Chapter 41
For a brief moment, everything seemed to be going well.
She couldn’t deny that there was a certain level of disappointment over discovering one of the cities had already fallen into the hands of looters and arsonists.
Yet setting up the trade route with the other community made her feel a little better about their situation.
For weeks they had worked side by side with the villagers in preparation for the winter months ahead.
She was happy to discover that many of the locals still used tools that were built decades before.
It made getting smaller things up and running easier.
The water wheel provided them with a steady source of low technology power, though it barely kept the emergency radio going.
Her biggest accomplishment was still the motorcycle, though it was starting to feel as if it wasn’t going to be able to be duplicated.
No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn’t get her hands on parts and pieces old enough not to have been affected by the EMP strike.
Even the most simplistic of tasks turned into an afternoon event.
Fetching water and supplies, keeping the farm moving forward, and making sure they still had livestock to survive the winter were all priorities in her mind.
It left little time to deal with the diplomacy of things.
She was happy to leave that task up to her parents and eldest brother.
Working alongside Bella in the orchard, Veronica didn’t hear the rider approaching at first. It was only when she heard Darrell calling out her name that she glanced in the direction of the noise.
Her heart instantly started to race as she told Bella to stay in the orchard.
She didn’t wait around to listen to the girl’s protests as she jogged in the direction of Darrell and the rider they had posted at the front of the village.
Something was definitely going on. By the time she reached the two men, the writer had dismounted and was walking with Darrell and her direction.
“What’s going on, Harold?” Veronica asked.
“We have a couple of travelers in the village. At first, we thought they were just passing through, but one of them mentioned Markwood by name. It seems they’ve escaped from Starver City,” the man said.
“Then we give them shelter and see if they want to stay. We are in the habit of turning people away if they are willing to work for their food and board. What is the problem?” Veronica asked.
“Well, now, we did all of that, and we offered them shelter, but they are refusing to stay. The man claims that Markwood is building an army. He is looking to take the mountain,” Harold said.
Instantly, she felt like she was going to be sick as her eyes darted to Darrell.
The color had drained from his cheeks as he looked at her.
She knew the moment they had been dreading had finally come.
As the winter grew closer, there was no doubt in her mind that Markwood and his men were starting to realize they weren’t prepared for the cold months ahead.
She wasn’t going to let all their hard work be for nothing.
“Have Colton and the others gathered?” Veronica asked.
Harold nodded. “They sent me out here to get you two, but they want to move immediately.”
“All right, let them know we will be right there. We just need to get the others inside first,” Veronica said.
The man disappeared back onto the horse that had brought him to the homestead.
She quickly jogged back to Bella and made short work of telling the girl what was happening.
As she had expected, Bella threw a bit of a tantrum about being left behind again, but it quickly passed when she realized Bryson and Kevin would be there as well.
They always managed to find something fun and creative to get into.
By the time she emerged from the house after settling in Bella and the others, Darrell had their horses saddled and ready to go.
She knew Nick would be meeting them there.
He had been out on patrol when the rider came through.
Her brother had become the lead of the patrol group that guarded the community and farmers in the area.
It was a good job for him. Others looked up to him, both for his knowledge and his kindness.
Veronica pushed her horse hard, with Darrell struggling to keep up with her.
She wanted to hear what the outsiders had to say, and every second counted.
As soon as Markwood learned that they knew about whatever he was planning, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike.
They didn’t stop until they were right outside of the town hall.
She gave a quick nod to the two men guarding the entrance before jogging up the steps with Darrell right behind her.
When they pushed through to the main hall, every pair of eyes in the room turned to look at them.
In the middle of the group of six sat a frightened couple near her parents’ age.
She couldn’t imagine how terrified they were after the harrowing escape they’d made.
Things had to be getting pretty awful for them to risk the journey.
After a quick round of introductions, Veronica started to question the couple.
“We knew when that man and his posse first came into town that they were going to be trouble. My wife, though, just had surgery before the EMP hit. She was in no position to travel. For a while there, we thought we could stick it out, but then the raids started. He sent his men into our home and cleared out our pantry, save for a few cans of vegetables. According to them, that’s all we needed to survive for an entire week.
Now, we thought about speaking up and trying to get more food, but we’ve seen what happens to others when they do that.
Suddenly, they aren’t around anymore and their possessions are going to someone in the militia group,” the man said.
“How long has this been going on?” Veronica asked.
“About two weeks now,” the woman said. “It wasn’t until my sister and her husband went missing that we really realized something was wrong.
I don’t want to think about what happened to them, but I know it was bad.
He’s going to kill everyone who tries to leave or doesn’t agree with him. We didn’t know what else to do.”
“We can keep you safe here now. I give you my word,” Veronica said.
The husband and wife both looked at each other before the man shook his head.
“We appreciate the offer, but we would just as soon keep on moving south. It’s not that we don’t believe that you could keep us safe, but we have seen first-hand the type of cold-blooded killer that man is.
If you knew what was best for you, you would pack up your families and hit the road with us.
He’s like a disease. He isn’t going to stop until he has destroyed everything in his path. ”
Veronica knew they couldn’t force the couple to stay, though she didn’t like their odds of survival on the road, either.
If they thought Markwood was dangerous, they had no idea what they were up against. She had seen the death and destruction firsthand, and it extended far beyond the petty crime lord’s reach.
As the couple stood and gathered their belongings, Veronica watched as they were escorted to the door.
It broke her heart to know it was likely the last time she would see the pair, but she was thankful they’d brought the warning to the villagers, nonetheless.
They had to take action before they were caught off guard by Markwood.
While he hadn’t necessarily broken his word to them, it was obvious he was going to launch an attack soon.
She wasn’t about to watch her friends and family suffer.
No matter what it took, she was going to bring the man down before he could hurt anyone else.
She hated to think of the lives already lost from the villagers’ lack of action.
For weeks they should have been taking the initiative to help the people in Starver City, but Veronica had let herself get distracted by the homestead and keeping it running.
Now she was aware of just how precarious the situation had become.
She wasn’t going to let it slip to the back of her mind again.
Yet the guilt and regret lingered. Veronica knew she should have done something about Markwood the moment she had met him.
He was truly a monster who needed to be contained.
If push came to shove, she would end his life before letting him take another.
His reign of terror was coming to an end.