by Eric Vall
“So you’ve been here for a while,” I mused. I had figured that was the case, but confirmation was always ideal.
“Since I knew the world was on its way to hell,” Brody said with a grin.
“How did all these people get here?” Tara asked.
“I ran into some of them on the way,” the large man said. “Others showed up after we were here.”
“It was nice of you to let them in,” Bailey said.
“More practical than anything,” Brody corrected. “A place like this needs quite a few people to keep it running smoothly.”
The large man took another drink of his vodka, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
“What about you all?” he asked. “How did you make it through the winter?”
“Pretty much the same as you it seems,” Paige said. “We stocked up from the fall harvest, hunted, and kept the Canadians out.”
“I imagine it was a lot more difficult to keep the Canadians out of a school than to keep them out of a fort,” Brody said with a raised brow.
“You got that right,” Tara said, and she downed the last of her second drink.
“So what did you do?” the dark haired man asked. “You must have some skilled people at this college of yours.”
“We’ve trained everyone there,” Anna said.
“You have?” Brody laughed, and he looked the redhead up and down skeptically. “And who trained you?”
“Tav did,” Anna said with a straight face and steel resolve.
“You trained these girls?” the large man asked me with surprise.
“I did,” I agreed. “Though they were naturals, so it didn’t take much.”
“And what skills do they have now?” Brody asked.
“Skills enough to kick your ass,” Tara snickered and the group fell quiet, but then Brody let out a raucous laugh.
“She has spirit,” he chuckled as he pointed a thumb at Tara, then poured her yet another drink.
“That she does,” I said with a small smile.
“Tav never lets us drink this much,” the platinum blonde said, and I noticed her words were slightly slurred. The potato vodka Brody had served us was no joke.
“Tav is a good soldier,” Brody said as he topped off his own drink as well. “He’s always on guard and always ready. Just like a Ranger should be, but you’re plenty safe behind these walls, and you all seem like you need a break. Now, what about these skills of yours?”
“I’m the ninja of the group,” Tara chuckled, definitely tipsy. “At least that’s what they call me.”
“Ninja?” Brody asked with raised brows.
“Tara is great for stealth missions,” I explained.
“I see,” the large man said with a nod, then he turned to Paige. “And you?”
“When it comes to fighting, I prefer my shotgun,” Paige said with a shrug.
“A noble trench weapon indeed,” Brody chuckled.
“But I’m more skilled with research and navigation,” the brunette said.
“Alright,” the dark haired man said as he turned to Anna. “And you?”
“I’m Tav’s second in command,” the redhead responded, and she leveled with Brody, her small chin tilting up as she met his eyes as if to dare him to question her place. “We’re all skilled in firearms, knives, and hand to hand combat, but we each have a role in the team as well. That’s mine.”
“A good role to have,” Brody said with a grin. “All you need now is a sniper and you’re a complete team.”
“We have one,” I said with amusement.
Brody looked around for a moment until his eyes fell on Bailey.
“No,” he laughed. “This little thing?”
“I wouldn’t do too much mocking,” Anna warned. “I once saw her take out five targets from three-hundred yards in a span of ten seconds.”
“That’s impressive,” Brody said, and he whistled low. “Tav must have done a damn good job training you all.”
“As Anna said, they’re all versed in guns and knives,” I said. “But those other skills are naturally theirs. I only helped to hone them.”
“Don’t you have people on your team with different roles?” Paige asked.
“Not too much, no,” Brody said. “Most of my crew is simply civilians. They know how to shoot, but that’s about it.”
Something about Brody’s response troubled me. He had said himself that they had been there for over a year, so why had he not trained the civilians? I knew he had the skills to do so, and even if they didn’t have the ammo to waste, he could have taught them how to hold their weapons, clean them, use a knife, and so much more. Did he not trust the people he lived with? Or did they not trust him?
A small knock sounded, then the dining hall door opened.
“Ah,” Brody said, and he gestured to where a few civilians stood in the threshold. “Come on in.”
The civilians were all women, and they brought in a feast fit for a king. There was a whole cooked turkey, stuffing, rolls, corn, mashed potatoes, and gravy. They set out the plates of food on the table, as well as several plates and forks, then retreated just as quickly as they had come in.
“Won’t they be joining us?” I asked, confused.
“Oh, no,” Brody said. “You are guests. I asked them to give us some time alone to get caught up.”
I said nothing, just took a seat at the table and inspected the meal. Now on top of Brody not training his people, they weren’t eating with us, either?
Something wasn’t sitting right with me.
I followed the girls to the table and went to pull out a chair toward the middle, but Brody held up a hand at me.
“No, no!” he said and he pointed to the chair on his right. “Tav, you must sit here instead.”
“Okay,” I said after a moment, and I moved to sit on his right. The ceremony of the spot made me uncomfortable, I had never been someone’s right-hand man, nor had I ever wanted to be. I followed orders in the military, sure, and I did my best to fulfill my duties, but I had never considered myself a follower of anyone in particular. My loyalty was to the Constitution of the United States of America, my fellow servicemen, and the citizens of the country I swore to protect. Commanders came and went, but my loyalty never followed them.
“A toast!” Brody exclaimed as he refilled everyone’s glass. “To old friends!”
“Hear, hear,” Tara laughed, and she banged her cup on the table. It seemed the platinum blonde had already had too much to drink. The homemade vodka was serious stuff, at least eighty proof if not much higher, but I hoped some food would help sober her up some. As long as she didn’t give out too much information in her tipsy state, I wouldn’t worry too much. I knew she’d suffer for it enough in the morning.
I dished up my plate as everyone passed the food around, though I didn’t take much. It had been a long day, but this situation had done nothing to improve my appetite, and I found myself barely hungry. I couldn’t stop thinking about the civilians and why they weren’t allowed to join us for dinner. Finally, I decided I would see what they had to say for me.
“Brody,” I said after everyone had dished up and began eating. “Where is your restroom?”
“Go back out the doors and down the hall,” the dark haired man said through a bite of turkey. “Last door on the right.”
“Thanks,” I said as I stood up.
I followed his instructions, but instead of heading directly down the hallway, I walked slowly and peered into any room I saw. I was almost to the end of the hallway when I noticed a door to my left. It was closed, but light came out through the bottom. I slowly opened the door to see a small room filled with civilians. I didn’t get a full headcount, but there were at least twenty-five people, probably more. There was a large pot over the hearth, and I watched as an older woman dished up some sort of soup and a piece of bread to each person in line.
I watched for a moment and was about to head inside to talk to them when I heard Brody’s
voice call out for me.
“Tav!” the large man laughed, and I heard footsteps headed toward me. “Did you lose your way?”
“No, I’m done,” I said and I stepped back and headed up the hallway toward the large man. Before the door closed, I saw the woman who served the food look over to me, her eyes were wide with surprise.
“There you are,” Brody chuckled. “Good thing, because I’ve got to take a leak now. Go back and enjoy dinner, brother.”
“Thanks,” I said and I headed back toward the dining hall while he headed toward the bathroom and the civilians.
I hurried back into the dining room and sat down at the table. I knew I didn’t have long before Brody returned.
“What’s wrong?” Anna asked before I could say anything.
“The civilians aren’t eating with us,” I said.
“I thought that was weird, too,” Paige agreed.
“Yes,” I said. “But I just saw them eating soup and bread.”
“What?” Bailey asked with a frown. “They aren’t eating what we’re eating?”
“It doesn’t appear so,” I said, and I felt my jaw set in anger.
“Maybe there’s a good explanation,” Tara said.
“Maybe,” I said. “But I doubt it. Just stay vigilant, we’ll discuss this later.”
I heard footsteps in the hallway once more, and the girls and I quieted down and ate our food while Brody joined us once more.
“Brody,” I said with a fake smile once we had finished eating. “I thank you for your hospitality. The meal was delicious.”
“Yes, thank you,” Bailey said with a soft smile that I figured was about as real as mine. I knew my hippie girl hated the idea of everyone not being treated equally even more than the rest of the team.
“Cheers,” Tara giggled, and she held up her cup to clank it against Brody’s.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” the dark haired man said.
“I only wish we could have met your people over dinner,” I said as nonchalantly as I could manage. “It’s a shame they didn’t join us.”
“Oh,” Brody said with a wave of his hand. “It is special that you are here. The civilians don’t mind eating alone while we have a treat for your arrival.”
“Well, we really should be going,” I said, having changed my mind about staying the night. “We’ve already been gone from our home for several days.”
“I can’t let you go out in the dark,” Brody said. “I insist you stay here for the evening. There’s plenty of room here for you all. Would you like separate rooms?”
“One room is fine,” I said reluctantly.
“Of course it is,” Brody said with a wink at me. “You can leave in the morning if you wish, but there’s plenty to explore around the fort if you’re interested.”
“I appreciate the hospitality,” I said. “I suppose one night couldn’t hurt.”
“Exactly!” the dark haired man exclaimed. “Now, cheers to good friends and good food!”
“Hear, hear!” Tara shouted, and Anna rolled her eyes at the platinum blonde.
Chapter 2
“Well, if we’re going to stay the night, then I think it’s about time for us to head to bed,” I said. “We’ve had a long day out on the water.”
“Of course,” Brody said. “I have just the room for you all.”
The dark-haired man stood up and headed toward the door, with no regard for the mess that had been left on the table. I thought about stopping to clean up, but decided that the sooner I could get alone with my girls to discuss the situation, the better. I grabbed my rifle off the wall and followed him out of the room with the girls behind me.
Brody led us all the way down the hallway, across the fort wall, and into another wing of the building. There, he stopped in front of a massive door that opened to a large bedroom with a fireplace that had a large painting of a battlefield situated above it, antique furniture that looked to have been made before the last century, and a massive four post bed that looked like it could fit ten people.
“This can be your room for the evening,” he announced.
“Fuck, yeah!” Tara gasped, and she walked straight in and plopped down on the bed.
“Thank you again for your hospitality,” I said. “We’ll be leaving in the morning.”
“Oh, Tav,” Brody laughed and clapped me on the shoulder. “Always so serious. Just relax for a while. You’re plenty safe here.”
My eyes narrowed at how he repeated the same line he had told Tara earlier. Was he trying to get us to let our guard down, or did he really believe the fort to be so impenetrable that nothing could touch them?
“Thanks again,” I said and I headed into the large room with the rest of the girls behind me.
Anna closed the door as Brody walked away, then she turned to look at me with wide eyes.
“What’s going on here?” the redhead whispered.
“I’m not sure,” I said. “But it’s something strange.”
“Or it could be exactly what he said,” Tara said as she rolled over on the bed. “Dude seems to really like you.”
“Tara’s right,” Bailey said, and she pursed her lips. “He could be telling the truth about it being a special evening and that’s why the civilians didn’t join us.”
“Right,” I agreed. “But why wouldn’t they eat the same thing we were?”
“That does seem strange,” Anna said.
“I don’t like it,” Paige said.
“Why?” Tara asked. “Brody seems pretty chill.”
“You only think that because you’re drunk,” Anna pointed out.
“Yessir,” the platinum blonde slurred.
“We’re going to have to have a talk about that later,” I told Tara.
“Ugh,” the platinum blonde groaned. “I knew that was coming.”
“You should have,” Anna laughed. “That vodka is strong shit and you had like five of them.”
“We’re safe here, remember,” the platinum blonde retorted, and even when Tara said it the phrase didn’t sit right with me.
“No,” Paige said. “Brody said we were safe here.”
“It does seem like a safe place,” Bailey countered as she looked around.
“That’s true,” I agreed. “But just because the place is safe doesn’t mean the people are.”
“Do you think maybe you’re judging him a bit too harshly before you actually know what’s going on?” Tara asked.
“Maybe we should talk to the civilians,” Bailey suggested.
“That’s a good idea,” I said. “I tried to earlier, but Brody called me back to the table before I had the chance.”
“Hang on, hang on,” Tara said, and she looked at me seriously. “You know this guy, right?”
“Somewhat,” I agreed.
“Well, people don’t just change overnight,” Bailey said. “What did you know about him before all this?”
“Not much,” I said. “We did a couple missions together, but he was never really a friend.”
“Yeah,” Tara said with exasperation. “But what about him as a person? Was he a chill guy, a weird guy?”
“Did you outrank him or something?” Anna asked. “He seems to respect you a lot.”
“I was going to ask the opposite,” Paige said. “I thought it was weird that he put you to his right at the table.”
“He did make a point of that,” I agreed. “But no, he didn’t outrank me.”
“What do you mean?” Bailey asked.
“In the Rangers you are part of a cohesive unit,” I explained. “Brody and I were Staff Sergeants, but we weren’t normally unit leaders.”
“How do you do that?” Anna asked.
“You can become a unit leader by going to RASP 2. In RASP 2, you learn how to lead and train new Rangers.”
“What does RASP stand for?” Paige asked.
“Ranger Assessment and Selection Program,” I clarified. “You have to take the course to join the 75th
Ranger Regiment, but soldiers can take a second course if they want to earn a leadership position.”
“Why didn’t you become a leader?” Anna asked.
“I was going to do it, and I heard that Brody had signed up for it, but I wanted to take some time off to figure out what I was going to do for the rest of my life. Honestly though, I never wanted to really lead men. I liked being part of a group, not leading them.”
“That’s so weird,” Paige chuckled.
“Why?” I asked.
“Really?” Anna laughed. “You have to ask?”
“I guess it does seem odd with my role in this group,” I conceded. “But I like to think of us far more as a team than anything else.”
“We know,” Bailey said with a reassuring smile.
“If you weren’t really friends, then why is he so happy to see you, though?” Paige asked, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.
“It might have something to do with the missions we went on together,” I said.
“What happened?” Tara slurred, her eyes half closed already.
“Well,” I said. “I did kind of save his life once.”
“What do you mean kind of?” Anna asked with a raised brow.
“Brody was kind of a loose cannon back then,” I explained. “He was trained just like any of us, but he was the first person to run into a dangerous situation without thinking. It’s behavior that isn’t encouraged by any military group, especially the Rangers. We aren’t really the ‘glory hounds’ of spec ops. We are the ‘put your head down and work’ group.”
“I can see that,” Tara said with a drunken nod.
“When we were in Sierra Leone, he got himself into a bit of a mess,” I said.
“What happened?” Anna asked.
“He thought he was sneakier than he actually was,” I sighed. “He got himself captured, and I went in and got him out before anyone noticed.”
“How the hell did you manage that?” Paige asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
“We were doing two-man teams for the mission,” I said. “So I got him out before the others saw him, and we were able to complete the mission.”
“So he disobeyed orders and you saved his ass?” Tara asked with a raised brow.
