“Wait a minute! Where are you going?”
“To check on Sarah. She’s at the hospital tonight.”
Mac crept towards the backside of the hospital, climbing through the middle of the barbed wire fence, staying clear of the light beams shone down by the two hovering choppers.
Sarah peered out the window at a figure coming from the direction of Samuel’s house. The figure looked like him, but she couldn’t be sure.
Three soldiers exited the landed helicopter that shut off its propeller.
“What’s going on?” asked Mac, sneaking up on Sarah through the back door, scaring the daylights out of her.
“Please don’t ever do that again!” she said.
“You should really lock the back door,” he replied.
“I think I know what this is,” Sarah said. “I’ve seen it before, but it’s been a while.”
“What’s that? Wait! Is that Samuel?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m pretty sure, and one of those men is the Colonel.”
“The one Lance and his group were talking about?”
“Yes, that’s the one. My father had been something of a mentor to him in earlier days. Here they come. Mac, please don’t do anything that could get you hurt. Stand behind me.”
Sarah opened the front door, with a reluctant Mac behind her and Drake sleeping right through it.
“Sarah, how are you?”
“Couldn’t be better, Colonel,” she said, hugging him.
“How’s Bradley, right?”
“He’s passed on, sir. This is my boyfriend, Mac,” she answered, trying to avoid the obvious next question.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that about Bradley. Good to meet you, Mac,” he said, shaking his hand.
“Likewise, Colonel.”
“Do you know why I’m here, Samuel?”
“Yes, I’m guessing it’s about the Battle for the Valley business. Am I right?”
“That you are. Sorry for the late-night arrival, but we travel better after dark.”
“I understand. It’s no problem,” said Samuel.
“Are there some people you trust, those in a decision-making role you could get together in, let’s say, 30 minutes?”
“Sure, of course!” Samuel replied. “Mac, where’s your truck?”
“Just around the corner, sir.”
“Great, can you get John, Bill, Cory, and any of the Council who want to hear this firsthand? I’ll get mine together, and we’ll meet at my house in 30 or so.”
“I’m on it,” said Mac, nearly sprinting towards the back door.
“Hold on there,” said the Colonel. “Let’s call it 45 minutes. My guys out there,” he said, pointing up towards the ceiling, don’t play nice with people running on the ground. Walk slow and drive slow. We’ll be here if it takes a little longer.”
“Sure thing. And thank you, sir,” Mac replied, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to a walking pace.
“Just out for a night stroll,” he said to himself. “Nothing to see here.”
* * * *
Cory was standing outside the truck when he arrived.
“Nice and slow,” said Mac. “They’re friendly but not too. We need to pick up John and Bill and any of the Council if they want to come down here.”
Cory radioed Bill, who had always been the easiest to reach. They picked him up, waiting outside his house, and John the same. Only one Council member was ready to leave their home at this hour, and she wanted to hear the information firsthand. They returned to the West’s property, pulling up to Samuel’s place under the Womp! Womp! of the two helicopters overhead.
“Are they going to stay up there the whole time?” the Council woman asked.
“You can count on it,” replied Bill. “They have their commander down here.”
* * * *
Samuel caught up with his old friend while waiting for the others. They hadn’t seen each other for quite a while but reunited like a father and son. He introduced the Colonel around once the group had arrived and made night coffee for everyone, with most accepting.
“We have many things at play here,” said the Colonel, taking center stage, “and I’ll tell you what I can. Even now, some things are still highly confidential and won’t be discussed here. So, I’ll tell you the why, the what, where, and when. Try to wait until the end before asking any questions. I’m told we have about an hour.
“I am here tonight because this man, Samuel, helped me become a man and mentored me at an early age, with my father not being around. I have always vowed to pay him back in some way, and now may be that time.
“The what and where is an idea by a self-proclaimed fanatic leader and ‘Colonel,’ as he refers to himself, named Baker. Their idea they call the Great Battle for the Valley. This is that valley, just as you have it blocked with the northern and southern barricades. Baker wants it all, both this West property and Saddle Ranch, and they are not looking to share it with any of you.
“Why here? It’s protected, fertile with more than one water source, and can hold an army-sized base for their future agendas. I don’t know how they found this Valley, and the timeline is not confirmed at this point, but my best guess is that in three to six weeks from now they will be at your door. Questions?”
“Are you the same Colonel who spoke with my son Lance?” asked Bill.
“Yes, several times in the past month. I’m not sure how much he’s told you over the radio, but he has a group of maybe 20 to 25 men, women and children. They teamed up with a Russian former gun shop owner—funny guy, that Vlad. Anyway, they are headed here through the mountains and should be up near Steamboat about now. I’m guessing they will be here in a few days. They have a fair number of weapons and ammo that I know, Samuel, your group will not pick up, but the rest of you should seriously consider it.
“Yes, John. You have a question?”
“Colonel, if you know there is a bad group heading our way, and you are close with Samuel, why not just persuade them to end up somewhere else?”
“That’s a fair question. I don’t have that jurisdiction at the moment. There are other things
