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“There’s dessert in that bag you’re holding,” I said.“If you’re lucky, it’s M&M’S.”
The girl looked at the bag she clutched and then at me.
“Should we open it?”I asked.
She nodded and handed it to me.I glanced at the woman.
“Why not give your back a break and have her sit in the car and eat?”
We moved away from the men as they continued to discuss what we’d likely find at the base.Patrick wouldn’t sugarcoat anything, and the kid didn’t need any more of a reality check.I showed the mother and daughter how to open the bags and all the “goodies” in an MRE.Then I stood guard as they both took care of business on the far side of the car.
“How long have you been doing this?”the mom asked as she cleaned her daughter’s hands.
“Three weeks on the road so far.”
“Is there any hope?”she asked, her hand rubbing over her belly.
“There’s always hope,” I said with a wink at the little girl.She smiled back and took a bite of her ravioli.“That hope might look a little different than you’re used to, though.”
The mother nodded and started to eat her meal.
After thirty minutes of nothing from the lookouts, Patrick signaled that we should pack up.The girl waved at me before getting into her car, and the mom smiled her thanks.If only they knew the real reason we’d stopped hadn’t been to feed them.
I started the MRAP and glanced at Roland as he got in.
“Maybe the greys just followed us to see what we were doing,” he said.
“Maybe,” I agreed, hoping he was right.
It took hours to work our way along the back roads, but not because of the greys.
To avoid the city of Enid, situated just north of Vance Air Force Base, we had to circle south on the back roads.We did our best to avoid towns, but we still attracted unwanted attention when we got close.Stopping to remove the buildup of undead trailing us was necessary but time-consuming.Messy too.Same with the roadblocks the undead persistently attempted.
And after each one, we would need to wait for the pregnant woman to finish throwing up.I felt bad for her.
By late afternoon, the base beckoned in the distance.The sight of the closed southern gate and fortified fence was a welcomed relief.However, I couldn’t see any visible guards when we neared.
“Not again,” Roland muttered.
“What?What do you see?”Katie asked.
“An unguarded gate.What do you see?”I asked.
“Ted winking and blowing kisses at me,” she said dryly.
Roland chuckled.
“He needs to pay attention,” I said.
“He has been,” Katie said.“Mostly.William smacked him once.That was pretty funny.Any guards yet?”
“Nothing yet.”
The words were barely out of my mouth when a voice cut over the walkie.
“Stop where you are, and state your business.”
“This is Sergeant Patrick Bromwell.We picked up six civilians in Silverdale who need evacuation.”
