by Connor Mccoy
Jubilee didn’t have to say anything. She followed her brother as he turned to flee back to the fence.
In minutes they reached the fence. Courtney was on the other side, but the two of them did not even greet her before they started climbing up.
“What happened?” she asked.
“We found a lot of people back there!” Jubilee replied through huffs.
“Yeah.” Brandon slipped a little but regained his hold. “We got to tell Dad! I don’t know if there are bad guys back there, but he’s got to know!”
Chapter Eight
Sheryl smiled as Jacob sat in the dining room chair. “So, did your kids escape with their skin intact?”
Jacob would have laughed if the matter at hand was not so serious. In a sense, he was proud of his kids for the way they handled themselves in the forest, but he was not pleased that they climbed over the fence and scouted beyond the farm’s property line without telling Jacob and Domino their plans. If anything had happened, Jacob would not have known where to start searching for them.
“Slightly singed,” Jacob responded. “I did let them know my thoughts about their adventure in no uncertain terms. But they did give us some valuable info. So, now we have to figure out what to do with it.”
Domino and Sheryl were seated on either side of Jacob in the dining room. Jacob had invited no one else. This was a matter for the adults of the household.
“Say, is Josephine coming?” Sheryl looked past Jacob to the dining room door. “It seems a little weird that she’s not here.”
“I think we need to bat this around by ourselves first,” Jacob said. “Besides, I don’t want to alarm Josephine. She might think we have some bad actors at our door, and you know how flighty she’s been sounding.”
“Ah. You’re afraid she might take off with Krysta and her boys,” Sheryl said.
“That definitely crossed my mind.” Jacob rested his elbows on the table, his hands bracing his cheeks. “We can’t escape it. If these people aren’t on the run, if they’re camped out close by, we need to know what their game is. They might be from Skylar. They sound as though they’re refugees at least.”
“Well, we should just check them out ourselves,” Domino said.
“I was thinking the same thing. We’ll bring along some food and water to barter with. Actually, we better stock up on medicine. If they’re hurt or sick, they’ll definitely need some,” Jacob said.
“I just wish we knew who they were before we actually talk to them. If they turn out to be bad guys…” Sheryl’s voice dropped off as she tilted her head back. “You know, Krysta or Josephine could tell us. If we brought them along and we hide out, say behind a tree or something, and watch them, they could tell us if we ought to haul butt away from them.”
“Careful, sis, you’re starting to think like us,” Jacob said. “It’s not a bad idea, but we can’t bring Krysta. She’s been through enough. I hate to say it, but Josephine could be a big help to us. But we won’t tell her until we’re about ready to go. I don’t want to give her time to think about running.”
“Sounds like I get to be the lord of the manor again,” Sheryl said.
Jacob declared the meeting over, allowing Sheryl to leave the room. She was eager to get back to her hourglass project with Brandon and the kids. Jacob figured that Domino would want to make her final rounds before preparing for bed, but she hung around. “You’ve got something else on your mind,” she said.
Jacob sat back in his chair. “If these people Brandon found are the anarchists who have been hitting up towns, we’re going to be in big trouble. What if they decide to hit us? Doms, these people burned a town to the ground. How are we going to fight off that many people?”
Domino rubbed the side of her hand. Even she was struggling for words. “I-I don’t know.”
“You see our problem.” Jacob ran his hands through his hair. “There’s just no way we can defend this place. Us, the kids, Sheryl, it’s not nearly enough. And I’m sure even if we drove them off, we’d probably pay too heavy a price for it.”
“Then what do you think we should do?” Domino asked.
Jacob looked at the wooden paneling on the dining room walls. It looked about as beautiful as when he first put it up. It made it all the harder to voice his answer. “We may have to pack up and run.”
“Leave the house? Forever?”
“Doms, we may have no choice. I’m just saying we have to think about it. I’m not going to put our family through a fight they can’t win, and our kids shouldn’t have to die for this house.”
He stood up from his chair. “I’m very proud of this place. I sunk so much money and time into it.” He ran a finger down the wood paneling. “This was our great escape from our old lives.” He sighed. “But it’s just material. It’s just wood, drywall, concrete. Even with so much gone I still could replace this home with another one, but I never could replace you or the kids.”
Domino strolled up beside him. “I know.” She leaned up against him. “I just know it’ll still crush you to give up this place.”
Jacob felt he might know that one way or the other by tomorrow.
Jacob feared his sleeping schedule would not return to normal, but to his relief he managed to awaken the next day before the sun rose. He left his room while trying to stifle as much noise as possible. He wanted to eat quickly so he could prepare for today’s mission.
But when he got to the kitchen, he discovered Josephine inside, fully dressed in some of Domino’s clothing, seated in a chair as if waiting for him.
“Good morning,” she said, “would you like some scrambled eggs and hash browns with a side of beef?”
Jacob cleared his throat. “That’s very neighborly of you, but I can prepare my breakfast. Besides, you’re a guest.”
“The question is written all over your face.” Josephine put her boots down on the floor. “‘What am I doing up and in your kitchen?’ Actually, I’d like to ask what you’re up to.” She reached behind her and picked up a topographical map, mostly folded up. “Someone was a little busy last night. Planning on going on a trip?”
Jacob reached down and took it. “Not very far. It’s more like a scouting run. But you figured that out, didn’t you?”
“So, what is it? A little sightseeing? Or is there something else going on?” Josephine asked.
“Actually, I was thinking of asking you to join us.” Jacob fiddled with the map. “It seems we have some new neighbors. Domino’s first thought was to go out there with a welcome cake, but I thought we would get an advance opinion first.”
“Mine?” Josephine rose to her feet. “Why me? Who do you think is out there?”
“We don’t know who is out there. That’s our problem. It could be the refugees from Skylar, or it could be the people you tangled with. Either way, I need to know, and you might know these people on sight.”
Josephine looked down at her boots. Jacob couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Was she planning to reject his offer outright? Did she want to flee the farm with Krysta and the boys?
“I’m not exactly looking forward to tussling with those SOBs again,” she said slowly.
“We have plenty of ammo, enough to fight our way out of there if we have to,” Jacob said.
“That’s one hell of a promise,” Josephine said.
“It’s not a promise at all.” Jacob sighed. “Maybe I didn’t word that right. The truth is, I don’t know what we’re going to find. But you’re the best chance I have of finding out if my family’s in imminent danger. You’ve got people you want to protect, don’t you? If you try to leave with Krysta and the boys, you don’t know from minute to minute who’s going to spring out from the forest. At least if you know if they’re friendly, maybe the same people you met in Skylar, you’ll have a chance to move on to wherever you want to go.”
Josephine sucked in her bottom lip. “How long do you plan on stepping out?”
“Not long. I think this should take a few ho
urs. Sheryl and the kids can look after Krysta and her boys until we get back.”
“You sure she and your kids can hold down this fort? Are they ready to put a bullet in someone’s head if the time comes?”
Jacob tried answering without hesitation. His children and Sheryl had been involved in gun battles. Sheryl had taken out one of Sykes’s men. So, there should be no doubt. It was just that the image of them pulling their guns on other human beings disturbed him.
It’s gruesome, but necessary, he thought.
“They’ll do what it takes to defend Krysta and the boys.” Jacob pumped as much firmness into his voice as he could.
As Jacob, Domino and Josephine strolled through the forest, Domino leaned into Jacob’s ear to whisper, “Whatever you told her, it worked.”
Jacob allowed himself some pride in his accomplishment. Josephine had agreed to come along, provided that Jacob and Domino arm her. And by arming her, Josephine meant she wanted to see their weapons and pick from them. Jacob indulged her for the sake of time. Josephine would not be comfortable unless she chose as she saw fit.
Jacob stole a glance at the fence behind him. The barrier marked the dividing line between this forest and his farmland. He remembered that it had not been enough to keep Jimmy Sykes off his property. His earlier conversation with Domino resurfaced in his mind. If there truly is an army of hostiles nearby…
He pushed it away and paid attention to the land before him.
They soon found the tracks that Brandon had discovered. They followed them, but slowly, taking care not to make a lot of noise. Jacob was impressed by Josephine. The woman knew how to step so as to not produce sounds.
The trail led to a small gathering of people staggered in twos or threes. Jacob and his party ducked behind a large tree trunk and observed from a distance. It was pretty far away. Details on these people were sparse. Jacob could tell they wore dirty, ragged clothes, but it was nearly impossible to make out faces. He couldn’t tell if desperate people or hardened killers lurked inside those clothes.
“What do you think?” Jacob whispered to Josephine.
Josephine confirmed Jacob’s fears. “This is too far away. I can’t recognize any of them.”
Jacob checked the land around them. “We’ll have to get in closer,” he said.
A loud crunch of leaves drew all three of them to turn their heads, but a gruff male voice said, “Stop right there.”
Jacob had turned just enough to spot three figures, all men, who were holding shotguns to their backs. These three somehow had discovered Jacob and his party and snuck around without being detected. They wore cloths over their mouths, but otherwise did not appear menacing beyond their firearms. All three of them looked thin, with one man seeming practically gaunt.
No wonder I didn’t hear them until they were on top of us, Jacob thought. These guys barely have any body weight.
But before Jacob, Domino or Josephine could protest, a familiar voice cackled through the woods. “Hey now, what have you boys got? Nabbed some home invaders?” The woman soon revealed herself from a path to their left.
“Mrs. Kennan?” Domino called out.
The Irish lady laughed. “Oh my word, it’s you two! And the woman who was out like a light. Glad to see you’re up, Child.” Mrs. Kennan gestured to the three men. “Put those shooters away! These are my friends. Well, two of them anyway. I don’t have a clue about the missy with them.”
The three men let their firearms drop to their sides. From there, they pulled down their masks, revealing thin, sunken-in faces. Domino gasped. Even Josephine, with her widening eyes, was shocked at their appearance.
Mrs. Kennan walked up to the tallest of the men. “Gavin here helps patrol the folks to keep watch for bad guys. Oh, I gave them some of your pointers, Jacob. You know how you’ve always been feeding me that survivalist stuff. These boys here just ate it up.” Mrs. Kennan scratched her chin. “Gavin, what did you used to be? Before the EMP hit and all.”
Gavin smiled. “Uh, a web graphics designer.”
“Yeah, I bet a web graphics designer spends a lot of time out in the woods, huh?” Mrs. Kennan cackled. “So, what are you all up to?”
Jacob quickly filled in Mrs. Kennan on what they were doing out here, all to get to the part where their friend would tell her side of the story. “So, how did you meet up with these people?” he asked as they strolled through the woods toward the crowd of survivors.
“I spotted one of them trying to pick fruit from a tree. The poor thing saw me coming and fell into a bush. That was the tiny one back there, Alvin. Anyway, I bound up his bruise with a rag and let him lead me to the rest of them.” She waved to various survivors as they passed by. “Poor things aren’t exactly bursting with a lot of food and water. Those three boys get a morsel so that the old, sick and the kiddies get to eat more.”
“My God,” Domino said.
A middle-aged man with a salty beard waved toward Josephine while calling out her name. Turning her head, Josephine replied back. “Hey! Marco!” She quickly told Jacob and Domino, “He’s Marco Mantilla. He’s from Skylar. He covered me and Krysta and her family from gunfire.” After casting another look at him, Josephine grimaced. Marco’s leg was bound with a red-stained towel. “I guess you didn’t get away without taking a hit, Marco!”
Marco shook his head. “Telly had it far worse.”
Josephine seemed to guess what he meant. “I’m sorry,” she said. Marco waved his right hand sadly.
Returning her attention to Jacob and Domino, Josephine said, “We didn’t have a lot of notice. They were on the town in less than an hour, but we were up and ready. We didn’t hesitate. The man, even the teenage boys, we stood up and bought the women and kids time to get away.”
Although Jacob was relieved they had not run into the anarchists out here, hearing about the stand these people had taken didn’t help. He still didn’t know if the anarchists were close by or how many they were. “I hope we run into their leader, or at least somebody who knows what happened to the people who attacked Skylar,” he said.
“I know of one young man who stuck his neck out further than all of them,” Mrs. Kennan said, “Oh, these folks here talk about him a lot. I asked about him.” She picked up the pace to get ahead of Jacob’s party. “In fact, I think he’s resting over here.” She changed course to their left. Jacob, Domino and Josephine, along with the men, followed her.
As Mrs. Kennan approached a man seated in the shadow of a large oak tree, Jacob’s heart quickened. Soon he might learn the status of the attackers. Were most of them killed? Did they run away, battered in defeat?
Mrs. Kennan slowed up. “Hey! I got some visitors for you! Hope you’re feeling up to chatting with them.”
The crowd of people was thicker the closer Jacob drew to the sitting man. He must be a big deal to these people, as many of the survivors seemed to want to gather around him.
As the sun’s light dissipated the shadow under the tree, revealing the man’s face fully, Jacob’s hand rapidly reached for his gun. He knew this man.
He realized they all were in serious danger.
“Jacob!” Domino cried as Jacob pulled out his gun.
Several of the nearby men quickly closed in on Jacob, blocking the man with their bodies. “Hey!” one of them cried.
“Whoa, Jacob!” Mrs. Kennan jumped back, nearly tripping over a tree root.
“Doms, Josephine, get back!” Jacob’s gun was aimed at the man, though two men blocked the way any bullet could get to him. “That’s Trang Nguyen! That’s the man who rules over Middleburg!”
Chapter Nine
“He is?” Domino reached for her gun, but the nearby men called to her to stay back and for Jacob to put down his gun. Mrs. Kennan also called for the two Averys to stand down.
Jacob’s veins pumped hot blood. He didn’t care that he was surrounded by armed men, nor did he heed Mrs. Kennan’s calls. Trang Nguyen was a serious danger. This was the man who had corralle
d armed men in the town of Middleburg and turned them into an army of raiders.
He would send them into nearby towns to look for supplies and bring them back. However, Trang also would assign men, called Reapers, to murder men when they had served their purpose. It was a lesson learned from a militia called Sons of Chen that had held court in a section of southern Asia. The militia had used brutal methods to control the local population and enrich themselves on the local resources. Trang Nguyen, not considering the morality of his actions, adopted some of the militia’s ways to keep control of Middleburg.
What this man was doing out here in the woods, he could not say, nor did he care. He just knew that he had to eliminate a dangerous threat to his family.
“Whoa!” Josephine stepped in front of Jacob. “Put that gun away!”
“Josephine, you don’t know this man!” Jacob barked.
“I know a lot more than you might think. Now put down the gun and let me explain it to you,” Josephine said.
“He’s a murderer and a tyrant!” Jacob protested.
“I know what he did! Believe me, you’re not going to surprise me! What you don’t know is that he helped save a lot of these people!” Josephine pointed to the crowd. “These men are liable to blow your sorry ass away if you try to kill him.”
“No kidding,” Mrs. Kennan added. “Jacob, these folks owe him their lives. You better do as she says.”
Jacob scanned the sea of faces before him. They looked determined enough to kill, but not so hardened that they seemed like wanton murderers.
With a sigh, Jacob lowered his gun. “Alright,” he said with a calm but intense tone. “But you had better make it clear why this man isn’t any danger to my family. Because he is way too close to my home for comfort.”
Josephine nodded. “Alright.” She glanced at the men, who also lowered their firearms, although they did not walk away from Trang’s spot. “Here’s the deal.”