I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “What were you thinking we’d need? It’s not like anyone here is trained to use guns safely. At least not that we know of and besides, some of the people here are quite new. Do we really trust them enough to arm them at this point?”
“I’m betting more will fight than you think. Everyone here is, dare I say, happy? Maybe I should go with content and I think they’ll want to fight to keep what we have,” Shawn said.
“I just don’t think we should risk it,” I said crossing my arms.
The others had cautiously filled the room. They were listening to our discussion… a discussion we probably should have been having in private.
“Ella and I will help any way we can,” Noah said. I could still remember how deflated he had appeared when he first arrived with his sister. Noah barely resembled that person any longer. He was strong and healthy now. Well, as strong and healthy as one can be under the circumstances.
“Do either of you know how to use a gun?” I asked.
Ella shook her head.
“We’re quick learners,” Noah said.
“Problem is, none of us here are teachers,” I said.
“I’d probably end up shooting myself somehow,” Becki said. Becki was the one we’d helped escape the gorillas. “If there is anything else I can do to help, I’m all in.”
Winter’s head bobbed. “Me too. But a gun? I don’t even know how to properly hold one.”
“We’re not an army,” I said tapping my finger on my chin. “An escape plan is what we need. A way for us to get away if we are approached… attacked.”
“And give this all up?” Shawn asked.
Gage scratched the top of his head. “That’s not a bad idea either but maybe we need to do both. Have a place where we have a secret backup stash of food and supplies. And get ourselves more weapons.”
“Maybe we don’t have to go too far,” Shawn said.
“What do you mean?” I asked cocking my head to the side.
“The blue house. The one furthest from here to the west,” Shawn said pointing at the window. “There was a secret storage area under a rug. The only reason I found it was because I tripped on the rug.”
I pulled in a breath. “I’d like to see it. Maybe we can put supplies down there. If we need to hide, that’s where we can go.”
“It’s not a big space. We couldn’t stay down there forever,” Shawn said.
“Think we could dig a tunnel?” Ella asked.
Shawn shook his head. “I think the ground is probably too saturated but we could try. I’m not sure how far we’d get or where we’d even dig to.”
“It’s not a bad idea,” I said. “We’ll have to check it out. I wouldn’t want the tunnel caving in on anyone.”
“We still need guns,” Gage said. “And maybe travel further west to see what’s out there. Eventually, we’ll find something.”
“I really don’t want to lose this place,” Lucy said. “It’s the closest thing to feeling like home since this all happened.”
Kieran rubbed her daughter's back and nodded. She looked up and met my eyes.
“I can use a gun,” Kieran said.
There was confidence in her eyes but also something else. She already knew I hadn’t been completely sold on what happened to her husband and truthfully, the way she was holding my gaze wasn’t strengthening her case.
“Some of the others will surely join in too,” Kieran said. “What we have here is worth fighting for.”
Gage was smugly nodding along with her words. I sighed as I held up my hands.
“We’re going in circles. I just want to make sure we’re all safe and we have what we need,” I said. “We need to be smart about this.”
“There’s a chance those men won’t even come this way, right?” Winter asked.
“Of course, but I don’t know how good of a chance that is,” I replied. “Eventually, they’ll want to find more supplies too.”
“How far away are they?” Noah asked shifting his weight.
I pressed my lips together. “I think he estimated twenty miles?”
“That’s what he said,” Gage added.
“We need to let everyone know what’s going on,” I said.
“Are you sure?” Shawn asked.
I nodded. “They should have all the information. That way, they can decide if they want to stay or if they want to head out on their own. Staying here might feel like a risk.”
“How can this be a risk?” Noah asked. “We have more supplies than anyone else out there.”
“And that’s exactly why we’re at risk. We have what others will want,” I said.
“Okay,” Gage said clapping his hands. “I’ll head out to the west and you guys see what you can figure out with the basement.”
I laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.” Gage furrowed his brow.
“You’re not going anywhere alone,” I said.
“I’ll go with him,” Noah said.
Ella grabbed his arm. Her eyebrows slanted. “No, Noah. Don’t leave me.”
“It won’t be for long, right Gage?” Noah asked.
“No,” Gage said looking at me. He knew I didn’t want him to leave either. “Not long at all.”
“How long will you go for?” I asked.
Gage shrugged. “Twenty-four hours? Forty-eight at the most.”
“Who will keep you safe overnight?” I asked. I lowered my voice. “What about your vision?”
Gage grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side. Our backs were toward the others.
“I can see mostly fine,” he said between his pursed lips. “Things far away are blurry. That’s all.”
“How far? Across the yard? Or across the room?” I sighed. “You’ll be out there in a new area, it’s not the same as staying here moving from
