As the men talked, Jacob watched Laura work in the kitchen, returning items to their place and chatting with the other women. She turned away from a stove and made eye contact with Jacob, casting him a knowing smile before turning back to finish.
“What about reinforcements?” Masterson asked, forcing Jacob to look back across the table at the scarred man.
Rogers scooped another spoonful of the stew before continuing for him. “A group of others responded, gold shirts, yellow sleeves. Later, some heavies showed up. They were different, bigger. Blue uniforms with red chest plates, heavier rifles. Then more vehicles with red turrets—probably their version of a quick reaction force. We were planning to let them pass,”—Rogers shook his head—“but some unit on the far side of the valley engaged them—”
Masterson frowned and cut him off with a loud sigh. “Echo Company,” he said. “Explains the gunfire we heard and why they missed the rendezvous. We traveled separate. We went south of the road, Echo north. I figure that would have put them in the spot you’re talking about.”
Rogers finished the stew and pushed the bowl away from him, wiping his face with his sleeve. “They put up a fight, but it didn’t do no good. Those things opened up with some big guns, crazy shit like we’ve never seen before. Last glimpse I got, they were chasing them toward Meaford.”
“Doesn’t surprise me; The Colonel was always itching for a fight,” Clem added.
“Who?” Jacob asked.
Masterson used a chunk of bread to catch the last of his stew. “Our battalion commander; solid officer and good guy. He’s in charge of all the training companies. I know he’s been looking for a fight since they relieved him off the line and put him in charge of training.”
“How many did he have with him?” Rogers asked.
“Not many. Forty… maybe fifty trainees, another dozen instructors. Hell, we’re all that’s left. Only thing that spared us from the bombing is that we were far enough from the main base when they dropped that shit. Colonel Grady rode out with the training company. I had most of the support guys and half the instructors. We ran into a small group of the base security forces, and they told us about you all making it for the outpost, so we joined up with them and moved out.”
Rogers shook his head slowly, understanding. “Any other survivors?”
“’Fraid not, the base is a total loss. I plan to move back down the road toward friendly lines tomorrow. See if we can find a safe place. I’m going to need some of your scouts,” Masterson said.
“There’s no scouts. Counting Jesse with his neck wound, there are only four of us that made it out.”
Masterson rubbed at the stubble on his chin and looked at the three tired men across from him. “Then, I guess you’re it. Be ready to move at first light.”
Chapter Sixty-One
It was impossible for him to sleep with the gunfire and explosions rumbling like a distant thunderstorm. Roaring concussions rattled the roof and windows of the small block house. The enemy—the things—were getting closer. His mind screamed for him to grab his family and run, but he knew he couldn’t; they would never survive alone.
Jacob lay awake; he tossed and turned then flipped onto his back hard before pulling the heavy blanket from his chest. He rolled off of the makeshift sleeping mat and pushed up to a seated position, leaning against the wall. His mind raced with thoughts of despair and dread. If this really was an alien invasion, how would they ever last the winter?
Katy and Laura remained soundly asleep beside him, nestled against the wall under heavy blankets. A low glow from the woodstove in the corner emitted the only light. Men snored away; a soldier by the front entrance stood watch, and Jacob watched the man fill a tin cup from a blue coffee pot.
“They’re fighting again,” Laura whispered.
Jacob turned to look down at her, putting his hand on her shoulder as he nodded his reply.
“How long has it been going on?” she asked.
Another distant impact shook the rafters. “Couple of hours, maybe… Don’t worry, it’s not close.” Jacob put his head back and looked at the ceiling. “The cloud cover and valley just make it seem like it.”
“You’re going back out, aren’t you?”
He forced a smile and nodded as his hand squeezed her shoulder. She moved closer, letting her head rest in his lap. Jacob could see the swelling in her eyes, knowing she had cried when the stories of the base’s destruction sped through their meager camp. He dropped his arms on her shoulders and felt her trembling.
“I’ll go if they’ll take me. This isn’t like before; we have to stay ahead of them to survive.”
Laura moved, reaching up to grasp his hands. “Why do you have to go?”
He sighed, squeezing her hands. “This isn’t something we can hide from.”
She turned her head to look up at him but didn’t speak, and she closed her eyes while pulling his hands to her cheeks.
“We’re going to have a look around. I’ll be back then we can leave and find some place safe,” Jacob whispered.
“I know you’ll be fine. I just want us to be together.”
Before the others woke, Jacob followed the men out of the block house and into the cold morning air. He felt the near freezing temperatures bite at his neck and pulled up the collar of his shirt. He caught a whiff of cigarette smoke mixed with the brisk morning air. Turning his head, he saw Buck with a wool blanket over his shoulders, a smoke in one hand, and a thermos cup in the other while Masterson and Rogers crowded around him.
“Have the bird prepped and ready when we get back,”
