Roland: Reluctant Paladin

by N. C. Reed

“They will?” Turner seemed surprised.

  “Sure,” Wilson nodded. “Going that way anyhow. Won’t be a problem.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Turner almost muttered. “I didn’t really think she’d still be there.” She sat down on the bed, hands folded in front of her. “How do I know it’s really her?” she demanded suddenly. “I should see her. Take me to her!”

  “That ain’t gonna happen,” Roland shook his head. “You ain’t gettin’ outta here until they’re ready to take you on away from here. Regardless of your reasons, you still caused a lot of trouble here, and then tried to steal a rifle. So you stay right here until you leave.”

  “Sheriff, I demand to be taken to my sister!” Turner exclaimed, her voice tinged with desperation.

  “Sorry Miss Turner, but I have to side with Roland on this,” Wilson shook his head. “You might have had reason, but you caused him a good bit of trouble. He’s within his rights not to allow you free reign of his home. Just sit here and be patient. We’ll bring your sister along as soon as the medic is done, and she’s had something to eat.”

  “No!” Turner shouted, jumping to her feet. “I want to see her now!”

  “Not an option.” Roland’s face was a mask. “Sit down, and be patient. She’ll be here shortly.”

  “You’re lying!” Turner exclaimed.

  “And so are you,” Roland shrugged. “You ain’t even got a sister, do you?”

  Turner stopped dead in her tracks, mouth open for a retort, when Roland’s calm words penetrated. Suddenly her eyes darted around the room, like a lion in a cage.

  “Don’t even think it,” Roland warned, his pistol appearing in his hand like magic. “I got no problem shooting you where you stand and burying you out behind the school.”

  “You can’t do that with Howdy Doody standing there,” Turner almost snarled. The change in her was almost instantaneous.

  “I can always bury him too,” Roland replied flatly. “It’s nothin’ I ain’t done before, I promise.”

  “Hey, I bet my coffee is ready,” Wilson said suddenly. “I better just go and check on that.”

  “You can’t leave me here with him!” Turner cried, suddenly showing fear.

  “Sure, I can,” Wilson nodded. “And I will if you don’t start talking. Right now.”

  “If you want to live out the next five minutes,” Roland’s voice was like ice, “then here’s your chance. I won’t give you another.”

  -

  Thirty minutes later, Roland and Wilson were in the office, still reeling from Turner’s ‘talk’.

  “What are we going to do?” Wilson asked, more to himself than Roland.

  “I’m going to defend this school, and my kids,” Roland said flatly. He didn’t even realize he said ‘his’ kids. He couldn’t have told anyone when they became ‘his’ kids, either. They just had.

  “I’d love to be able to help, Roland, but. . .I’ve got the rest of the county to worry about too.”

  “We can take care of ourselves,” Roland shook his head. “We’ve got some extra manpower now, with so many new faces. You need to get yourself a posse organized, though. I’ll check with Jenkins when he returns, and see if he can help you any. Even if they can’t stay, they might have some hardware you can use.”

  “That would help,” Wilson nodded. “There’s a few vets around here that could make use of military style hardware. I’ve got to start talking to them right now.” He looked at Roland.

  “I don’t know what to expect these next few days, Roland.”

  “Expect war,” Roland shrugged, his voice flat. “Cause that’s what it’ll be. Take care, Tom,” he extended his hand. “You get into a bind, you can always come here.”

  “Thank you, Roland,” Wilson nodded gratefully, taking the proffered hand. “I hope it won’t come to that. I have to get going.” Roland watched the Sheriff leave, his face hardening.

  He had things to do.

  -

  Turner was afraid. For the first time since her arrival here, she was truly afraid.

  “What are you going to do?” she demanded. Hands cuffed behind her, barefoot, she was walking into a field near the school, being prodded forward by the barrel of Roland’s rifle. “If something happens to me, it’ll go badly for you when they get here,” she warned.

  “As opposed to how it’s going to be anyway?” Roland scoffed, giving her a not too gentle shove. “That’s not much of a threat, now is it?”

  “I can help you,” Turner promised, her voice edged with fear.

  “You already helped me,” Roland assured her. “Stop right here,” he ordered. “Stay real still, so you don’t scare me.” Turner froze, fighting to stay perfectly still as Roland freed her from the cuffs.

  “Start running,” he ordered suddenly.

  “Wh… what?” Turner stammered, almost turning to look at him before catching herself.

  “You heard me,” Roland’s voice was flat. Devoid of any emotion. “Start running.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m giving you a chance,” Roland replied. “More than you would have given us. So, start running.”

  “Please don’t do this,” Turner whimpered. “I didn’t have any choice! I was forced to...”

  “Stop it,” Roland’s voice still had no emotion. “You’re lying. Every word you’ve spoken since you got here was a lie. Got no interest in nothing you got to say. Time’s running, by the way.”

  “Roland, please,” she tried again. “This isn’t. . .you don’t have to...”

  The gunshot echoed across the field, scaring nearby birds into flight. The only sound after that was Turner’s lifeless body hitting the muddy ground.

  “Told you time was runnin’ out,” Roland said calmly. He started back to the school, without bothering to bury the body.

  He still had work to do today.

  -

  “Where is that woman?” Maria asked carefully. Roland’s face was a mask. She had seen the look before, but it was still. . .unsettling.

  “She ran away,” was all he said, never slowing. Maria hustled to follow him down the hallway.

  “Roland, what is happening?” she asked.

  “We’re going to be attacked,” Roland said simply. “Might be tomorrow, might be a week from now, but it’s coming. We have to be ready. There’s work to do.”

  “What. . .what kind of work?” Maria stammered. “How many are attacking? What are we going to do?”

  “We have to get this place ready for a fight,” Roland told her. “I don’t have the exact number, but figure a lot. As for what we’re going to do?” He stopped suddenly, and looked her right in the eye. Despite knowing that Roland would never harm her, Maria still took a step back. It seemed as if the temperature had fallen ten degrees in just that second.

  “We’re going to kill them all.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “And that’s the way it is,” Roland finished, standing before the assembled group of residents at the school. The children were in the cafeteria with the older children.

  “We have to go back,” one of the women said suddenly, breaking into the silence. “We have to go back to Nashville, where it’s safe!”

  “I’m not going back,” one of the men spoke firmly. “There’s no way I’m leaving all these kids here defenseless against something like that.” He looked at Roland.

  “I’m not a soldier, but I do know how to shoot. Been shootin’ all my life. I’ll do whatever it takes, sir.” Roland nodded at him, smiling slightly.

  “Thanks. If any of the rest of you want to go, then you need to let Jenkins know as soon as he gets back. I expect he’ll come on in soon, once he gets this information.” Wilson had promised that would be his first stop, to warn both Turnbow and Jenkins. “No hard feeling for anyone who wants to go. Just don’t come back. We don’t need people who want to just sit back and enjoy what other people are willing to bleed and die for.”

  Several that had been think
ing of leaving winced at that.

  “For those of you who are willing to stay, Vaughan will get you armed and checked out on weapons. No heroics,” Roland warned. “I don’t need dead heroes. I need live helpers. Once this is over, there’ll be plenty of work to do, and we’ll need your help to get it done.”

  Two of the single women, and the oldest of the two couples stayed put. They looked on shame

  faced as the rest followed Vaughan out of the room.

  “You can help watch the children while Maria and the others get ready,” Roland told them flatly. “You can go as soon as Jenkins gets back. Don’t bother coming back.”

  He left them sitting there, walking out of the room. He had too many other things to do to dwell on people who weren’t willing to fight to survive.

  -

  Jenkins rolled in two hours later.

  “Roland, we need to evacuate this place,” he said at once.

  “No.” The answer was flat and final.

  “There’s no other choice!” Jenkins demanded.

  “We’re staying,” Roland shook his head. “We’ve got too much hard work invested here. If we run this time, we’ll just face something like this again. Someone has to start standing up. Fighting back.” He turned to face the soldier.

  “I would like you to take the children,” he said, his voice softer. “They’ll be safer with you until we can beat this off.”

  “Roland, you aren’t being reasonable,” Jenkins was almost pleading. “There’s no reason to defend this place!”

  “There’s every reason!” Roland was almost yelling. He stopped short, visibly calming himself. “This is our home,” he continued, calmer. “More than that, this is still America. I know it’s just a shadow of what it was, but it’s still here. And I’m not going to allow anyone else to take it away.” He looked away for a minute, collecting his thoughts.

  “I’ve been all over the world, fighting for other people. I know you and most of your guys have been to Iraq at the least. Some of you may have been other places. If we can fight for others, then we can damn sure fight for our own. I’m going to fight for what’s mine, what’s ours, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to take it away or hurt my kids. Anyone.”

  “Roland, we can’t help you,” Jenkins looked pale. “We have to go back. I’ll try to get the...”

  “I don’t need your help,” Roland said firmly. “You’ve done more than enough. You can protect my kids. Take them with you and get the hell out of here. Take anyone else who wants to go. I don’t need them in the way if they’re not going to help.”

  Jenkins fell silent at that. He managed to nod his agreement, face still drawn. Realizing that he wasn’t going to change Roland’s mind, he headed to find his men. They had work to do.

  -

  “Okay, we need to get these bags filled, and get them on the roof!” Jesse called. Everyone that wasn’t working elsewhere was filling bags with dirt. Sandbags from the county’s flood stores had been brought to the school by one of the few county workers still on the job. He had dropped them off as he made the rounds to other places, including Turnbow’s group.

  They didn’t have sand but they had plenty of dirt. They were using a front-end loader attached to the small tractor that the grounds keeper had used to tend the yard. Digging into the soft dirt from the field next door, the bags were filled by hand, then hoisted onto the roof by rope.

  The work was exhausting, and Maria, Deena and Terri kept a steady stream of cold water coming for the workers as well as helping fill bags in the interim. One of Jenkins’ fire teams was assisting, while the other was providing security. Jenkins and his men would leave in the morning, but they were working as hard as they could to help secure the school beforehand.

  Roland was grateful for their help but he wasn’t depending on their defenses. He wasn’t thinking about placing the school in the center of a firefight.

  He wasn’t even thinking about allowing the fight to reach the school. He was following an old piece of advice given to him long ago.

  When you don’t like the game, change the rules.

  -

  The next day came early, with everyone up at dawn. Breakfast was already cooked, the girls and their new helpers having risen just after four to start cooking.

  Afterward the children were quietly loaded onto the bus, all curious as to why. The adults all smiled and told them they were going on a field trip to see a new place and they’d be back in a few days. Roland watched as Maria, Deena and Terri said their goodbyes. He’d asked them to go with the children but all had refused. This was now their home, and they intended to stay there. Roland decided not to argue. They had as much right to stay as he did.

  Jenkins broke into Roland’s reverie.

  “We’re loaded and ready to go,” he announced. “Where’s that Turner woman? I’m sure you want her out of your hair.”

  “She escaped,” Roland replied, looking straight into his eyes. “Two days ago. Probably back with her group by now.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me!” Jenkins was astonished. “Roland she’ll have told them everything!”

  “Most likely,” Roland nodded calmly. “No help for it now. At least the children won’t be here.” He offered his hand.

  “Thanks for that, by the way.” He smiled.

  “Roland, please, come with us,” Jenkins asked once more. “We can easily get you back to Nashville. We’ll find you another place. A better one!”

  “No,” Roland shook his head. “If we abandon this place, then it’ll just go harder for the others. We’ll stick it out here. That bunch won’t wait very long. They’ll make their move, soon. When they do, we’ll get’em.”

  “Fine, I give up,” Jenkins threw his hands up. “I hope you know what you’re doing. I really do.”

  “Either way, it’ll be over soon.”

  -

  Jenkins sat in the passenger seat of his Humvee as the small convoy left the school. As he looked to his right, he saw vultures circling in a field, and others on the ground.

  “Ran away, huh,” he said to himself.

  Then he looked forward and kept moving.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Two days passed. Work continued at a frenzied pace as the school took on the look of a fortified castle. Look out posts were erected on the roof, and surrounded with sandbags. Logs and concrete rails were placed before all weak spots to prevent vehicles from being able to ram at full speed. Sandbags were used inside to strengthen the walls against any incoming fire, and windows were covered with scraps of steel to prevent entry while allowing those inside to return fire.

  A jury-rigged water tank was placed on the roof and tied into the sprinkler system and the school’s fire hose system. Fed by gravity, these additions would be important if a fire broke out during the fighting. Everyone took the time to learn how to turn the system on and use the equipment. Fire extinguishers were placed ready to use at each window that wasn’t covered completely.

  On the second day Roland opened the ‘goody’ box that had been given to him when the group departed Nashville. He hadn’t known what to expect and he was pleasantly surprised.

  Inside were three cases of Claymore mines, six mines to the case. Beside them was a box containing an Mk 19 grenade launcher with three boxes of ammunition. Jesse whistled silently as he viewed the contents of the box.

  “Wow,” he finally said. “That’s some goody box.”

  “Ain’t it though,” Roland breathed. He hadn’t thought about the box a single time since they had arrived here, and had no idea that it contained so much firepower.

  “Remind me to kiss the Captain, next time we see him,” Jesse chuckled. Roland nodded.

  “No doubt.”

  -

  Vaughan and MacKey weren’t really surprised at the contents. They’d helped pack it.

  “Should be a little C-4 in there, too,” Vaughan added, pulling the panel from the top of the case. Sure enough, eight sticks of the comp
osite explosive were nestled into the box, with the detonators in a separate box beneath the Mk19.

  “Damn,” was all Roland could say, shaking his head.

  “Nashville has the state armory,” MacKey shrugged. “No one really knew, other than the brass I mean, what all was in there until things went to hell. I mean, we knew that we were supposed to have everything we needed to deploy, but. . .anyway. Here it is.”

  “There it is,” Jesse grinned. “What you want to do, Roland?”

  “You three take two cases of the Claymores, and the -19, and decide where to set them. Leave me one box. I got something in mind for them. You guys get things set up.”

  “And just what is it you’re gonna do?” Jesse asked.

  “I got some thinkin’ to do.”

  -

  “You sent for me, Roland?” James asked. Roland looked up from where he was sitting.

  “Yeah, I did, James. C’mon in and take a seat.” James sat down on an ammo crate in Roland’s makeshift armory, taking the opportunity to open a jar of ice water Maria had given him when she found him. He drank half of it in one drought.

  “You know what we’re facing,” Roland said, rather than asking.

  “Yes, sir,” James nodded.

  “Well, I had me an extra little talk with Turner, ‘fore she left.”

  “You mean before you killed her?” James asked, never batting an eye.

  “How would you know that?” Roland demanded.

  “It’s what I would of done,” the boy shrugged easily. “Can’t let’er go, can’t keep’er. Ain’t much else to do.”

  “How does that make you feel?” Roland asked warily.

  “Like I said,” James shrugged again, “I’d o’ done it.” Roland thought about that for a minute, then nodded. He was more certain than ever, now, that he was making the right choice.

  “I don’t want to let these people just attack the school, and us defend,” Roland said finally. “I want to take the fight to them.”

  “Ain’t really got enough people, do we?” James asked, leaning forward.

  “I was thinking about just you and me,” Roland admitted, eyeing the teen carefully. James’ eyes lit up at that.