For the first time since she fired the shot, Sandy finally broke eye contact with the body and turned to face Allie, then the rest of them.
“I’ll be okay,” she said flatly. Ben wasn’t buying it, but it didn’t matter. There was no time to stand around and talk about it right now. Sandy would have to put her emotions aside for the time being and do her best to stay focused. Ben stared at her until she turned his way again, and he gave her a look that hopefully conveyed that message.
She nodded at him and brought the AR-15 up from her side to hold it like she was prepared to use it again if need be. He was glad to see that and hoped she meant it.
“Let me see that.” Ben took the woman’s shotgun back from Joel. It was a simple pump action similar to one of Jack’s that Bradley had learned to hunt quail with.
“There’s one in the chamber and two in the tube,” Joel reported.
“Here you go.” Ben handed the gun to Bradley, whose eyes grew wide as he took the weapon in his hands and studied it.
“Can you handle that?” Ben asked.
“It’s just like Grandpa’s, right?”
“Exactly like Grandpa’s. I want you to keep the safety on but be ready to switch it off. Understand?”
“Yes.” Bradley swallowed hard and looked around at the others.
“Stay with your sister at all times,” Ben added.
Bradley nodded but continued to look the gun over. If Ben wasn’t mistaken, he spotted the hint of a smile on his son’s face. He wouldn’t win any father-of-the-year awards for giving a shotgun to a ten-year-old to defend himself with, but this was survival. Emma was older, and he thought about giving it to her, but Bradley had more experience with guns from hunting with Jack. Besides, judging by the look on Emma’s face, Ben figured that she wasn’t up to the task. And there was no way he was leaving them unarmed right now, not when they had the means to protect themselves. He couldn’t be everywhere at once. No one could.
Emma was going to have to carry a weapon at some point. The next chance they had, Ben would talk to her about it and figure out what she was most comfortable with. Carrying was the new norm, along with knowing how to use what you carried, at least for the foreseeable future, anyway. Even if the power came back on tomorrow and there was food and water for all, Ben doubted that life would return to normal.
Some people had crossed the line to survive, and there would be no coming back from the things they had done to others. He feared this was the new way of life for years to come. Only the strong and able would survive, and he would do everything in his power to make sure his kids were both.
Chapter Twelve
With everyone armed, including Bradley, the tables had turned in their favor. It didn’t mean they were in the clear, but they were well on their way.
“When can we go get the dogs?” Emma asked.
Ben had been waiting for her to ask that and was surprised it took so long. Both Sam and Gunner occasionally barked in the distance.
“How about right now?” Ben answered. He was worried about the dogs, too. If there were any moonshiners left—the two he’d seen near the cages came to mind—they might retaliate by hurting the dogs or maybe just shoot them to shut them up. Sandy and the kids had been the priority, but now that they were relatively safe, he could turn his attention to Gunner and Sam. The welfare of those dogs was just as important as anything else he could do for the kids, and in his opinion, they were crucial to helping them cope with the status quo.
Rita and her husband Carlos weren’t far from his thoughts, either, but they were safer in the container for the time being. He’d let them out, as well as the other guy, when they had things well under control in the compound. They seemed harmless, especially in their weakened state, and Ben hated to leave them locked in those disgusting, dank containers any longer than he had to, but he didn’t need any liabilities wandering around the camp.
“So what’s the plan now?” Allie asked.
“I think I want you guys to stay put while Sandy and I get the dogs.”
“Dad,” Joel protested.
“Joel, we still don’t know if there are more of them out there. It’s best if we move in small groups for now, and I want you kids to stay together back here by the cars. When we get back, we’ll let the others out of the containers. Then we’ll sweep the place, one container at a time, until we get all of our gear back. Don’t worry. There’s still plenty to do here.”
Joel sighed, and Ben was relieved to see him give in. They were all tired—apparently too tired to argue. Joel led Allie and his brother and sister back to an area behind the row of cars and took a position over the top of the Cadillac. Joel had a clear shot down the path the woman had used to sneak up on them, and Allie set up to face toward the still. Bradley and Emma hid out of sight, except Bradley watched through the back window of the car. Satisfied that the kids were all set, Ben and Sandy headed out.
Ben would have felt more confident if Joel was tagging along with him, and he felt bad about not asking him to, but he thought it would do Sandy some good to move to a new location. He hoped it would keep her occupied and her mind
