by Mark Goodwin
Josh could scarcely take the grief of watching his wife pass. But seeing Micah so broken, so pained, was simply more than he could bear. A sinking feeling, almost like falling, reverberated through his core. He hated this experience. This torture was far more catastrophic than what he’d suffered at the hands of the two DGS agents.
Stephanie, however, maintained a stiff upper lip. Even in her agony, she kept a pleasant expression on her face. She ran her fingers through Micah’s hair, just as she’d always done to comfort him. “We’ll be together soon. You just hang on to your faith and you, me, and Dad will all be reunited on the other side.”
Josh sat next to Micah on the bed, looking on at the painful scene obscured by a steady flow of tears. Time crept by slowly, and the three of them lay on the bed in silence. Holding one another’s hands, and caressing each other softly.
Josh left the room only once to hand off the radio to Emilio. “Stephanie—isn’t going to make it.”
Emilio looked down at the walkie-talkie. “I’m sorry. I . . . don’t know what to say.”
“It’s okay,” said Josh, even though it was not okay. “I was supposed to move supplies with Poochy today.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
“Do a run or two. Don’t wear yourself out, and leave a few buckets of the cheaper supplies. Maybe if we do get hit, they’ll take the low-hanging fruit and go away. Lindsey should be able to help; Mackenzie, too. You’re in charge until I get my head back in the game.”
“Yeah, absolutely.” Emilio looked up. “I would go in to say goodbye, but I don’t want to make her expend any unnecessary energy. And I don’t want to get in the way of the time you and Micah have left with her.”
Josh gave a perfunctory nod.
“However,” Emilio continued. “From what Nicole tells me, they were pretty close. I’m sure she’ll want to see her.”
Josh bit his lower lip. “Yeah, okay. Can you tell her for me?”
“I will. When would be a good time for her to come in?”
“Whenever she’s ready. Just tell her to knock before she comes into the room.”
“You got it, buddy.”
“Thanks.” Josh’s gaze shifted from the radio to Emilio’s eyes. “For everything.”
“Whatever you need, I’m here for you.” Emilio patted him on the shoulder.
Josh took a deep breath and returned to the bedroom.
***
By mid-morning, Stephanie’s breath had grown shallow. By afternoon, her chest had ceased from its narrow rising and falling.
Micah refused to leave her side. He clutched her motionless body with his arms and tenderly kissed her lifeless cheek.
Josh was determined to not let his son see Stephanie grow cold and stiff. “Come on, Micah. We need to get up. We have to prepare a nice resting place for her and put together a memorial service.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s how we honor her memory. And it’s an important part of the process for us.”
“What process?”
“The grieving process.”
“I don’t want any part of it. I want to lie here right beside her and die.”
“I understand that.” Josh put his hand on his son’s back. “If it were up to me, I’d probably say let’s do that. But it’s not.”
“Then who is it up to?”
“God. He chooses when each one of us will be taken.”
“There’s no God.”
“You can’t say that, Micah. You prayed for Him to bring me home, and He did, against immeasurable odds, remember?”
“Yeah. I remember. And I prayed for Him to heal Mom, but He didn’t.” Micah dried his eyes and held his mother’s hand. “Because He isn’t there.”
“He is there, and He did heal her. She knew she was going home to be made whole. We can’t have faith when things go our way, and then turn our back on God when we don’t like the outcome of a situation. God isn’t a genie in a bottle, and this world isn’t Heaven. We’re just passing through.”
Micah shook his head. “I think it’s all a lie.”
“You read those prophecies, about the one-world government, about the third Temple, how can you dismiss that? You’re watching it all play out with your own eyes.”
Micah struggled to get up from the bed. “You’re just making these events fit into the narrative. And I’m done reading your book of fairytales. You can take back my rifle if you want.” Micah left the room.
Josh felt his spirit groaning inside. He looked down at Stephanie who was getting paler by the minute, yet he felt as though he’d lost Micah to an even greater degree. “God, please grant me the strength to get through this. And don’t give up on Micah. He’s hurting right now. Show me what to do and give me the right words to say to him. And comfort us both. This is far more than I can bear.”
***
Three months passed since Stephanie’s death. Christmas came and went at the compound with little celebration amongst the surviving members.
Josh sipped from a hot cup of pine needle tea, getting warmed up for his security shift in the lingering winter night. March had arrived, but spring was nowhere in sight. He zipped up his coat, pulled the gloves over his hands, grabbed his rifle and headed out into the frigid darkness. A soft breeze whipped minuscule bits of frozen moisture past his face. The full moon was obscured by clouds, yet still offered a fair amount of light. The ground felt hard beneath his feet. He passed by Stephanie’s grave as he went to meet up with Poochy, who would be working the shift with him for the next eight hours.
Josh stared at the simple wooden cross, wanting so badly to tell her how much she was missed. Time had yet to heal his wound. It hadn’t even served to make the pain more bearable. The only solace provided by each passing day was his knowledge that he was one day closer to seeing her again.
“Mr. Stone.”
He looked up to see Lindsey walking toward him. She had her rifle slung around her back, a scarf around her face, and layers of clothing as evidenced by her general puffiness. “What are you doing out here? Is everything okay?”
“I switched shifts with Poochy.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. I’d asked Emilio not to team me up with Micah. He’d been pretty good about remembering, but he put us on shift together tomorrow morning.”
“I knew the two of you weren’t—spending time together anymore, but I didn’t realize that you didn’t want to be around each other at all.”
She began walking the usual route of the patrol. “It’s easier if we don’t have to see one another—for me, at least.”
“But nothing happened. You didn’t get in a fight, right?”
“Nope. We never broke up, Micah never gave me the satisfaction of telling me he didn’t want to be with me, he just clammed up and turned his back to me any time I’d come around.”
Josh hadn’t been able to connect with his son since Stephanie passed. He’d tried, but he’d been too caught up in his own sorrow to give it much thought. “Micah is taking the loss of his mom pretty hard.”
“I get that. But we were supposed to be friends. If we can’t be there for one another in the hard times, then there’s no point in trying to make something out of the good times. They’re getting few and far between anyway.”
Josh replied, “We all handle grief differently. Micah is a good kid. He’ll come around eventually.”
“Maybe so, but I need people I can count on.”
Josh gazed out into the gloomy void, feeling hopeless and tired. “I understand.”
Lindsey grabbed Josh by the arm. “What was that?”
Josh heard a twig snap in the woods near the edge of the property. He pulled Lindsey behind a large oak. “Get down!” He shined the light of his rifle toward the sound.
CHAPTER 22
Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: and call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Psa
lm 50:14-15
Josh combed the wooded area with the beam of his light.
Lindsey removed her rifle sling and pressed the butt to her shoulder. “Was it an animal?”
Josh replied, “Let’s hope so.”
Lindsey peeked out from behind the heavy oak, directing the stream of light from her weapon toward the tree line. “I saw someone!”
“Where?” Josh looked toward the area of woods illuminated by Lindsey’s flashlight.
“Back there. They were running.”
“How many?”
“I’m not sure. Something was behind the individual I saw. It could have been another person, or it could have been the shadow from my light.”
Josh pressed the talk key of his walkie. “Emilio, round up everyone. We’ve got people in the woods.”
“10-4. Most of them are asleep. It’s going to take a few minutes.”
“Tell them to hurry, grab a jacket and a gun, and get moving.”
Gunfire cracked, coming from the direction of the mobile housing units.
“That came from the field!” Josh sprinted toward the RV and the trailer.
Two more shots rang out. “Mom!” Lindsey rushed ahead of Josh with her rifle ready.
Josh unclipped the radio from his belt. “Emilio, the campers are under attack.”
“Headed your way!” came the reply.
Flashes of light and the loud reports of rifle fire echoed from inside Christina’s trailer. Lindsey’s legs pumped even harder as she dashed toward her abode. Josh gritted his teeth and tried to keep up. Running as hard as he could, he reached out and grabbed hold of the teen’s heavy coat. He managed to stop her but only for a moment.
“Let go!” She twisted and pulled away from him.
He caught her by the sleeve. “You can’t run in there. We have to figure out where the threat is originating from before we take action. Otherwise, you risk getting shot by your own mother. Can you imagine how she’d feel if that were to happen?”
“Okay then, what do we do?” Lindsey listened for instructions.
Josh led the way to Rev’s old pickup parked next to the RV where Mackenzie was staying. “We’ll take cover behind the truck.”
More shots echoed around them. Josh bent low behind the vehicle. “The attack is coming from the woods.”
Lindsey raised her rifle. “They’re trying to come around Mom’s trailer!” She fired three rounds at hostiles emerging from the tree line.
Josh saw the enemy and aided in the assault. One of the assailants fell to the ground and two others retreated back into the cover of the forest. Josh called over the radio, “Christina, are you okay in there?”
“Yeah,” she replied. “But I can’t see where they’re coming from.”
“That’s okay,” said Josh. “We’re watching right outside your window. Keep the front door unlocked. I’m coming to you.”
Mackenzie’s whispered voice was next over the radio. “Somebody, help me, please!”
“Are you hit?” asked Josh.
“No. But I can see three bullet holes in the wall of my room.”
“Just stay down,” Josh replied.
“I need to get out of here!” Her voice sounded frantic.
“No! Stay put. If you get up and start moving around, you’ll be a target.” Josh ducked at the sound of another volley of shots coming from the woods.
Emilio arrived and dropped behind the pickup. “How many?”
Josh fired blindly into the woods. “At least two. Lindsey hit one of them.”
More shots came from the woods, causing Josh and his team to hunker low behind the cover of the truck.
Emilio peeked out from behind the rear wheel. “That was more than two guns. Five at least.”
“Okay then, at least five.” Josh switched magazines and slapped the bolt release with his palm.
Micah was the next to arrive. He looked Lindsey over. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not leaking sticky red stuff, if that’s what you mean.” Her reply was as rough as a gravel road.
Micah seemed to dismiss the sharpness. He turned to his father. “What’s the plan?”
Josh pointed to the trailer. “We need to get Christina out of there. She’s pinned down with no room to move.”
“What about Mackenzie?” asked Emilio.
Josh shook his head. “She’s out of sight, out of mind, as far as the attackers are concerned. Christina, on the other hand, has been shooting at them. They’re well aware of her presence.”
“Then what?” asked Micah.
“Then, you, Lindsey, and Christina will lay down cover fire while Emilio and I make a run for the tree line. If we can get in the woods, we can flank them.” Josh gazed at the wide-open field between his current location and the woods.
“Sounds like a plan.” Micah lay prone on the ground near the front tire.
“On three, you guys start shooting. I’ll get Christina.” Josh positioned himself to dash toward the trailer.
“Why don’t you call her on the radio and tell her to meet us here?” asked Micah. “That reduces your risk of getting hit.”
“We don’t know if they’ve discovered our frequency. They could be listening in to everything we say.” Josh looked at his team. “One, two, three!”
Emilio, Lindsey, and Micah began firing into the trees. Josh sprang from his position and ran to the travel trailer. Up the stairs and through the door, he collapsed to the floor and rolled deeper into the trailer to avoid enemy fire, which came crashing through the paper-thin walls of the mobile dwelling.
Christina came crawling out of the bedroom. Her rifle was cradled in her arms as she propelled herself forward with knees and elbows. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” Josh fought to catch his breath. “You?”
She nodded.
“Good. Let’s get out of here. Everyone is waiting for us behind the old pickup.” Josh crawled on his stomach to the door. He pressed the talk key on his radio. “One more time, Emilio. Three, two, one!”
At the sound of the others’ guns erupting, Josh signaled for Christina to follow him out the door. Once clear of the trailer walls, Josh fired his rifle as he ran to cover. The two of them dropped suddenly behind the truck.
Emilio pointed toward the RV. “We need to move. We’ve been here too long, and they’re figuring out a way to fix us.”
“Not toward the RV. We’ll draw fire on Mackenzie. She’s still in there,” Josh countered.
Christina signaled toward her vehicle. “That old Suburban has a better chance of stopping a bullet than Mackenzie’s RV.”
Josh nodded. “It puts us closer to the woods also. As soon as we get in position behind the SUV, Emilio and I will make our bid for the tree line. Everyone should have a fresh magazine before we go.”
Each one changed out the magazines on their respective weapons. The raiders continued to take potshots at the old pickup.
“Ready?” Josh looked into the eyes of each team member. All nodded to indicate that they were prepared.
“We’ll leapfrog to the trailer first, then the SUV. Emilio and I will go first while the rest of you put down cover fire.”
“Be safe,” said Micah.
“I will.” Josh hated to separate, but he and Emilio were going directly into the lion’s mouth. Micah could not come. “Open fire!”
Lindsey, Christina, and Micah began shooting. Josh led the way as he and Emilio sprinted for the trailer. Once there, he yelled. “Set!” He and Emilio began shooting to provide cover for Micah and the girls to come over.
Josh examined his team. “Same thing. To the Suburban.”
Micah and the girls provided cover while Josh and Emilio ran to the vehicle. Once the entire team was behind the SUV, Josh said, “Fresh mags, everyone. Emilio and I have a long haul before we get to cover.”
The group quickly inserted new magazines into their weapons. Josh looked at Emilio. “Ready?”
“Let’s go,” replied the tall man.
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“Fire!” Josh called as he darted out from the cover of the truck.
Emilio came right behind him and soon overtook Josh with his elongated gait. Josh pressed to keep up. Still several yards from the cover of the forest, his bad knee popped. He tumbled to the ground. The usual pain associated with his knee giving way was completely drowned out by adrenaline. However, as he attempted to jump back to his feet, his left knee simply refused to support his weight, as if he were trying to stand up with the aid of a broken stick.
Emilio made it to the trees and turned around. He quickly spotted Josh lying helpless in the field. Emilio wasted no time in running back to his fallen friend. The others continued shooting from behind the Suburban. Emilio lifted Josh to his good foot and put his arm beneath his shoulder. “We’re almost there. You can make it,” he encouraged.
Once in the forest, Josh was able to stand without support from his friend. Yet, moving fast was out of the question.
Emilio readied his rifle and glanced back at Josh. “Are you good?”
“I can walk, but that’s about it. I shouldn’t have tried this maneuver. I put you at risk. I’m sorry.”
“We didn’t have a lot of options.” Emilio scanned the area for hostiles. “But if you can walk, we can still accomplish our mission.”
“Yeah, you lead the way.” Josh watched for obstacles and kept moving, limping on his left knee.
The bright flashes of gunfire could be seen further back in the woods. Emilio raised his gun to shoot. Josh put his hand on his shoulder. “Hold off for a minute. I don’t think they saw us cross the field. We can probably slip up on them.”
“I don’t want to get too close,’ said Emilio. “We might catch a stray bullet from our own team.”
“We’ve got fifty yards or so before that becomes a problem. But once we spook them, we’ll never be able to catch up, especially with my bum leg.” Josh moved cautiously through the woods, making the biggest advances during the heavy exchanges of gunfire between Micah’s team and the enemy.
A shell ripped through a nearby pine. Emilio pulled Josh back. “This is close enough. I can spot three targets from right here,” he whispered.