Jim, Tate, Anton, Bruce, and even Dal appreciated the analogy. They exchanged grim nods, all of them seeing the possibility of the play against the Russians.
Jennifer and Lena, however, frowned at one another.
“So basically,” Jennifer said, “half of us will make a distraction to keep the Russians occupied during the broadcast?”
“Exactly.” Leo’s mind formed the play in his head. “Dal and Lena will go to Guy’s. Dal, will you need a bigger team?”
“Smaller is better,” Dal said. “We’re going to have to sneak through downtown. A small group has a better chance of slipping through undetected.”
“Agreed.” Lena slipped underneath Dal’s arm. “We’ve already proven we’re a good team.” She kissed his cheek. Dal’s arm tightened around her.
There was an inevitability to the affection between them. Leo liked seeing it. It was the only good thing to come of the communist invasion. His father would no doubt approve.
“It’s settled,” Leo said. “Dal and Lena will go to Guy’s. The rest of us will cause the distraction. We’ll do it at the high school.”
“The high school?” Anton said. “It’s crawling with infected.” There was a shadow behind his words as he said this.
Leo knew he was thinking of the varsity football friends he’d lost in the initial invasion. He felt for his brother. They had a homeland to defend.
“Yes, the high school,” Leo said. “The more infected, the better. They’ll add to the chaos. We know the high school better than the Russians ever will. We can use that to our advantage. Plus, the school is on the edge of town and close to the apple orchards. It’s ideal for slipping in and out.”
He picked up a stick and began sketching on the ground. He drew the various buildings, as well as the football field, pool, and tennis courts. Everyone gathered around him.
“Three teams of two at the high school,” Leo said. “We take up positions on the buildings where the zombies can’t reach us. Jim and Tate, you take the cafeteria.” He stabbed the cafeteria with his stick. “Anton and Bruce, you guys will take the football bleachers. Jennifer, you’re with me on the theater building.”
He didn’t look at Jennifer when he spoke, not wanting her to guess he was teaming up with her because she didn’t know how to shoot. If shit went sideways, he wanted to make sure he was there to keep her safe. Thank God she didn’t argue when he cast the assignments.
Leo traced his stick down the line that represented the narrow street that separated the main campus from the football field and the other sport areas. “We draw the Russians onto this road and give them hell from both sides. We’ll have the upper ground and the advantage of surprise. They won’t know what hit them.”
“There’s just one problem with your plan,” Lena said. “Besides the two machine guns Dal and I brought back from Rossi, all we have are rifles and a few hand guns. That’s not enough for what you’re planning. High ground or not, the Russians will show up and overwhelm you guys. They have more firepower and more men.”
Nonna surprised everyone by saying, “I can take care of that problem. Leo, take the boys and go downstairs. Get the emergency supplies and bring them in the cabin. Girls, grab your aprons.”
“What are we doing?” Anton asked.
Nonna paused on the foot of the stairs. “We’re making bombs.”
Chapter 32Cookbook
LEO WAS PRETTY SURE he hadn’t heard his grandmother correctly. Or that she was so consumed with grief that she wasn’t thinking straight.
Despite this, he dutifully went into the storage room beneath the cabin. It was nothing more than wooden walls and a cement floor. Leo and Anton had been given the task of insulating the room a few summers ago. They kept a lot of hunting supplies in here, including spare ammo and guns.
Tucked in the far corner were large burlap sacks his father had brought up here around the same time he’d made the brothers insulate the room. The words Emergency Supplies were written with a bright red permanent marker on each sack.
Leo never paid much attention to sacks, assuming they were filled with rice or beans or something along those lines. But now that his grandmother had declared they were going to make bombs, he wasn’t so sure.
She didn’t really want to make bombs, did she? Did she even know how to make bombs? She’d spoken of surviving the Nazis as a little girl in Italy, but she’d never once talked about making bombs.
“Which ones does she want?” Jim asked, surveying the large burlap sacks.
“All of them, I guess,” Leo replied.
Jim gave Leo a sidelong look. “Hey man, I’m sorry about your dad. He was a great guy.”
“Me, too, dude.” Tate’s jaw was set. “Those assholes all need to die.”
“Yeah,” Bruce said. “We’ll make the Soviet bastards pay.”
Leo’s throat went tight. Anton blinked rapidly.
“Damn straight.” Leo wasn’t sure what might happen if he said anything else, so he grabbed the nearest emergency sack and hustled outside with it. If he were busy and moving, he didn’t have to think about his dad.
The other guys followed, all lugging the big fifty pound sacks.
“What’s in here?” Jim called. “Salt?”
“Don’t know.” Leo’s sack didn’t feel like it contained salt. Whatever was inside was a finer grain, like flour.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Bruce asked. “This is your place, man.”
“Nonna and Dad used this place for extra storage. I don’t know what they brought up here.”
When he entered the kitchen with the other
