The water wasn't just warm, it felt smooth and silky, the minerals in the spring making his rough skin take on a softness it had not known since childhood. It made him feel slick all over. Hitch floated on his back, nude, staring up at the clouds gathering overhead. He let his body drift in a lazy circle around the pool as the spring offered a steady flow upwards, spilling out to where it met the rushing creek nearby.

Miller was washing himself with soap when movement up the trail caught Hitch's eye. Kim-Ly made her way down to the edge of the pool, setting a pile of towels on the grass. Hitch slid down into the water, ensuring that his genitals were no longer in view. It was an instinctive reaction, one of respect and decency.

Miller greeted his wife and stepped up out of the water. They spoke quietly a moment. Hitch heard the old man laugh as he snaked a rough towel over his aging flesh. He looked back at Hitch with a broad smile, then turned back to his wife and spoke too low to overhear. Miller slid back into his clothing and in moments, he trudged up the trail and disappeared.

Hitch was left alone with Kim-Ly.

She sat on the edge of the pool, removing her boots and dipping the tips of her toes into the spring. Kim-Ly motioned him over, and Hitch complied, staying low in the water.

“Beautiful spot, isn't it? We're so lucky this is near our cabin. It's a very romantic place...”

Hitch stared into her eyes as she spoke, unable to look away, drawn into the softness and strength he found there.

“I meant what I said, Hitch... I freely offer you any comfort you wish while you stay with us... any comfort...”

He wasn't stupid and there wasn't much reading-between-the-lines needed to understand what the woman was offering. “Kim-Ly... Your husba—”

“My husband has given his approval.” She slipped her jacket off and pulled her shirt up and over her head. Medium-sized breasts, still firm though somewhat heavy from motherhood, pressed out from her chest. Her dark-brown nipples topped small areolae, forming tight peaks on her cinnamon breasts.

Before Hitch could respond, she pulled down her jeans and tossed them aside, her dark bush visible just a few seconds before she slipped into the water and waded to within two feet of him. “My husband is the love of my life, Hitch. But he is also a practical man, and he understands my needs. He's been unable to grow hard for some years now. He still pleasures me and I love him for it, but he knows I've longed for what he cannot give me, what he wants me to enjoy again. It has been many years since a man has penetrated me, Hitch. I'd like you to be with me now, if you are willing.”

Hitch didn't know how to respond. He thought he must have given a quick nod because as soon as his head moved, Kim-Ly pressed her wet, naked body to his, wrapped her arms around his neck, and brought her lips to his mouth. She moaned at first contact, and Hitch gave in to his desires. He ran his hands down her back to her ass and caressed her there, cupping her flesh with an overwhelming desire to fuck the woman. Smooth skin was broken by long-healed scars, and Hitch found himself lightly running over her old wounds, trying to smooth out where she had suffered.

Kim-Ly's leg rose up to his thigh, and Hitch took it instinctively. He held her just above the knee as her arms tightened around his neck. He held her firmly as her other leg came up, putting her modest weight onto his body. He gripped that knee as well, tracing scars there, too. She moaned into his mouth as he felt his hard penis brush against the soft fur between her legs.

The woman moved up and down slowly, a moment of passionate kissing shared before Hitch felt warm slickness press over the head of his cock below the water. Kim-Ly slid down steadily, and in seconds, her hot, tender flesh enveloped his length. He didn't even try to stifle his moan.

She rode him for long minutes. Despite his years since fucking a woman, Hitch held off his orgasm thanks in large part to masturbating to the woman's naked, blossoming daughter earlier that day. Up and down, Kim-Ly took him deep inside her body before drawing up and then down again. She came easily, never slowing, using her thighs and calves to grip his waist as she rode his dick.

By the time she orgasmed again, Hitch was close to his own. He never even considered pulling out of her. Ejaculate rushed out of his penis and flooded Kim-Ly's vagina to the soft sounds of muffled moans and light splashes of water from their movements. Pleasure rushed into him as he came inside the woman, hot seed surrounding the head of his cock were it spurted near her cervix.

Kim-Ly slowed and stopped as they broke their kiss to breathe heavily. She stared into his eyes a moment, mouth open, then she started to cry. He slipped from her pussy and let down her legs, holding her head against his chest as tears slid down her face.

“Kim-Ly... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...” Hitch didn't know what had brought on her anguish, but he felt terrible.

“No!” she replied, pulling back and looking at him again, a small smile on her face, “no, no, these are wonderful tears... I feel... wonderful... Taking you inside me was all that I hoped for. It had been so long... so long... This is relief you see, not pain...” Her hand drifted from his shoulder to her thighs. She squatted slightly and Hitch could tell she was using her fingers under the water to remove his semen.

“Oh... I thought... maybe you had regrets...”

Kim-Ly continued to clean her genitals, smiling again, tears stopped finally, “no, not about this. If I regret anything, it is that I wish my husband was still able to be with me this way... But... I am so blessed to know you this day... If... If you wish for another, I willing give you my body to use as you wish...”

She took his hand under the water and brought it to her pussy where she squeezed her thighs together, trapping his fingers against her warm, swollen flesh. “If you want it...”

Hitch was worn out from a long day of hunting, masturbating, and making love with Kim-Ly. “I must admit I am tempted, but let us instead enjoy what we've had together...”

She eyed him a moment, then slowly relaxed her thighs, letting his hand drift away in the warm water. She asked quietly, “how long had it been for you, Hitch? Since you were with a woman?”

He shook his head. “Over a decade... Not since my wife...”

Kim-Ly looked at him thoughtfully, and Hitch was happy she didn't ask him to talk about Julia. “Shall we dry off, then?”

He nodded, a nagging feeling that he'd been tipped off balance by the experience, a small tremor along the edge of his thoughts which was unbidden, uncomfortable, but not entirely unpleasant, like tender hooks had just caught, pulling gently against his defenses, a tenuous balance of weakness and strength. Hitch was unable to shake that sensation.

She took his hand again and led him out of the pool and onto the grass. Kim-Ly offered him a towel and he dried himself quickly, old feelings of decency making him rush to cover himself in the presence of a woman despite what they'd just shared. He couldn't help, however, enjoying the way she played the towel across her bronzed skin, water dripping from between her legs and running down her muscular thighs and from her lovely breasts.

When they'd returned their clothes to their bodies, Kim-Ly stepped to him and kissed his cheek, saying softly, “thank you, Hitch... I'm glad we've shared this special comfort at a time when suffering and loneliness are more common than making love...”

He said nothing and followed her as she led the way back to the cabin in silence.

Miller rocked slowly in a chair on the porch smoking a pipe as they approached in the growing darkness. Hitch felt trepidation despite Kim-Ly's assurances, uncertain what the man really thought about the fact that his wife had just had sex with another man. Miller eyed them evenly as they rose up the steps. Kim-Ly hugged him and kissed his lips, then glanced quickly at Hitch with a smile and went inside the cabin. Miller offered Hitch a seat next to him and the younger man settled tentatively.

They sat in silence a moment before Miller said matter-of-factly, “she's a kind an' lovin' woman. I miss tha days when I could'a provide fer 'er in tha' way, bu' I am thankful fer 'er love, an' tha' she's taken pleasure whar' she could in'a difficul' world...”

There was no anger or hatred in his words, no coldness, only acceptance. Hitch said nothing in reply.

Miller continued, “she asked me years ago if I would'a consider allowin' 'er this pleasure, if it presented itself. At first, I struggled, jealous, feelin' less of'a man. Bu' I love 'er deeply, an' I come ta understand 'er desire, an' I found peace in it.” He turned towards Hitch and said, “I'm an ole man. Parts dun work like tha' use'ta. Sum days I labor jus' ta breathe on'a hunt, others I canna' shake pain from my limbs. If ya live long enough, Hitch, ya'll get thar' one day yerself, bu' until then, always take wha' is offered freely an' with kindness. Ya neva' know when it migh' be yer last.”

Hitch tried to respond, but found no words worthy of speaking.

Miller let the thought hang between them a moment, then said, “few chores ta do 'round 'ere before turnin' in. Kieu-Linh is givin' up 'er spot on tha rug by tha fire so ya can getta good night sleep. Feel free ta settle in.”

“I can help,” Hitch replied, “please let me help out.”

Miller nodded. “Figured ya'd say tha'. Need sum wood from tha pile back thar',” he said pointing around the side of the cabin, “Kieu-Linh will show ya wha' we need.”

Hitch nodded and stood. Miller grabbed his arm gently. He eyed Hitch quietly, then said, “than' ya, Hitch. Fer wha' ya did fer my wife. I'd do anythin' ta make 'er happy, even tha'. I could see in 'er eyes tha' she were happy. Fer tha', ya have my thanks.”

Hitch mumbled, “of course, uh... of course.”

Kieu-Linh opened the door and stepped out onto the porch.

Miller said, “ah, jus' in time. Hitch's gonna help ya with tha wood.”

The girl smiled and said, “follow me!”

Hitch and Kieu-Linh brought back armloads of seasoned wood from a large, covered pile near the back of the grove. The young woman said little, and Hitch let his thoughts run loose in his mind, unfocused, still somewhat abuzz from the moments he'd shared with the girl's mother at the spring.

Once the wood was stacked on the porch and inside near the fireplace, Miller said a quick “good night,” shaking Hitch's hand and hugging his daughter and Kim-Ly, then heading into the bedroom. Hitch could see that there was a smaller fireplace in the room by the way the light inside played against the far wall.

Kim-Ly washed the mugs and dried them, then took off her apron and sat in a chair. Hitch felt foolish as he continued to stand, unsure what to do. “Please, sit,” she offered.

Kieu-Linh was already curled up in a ball in one of the larger chairs, covered from her neck by a thick wool blanket. Hitch heard a light rain begin to tinkle on the metal roof as he settled onto a chair next to Kim-Ly.

He tried to settle his thoughts from an interesting day. His mind felt like tar had been melted around the edges, like thoughts were sticking, bristly, drifting only with effort to the front to be understood. Some of them were frightening and brutal. He felt unfocused and weary.

“Mister Hitchens?” A kind voice said quietly. Rain pounded down on the roof. “Hitch?”

His eyes felt open but he didn't see anything for a moment. He wondered if he'd drifted off. “Sorry. Must be tired.”

“There you are.” A moment of concern passed over Kim-Ly's face as she glanced at her daughter, but she smiled then and said, “This cold front is gonna bring the temperature down soon, probably getting cold tonight,” the woman said, eyes smiling brightly in the firelight, “might even snow.”

“Hope not,” Hitch replied, “I need to head back to my camp tomorrow. I've got a long walk.”

She offered a small smile which Hitch knew was also a bit sad. “I know... I just thought... maybe you'd want to stay a few days... that we might...” He understood her meaning all too clear even as she trailed off, but was already thinking that he'd probably stepped as far into the couple's relationship as was healthy.

“I appreciate that,” he said, noticing that Kieu-Linh's eyes were open and watching him, “but I've taken advantage of your... hospitality beyond what I can repay. I don't wish to impose on you further.”

Kieu-Linh spoke with a sleepy voice, “I want you to stay, too... I like having you here. Maybe you can live with us...”

Hitch smiled at her, growing tired, “thanks for that, Linh. I have my own place, my own comforts. This is your home here, and you've been overly kind to me. I must return to where I call home.”

“But why? You're alone there...” Kieu-Linh said plaintively. “Here, you have us...”

Hitch had no good response. He'd gotten so used to being alone that he couldn't even consider what it might be like to live with others, not that anyone was even offering that option seriously. He shrugged and just shook his head.

Kim-Ly yawned, then stood slowly. She approached Hitch and despite her daughter nearby, she wrapped her arms around Hitch's neck and kissed his lips, not opening her mouth, just a soft peck. She whispered, “thank you, Hitch... see you in the morning...”

He let her go and watched her slide into the room behind him. Hitch stared into the fire a moment, cleared his head as best he could, and slid down onto the thick rug, pushing the small pillow nearby under his head and pulling the thick blanket over his body.

“Good night... sweet dreams...” said Kieu-Linh in a soft, sweet voice.

“Good night, Linh...”

- - -

Hitch's nerves pulsed to life at the slightest stimulus. It was a conditioned response from years in the field, instinctual reactions which kept him alive and rushed him quickly to alertness. His arm jerked back from the slight touch and he braced to roll and come to his feet.

The soft sigh near him caused him to freeze. Where am I? It took a split second to remember that he'd curled up on the floor of Miller's cabin. It had been a long time since he'd spent a night inside somewhere other than his bunker. What was that touch? Another sigh brought him back to reality. Kieu-Linh had settled down beside him, her back to his front, only a foot or so away. She was pulling his blanket over her body.

“Kieu-Linh,” he said quietly, “uh... what are you doing?”

“I'm cold. Can I just warm up with you? Please?”

Hitch was glad the girl wore thick pajamas and that he still wore his jeans and shirt. “Uh... sure.”

That was all the permission she needed to scoot back and press her body against his. Hitch lay motionless a moment as the young woman got comfortable. The way she positioned herself, his nose was near the top of her head. He could smell the light fragrance of soap still in her hair, but there was something else there. The warm scent of her youthful flesh added to the aroma, and Hitch did his best to ignore how much he enjoyed it.

She settled against him, pressing her head back against his upper chest, her butt sliding against his groin. Without thinking, he draped an arm around her body and held her against him. She sighed again, and he swore he could detect a smile in the innocent sound.

He held her, wide awake, for almost an hour while she slept. Like he had for years, his mind raced over the events of the day. During The War, it had served as a way to analyze and learn from what had happened, to never make the same mistake twice, to discover vital clues to surviving the next day. But this day was not like those. This day had started by following deer, then seeing Kieu-Linh's beautiful young naked body and becoming aroused by her. Later, he'd made love in the spring with the girl's mother, his first sexual experience in over a decade. And now, it was ending with Kieu-Linh in his arms, innocently held against him, snoring lightly as he kept her warm.

It made him think of his daughter, Willow. He almost cried as the thought came over him. He'd held her so many times when she was little, less so when he was away on duty. He'd never had as much time with her as he wanted, barely knew her before she was killed in The War. A tear slid down his cheek, the Marine unable to stop from feeling her loss. He'd never grieved for her, hearing of her presumed death while fighting along the Colorado. His men had come first, the loss of his daughter had had to wait.

It was holding Kieu-Linh which brought out that mourning. Hitch began to cry freely, sobbing. He found himself squeezing the girl tight, rubbing his cheek across her silky black hair. Kieu-Linh turned back after a few moments and looked at him with sadness. “What's wrong?” she said quietly, with concern.

It took a moment for Hitch to talk through the tears. “My daughter... I miss my daughter so much...”

Kieu-Linh turned over and faced him, tears in her eyes as well. She wrapped her arm over his shoulder and hugged him, pressing her cheek against his. “What happened?” she asked.

“She died. Many years ago...” Hitch sobbed openly.

Kieu-Linh didn't say anything, crying with him, their tears mixing as they ran down Hitch's cheek. He hugged her back, tightly, rubbing her back, trying to rekindle even a moment of what it was like to hold Willow. “I'm sorry,” he said between sobs, “I didn't mean to make you sad...”

Linh wiped her eyes and attempted a smile, “It's ok... I don't like seeing you sad...”

Hitch tried to smile back, but found only grief. He hugged the girl a long time, the two of them crying softly together.

To his surprise, she started to hum in his ear. At first, it was just a noise pushing at his sadness, but as she continued, he found it comforting. He tightened his grip on Kieu-Linh and let her soft tones bring him back from his mourning. Over and over, she soothed him with her sweet sounds, her lips pressed against his ear.

He found himself growing calm, tears drying, the girl's lovely hums a balm for his wounded soul. By the time she pulled back and looked at him, smiling, he felt like he had finally gotten out his grief and replaced it with something less painful.

It was without a thought that he brought his lips to Kieu-Linh's. Only a quick pressing together of their skin, no open mouths, no tongues, just an innocent, kind-hearted joining of their flesh to cement the moment. He leaned back a couple of inches, staring into her eyes, “thank you... thank you so much...”

She looked sleepy again, her eyes red and puffy but dry, as well. She smiled at him, and returned the innocent kiss before turning back over and settling against him once more.

He held her for a few moments, then mumbled something softly he didn't remember before sleep finally took him into blackness.

- - -

Hitch woke to the sound of movement behind him. He managed to short-circuit his instinctive response to rise and crouch, remembering just in time where he was. Kieu-Linh was still in his arms, held tightly to his body.

Before he could move, he heard Kim-Ly's voice. “Got cold in here last night. Thanks for keeping her warm,” she said as she moved towards the sink. “Sleep alright, Hitch?”

He nodded and slowly pulled out from under the covers, leaving the girl to sleep near the fire. He stood awkwardly a moment, uncertain what to do. A few feet from the fire, it was clear just how cold it had gotten overnight. Kim-Ly was draped in a heavy blanket over a long, thick robe. Hitch shivered and considered crawling back over the covers next to Kieu-Linh.

Kim-Ly pointed to stack of blankets near the table and Hitch quickly wrapped himself inside, then added more wood to the flames in the fireplace. Kim-Ly started a fire in the kitchen stove and put a cast-iron kettle over the heat. “Coffee?”

“I'd love some. What can I do to help?”

The way she positioned her head, her eyes, the way her lips were pursed and her expression soft said what she really wanted. He tried to ignore the signs of her interest in him and offered instead to go down to the cellar and retrieve the things she needed for breakfast. Kim-Ly's eyes followed him as he descended the steps and opened the door to the cellar.

The door opened to a small hallway with a thicker door at the end. It was dark, so Hitch went back up to get a lantern. Kim-Ly met him before he had come up the steps. She left him no opportunity to refuse. The door closing behind her, she pressed her body to his and slid her hands up his neck. “Hitch... I've been thinking about you all night... please... just once more... before you leave...”

He couldn't resist and found that he didn't wish to.

There was no foreplay, no sensual touches, and as before, Kim-Ly was in a rush to slide him inside her. She pushed off their blankets, then undid his button and zipper, pushing his pants down to his knees. The woman moved up to the heavy door at the back, slung her robe to the floor, and pushed her own jeans down past her thighs, bending forward and bracing herself.

Hitch was hard by the time he ran his hands through her fur, feeling her wetness immediately. He smelled her in the closed space, her pungent arousal, her musky lust filling him with desire for her body. Hitch gripped her waist with one hand, pushing his hard cock against her slightly-open labia.

She sucked in her breath as his penis slid inside her vagina. Hitch found her creamy and slick, soon stroking himself steadily in and out of her pussy. Her hand drifted to her clit, and in moments, Kim-Ly shuddered into a quivering orgasm, followed almost immediately by a second. Hitch churned her cream into a froth, soon grunting as he swelled inside her.

He kept from crying out as he began to unload against Kim-Ly's cervix. His semen rushed out and filled her, sliding down his cock and sticking in her dark pubic hairs. He buzzed with pleasure as he came in the woman's cunt, holding still against her as the last globs of jism slid from his body and into hers.

They panted together in the darkness, taking a moment to pause, his penis half-hard in her randomly-spasming vagina. He caressed her firm, wonderfully-warm ass, smelling the fluids from her body and his in the still air. She shuddered once, then again, and finally stood straight up, locking her thighs together.

She turned and kissed him, moaning quietly into his mouth, then pulling back as a light appeared behind him. Hitch turned quickly to see Kieu-Linh's face poking through the opening. The girl stared at them a moment, then disappeared, closing the door behind her. Hitch turned back to see concern in Kim-Ly's eyes. “I'll talk to her...” was all she said as she pulled up her pants, her vagina slowly dripping his cum into the crotch.

The woman lit the lantern she'd carried down with her and handed it to Hitch before she turned and headed back out into the main room. He stood alone a while before he was able to refocus and head into the cellar.

The large door took a moment to open, the heavy thickness serving to provide insulation for the room which was naturally cold, buried beneath the hill above. Inside, he wrapped his blanket tighter and quickly found the blueberries and cut oats, as well as the slab of bacon wrapped tightly in plastic.

Hitch returned to find the main room empty, no sign of mother or daughter. Snoring from the bedroom told him that Miller was still out. Light was trying to creep through over the cloudy horizon to the East, and Hitch hoped that Kim-Ly and Kieu-Linh were not out too long in the cold, dark morning.

He decided to start breakfast. He'd made oatmeal many times himself, still had a dozen pounds or more of the grains in his own storage back in his bunker. He started the pot and poured himself a cup of coffee. He found a griddle and started bacon, soon had the oatmeal thickening, dropping in the blueberries and tapping in a bit of butter and sugar syrup.

Breakfast was ready, but he was the only one around, Miller still sleeping and the women still gone. He downed a piece of bacon and put on his boots and jacket, pulling his thick winter cap over his head as he carried his fresh cup of coffee out onto the porch. He looked around the property, fog lifting up from near the edge of the lower clearing, but the soft grass showed no sign of where the women had gone.

He stood on the porch a moment, trying to decide what to do. He was worried. He didn't know exactly what Kieu-Linh had reacted to, and he didn't like not seeing them nearby. He didn't want to hurt the girl, especially after she'd showed such kindness to him during his weak moment in the night.

He waited a few minutes, then finished his coffee and decided to look around the property. He collected his rifle from inside. It was never the right time to go out without a firearm, whether a man needed to protect himself from bears or rattlesnakes or other men, plus, morning was a great time to bag a deer, so he snagged his ruck and headed out of the grove and into the clearing.

He stopped every few moments to listen. It was a good way to hear game before they heard him approach. In this instance, he was hoping to hear the mother and daughter talking. Not that he wished to spy on their conversation, but he hoped they could resolve whatever issue had come up.

Hitch spotted them sitting on a low bench along a small trail where it pushed up against a creek, possibly the same creek which ran beside the spring. He stopped and waited, not wanting to invade their privacy. Kim-Ly saw him a moment later and waved him over. Kieu-Linh saw him and turned her head, pressing it against her mother's breast.

Hitch walked up slowly, trying to appear as concerned as he felt. Kim-Ly offered him a seat next to her daughter, and Hitch sat on the edge, waiting for whatever was to come.

“We're just having a rough morning,” Kim-Ly said, “I think Kieu-Linh has had her feelings hurt...”

Hitch felt terrible. “Kieu-Linh... I'm sorry...”

The girl said nothing and kept her face pressed against her mother and away from him.

“We didn't know, sweet girl,” Kim-Ly said, “we never would have hurt you if we knew...”

“He knew,” Kieu-Linh said, her voice muffled, “he said he loved me...”

“What?” Hitch blurted out without thinking, then calmed his voice, “I... I don't remember that...”

“Before you fell asleep last night, you said you loved me...” The girl replied, not facing him.

“I—I may have been... thinking about my daughter... Willow... I...”

That made Kieu-Linh turn and look at him, “but you said it to me...”

“I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Linh... I never meant to hurt you... last night... last night was a moment of weakness for me... I hadn't thought about my daughter in a long, long time. When I held you, it brought back those memories... I might have... I might have said it to you... thinking of Willow... I'm so sorry.”

Hitch's tears started to form again. This was so unlike him. Prior to the night before, he hadn't cried since he'd held Dutchie Coleman in his arms as the baby-faced eighteen-year old died painfully, choking, his guts spilling out of a gaping wound. The boy had just become his radioman two days before, a volunteer with no training but with an aptitude for sticking beside Hitch when the shit hit the fan and a crack shot with a carbine.

That had been almost a decade ago.

“Hitch?” Kim-Ly's voice drifted over the painful memory.

He looked at her, unable to speak.

“There you are,” she said quietly.

“Sorry, just... old memory...”

Kim-Ly looked at him with sincere sympathy, and Kieu-Linh seemed to hear the pain in his voice, turning to look at him. Hitch felt like a goddamned baby, blubbering. What in the fuck is happening to me? He let a few tears trickle down, then fought back to control, wiping his eyes, and saying softly, “I'm sorry, Linh, I really am... you were so kind to me last night, you showed me love, and I never meant to hurt you or make you think that I... that I...”

The girl leaned over and hugged him, “ok... I just thought... it's ok...”

Kim-Ly wrapped her arms around them both. Hitch stopped his tears and let the warmth of the women soak into him, radiating love and kindness he had barely believed existed just a day before.

They slowly stood and made their way back to the cabin. Kieu-Linh held Hitch's hand and he was surprised how much he enjoyed that innocent touch. She whispered to her mother, “does Daddy know?”

“Yes,” was the woman's reply, “he knows. But we shouldn't go out of our way to talk about it, ok? It's... a difficult issue for him...”

The girl was thoughtful a moment, then said, “ok. I won't say anything.”

Inside, they found Miller just returning from the outhouse. “Ah, thar' we are. I thought ya three might'a snuck off withou' me in tha nigh'. Bu' then I found tha bacon. Mmm... I love bacon.”

That brought a smile to everyone's faces, and moments later the four were wolfing down breakfast. Miller had gathered Hitch's smoked meat and wrapped it for travel. Without much conversation, Hitch was ready to depart a few minutes after tying the bundles of meat onto his ruck.

He shook Miller's hand. “You've been too kind, Sergeant. You're a good man with a great family. I'd like to come visit you again when the time is right, if you'll have me.”

“Any time, Sir—uh—Hitch. Yer always welcome 'ere. Oh, almost forgot. Take 'ese.” He pressed a small flask into a side pocket of the ruck, two small rolled up brown bags beside it, then tied a heavy sack of fruit to the back. “Apples, whiskey, an' sum Canadian tobacco, if ya know wha' I mean.”

Hitch chuckled, “thanks, I don't smoke it, don't even have anything to use.”

“Dun' worry, it can be one'a 'ose comforts ya should accept sumtimes. An' I pu'a pipe in thar'. Assumin' ya got matches.”

Hitch nodded and thanked him again. He handed Miller a rough map he'd drawn during breakfast, saying, “if you ever get down my way, this should lead you to me.” Hitch turned it over to show a detailed map of the camp. “Just, be very careful once you cross that last creek. I've got trip flares set up. Follow that path to avoid most of them, and once you get inside the ring of new pines, step lightly.”

Miller nodded and set the map on the edge of the rocker.

Kim-Ly hugged him tightly as best she could, the ruck preventing her from wrapping her arms all the way around him. She kissed his cheek and mouthed, “thank you,” then kissed his lips briefly.

She stepped back and Kieu-Linh rushed to him, throwing her arms wide. Hitch found himself wrapping his own around the girl and lifting her into the air. “Goodbye, Linh. I'll see you again.”

“You better,” she said, then softly whispered in his ear, “because you may not love me yet... but I love you...”

Hitch didn't know what to say, but the girl pulled back and kissed his cheek. He could see tears starting to form in her eyes.

Before he found himself crying yet again, he stepped off the porch and started his long hump to the south, back to the lonely bunker he called home.

- - -

The trek to the bunker took Hitch back into his mindset of numb survival. Lingering emotions danced around his thoughts, confusing feelings for Kim-Ly and for Kieu-Linh. He tried not to dwell on any of them, all-too-aware of how quickly a cruel world could destroy the things he loved. He remembered why he'd removed himself from those situations and again decided it was better to be alone and not risk losing those he valued.

The bunker was as he'd left it, high up on a ridge to the northeast of Mountain City. He uncovered the layers of brush he used to hide the entrance and quickly settled his ruck inside, putting the meat into the small inner room where he kept perishable goods cold and dry.

It was early evening and on a whim, he pulled out the baggies which Miller had put into his ruck, finding dried marijuana and tobacco and an old, hand-carved wooden pipe inside. Hitch stepped out of the bunker and walked up to the ridge line where he liked to sit sometimes and meditate with a view of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

He kept his M9 strapped on his hip, as always, and sat against a tree listening to the sounds of nature. It was rather quiet and growing cold already. He feared another round of snow might be on the way as April turned to May.

Hitch packed a pinch of tobacco into the bowl and topped it with a crumble of cannabis. It had been a long time since he'd tried pot, and only a couple of times in his life had he done so. He considered Miller's words and decided it might be a good time to accept a comfort.

He'd forgotten to bring something to light the pipe, and walked back down to his bunker, stepping inside and reaching into a small pocket in his ruck where he kept a canister of waterproof matches. His fingers brushed something flimsy and he pulled it out to a surprise.

A ragged photograph showed a younger, smiling Kim-Ly with a young girl held in front of her. Kieu-Linh was probably about five in the photo. She, too, was smiling. One of them had to have put the picture in his sack before he left. He sank onto his knees and stared at them a moment, unable to look away. The longing for them made him nearly break down.

He forced his mind back to the present. He hoped to see them again, to be sure, but he held no promise of it. A lot could happen before he made his way that far north again, and he knew that whatever they'd had together would have changed, as well. He tucked the photo into the corner of an old painting he'd nailed to the wall of the bunker, looked at it for one more moment, unwilling to let his emotions wash through him, then grabbed the matches, and went back to the ridge line to smoke his pipe and forget about Kim-Ly and Kieu-Linh.

James "Hitch" Hitchens, Male, 49

	- US Marine Corps and Turtletown Patriot officer, veteran of The War

	- 6'0, 180lbs, tanned beige skin, cropped brown hair

Kieu-Linh Miller, Female, mid-teens

	- Daughter of Miller and Kim-Ly

	- 5'6, 130lbs, cinnamon skin, shoulder-length silky black hair

Jefferson Miller, Male, early-60s

	- US Marine Corps Sergeant, veteran of The War, Father of Kieu-Linh, husband of Kim-Ly

	- 6'2, 195lbs, tanned pale skin, white unkempt hair

Kim-Ly Miller, Female, mid-30s

	- Mother of Kieu-Linh, wife of Miller, veteran of The War

	- 5'9, 150lbs, cinnamon skin, shoulder-length black hair