Page 46 of Purgatory
“Nope. I’m fine, but thank you. I should be ok once we get onto the boat, the air will feel nice.” She looks around for a second, taking in the scenery surrounding the lake.
It’s beautiful here. Especially now when the leaves startchanging their colors, like the nature surrounding this place has been painted by a higher power for us to marvel at, rather than just a simple scientific reason like the changing of the seasons. It's nothing compared to her, though.
“So, why isn’t there a dock?” She changes the subject back to thenot therenautical equipment. It hasn’t escaped my brain that she isn’t acknowledging the overflowing and worsening state of her pores, the redness to her face or the mild panting her breathing has evolved into but I let it go.
For now.
I make a mental note and silently hand her my water bottle. Thankfully, she takes it and drinks it down greedily but stops after a few seconds of gulping. She hands it back to me, almost empty, with a smallthank youleaving her lips. I smile my approval at her willingness to listen to my directives without my having to voice them. Satisfaction filling my veins at her easy submission. I go to answer her question but Jax beats me to it.
“There is no dock, because if there was, anyone could pass through and easily take the boat. By doing this, it makes the theft more difficult and therefore deters any passersby from trying to. Not to mention, the dead can’t swim, so it keeps them away from it as well.”
Aly nods, understanding his reasoning. “Makes sense. So, what about the alive humans that own it?”
Jax turns around so he is walking backwards into the lake. “We swim.” He falls backward into the water, making a big splash as I take Aly’s hand in mine and walk toward the water. She tenses as the cold water touches her skin but slowly continues to ease in. She’s not the greatest swimmer, relying solely on a doggie paddle, but it does the trick. I stay close to her the entire way to the boat, just in case.
Jax gets there first, obviously. Heaving his large form upand over the back landing by the inboard engine. When we get there, he holds out a hand for Aly, easily pulling her up onto the deck. I pull myself up, as well and take a second to appreciate Aly. The water has made her clothing stick to her, showing off her delicious body underneath. The curves of her form are beautiful. I could look at her all day. She, on the other hand, has other plans when she sees me staring, turning away and ringing out her shirt to loosen the fabric.
Jax, sensing her uneasiness, comes up next to her and tentatively takes her hand, redirecting both her mind and her body towards the steering wheel. He takes his time showing her all of the levers and buttons, bells and whistles and, of course, where the keys are hidden. The thing I like most about this boat? It’s easy. It’s almost as easy as learning how to drive a car, only with a throttle instead of floor peddles. It’s a key ignition with a steering wheel so it’s basically crank and go. No trying to start it like an unruly lawnmower.
We spend the next few hours caught in the space between drifting on the current and letting Aly take in the sights along the bank. To be honest, I’m enjoying the relaxation as much as they are. Maybe I needed to take on some control for myself. Making this happen did just that. And seeing Aly’s happy face as well as Jax’s resigned contentment, I’d say it was all worth it.
When we return to the “docking” point, Jax throws out the anchor, waiting until he knows it’s secure, then we all jump off the back of the boat and swim back to shore. Jax gets to the shore first, as usual, and runs to grab towels from the utility shed just as Aly and I reach the beach.
When Jax gets back, he opens a towel, signaling me to take the other side. Together we wrap her up and take turns patting her down, drying her off quickly and efficiently, then turn to walk back to the house. We’re about halfway back when Jax stops, making us turn to see what for.
“I was just thinking... we’re showing you the boat and everything not just to have a fun day but also to teach you how to run if you need to. What about if you need to fight? Do you know how to use a weapon? Like other than a baseball bat?”
Aly shakes her head. “No. To be honest, I never needed to. I had a can of pepper spray and a switch blade when I lived in the city but never needed to use them. And ever since the disease, the bat’s been pretty reliable when I needed to handle a zombie so...”
Jax nods at that. I get where he’s coming from. There are more useful and efficient tools at our disposal if she ends up needing to wield a more powerful weapon in the future. Pistols, long range rifles, even how to properly use a knife could come in handy.
“What do you think about going over some basics with us? Loading a gun, mechanics, how to fire a few of the different types?” Jax asks.
“Sounds like it could be fun,” Aly says which makes Jax smile again. All he wants to do is protect her and make sure we do everything we can to keep her safe, with or without us if it came to it. I’m proud of him for taking the initiative and of her for being so enthusiastically open-minded about his suggestion. I lean in close to her ear.
“That’s my girl.” My words make her erupt in shivers and I pull her in closer to me as we all walk together back to the house. We quickly change out of our outfits and into something less soaking wet, grab our gear and head back out to meet with Jax.
∞∞∞
Jax is definitely thorough, to say the least. He could have just brought out a pistol. Simple, light, easy enough to learn how to use and care for it. But no, he decides to bring out a folding table and cover it with a mini version of a gun show: a Colt .45 M1911 hand gun, a Glock 22, an AR-15 rifle, a sniper rifle and a 12-gauge shot gun. All different types that each have different ammunition and different ways to load and ready the weapon in preparation to shoot.
I’ve got to give it to the man. When he says he’s going to do something, he puts his all into it. No shortcuts. No beating around the bush. He gives that task everything he has. And I know, when it comes to Aly’s safety, putting his all into it and giving her everything he has to give is just the beginning.
Aly’s attention is zoned in on it all, too. Asking questions as we go through explaining the mechanics of each and eager to learn and do more. Through it all, she doesn’t waiver one bit. Soaking up every bit of knowledge we pass to her. She’s an amazing student, to say the least. And Jax is a great teacher. He even manages to put a silencer on each just so she could practice shooting off a few to get the field of the recoil. “Ok. So, you learned about each one of these, let’s see how you feel actually using them.” Jax indicates to the weapons on the folding table. “Go ahead and pick which one you’d like to try.”
Aly takes her time looking through the various guns, but ultimately chooses the AR-15. Honestly, I was a bit surprised she didn’t choose the Glock 22. It’s the smallest of the bunch so it would make sense for someone as small as her to choose the least intimidating one. But then again, I need to remember not to underestimate her tenacity.
I decide to sit down on the grass and watch Jax hand the rifle to her, showing her how to properly hold it and how to load it. When she’s ready to go, he has her take a steady, wide standing stance while he stands slightly behind her, quietlygiving her direction.
“What do we aim a weapon at?” He asks. His question a mere whisper on the back of her neck.
“Only that which we intend to destroy...” Visibly restraining a shiver, she lifts the rifle, sighting in on the target Jax stapled to a tree.
“And what do we intend to destroy?” He continues, moving her hair out of the way before pointing down the makeshift range.
Releasing a long, heavy breath, she closes her eyes, focusing. After a few seconds, she opens them, determined and ready. “Everything and anything that means to harm us.”
“Atta girl.” He moves back, places a pair of noise cancelling ear muffs on her head and gives her a soft pat on the shoulder before saying, “Fire when ready.”
