Anthony Newman - American Survivor

Joe found that he was talking to himself again, “Now that was weird timing with Madison naked in my sleeping bag. Grandma is looking down from above.”

He walked up to Madison and expected her ready to leave but found her snuggled up in his sleeping bag with none of the tasks completed. He quickly packed up his possessions and used his toe to nudge her butt until she woke up.

“Wake up. It’s after 10 am. Get your butt up Madison. We need to go,” a disgusted Joe said firmly.

Madison poked her head out of Joe’s sleeping bag and said, “Where is the coffee? I need coffee to get going.”

“Get your butt up, or I will leave you here in the woods. I’m leaving in ten minutes whether you come or not.”

She stood up without any clothes on; put her blouse and skirt on while making sure Joe was looking at her naked body as she dressed. Then she put her shoes and jacket on as she shivered while she walked behind a large bush for a few minutes then came back.

“Joe, I want to be your friend, and we could live together and make a good life for both of us,” Madison said as she wrapped her arms around Joe and tried to kiss him.

Joe moved away and replied, “I’m sure there will be some man who will be glad to take care of you and make you his wife. That man is not standing here. I just want to get your strength up and send you on your way. I’ll look for a family walking through that needs a woman to join them.”

This made her mad, and she walked away from Joe as he turned and walked away. He made a wide circle back to the old cabin. It only took a minute before she was on his heels following him like a puppy dog. He walked her in circles for two hours before heading to the dilapidated cabin from the south.

They arrived at the broken-down cabin, and Joe said, “Well, it ain’t much, but it’s home.”

Madison’s lip curled, and her nose headed skyward as she showed contempt for the old cabin.

Joe saw her face turn red and her fingers turn white as she gripped his arm, “Hey, what were you expecting? Like you, I had to flee from the chaos and find a place to hide until those criminals and crazy people killed each other. It’s dry and will keep a bear out. Get used to it or go find a better place.”

Madison smiled as she said, “I’m sorry Joe, but it’s far from what I’m used to but, we can make a home of it until it’s safe back in the city. I’m sorry that I’ve acted childish and like a spoiled brat, but I do appreciate what you have done to survive, and you are a good man to have taken me in and fed me. Thank you.”

Joe stammered, and she could see him soften as he said, “I’m sorry for being a hardass, but I just want to live alone in peace and enjoy the woods around me. I’ll try to play nice.”

Madison tried to give him a kiss on the cheek, but he ducked. She knew she was close to setting the hook. She had also learned to play nice and tried harder to fit in with this overweight but very handsome man. She knew the key to his heart was through good cooking, acting like a pioneer woman, and great sex. She knew she had the cooking and sex parts nailed; she just had to act as if she were a pioneer lady to win his heart.

“What do we have for food? Let me cook a nice supper for a hardworking man,” she said as she ran her fingers through his hair.

Madison looked at the kitchen then said, “I have to clean this up a bit before I can cook on that old wood stove.”

It only took an hour for her to wipe down the kitchen counter, table, and stove before preparing supper. Joe brought in some kindling, a pile of wood for the stove, and built a hot fire before going outside to set some trip wires and a couple of snares for rabbits.

Madison cleaned herself up, combed her hair, and did the best she could to look good for Joe when he came in to eat. She looked at herself in a small mirror she found on a shelf and saw a beautiful face dressed in torn dirty clothing. It was the best she could do until she could talk Joe into going to town to do some shopping. There wasn’t much to work with, so she fried two venison steaks, made instant mashed potatoes and corn for their supper. When the steaks were done, she opened the door in time to see Joe sit down on the porch to take his boots off. She scurried over in front of him, helped pull his boots off, and placed them just inside the door.

She sat down on the steps with Joe, “I wish I could hand you your favorite cocktail or beer after a long day’s work. You deserve a stiff drink today after putting up with me and hunting for two days. I’m sorry about my behavior I was starving and desperate. I’ve had an easy life and never went hungry or wanted for anything in my life. I have to adapt quickly. Could you teach me the skills I need to survive?”

“I’m starving. We’ll discuss that after supper. Before we go inside, I want you to know that I understand that being a female alone with all the crap flying is a scary thing. Just be honest with me and don’t try to deceive me and we’ll get along,” Joe replied.

The meal was good, and Joe liked the pan-fried venison better than roasted over a direct fire. They had a good discussion concerning what had happened in the world, and Joe filled her in on what he had heard on the radio. Madison then steered the conversation to how could she better equip herself with the knowledge to survive.

“Joe, I’ve always used my charm and other assets to make my way in the world. I started out in a poor family and wrangled my way into a great prep school and then a good college just so I could meet a rich and powerful man so I could live the good life. I’m not ashamed of what I did or what I was. Since this war started, I have done some soul-searching and have to adapt to my new environment and do what it takes to survive,” Madison shared much more than Joe ever thought she would.

“I’ll be glad to help you with the little I know about surviving. I know a lot about hunting, fishing, and camping but not a lot of warfare and defending myself. I’ll teach you what I know. So does that mean you will stop using your charm on me to get your way,” Joe ended with a laugh.

“Thanks very much for offering the training and I will help do chores or whatever you need for me to do around here. Now about me using my charm and assets to get my way, well, I guess that’s just built into me. You will just have to resist my charms and assets the best way you can,” she replied as she scrapped the plates and placed them in the dry sink to wash.

Joe started to get up from the table when Madison said, “Joe could you find something to do for about half an hour after I get the dishes done? I saw that large wash tub out on the back porch, and I think I’ll fit into it. I want to take a hot bath or at least clean up a bit if you’ll haul some water up to the cabin so I can heat it to wash my clothes and me. Do you have an old t-shirt I can wear, until my clothes dry in the morning?”

“Why yes, I have to skin a couple of rabbits and a couple of other chores to do myself,” he said as he sniffed his underarm and added, “I need a bath myself. I think living alone is not a great for personal hygiene. I haven’t had a full bath since the shit hit the fan. Oh, I have a couple of shirts and a spare pair of pants if you want them.”

Joe hauled two five-gallon buckets from the creek to the kitchen and Madison placed a bucket full on the old cook stove to heat up for her bath. He brought the big washtub into the kitchen then went back outside to get his chores done. He skinned the rabbits, cut both of the deer haunches into steaks, and saved the fat to use for frying food and then gathered firewood until Madison called for him to come in the cabin.

She only had his t-shirt on as she sat on an old stool drying her hair by the fire. Her beauty was stunning against the light from the fire, and he made himself look away as she turned toward him with her long bare legs pointing toward him.