Louis Collins: A Post-American Odyssey

They dried themselves and went back into the bedroom. The three beds looked almost like one large sleeping area.

“Who sleeps where?” Cherish asked, looking at the beds.

“You can choose,” Louis said. “But I want you all to get comfortable with each other.”

“Then what?” Willa asked. “We all sleep naked together?”

“Sleeping naked is healthy,” Angelique said, stretching on the bed. “And comfortable.”

“I’m in,” Gladice said, sprawling on the bed. “But only if I get to sleep next to Louis.”

“I think we all want to sleep next to Louis,” Savannah said, rolling her eyes.

“Then we can take turns,” Donya said. “We can make a schedule.”

Willa laughed. “Are we scheduling everything now? Sex, sleep, and shower?”

“Let’s just get ourselves comfortable and figure it out,” Louis said. “But tonight, I want Cherry and Maeve next to me. They need it the most. Don’t you all agree?”

Angelique raised an eyebrow. “Generous of you.”

“I agree,” Donya said. “They are still new to all this. They need to feel safe.”

“Fine,” Willa said. “I prefer some space anyway. I’ll take the left side.”

“I want to be near the window,” Savannah said, heading to the bed on the right. “In case of zombies.”

Gladice laughed. “Girl, you are crazy.”

“Always,” Savannah said, smiling. “Wanna join me?”

“Only if you promise not to hog the covers,” Gladice said, following her.

“Deal.”

Angelique climbed onto the king-size bed and claimed the right side. “We can have some girl talks, Glads.”

“Looking forward to it,” Gladice said, winking at her.

Donya joined Willa on the left. “We can discuss some philosophical matters. Like the nature of reality and the proper way to shave your legs.”

Willa laughed. “I’m in.”

Louis looked at Cherish and Maeve. “Well? Are you coming?”

Cherish and Maeve looked at each other, then at the bed. They climbed onto the king-size bed. Cherish curled up on Louis’s right, while Maeve lay on his left. Louis got between them, pulling the covers over them all.

“Lights off,” he said.

The room went dark.

“Did you just command the house?” Maeve asked.

Willa laughed. “That’s just a fancy house with an AI, Mae-Mae. Nothing magical.”

“Okay.” Maeve sounded uncertain.

“You can talk to it too,” Louis said. “Just say ‘Light on 20%’ if you need some light.”

“Light on 20%,” Maeve said. A soft glow filled the room.

“Cool.” Maeve laughed softly. “Light off.”

The room went dark again.

“Light on,” Maeve said again. The lights returned to their normal brightness.

“Light off.”

“Light on.”

“Light off.”

“Light on.”

“Maeve!” Cherish said, laughing. “You’re going to break it!”

“I can’t help it.” Maeve laughed with her. “It’s fun! Light off.”

“Now you know how to turn the lights on and off,” Willa said, her tone dry. “Can we go to sleep now?”

“Okay, okay.” Maeve’s laugh subsided.

Gladice yawned loudly. “I’m exhausted. All this drama and sex wore me out.”

“Me too.” Savannah stretched her arms. “But it was worth it.”

“Can you believe we were still running from Aegis guards this morning?” Angelique said. “Now we are in Louis’s bed in the Presidential residence. It’s crazy.”

“It is.” Donya’s voice was soft. “I never thought I would be here.”

“Me neither.” Cherish snuggled closer to Louis. “I’m happy.”

“I’m happy too,” Louis said, putting an arm around her. He put his other arm around Maeve. “We made it. We are home.”

“Yeah,” Maeve said, her head resting on his chest. “We are.”

“So now what?” Willa asked. “After we sleep. What happens tomorrow?”

“We get our new phones. And clothes,” Louis said. “And I can show you the house and my car collection.”

“Yes! You owe me a racing car, Louis!” Gladice said. “I’ll take your most expensive one.”

“Which one?”

Gladice paused. “Which one is the most expensive?”

“Good question,” Angelique said.

“The 2019 Bugatti La Voiture Noire.” Louis said.

“Then I want that one,” Gladice said.

“You don’t have a license in the Dominion,” Willa said. “You can’t drive it.”

“I’ll ask my dad to issue one to you tomorrow,” Louis said.

Willa laughed. “Of course you can.”

“Will he?” Gladice asked, her voice hopeful.

“Sure,” Louis said. “After I told him how you drove us out of Dixie with a technical.”

“Deal,” Gladice said.

Maeve lifted her head. “And my Ducati.”

“It’s yours,” Louis said. “We’ll visit the garage tomorrow. If you don’t like that, pick another one.”

“Okay,” Maeve said. Her head rested back on his chest.

“Don’t be too generous, Louis. You’ll spoil them,” Willa said.

“Too late,” Savannah laughed. “We’re already spoiled. And I like it.”

Angelique sighed. “It feels weird to be back. I keep thinking about what we’ve been through.”

“Me too,” Donya said. “A few weeks ago I was still in Chicago, worrying about my exams.”

“Now you’re in the Supreme President’s mansion, in Louis’s bed,” Savannah said. “That’s a serious upgrade.”

“No, it’s a different life,” Angelique said. “And it’s all because some of us were kidnapped.”

“Thanks for reminding me,” Willa said. “I was trying not to think about it.”

“Don’t think about it now,” Louis said. “It’s over. We are safe. We are home. And we are together. That’s all that matters.”

“I want them to pay for what they did to us,” Angelique said, her voice hardening. “Those kidnappers in New Orleans, Theodore Hargrove, the Army of the Covenant, the People’s Army of West Virginia. All of them.”

“Dad will handle it,” Louis said. “He’s already working on it. We don’t have to worry about it.”

“Is that so?” Angelique asked. “Because I don’t see any reason he’d start a war for our vengeance, especially with us already safe and home.”

Louis thought of Jennifer, her pale face in the Humvee, the moment the bullet struck her chest. His throat tightened.

“He will,” he said. “He promised.”

“You don’t sound so sure,” Angelique said.

He sighed. “I don’t know, Angi. He will do something. He always does. Maybe not all of them. But the important ones. Those who gave the orders.”

“Louis, I’ve known your father since I was a kid,” Angelique said. “He is a consequentialist. He only cares about results. If he doesn’t see any strategic gain from a war, he will not start it. If he does, he will. And if he thinks it is necessary for his own image, he will. But he will not start a war just because we want revenge.”

“Then what can we do?” Gladice asked.

“Maybe we can do it ourselves,” Angelique said. “With the Dominion’s resources.”

“I like that,” Savannah said. “I wanna kill Hargrove myself.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Willa said. “We were lucky to get out alive. Let’s not rush back into a fight.”

“I agree,” Donya said. “We should focus on healing. And on our new life.”

“I want to heal,” Angelique said. “But I also want justice. I don’t think they are mutually exclusive.”

“I know, Angel,” Gladice said. “I’d nuke Montgomery myself if I could.”

“I would,” Savannah said.

“I just want them to pay,” Angelique said. “I want them to feel what we felt.”

“I do too,” Donya said. “But I don’t think violence is the only way. There’re other ways to make them pay.”

“Like what?” Gladice asked.

“Like… information,” Donya said. “We can expose them. Their lies. Their crimes. We can make the world turn against them.”

“Good luck with that,” Savannah said. “The world ain’t gonna care about some kidnapped girls. They have their own problems.”

Cherish listened to them talk, her head on Louis’s chest. “I… I don’t know what that was about. But I am just so glad to be here. With you all. I am so grateful.”

Louis stroked her hair. “We are grateful to have you, Cherry.”

Maeve shifted, her head still on Louis’s chest. “I don’t want to talk about revenge. I just want to sleep.”

“You had no idea what happened to us, Maeve,” Angelique said. “You didn’t see what they did to us. They stripped us naked, chained us, drugged us. We were imprisoned in a ship. We could be dead. Or worse.”

“I have seen bad things too,” Maeve said. “In Beckley. Not as bad as that, maybe. But bad enough.”

“I’m sorry, Maeve. I wasn’t trying to compare,” Angelique said. “I just… I am still so angry. I wasn’t angry this morning when we were running for our lives. But now… it’s all coming back to me.”

“I’m angry too,” Gladice said. “Those fuckers dared to mess with my city. And with me. I want them dead.”

“I’m not sure that’s the solution,” Donya said. “Even if we kill them, what will change? The violence will just continue.”

“We kill them, and they won’t hurt anyone else,” Gladice said. “That’s a change.”

“It’s a short-term change,” Willa said. “The system that created them will still be there. Someone else will just take their place.”

“What’s the point, then?” Angelique asked. “We just let them get away with it?”

“No,” Donya said. “But maybe we can find a way to change the system. To make it better.”

“Don’t be naive, Donya,” Savannah said. “You ain’t gonna change the world by being nice. You need to be tough. You need to make them fear you.”

“Fear is a powerful motivator,” Willa said. “But it’s not a sustainable foundation for a society.”

“We’re not talking about ruling a country,” Angelique said. “We’re talking about punishing the people who hurt us. I don’t need to worry about the long-term social consequences of that.”

“Maybe you should,” Donya said. “Because what we do now will affect our future. And our new home.”

“She’s right,” Maeve said. “I don’t want to live in a place where people just kill each other for revenge. I’ve had enough of that.”

“So what do you suggest we do, Maeve?” Angelique asked. “Just forget about it?”

“No,” Maeve said. “That’s not what I mean. I don’t know what I mean. I just… I’m tired.”

“I know,” Angelique sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought this up. Not now.”

“It’s okay,” Maeve said. “I didn’t know what you all went through. That’s… terrible. I’m glad you made it out.”

“Thanks,” Angelique said. “We’re glad you’re with us too.”

“Maybe we can talk about something else?” Cherish asked, her voice small. “Something… nice?”

“Sure, Cherry.” Louis kissed her forehead. “What do you want to talk about?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Tell me about your home. What do you do here? For fun?”

“Well,” Louis said. “We have two pools. One indoor and one outdoor. And an Onsen.”

Cherish’s eyes lit up. “What’s an Onsen?”

“It’s a Japanese-style hot spring bath,” Angelique said. “It’s very relaxing. I could use one now.”

“I’d like to try that,” Donya said. “It sounds… spiritual.”

“We have a private theater too,” Louis said. “We can watch any movie we want, even before they’re released.”

“Now that’s what I call a service,” Gladice said. “Can we watch porn on that?”

“Of course we can,” Louis laughed. “We have the largest porn industry in the world, after all.”

“What’s porn?” Cherish asked. “Is it like corn?”

Louis had to bite his cheek to keep from laughing. Angelique stifled a giggle. Gladice threw her head back and howled.

“Sweetheart,” Gladice said, trying to catch her breath. “We have so much to teach you.”

“Let’s just say it’s movies about people having sex,” Willa said, her tone dry. “For educational purposes.”

Cherish gasped. “People make movies about that?”

“People make movies about everything, Cherry,” Donya said.

“And they are very popular,” Angelique added.

“Do you… watch them?” Cherish asked, looking at Louis.

“Sometimes,” Louis admitted. “When I’m alone.”

“Or with us,” Gladice said. “It can be fun.”

“I don’t think I’m ready for that,” Cherish whispered. “Can we talk about the house instead?”

“Okay,” Louis said. “We also have a gym, a game room with VR, and a library with actual paper books.”

“I like books,” Maeve said. “We didn’t have many in Beckley.”

“Then you’ll love the library,” Louis said. “You can read whatever you want.”

“I would like that,” Maeve said.

“We also have bowling alleys,” Louis said. “And an indoor climbing wall.”

“Bowling in the house?” Cherish’s eyes widened. “We only had one bowling alley in town, and it was always closed.”

“Yeah,” Louis said. “We can play anytime we want.”

“I’d like to try that,” Cherish said.

“Me too,” Maeve said. “It sounds fun.”

“I’ll kick your asses at bowling,” Gladice said. “I’m a natural.”

“We’ll see about that,” Savannah said. “I grew up in a city where bowling was a serious sport. I can play.”

“I’ve never played,” Donya said. “But I’d like to learn.”

“I can teach you,” Louis said.

“Thanks,” Donya said. “I’d like that.”

“We also have a private museum and a lab for my dad’s weird projects,” Louis said.

“Weird projects?” Willa asked. “Like what?”

“Artificial intelligence, mostly,” Louis said. “He has a team of scientists working on a lot of crazy things. We have an underground facility for that.”

“Sounds like a supervillain lair,” Willa said, her tone dry.

“That’s my dad for you,” Louis said. “He likes his toys.”

“Tell me more about your car collection,” Gladice said. “You said you have many cars.”

“I do,” Louis said. “Sports cars, classics, off-roaders. I kept around eighty of them here.”

“What’s your favorite?” Gladice asked.

“A 2029 Ford Mustang Leviathan,” Louis said. “Black. V16. Twin-turbo. 2000 horsepower. I modified it myself.”

“That sounds very eco-friendly,” Willa said. “You must be proud of your carbon footprint.”

“It’s a hybrid,” Louis said. “And it’s fast. And fun.”

“Fuck carbon footprint,” Gladice said. “Fast and fun is all that matters. You can drive a Toyota Prius if you want to be eco-friendly. Or better yet, walk.”

“A valid point,” Willa said. “But I prefer something more elegant. Like a classic Mercedes-Benz.”

“I have those too,” Louis said. “Like an SLR McLaren.”

“Now you’re talking,” Willa said. “Can I drive that?”

“Sure,” Louis said. “If I get a goodnight kiss.”

Willa laughed. “Deal.” She sat up and moved over Donya and Maeve to get to him. Her breasts swayed as she leaned over and pressed her lips to his. He opened his mouth, tasting her minty breath. His cock stirred against Maeve’s leg. Willa pulled back, a small smile on her face. “That was nice.”

“Yeah,” Louis said.

Maeve shifted beside him. “He’s hard again.”

“So he is,” Willa said, retreating to her side of the bed. “Better get used to it.”

Louis looked at her, then at the others. “Can I be blamed?”

“No,” Angelique smiled. “But you’ll be exhausted in the morning if you keep going.”

“I’m already exhausted,” Louis said. “But I still want you.”

“Then you’ll have to wait,” Angelique said. “You just came three times in the shower. You need to rest.”

“He’s young,” Gladice said. “He can recover.”

“Let him recover,” Willa said. “And let us sleep.”

“Fine,” Louis said. “Good night, everyone.”

“Good night.”

“Good night, Louis.” Cherish snuggled closer to him. He turned around to face her, pulling her into his arms. She was soft and warm, her breasts pressed against his chest. His half-hard cock rested against her stomach. He kissed her forehead.

“Sleep, Cherry.”

She nodded and closed her eyes. Maeve pressed her back against Louis’s. He could feel her soft ass against his. He reached back and took her hand. She held it tightly. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. The warmth of their bodies against his was comforting. He felt safe. He felt at home.

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