by Eric Vall
I did a quick glance over of everyone, but I didn’t see any weapons. They all looked scared, and I immediately knew my gut had been right.
I stood up and held my gun at my side as I walked toward the group.
“Hello,” I said calmly. “I’m Tav.”
“Um, hi,” the man said, and his eyes went wide as he glanced down at the plasma gun in my hand. “Are you with the NK troops?”
“No,” I assured him. “I stole this from them.”
“Oh.” He breathed an audible sigh of relief, then he leveled with me. “We really don’t want any trouble. We’re just trying to survive here, you can take what you want, just leave us alive.”
“I’m not going to kill you,” I said, and I put my plasma gun back in its holster. “Girls, you can go ahead and come out.”
The girls slowly made their way over to us, and they put their weapons away when they saw that mine was holstered.
“What are you all doing here?” I asked. “This area is incredibly dangerous. You obviously know about the NK troops and that they’re in the vicinity.”
“We do.” The male nodded. “We were here when they attacked, and we were too terrified to try and leave. They were patrolling the area all the time. And then, even after we hadn’t seen them for a while, we didn’t want to start walking and run into them.”
“I understand,” I said, and I pursed my lips. “You all need to go, though. We took care of the troops in this area, but there are more on their way down here.”
“We have nowhere else to go,” the man said, and I could see his eyes glass over with emotion. “You know what it’s like out there. Everything we had before is destroyed.”
I looked at the man for a moment. I felt his pain. He only wanted to take care of his family.
The rest of the group looked just as scared as he did, and I could tell they hadn’t been eating well. Sending them off with no place to go was a quick way to ensure their deaths.
“Excuse us for one moment,” I said, and I turned to the girls and ushered them back over to the jeep.
The man looked confused, but he didn’t say anything, he just looked at the rest of his group and nodded to them to assure them it was okay. I was already starting to like this guy. He was clearly in charge, and he was doing what he thought was best under the circumstances.
“I think we should send them to campus,” Bailey said as soon as we were over by the jeep.
“What?” Paige whispered. “Are you crazy?”
“Look at them,” Bailey countered with a frown. “We can’t just send them off to die.”
“They are definitely malnourished,” Paige agreed, and she pursed her lips and glanced over to the group.
“What about Rolly and Betty and everyone else?” Tara asked. “We can’t just send a group up there without them knowing. They’ll get killed.”
“We can give them a message,” Bailey suggested. “From us. That way Rolly will know they’re legit.”
“I think Bailey’s right,” Paige said, and she bit her lip. “We need to send them back to campus.”
Anna and Tara looked at each other, and it was clear they weren’t completely on board, but looking at the group behind us, it was difficult to take the stance of sending them out into the wilderness with nowhere to go. Granted, they didn’t have to leave, but if they didn’t there was a good chance they’d get spotted by NK soldiers and wind up dead anyways. Either that, or they could get caught up in an explosion, especially if we decided to use this area for our ambush. It was in their best interests to get away from this place.
“Tav, what do you think?” Anna asked.
“My gut tells me these are good people,” I said. “I think Bailey’s right, we should send them to campus.”
“Really?” the redhead asked. “You aren’t worried about sending strangers to our home?”
“There’s risks with everything,” I said with a nod. “But look at them. They’re clearly not assholes running around stealing supplies or anything. They don’t even have any actual weapons.”
“And like Bailey said, we can send them with a code from us,” Paige added. “Something Rolly will know is from us.”
“The group on campus is more than capable of dealing with anything that comes their way.” I nodded. “They’re smart, and they’re not going to shoot someone who’s unarmed. I think sending them back home is the best thing to do. They clearly need somewhere to go. They’re struggling.”
“Yeah, that’s apparent,” Anna sighed, and she glanced back at the group. “Alright, if you think that’s best.”
“I do,” I agreed.
“What message should we send them?” Paige asked. “And how should we give them directions?”
“That’s a good question,” Anna said. “We can’t exactly just give them directions to home that explain how to get there perfectly. What if they get captured or something?”
“That’s a good point,” I said with a nod to the redhead. “Paige, do you have a pen and paper?”
“Yeah,” the brunette said. “Always.”
“Alright.” I smiled softly. “I want you to write out the directions, but with the opposite lefts and rights. And make sure to give them a route that will avoid the Boston troops.”
“Okay.” Paige smiled back. “I like that.”
“And Bailey,” I instructed. “I want you to write down something you think Rolly will understand.”
“I’m on it,” the blonde told me with a grin.
“I’m going to let them know,” I told the girls. “Come over when you have everything ready.”
“Sounds good,” Paige said as she reached into the jeep and pulled out her backpack.
I walked back over to the group, and the tall man made eye contact with me, but it was apparent how nervous he was. His eyes flickered between the girls and I, and I could see his chest rise and fall quickly with his breath.
“We’re going to give you directions back to our home,” I told him. “We live in a small community in Vermont. It’s safe.”
“You’re…” he stopped for a second, and his eyebrows pulled together as he looked at me seriously. “You’re giving us directions to your home? Why?”
“Because we want you to be safe,” I said seriously, but gently.
“Th-thank you,” the man stuttered, and I could hear the emotion in his voice when he spoke. “I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s alright.” I smiled. “You don’t have to say anything. But you’ll need to leave today, okay?”
“Alright.” He nodded. “We can do that.”
“You’ll like it at our place,” Tara said as the girls walked over. “We have running water.”
“What?” the woman with the dirty-blonde hair asked with wide eyes. “Did you say running water?”
“Yeah.” Tara nodded. “And hot water, too.”
“You all look like you could use a nice hot shower,” Anna said with a small smile.
“I don’t even want to think about how long it’s been since I’ve had a shower,” the woman in the blouse whispered almost to herself.
“I wrote up some directions for you,” Paige said, and she held out a piece of paper. “Just remember that they’re all opposite. So left actually means right, and right means left. Everything else is pretty straightforward.”
“Why would you--” the man started to ask.
“In case somebody stops you on the way up there,” Tara explained. “We don’t want to just give out directions to our home to just anybody.”
“It’s just a precaution,” Bailey assured them with a smile. “Just follow the directions, and you’ll be fine. And once you get up there, whoever you see first, just tell them you’re looking for Rolly.”
“Rolly.” The man nodded.
“Yes.” Bailey nodded back. “And tell him that Tav and the girls sent you because you need help.”
“What does Rolly look like?” the dirty-blonde-haired woman asked.
/> “He’s old as dirt,” Tara joked.
“He’s in his seventies,” Paige corrected with a smile and a shake of her head.
“Probably wearing denim,” Anna added.
“And a newsboy cap,” I chimed in.
“Once you find Rolly, tell him that Bailey says to say hi to Winchester for her,” Bailey said. “That will be kind of your code phrase so they know you’re for real.”
“Okay.” The man nodded and looked down at the paper in his hands. “I can’t believe you all are doing this… we’ve been here for so long just watching all this craziness unfold.” He looked up at us with tears in his eyes. “It’s nice to know there are still good people out there.”
“We’re happy to help,” Bailey said softly, and she looked over at me and smiled.
I knew the blonde was happy with our decision. She’d advocated it from the beginning, but that look on the man’s face just made it all the better for her. To see the group be so humble and grateful for our help, it really was an incredible feeling. We’d worked so hard to build our home, and we’d taken in plenty of people. We were fortunate enough to be able to send these people to our home as well, and to know that there would be plenty of food, water, and supplies for them.
I was sure Rolly and Betty would find some jobs for them, too. Everyone liked to be useful, and I knew it wouldn’t take long before this group was part of the community just like everyone else. There was always something to be done around campus, and these newcomers would find their roles soon enough.
“We also packed you some food for the trip,” Paige said. “It will be at least a ten to fifteen day trip, though, so be sure to scavenge what you can. This should last you all maybe five of those days.”
“Th-thank you,” the man stuttered again as he reached for the backpack Paige held out to him.
The girls must have gathered up all our emergency rations. I always made sure they each kept two days worth of food in their go bags just in case anything goes wrong and we’re stranded somewhere for a short time. Those rations came in handy in situations like this one, too, though.
“Unfortunately, we can’t give you a vehicle,” Anna said with a frown. “But follow the directions, and you all should be fine.”
“We’ve been living here,” the man said with a half chuckle as he looked back at the dingy gas station behind him. “I think we can make a two week trip on foot.”
“I’d walk for a month if I could get a hot shower out of it,” the dirty-blonde-haired girl muttered, and we all laughed.
“We really really appreciate this,” the man said seriously as he looked at me. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome,” I told him sincerely. “You all should get going. Gather whatever you need from inside. We’re going to look over the area.”
“Alright.” The man nodded, and the group disappeared back into the gas station.
“You were right,” Anna told Bailey with a smile. “That was the right call.”
“Thanks,” Bailey said with a smile of her own.
“Tara, what do you think?” Paige asked. “You were on Anna’s side earlier.”
“Yeah yeah, it was a good call,” the platinum-blonde said, but she refused to look at Paige.
“Tara…” Paige started, then her eyes narrowed as she inspected the platinum-blonde more closely. “Are you crying?”
“No!” Tara exclaimed, and she turned toward Paige for a split second before reaching up to swipe tears from her cheeks. Even without the visible tears, though, it was very clear from her smeared mascara that she had, in fact, been crying.
“Oh, my god, you totally are,” Anna laughed. “I mean, it was sappy, but geez.”
“Damn hormones,” Tara muttered as she wiped her eyes.
“Leave Tara alone,” I laughed, and I put my arm over her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
“Thank you, Tav,” the platinum-blonde sniffed.
“You’re lucky you’re pregnant,” Anna said with narrowed eyes. “Once that baby comes out he’s not going to be able to protect you any longer.”
“Bring it on,” the platinum-blonde said, and she stuck her tongue out at the redhead.
“Let’s go,” I chuckled.
I led the girls over to where Paige had been leading us before we’d run into the group of survivors.
The road was narrow, and there was a nice corner up ahead, which meant we would definitely have the surprise factor. None of the troops would be able to see us from around the bend, and Paige had been right about the forest, too. There were plenty of dense trees on either side of the road.
However, I wasn’t sure it suited our purposes. If we’d been after a smaller group, then I thought it probably would have worked, but with how many troops were headed down from Boston, I didn’t think we could get all of them in that one small area.
We needed to be able to funnel them all into one place. If a few of them were left out, that could mean trouble for us.
Besides, if we didn’t get a jump on the MiGs they had, then all hope would be lost for us. We’d never last if the fighter jets had a chance to bomb us before we could even get started, and this area didn’t leave a lot of room for us to fire up at the sky.
Plus, it was a bit too far offshore for the destroyer to be able to get near enough so it could take out the MiGs with its anti aircraft missiles.
“I don’t know,” Anna said, and she pursed her lips as we walked. “I don’t like this place. Not for such a large scale attack.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” I nodded.
“Okay,” Paige said. “I have a few other places for us to look into today.”
“Alright,” I agreed. “We should head out. I want to see all the places today, if possible.”
The girls and I got back to the jeep at the same time the civilians were coming out of the gas station. We gave them one final wave goodbye, then we hopped in the jeep and took off toward the next spot Paige had marked.
It was another twenty minutes or so of driving before we reached Paige’s next destination, and as soon as we arrived, I disliked it as well.
“Paige, pass me the map, please,” I said, and I held my hand out to the back seat.
“That means he hates it,” Tara whispered.
“Don’t you think I know that?” Paige whispered back angrily.
“It’s too far inland,” Anna said from the passenger seat. The redhead had one foot on the dash, and her elbow rested on her knee as she surveyed the area cooly.
“You’re right.” I nodded. “I don’t think the destroyer is going to be able to get close enough to take out the MIGs. That’s the most important thing here. We’re going to need air superiority.”
“Are we sure they still have them?” Bailey asked. “We did a lot of damage last time we were in Boston.”
“That’s true,” I agreed. “But we have to act as if they do. We don’t want to plan for something and be surprised.”
Paige put the map in my hand, and I held it in front of me and spread it out on the steering wheel.
I looked over the places she’d marked and saw that only two looked like they’d work for our plan.
“Let’s go to these two,” I said with a point. “We’ll ditch the rest. They’re going to be too far inland.”
“Alright.” Paige nodded.
The brunette led us to the closest place on the map. The area was near a place called New Quarter Park, and while it looked like the destroyer would be able to get fairly close, it was a good distance from the main interstate the Boston troops would most likely be coming down. If we were going to funnel them successfully, it needed to be a realistic place, and I just wasn’t sure that was our best bet.
I’d keep it in mind, but if the last place wasn’t much better, we might have to do some more scouting to find just the right place. This was far too big of a mission to risk anything going wrong. Everything needed to be exactly perfect for this to work out in our favor
.
We were a small, ragtag group of trained civilians, Navy SEALs, and one army ranger. And we were going up against at least a few hundred NK soldiers, all armed with plasma weapons that could easily kill anybody they managed to hit with just a single blast.
It was already mid afternoon by the time we made it down to the last area, but once we hopped out, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. This could work.
The area was on a road called Colonial Parkway that ran directly parallel to the water. The York River was close enough the destroyer would be able to get right up to the area, and there was a peninsula of land surrounded by two small bridges on either side.
If we could trap the NK troops in that little peninsula, that was our best bet. They’d have water on three sides, and my team on the fourth. There would be nowhere for them to go.
I smiled as I stood in the road and looked around.
“I like this place,” I said with a grin in Paige’s direction.
“Oh, thank God,” the brunette laughed.
“Seems you’ve redeemed yourself for now,” Anna teased.
“I’ll take it,” Paige chuckled.
“It’s going to be dark in just an hour or so,” Bailey reminded me. “Should we head back to camp?”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “We can survey the area more tomorrow and formulate our plan, but I don’t want us out past dark. Let’s get going.”
The girls all hopped back in the jeep, and I headed down Colonial Parkway and followed Paige’s directions to get us back to the soda factory we were camped out at. The sun dipped below the horizon as we drove, and I knew Bailey was right, it would only be a little while until the sun was fully set.
The fact that it was fall was both a blessing and a curse. It meant we had more time during darkness to take out our opponents, but it would also mean the same thing for them.
Luckily, we were two steps ahead of the Boston troops, so I didn’t think that would be an issue, but the perpetual darkness still made me a bit nervous.
We made it back home pretty quickly, and once we arrived, we headed over to the fire to warm ourselves up.
Tara sat next to me and sucked on a piece of the crystalized ginger Minji had given her while Paige sat on my other side and held her feet out to the flames to warm them.