a red head too. My mother was dark haired, like you..."

Her words faded as Lily struggled to catch her breath. A strange tension was taking hold in her body as Becky touched her arm, her side.

Lily turned her head, just a little and tilted back so she could look at Becky. "I haven't kissed a woman before. Your lips are softer than the boy in the commune's were." She smiled softly. "I did like it." Her chin lifted a little. Her face was presented perfectly for Becky to kiss. Lily reached back with one hand and touched Becky's hair. "I will brush yours after too...."

Her lips parted a little and she drew Becky down to her. The kiss was light. Lily's tongue slid out to stroke Becky's lower lip. She pulled back. "Definitely softer..."

She wasn't sure why she had done it. It just felt right and the woman seemed to want the reassurance. Lily was happy to give it. She had enjoyed last night, she just wasn't sure what she was feeling.

"Here, give me the brush...I will take care of yours now..." Her voice was soft and husky.

 

[PennySaver]

"I haven't kissed a woman before," Lily said after looking back, continuing to speak about the feel of it and adding, "I did like it."

Their mouths were together gain, in a light, soft kiss that sent a chill up Becky's spine and make her giggle. She realized that her free hand had found Lily's side, her rib cage, with the tips of her longer fingers just ever so slightly touching the beginning of the roundness of the other woman's young, firm breasts. Becky found herself suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to curl her hand farther around Lily's front side and cup one of those magnificent orbs...

"Here, give me the brush," Lily's gentle request interrupted what might have been a wondrous or awkward act. "I will take care of yours now..."

Becky pulled her hand back and transferred the hair brush. She spun in place where she was and moved forward, letting Lily crawl up behind her. Once the other woman was in place, Becky let her feet press back into the inner sides of Lily's knees, just high enough to be able to feel those fit thighs against her toes.

And she simply smiled to herself at the twist that her life had taken.

 

[SandS13]

Every time Becky giggled Lily was torn between thinking it endearing or being embarrassed. Had she messed up, read the 'signal' wrong?

She took the brush and turned to face Becky. She moved so they were closer once more. She began to work the brush through the woman's hair.

"I don't know why you are so critical of your hair. It is lovely." She brushed until Becky's hair was smooth and shiny. Lily put the brush on the bed and took her hair in hand. She didn't ask, she just began to braid it.

When it was done Lily frowned and looked around. She spied a rubber band on a nearby dresser and scooped it up, binding Becky's hair. Her fingers moved over the braid, Becky's neck and over her shoulders.

Lily leaned down and put her chin on Becky's shoulder. "There. Neat and away from your face." She smiled and pulled away.

 

[PennySaver]

"I don't know why you are so critical of your hair. It is lovely."

Becky giggled again, not knowing how it affected Lily. "I guess ... I dunno ... it was always sort of ... I dunno, in the way? My mother kept her hair short ... very short, almost not there. She cut it herself with a razor, you know, one of those battery ones you charge in the wall ... with the big teeth on the front that you could change out for different lengths."

She held her thumb and index finger out, demonstrating a distance of about a quarter inch, saying, "It was this short on top. It was pretty … she was pretty, very pretty … but her hair! Oh my god!

"I let mine grow 'cause I didn't want to look like a boy, like mom. I mean, she didn't look like a boy! She had a woman's body, of course. But she told me that if I wanted it long, I had to care for it. Usually it was just a big mess."

She looked back at Lily and giggled again. "You would have thought I was a wild woman living in a cave if you'd seen me two days ago rather than yesterday. I had just taken a bath yesterday morning before you found me and washed and brushed my hair."

Becky remembered how much better she looked upon meeting Lily then she did now after having slept with her hair not braided. Of course, her sleeping braids had never been anything like what Lily was doing to her now; the other woman's hands worked so skillfully -- and intimately -- on her head and hair, and when Lily announced that they were done, Becky ran to the bathroom to look at it in the glow of her flashlight.

"Oh my god!" she gasped. "It's beautiful."

She hurried back to the bed, and Lily leaned in and put her chin on Becky's shoulder. "There. Neat and away from your face."

"Show me how to do that," Becky asked. When Lily lifted her head to look into her face, Becky leaned in for another soft kiss that ever so slowly began to get erotic. Unable to resist, Becky reached a hand out slowly … and cupped one of the other woman's breasts as she whispered, "Is this alright?"

 

[SandS13]

That giggle again. She made Lily so unsure and she didn't like being unsure. She listened as Becky described her mother. She wanted to tell Becky that her mother had been a dancer with long hair, that she had worn it up in a bun or tight wrapped braid most of her life. That when she let it down and they danced together, that Lily thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Sometimes Lily could still smell her shampoo...

Becky bounced off to inspect the work. Lily just watched, she smiled though, glad Becky was pleased.

"Sure I can-" Becky kissed her. It was soft but then...shifted. Lily gasped at the feel of a hand on her breast. The hand was warm, Lily could feel the heat through her tank top. Her nipple stiffened against the material, against Becky's palm.

Lily pulled away a little. "I- I don't know." She flushed bright red. "We um..we should probably get a move on..."

The touch hadn't been bad just surprising, unexpected. No one had ever touched her breasts before and the way the kiss had changed, the way the very air between them had changed confused Lily.

She grabbed her brush, ran it through her hair and began packing away her things into her pack. She was so distracted by her thoughts and the fact that she could still feel Becky's hand on her breast that she didn't braid her own hair. Lily sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on her boots.

 

[PennySaver]

Becky knew right away that she'd overstepped a boundary by fondling Lily's breast, and pulling her hand back she whispered softly, "Sorry."

Lily didn't seem too overly offended, though; surprised, obviously, but Becky was certain -- hopeful -- that it hadn't ruined a friendship that was still in the making.

They finished dressing, packed their gear, and headed down the stairs for the house's exit. After grabbing Lily's tit, Becky suddenly felt self conscious about the second skin clothing that so clearly showed off her own body. She wanted so badly to change into something less obvious.

They stopped at a handful of houses on the way to Becky's hidden truck, none of which offered much, particularly in the way of the less sexy clothes Becky wanted or the more sexy clothes about which Lily had spoken.

Then, they came to a home in which three older teen aged girls had lived, as well as their mom. Becky and Lily found drawers, closet rods, and laundry baskets full of seemingly all styles of women's clothing.

Becky was still feeling a bit exposed; every time she even looked seer Lily, her nipples got hard. After she found that one of the female residents had been her height but two sizes larger, Becky donned a pair of Oshkosh B'Gosh over-alls that did a pretty good job of hiding her curves ... well, except for her boosted bosom, which Becky would hide with an oversized sweat shirt.

 

[SandS13]

Lily was beginning to lose out hope of finding clothes. They had found some decent canned goods but otherwise nothing worth taking.

In the last house Lily was thrilled to find some decent clothes. A black sweater, thick and heavy. A pair of jeans that she contemplated, laying them over her arm. Bras she tossed aside. Underwear, some even a little daring were scooped up. She figured between the two of them they could pick the stuff they really liked.

She began to gather all sorts of clothes piling them neatly....pj's, dresses, pants, shorts, t-shirts...etc.

She looked up and frowned as she looked at Becky. "I mean...don't get me wrong...the overalls are cute, big but cute. The sweat shirt....are you cold?"

Lily picked up a t-shirt with a deep v. "How about this instead?" She came close to Becky and handed it to her.

"There are dresses...seems silly though, right?"

 

[PennySaver]

Becky didn't know how to respond to the other woman telling her the overalls were a bit too ... not right ... was that what she was saying? She suddenly realized she was going overboard with her guilt of having gotten too hands on with Lily.

"How about this instead?" Lily said.

She handed over a blouse like nothing Becky had ever worn. She held it up before her to look it over, then turned it around and laid it against her front side; the deep "V" neck would likely expose her cleavage almost all the way to the tip of her sternum, what ever that was called.

"Won't my bra show?" she asked the other girl as she was still looking through stuff. Becky remembered suddenly that Lily wasn't wearing a bra and thought maybe she wasn't supposed to wear one with this kind of a top. She mumbled to herself, "Wouldn't Pop Pop have a heart attack?"

"There are dresses," Lily said, holding one up. "Seems silly though, right?"

"Oh my God!" Becky laughed at the tiny little black dress. "That's for a little girl, right...? That's not … I mean … a girl like us, adult … that's not..."

But Lily's expression and body language told Becky that the sexy little item was indeed meant to be worn by someone like the two of them. She tossed the blouse aside and took the dress, holding it up before her for Lily to see. She laughed again.

"What's this for?" Becky asked in all seriousness. "Where would someone wear this?"

She'd never gone to a dance or to a fancy dinner; she'd never had a boyfriend for whom she would dress sexy; and -- with no exposure to television or movies since she'd turned 12 -- she didn't know that clothes like this had been the norm during and long before her life.

"Put this on, will you?" Becky said tentatively with a slight embarrassed expression. "I want to see it on someone, and I don't think it'll fit me."

 

[SandS13]

Lily smiled. "I saw pictures of my mom in dresses like this..she was a knock out. Parties...shows...she was a ballet dancer so she went to all sorts of fancy galas and stuff. Or out with my dad..."

She looked wistful for a moment. "They were awesome together. He loved her so much..."

She shook her head. "Well missy...this is not my size..." She smiled at Becky. "But it would be perfect for you. You are a little taller than I am..." She pressed the dress into Becky's hand. "Come on. Put it on."

Lily smiled encouragingly. "Look, you put that one on and I will try this one." She held up a light blue gingham sundress with spaghetti straps. "Deal?"

 

[PennySaver]

Becky listened to Lily speak about parties and shows and ballet and fancy galas -- a word she didn't know but about which she now asked -- and realized just how differen their upbringings had been. From the age of 12, Becky's life had been the compound and bunker; she's hunted and fished and fabricated things out of what Mother Nature offered and only very rarely went into a town, let alone a city that might support the ballet or a gala.

"Come on," Lily said about the little black dress. "Put it on."

"Not a chance!" Becky countered, laughing as she held up crossed fingers as if the tiny gown was a vampire. "I'll hang out all over the place!"

"Look, you put that one on and I will try this one," Lily said about a dress that was skimpy and sexy in its own way. "Deal?"

Becky knew that no matter what Lily tried on it meant taking some if not most of her clothes off, and the former girl loved seeing the latter one undressed. "Fine, but under protest."

Becky took her time to shed the cover-alls, telling Lily she had to change at the same time. "Don't trick me, girl."

In no time at all, the brunette was down to her bra and panties; her nipples hardened yet again, almost painfully so. When she asked about how the dress's cleavage would show off her bra -- "Won't it look weird?" -- Lily told Becky that she wasn't supposed to wear one with it, that it was shaped and had support built into the bosom. Becky looked inside and laughed. "I've never seen that before."

She set the dress aside, looked to Lily, and hesitantly shed her bra, setting it on the bed. She wanted to cross her arms over her chest, to shield as much of her as she could; she'd never been topless in front of any woman other than her mother, never having even undressed in front of the compound girls before. But she remembered how Lily had so easily bared her own chest and decided she would simply let her firm "B" cups with their hardened nips be on display while she figured out how to get into the tiny black gown.

 

[SandS13]

Lily smiled. "I have no reason to trick you." She shrugged off her jacket and undid her pants. She sat to remove her boots. She stood there in her tank top and underwear, looking up at Becky. "Yeah all about the silhouette my mom used to say. Bras and underwear lines don't look good and draw the eye to the wrong place." She shrugged. "I don't really know what it means but my mom was a knockout so she must be right."

She paused in her undressing to watch as Becky removed her bra, hesitated and then opted not to try and hide her breasts. She took off her tank top, eyes only losing sight of the perfect breasts that Becky had on display as the material went over her face. Now, Lily only had her underwear on.

"You have to...like...pull it up and scoop them in. It should be like a second skin." Lily frowned a little as she pulled the blue gingham sundress over her head. She could see Becky was having trouble.

"Wait, let me help." She crossed to her and reached out to take hold of the dress. She pulled it up but then moved to Becky's side. Her hand reached in and under Becky's left breast. She lifted it gently and placed it in the built in support. Her fingers brushed over the hard nipple as she slid it out. Lily moved and reached to do the same with the right. "They will look amazing in this..."

 

[PennySaver]

"You have to...like...pull it up and scoop them in," Lily was explaining.

Becky giggled as she realized that Lily was talking about her tits when she said them. She'd had another, better viewing of the other woman's own bosom, though it ended too quickly. Lily told her, "Wait, let me help."

A moment later, Lily was cupping and shaping and -- inadvertently or intentionally? -- pleasuring Becky's breasts. She drew and excited breath, which only caused her swelling nipples to press harder into the other female's hands.

"They will look amazing in this..."

Again Becky giggled, this time explaining herself. "You're talking about my boobs. It's just funny."

As Lily continued maneuvering the tight fitting dress around her body so that it fit like that second skin about which she'd spoken, Becky's eyes were set on the other woman with a hunger. When Lily stepped back a bit to look her over, Becky asked with a hopeful tone, "Do they look amazing like promised...? How do I look?"

 

[SandS13]

At least Lily knew the giggling was nervousness and not to embarrass her this time. They got Becky into the dress and Lily stepped back.

She whistled. "They are amazing and you look...smoking hot!" She gestured. "Twirl..come on let me see it all."

 

[PennySaver]

Again, Becky giggled, then holding her arms out she twirled slowly around in a circle. The little black dress lifted out away from her thighs enough for her to feel it. She stopped, smiled broadly to the other woman, laughed, and threw herself into a faster spin that caused the dress to lift outward and upward enough to remind Lily by sight and Becky by the cool air that she hadn't yet donned panties.

Feigning losing her balance, Becky playfully fell forward into Lily's arms, held her for a moment, then leaned in to engage the redheaded beauty in another kiss.

 

[SandS13]

Lily smiled as Becky turned slowly. "Gorgeous!"

She spun faster and Lily caught sight of the dark hair and round, firm ass. Heat rose in her cheeks but there was no time to think on it too hard as Becky lost her balance and fell into her arms. She laughed. "Twirled too-"

Her words were cut off as Becky leaned in and their lips brushed against each others. "Oh..." Lily moaned softly. Her arms tightened around Becky. Their bodies pressed together. Lily looked deep into Becky's eyes. "You look really beautiful."

 

[PennySaver]

Becky again kissed the other girl with passion, whispering afterward, "Almost as beautiful as you."

One of her hands was against Lily's rib cage. Becky slid it upward until her thumb just caught the underside of the girl's breast in the thin summer dress. She whispered after another kiss, "I want to do things with you, Lily ... but ... I don't know what to do ... and ... I don't know whether you want to do them with me, too."

She felt her eyes glaze over a bit from the anxiety flooding through her. She blinked away the threatening tears before they formed and moved back just enough to separate the bosoms that were touching. She asked, "Am I messing this up? Please ... don't let me mess this up. You are my best friend now. I don't want to lose my best friend before she's even had a chance to tell me that I'm her best friend, too."

 

[SandS13]

Lily's mouth was dry. They were kissing. Her hands moved on Becky's back. She felt Becky's hand move upwards. She inhaled.

They kissed again. Lily was struck by how soft Becky's lips were.

Things...Lily had an inkling what such things were. Her face warmed at the thought.

Then Becky was on the verge of tears and Lily was no longer feeling the beginnings of arousal. There was nothing but concern now.

"Oh, oh Becky...." She hugged the woman tightly. Lily pulled back and put her hands on Becky's shoulders. "You aren't messing anything up..." She kissed her cheek where a tear had fallen. "No, don't cry, please."

She stroked Becky's cheek. "I haven't really had a lot of friends. I am glad we found each other and I think it is inevitable that we become best friends. I mean, come on...would I let just anyone brush my hair or would I help just anyone get her breasts into a dress? I think not."

She smiled and then, chancing it, kissed Becky firmly on her lips.

"Best friends. No more crying. And we can...we can talk about other things..." The red head blushed a pretty pink. Her freckles stood out. "Come on beautiful, no more crying. Let's gather up all the clothes and take them with us. Can't hurt right?"

She ran a hand up to brush a stray hair from Becky's face. "I am keeping this dress on I think." She chuckled. "I feel..cute..." She pulled away a little.

"Okay?" Her eyes sought Becky's.

 

[PennySaver]

"No, don't cry, please."

Becky didn't realize that a tear had escaped her eyes until Lily reached out and wiped it away. The redheaded beauty spoke of friends and inevitability, making jokes about who could and couldn't brush my hair or have their breasts helped into a dress. Becky laughed with relief and delight at the other girl's words.

"Best friends," Lily told her. "No more crying."

When Lily spoke of other things, Becky found herself hopeful; Lily had understood what that had meant, even if Becky herself hadn't known the first thing about which she was talking.

"Let's gather up all the clothes and take them with us," Lily suggested. "I am keeping this dress on I think. I feel..cute ... Okay?"

Becky looked Lily over from her bare feet to her fiery red top, spending most of that ogle on her shapely bosom and the nipples that poked through the fabric. Smiling wide and wiping away a last tear, she agreed, "Okay."

################​

"This way."

Becky grasped her Beretta as she turned them off the road into an alley. She looked back to see Lily with her rifle in her hands and wished she had one as well. The rifle she'd carried since she was 12, as well as the shotgun her mother had taken off a dead man in South Central Montana, had both been taken from them in the middle of the night by a ninja-like intruder who'd also gotten away with one of their two backpacks. Her mother had been sleeping with the handgun under the rolled up coat she'd been using as a pillow, and after her mother's death, it had become Becky's only firearm.

"The truck's right down here," she said, pointing down the alley. They arrived at the pickup upon which Becky had piled crap and then sprinkled road and yard dirt to make it look like it look unappealing to anyone else looking for transportation. "Tank's full, and I've got six 5 gallon Jerry can's full, too … diesel, so, we'll get good mileage, almost 20 miles a gallon. We should be able to reach the island without having to stop to scavenge more fuel."

Of course, Becky knew they'd be stopping for other reasons; you didn't just get in your car and drive unimpeded down the highway anymore. Many of the roads were blocked with traffic jams; some of the roads or bridged had been blockaded, either by the government, local militias, or regular ol' folk trying to control their little bit of the world.

And then there were other survivors who -- almost like Becky had done to Lily -- shot first and asked questions later. Becky had had to abandon a vehicle in Billings, Montana, after a sniper put two rounds through the radiator for no other reason than she was there and he had rounds in the magazine.

"Hop in, I'm driving," Becky told her traveling mate as they loaded their new finds. She laughed, saying, "Sorry, I guess ... I guess 'cause I know where we're going..."

She let the thought die off, fired the truck up, and backed it out into the alley. Looking to Lily, Becky smiled and proclaimed, "Next stop … Canada!"

It was less than 3 miles to the U.S.-Canada border from Pembina. They got to and through the unguarded and unobstructed crossing at the unhurried speed of 30mph, then picked up the pace a bit when it seemed obvious that the danger level was light.

Unlike so many apocalypse movies over the past many decades, the highway was, for the most part, clear and easy to navigate. There were the occasional vehicle on the side of the road, abandoned when out of gas or otherwise disabled, but they presented little obstacle to the two girls. Most people in this part of the world had been in their homes with their families when the end of the world arrived; there had been no where to run when the skies above began darkening with the debris from the Bermuda Asteroid, the Part C of the Apoca-trips.

"Check it out," Becky said after they'd traveled less than a dozen miles and neared their first town, Letellier, Manitoba. The north-by-northwest continuing highway passed to the west of the town, again unobstructed; the exit to the town, though, had been blockaded with a combination of concrete barriers and shipping containers. "I'm guessing they want us to use the bypass and keep out of town."

Having been shot at by snipers while passing by or through towns like this in the past, Becky shifted the F-250 down from overdrive to third and began pressing the accelerator down, then up, then down again sporadically. The result was that the pickup jerked forward and back in a very haphazard way. When Lily gave her a questioning expression, Becky began to explain that she was trying to make it hard for a potential sniper to put a bead on'em … but she was interrupted by the thunk of a bullet passing through the canopy's passenger side window and coming to a stop in some unidentified piece of solid material nearer to Becky's side.

"Get down!" Becky screamed as she rammed the accelerator to the floor, "Sniper!"

The engine roared, and by the time the little town was safely in the rear view, they were doing almost 80mph. She slowed once they were again surrounded by little more than abandoned agricultural land, looked to Lily, laughed nervously, and said sarcastically, "That was exciting."

They continued onward, passing by the also small town of Saint Jean Baptiste, again at high speed, then arriving at the outskirts of the relatively larger town of Morris. The highway didn't have a bypass that skirted the town but instead went right through the heart of it.

Becky brought the Ford to a stop a good three quarters of a mile before entering it. They studied the city's south end for a couple of minutes; there were scattered businesses with a lot of open space around them, which meant fewer hiding places for potential threats but at the same time clearer fields of fire for potential snipers eager to steal an operating vehicle full or food or stop the forward movement of invaders who might be here to steal their food.

"Whatcha think?" Becky asked Lily with a sincere tone. She looked over her shoulder through the back window as if able to see where the earlier sniper's bullet had found them. "You're the one who almost got shot back there, so … I think you should have a say. I'm just driving this thing."

 

[SandS13]

Lily was quite the sight. Gingham sundress, military style boots, red hair loose and denim jacket. Add the heavy backpack and rifle and she was a mix of sugar and potential violence. They carried everything out and to the truck.

"You can drive because I don't know how." Lily laughed lightly.

It was nice not to have to walk. She relaxed in the passenger seat. She had been doing nothing but walking and sometimes she just hated how long getting even a short distance could take. This was nice. Being with Becky, having company was nice. She kept glancing over at Becky and smiling.

"Yeah, not super keen on visitors I guess. So much for us Canadians being welcoming..."

As if on cue the bullet came through the window on her side. Lily ducked, laying down on the floor in a little ball.

Once they had driven for a bit Lily pulled herself back into the seat. "Holy fuck..."

Her heart slowed and by the time they stopped Lily was calm again.

"Well, if I was on foot and on my own I would get in subtly but we aren't subtle but there are two of us."

She looked at Becky. She didn't know what brought it on, maybe it was the potential bullet or the overall excitement but she leaned over and kissed Becky hard. "I got your back if you have mine. Let's see what they have to offer."

 

[PennySaver]

Becky returned the unexpected but not unwelcomed kiss with energy, then responded positively to Lily's suggestion, "Let's see what they have to offer, the lady says. But ... let's keep our heads down all the same."

She put the F-250 back into drive and pressed the accelerator down enough to start them toward the town. She didn't hurry them forward; she wanted time to look around, even though that speed made them more vulnerable to snipers. Both Becky and Lily scrunched down as far as they could and still be able to see outside. She knew that if a bullet struck at one of their doors, they might not ever realize they'd been hit.

But … what else was there to do?

Morris looked pretty much like every other small town Becky had been through since leaving Idaho. Every horizontal surface was coated by ash and dust: the asteroid strike, the fires started across the world, and the wind erosion that followed had coated pretty much the entire surface of the planet.

For those first two years after the strike, Pop Pop had allowed only certain people out of the bunker built in the former mine because he suspected -- correctly, as it was -- that dust and debris was likely full of all sorts of poisonous things. It had taken Earth quite a while to begin healing, and if Pop Pop was right, she was still sick to this day.

Becky herself had gotten sick after her stupidity got her exposed to some of that poisonous thingy stuff, and she'd very nearly died. They never figured out what made her ill, but six or seven months after she'd made that one and only venture outside without a full body suit and got exposed, she was suddenly up and around and fine, her body healing itself just as Mother Nature was doing the same.

Buildings and open lots and scattered cars and big rigs passed slowly by on each side of the big Ford. There was no way of telling whether any of the structures or vehicles had anything valuable in them. Becky doubted they'd find much; when those who split from here left to find safety elsewhere, they typically took all they could fit into their vehicles, presuming they had one that ran.

That was another aspect of this Apoca-trips: a lack of stuff. Just as with the COVID-19 and COVID-22 outbreaks, people stopped making stuff for a while. Becky had laughed when Pop Pop told her that back in 2020 there had been a run on toilet paper. Toilet paper...? Really? The second pandemic had had its shortages, too, but they'd been even more serious; food, petroleum products, and pretty much anything from overseas simply began disappearing. When the BAI hit the Atlantic and pretty much ended life as Becky had known it, they'd gone months without ever going to town to shop because there was virtually nothing to buy.

"Let's go look at that," Becky said, pointing off to the left at a big building sporting the name Morris Build-All Center. "We might find something, who knows."

Becky pulled the truck into a gap between the front of the building and a sample storage shed. She snatched at Lily, gave her an unexpected kiss just as the other woman had her earlier, and said, "Let's take a look."

The front entrance of the store had featured sliding glass doors and an after hours metal mesh barrier, but both had been destroyed by looters at some point. Becky held her Beretta in both hands before her as she led Lily inside, proceeding cautiously, just in case someone had taken up residence. The place had been looted, as expected, but only certain things had been cleared out; after they wandered about a bit, it became pretty obvious that construction and survival gear and goods had been taken, while things like cleaners, garden tools, appliances, and other such things were still very much in stock.

Becky didn't know what she expected to find that would help them, but what she would find was the farthest from her imagination. They barely got into the building before movement in the dark depths of the building startled her. She spun, raising her Beretta, and tried to focus her eyes. There was a ferocious growl and suddenly something was in the air, coming right at her head; Becky reacted instinctively, dropping and rolling and again pointing her handgun and firing.

There was a yelp of pain, and after a moment of wriggling around on the ground, the big German Shepherd began sliding toward death as it bled out on the smooth concrete floor. Becky's heart was pounding like a jack hammer as she got back to her feet and -- gun still pointed at the canine -- moved over to look at the dog.

"Fuck!" she said out of anger, not at the dog but at herself for killing it. She looked to Lily and said, "I didn't mean it. I like dogs."

She took a closer look at the dog, then leaned down close to it. Again she called out, "Fuck!"

She stood and started off in the direction from which the dog had come. She pulled out her flashlight and held it and her weapon together in crossed wrists like Pop Pop had shown her police officers had done back in the day. She began searching through the bases of the tall, steel, shelving units, mumbling to herself, "Fuck, fuck, fuck … what have I done?"

Soon enough, Becky came to a stop, her flashlight steady on a gap between two stacks of boxes. She looked to Lily and said, "She was nursing … the dog I shot. She's a mother. Come look."

When Lily got close enough to see where the flashlight's glow had settled, she would find four faces staring out at her from the dark … puppies.