“We are with you, sheriff!” his mother said to the astonishment of Dan, and many others in the room. Hank looked dumbfounded, however, he wasn’t about to be outdone.
“So are we. We’ve got your back.”
Others joined in, showing their support.
Those who didn’t support him walked out. And there were many.
An elderly woman made her way to the front while others were slapping each other on the back like a bunch of loony tunes. “Excuse me. Coming through.”
A knot of people parted to let the woman through. She was hunched over, in her late seventies. “While I agree with the statements, sheriff. And I’m sure many here will help. But it will be a while before any food is brought back to the community. What will we do in the meantime?”
Dan hesitated before he replied. “Well. We, uh…”
Before he could finish, the doors to the room burst open and a slew of military personnel walked in. Jessie eyed each of them. They were armed. A cop at the back of the room bellowed, “I tried to stop them, sheriff, but…”
“It’s okay.”
A tall man with ocean blue eyes muttered something into Dan’s ear then turned to address the crowd. “My name is Captain Benjamin Evans and this is Lieutenant Elijah Hale. We are part of the California Militia. In answer to your question regarding food. If everyone would like to follow me, please.”
And like that, he stepped down from the podium and led the people out, down from the second floor to the ground level and out of the building. Questions swirled. Jessie eyed the Stricklands, wondering if they knew what this was about. By their expressions and mutterings, it was just as confusing to them. Outside, under a bright moon, they were led toward the road where multiple military trucks were parked, guarded by even more armed men.
The captain motioned to his crew, and the backs of all the four trucks were opened, and a flashlight was shone inside.
It was packed with food and supplies.
“This is how you will survive. As long as we are around. None of you will go hungry. All of your babies, children, and loved ones will have full bellies.” The captain laid it on thick by bending down and running a hand over a young kid’s face before giving him a bag of chips. The kid beamed with delight and looked up at his mother, and instantly she was won over.
People gasped. Others cheered.
Jessie looked over at Hank and his family, they stared back with blank expressions.
It was as if both families were thinking the same thing.
What did this mean?
Who were these people? Militia of course, but that word meant nothing to them. Armed individuals, skilled men, these were a valuable asset to the community but a potential threat to their way of life.
But more than anything, the question begged to be answered.
Were they responsible for the fire?
It certainly would have set them up as the saviors of the community.
The meeting that night took a turn for the better. Faces that were forlorn now smiled, those who had spoken against the sheriff now sang his praises. But it was the acceptance of these strangers that was the most off-putting. Locals all pitched in, helping them unload the vehicles. Dan looked ecstatic. How could he not? These men had done more than offer hope, they’d redeemed him in the eyes of the doubters.
Jessie wondered what that would cost him.
An hour later, as the crowds thinned out and people turned to leave, Jessie wandered out to the ATVs to discuss with his brothers the way forward, and the question they’d all been chewing over.
His mother had gone quiet. Thoughtful. That was always dangerous.
She’d left early to get back to Miriam but warned them not to start anything with the Stricklands. That wasn’t a problem as they were nowhere to be found. He figured they’d returned home to do exactly what they were doing — chewing it over.
“You think it was them?” Zeke asked, sitting on an ATV, smoking.
“Would make sense, right,” Lincoln replied. “Damn. Why didn’t we think of that?”
“Because it requires brains, something you have little of,” Dylan added before playfully jabbing him. “What do you say, Jess?”
He was lost in thought. He’d seen Nina that evening. She’d avoided him. Kept close to the Stricklands, eyed him from across the room. He knew he’d have to speak to her soon but after the death of her cousins, he wondered if she would listen.
“Earth to Jess!”
“What?”
“What do you think?” Lincoln asked.
“If it was them, then we have a huge challenge before us,” Jessie replied.
Right then, a glow of headlights cut through the darkness, a truck approaching from the east down Redwood Highway. It veered into the parking lot and stopped several yards away behind many non-functioning vehicles. Jessie was thinking about what his mother might ask when they got home when Dylan nudged him. “Jess. Hey. Look.”
He turned his head and stepping out of the vehicle was his brother Colby.
But it wasn’t just that which caught his eye, it was the woman with him.
“Is that…?”
“Can’t be. She’s gone.”
Zeke’s eyes widened. “Holy crap. Wait until the Stricklands see her.”
She was the spitting image of Skye Strickland. Zeke hurried toward Colby, arms outstretched, embracing him and jumping around. “Colby. You sonofabitch!”
“Hey, brother.”
Lincoln and Dylan weren’t far behind, slapping him on the back, ruffling his hair, shaking hands, commenting how different he looked. Older. Time had changed them all. Colby looked over Dylan’s shoulder with a smile that slowly faded as Jessie approached. Their greeting was different but for good reason. His mind shifted to Skye. The past. The event that tore them apart. “Colby. Hey.”
“Jess.”
There was no handshake. He didn’t expect one.
“Ten years. Been a long time,” he said, bouncing from one foot to the next. The awkwardness of the moment only remained as he shifted his attention to the woman. “And you must be…?”
