[hider=Location note][indent]I was asked in PM by a random reader whether or not the Bentonville of our story is the one where you would find the home of Walmart. No, it isn't. All of the location names in our story are fictitious. In fact, I'm not even identifying which State we are in. We are on the east side of the Rockies if that helps.[/indent][/hider]

Kimmie was conflicted about her feelings upon seeing Roger Hamilton at the entrance to Bentonville. The good news was that the Lieutenant or Captain or Major or whatever he called himself these days would, undoubtedly permit her access to the town and to its Doctor. The bad news was that it was to him that she would have to pay the [i]price[/i] about which she and Laura had spoken.

Of course, there were worst men in this world for whom she could open her thighs, so, there was that at least.

[color=yellow]"It's nice to see you again, Miss Wright,"[/color] he greeted her as she pedaled around the line of people looking for entry into the trading town. 

[color=red]"Thank you,"[/color] Kimmie said with a non-committal tone. Needing him to believe she felt the same way about him, she forced a smile and responded, [color=red]"It's nice to see you as well."[/color]

[color=yellow]"And how is the family...?[/color]

Kimmie cringed at the question, fearful of just what Roger might ask during the [i]friendly[/i] conversation he was initiating. Although Roger had never asked and Kimmie had never offered, she was fairly certain that he understood that she was not only a lesbian but was Laura's lover. That didn't stop him from demanding to put his cock in her as payment for goods and services on her necessity-only visits to Bentonville, though. Sometimes she wondered if his [i]excessive generosity[/i] at times wasn't based upon the misogynistic thrill he got from [i]violating[/i] her body in that way.

Of course, maybe it wasn't misogyny. Maybe he didn't know and simply lusted for her?

[color=yellow]"The twins growing up, becoming young adults...?"[/color] he continued.

[color=red]"Yes."[/color] Kimmie responded simply. She knew Roger wanted Nicky for the Militia. She also knew she'd kill Roger before she'd ever let that happen. The Family had had a hard winter, and they were on the verge of starvation now as Spring was nearing. But Kimmie would rather quit eating or eat dirt and straw than to fill the cupboard with food bought from Nicky's pay as a Bentonville Militiaman.

[color=yellow]"Your friend, Laura..."[/color] Roger began, hesitating.

Kimmie clenched her jaws, fearful of where Roger was taking the conversation. It was bad enough that she let him fuck her without the knowledge that she [i]played for the other team[/i]. She couldn't even imagine the sexual tension between them if Roger was actually aware of her [i]preference[/i].

Of course, unknown to her, Roger was already fully aware of her relationship with Laura and [i]had[/i] been since before the first time he'd found [i]release[/i] deep inside her.

Still referring to Laura, Roger asked, [color=yellow]"She's taking care of the little one I presume ... [i]Lizzie[/i], correct?"[/color]

Kimmie threw her leg over the trike's seat to put both feet on the ground, giving Roger a clear line of sight to the cart behind her mode of transport. Coincidentally, the 6-year-old moved about at that moment, pulling the blanket from her head and exposing herself to his view.

[color=red]"Lizzie's sick, Major,"[/color] Kimmie said, recalling what the US Army insignia on his jacket had meant when there [i]had[/i] been a US Army. [color=red]"May I take her to your--?"[/color]

She wasn't able to finish her question before Roger turned and whistled loudly to another militia member. A man with the inverted chevrons of what Kimmie thought were Sergeant insignia hurried over as his superior officer ordered, [color=yellow]"Get Miss Wright and her girl to the Doctor ... [i]now![/i]"[/color]

Roger looked to Kimmie again and handed her a [url=https://i.imgur.com/Sb4pOC1.jpg?1]pass[/url]. He asked her if she understood the ramifications of losing it, to which she smiled and answered simply, [color=red]"Of course, Major."[/color]

He told her to go with the militiaman, finishing, [color=yellow]"I'll come check on you shortly."[/color]

Kimmie was tempted to respond, [i]Really, that isn't necessary, I'll be fine.[/i] But she knew that there was still [i]payment[/i] to be made for the Doctor's services and any potentially-rare medications that might be necessary. Instead she only said, [color=red]"Thank you, Major."[/color]

At the clinic, Kimmie described the little girl's medical situation to the Doctor, adding at the end, [color=red]"Please, whatever it takes to save my daughter."[/color]

Lizzie wasn't Kimmie's daughter -- not biologically anyway. Kimmie and Laura had [i]liberated[/i] the then-2-year-old from the most heinous of individuals created by the aftermath of the Blackout, a slave trader. The entire story behind the child Kimmie and Laura would themselves name Elizabeth wasn't known, but the assumption was that she'd been taken from her mother by the slaver, either after the former had died or the latter had killed the woman.

Lizzie's addition had increased what came to be known as the Family to 9: 3 adult women (including Kimmie and Laura, of course), 2 adult men, Nicky, Carla, and another orphaned female Camper. At the time of the Blackout, Nicky and Carla -- whose parents had lived in Dallas -- had been at Outdoor School just 15 miles from their [i]favorite[/i] Aunt Laura's house. (Laura had not only been a Camper during the summers of 4th, 5th, and 6th grades but she'd been a Counselor for 6 summers as well during high school and college.)

Kimmie had just moved into Laura's apartment a couple of months before the power died forever, and (when the extent of the Blackout became known) the pair of them had hurried to the Camp to get the twins. They'd returned to the apartment, only to leave again when the cities became battlegrounds over food, water, and other now limited and in many cases no-longer-produced resources. 

They'd fled to the Rockies, back to the Summer Camp ironically. They'd found food and supplies there and thought they could live there for years if necessary. But after just a few months, the camp suffered the same fate as the cities had when a [i]band[/i] of two dozen armed men and women (with children in tow as well) marched up the hill to the Camp with the intention of taking it for themselves. 

Kimmie, Laura, Nicky, Carla, and the other 5 headed deeper into the Rockies to escape the cruelties of Man. That escape was short lived, though, when they came across a trio of heavily armed men with two dozen men, women, and children they had captured, bound, and gagged, presumably for the purpose of sale. Kimmie had been flabbergasted at just how quickly society was breaking down, as if it was some bad Hollywood post-apocalyptic movie.

As if enslaving these people wasn't already bad enough, one of the men took an infant out into woods and simply left it there to die or be eaten by wild animals or both. Laura had been the one to see the tragic act, later sneaking over to snatch up the baby and bring it to their own camp half a mile down a deer path. None of their group every learned of the fate of the other hostages which, presumably, had included the mother of the child as well. 

And things only got worse. A week or so after discovering the baby they named Elizabeth, one of the males in the group raped the third adult female. A day after that, the second male stabbed to death the rapist. He'd apparently thought his [i]chivalrous bravery[/i] might get him some [i]thanks[/i] in a sexual sense, because he began pressuring the raped woman into a relationship with him. One night, unable to take what she was seeing anymore, Kimmie landed a heavy, solid tree limb over the man's head, knocking him unconscious. 

[color=red]"We're outta here, right now!"[/color] she'd told the others. Within minutes they were packed up and heading down the trail, leaving the man behind them. (No one would ever see him again, let alone learn whether or not Kimmie had killed him with the blow to his skull.)

Ironically, the raped woman (who it turned out had had serious mental problems for years) became unrealistically and rather insanely jealous of Kimmie in regard to the man who'd wanted her [i]to be his woman[/i]. She began treating Kimmie harshly, accusing her of having [i]ruined her life by killing her man[/i]. The harassment soon spread to Laura, then to the twins, and then even to Baby Lizzie, for whom many allowances had had to be made to find her appropriate food and shelter.

Once again, Kimmie turned to violence to solve the situation. Inviting the woman out to forage in the forest, Kimmie pushed her down a steep, forested drop. Although she didn't check on the woman, Kimmie was fairly sure the fall and the subsequent collisions with tree trunks, rocks, and downed logs had killed her. Kimmie didn't care. She was relieved, actually.

And once again, they were moving. Weeks later, they found the abandoned cabin in the woods. They'd been there since. Not long after having taken up resident, they'd gotten their first visit from Roger Hamilton and the Bentonville Militia. It was made clear to them that because the area was under the Militia's protection, they would be required to pay a [i]tax.[/i] 

Laura had told Kimmie after the Militia departed that they could just move again, but Kimmie didn't think they'd ever find a place any safer. So, they'd stayed, and they were coming up on their 6th year anniversary of being residents of the cabin.

Now, as she watched over the still unconscious and feverish Lizzie, Kimmie heard the doctor murmur in response to her last statement, [color=yellow]"Whatever it takes, huh?"[/color]

Kimmie felt a chill run up her spine as gooseflesh exploded over her arms, neck, and even her legs. She knew what the Doctor was going to suggest: payment. Before he could, she held the plastic gambling token up before her, informing him, [color=red]"I'm a guest of Major Hamilton."[/color]

That caused the Doctor's face to bind up in a disappointed expression. He turned away from his ogling of her hourglass figure and murmured again: [color=red]"Your daughter will be fine. She's having a reaction to a tick bite is all. She needs rest and medication, which I'd be [i]happy[/i] to furnish to a [i]guest[/i] of the Major."[/color] 

Kimmie detected the sarcastic and somewhat disappointed tone the horny doctor used but ignored it, saying only, [color=red]"Thank you, Doctor."[/color]