Chapter 22
Despite the onslaught of questions from the villagers, Conner made short work of making it clear that Veronica wasn’t going to be available for questioning until at least the following day.
As they pulled away from town, though, she could feel the angry stares of some of the townsfolk.
It came as no surprise to her. She understood how worried they were.
Most had family scattered across the country, and if Veronica could make it back, there was hope for the others.
She puttered slowly down the road next to her walking brother and Bella.
Thankfully, after a quick round of introductions, it seemed that Bella felt relaxed around Conner.
It wasn’t hard to understand why. He’d always had a laid-back personality that put others at ease.
She often wondered if his talents weren’t wasted in the rural area.
Veronica knew she was biased, though, believing her brothers capable of anything if they’d simply expand their horizons past Dodger Run.
Before long, the homestead came into view, and her heart started to race once again.
It felt like a lifetime since she’d last seen her mother, and their final conversation hadn’t ended well.
Veronica wasn’t expecting a warm reception from Mauve, to say the least. Before she could see the gates that guarded the homestead, she heard the familiar bark of Parmesan, their boxer-mutt they’d rescued as a puppy nearly a decade before.
When she heard the front door open and they rounded the final bend in the road, her heart fluttered at the speed of a hummingbird’s wings.
She skidded to a stop when she saw her mother, but the woman didn’t hesitate.
At the sight of her only daughter, her hands flew to her mouth as she started to sob tears of joy.
Veronica was blown away when Mauve raced to her, pulling her into her arms and holding her daughter tight.
Veronica’s eyes darted to her brother, who grinned like a fool as their father and Bryson emerged from the fenced yard as well.
Before she knew it, she was wrapped up with her entire family, pulling their newest addition, Bella, into the fray as well.
After some time, they finally let the pair breathe as the questions started.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Mauve said. “It’s so good to see you and know you are safe. I have a million questions for you about what is going on out there, but my first question is about how you got that bike running.”
Conner jumped in without letting her say a word.
“Believe it or not, Veronica actually built the bike herself. She started with a frame and found the rest of it along the way. She said that because of how old it was and it wasn’t put together when the power went out, it made it possible to complete the process and get it running.
Now, everyone in town wants to talk to her. ”
Mauve scoffed. “That doesn’t surprise me in the least.”
“Really?” Veronica asked.
“You have always had a way of figuring things out on your own.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think I have to tell you that I honestly believe you are one of the smartest people to work in the field of mechanics.
You’ve always had a hands-on approach to learning, and I could never figure it out.
Though I have to admit, I always knew there was something special about you, even if I never fully understood it. ”
Veronica was taken aback by her mother’s thoughts.
Mauve had never been one to mince words, and when she had praise, it was more often than not directed toward her sons.
She was shocked her mother had nothing unpleasant to say whatsoever.
The moment was short-lived, though, as an awkward silence took hold of the group.
Her father quickly clapped her back, taking hold of the bike as they slowly made their way to the gates of the homestead.
“Not that I’m not glad that you’re here by any means,” Bryson said, “but how in the world did you end up on the railway, Veronica? She’s usually quite the loner.”
Veronica jumped in before Bella could answer. “There’s going to be plenty of time for everyone to catch up and get to know each other later. There are a lot of things I need to know about what’s going on, and I’d like to start with figuring out how good the security is around here.”
“There’s not much in the way of security.”
“That needs to change as soon as possible. There’s an entire world of people out there who have nothing but bad intentions. We need security to make sure we’re keeping the community and our family safe.”
Mauve scoffed. “There’s absolutely no reason to get ahead of ourselves with all of this. The whole thing has just been silly.”
“Mom, it’s far from silly. It could be a very long time before we get the power turned back on and before the country can get back to any sort of normality.”
“I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I don’t think there’s any reason we should start worrying about things that aren’t going to come to fruition.”
Veronica sighed. “This isn’t something that’s just going to pass by in a couple of weeks or even months. We need to ensure the town is safe.”
“You’re starting to sound like some of the other people. It might be a while before anything gets back to normal, but there is absolutely no reason to worry when we know God is on our side.”
Veronica ground her teeth but said nothing for a moment.
It was just like Mauve to downplay her daughter’s feelings and knowledge.
She knew what she’d seen, what the nation was becoming without the government laying its heavy hand on the people.
She had to keep her cool and make sure her mother and the rest of her family heard her, not just the irritation she felt over being ignored.
All it would take was one angry villager to incite a riot and find followers beyond the outskirts of their community.
Once word spread that the homesteaders were not only prepared but knowledgeable, Veronica knew they would come.
She took a deep breath and slowed down, despite her mother’s continuing on at her usual pace.
It wasn’t until the others slowed to hear what Veronica had to say that Mauve finally turned, her cheeks flushed as she rolled her eyes.
Just as Veronica had suspected, the woman wasn’t willing to hear what her daughter had to say.
Veronica bit the inside of her cheek, fighting to stay calm as she started to speak.
“No one is saying that God is not on our side, but there is absolutely a reason for us to be concerned about things,” Veronica said. “There is a high chance it could actually be years before the government gets any kind of power grid back up.”
“No, that can’t be right at all,” Mauve said. “I’m sure the national guard will be running through here at any moment. There’s no reason to think the government is not going to send some kind of help to the people around all the areas affected by whatever is going on.”
“They won’t be passing through here anytime soon. The few vehicles the government is going to have available after all of this aren’t going to be enough to protect the people of this country.”
“But the people of this country need to be protected. I’m sure they’ll send out what they have and figure out a way to let everyone know things are going to get back to normal.”
“Until then, we’re going to have to do it for ourselves. There are people out there who will mean to harm us in ways that are unimaginable. We’re going to have to be ready in case they come to our town.”
“Then the military will take care of it.”
“The military is going to use everything they have available to protect the government, not the people of this country. Sure, they might come around and protect a few here and there when they have to, but the structure of the government is the only thing they’re going to be concerned with.”
As they reached the gate, a hush fell again over the group.
Veronica hated that they were all worried but knew the truth had to come out.
No one would be coming to save the small village or the homesteaders.
They were alone until the world was restored to order.
She wanted to believe that the power would be back soon but had seen too much to consider it as a possibility.
All they could do was to be prepared to defend their land.
Others outside of the community would become desperate before long.
That was when they needed to truly be worried, when those who didn’t know how to prepare decided to take what they wanted.
Her eyes darted to Bella. The girl looked worried but ready for what the future held.
She, along with Veronica, had witnessed the darkness and desperation that lay within people.