“I don’t either.”
She paused, looking away at the night sky. Her voice softened. “What did you see out there? Is it bad?”
“It’s the worst.”
“Then where will we go?”
Jacob held his breath, not knowing. He pressed his eyes closed and exhaled. “I don’t know. But the people I left with, they’re the good ones. I’ll follow them.”
“You trust them?”
Jacob paused, considering his answer. He had as much to lose as they did. They had no reason or motive to help him; in fact, they would be better off without him and his family to slow them down. The men had nothing but each other. Jacob considered her question. “Yes, they’re part of our family now. They’ll be here soon, you’ll see.”
The remains of Alpha squad, the Assassins, arrived three hours later with an impatient knock. When Jacob opened the door, it was still night. The golden globes put off an eerie glow that lit the street in an orange hue. He stepped onto the front stoop and looked up at the sky.
“Like jack-o-lanterns, aren’t they?” Rogers said.
He turned his gaze, finding them all there. Jesse, loopy from pain killers and his neck still wrapped. James, with his new scout dog, Duke, close beside them, were standing near the driveway. The bearded man knelt down and rubbed the dog’s ears. A late model Chevy Blazer, painted in a woodland camouflage pattern—the replacement for the green military Jeep—sat parked on the street, a matching pickup truck just behind it.
“Well? You going to invite us in?” James shouted.
“Yes, of course. Come on, guys, get in here.”
Jacob backed away, pulling the door open while they pushed in past him just as Laura drifted down the stairs from the second floor. Spotting them, she greeted them and introduced herself at the threshold. “Please… everyone come in, I’ll put on some coffee.”
James’ ears perked up. “Coffee? How about a beer?”
Biting her lower lip, Laura stared at the bearded man. Jacob stepped between them. “Ignore this guy. Coffee would be great, hun,” he said, ushering the men into the next room.
Laura nodded with a smile and turned away from them as the team worked their way into the small sitting room. With his back resting against the wall, Jacob watched them all find places around the sparsely furnished home. They were in better shape than the last time he saw them, cleaned up and in fresh uniforms. Jacob retrieved a chair from the dining room and brought it near the others.
Katy appeared at the top of the steps and looked down wearily, rubbing her eyes. Jacob was on his feet and fetched her, bringing her back to the sitting room with him. Laura returned and was handing out small cups of coffee. “Wish we could offer more, but the rations…” she said, setting the pot and tray of cups on a small table before quickly moving to her husband’s side.
Rogers grinned and dipped his head as he raised a cup. “Jacob, we need to talk about our next move.”
Katy squirmed, trying to escape Jacob’s arms, having taken notice of Duke across the room, curled into a ball at James’ feet. She pulled away and fell in beside the dog. James hoisted Katy onto his knee as the little girl tugged and yanked at Duke’s ears, Duke leaning into it and enjoying the child’s attention.
Jacob turned back to Rogers. “What’s the plan?”
“We don’t have an officer; our unit is on standby until they find a replacement for—” Rogers paused and swallowed hard. “We are on hold until we get a new CO. They want to keep us on the base, but I fought and finally got permission for us to refit at the outpost. I don’t think it’s safe here, or at least it won’t be shortly.”
Laura looked at Rogers. “The outpost?”
Rogers nodded. “A set of cabins close to here. It’s a safe place.”
Jacob stared at James, who appeared discouraged as he sat holding Katy, the dog leaning into them. “Where are Eve and the old man?” Jacob asked.
Rogers dipped his head and grinned. “They’re safe, caught a resupply bird back to the bunker an hour ago.”
“Well, maybe we should go there,” Jacob said.
“No; no way command would okay it. The outpost will work for now. Just an hour from here, it’s secluded. We have everything we need: a full pantry, fresh water source, shelter, and good communications. In reality, we have better access there than we do here.”
James shook his head. “Give me half a day; I’ll go secure us a bird and we can—”
Rogers took a deep breath. “I know, James, and we’ll get there. Listen, I read Captain Cole’s last report from the bunker. The dioxin is still holding the Deltas back. No reported pumpkin sightings since we left the area. Cole has a fire team holding there. Gloria and the kids are safe. It sounds ideal, but I’m not ready to just go rogue… not yet. And you know if we show up uninvited, Cole will send us back.”
James sat Katy down next to Duke and tossed up his hands. “Regardless, we need to get back. We should leave tonight while we’re all still in the clear,” he said. “Come on, man, you know things are about to go sideways. You willing to risk it all?”
Rogers clenched his jaw. “I’m working on it. I plan to get us all there in due time, but for now, making it to the outpost is the best play.”
Jacob reached to the window and drew back the curtain. Changing the subject, he asked, “So what are they?”
Rogers shook his head. “Don’t know. Space command tracked them coming in from behind the moon. They seemed to hit from all angles at once, then slowed down as they entered the atmosphere.
“Now they’re floating, and spreading over population centers. We have three over us right now. The Russians hit one with an S-300, knocked the hell out of it and forced it down. They sent out a
