Rita and Carlos were too weak. There was no way they could follow him around the camp and ID the bodies, at least not in a timely manner. But Martin looked like he could manage.
“So you’ve been here about a week?” Ben asked.
“Something like that. To be honest, I’ve lost track of time here. Feels like I’ve been here a lot longer.” Martin rubbed his face as he took stock of his surroundings.
“How many moonshiners do you think there were?”
“Had to be a dozen or so. I figured it’s a couple families running the place. Even the kids are in on it.” Martin shook his head. “They’re animals, all of them. They deserve to die.” He cut his eyes at Emma and Bradley and then back at Ben. “Sorry.”
“Well, there aren’t many left now,” Ben said. “We can account for ten of them.”
“What about the others? Have they shown up yet?” Martin asked.
Ben straightened up. “What others?”
“The other moonshiners from the other camps.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ben’s blood ran cold at the news that there were other compounds like this one.
“What are you talking about?” He stepped toward Martin and shot a worried look at Sandy.
“I’ve seen them meet with other groups of people to trade moonshine and the other stuff they take from people.”
“How far are these other camps?” Ben asked.
“No idea. But I’ve noticed them do it a few times since I’ve been here.”
Ben turned toward Rita and Carlos. “Is this true?”
“Yes, I would have said something, but I didn’t think much of it,” Rita said apologetically.
Ben couldn’t believe that she had neglected to share that very important piece of information with him. But then again, given the couple’s physical state, they were doing the best they could. He couldn’t be mad at them for something they had no control over.
But this changed things, or maybe it didn’t. They had no way of knowing how far away these other camps were. Maybe there was enough distance between this compound and the others for the still explosion to go unnoticed. Ben couldn’t rely on a maybe, though. They were going to have to be ready for anything and assume the other moonshiners knew. And now there was even more of a reason to hurry up, recover their stuff, and get out of here as quickly as possible.
Even if there were only two other camps with about the same number of moonshiners as here, that was way more people than they could handle. They wouldn’t fare well in a firefight against twenty-plus attackers, especially without the element of surprise on their side. They were lucky to accomplish what they had here. He didn’t want to roll the dice on another encounter if he could help it. His earlier thoughts of revenge and his plans for making sure these people weren’t able to do this to others suddenly took a back seat to his family’s safety.
As much as he wanted to see this place obliterated and leave no stone unturned when it came to eradicating this trash from the face of the earth, he didn’t want to put his kids in harm’s way any more than was necessary. And the longer they stuck around, the more those odds increased. Ben fought to quiet the voice inside that told him to cut their losses and get as far away from here as they could, and as fast as they could, right now.
That would have been the easy thing to do, but it wouldn’t be very smart. They needed every ounce of gear and food they came here with or they might not make it to Colorado. But there was also a little emotion involved with that decision as well. He wasn’t about to leave behind the things Jack had given them, and he wanted to set an example for the kids. You couldn’t always run from your problems. It was important to choose your battles carefully but equally important to stand your ground and fight for what was yours once the commitment was made.
This post-apocalyptic world they were living in wasn’t meant for indecision or weakness, and those who suffered from either wouldn’t last long. They would recover their gear and leave only when that was done. But first things first: Ben had to make sure the rest of the compound was secure.
“Martin, you feel up to tagging along with us?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Joel, come with me. Allie, Sandy, see if you can find them some food and water. But don’t wander into areas we haven’t cleared yet.” Ben turned to Rita, who had found a place to sit and rest next to her husband. “We’ll get you guys taken care of as soon as we can.”
“I know you will. You’re good people, Ben. Thank you.” Rita leaned against her husband and smiled as best as she could.
Ben hated to leave Sandy and the kids behind, but they’d move a lot faster and quieter without them. Emma was put in charge of keeping Sam and Bajer back with Sandy and the others while Ben, Joel, and Gunner led Martin around to the bodies and explored the rest of the camp.
Ben’s ultimate goal was to eventually make their way up to where the vehicles were parked so they could see how much gear had been stripped from the Jeep and Blazer. With any luck, there would still be ammunition buried under the less important stuff in the back and he and Joel could reload. He didn’t have high hopes for finding much intact from their packing efforts a couple of days ago at Jack’s.
