Chapter 41
Becky refused to let the group move out while Sarah was still healing.
By the next afternoon, Sarah was becoming agitated with their lack of movement.
Despite their location twenty miles north of the prison, she didn’t feel safe given what they now knew about the complex.
It would have to be a problem the military addressed when they could.
She wasn’t going to leave her family without protection any longer than necessary.
Plus, finding Alan and the others had been a small victory, one she wouldn’t soon forget.
On the second morning, Becky was finally convinced the wound had healed enough for her to start moving again.
She hated to think of how slow the trek would be with everyone on foot, but any movement was better than sitting around stagnant.
She didn’t feel nearly as tender as she had before and was confident the infection was nearly gone.
Still, by the end of their first day hiking back to the homestead, Sarah was sore and exhausted once again.
They were making good time considering half of their troop of six was kids under thirteen.
Day by day, time passed as she healed more and taught the group what she knew about survival in the wilderness.
If they ever decided to leave the homestead and set off on their own, she wanted them to have the skills to be able to do so.
Sarah adored Marshall, who had recently turned twelve and was the only boy right along with Cameron, who was ten, and little Pepper, who was barely three.
As they made camp on the beach at the same pier she’d slept on weeks before, Sarah watched the older children play with their little sister.
She smiled and shook her head when Pepper squealed with delight at her older sibling’s antics.
Becky sat down next to her and beamed with pride as she watched the trio playing together.
“The kids are great, Becky. They’re just so happy and chipper.”
Becky chuckled. “So, are there any kids in your future?”
Sarah laughed. “Well, there are a couple of ten-year-olds back at the homestead who are kind of like my own.”
“Oh really? Sounds like you and Adam really moved fast.”
“Alan tell you about Adam?”
“Yeah, he told me he went up north with you, but he didn’t have to. You forget how much you always talked about him and his innocence. While you claim you’d treat them all the same if you thought they were innocent, you gave Adam a lot of your attention.”
“Maybe so, but we haven’t had the time to even think about dating.”
Becky smiled. “That’s a pretty lame excuse, Sarah. I mean, it’s obvious to all of us how you feel about the man. God knows he hasn’t had any relations in ten years.”
With everything going on around her, she hadn’t even thought about Adam in days.
She knew there was something special growing between them, but they didn’t have the time to concern themselves with the pleasures of the world when the world was going to hell.
Still, Sarah knew Becky could see right through her thoughts.
“Maybe when things start to slow down, we can work on some kind of relationship, but there’s just been so much to take care of to ensure our safety that we haven’t had the time to do anything else.”
“There’s no excuse when the man hasn’t felt the touch of a woman for that long. Things might not feel like they’re ideal right now, but you have all the time in the world now.” Becky smiled. “Besides, any man willing to follow you to Maine on a whim has to be worth his weight in gold.”
Sarah blushed as Pepper started to cry and pulled Becky away from the conversation.
She’d thought she had gotten away from the interrogation, but Meredith was quick to take her friend’s spot.
One playful look from Meredith and Sarah groaned, knowing the conversation wasn’t yet over.
While there was nothing that she and Adam had done wrong, it still felt strange to be discussing the potential of a love life with a man Meredith had once strip-searched per the intake protocol.
“Come on now, you don’t really think I’m that blind, now, do you?” Meredith asked.
“What are you talking about?” Sarah asked.
“You and Adam. I saw the way you two looked at each other. From the first time you laid eyes on that man, you were smitten with him.”
“I was worried about an innocent man behind bars,” Sarah muttered.
“I’m not arguing with that. I know you’ve saved many lives the same as his before, but there was always something between the two of you.”
Sarah didn’t know what to say to Meredith, but thankfully, she didn’t have to come up with an answer.
As the kids settled down for the night, Alan joined them at the small fire she’d started on the pier in an old grill someone had left behind since the last time she had been there.
In earnest, she was surprised no one had taken up a more permanent shelter there.
It was a good thing. Maine could become dangerous in the winter months.
She hated to think about how many people in the country weren’t prepared for the cold snap ahead of them.
The government wasn’t going to be re-established and able to help for months.
Shaking the depressing thought from her mind, Sarah smiled at her travel companions and tried to pull herself back to the conversation at hand.
Alan looked like he had something on his mind but wasn’t sure how to approach the topic.
She sighed and focused her attention on him until he started to fidget.
He quickly broke as he started to curse.
“So, if we head to Maine with you, are you sure your parents are going to be okay taking on a group like this? We don’t want to intrude,” Alan said.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Alan. They’d be pretty upset with me if I didn’t bring you along with me.”
Alan smiled. “I hope you’re right. Is there going to be enough room for us to stay there long-term?”
“We made some extra room after checking the properties next to us. We have the supplies and plenty of space for you and your family. Hell, we could fit up to about ten people if we needed to. Plus, I kind of had you guys in mind when I planned it out.”
“That’s just like you to always think ahead. How’d they manage to be so prepared for all of this when no one else seemed to be.”
“Just smart living while I was growing up. They weren’t fanatics by any means, but they certainly wanted to be prepared if anything did happen. I learned a lot from them through the years.”
“I’m glad you’re prepared and that they were okay when you got there. How’s the homestead?”
Sarah smiled. “It’s nice. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I was there for a few weeks.”
“Good. I know how things are down here, and I imagine it’s like that everywhere. Has there been any trouble up there in that area?”
“Unfortunately, there were a couple of issues my dad had before I got there,” Sarah said. “There’s one local prick who’s been a pain in my side, but before I left, we had put him in his place. I just don’t know if it will last. He’s got a dark side.”
As Sarah continued to tell Alan about the villagers and the mayor, Becky and Meredith listened while the children slept.
She was happy they were hearing it as well.
Sooner or later, she wanted them to know what they would be up against. While the homestead was by and far a safe haven, it wasn’t without its dangers, and she wanted them to be well aware of that.
Sarah couldn’t think of a better place for the group, but information was key to them making a decision about where to settle down.
Her heart raced as she told them about the confrontation with the mayor and his men.
She hated not knowing what was happening at her parents’ place.
It was so strange to think about how much they had relied on technology to stay in touch before.
After being away from her family for nearly ten days, Sarah was ready to be back at the farm.
The homestead and the people there were everything to her, but she was still thankful she had made the journey.
Not only did she have people she cared about now safe, but she also had information about the state of the rest of the world.
Home was calling her, and Sarah was ready for her travels to come to an end.