by Eric Vall
“Good news and bad news,” I smiled.
“Well at least there’s something good,” Cathy said as she hopped out of the back of the truck.
“Let’s all come sit by the fire,” Anna suggested. “We’ll tell you all the news.”
Everyone made their way to the fire and took their normal seats either on the ground or on the benches, Betty and Rolly sat together, and Betty’s legs were thrown over Rolly’s, and he rubbed his lady’s knee.
After everyone was seated, I could see that all eyes were on me, and I looked around at the faces of those in this group, and I was saddened that I had to bring them the news of desperation setting in.
“Would you like the good news or bad news first?” I smiled in an attempt to keep things relatively light.
“Bad news first,” Jeff nodded.
“I agree,” Justin said, and he leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees.
“Okay,” I nodded. “Well the bad news is that the swarm has begun.”
“Do you mean the Guard?” Joanna asked, and her sandy blonde brows pulled together.
“Yeah,” Donna nodded. “Is it the Guard or the Canadians?”
“The Canadians,” I confirmed.
“So what does that mean exactly?” Mike asked.
“Well... it means that we’re running out of time,” I said.
“Shit,” Jeff cursed, then he looked over to Marla’s boys, and his eyes went wide. “Oh, sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Marla smiled. “I’m sure they’ve heard worse.”
“So what about our plan?” Betty asked.
“The plan is still on,” I assured her and the rest of the group.
“So we just keep harvesting?” Justin asked. “Don’t we need to move here if the swarm is starting?”
“Not yet,” Anna answered. “But we do need to take extra precautions.”
“What do you mean?” Donna asked.
“You need to have someone on watch at all times from here on out,” I said, and I kept my voice cool but authoritative.
“What happened exactly?” Jenny asked. “I mean, how do you know the swarm has started?”
“We ran into some Canadians today a few miles up the road,” Tara said. “They had just killed some other Canadians when we found them.”
“What?” Betty asked, and her eyes went wide. “They’re killing each other?”
“I’m afraid so,” I nodded. “We checked their bags after we took them out, and they had nothing on them.”
“No food at all?” Mike asked.
“A half-eaten granola bar,” Tara shrugged. “But nothing else.”
“Wow,” Jenny frowned. “They’re really bad off.”
“Yes,” I told her. “But they’re also very dangerous.”
“Yeah,” Anna agreed. “They’re willing to kill other people trying to survive in order to get supplies.”
“It’s really sad when you think about it,” Joanna said.
“That’s what I said,” Tara interjected.
“Yeah,” Jeff nodded. “But if they’re killing random people on the road, what would they do to us?”
“That’s true,” Donna said.
“They also mentioned that they had taken out a couple other groups of travelers,” I informed the group.
“That means they’re already making their way down here,” Betty said in a small voice.
“Yes,” I confirmed. “And that’s why we need someone on guard at all times.”
“You should take turns,” Anna said.
“How will we see at night to be on guard duty?” Jeff asked, and he tugged on his red beard.
“If you have lanterns, you can set them up so you can see,” I said.
“You have guard towers at the school,” Bailey smiled. “You can use them to get a good vantage point.”
“Right,” Donna nodded.
“Wasn’t there some good news?” Marla asked.
“There is,” I smiled. “We figured out how to get into the Guard camp, and we also found the right time to do it.”
“That’s great,” Joanna smiled.
“Can we come and help?” Mike asked.
“No,” I shook my head. “You all are doing well with your training, but this needs to be a stealth operation, so a small team will be best.”
“Okay,” the black-haired man nodded.
“Are you going to try to free the people in there?” Jenny asked with hopeful eyes.
“Yes,” I smiled, and I saw Bailey smile too. “We’re going to get what we can first, then we will get the civilians out.”
“When will you leave?” Betty inquired.
“We’ll leave in the morning,” I told her.
“This is all happening so fast,” Donna noted. “I’m more scared now than I was before about the Canadians.”
“Yeah,” Cathy nodded.
“It is quite scary,” Marla frowned, then she turned to the old man next to her. “Briar, please say you’ll come here for the winter.”
“I can make it on my own,” the old man replied in a gruff voice.
“But the Canadians are already making their way down,” Justin pushed.
“I’ve got weapons,” Briar said, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t need any help. Been taking care of myself longer than most you been alive.”
“I can’t make you come here,” I smiled gently. “But I do hope that you do.”
“I was still hesitant about leaving the farm,” Betty said. “But now I feel like it’s necessary.”
“Yeah,” Dan nodded. “I don’t know if we could hold all of them off on our own.”
“And they’re out killing just for what people have on them,” Jenny frowned. “Imagine what they would do if they found a house that was well stocked.”
“Yes,” I nodded. “That’s why we will continue to stock up and make preparations to move everyone here. I want you all to be as involved as possible in the decision making.”
“It sucks being stuck here though,” Joanna said. “I mean, it feels like we’re putting a lot of pressure on you all to do something that we aren’t even a part of.”
“Nobody put pressure on us,” Anna chimed in.
“Yeah,” Paige agreed. “We want to help.”
“It’s scary now,” Rolly added. “But it would be a lot scarier if we didn’t have each other to rely on.”
“That’s true,” Cathy nodded.
“Well, do you need anything before you go?” Betty asked.
“We could bake you some bread,” Jenny offered.
“That would be great,” I smiled. “But I don’t think we’ll have time to get it. We’re going to leave first thing in the morning.”
“Are we all going?” Rolly asked.
“You’ll stay here,” I smiled at the old man. “We need someone to be here to hold down the base and in case anyone needs help or has questions.”
“Guess you’re in charge while we’re gone,” Anna grinned at Rolly.
“Guess so,” the old man chuckled. “But I don’t plan on giving any orders.”
“No need,” I told him, then I looked around at the group of farmers and civilians. “Everyone knows what to do, just know that you can go to Rolly if you’re having trouble with anything.”
“You might have to pry him away from Betty though,” Tara joked, but both Rolly and Betty went red with embarrassment and moved further apart.
“Yeah right,” Dan chuckled and rolled his eyes.
“I think you’re very cute together,” Marla smiled and patted Betty on the arm.
“It is nice to see that someone found something good in all this mess,” Donna commented with a smile.
“Maybe some of us will be that lucky one day,” Cathy nodded.
“Well, until then, let’s focus on getting through winter,” I chuckled.
“I do have one question,” Donna said.
“What’s up?” I asked the black haired woman.
/> “Well,” she started. “I don’t think we’re going to have many crops at the school since we planted so late.”
“I was worried about that as well,” Cathy nodded.
“So I was thinking maybe we should be helping the farmers,” Donna said, and she looked to Betty and Marla.
“I think that’s a good idea,” I nodded.
“It would be nice to have help,” Betty said. “Especially with the canner.”
“We can set up shifts,” Paige suggested. “That way someone can be canning basically all the time.”
“That would help a lot,” Marla said.
“Great idea ladies,” I smiled at Donna, Cathy, Betty, Marla, and Paige.
“It will be nice to feel like we’re helping more,” Jeff nodded. “Is there anything else for tonight?”
“I don’t think so,” I shook my head. “How is everyone feeling?”
“I’m a bit unnerved,” Jenny said after a moment.
“That’s to be expected,” Paige smiled softly at the red-headed girl.
“I mean, we knew they were coming,” Joanna said. “But it seems a lot more real now.”
“And that’s okay,” I nodded. “That often happens in situations like this.”
“It’s just a lot to take in,” Cathy said.
“It can be,” I assured her. “Just rely on those around you for comfort and keep yourself busy.”
“You all will be up here soon enough,” Bailey smiled at the group. “And I hope you will feel safer then.”
“I’m sure we will,” Marla said, and she stroked her boys’ hair.
“Everyone should go home and get some rest,” I told the group.
“Yeah,” Anna nodded. “We have some chocolate over there if anyone would like some, as a little spirit booster.”
“That would be great,” Jenny smiled, and she stood up and walked toward the shed where Anna pointed.
The farmers and civilians grabbed some chocolate and headed toward their trucks.
“Remember to go to Rolly if you need anything tomorrow,” Anna announced as the others got in their vehicles.
“We might be gone a couple of days,” I added.
“You all be safe out there,” Jeff said, then he started up his engine.
Rolly walked Betty to her truck and kissed her goodnight, and soon enough our driveway was empty once more, and it was quiet except for the crackle of the fire.
“Who wants a drink?” Tara asked as we all made our way to sit by the fire once more.
“Me,” Anna nodded.
“I second,” Paige added.
“Third,” Bailey smiled.
“Me too,” Rolly shook his head slightly, the old man looked tired.
“What about you Tav?” Tara asked.
“I’ll take one,” I smiled at the platinum blonde, then I turned to Rolly. “You okay, old timer?”
“Oh yeah,” he told me with a wave of his hand. “Just tired.”
“You sure you’re not stressed out?” Bailey asked with a frown.
“I might be a bit stressed,” the old man nodded.
“Are you worried about being left in charge?” Anna asked.
“Oh no,” Rolly shook his head. “I just worry about Betty and the girls, they seemed real upset.”
“You’re so sweet Rolly,” Paige smiled at the man and patted his arm.
“You are,” I confirmed with my own smile. “I think they’ll be okay.”
“Yeah,” Rolly smiled. “You’re right, I just hate to see them upset.”
“She’ll be a lot less upset when she’s living here with you,” Tara grinned, and the old man blushed again.
“I hope so,” Rolly chuckled.
“I’m going to grab drinks,” Tara said, and she headed into the dorm building.
“We should go over our plan,” Anna said, and her face was stern so I knew she was in prep mode.
“Yes,” I nodded. “We’ll do that as soon as Tara gets back.”
“Can I give Winchester a bone?” Bailey asked, and she petted Winchester with her foot. “I saw some in the meat shed earlier with only a bit of meat on them.”
“You don’t need to ask,” I smiled at the blonde. “Of course he can have a bone.”
“I know,” she chuckled. “I just meant is it safe for him to have the bones in there.”
“Oh,” I laughed. “Yeah, it should be. He just can’t have chicken bones.”
“Okay,” Bailey smiled, and she got up and retrieved a deer femur from the meat shed.
Winchester perked up when he saw her coming toward him with the treat, and his tail wagged ferociously and hit Rolly in the shin.
“I think he’s excited,” Rolly chuckled.
“Do you want this?” Bailey grinned, and she held out the bone to Winchester. “Can you shake?”
The black and brindle dog put his paw up, and Bailey took it in her small hand and laughed as she shook it, then she gave him the bone, and he happily munched on it in front of her.
“Okay,” Tara said as she approached the group once more. “I grabbed drinks and cups.”
“Thanks,” Anna smiled at the blonde.
“Don’t thank me too much,” Tara grinned. “You gotta pour them yourselves.”
Anna scoffed at the blonde, but laughed and grabbed the bottle of liquor from her.
“Hey!” Tara exclaimed, and she reached for the bottle.
“You said I had to pour it myself,” Anna shrugged, and she poured herself a drink.
“Yeah,” Tara’s eyes narrowed on the redhead. “After me.”
“Mmmm, I don’t think so,” Anna laughed, then she turned to Paige and offered her the bottle.
“Oh, yes please,” Paige grinned and poured herself a drink, and Tara crossed her arms over her chest and glared playfully.
Once all our drinks were poured, and we had a moment to savor them, I figured it was time to go over the plan.
“Okay,” I said to call everyone’s attention. “Let’s make our plan.”
“Well when is the best time to sneak in?” Paige asked, and she pushed her glasses further up her nose.
“Around one-thirty,” Tara answered, and she took a drink of her liquor.
“Right,” I nodded. “There’s a shift change at two am, and the guards on duty were tired by one.”
“If we aren’t going in until dark, then why are we leaving at dawn?” Bailey asked.
“I want you all to scout it out during the day,” I told the blonde. “That way you’ll know what you’re dealing with.”
“So, we go in at one-thirty and take out the guards on shift,” Anna said.
“No,” I chuckled. “This is a stealth operation.”
“So we go in and try to avoid contact with anyone,” Paige said.
“Yes,” I nodded. “I think Tara and I should be the ones to go in.”
“What will the rest of us do?” Bailey asked, and her pale blonde brows pulled together.
“You’re our backup,” I told her with a smile. “You’re there in case anything goes wrong.”
“Okay,” Anna nodded, and she took a drink of her booze. “Are we bringing the trailer?”
“Yes,” I answered. “We’ll take the truck and the trailer, and we’ll look for supplies the next day on the way home, we don’t want to hang around too long after we rob the guard.”
“So are we planning on being gone for two nights?” Bailey asked.
“Yes,” I answered, and then I turned to Rolly. “I told everyone to have someone on guard at all times, but obviously you won’t be able to do that with us gone.”
“I was just wondering about that,” Rolly nodded. “What do you want me to do?”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine here,” I told him. “Just be extra aware, and if you get into trouble and don’t think you can overpower someone, don’t be afraid to run or hide.”
“Okay,” the old man said, but he didn’t seem happy about the hiding idea.
; “I know you’re tough,” I chuckled. “Just take care of yourself while we’re gone. You’ll be fine.”
“You got it boss,” Rolly smiled.
“Besides,” Bailey smiled. “You’ll have Winchester here.”
“He is a pretty good guard dog,” Paige grinned.
“Best guard dog ever,” Bailey cooed to the black headed dog. “Isn’t that right boy?”
“I’m sure Winchester will take good care of you,” I chuckled, then I turned to the girls. “I want you to pack your bags tonight and be ready to go in the morning.”
“I’ll get up and make y’all some coffee for the road,” Rolly offered.
“That would be awesome,” Tara sighed. “I’m not as good at making it as you are.”
“We would appreciate that,” I smiled at the old man.
“No worries,” he grinned.
“Let’s finish our drinks and prepare for tomorrow,” I said to the girls.
“Are we going to go through Morrisville?” Paige asked.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “We’ll go the long way so we can try to avoid the Guard and more Canadians.”
“Okay,” the pretty brunette nodded, and she took another drink of her liquor.
I smiled to myself as I looked around at the faces of these ladies, our mission would be dangerous, and I would do whatever I could to protect and provide for my tribe. Failure in our planning now would mean disaster later when the border fell, and failure wasn’t an option.
Chapter 9
I woke before dawn and looked up to see Rolly making his way outside.
“Girls,” I said, and I sat up. “Time to get going.”
“Ugh,” Tara groaned.
“Mission time,” Anna said with a grin, and she sat up and stretched with a big smile on her face. Her red hair was wavy from being in a braid the day before, and her nipples poked through her sports bra as she stretched.
“At least Rolly promised us coffee,” Paige smiled, and she sat up next to me, her long brunette hair hung down around her shoulders, and I couldn’t help but smile at her bedhead.
“I’m ready,” Bailey smiled as she hopped out of bed, and I watched her pull her pants on over her pink cotton panties.
“Ugh,” Tara groaned again, then she sat up and glared at all of us. “How are you all so chipper?”
“I’m excited,” Bailey smiled. “We’re going to help the people in the camp.”