Chapter 43
Later that night, as they all gathered around a large fire burning just off the porch, Sarah couldn't believe how peaceful everything felt.
She never wanted the moment to change as she listened to the children playing outside.
They had become fast friends, though she wasn't surprised by that. It amazed her how wonderfully the twins had flourished beneath her mother's loving care. Jamie’s feisty and outspoken personality was a perfect match for Marshall’s.
Despite his being two years older than her, Jamie showed no fear in the face of the oldest child's bullying.
He quickly discovered that Jamie wasn't nearly as kind-hearted and docile as his younger sister.
Whereas Eric and Cameron had become fast friends.
As much as she was enjoying the tranquility that being back on the property had to offer, Sarah still knew the adults had a very serious conversation.
They needed it to start. Every minute they didn't have sentries posted at the front of the road, Sarah grew more nervous.
The mayor was obviously getting ready to take action against the homestead.
She wasn't going to make anything easy on the man.
If it came down to it, Sarah wouldn't hesitate to take a life if it meant protecting her family and the people on the property.
The last thing she wanted to do was let the mayor know they had more firepower and people there to defend the land.
He was at expecting an easy fight, and she was going to let him keep believing that's what he would find at the homestead. Carefully keeping watch over everything while still staying hidden was going to be the adult’s new primary concern.
With the children distracted and happy, Sarah saw her opportunity to address the other adults on the back porch.
“Were you guys able to take an inventory of our arsenal?” Sarah asked.
“Yeah. Alan and I did a walk-through and made sure of everything we have. Looks like we have two dozen guns and fifty-five boxes of ammunition,” Henry said.
She was impressed with the number of guns they had, but soon they would have to find more.
There was no way of knowing how long they would have to fend for themselves, let alone how many times they would have to defend themselves.
It might have sounded like a lot of ammunition to some, but with the dark days that could lay ahead of them, she wanted to be prepared.
“That’s not too bad. I don’t know if it will last, but I think it will get us by if the mayor tries anything.”
“If not, then we could always set some traps for any others that may come,” Alan said.
“If it comes to that, we’ll do it. For now, I just want to have an idea of what we have and how many rounds we’ll have. From the sounds of it, we’ll have plenty of ammunition for the time being.”
“Well, if that’s not enough, there is another option. I’m just not sure if we’re going to want to use it,” Henry said.
“What is it that we wouldn’t want to use?”
“We also have two hand grenades.”
“Why in the hell do we have grenades, and where did they come from?” Sarah asked.
Alan laughed. “I was hoping to get that reaction from you. When I grabbed some weapons from the weapons stash at the prison, I grabbed a couple of grenades. I didn’t know what I was going to run into, and I wanted to be prepared, just like you were always talking about.”
“That makes a little more sense.” Sarah chuckled.
Sarah was shocked by the surprising arsenal they had accumulated.
While she couldn't see a scenario where they would need to use their grenades, they were still good to have.
For the time being, she was happy with their weapons stockpile.
Over time they would have to replenish their sources.
It wasn't going to be easy, given how scarce ammunition had now become.
Still, they had an abundance of things they could barter for in trade.
Someone in the group had to be skilled or know the basics of making bullets to boot.
At one point, her father had made his own shotgun shells, and she made a mental note to ask him about it later on.
At least they were protected for the time being.
The weapons were no good without shooters to fire them.
They would need to start working and watching the property in shifts if they were going to catch the mayor before he attacked them.
She didn't want him getting anywhere near the house.
Now that they had five children living with them, keeping them safe was their main concern.
Becky was a huge asset to the group as well.
Her skills as a registered nurse would help them not only on the battlefield but in bartering with locals as well.
If they had the ability to save even one life because she was now there, Sarah would see it as a win.
While the children were still distracted outside, Sarah wanted to make sure everyone understood their dire situation.
There was no reason to worry the kids, but things were going to have to change until the confrontation with the mayor had been settled.
The group had started to talk amongst themselves, but Sarah was quick to pull their attention back to the conversation at hand.
“We need to keep someone posted at all times. Until we know exactly what we’re going to be dealing with, I don’t want to take any chances,” Sarah said. “We obviously don’t want to be just sitting here on the porch, either.”
“How do you want us posted?” Henry asked.
“Well, I think the best places to keep guard will be on either side of the property. I’d say if we keep to the woods, they won’t have an easy line of sight on anyone.”
“So, we’ll stick to the wooded areas and keep watch over the property. I’ll take one of the first shifts. That way, the rest of you can get some sleep,” Adam said.
“That’s good. I’ll take the other side of the property. I’d like to be able to?—”
“Sarah, as much as I know you want to keep an eye on things and be the hero we all know you are, you need to rest as much as you can,” Henry said. “Adam and I can take the first watch while the rest of you sleep.”
“Thank you, Dad. I just want to make sure we’re all safe. Which reminds me—we need to keep an eye on the kids at all times. Don’t let them get out of your sight, even for a moment.”
While she wasn’t sure the men would do anything to the children, she wasn’t going to chance it. Any man willing to approach a child who is all alone and corner them was probably willing to do things Sarah would kill over. No, it was better to be safe and make sure the kids were all looked out for.
Now that everyone had their jobs for the night, Sarah started to feel the weight of the journey.
She yawned as she stood and stretched out, the conversations dying around her as every head turned to watch.
She made short work of bidding her farewells to everyone before slipping away from the group and up to her bedroom.
Before she made it all the way up the steps, Becky pulled her to a stop and tugged at Sarah’s shirt to check her wound.
It was healing nicely. She hadn't mentioned the gunshot wound to either of her parents and wanted to keep it that way for a little while.
They had enough to worry about without the knowledge that she had been shot.
Plus, if Adam knew, he was going to flip out and want to go back to the prison to exact his revenge.
She adored him for being so protective, but she didn't need more drama in their lives right now.
After getting the all-clear from her friend, Sarah gave Becky a hug and headed for her room.
It felt amazing to be back in her own bed once again.
She had wanted more time to talk with Adam, but that could wait until the clear and present danger was dealt with first. Being away from him and nearly dying after the altercation at the prison had changed her point of view on things.
Sarah was done waiting around for him to make a move.
There was obviously something between them, and she wanted to pursue it further.
There weren't enough hours in the day to do everything Sarah wanted.
As her eyes grew heavy, she finally started to doze off with pleasant thoughts of the future in her mind.