Warm Skins

Once inside, she noticed the building was broken down and modified to make way for a central base of some sorts. People in full gear, weapons and all, mostly occupied the inner walls. Finally, she would be faced with the leader of this camp.

It didn't take long for them to reach a large round table busied by important looking people. One of them, an older man, looked up from where he stood and waved his hand away at the others around him at their arrival. He was a bearish looking man that grayed at the scalp but softened the moment you looked upon his eyes. Kind and tender they were under his wire rimmed glasses.

"I'm glad you were able to pull through. I've been expecting your company. It would've been a shame had I been unable to thank the person who saved my people." The man regarded Dakota.

"You shoot at everyone who save your guys?" Dakota mocked.

The older man let out a low chuckle. "No, not at all. Apologies for the rude welcome. It was a misunderstanding on our part. I believe we got off on the wrong foot. It can be difficult to ascertain someone's intentions when they've got your people at gun point you see, but you can thank my niece and her friends for vouching for you."

Dakota eyed the man cautiously before more people began to enter the room. When she looked closer, she recognized the people she'd saved earlier in the city. The man, Peter, and his companions.

The older man spoke up again. "Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Ethan Waters. Welcome to my camp. You've no idea the good you've done by us giving us the medicine we desperately needed. We're truly grateful, and I'd like to ask the name of our generous stranger."

"Save it, Mr. Waters. I could care less about your people. I paid a debt. That was all. Your lazy excuse of a scavenging party got me what I wanted and I gave them a little parting gift in return. Now, I don't see how that lands me as a prisoner of your camp. If you wanted to kill me, then be done with it already." Dakota bluntly explained, earning her a fist to the gut by Sloan that nearly toppled her over.

"Watch your mouth, bitch." Sloan hissed.

The brutish cunt. She'd see to it the bitch payed for that.

"Please," Ethan raised his hand in peace before setting his dull and pale blue eyes on Dakota, "you are not a hostage here. And admittedly, you're not the only audience I wished to speak to today. The 'lazy excuse of a scavenging party' you speak of was indeed a mistake that shouldn't have been. But, it wasn't by my command. Am I wrong, Elaine?"

Dakota's dark eyes shifted to the side as Elaine stepped forward. Head down, shoulders forward, hands clasped. She looked like a child being reprimanded.

"No, uncle." The blonde woman spoke.

"You deliberately went against my orders and acted on your own. You endangered the lives of yourself and our people. We've lost a life because of it. I hope you understand this, Elaine."

"Yes."

"S-She wasn't alone in the matter," a man interrupted. Dakota and the others glanced over to find Peter with both hands on the table in firm resistance, although the sweat that licked at his face and the tremble in his throat revealed his fear, "we all agreed. We knew the risks. But everyday we waited, more people died. We had to go. We couldn't wait for the scouting team to return. I don't regret anything. And I know Jared wouldn't have done it any different, may he rest in peace."

Ethan's expression was unchanged as he listened. He let out a sigh and nodded his head. "Alright, alright. Thank you, Peter. I expected that to be the case, more or less. That being said, however, this issue has brought upon us a more pressing matter." He turned his attention on Dakota again. "I was informed you killed Gabriel Buchanan. You know who he was, don't you? He was the right hand man of Frank Pope: leader of the bandits in Halogh City."

Dakota eyed Ethan with suspicion; trying to figure out what it was he was trying to say. "Is it retaliation you fear? The safety of your people? Well, Frank is known to hold quite the grudge, but I wouldn't worry if I were you. Gabe never called it in. Frank wouldn't know your camp was involved."

"No, Frank will have his assumptions, but I've no worries about them for now. Although when he finds out about Gabriel's death, he'll likely be on his guard, which will be a problem for us. I can't, however, help but to notice that you know an awful lot about Frank and I and what we're capable of. I reckon you weren't out there in the middle of his territory out of coincidence. And I reckon you didn't kill Gabriel and his boys in passing or out of mercy for my people. I hear you killed them all without a single bullet your way. You're no ordinary outsider, are you?"

Dakota's eyes were steely. Nothing gave her away. "Everyone knows Halogh City is Frank's little castle. And anyone who's lived in these areas long enough know the feud you and him share."

"Ah yes," Ethan nodded with a brief far away look in his eyes, "it's been that long, hasn't it? Long enough for children to tell stories about it as if they were legends. Look, I won't ask about your reasons. But you and I have the same agenda. Frank has gone long enough terrorizing and butchering his way into these lands. I plan to finish our dispute for good. We can help each other. You don't have to fight him alone."

"Who says I'm alone?" Dakota challenged.

Ethan only chuckled. "I may be an old man, but my mind is sharper than my looks. Handing out rarities like medicine to strangers isn't what a wolf with a pack at home would do."

"I had more than I needed."

"When you're alone, you always have more than you need."

Dakota bit her lip at Ethan's quick wit. He was more clever than she thought. She needed to be careful around him.

"So what do I get? Helping you?"

"Other than Frank's head at your feet? I offer you shelter, food, and equipment. And, if you aid us and succeed, you'll be welcome to call this place a home." Ethan gestured for one of Sloan's men to un-cuff Dakota. When they clicked open, she rubbed at her sore wrists. "I want to make a deal with you as equals. As I've said, you aren't a prisoner here. You're free to live among us...with necessary supervision of course."

Dakota considered the proposition thoughtfully. She knew of Ethan. She knew of his rivalry with Frank. It would serve her well to have his men and his weapons at her disposal. For now, the idea didn't sound so bad. But, of course, this also welcomed its own territory of danger. She'd have to tread carefully.

"I want full access to your weapons and knowledge of your plans. If I'm going to help you, we're going to do this my way. I lead the operation.That's my deal."

From beside her at the round table, Dakota could sense Sloan's rage. She could sense the whole room's shock at her bold impudence. But she didn't care.

Ethan didn't seem to mind. In fact, he seemed amused. After a while, he shrugged and stretched out his hand across the table. "It's a deal. Now who do I have the pleasure to work with?"

Dakota glanced at the large and rough hand between them. Age and labor had made their marks on the old man. Lifting her own equally travail steeped hand, she took his grip and they shook. "Blosser. Dakota Blosser."

"Welcome, Dakota. I'll have your accommodations here made and your things will be returned to you shortly. In the meantime, have a look around the camp. Get a little sight seeing in. Elaine here will be your guide." Ethan gestured briefly to his niece and Dakota felt her stare on her. "Unfortunately, I cannot personally entertain you any further. I've got matters to attend to. Tomorrow we can discuss our plans and course of action."

"One more thing," Dakota started; catching Ethan's attention again, "who was it that came for your misfit party that day?"

Ethan thought about it. "I had Sloan's rescue team set out to recover them. Why?"

Dakota merely nodded and turned to face Sloan who stood at an equal 5'8" with her; ignoring Ethan's question. "You don't happen to have a sniper rifle, do you?"

"What of it?" Sloan growled.

Dakota balled her fist hard and slammed it into Sloan's jaw; knocking her flat on her ass. Then she cocked back her right leg and swung it across her face; breaking her nose for good measure.

Sloan slumped onto the floor cold as her men raised their guns. Dakota put up her hands in mock surrender and shrugged arrogantly as she turned around and walked out.

~

That night, the dreams came again. The fire. The scornful hand. Never surrendering. Never ending. Dakota's eyes were open by its end. She laid still and exhausted under the morning light that streamed through the cracked window across the room. The dirty bed and a few sparse furniture were all that filled the old and musty place she found herself in.

Strands of her tawny hair were pressed wetly against her forehead and temples. Drops of sweat drew across the skin between her plump breasts, navel, and neck. She looked on the verge of death or insanity. Fates she felt would soon catch up with her even if it didn't hold her now.

Slowly, she let out a breath. It was time to wake up from her dream. A knock at the door broke the silence.

Dakota raised her eyes to the door and watched indifferently as Elaine came in. Sighing, she rose from the bed and tousled her hair.

"Good Morning. My uncl- I mean...Ethan wanted a message delivered to you. He said that the meeting will be at 5. He also said for you to take up on the offer of getting a tour around the camp. A condition of the deal." Elaine politely relayed.

Dakota rolled her eyes. "I'm sure uncle Ethan has your work cut out for you. But you don't have to listen to everything he tells you to do. I'll eventually look around for myself. You don't need to guide me."

"N-No, I want to. I'm not afraid of my uncle. And I don't listen to everything he says."

Oh right, Dakota thought as she recalled yesterday's events. Rolling over and setting her feet onto the cold floorboards, she crossed the room to her backpack and the clothes folded neatly beside them. She assessed her belongings, making sure everything was there. Her weapons, tools, loot. At least she didn't have to bust some skulls over any missing shit.

"Everyone says you killed Gabriel and gave us the medicine to paint a target on our backs," Elaine started as Dakota continued to pay her no mind, "but I don't think thats right. You don't seem that kind of person. Are you?"

"What do you know? You know nothing about me. Like I said, I don't care what fate comes of you or your camp."

"Even so, you didn't have to do it. Saving us from Frank's men. Sharing the antibiotics. You could've done nothing and still gotten what you wanted. But you didn't. For that, I wanted to thank you."

Dakota rose from her squatting position and marched over to the shorter girl. She got so close they were nearly touching. "I don't like repeating myself. If you'd given me even the slightest reason, I would've put a bullet in your head that day. I should've and gone on my way. I should've killed you all."

She could smell how sweet the woman was from where they stood. She smelt clean. Unblemished. And even as she glared at her, Elaine merely looked into her eyes with resilience. A few seconds passed between them before Elaine spoke.

"I'd like to show you around my home. Please." Her stare was unwavering. Dakota grunted. She could see the resemblance between her and Ethan.

Abruptly, Dakota turned around and pulled her shirt over her head, prompting Elaine to quickly glance away. After awhile, however, her eyes lingered again to Dakota's form; watching as she changed. Elaine was fully aware how openly she was staring at the woman's tan and muscular body, but it was as if her eyes had a mind of their own.

Everywhere she could see that Dakota was riddled with scars and trauma wounds. Her back alone carried the bulk of the marks. Only the small glimpses of her full breasts reminded Elaine that she was still just a woman like her. Her body was like an etched stone with a history and story written in a language she couldn't understand.

Dakota slipped on her tank top and bulky cargo pants and turned back around just as Elaine looked away.

"Don't waste my time."

And then she was out the door.

Elaine blinked before realizing the implication. Dakota was going to let her show her around. She smiled to herself and quickly followed after.

The morning air was cold and wet that day and clouds muddled the sky. Dakota stretched out her thick wool mud colored trench coat from under her arm and slipped it on. The size of it was bigger than her body but she'd long sacrificed its unruly fitting for the warmth it provided.

"The building you've been roomed in is just one of the many residential buildings we still use. It's also the only one that has all it's doors still intact." Elaine spoke up; trying to lighten the mood.

Dakota said nothing at the remark though and continued straight ahead; heading nowhere in particular. As they were, Dakota ended up leading the way while Elaine rambled about the different functions of the camp as they came across it.

For the next half hour, however, Elaine had filled up enough one sided conversation she could take.

"So, where are you from?" She asked. This was a change in tactic. Hopefully, it would make a crack in the taller woman's defenses. But she remained silent, so she had to fish a little harder. "You said you've lived around this area for awhile, so where exactly?"

Dakota side-eyed her. Got her.

"Nowhere you need to know."

"Come on. Throw me a bone, at least," a thought suddenly came into her mind and she couldn't help but ask, "...where were you during the Outbreak?"

Dakota paused at the question. It'd been a long time since she'd thought about home. "Pennsylvania. When an infected bartender attacked an off-duty officer."

Elaine glanced over and saw Dakota's expression was unchanged. But her eyes revealed she was somewhere else, perhaps in the past. "That beats seeing it on the news. I remember that day so distinctly. It was a Saturday. I was always up early on Saturdays with my parents to watch the cartoons that played in the mornings. That day, they'd cut in the middle of Peanuts to issue an emergency broadcast about a fast-spreading and invasive virus that had already infected half of the country. I didn't understand any of it back then. But the looks on my parents faces will always haunt me. I'd never seen them so afraid. I always want to think it was all just a bad dream."

"Sometimes dreams are worst." Dakota uttered.

After tracing most of the campgrounds, Dakota began to tire of their tedious tour and was just about to excuse herself for her meeting with Ethan when Elaine caught her attention once again.

"This is where we wash our laundry. Once every two weeks, everything is brought here to be cleaned and dried." Elaine pointed to a large memorial fountain in the center of what used to be a park. Now, it'd become some kind of gathering center. Dakota stared at it; amazed it was still in working condition.

Water sprung out down the tall centerpiece of the fountain in a never ending stream and fell into a large basin that stretched far and wide. Old and ethereal statues decorated the basin bottom but unlike their original purpose, they were no longer ornaments. Dakota could see the residents of the camp had taken the liberty into making them useful and created clotheslines that sprouted from each statue. Rows and rows of clothes hung across each bronze beast and human.

"It's a good place, this camp. With good people. You'll find it'll grow on you." Elaine said as they gazed upon the fountain and the people moving through life all around it.

Dakota clicked her tongue and snapped out of her trance. "Once I'm finished with my plans, I'll be finished with this place as well. It won't be long before reality swallows this paradise of yours and I'd rather not be here when that happens."

"Why do you say those things?"

Dakota turned her gaze on Elaine and found her expression a bit indignant. She'd dropped her polite demeanor. Her brows were slightly furrowed but her lips and eyes remained steady and calm. So, she could make that kind of face after all?

"Because it's the truth and you ought to start listening to it.You aren't safe behind your walls. Just like Frank isn't."

Elaine shook her head in disbelief. "What did he do to you? To make you so miserable and hateful? You spite everyone and everything and turn away those who come close. Nobody else has to lose hope just because you have."

Dakota glared at the rebellious woman. "You can be damn sure that any business of mine is of no concern to you. Especially to you. Your uncle hides you behind these walls and pretends the monsters outside aren't real. That they can't get in. And you believe him. What do you know of misery and hate? You know nothing. You're a princess stuck in her tower. Save your preaching for the alter. I'm not like you. And don't you ever dare think you know anything about me."

Elaine stared her down, although when she let in a breath, her chest trembled ever so slightly. "You're right. I don't know anything about you. You're a stranger. A foreigner. The difference between us probably is too vast and inconceivable, but it's reach can still be bridged so long as you believe it can. I choose to believe in you, even if you've lost that for yourself. I may be a princess, but you're a bitch."

Dakota watched as the woman cast her angered gaze aside and turned away; leaving her at the fountains edge.

~

"We don't even know if she's part of some other faction." Sloan protested. Not often did she ever question Ethan's decisions, but she couldn't stand beside him on this. She'd much rather have that trifling bitch sooner dead than Frank.

"I have my men on her, Sloan. If she is a spy, she won't even have the chance to send a message let alone run off." Ethan reassured.

"There are too many risks involved! We've been planning our attack for years. This may well be our only chance at this. I won't let it be compromised over your sense of gratitude."

"That woman has no faction. She belongs to no one. Gabriel and his death attest to that. No sane pack runner would challenge Frank knowing the kind of hell he'll raise. Only someone who's got nothing to lose."

"If she's alone then, what makes you think she isn't here to kill you either? What if sparing Elaine's life was deliberate?"

Ethan straightened out his back and sighed. "Then that's what you're here to prevent. In the meantime, I'd like to hear this plan of hers. She has something we don't and we need every trick we can get to finish Frank for good."

Sloan scowled in defeat. Ethan wasn't going to change his mind. She gritted her teeth and nodded.

As scheduled, the meeting finally started. Dakota and Elaine made it together just in time, although they hadn't said a word to each other since the fountain. They stood apart the large round table in the middle of the room.

Sloan gripped the handle of her gun at her hip as she watched Dakota come in. Lots of scenarios played in her head, entirely made up of different ways she could kill her right there and then. She had to get stitches on the bridge of her nose after yesterday and stood there now with bandages across her face.

"This conference is going to be simple. I want a plan of action," Ethan began, "Frank Pope has declared war for these lands and the resources within them. We've already lost a quarter of our allied camps already to those bandits of his. He plans to overrun the whole northeastern area. We are not under the impression that he'll be leaving us out of it. We cannot let that happen. Dakota..."