Molly - Part 1

Chapter 39

They'd been attacking since morning. Molly had said they would continue east, but Molly had been wrong. They had come with their black cars and black guns. They did not relent. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, firing at random, sometimes hitting someone, sometimes not.

The sky was strangely violet. Jolie didn't know what it might mean.

She'd been on lookout duty when Molly approached her. This close, she didn't seem so mythical. She looked like an ordinary person.

"I know you don't like me," Molly said. "But I do believe in what you are doing."

"You've given up."

Molly stared, then said, "In a way, yeah."

"What are you?" Jolie said, rotating her wrist; she'd been staring down the scope of a rifle for a couple hours now and the pain in her hand had come back.

"What do you mean?"

"Stop the bullshit," Jolie said. "Seriously: What are you?"

"She's Molly Smith."

Her friend. He never seemed to be too far away from Molly. Jolie wondered if there was something there.

She noticed that Molly was wearing a glove on her right hand, but not the left. Probably nothing.

"I'm..." Molly exhaled. "I'm just trying to help."

"And that's what we're doing," said the friend. "You should be thankful that she's even here."

Jolie reared up, then shoved a finger at the guy.

"You do realize that it's over, right? An entire city doesn't die without consequences. We need to rebuild. Don't know what that will look like, but going around killing people at random isn't going to do shit."

Molly shook her head. "There's still rot."

Jolie returned to her perch, making sure none of the monsieurs had broken through since her respite. She doubted it; monsiuers weren't soldiers. They didn't like to attack unless they figured they'd win.

"Yeah, well, go do something about it."

She heard Molly get up and leave. Jolie wiped at the lens, smearing it instead of cleaning it. With a heady sigh, she watched Molly go. She could see now why so many knew her despite this apocalypse. If anything Molly made an impression.

The next morning they met with Farmer Bill. No ceremony on site. They were desperate, and needed to do something before the monsieurs broke through.

"I don't know," Bill said, eyeing the monsieurs down the way. "I don't see a lot of good options here."

"We have to break them off," Molly said. "I'll take the cycle and go to the beach. That should draw some of them away, but not all of them."

"I doubt that'd make much of a difference," Bill said.

"It's something."

Jolie, watching Molly, raised a hand casually and said, "I'll go with her."

Farmer Bill frowned. "Really?"

"Yeah. The other guy can come too. Maybe we can find someone who can help."

"Who would help us?" Bill lamented, the other farmers and their families gathering around. "We don't want anything and we don't have anything to give. We just want a good life."

Jolie nodded, slowly.

"I think we both want that."

Gordon came up now, scowling at the sand below.