Finally, she had met his eyes and started to calm down.
“Rachel, I will get Ethan to man the door. I will tell him to close the door and get to cover if any shooting starts. He will be safe.”
“But...” The fight had gone out of Rachel. She had looked more confused than upset.
“I promise, Rachel. Believe in me.” He’d thought for a second. “Christine needs you. Take care of her.” He’d let her go. She had moved off meekly, guided by her daughter.
Ethan now stood at the door. Joe completed the tally in his head, bringing their total to six armed people. They had the single man outgunned, but—
Damnit!
John and Mike had taken most of the experienced shooters with them on their expedition, and left home base practically unprotected. It was something that Joe would have to deal with for now but planned to bring up to John in case they went on any other expeditions.
No leaving home base undefended.
They continued to move closer to the gate. Joe was about to challenge the stranger, demanding to know what he wanted, when somebody behind him gasped.
“Brown? Is that you, mate?” Emily called out.
The man nodded. “Hi Emily.”
The trio picked up speed and rushed to the gate. Sure enough, it was the same soldier who had rescued his family just a few days ago, albeit with a good growth of facial hair.
“Dammit, son! Get in here,” Joe exclaimed as he opened the gate.
Ben stepped through, still holding his hands above his head.
“Put your hands down!” Joe drew the gate closed behind him. “We trust you.”
Ben didn’t lower his hands. “No, Mister Collins. I can’t be trusted.” He turned towards the confused looking Emily. “I’m here to turn myself in.”
THE NEWS HAD SPREAD like wildfire and just about everybody was in the cafeteria.
Ben had been disarmed and all his gear taken away. Romy stood a few feet behind him and off to the side. She held her rifle with both hands, her bearing showing none of the hesitation the others felt. She was prepared to shoot the soldier without compunction.
Joe and Emily sat directly opposite Ben. All the other residents occupied the surrounding tables. All except for Ethan and Maria, who were asked to keep a look out for any trouble, and Christine, who stayed with Melissa.
Shelley sat a couple of tables over from Ben. She saw the look on his face. He looked resigned. Defeated.
It took a minute for everybody to settle down. Joe didn’t know where to start once it got quiet. He looked over at Emily, who nodded and turned to Ben.
“OK, mate. Maybe you should start at the beginning.”
Ben nodded ever so slightly, his face a mask of impassivity, and took a deep breath. His eyes dropped to the tabletop in front of him as he started. “I am part of an organization called the Rosae Crucis.” Several people gasped. He stopped and looked up at his audience. “And we’re responsible for all of this.”
The way he said it left no illusions as to what he meant by “all of this.”
“That’s enough for me,” Romy said and raised her rifle.
The room erupted in shouts. Just about all of them were on their feet. Some shouted for Romy to put her gun down while others yelled at Ben.
For once, Joe’s booming voice came in handy.
“EVERYBODY JUST HOLD ON! SIT DOWN!”
He had also stood and now glared around him. Several people still muttered, but most quieted down and settled back into their seats.
“Look, the man gave himself up to us. Let’s at least find out what the hell happened. Dammit, Romy, put that gun down!” he added when he saw that Romy had Ben in her sights.
She reluctantly lowered her weapon.
Ben had not moved since making his admission. His expression was still neutral.
Q wasn’t done, though. He stood next to his table at the back of the room, his hands clenched in fists. Everybody turned when he spoke.
“You killed my parents?” It wasn’t a question as much as an accusation. He took a step forward, his hands still clenched and his eyes on Ben. “They didn’t do nothin’ to you, man.” He hesitated, suddenly looking around and noticing that everybody was watching him. “Yo, man. This guy needs to get fucking shot. No! We should fucking tie him up and throw him to the zombies.”
He shot a look of pure hatred at Ben. Shelley could see that not everybody disagreed with the young man.
“Q, Sit down. We’re going to hear him out. Then we’ll decide what to do with him.” Joe stepped in front of Ben, blocking Q’s view.
“I don’t care what he has to say, yo. Fucking take him out!” Q was losing his composure. Unbeknownst to him, he had started to cry.
Joe just shook his head. “No, Q. He has also saved a bunch of our lives. We’re not going to ‘take him out.’ We need information first.”
Shelley was impressed at the big man’s composure. He’d managed to stay calm, while half the room around him raged. It almost seemed out of character to Shelley, as Joe had so often been the flashpoint rather than the voice of reason.
Becoming aware of the tears streaming down, Q wiped his face. Nancy reached for him, but he shrugged her off and stalked out of the room. Everybody watched him leave before turning back to Joe.
The big man looked around the room for any more challenges. Then, satisfied with what he saw, he lowered himself into his seat and faced Ben.
“You’re going to have to give us more than that, Ben,” he said. “How did you get involved with this...?”
“Rosae Crucis,” Ben said. “It’s an offshoot from the order of the Rose and Cross. You know, the Rosicrucians? Freemasons? The Knights Templar?”
Joe merely nodded, much to Ben’s surprise. “Yes. We know about that. Go on.”
“As to how I got involved with them...” Ben hesitated. “My uncle and my grandfather belonged to
