Chapter 3 #2
“I’m coming,” Bonnie said, as she rushed to the front door and opened it wide.
She stood there as she watched a side by side in the distance as it drew closer.
It came to a stop and Gwen slowly slid off the passenger seat, almost looking like she was more in physical pain than emotional.
She waited while her twin toddlers got down from the side by side and she held their hands as she walked around it and toward the house, not even bothering to look up at the house until she was almost right beside it.
The fatigue and pain in her face told Bonnie more than any words could have.
This was a female struggling to hold herself together for her babies and her people despite knowing that her entire way of life had just been ripped away from her.
Gwen’s gaze swept across the front of the house, stopping when it landed on Bonnie.
“Gwen!” Bonnie called out, hurrying off the porch and to her side. She wrapped Gwen in her arms and held her for a few brief moments while Gwen let herself lean on Bonnie before she remembered her people needed her to be strong, her boys needed her to be strong, and she gently pulled away.
Gwen blinked away the tears that threatened as she eased back from Bonnie’s embrace. “I didn’t know where else to go.”
“You did the right thing. You and all your people are welcome here. Come on inside. We don’t have an official dining hall, but some of the ladies are throwing together a quick meal and we’ll find space for everybody.”
“Thank you,” Gwen said, hugging Bonnie again, but obviously favoring her side, before allowing Bonnie to lead her inside her home.
“How many are you, Gwen?” Bonnie asked.
“We’re forty-seven. Mostly women and children, but Steve is with us, and four other males that were charged with protecting us,” Gwen said. “I want to get my boys inside and then I’ll come back out and greet them with you.”
“Findley!” Bonnie called out.
“I heard! I’m coming!”
They heard the freezer door open and close, then Findley was coming toward them. “Hi, guys! I got ice cream!” she said, meeting Gwen’s gaze and waiting for her nod of approval before giving it to the twin toddlers who started jumping for it.
Gwen nodded and smiled sadly. “Thank you,” she mouthed at Findley.
“Guys, let’s go over here and sit at this table while mom makes sure everybody gets taken care of, okay?” Findley asked.
Both boys nodded and followed her wherever she went, because she had ice cream.
Gwen returned to the front porch to stand beside Bonnie and greet each of her people as they arrived and were welcomed into Bonnie’s home.
“What happened?” Bonnie asked.
“We were attacked. It was like a swarm, there were so many that they never stopped coming. When it was clear that it wasn’t a standard attack we could easily fend off, Grail sent us to safety in the woods.
We established it years ago, a cave like a safe room in a house, but hidden in the woods.
If you don’t know where exactly it is, you’ll never see it. ”
“Do you know by who?” Bonnie asked.
“The Falwell Pride led the attack, but they weren’t alone. Grail said they weren’t all Falwell, that some of them weren’t ‘the same’. He said they were militaristic, like the Variant, but not quite, whatever that means,” Gwen blinked away tears again, but allowed Bonnie to hug her.
“Where is Grail?” Bonnie asked softly.
Gwen’s composure crumbled into a mass of tears for a just a moment, then she met Bonnie’s gaze and shook her head as she sniffled and her lips trembled as she struggled to pull herself together.
“Oh, Gwen. Oh, no, I’m so very sorry. Are you sure?”
“The last time I saw him he was roaring and taking on several males on his own as the rest of our males battled anything in their path. We slipped away and hid as Grail instructed us to. After a day of him not joining us, I gathered everyone and we started this way. It all happened so quickly, we didn’t even have phones to contact you with, I just kept praying that no one would find us as we walked.
We stayed to the woods and in small groups spread out but following the same path. ”
Bonnie reached out to hold Gwen again, but adjusted her arms around the woman as she seemed to lean away when Bonnie touched her side and ribs while embracing her.
“Are you alright?” Bonnie asked, her eyes flicking down to Gwen’s body quickly before coming up to focus on her face.
“I’ll be fine. We were noticed by a couple of stragglers of the Falwell Pride when we were trying to get to our hiding place in the woods, but I fought them off and made sure we were all safe. Steve helped wrap me up when he and those he’d brought along to help arrived. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
“Maybe let me look at it once everyone is tended to?” Bonnie said.
“It’s nothing, really. It’ll be fine. Maybe just some first aid supplies so I can get it cleaned up again.”
Two more side by sides came into sight in the distance, and approached the house, causing Gwen to get herself together and stand tall to greet her people. “They need to feel they can have faith in me, and that they are safe. I can’t let them know how destroyed I am,” she whispered.
“I understand, but even if they do notice, I’d think they’d understand.”
Gwen nodded, but took a deep breath in an effort to steel herself nonetheless.
Three females and two kids got off the first golf cart and started toward the house, as another came around the curve behind them. The three females hesitated as they got close.
“Come on in! Welcome to the Laighin compound. I’m Bonnie, Reigna Laighin. Come in and make yourselves comfortable. We have blankets and clean, warm clothes. We’re making something to eat and it won’t be long before we have everything squared away,” Bonnie said.
“Yes! Come on in, Reigna Bonnie has granted us all sanctuary. We are safe,” Gwen said as she personally escorted the females and kids into Bonnie’s house.
~~~
Jack sat in the passenger side of Rance’s truck, his head back, his eyes closed, but not at all sleeping.
He was still trying to work out in his mind what the last couple of weeks had been all about.
It was clear the Falwell Pride was up to something, but he just couldn’t figure out what.
His phone ringing brought him out of his own thoughts.
He picked it up off the console between the front seats and looked at the screen.
“Draven,” he said, to let those in the vehicle know who it was.
He noticed the time just as he answered the call. “At 2:00 AM,” he added.
“Hey,” Jack said. “Everything all right?” he asked, on alert since it was the middle of the night, or early, early morning depending on how you looked at it.
“Yeah, but no. Our people are fine, but Gwen Gamieyon and more than forty of her people just showed up. She’s requesting sanctuary.”
“What?!” Jack almost shouted, sitting up straighter. “Hang on, I’m putting you on speaker. Alright, repeat that.”
“I said, our people are all fine. But Gwen Gamieyon just showed up with more than forty of her people. They’re requesting sanctuary. And they’re on foot with nothing at all except the clothes they’re wearing.”
“What the fuck happened?” Jack demanded.
“Gwen told Dane that they were attacked. Dane came up to the house before any of them arrived to speak to Bonnie personally. She granted sanctuary before Gwen even got to the house, and I agree with her. I told her I’d call you since she’s busy with Gwen and her people.
She’s getting everybody settled at the moment.
Findley is cooking and distracting Gwen’s kids, and Jessica, Alison and some of the other ladies are here with food from their own houses and they’re warming it up and setting up a buffet.
Security is bringing the Gamieyon Pride members up a few at a time in the side by sides and golf carts so they don’t have to walk up the mountain. They’re weak, and clearly traumatized.”
“Where is Grail?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think he made it. Bonnie asked and Gwen started crying. We haven’t had time to get much information. They aren’t even all up at the house yet. But I heard Gwen when Bonnie hugged her say she didn’t know where else to go.”
“Who attacked them?” Jack asked.
“The Falwells and somebody else.”
“Motherfucker!” Rance growled out.
“What do you mean somebody else?” Jack demanded.
“I heard Gwen tell Bonnie that Grail said it was the Falwells and others like the Variant, but somehow different. I don’t know what that means. It’s kind of chaotic here at the moment.”
“We’re on our way. We should be there in a few hours.
Make sure everyone stays on alert. Make sure there’s extra security in and around the house.
Have the mountain locked down, nobody in and nobody out.
Everybody able is security at this point.
If there are females that want to help Bonnie, have some of the other females watching their kids.
Or bring them with them, it might help the kids to be around others.
When you get more information let me know. And let me know soon,” Jack said.
“I understand,” Draven said. “Vance has taken over running security. Paxton is his right hand on the ground; at the moment, he’s at the foot of the mountain with backup and is overseeing sending up Gwen’s Pride members.
Dane’s helping organize whatever is needed and every inch of this mountain is under surveillance.
We’re going to house Gwen and her kids here in the house with you and Bonnie.
The rest we’ll find space for in the new houses Titus completed, and see if any families would want to house anybody that’s left over until he can finish some more sooner than he anticipated. ”
“We’ll see if anybody else wants to help with construction so he can rush his completion date.
And make sure that Jett and everybody working the bar tonight is aware and keeps an eye on things from there.
They’ll see if anything looks unusual on the highway.
Tell them once they close up tonight to touch base with Vance or Paxton and see where they’re needed, and not to leave the bar alone.
Everybody stays in pairs at least,” Jack said.
“I will. I don’t think we have to worry about an attack at the moment. We’re too prepared since Gwen sent up the alarm by coming to us.”
“If they know that’s where she went.”
“True,” Draven said.
“But let me tell you, the members of the Falwell Pride that we just dealt with, they did nothing but jerk us around and keep us distracted for the last weeks.”
“Maybe it was so that you’d be too far away if the Gamieyon Pride called for backup.”
“Maybe. We’d have been too late to do much good anyway. We’re too far away to make any difference in the heat of battle.”
“Still, if they kept you occupied, you were a non-concern.”
“Is she alright? Is she unharmed?” Rance asked, tired of waiting for Jack to finish his instructions.
“Who? Gwen?” Draven asked.
“Yeah, and her boys,” Rance snapped.
“They appear to be. Boys are eating ice cream, Gwen is welcoming her people at the front door with Bonnie.”
“If you need somewhere to put up some of her Pride, give them my house. I’ll be staying at Jack’s for a while,” Rance said.
“Got it. Thanks, Rance, I’ll let Bonnie know.”
“Be there soon, call me if you need me,” Jack said, then ended the call.