Outpost thirteen was situated off the side of an old dirt road. It was the closest outpost to the Delta, and was generally thought of as the last line of defence between the enemy and home.
The outpost was set up in some kind of old telecom building, denoted by the arrays of dishes and other such equipment on the roof.
The building itself was made from red brick, steel beams and glass. A single manually operated spotlight cut through the darkness and scanned the horizon.
Affixed to the roof was a sturdy metal catwalk that had been retroactively constructed after the world ended.
Minnie leaned against the metal plated railing and looked out into the darkness. She yawned and rested her rifle against the railing so that she could stretch.
"Careful, they gave me shit when I put my gun down last time." Sophie warned.
Sophie was wrapped up in a wool lined bomber jacket and a scarf around her neck to fight off the late night chill.
"It's just for a second." Minnie replied through a yawn.
Her sister let out a yawn as well.
"Ugh, see what you did?" Sophie whined.
"I know, I'm a trend setter." Minnie chided.
"Contagious is more like it." Sophie shot back with a sly smile.
Minnie rolled her eyes and gave her sister a playful shove, which the long haired girl returned.
"Cut it out, you two!" The other guard on shift shouted.
"Sorry!" Sophie replied.
When he turned away from them, Minnie stuck up her middle finger at him, to which Sophie stifled a laugh.
Minnie raised her left hand and checked her watch.
Two in the morning.
They had both been posted on guard duty since the sun was up nearly ten hours ago. The base was short staffed right now, so they hadn't been given any breaks. As a result, the twins spent most of the shift standing around in an exhausted stupor while heavily armed, which was always a good combination.
Minnie scanned the horizon again. There was still no movement, just the gentle shifting of the underbrush and trees in the wind.
From behind her came the sound of a door opening. Minnie and Sophie both wheeled around to the stairwell entrance to see one of the senior officers walking up to greet them.
"Everything okay up here?" He asked.
There was a hint of amusement in his voice. It made Minnie a little indignant, until she realised that she and Sophie probably looked as tired as they felt. It probably did look a little funny to see them both spin around in sync and stare wide eyed.
"Its all clear, sir." Minnie said.
He looked at the twins for a moment before speaking.
"How long have you two been up here?"
"Almost ten hours."
"Well, that's not good for anyone. Not you, and not the people you're up here protecting."
He held out his hand, gesturing for Minnie's weapon. She handed the rifle over and he stepped closer to the railing.
"When people are tired, they make mistakes. I'll take over from here. Go inside, return that weapon and get some sleep."
Minnie was stunned. Officers didn't usually offer to cover shifts for their subordinates.
"Thank you." She said sincerely.
"Don't mention it, just do me one favour? On your wa-"
YOU ARE READING
The River (Clemerva)
Fanfiction"I haven't been avoiding her. I mean, I have. But it's not... I just don't want to talk to her until I know exactly what I want to say. Fuck, relationships are hard." The redhead sighed. "I wouldn't know, I haven't been in one before." Clem shrugge...
