“Such as?”
“A missile.”
“Excuse me?”
“She didn’t seem entirely clear what the device was, but whatever it was, we need to be concerned. These are not people who should have access to that kind of weaponry.”
“Trevor, they have us outnumbered. If they’d wanted to attack, they would have done this by now.”
“It’s not us I’m thinking about. They could take full control of the city, maybe more.”
Cecil’s voice softened. “It pains me to say this, but it’s not our job to save the world—or even the city or neighborhood. The world is already in chaos. It will stay that way regardless of what we do. The best we can do is protect ourselves, and dammit, if you look around at all the men we’ve lost recently, we haven’t been doing a great job of that.”
“But this woman’s family—” Hatfield stopped himself before launching into a rebuttal. “Okay, I understand.”
After a tap on the arm, the captain stepped away, leaving his honorary lieutenant with a headful of troubling thoughts. He glanced across the living room, catching sight of Jade and her family, their faces showing polite smiles. But it wasn’t clear what kind of panic may have lurked beneath them. His mind raced in circles, looking for a way to make things happen.
But it wouldn’t be easy. As much as he wanted to help this woman and her family, he knew in his heart that Cecil was right. The world was now a different place, a dangerous place that was awash in chaos and insanity. The question wasn’t just should they save the world, but could they?
25
After the middle-of-the-night interruption and the intense episode that ensued, more sleep was hard to come by. Hatfield stepped out of the compound without a sound, not sure what he was hoping for. An idea to help Jade’s family? A way to crush the gang at the barn? Any of these things would have been nice. But he’d happily settle for an encouraging word.
He approached the guard out front, hands up so as not to startle him. The guard turned, rifle waist-high. “I come in peace, brother. Lazenby, right?”
Lazenby chuckled. “Yeah. Didn’t mean to draw on you, buddy. Just a reflex.”
“No worries.”
“Out here for a smoke break?”
“No. Can’t sleep. Through about getting some target practice, but after all the drama lately, gunshots in the middle of the night may not make me the most popular guy around here.”
Lazenby looked at him. “So… I overheard that conversation you were having with the captain about the family.”
Hatfield studied the young guy’s face, wondering if the two of them agreed on it. “Tough call, isn’t it?”
“You’re right. I get where the captain’s coming from. I mean, we are limited in our recourses here but, there’s got to be something we can do.”
“There is.”
The guard squinted his eyes. “Like what?”
“Stick with me tomorrow morning. I’ll give you the details then.”
Lazenby’s puzzled look remained.
“You are with me on this, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, completely. I mean… long as it doesn’t get me into any hot water or anything.”
“No hot water. You won’t do anything that isn’t ordered by me. I’m the one risking hot water, understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That’s not to say there’s no risk at all with my plan. Just not a risk of you getting into trouble with Captain Payne. Are you ready for that?”
“I am, sir. It’s not like the risk is something that can be avoided these days anyway. It’s just a part of the scenery.”
Hatfield scanned the landscape and nodded.
AT BREAKFAST, the kitchen was hopping with so many bodies moving in and out. And all that commotion meant nobody would notice half a canister of rice missing as well as a few eggs and a little wheat.
He knew Cecil’s point about limited resources was well-intentioned but misguided. Yes, food was always in danger of running low, but it wasn’t truly scarce. The plants and chickens were still around and still adding to the supply. Also, as unpleasant as it was to think about, the death of the recently killed homesteaders made food supplies less limited than they ordinarily would be.
After stuffing a few things into his backpack and tossing it into the bedroom, he stopped Cecil in the hallway and pulled him aside. “Captain, about Jade and her family.”
“Yes?” he answered, arms crossed, face stern.
“Would it be possible to escort the woman home—just to make sure there’s no danger waiting for her there?”
“Long as you don’t do it alone. You recall what happened the last time someone made that mistake.”
“I understand. And yes, Lazenby is joining us, and we plan on taking every precaution.”
“I hope so,” Cecil said. “We’ve lost some good men. We do not need to lose any more.”
Hatfield nodded, then ducked into the room, scooped up his backpack, and waited at the door for Jade’s family. He saw Lazenby step out of the kitchen, sharing a subtle nod with him, then, after strapping on his own full backpack, joining him at the door.
“Ready to do this?” Hatfield asked him.
“Sure am.”
“Looks like you’re forgetting a couple of things.”
Lazenby looked at his empty hands. “Sorry, be right back.” He moved into the artillery room and emerged with two rifles.
Hatfield lifted his, held it in his left hand for a second, still feeling a little uneasy with his hand. But perfection wasn’t possible or needed. “Lovely. Now, all we need is the family we’ll be escorting home and we’re ready.”
Within seconds, Jade and her kids were there, ushered to the door by Cecil. The leader said to them, “We wish you all good luck.”
“Thank you so much for the help in our time of need,” the woman said.
“I believe you have Mr. Hatfield to thank for that,” he answered.
The group of them headed out of the compound, alert eyes on the landscape as they opened the front gate and stepped into the tall grass.
Noticing a tightening of her face, Hatfield said, “Don’t worry. We’ll make sure the place is secure before we take off.”
She faced him and sobbed, “Thank you so much,” her voice too weak to fully push the words through.
Lazenby said, “The captain has a good heart, ma’am. He really does. It’s just that… well, he’s not the most flexible individual in the world, is all. Far be it for me to speak ill of him, but it wouldn’t hurt him to adapt to circumstances a little. He’s old school military, everything strictly by the—”
Spotting something in the distance, Hatfield lifted both arms to stop them all in place. “Everybody down,” he said, voice hushed. The five of them lay in the grass, squinting into the horizon, trying to discern the images several yards away.
“Looks like a group headed to the bunker,” Lazenby said.
Jade gasped. “No, no, no,” she whimpered.
“Not the best timing in the world,” he added.
“No,” Hatfield said. “It’s perfect timing. It lets us know they're in there. All we have to do is wait them out.”
“Maybe we can ambush them while there in there. There are only about four or five of them. With the element of surprise with us, we can pick them off.”
“But that place is impenetrable, right, Jade?”
“It is when the door is properly locked,” she answered. “But it won’t close if you don’t have the proper code.”
Hatfield turned to Lazenby.
The younger man asked, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”
He didn’t reply right away. The last time a homesteader went to the bunker, the result was a nightmare, not to mention the risk to Jade and her kids. He took a deep breath, weighed the options. “Let’s get a closer look, make up our minds when we get there.”