Chapter 4: The Huntress

October 19th was Kieu-Linh's sixteenth birthday. They celebrated with a small tinned cake which Hitch had picked up over the Summer from Mountain City. He'd bartered for it, not in anticipation of consuming it, but because he expected he could probably trade it later for something of more value, such treats rare from what he'd seen. With a long shelf-life and a dwindling supply of such things available, Hitch had wagered that it would be worth significantly more the following Spring than it had been months earlier.

But it was worth sacrificing the trade item to see the teen's eyes light up as he cut into the tin and carefully pulled out the sticky coconut crème cake, cutting a big slice for her near the fire, a smaller one for himself.

"Happy birthday. I don't have anything else to give you, I'm afraid," Hitch said, "but I hope you know how much I care about you." And he did care. He loved the girl even as he wrestled some days with the age gap and the concerns for their relationship. They still had only shared kisses and light touches, nothing sexual at all. But it was romantic and warm, a slow progression which found him becoming more and more smitten with his young partner.

Kieu-Linh giggled and took a bite, "mmm ... wonderful!" They ate quickly and shared a sugary kiss. Miller had included a small package of coffee in his daughter's pack, and they shared a rather weak brew to wash down the cake.

Outside, the weather was cold but clear. Hitch prepared for another day on the hunt, hoping to bag a few more fat deer before it became more difficult to track game in the snows soon to come.

Kieu-Linh went to the outhouse a moment, and came back with her pants held in her arms, naked from the waist down, a slightly-disgusted look on her face. "I'm bleeding."

Hitch's reaction to that sort of information was ingrained in him from long campaigns where his men were wounded far too often. He rushed to her, his mind already plotting where to grab the medical supplies, ready to apply pressure, momentarily preparing to call for a corpsman. When he saw the red, wet stains in the crotch of her jeans, then noticed that the teen's inner thigh showed a trail of the same, he relaxed and understood. "So I see ... ok ... Did you ... bring any pads. Or tampons?"

Kieu-Linh shook her head. "No ... Mom had me use some old cotton we had saved up. I've got a little with me..."

"Ok ... uh ... here, I'll take the pants. Do what you need to do, okay?"

Kieu-Linh nodded, moving over to where she had emptied the spare contents of her pack near the far wall. While she dug through the small pile of clothing and other supplies she'd brought, Hitch turned the jeans completely inside out.

The smell and sight of blood on her pants made Hitch pause. So many times he'd had to patch up a Marine in the field. The corpsmen were overworked and were special targets of the Imps. Every Marine had to know basic first aid, and most of them had learned, by necessity, how to field dress serious wounds. The blood in the crotch of Kieu-Linh's jeans made Hitch recall how he'd barely saved the life of one of his riflemen during Third Colorado.

Jimmy Kingman was a skinny black kid from Chicago and a damn fine Marine. He'd taken a round through his pelvis and lay bleeding a few feet beside the hastily constructed sandbag wall. It had taken Hitch almost fifteen minutes to get to the kid, finally getting enough suppressing fire to dare to charge over, bullets still zinging overhead, to pick up Kingman and drag him by his arms to a more secure position.

He'd been bleeding everywhere, his fatigues coated in the dark-red fluid. The Marine had kept calm, despite his painful wound, insisting he could still fight. Someone handed Kingman a carbine and while Hitch ripped open his pants and tried to stop the bleeding, Kingman emptied several mags over his head.

It had been a butcher's shot. Parts of Jimmy's penis and testicles were shredded and Hitch had to apply pressure to the area for several minutes before he managed to stem the flow. Kingman had lost a lot of blood, but he was still hanging in, somehow ignoring his pain and his destroyed genitals. A corpsman finally rushed in and took over, and Hitch had gone back to shoring up his line and forgot about Jimmy for some time.

The kid had survived the battle and was one of the three who had managed to stick with Hitch all the way along the retreat to Tulsa and then, a couple of years later, back to the mountains, saying goodbye to Hitch five years earlier when they disbanded their brigade.

Jimmy's genitals were destroyed, the kid would likely never have sex again. Hitch couldn't imagine how that must have hit Kingman at some point, how difficult that had to be. The man had never married, never so much as commented about his sexual conquests, at least not where Hitch could hear. But Jimmy was a consummate Marine, leaving the lines only long enough to get sewn up, and Hitch took a lot of inspiration from the way Kingman had pushed through and stayed with his brothers.

"Hitch?" He heard her voice as if through water, bubbling, slow and heavy, into his ears, arms feeling heavy and light at once, finally turning to see that Kieu-Linh was staring at him with a concerned expression. He was holding the bloody pants in front of him near the back of the bunker.

"Ah ... Sorry, just..."

"There you are," she said, "what is it?" Hitch looked over her body, seeing again the blood trail down her thigh as she slightly parted her legs and wiped her vulva. Even the sight of her menstrual discharge did nothing to diminish the sexual beauty he saw there. "Hitch?"

"I ... just a memory..."

"Tell me ... please ... like you promised..."

As the teen finished wiping and stuffing loose cotton into her vagina, Hitch managed to describe Jimmy Kingman. It wasn't easy, talking about those parts of the war, the horrible things he'd seen. But Kieu-Linh's soft voice, her big, dark eyes made him find the strength to tell her. By the time he'd finished, she was holding his hand and leaning against him.

"That's awful ... did Jimmy make it?"

"He was still alive when we broke up Turtletown a few years ago. I certainly hope he's still kicking. He was heading somewhere further north and east, maybe up around Asheville, but there's no telling where he is now."

Hitch still held her bloody pants in his hands, could still smell the metallic, slightly-fishy discharge, the strong scents of the girl's monthly cycle filling his nose. Despite the horrid memory it had brought back, the odors were not wholly unpleasant. "I, uh ... I'll wash these up. Listen," he said, "we hunt today, but I think tomorrow, I need to make a run to town. We need a few things and we've got enough hides and meat to trade."

"Mountain City?"

"Yeah."

"Okay ... You'll take me with you, right?" The tone in her voice made it clear that it was a rhetorical question.

Hitch was debating. On one hand, the bunker was the safest place he knew, largely because it was remote and difficult to reach. On the other, the thought of leaving the girl by herself, even for just the half-day or so it would take to make the round trip, was not appealing. "Yeah," he said, finally, "you should come with me. I could use a second set of eyes."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Good." She looked down her body, and Hitch's eyes followed. "I should probably clean up better, first. Don't want the deer to smell me coming," she said with a laugh. Hitch couldn't help looking down at where the teen's dark pubes had grown in thicker, the hairs more straight than curly.

"Good idea," he said, trying to ignore his arousal. "Tell me something ... where is your mom from? I've never asked that before. I know a bit about your dad, but so little about Kim-Ly."

"Santa Barbara. My grandparents were from Vietnam, they came over sometime back to start a business. That's about all I know..." Kieu-Linh's voice trailed off.

"What is it?" Hitch asked.

"Not sure ... I mean ... Mom told me that once, but when I asked other times, she kinda ... didn't really answer me. I never met them. Mom said they had died when she was younger, but ... she kinda dodged the question. It used to bother me. I kinda wanted to know about them." Kieu-Linh shrugged. "Maybe you can ask her when we see her again, maybe she'll tell you more. I kinda feel like maybe she's ashamed of them, or didn't get along with them, I dunno. She didn't really want to tell me anything about them."

Hitch nodded. "Okay. I'll ask when we see her in the Spring." The strong smell of metal and fish hit his nose. "I should get these cleaned up. I'll be at the creek."

"Right behind you, just need some pants."

Ever since Kieu-Linh's arrival, Hitch had taken to shaving daily. It gave him a focus, a return to the days when he was expected to set the standard for his men. The years he'd lived alone had seen his beard grow long and unkempt, but he found that he wanted to look his best for the girl, a thought that made him smile as he finished removing the day of growth from his chin.

Her jeans were draped over a large boulder beside the bank of the creek. He'd managed to get most of the stains out, some redness still evident on the inside of the crotch. It was in those moments of scrubbing out Kieu-Linh's menstrual blood that he realized that, like he had for his Marines, he'd do anything for the young woman. There had been no disgust or regret or hesitation when one of his men was in need, and he felt the same for the girl. Putting her health and happiness on par with what he'd felt for his Marines was a big thing for a man who would have braved anything for his men. Kieu-Linh had become an integral piece of Hitch's world, and he realized that his happiness, a state of being that just weeks earlier held little meaning to him, was tied strongly into Kieu-Linh's.

She washed up nearby. Hitch's eyes were drawn to where she had removed her clean pants, pulled out the cotton, and, shivering, quickly splashed cold water over her genitals. Her teeth were chattering, her legs spread wide. Hitch couldn't look away from where her thighs parted and the sixteen-year old's thin, dark-red labia had parted as well, a small trickle of blood leaking from her vagina. He grew hard, and she caught him looking at her.

Kieu-Linh laughed and said, "is this part of taking it slow? You staring at me while I wash my bloody crotch?"

Hitch smiled, "yes. Goddamn ... you are so beautiful, Linh..."

"I'm bloody."

"Bloody beautiful, the Brits would say."

She laughed and stared at him a moment, shivering harder.

"Hurry up, don't need you getting pneumonia. We'll warm up inside before we head out."

He finally managed to draw his eyes away from her young, maturing genitals and made his way back to the bunker, carrying his razor and the wet jeans. Inside, he added wood to the fire and sat down. His cock was still hard from the sight of Kieu-Linh's beautiful virgin pussy. He slowly caressed his length through his pants, debating in his mind whether the slow progress they'd made in their relationship was to the point of going the next step.

He heard her come in and he turned, letting his hand drop. Her eyes drew down to his crotch and he wondered if she could tell that he was erect. Kieu-Linh smiled but said nothing. She sat in front of him and he wrapped his arms around her body. She was chilled, shivering, and for long moments he held her, using his body to warm her from behind while the fire toasted her front side. His cock pressed rigidly in his pants where her lower back had settled snuggly against him.

She purred, and he knew she felt his arousal. They began to rock together as she grew warmer. He kissed her neck and slowly brought his hands up to caress her small breasts through her flannel shirt. She moaned and leaned her head back against him. His penis strained for release.

Her mounds were soft and wonderful, even through the fabric. One hand slid down slowly, resting a moment between her thighs, just over where her genitals were swollen, wads of cotton slowing the blood which trickled out. He unzipped her pants and slid a hand inside. She wore no panties, as always. He doubted she even had any. Hitch stroked her pubes, the soft hair tickling his palm as he slid his fingers lower.

Kieu-Linh's hard clit met his touch by swelling and rising from under its hood. She moaned and her hips rose automatically as he started to circle her sensitive flesh. He buzzed from arousal, the sixteen-year old's body tensing as she approached orgasm. He nuzzled her neck while his fingers twirled, her cinnamon skin suddenly sweaty, the salty flesh like sweet cream on his tongue.

"Oh ... oh ... oh ... oh..." Kieu-Linh leaned against him hard, twitching. His cock swelled and pushed against her lower back. His own hips moved in circles, the light friction making his penis leak precum into his jeans. "Oh ... oh ... oh ... mmmm ... mmmm..." He felt her jerk, then her body arched, her ass pressed back, and she climaxed with a long moan. "Uuuuuuuuhhhh ... Ooooohhhh..."

Hitch felt himself tense unexpectedly. He pushed his groin against Kieu-Linh's backside, thrusting against the pressure of her body. Semen surged up his shaft and exploded in his jeans. "Ohhhh ... Linh ... Ohhh ... ooohmmmm..." He ejaculated, the warm cum splashing against the front of his pants, coating his flesh and running over his balls.

They sat breathing heavily, his fingers gently massaging her clit as he flushed with pleasure. Slowly, he withdrew his hand and brought it to his nose. Hitch inhaled her odors, the strong smell of her flesh invigorating and exciting him. "I love you, Linh ... oh, God ... I love you..."

She turned her head and kissed him, her eyes dancing, her pupils dilated. "I've wanted you to touch me there for so long," she said, "mmmm..." Kieu-Linh rose to her knees and turned around, then looked down to where a dark wet spot had formed on the front of Hitch's blue jeans. "You had one, too?"

He smiled and kissed her lips, "yes ... it was wonderful..."

She giggled and touched the spot with her fingers, drew them away damp. She sniffed her hand and smiled again. "Next time ... I want to touch you, too..."

"I'd like that..." Hitch let out a long breath, said, "well ... that was an unexpected pleasure..."

"Happy birthday to me," she said, grinning.

"Suppose we should get moving if we hope to find game."

Kieu-Linh pushed her head against Hitch's chest and hugged him. "I wish we could just stay in and touch each other..."

"Me too," he said, meaning it, "but we need to keep hunting while the weather holds. There will be time in the snowy season when we have no choice but to stay in and make love..."

"Make love ... like ... more than just touching?"

He smiled. "Yes. We will make love. But," he said, kissing her forehead, "I think we're both rather enjoying taking it slow, yes?"

"Yes," she said, purring, "but ... I can't wait to do more ... I want it so bad..."

"I know ... I promise we'll get there ... I love you, Kieu-Linh."

"I love you, Hitch ... best birthday ever, even with me bleeding..."

They bagged two deer and a turkey that day despite the late start, and had settled in late, planning to head to Mountain City at first light.

Hitch was up before dawn, getting ready. The truck was tucked into thick grove just down the rise, hidden amongst the trees and covered with thick brush. Even in the darkness, he was able to slowly peel back the layers of limbs and foliage and by the time light started to show in the east, he had the truck ready to go.

Kieu-Linh came out carrying the first armload of hides they'd use to barter for supplies. Twenty minutes later, they had packed everything in the bed and tied it down. They had hides and some aged venison which Hitch hoped would trade for a solid amount of grains and other items they needed for the Winter.

They piled into the truck and Hitch handed Kieu-Linh the M4 carbine. She looked at it with steady eyes. She'd never handled a semi-automatic before, but Hitch was confident that, should they face a threat, she was a solid rifleman and would know how to hit a target. He'd previously showed her the safety and how to switch out clips. There were several loaded magazines in the glove box, more under the seat.

"I know we went over this last night, but it never hurts to be certain what we are doing. Follow my commands if I think we are being threatened. Only fire the weapon if I say so or if it is clear that we are being attacked. Stay with me and don't get separated. The Imps weren't around last time I went down the mountain, but we never know. We get in and get out as quickly as possible."

"Understood."

"Good." The truck's heat had finally started to blow over their chilled bodies. As he did every few minutes, Hitch patted the M9 on his hip for reassurance. It was a habit that went all the way back to his days in Afghanistan and Iraq. It settled him, gave him a moment of steadiness that allowed him to focus and keep control. Even though he was long past needing that reassurance, he still felt better every time he touched the sidearm's cool metal on his finger. "Let's go."

The truck ground into gear and they rumbled slowly down the tricky dirt path that hugged a steep ridge before quickly descending into the valley.

Hitch parked the truck just over the knoll above Mountain City and stood in front of it, compact binoculars scanning the buildings below. He could see a couple of old cars slowly traveling west out of town, three or for old men walking together down the main strip. There was no sign of the Imps. Still, his training and experience led him to wait for more observation before concluding it was safe to proceed.

Kieu-Linh stepped out of the cab and pulled her pants to her calves, squatting down. Hitch could hear her piss splashing onto the nearly-frozen ground while he watched the community below. When she finished, she stepped up beside him, whispering, "anything?"

"So far, it looks calm. No Imps. But that could change quickly. Keep your eyes open." He'd taken the scope off his Weatherby before leaving the bunker and Kieu-Linh brought it to her eye, using it to scan the town.

They waited another half-hour before Hitch decided it was worth proceeding. The truck rumbled down the knoll and they pulled up next to where the town's merchant held shop. Hitch exited the cab and Kieu-Linh followed him. He kept his sidearm in plain view, knowing it did a lot to discourage anyone from a desperate action against him. Kieu-Linh hid the carbine within her jacket, slung so that she could quickly bring it up in defense.

Hitch opened the door to the shop and the two stepped in. He'd told Kieu-Linh to watch the street from the door, and as he strode up to where the merchant eyed him wearily, she hung back and kept her gaze out of the shop.

"Morning, Hitch" the merchant said, his eyes tired and his voice without enthusiasm.

"Morning, Javier."

"A second trip this year? Didn't expect to see you again before the Spring." His eyes cast to Kieu-Linh, staring silently a moment. "Picked up a stray?"

"Something like that." Hitch quickly sized up the spare goods on the shelves. "Heard from Nelson lately?" Lance Corporal Nelson was the Marine from South Carolina who Hitch had bartered with earlier in the year, the young trader hauling goods from town to town in an old industrial van.

Javier shook his head. "Haven't seen him since you were here last. Think he was heading north towards Kentucky. Dunno." The man nodded his head in the direction of the truck. "What'd you bring?"

"Three dozen hides, sixty pounds of venison, some dried berries and nuts."

Javier nodded again. "Ok. I can work with that. What do you need?"

"The usual. Flour, oil, canned goods. Anything fresh?"

"Just got a load of smoked hog from a guy who came by three days ago. Said he's been hunting south and killed a mess of wild ones. Good quality. Also have some potatoes, pickled squash and cukes, a few sacks of corn. Only flour I've got is a bit mealy, but I'm sure it can be picked through."

"Ok. This guy, anyone I know?"

Javier shrugged again, "no idea. Never saw him before, went by 'Jimmy.'"

"Jimmy Kingman?"

The man shrugged again. "Dunno. Skinny black fella, looked like a grunt, the way his eyes moved. Carried a carbine."

Hitch felt a surge of relief. "Bet that's him. One of my Marines. Haven't seen him in a long time."