Page 66 of Beacon

They slept in the house, and they’re both in their no-nonsense business mode. But their familiar presence iscomforting nonetheless, and I’m happy to hang out with them as we wait for the others in our group to join us.

Aidan and Breanna appear shortly afterward. Breanna is smiling and holding Aidan’s hand like they’re going on a date instead of into battle. They chat with me pleasantly, and Aidan makes me laugh with his dry, clever commentary on what he’s seen of the criminals in this region.

Jimmy strides over while we’re chatting, wearing two guns in holsters at his hips, one at his ankle and a large rifle strapped to his back. It doesn’t matter that he has a two-week-old infant at home. It’s his home region that is under threat, so he has to fight. Both his parents arrive a few minutes after him and complete our group.

I really hope I’m as strong and confident as Greta when I’m in my fifties. As capable of defending my home.

We pile into Cal’s truck since we’re taking it part of the way to cover distance quickly and get into position well before Maria’s main force launches their attack.

Once Cal parks his pickup and we all get out, I stop processing details. The world narrows down to nothing more than the next step I take and the one after that.

Everyone is fairly quiet now, but I know some of the others say things. But I can’t focus on conversation. Or our surroundings. Or anything except the few feet in front of me as I walk.

Eventually we get to the small wooded area we’ve been aiming for, so we’re not as vulnerable as out in the open. I’ve never been to this section of the border before.Outside the trees, there are more buildings, like this used to be a real town. But most of the structures are burned out or collapsed. The smoking ruins after a war.

We hike the edge of the tree line for a couple of minutes until we reach our intended position at the back of a large brick building that’s still in good shape. It looks like it used to be an office building in the old world, but now it’s guarded and barricaded with guards posted around its perimeter.

This must be the headquarters as Maria deduced. I’ve never in my life seen a single building this well guarded.

I have no idea how we’re going to possibly do this.

That’s my last thought before Cal gestures me into place behind a tree. I take my position and keep my gun at the ready, although we should have a while before anything happens.

I hope Mack’s okay.

I hope he made it back to the cabin safely and he’s not beating himself up about his decision to do what was best for him.

I hope he’s not too upset that I needed to do this instead of staying with him.

I hope… I hope one day things might be different. That we won’t keep getting torn apart.

Picturing his face, hearing his laughter, makes me feel better. Helps clear some of the blur in my mind. So I keep doing it as we wait in silence while minute after minute passes with interminable slowness.

Until finally I hear the faint sound of a whistle. It might have been a bird, but I know it’s not. Cal stiffens and gestures toward the others. I’m already straightening up and pulling my gun out of its holster.

It’s beginning.

Nothing actually happens for what feels like another long time. But eventually we start hearing sounds in the distance. Then a lot of gunfire. Shouting and activity. We see nothing from our position around the back until suddenly a deafening siren starts blaring.

It’s like the tornado sirens they used to sound in my small mountain town before Impact. Some sort of alert intended to be heard over the distance. It’s startling and concerning, and the fact of it might shift the power balance in this fight.

They’re summoning help. Reinforcements. And we were counting on them not being able to do that.

There’s nothing to do to stop it now. We’re in the midst of it. I glance over and meet Rachel’s eyes. Then Jimmy’s. He looks determined, unshakable. But he left his wife and newborn baby at home this morning.

My heart aches for him—and for everyone else. I pray silently, fervently, that we’re not all going to end up dead before the end of the day.

Before I can even get to the last line of my prayer, people start running out of the back of the building. It’s not clear whether they’re trying to escape or hoping to come around and flank Maria’s group. Either way, theyfail. Because we start firing from our mostly protected position, and the bad guys drop one by one. I shoot four of them. I keep count.

If it weren’t for that damn siren, it would almost have felt easy. Some of the criminals do finally organize themselves enough to begin firing at us, but they don’t have any luck at hitting us through the cover of these trees.

After a while, the sound of fighting in the building transitions. It’s not as fierce. The gunshots are less frequent. The group Ham is leading on the right side of the building closes in, picking off stragglers. Then I see Maria herself coming out the back door of the building. She waves her hand in our direction.

“They got ’em,” Cal announces. “They musta got ’em all. Someone needs to turn off that fuckin’ siren.”

I really wish they would. It’s hard to feel victorious about a relatively easy victory when that sound is still blaring, summoning who knows what help.

Cal is leading our small group, and he gestures us forward, out of the trees.

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