Henry’s brow raised. “I only said it was in the mountains.”
“I see,” I replied.
“But it is to the north,” he added. “We were off to the west looking for survivors. Sadly, we hadn’t come across anyone until we arrived here.”
Clara smiled. “Everyone is gathering here.”
“So, can you take us to the base?” Ella asked.
“We’ve been traveling for quite some time,” Clara said folding her hands together. “After a bit of rest, perhaps we could discuss everything.”
Lucy came into the room, carrying a tray of various snacks and two tall glasses of water. Henry reached over, grabbing one of the glasses before she had a chance to set down the tray. He swallowed the whole thing down in one gulp.
“Sorry,” he said wiping his chin with the back of his hand.
I waved my hand. “No need to apologize. When you’re finished, we can set you up in a room next door. You’re welcome to rest as long as you like.”
Ella groaned. She averted her eyes when I turned to her.
“Could we have a look around first?” Henry asked.
My eyes narrowed. If they were part of some rescue program, why did they need to be shown around?
“I like to know the layout of where I’m staying,” Henry explained after noticing my expression. “Just in case.”
After they finished, Gage and I showed them around the property. Of course, we didn’t show them any of the spaces where we stored food and supplies.
They seemed overly interested in everything. How was the food prepared? How many people were in each building? Was there a generator? Did we have a lot of food? How did we clean the water? The questions were endless.
“Isn’t it like this at the army base?” I asked.
“Similar,” Henry said.
I waited for him to go on but he didn’t. I should have asked but when Clara yawned, I decided my questions could wait.
I showed them to their room at the house next to the main one. They wanted to share a room. In the morning, they promised to explain the rescue plans.
That night I couldn’t sleep. I played everything that happened over and over again in my head. Eventually, I stopped trying and went downstairs.
Noah was thrilled I relieved him from his post early. When he was gone, I stood at the window and stared at the house next door.
There was a candle flickering on the first floor. I could see the shadow of whoever was at the window move every so often.
Upstairs, Henry and Clara were probably sleeping peacefully. I should have demanded they told us more. The others were excited and anxious. I could hear the girls whispering, wondering what it would be like at the base.
I wanted to know too but also, I was conflicted. What we built was going to be hard to walk away from. In fact, I wasn’t even entirely sure I could do it.
Morning took forever to arrive. Winter came to take her shift and I waved her away.
“I’m sorry but I can’t let you stay longer,” she said. “It’s your own rule.”
“Fine,” I said grumpily as I stood from the chair.
Before I moved from the window, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. Henry and Clara were on their way over, both suddenly with two large bags strapped to their backs.
I opened the door before they could knock. “Where did you get those?”
“Good morning to you too,” Henry said.
“Oh, dear,” Clara said. “It looks like you didn’t sleep well.”
“I slept fine,” I lied. “Where did you get the bags?”
Henry grinned as he set it down next to the shotgun. He seemed to stare at it for a moment too long.
“We hid them in a pile of dead leaves and grass before we came this way,” Henry explained as he gestured down the road. “You know, just in case.”
“You said you lost everything,” I said.
Henry wagged his finger. His smile irked me probably because it was quite early and I hadn’t slept nearly enough. “I said we lost some of our things.”
“Are we too early?” Clara asked looking over my shoulder. “Everything still so dark and quiet here.”
“They’ll all be up soon,” I said. “We can talk now, though.”
Henry chuckled. “Anxious to get to safety, huh?”
“Some seem to be, yes,” I replied.
“You’re not?” Henry asked cocking his head like a wide-eyed rooster.
“I’m curious,” I said.
Henry sat down on the sofa and placed his hands on his thighs. “All right, then. Let’s talk.”
I sat on the edge of the recliner, my hands lightly rested on the armrests. My eyes stayed on Henry as Clara walked around and sat down on the opposite end of the sofa. She crossed her legs and locked her eyes on Henry.
“The road back is treacherous,” Henry started. “This is the part no one ever likes.”
My head tilted and my eyes narrowed.
“We can only take two back at a time,” Henry said.
I shook my head. “Why?”
“It’s not only treacherous but it can also be incredibly dangerous. There are people out there that real savages. The fewer people at one time, the better. It’s easier to stay hidden,” Henry explained his hands gesturing with each word. “Oh and let's not forget about the wild animals too.”
“What about everyone else?” I asked.
“Well, we’ll come back for them,” Clara said smiling. “It’s a long process to get everyone transferred. This is just how we’ve always done it but we’ve never come upon a group this large.”
I pressed my lips together. “Everyone will want to go.”
“You’ll need to convince them to wait,” Henry said.
“How do we choose who goes and who stays,” I asked.
“It’s not like people here are suffering,” Henry
