Some of the children detached themselves from the grinning Jaxon and ran at Solly, wrapping themselves around his legs. One little girl—Carla was her name—moved across to where Kuchinsky stood.
"Why are you sad?" she asked.
The sergeant knelt so he was eye to eye with her. "What makes you think I'm sad?"
"Cos you isn't smiling," she responded, as if he was an idiot.
"Well, I guess I'm gonna miss you all."
"Where are you going?"
"Never you mind, little girl."
"Carla, my name's Carla."
"Never you mind, Carla."
The girl seemed to ponder for a moment. "I wish you would stay."
"Why?"
She shrugged. "Dunno. I just like seeing you watchin' out. Keepin' the bears and monsters who live in the woods away. Makes me feel safe."
With a piercing shock, Solly realized that Kuchinsky had frozen. He could barely move his mouth when he said to the girl, "Sometimes you gotta do what you're told even if you don't like it. I gotta follow orders."
"Why?"
At that, Kuchinsky straightened up, ruffling Carla's hair. "It's adult stuff, kid, now run along." He turned on his heels and, without another word to the girl or to Solly, headed across the field to his camp.
Kuchinsky's orders came the next day. A Humvee drove up the lane and parked among the log cabins the soldiers had built over the winter.
It was an angry Joe Kuchinsky who marched into the kitchen of the Millhouse where Solly, Skulls, Bella and Maddie sat around the oak table discussing their plans. Ross, who'd been in the living room, limped in after hearing the commotion.
"Damn him to Hell!" the sergeant spat as he threw his orders down on the table and slumped into a chair. "He wants your Humvees."
Solly's jaw dropped open. "What? We need them! This plan is looking impossible enough as it is, but if we've got to travel across the country in civilian cars…"
Kuchinsky leaned forward, gripping his head in his hands and rubbing as if he hoped a genie would appear. After a few moments, his hands stopped moving and he looked down at the table. "I can probably leave one here. He'll want the one with the minigun."
"But how will you explain that, Joe?" Bella asked.
He shrugged, glancing at her. "I don't know, but I ain't about to let a court martial get in the way of doing the right thing."
"One isn't enough," Solly said. "We need that minigun. You said you were going to give us some ammo for it. You know we can’t do without it."
Kuchinsky's fist banged on the table. "Of course, I know it! But I don't get to choose which orders to obey, Solly. I'm bending the rules to breaking by leaving you the other Humvee, I can't do no more."
He sighed and slumped a little. "You're askin' too much. You're as bad as that little girl, and you don't have the excuse of bein' a kid."
"I'm sorry, Joe, but we have little enough hope as it is."
"Here," Skulls said, putting down a steaming mug of coffee. "I don't reckon anyone's blaming you," he glanced in Solly's direction momentarily before continuing. "We're all in a tough spot. Maybe there's no way out of it. I dunno." He subsided, shook his head and sat down again.
Maddie, who'd sat silently until this point, began fidgeting.
"Mad, do you have something you'd like to say?" Solly asked.
She looked nervously around the table. "Well, it's just…"
"Go on, no one's going to bite your head off. We're all out of ideas."
Ross pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. "What's on your mind?"
Maddie looked at him and seemed to instantly relax. She spoke to him rather than the others when she said, "That girl, Carla. Jaxon told me what she said."
"Yeah?" Ross said, failing to hide the shadow that flitted across his face at the thought of any intimacy between Maddie and Jaxon.
"Well, she couldn't understand why it was so important for Sergeant Kuchinsky to follow orders he didn't like."
Ross nodded, encouragingly.
"I guess I was just wondering whether she had a point."
"I can't just decide which orders to follow," Kuchinsky snapped.
Maddie flinched from his venom, but then straightened herself up and looked him in the eye. "Why not?"
"Because then all military discipline breaks down."
"But your colonel doesn't know what we're planning, does he?"
"No, but he's still my superior officer. That's how the military works."
"But you know more than he does," she said. "How is it right for you to follow an order that makes it harder for us to do what we have to do?"
Kuchinsky's face betrayed his exasperation. "I told you! Because that's how it works!"
"And where has that gotten us?"
Solly put his hand out to stop Kuchinsky responding. "Hold on, Joe. Maddie's got a point. If you don't help us, we have next to no chance of succeeding. Soldiers have been condemned before now for following orders they knew were wrong."
Kuchinsky leaped to his feet. "I've heard enough! You get one Humvee, period."
The door slammed behind him as he marched away.
Solly didn't see Kuchinsky again that day, but his hostility meant that they brought their plans forward by twenty-four hours and began loading up the remaining Humvee and the trunk of an aging Nissan station wagon that had been used for supplies raids.
At least Ross had seen sense this time and had agreed to stay at the farmhouse and help Jaxon defend the place. With the soldiers gone, he knew he could be genuinely useful here, his restricted mobility less of a problem on familiar territory. Whether he would still feel that way once Solly had left was less certain.
Vivian would be coming, as would Scott, Al, Bella, Skulls and Maddie. Solly was very uncomfortable to have all of them along but, like the Musketeers, it was one for all and all for one, it seemed. He couldn't help thinking that a smaller task force would have a better chance, but there was no persuading Bella. The story of his life.
The Humvee was already loaded with fuel provided by Kuchinsky, along with enough jerricans to extend its range by a couple of hundred miles. Solly and Jaxon loaded the rear of the vehicle with supplies for a couple of weeks before the light went. They would be leaving in the morning.
As he walked inside the farmhouse and shut out the chill, Solly could hear chairs being pushed back over the stone floor of the kitchen and then, moments later, the patter of small feet as children ran into the hall where he and Jaxon stood. Little Carla threw herself at Solly as he knelt, then others piled around, chattering excitedly as he lost his balance and fell backwards. He could hear Arnold calling to the children to get off him, but Solly didn't want them to. He would have given anything to stay down here on the cold floorboards, covered in kids, blanketed in their unconditional and innocent love.
He felt the floor vibrate as a heavy fist thudded on the door. He heard the door swing open and the voice of Joe Kuchinsky on the threshold. "Is Solly here?"
Arnold must have pointed at the mass of children on the floor.
"I'm sorry, Solly, but this can't wait," Kuchinsky said.
Solly began to push the kids from him, whispering gently to them, telling each child of his love, reluctant because he feared that this moment would never be repeated. Eventually, with Jaxon's help, he clambered to his feet and turned to face Kuchinsky.
"What in the name of…" he stammered, gesturing at the man.
Kuchinsky's lips creased into the tiniest smile. "Don't you like my threads?"
"Why aren't you in uniform?"
"Because you're right. Maddie's right. And little Carla is right."
The girl froze at the mention of her name and looked up at Joe Kuchinsky.
"I can't obey the colonel's orders in good conscience. I could hand myself in, of course, but what would that achieve?"
Solly shook his hand. "Thank you, Joe. Will you stay here to defend the farmhouse?"
He shook his head. "Oh, I don't
think that'd be a good idea. Corporal Swann will take over when he finds my letter of resignation in the morning and he'll be duty bound to arrest me. No, Solly, I need to make myself disappear tonight."
"Where will you go?"
"And I thought you were the one with the brains. Don't you see? This place can't be left undefended."
"But you said you won't stay."
"No, I'm coming with you, Solly. To Louisville, or wherever we end up."
"So who's going to defend the far… Oh… She is not going to like that, Joe. She's not going to like that at all."
"Now you're getting it. But we gotta be away tonight if it's gonna work. Is Scott here?"
Solly nodded. "In the basement. Al's here too, but I reckon he's on our side on this matter. He doesn't want Maddie going with us." He shook Joe's hand again. "You're a genius!"
The children dispersed and only Solly, Kuchinsky, Jaxon and Arnold remained.
The old man wheeled over to where they stood and looked up at Solly. "Any prospect of explainin' what's goin' on?"
Solly smiled at him. "Joe here's just solved two problems in one. He's coming with us to Louisville, so Skulls and the others can stay here and defend the farmhouse."
"Does your ex-wife know?" Arnold asked.
"Sadly, there's no time for me to tell her," Solly answered. "But seriously, Arnold, it's going to be a whole lot easier doing what we have to do if we know the kids have got protection. The army's going, but Skulls, Jaxon and Ross make for a pretty decent defense force."
Kuchinsky nudged him. "From what I hear, Bella's no mean shot neither."
"Best be away before she finds out then," Solly said. There would be time to indulge in the sadness and fear of leaving her and Maddie behind, but he knew with utter certainty that it was the right thing to do.
He shook Kuchinsky's hand again before plunging down the stairs toward the basement to find Scott Lee.
Chapter 10
Panicked people trudged along I-90 heading west, trying desperately to keep ahead of the enemy that was sweeping in from the west like an incoming tide. Paulie could hardly believe that so many people had survived the Long Night and the months since, and she guided the car along the interstate, glancing at the little groups as they walked, wondering what stories they could tell. Where had they been hiding?
She and Nicky Friedman had missed the rendezvous in Spokane, so they were heading for the next meeting place which was an RV park in Billings. Paulie looked across at Friedman, who lay with her head against the passenger window, snoring gently. Boy, they'd been lucky when those Chinese scouts had found them, but Nicky had used the last of her strength in attacking the one at the top of the stairs. Paulie had caught her before she broke anything, but the attack had almost finished her.
Paulie had spent the next day burying the soldiers and hiding their car, expecting others to arrive at any time. But there was no question of moving Friedman until, the following evening, she judged that going had become marginally less dangerous than staying. Nicky was, by now, able to walk by supporting herself on Paulie's shoulder, though by the time she reached the car, she was again completely spent, and she collapsed into the front seat, falling asleep instantly.
Those first miles had been terrifying. Paulie had picked her way along narrow country lanes, not daring to use her headlights, expecting at any moment to run into a Chinese patrol. When she felt exhaustion overwhelming her, she pulled into what looked like the driveway of a large house and fell asleep almost instantly.
The next day, she'd awoken to the roar of an engine and had spun around just in time to see a military vehicle pass along the lane they'd left the previous night. By sheer good luck, she'd parked the car behind a hedge that had shielded them from their pursuers. Friedman had recovered a little over the next couple of days, though she was still asleep more often than she was awake, so Paulie was left to navigate through the back roads, always choosing the eastward option when she reached an intersection. Eventually, when she thought she was ahead of any Chinese patrols, she struck for the highway. If they were to make the second rendezvous, then they had only another two days and speed was now of the essence.
She finally began to relax a little when she saw people walking along the roads. Like rats deserting a sinking ship, they had to be ahead of the incoming water. One more night on the driveway of a ranch house just off I-90 and, on the next day, they reached the outskirts of Billings and started looking for the signpost to the camp ground.
She saw the yellow and green sign 'Yellowstone River Campground & RV Park' before she spotted the figures hiding in the grass just beneath it. Nudging Nicky, she pulled up alongside it and pointed up. "We're here, Nicky. Let's hope they're here too."
Something leaped at the window, all teeth and fur. Paulie fell away and instinctively reached for the handgun in the glove box.
"Mommy!" A familiar voice called out over the barking. "Get down, Dany!"
Relief flooded through Paulie as she pushed the door open against the dog's weight and subjected herself to the affection of both child and canine.
"I told them you'd be here this time!" she cried. "I told them! I did! Marvin said I wasn't to get my hopes up, but I knew you'd make it! He's been a bit grumpy, but he'll cheer up now. Just wait until I tell him!"
Paulie kissed her daughter. "I don't think he needs telling." Over Luna's shoulder, she could see the tall figure of Marvin Tucker striding through the trees, joy on his face.
She got up and, without thinking, they hugged. She breathed in the earthy scent of wet cotton and they separated, both flushing a little.
"Thanks for waiting," she said.
Marvin smiled. "I'm sure glad you made it, Sheriff. How's Nicky?"
"I'm doing okay," Friedman said from inside.
"We couldn't wait any longer at Spokane," Marvin said, "or we'd have missed the rendezvous here. People were on the move and I knew the roads would be tough in places."
Paulie pulled Luna into another embrace. "You did the right thing, but let's get inside and off the main road. Any chance of coffee?"
The Chinese truck had been parked out of sight behind the main building and the people they'd evacuated from Arbroath had been distributed among five RVs found at the campground.
"Marvin and a couple of the others have drained the fuel from every other RV and car in the park," Mary Vogelbach said. "When it's time to move on, we can squeeze everyone into three vehicles with enough fuel to get halfway across the country."
They were sitting outside a large white Winnebago Class A that had been parked between pine trees.
"That's if everyone's comin'," Marvin said. "Some folks say they want to stay here."
"But the Chinese will arrive at some point," Paulie protested.
Marvin shrugged. "Well, there's some here who ain't so sure. Then there's others who think the commies'll catch up with us sooner or later anyway. And there's one or two who just don't care. They don't wanna run any longer. I get that, I really do. I mean, where are we goin', Sheriff?"
Paulie leaned back in her camping chair and took a deep breath of the fresh forest air, tasting the subtle tang of the river water in the back of her throat as she inhaled. Oh, to just stay here and wait for the end. How long would they get? Days, maybe weeks. She had no idea how far the Chinese forces would move eastward before consolidating. However large their army was, it couldn't quickly occupy the entirety of North America. It might even take months before they arrived.
And then she saw, as clearly as if it were actually happening, the black, glossy shape of a Reaper floating through the trees. Others could stay here, but she had to move on.
"Where are we headin' for, Sheriff? The Air Force base?" Marvin repeated, interrupting her thoughts.
And all these thoughts merged together to provide the answer. "Wright-Patterson, yeah," she said. "We've still got that deactivated Reaper in the back of the truck, haven't we?"
"Yeah. Hauled that thing all the way fro
m Arbroath. What do you plan to do with it?"
"Hand it over to the military. If anyone can figure out a weakness in those things, it's them," she said. But that wasn't the whole reason. Wright-Patterson was the only military base she knew with utter certainty was resisting the Lee Corporation and their foreign allies. She hated running and, however far it might be from here, she needed a place to turn and face her enemy with at least some chance of giving them a bloody nose.
Marvin leaned forward so only Vogelbach and Paulie could hear him. "Well, we'd sure have a better chance of making it there if some folks did stay behind. 'Specially if we could take some of their gas."
"We can't force anyone, though," Vogelbach said.
"'Course not, but if some of them want to stay, we shouldn't try to change their minds."
Paulie nodded. "Taking two RVs across the country would be a whole lot easier than six. And, after all, it's not as if they'd be any safer coming with us than staying behind. Who could we leave behind to look after them? Nicky?"
Vogelbach sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I'll stay. These people are the last remnants of the folk of Arbroath, so it's my duty to wait behind with them and make the time we have left as safe and comfortable as possible."
"I'm not going to argue with you, Mary," Paulie said. "There are no good choices. What about you, Marvin?"
Tucker started as if surprised at the question. "I'll come with you, Sheriff. And the kid'll come with us, won't she?"
"Of course. I'm not going to be separated from her again. Or from you." She put her hand out and he wrapped it within his huge paws.
Nicky Friedman insisted on coming too. Weak though her colleague was, Paulie could see that, for her, to stop would be to die. Paulie couldn't begin to imagine what Nicky had been through since Arbroath had fallen, but it was obvious that she had unfinished business with the Chinese, and she'd make a formidable ally once recovered.
In the end, they stayed for two more days at the RV park. This was partly to give people time to decide whether they would come on the long journey to Ohio and partly to prepare the new community, making it as safe as possible. They would, at least, be well armed, as Paulie left them half the cache of Chinese weapons they'd brought from Arbroath. In all, only a dozen chose to take to the road again with Paulie, Marvin and Luna, and they were accommodated in two Class A RVs. With care, she reckoned they had enough gas to get them to Dayton. It was just a matter of handling what might happen between here and there.
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