Chapter 30
Just as she had suspected, the instant the puppies were in the house, the twins were in love.
There wasn't even a battle with Henry over them staying inside. He was like putty in the twin’s hands.
She had to back him up, though, when he insisted they take them to the well and wash them up before they came back in.
Tasked with taking care of two living creatures, the twins quickly set about their work, plucking a few sprigs from the soapwort plant her mother kept on the patio in the process.
As an afterthought, Connie ran after them with two spools of twine to keep the puppies on a leash and to keep them from running away.
With the men now fed and happy to go about their task outside, Sarah soon found herself alone once again.
She wanted to take the opportunity and continue to scout the neighboring area.
Many of the people in town were old family friends of theirs; Sarah had to know they were surviving without any problems. Grabbing her now-empty bag, she set what she had found at the neighbor's house on the counter for her mother and quietly slipped out the door once again.
This time her destination was in the opposite direction.
She kept a steady jog as she made her way to the edges of town just a few miles down the road.
Without knowing what to expect, she kept to the alleyways until she reached the main road.
Moving along the brick wall of the locally owned pharmacy, Sarah peeked out at the courthouse and the rest of the village shops.
The town appeared completely vacant, but she could hear people moving along the street.
Until she knew if they were friendly or not, she wasn't going to risk exposing herself.
Sarah waited and watched for any signs of people on the street.
Aside from the voices she heard, there was nothing to see.
Suddenly, she saw a group emerge from around one of the buildings.
Immediately after seeing the men come around from the side of the building, she noticed each one was carrying a gun.
There were five men in total, and it didn’t take long for her to figure out that she knew all five of them.
They were all councilmen of sorts. Running for public office.
They all had that small-town look about them, and she knew they were all part of the good ol’ boys club.
Something that could be said about all countrymen raised in small towns.
Since she knew who they were, Sarah thought about going and meeting them.
They would recognize her and might be willing to help in some way.
Before moving from the small safe area she was in, Sarah saw the old town drunk step out from the back of the group.
She recognized the man. He was known for starting to drink early in the day and not stopping until he passed out in the street.
He was mostly harmless, and she had some funny memories of the man.
Sarah smiled to herself. If they weren’t going to be willing to help, at least she could tell her family a funny story.
Suddenly, she noticed a rope around the drunk’s neck and saw he was being led by a group of councilmen.
He said something to the men, and one of them tugged on the rope, causing the drunk to fall.
Another one of the men turned around, shooting the drunk in the leg.
Sarah couldn’t believe what she was watching.
Instead of offering any help, the group of men all laughed, like he was some kind of court jester there to please the king. The sight sickened her.
Sarah was too baffled to process what she had just heard as she quickly moved back behind the brick wall.
After what she had witnessed, she definitely did not want to expose herself to the group of men she had known her entire life.
She started to creep back along the brick to the alley she had first emerged from.
Sarah heard something behind her and instantly paused.
Turning slowly, she found a woman standing at the back of the pharmacy where deliveries were normally made.
Despite recognizing the familiar face, Sarah didn't move an inch.
She had no idea anymore who was friendly and who was not.
The world had been completely flipped upside down.
When Mary Carpenter ushered her over, looking around frantically to make sure the pair wasn't seen, Sarah was put at ease.
She was obviously scared for her life, the same as Sarah suspected many of the villagers were with the mayor now apparently roaming the streets armed and dangerous.
It was hard to believe that people she had once trusted with her life were now shooting innocent people.
The man they had wounded was nothing the world would miss, but it still didn't justify what they were putting him through.
Torturing another human being, or any living creature for that matter, was simply not something she could condone.
Even the animals they butchered back on the farm were done so in a humane manner.
There was nothing humane about what the posse was doing.
Sarah knew they were going to have to do something about it.
As their footsteps and drunken laughter grew closer, Sarah had no choice but to take shelter with the woman now ushering her into the back of the pharmacy.
“Holy crap, Sarah,” Mary said. “I can’t believe you’re actually here. It’s been a long time.”
“From the looks of it out there, I think I should have stayed away a little longer. What in the hell is going on here?” Sarah asked.
“It’s been a shit show since the world went dark. The mayor and his gang of douchebags have declared martial law.”
“How can they get away with that?”
“What are we going to do to stop him? He’s actually in control of everything here, and with the group he has with him, he has all the power. They’ve taken control of every part of our lives and run everything like some sort of game.”
“Shit,” Sarah muttered. “I don’t have time to deal with this. I need to get out of here.”
“Are you staying with your parents at the homestead?” Mary asked.
“Yeah. There’s just a handful of us there, but there are a couple of children we’re looking out for, too.”
“Listen, I shouldn’t be telling anyone this, but there has been some talk going around about them doing some kind of raids.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, since being shut off from the rest of the world, we’ve gone through a lot of our resources, and the mayor has talked about going out and finding more.”
“Has there been any word as to where they will look?” Sarah asked.
“I’m assuming they will look at the nearby plots first before moving farther out to see what they can find. I’m only telling you so you can be prepared. Please, be careful.”
“I will. Thank you for the information.”
Sarah didn't want to believe what she was hearing.
There was no way the townsfolk would hurt her family.
Even as she tried to dismiss the idea, Sarah remembered what she had seen moments before and knew it was a real possibility.
The situation had been one that, admittedly, Sarah wasn't prepared for.
She was now kicking herself for thinking the townspeople would work together in a time of hardship.
Everything was different now. She couldn't leave, knowing danger was so close to them.
What had once been a simple reconnaissance mission was now completely different.
They had to move quickly to get whatever they wanted from the local properties before the mayor, and his martial law posse moved in.
On top of that, they would need to be prepared to defend themselves if the group tried to take the homestead.
Sarah knew she could take the life of anyone who threatened her family, but how could she ask her parents to kill people they had known for over five decades?
Thanking the woman one last time, Sarah poked her head out of the back door and listened for the men in the distance.
The coast appeared clear, and she didn't wanna waste any more time.
Sarah darted back into the alley and raced away from the village at a sprint.
The only goal she had now was to get back to her family and prepare them for what was going to happen.
It wasn't going to be easy to convince her parents that the small town had fallen to the mayor, but they had to be made to understand.
It wasn't just their own lives they were protecting now.
They had the twins to think about as well.