Chapter 31
Sarah didn’t stop moving at a breakneck pace until the farm came into view.
By then, she knew she hadn’t been followed, but it didn’t matter.
She wasn’t going to give her lungs a break until the family inside knew what was going on.
Racing through the front door, she found her mother cleaning up from the morning meal, and instantly, Connie could tell something was wrong.
When Sarah asked her to get the others and to tell the children to stay outside in the yard for a few minutes, Connie did what her daughter asked without hesitation.
It didn't take long for her to share everything she had witnessed with the others.
With the plan already racing through her mind, Sarah didn't want to waste any time going over the details.
They could take care of that later when they were out of daylight.
Every minute now counted toward protecting the homestead and the people who lived there.
She could see that her parents were completely shocked by the devastating news.
While Adam didn't know the villagers like her parents had, she could see that he understood just what a baffling revelation the news was to them.
Sarah could sympathize with how they felt.
It had been completely unnerving for her to witness it first-hand.
Had she not, Sarah wasn't sure she would believe the men were capable of such terrible things.
If what Mary had told her was true, they had a limited number of days before the gang moved out in their direction.
They couldn't be wasting time reminiscing and questioning what was going to happen.
Despite how anxious she was to get going, Sarah knew her parents needed a moment to deal with the shock.
“Are you sure the people you saw were the councilmen?” Henry asked. “It just doesn’t make sense that they would do something like that. Hell, it doesn’t make sense that the mayor declared martial law in the first place.”
“I promise, Dad. It was those men, for sure. I wouldn’t lie to you about what I saw there.”
“Oh, I know. It just sounds like something out of a book.”
“I know, but that’s what the world has become out there. Evil is ruling things, and people like us are left defending themselves from it.”
“So, what are we going to do now?” Adam asked.
“We need to start scouting the area. We don’t have any time to lose.”
“What is our first step, then?”
“You and Henry grab the horses and the cow,” Sarah said. “Grab as much tack as you can find and meet me at the gate. I’ll be there soon.”
“What do you need me to do, dear?” Connie asked. “Whatever you need me to take care of, I’ll make sure to follow your lead on this.”
“Thanks, Mom, but for now, I think you should get the kids and keep them as close as possible.”
“Should I keep working on things here, or should I take the children into the house and keep them there until you return?”
“Go ahead and keep working, but make sure you’re keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary,” Sarah said.
As an afterthought, Sarah realized they could no longer go around with just her gun out.
Every single adult needed to be protected.
If the children had been a little older, she would even ask that they be armed.
As it was, she wanted an adult with a gun to stay with the children at all times.
She wasn't going to risk their lives. Vigilance was going to be their best friend.
Pulling her mother aside, she quickly whispered to the woman.
She didn't care about the men hearing, but the noise outside had stopped, and Sarah suspected the twins were eavesdropping on the adults.
“Mom, I want you and the others to start carrying a gun with you at all times. Why don't you run to your room and get your shotgun and sling from the gun safe.”
Connie pursed her lips. “Do you really think that’s necessary? These people are our friends and neighbors. We’ve known them all for a long time.”
“Mary Carpenter thought they were her friends, too, and now she is hiding and fearful for her life at the pharmacy. Do you want to be afraid, or do you want to be protected?” Sarah asked.
“Well, of course, I want to be protected. Don't tell me you want us to give the kids guns next?”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Of course not, Mom, but you need to make sure they know there is danger out here right now. We are going to keep everyone safe, but we have to work together and watch each other's back to do that.”
Connie said nothing in reply to her daughter, but Sarah could see her words had gotten through to the woman.
She would be watchful of any strangers approaching the homestead, and for the time being, that was exactly what Sarah wanted.
When they had more time, they could teach the kids to use bows and teach them to defend themselves, but for now, the adults having guns with them would have to do.
When the group split up to take care of various tasks, Sarah felt the inklings of trepidation once again.
They had to keep their property safe. Twenty minutes later, she was meeting Adam and her father with the horses and cow at the gate.
“So, what’s the plan, honey?” Henry asked.
“We’re going to raid the house for anything we can use and load it all into the RV. You help me get it all to the RV, and I’ll do the loading.”
“What do you want us to do after that?” Adam asked.
“I need the two of you to find a way to get the horses hooked up to the RV. We’re going to need them in order to haul the supplies back to the homestead.”
“What about the cow?”
“Throw both of the saddlebags on the cow. We’re going to use it for storage, too. Anything we find that will help get us by, we need to take with us.”
“If we are using the cow for storage, what do we need the RV for?” Henry asked. “I doubt we’re going to find that much to take in one home.”
“Well, we don’t know if anyone is going to come, and we might need to take on more if they do. I want to be ready if that does happen, and what better place for them to stay than an RV on the property.”
“Once we get done at the house and bring everything back to the homestead, what are we going to do after that?” Adam asked.
“When we’re done at the first one, then we’ll move on to the next. We probably don’t have a lot of time until they start trying to do the same thing we’re doing. I’d like to beat them to the punch.”
“Don’t you think they’ll figure out it was us eventually?”
“If they do, then we’ll figure it out when the time comes,” Sarah said. “Until then, we need to get as many supplies as we can.”
The group set out onto the road, and a few minutes later, they were standing in front of the neighbor’s small RV while the men worked on attaching the horses.
Sarah took the cow and the saddle bags she carried to the front of the house and tied her off.
The young calf played and grazed in the front yard while he waited for his mother.
She set about getting the other supplies she had seen earlier in the day but left behind because of the puppies.
Now, knowing the mayor was coming for the resources, she moved quickly throughout the house.
Along with several heavy blankets and cleaning out the kitchen, Sarah managed to get an abundance of extra medical supplies the owners kept on hand.
Thankfully, there were no more live creatures that needed rescuing.
She had to assume the mother was out wandering the woods somewhere.
By the time she made it back outside, Sarah was impressed with the men's progress.
Her father was already behind the wheel of the RV, and Adam was slowly leading the horses and the vehicle up the driveway to the road.
After getting the cow loaded down, she followed after them.
Just a few hours after she had arrived back at the homestead, Sarah and the two men were setting out to find the next house and camper or RV they could take back to the homestead.
She would be happy with one more, making a total of three dwellings for people to share if needed.
As the night drew closer, her fear continued to grow that soon they would no longer be alone on the quiet road.