Based on a post by RonanJWilkerson, in 12 parts. Listen to the Podcast at Explicit Novels.

Let’s review the list of characters:

David Belsus – 46, physics & astronomy professor at Eastfield college, a community college in the Dallas area. Prepper, survivalist, has a greenhouse in his backyard and lives in an outer ring suburb. Six foot, fit, short cropped hair.

Lupie Ramos – 32, former financial advisor, Dave's neighbor, got caught out of state when the lockdowns started. She spent two frantic weeks trying to get back to her daughter. Lupie has been in love with Dave for over a year. Long, dark brown hair, medium build, and a lovely smile.

Esme – 9, daughter of Lupie, prone to the occasional snarky comment. Adores Dave.

Becca; 18, Lupie's babysitter, was watching Esme when lockdowns occurred. Her refusal to abandon Esme, as her mother insisted, likely saved Becca's life, since her extended family ignored precautions and died of Duo. Esme, Lupie, and Dave are all Becca has left in the world. Short, medium build, small tits, with short blond hair and a smile that is shy with strangers and beams with family and friends.

Janice Wheeler; 33, Dave's first partner to arrive, a librarian at Cedar Valley, another community college member of DCCCD. Slender build and medium height, Janice is 3/4 Korean, her paternal grandfather is Anglo. Medium length black hair often pulled back in a bun for work or ponytail at home.

Shawna Cooper; 36, senior meteorologist at WFAA, Master's degree in meteorology from O U, worked at NSSL and spent time as a storm chaser. Whole hog sci-fi nut, beginning with Start Trek TNG. 5' 10", large tits, medium brown skin, dark brown eyes, shoulder length black hair styled like a frizzy weeping willow.

Olivia Tyler (Liv); 21, senior studying horticulture at Tarleton State University, near Dallas. Daughter of Carter and Janelle, Dave's best friends since college. Had a well-known crush on Dave throughout her teen years. Since her dad was former SF and a survivalist, Liv is skilled with several firearms as well as bladed weapons. Never failed to take a deer any season she's hunted. 5'10" long, dark brown hair, large tits, lightly tanned, brown eyes, and a wide smile.

Melanie Ustanich; 22, graduate student in IT at Tarleton, Liv's roommate, recently found a passion for cooking. Spent most of her life in foster homes, Liv's parents accepted her like family the first time she went with Liv on Thanksgiving Break. 5'8" medium length auburn hair, green eyes, small mouth with a ready, mischievous smile.

The ladies came through, leaving one mug beside the detective and swiftly exiting with the pot, several mugs, a milk jug, and a small container that may have just been repurposed as a sugar dish.

Verratti pushed her mask up to her nose to take a sip, holding the mug like a sacred talisman, her eyes closed and a look of bliss dawning on her face. It was a short day. She opened her eyes and the distance they contained sent the brief appearance of joy below the horizon once again. Laying her mug back on the table, she pulled her mask back into place.

"The man that was with you that day at the range?"

"Yes, my friend Carter. He was the one that arranged the time on the range."

"And how did he manage that? Didn't you say a few times he was a security guy?"

"He runs physical and digital security checks for sites his company guards. He and his guys also get hired out by insurance companies to check out their client's security plans as well." For a moment, Dave allowed himself to forget the pain and use the present tense.

"I think you mentioned a few times before class that he was in special forces?"

"Yep. He likes to say his civilian job is kinda similar to his work in the army, just with paintball or laser tag gear."

"Good." She motioned him to sit close, so she could speak lower. "You've stumbled into something no one seems to be working hard to solve."

Dave's eyebrows stitched together. Her tone was more ominous than her words.

"Nine weeks ago, a truck carrying seven vaccinated women was attacked. It was on its way to some rich neighborhood to deliver partners to the McMansion set. The attackers covered their tracks reasonably well, so we never caught them. Two weeks ago, a shipment of vaccine got hit between Grand Prairie and the Vax Center. They didn't even try to take the whole shipment, just grabbed a bunch and ran like hell. The chopper that was following them didn't have infrared on it, so they lost track of them in the trees in the dark."

Dave stayed silent as she paused to gather her thoughts.

"Look, I shouldn't have said any of this, but nobody's doing anything. Your friend has the skills to deal with the problem. And the way you've always presented yourself, if he's your friend, then he'll want to apply his skills to right a great big fucking wrong that's being ignored. There's an Air Force liaison office in the station right now. They're supposed to coordinate a military response to big attacks, but they've been blasé about both attacks."

"Wait? Military to take out crooks? I mean, even big deal shit like this? Shouldn't that be done by SWAT or ATF?"

She stared at him. If he had to guess, her lips were tightly pressed together under her mask. Her words were tightly spoken as she continued. "The fact your attackers cut their fallen buddies' nuts off suggests they had bonded female partners. That means either the hijacked transport, or the vaccine attack. Maybe both. And that means they may have been coming here to abduct your partners and bind them to themselves."

"But that would kill them!" Dave started out as a loud interjection, but at her look, and as his own self-control kicked in, he dropped to a strenuous whisper.

"There; is a way. But only if the man is dead. There was an ER nurse on the first transport. She would have known about the procedure, at least in broad terms." She pulled a map from her valise. Unfolding it, she pointed to two locations. The attacks happened here, and here."

"Yeah, that stretch of I-20 is a bit empty, even being in the middle of urban sprawl."

"Because of that attack, they moved the flights to Love Field."

"No rural hideouts along the way."

"Exactly. Now look, here's where the chopper last was sure they had an eye on them." Her finger indicated a spot southeast of Athens. "What I'm asking you is to get a hold of your friend. See if he and some of his team are willing to investigate; and maybe rescue some of these women. No one else is doing anything about this. And they are escalating."

"Do you think they'll try again here?"

"I don't know. Not anytime soon, you gave them plenty of reasons to give this place a wide berth. I can't swear to that, but I'd say they'll at least leave you alone for a while."

Which means they may be coming for my family again. Whenever they feel like trying again. No point in telling her about Carter. I'll have to do this myself, but I'm not telling her that. A trained, former special forces operative that still does security testing is a reasonable person to ask to do this. A community college professor that's been trained by his prepper buddy doesn't sound nearly as reassuring. Fuck Carter, why the hell did you have to die?

"How sure are you on that last sighting?"

She flipped her notebook back several pages. After consulting her notes, she carefully laid her finger again on the map. "Right there."

Dave stared at the indicated location, noting nearby major road intersections and the distances from each to the tip of her finger. Mainly, he looked at the roads that formed a boundary around the area. The raiders may not be inside that space, but it was a place to begin.

"Be very careful. There's suspicion that some army deserters are with these guys." She took a deep breath. "It's like pulling teeth getting anything out of the Air Force woman about this. Please professor, talk to your friend. I'll contact you in a day or so to see if he's responded."

"Why don't I just call you?"

"I'd rather have that discussion when I'm not at the station or around other officers."

"Okay. You need anything else from me detective?"

"No. No, I should be going. I'll call in a few days."

"I'll be ready." Hope I've found them by then . Dave walked her to the door and locked up behind her. He slipped over to the parlor to check the window patch for any air leaks. Dave ran his hand around the edges, slowly, but felt no movement, not cold streams.

Some of the family had come downstairs, now that the weather was once again outside. Dave sat in a chair, staring off into space while the others red or talked.

This may take more than a day, just to find these guys. And once I do, I'll need time to observe, and then time to plan. Food, water, ammunition. I'll need something long-range. My best bet will probably be picking them off one at a time at first. I've got silencers for the MP5's, but no subsonic ammo. It's still going to be obvious when I shoot.

Carter has all the subsonic ammo. Imagine the look on the face of whoever finds his armory. Fuck, what if they just bulldoze the place? Yeah, Liv and I need to try and get his weapons and equipment.

Wait, I have subsonic.22LR. I could use that for the first few. Fuck, I'm really doing this.

That means I'll be gone for a few days. It's already been two days for Rebecca, and she's on such a short fuse. We really ought to ask the vaccine experts why that is. Gee, what a call to make. "Hey, vaccine guys? Yeah, look, I've got this eighteen year old cutie that just insists on having sex every four days. Like, she's climbing the walls by day five. What's up with that?" I'm sure they'll have all kinds of sympathy. Well, I have my first thing I've got to do before I go.

Dave found Becca in the room she and Reena shared. The one they'd previously used as a 'hotel room' the night the ladies put together for prom. Reena was not around.

"Hey, sexy nerd girl, what're you up to?"

Becca rolled on to her back from her book reading. Her face was glowing, though she was also blushing from her scalp to, well, lower than her shirt collar. She very cutely bit her lower lip.

Dave chuckled. "You are so damn cute, ya know that?"

Her face twisted a little. "Demotion huh? I've gone from sexy to cute in less than a minute."

"One does not preclude the other. There is an intersection of the two. In my opinion, you exist within that intersection."

"God, you know how weirdly sexy it is that you can talk math about sex?"

"You know how great it is that you're one of two partners I can talk to that way? Most of the others either won't get it, or will be turned off by it."

The radiant look Becca got from the compliment was exactly what Dave was going for. She wasn't just a teen hottie, or gamer girl, or some other check box. She was his younger nerd partner that he got to introduce to so many things he loved that were new to her. Or, things she'd heard about, but not yet experienced.

And she was fun in bed. Becca's hand slipped to the hem of her t-shirt. Dave stepped swiftly up to her bed and grabbed her hands. He pulled her around so her ass hung off the edge of the bed and her head was braced against the wall. She and Dave were still experimenting with different ways to have sex. She'd recently mentioned that quickies sounded kinda hot. Dave figured now would be a good time to try.

He grabbed her shorts and panties at the hips and pulled both down to her calves, bringing her legs straight up in the same motion. Dave leaned against her, her ankles on one of his shoulders, as he unbuttoned his pants and shoved pants and boxers to mid-thigh.

The aroma of Becca's arousal reached Dave's nostrils, matching the signal that her panting breath and lust-filled eyes were sending. Truth to be told, he was fairly revved as well. The little gasp she gave as he hand-fed his mostly hard cock into her saturated pussy was delicious. Dave leaned in closer, folding her legs back onto her body, her ankles on either side of his head, her shorts against his collarbone. He drilled her fast and hard. This wasn't love making, wasn't a tantric exercise, and was not 'the full Dave'. A quickie was just that; hard, fast, and get 'er done.

Becca's cute little huffs and grunts urged him to keep going, her moist, rippling channel gripping his shaft and egging him on. In due time, Dave felt that familiar tingle in his balls rising up through his cock and he began firing his hot seed into her eager passage. Becca shuddered and convulsed the same as if Dave had taken most of an hour lifting her to ecstatic heights.

Dave leaned a bit further in to kiss Becca tenderly on the lips. Becca giggled.

"That was fun."

"Good, we can add that to the repertoire," Dave said, buckling his pants. He leaned in for another kiss, this one with just a moment of lingering, before walking away. Becca's eyes shone brightly as they followed him.

Now I wait.

Dave spent the rest of the evening sitting with his ladies, sometimes talking, mostly listening. Lupie called everyone to the dinner table. A nice warm casserole that soothed the insides after most of the day with the inside matching the weather outside. Downstairs anyway. Mostly what Dave remembered from the evening was looking around the table at his family as they chatted and moved on from the events of the morning. Mostly. Every once in a while, someone's attention wavered, or they flinched from a sound.

That's why I have to do this.

Dinner was late enough that some began their night time routine once it was over. It had been a draining day, even for those that had huddled upstairs. The emotional impact, the fear and anxiety they'd gone through took a physical toll.

"Hey, Shawna, let's meet in my office in a few minutes, okay? I'll find Liv and Mel and have them join us."

"Sure. Night security?"

"Yeah. The detective was reasonably sure there wouldn't be a repeat tonight, but let's be safe."

"Okay." Shawna hugged him tightly.

Dave went off to find the other two, then made his way to his office. Even though they'd just finished dinner, he felt a bit munchie. He pulled a half-eaten pint of blueberries out of his fridge and snacked slowly. Each woman smirked as they entered. Shawna started imitating the guitar intro of a certain song by Black Sabbath. Dave just shook his head with a rueful smile. Then he popped a few more berries in his mouth.

"We need to maintain a watch tonight," he informed them once he'd cleared his mouth. "The threat is perceived to be low, but I'd rather not take a chance. I'll take first watch, then wake Shawna to relieve me. She can wake Liv, and when Liv's shift is over, she can wake Mel."

The way Olivia stared at Dave made him wonder if she suspected his real plan, but she said nothing. "We'll post guard here in Shawna's morning room with the door open. It's right at the top of the stairs, so anyone would have to come past the guard to get to any of us. I'll drag the chair from that room to the door, far back enough that anyone looking in will see darkness, but near enough the guard can see the head of the stairs and part of the hallway in each direction."

"That's it. Get some sleep. When it's time to switch over, get up and get moving. We'll have one pistol out and transfer that over. Don't go to bed until your relief is in place." Shawna came in for a kiss before she left. A long, slow kiss with no tongue. She looked meaningfully into his eyes before she walked out, saying nothing.

Dave waited over an hour for all the activity in his house to settle and everyone to fall asleep. He slowly and quietly rose from his seat. He slipped in to the master bedroom to find Shawna on the outer edge of the bed. Of course she'd thought ahead so she wouldn't disturb the others.

Dave lightly tapped her foot, and she stirred awake. Dave went back to his post while she dressed. Once she got there, he handed over the pistol.

"You're going after them aren't you?" she whispered low and urgent.

"Yes. It's the only way to ensure everyone's safety. These guys are a danger to us, and others. The detective was so frustrated with the inaction, she told me other events that have happened, but no response from the police."

"Other houses have been attacked?"

"No, the other attacks haven't been on houses, but they look related."

"How far away are they?"

"I don't know for sure. She gave me some information on the last place they were seen."

"Then how long will you be gone?!" She kept her voice low to not disturb anyone, but there was a 'shouting' tone to her whisper.

"I don't know. I'm taking food and water in addition to the rest of the gear."

"David, please be careful. All our lives depend on you."

He wrapped his arms around her for a tight hug. "I know. I'm doing this for your safety. No more middle of the night break ins." He paused for a moment. "Carter took me through a few scenarios that apply. We had to use paintball guns for those trainings, but I've spent plenty of time on the range with all of these weapons. I won't be as good as Carter, but I'm good enough to pull this off. I'm coming back to you babe." He pulled back so they could look each other in the eyes. "You are plenty of reason to come back."

"Me and eight others," she said with a teasing grin.

"Anyone of you alone is enough to go fight this fight and get my ass back here in one piece. I finally understand Carter now. Somethings you have to fight for."

He slipped away from her and went to the master bedroom closet. In a box tucked away in a corner, he pulled out a set of lightly used 90's era BDU that Carter'd urged him to get from an Army-Navy store. It was not the only set, but he wasn't going to be gone that long. Hell, his partners would all be screaming for doses by then.

After dressing, and donning his combat boots, he walked silently out of the bedroom. That he had to pause and prep his mind for. Carter had shown him how to walk quietly in these boots, it just took practice and care. It had been a long time, so he ran through the lessons and practices in his head for a minute after he had them on.

He trod gently down the stairs to the gun closet. He typed in the code and swung open the door. That's when the darkness at the end of the unlit hall moved.

"Go to bed Olivia." His voice was flat.

"You are not going after these guys alone."

Dave flipped on the light in the small space. The illumination spilling into the hallway revealed Olivia in a matching pair of BDU.

"How the hell?"

"I mailed myself a box to this address before I reported to the vaccine center. Mostly other stuff, but one set of woodlands and my best broken-in boots."

"Livy, you need to stay here and watch the others."

"I need to watch over your ass and bring you home so you can keep fucking all these women that are addicted to your cum."

Dave felt a wave of shame at the comment. That he was risking himself, some, but their safety required he take out this threat. That he was; unfaithful to any of these women, because none of them were the only one. Yes, he could personally enumerate all the reasons why, but that didn't change the visceral reaction of a man that never wanted a lot of women, just one that he could be devoted to, and vice versa. "Liv ;”

"I'm not trying to talk you out of this. I'm certainly not condemning you for having multiple partners, David. On behalf of myself, and all your partners, I insist I go with you and provide overwatch. You know I'm a better sniper than you. You're better at CQB. We do this together."

A cold hand gripped Dave's chest. "Olivia, I already dragged you into one gunfight. I won't do it again."

"You didn't drag me into anything. The world sucks and some people are assholes. The same guy that taught you raised me not to just stand idly by. I'm going w