by Kip Nelson
Mack looked across at Grace and nodded at her, knowing she had to resist the urge to fling her arms around him. Will pulled up a chair, which Mack thanked him for, and he took a seat to listen to what was going on, setting the rifle he was holding against the wall before he sat.
“I heard there have been a few changes around here since I've been gone,” Mack said with a wry smile. Grace bit her lower lip and Bob blanched, folding his arms across his chest. He scowled and muttered that they had more to worry about.
“Bob, Luis, and Will infiltrated the other camp last night,” Grace said, informing Mack in case he didn't know.
“And we found a hell of a lot of weapons,” Bob said. “Pistols, rifles, shotguns, automatic rifles,, grenades, you name it they've got it. I'd be impressed if I wasn't sure they were going to use them on us.”
“We have a prisoner as well,” Grace said, looking at Bob but not responding to his comment yet. Mack noticed she was trying to maintain an even tone and keep control, which was no easy task, considering all the strong personalities in the room, as he well knew.
“She's not saying much. I was hoping to use her as a hostage and a way to get a message to the other faction, but the only thing she's given me is threats. I haven't been able to get anything useful out of her.”
“I've been guarding her all this time,” Saul chimed in, “and Grace is right. She mostly just sits there quietly. Hasn't proved to be any trouble, but she hasn't been any help either.”
Mack nodded his head slowly and pressed his lips together, beginning to formulate a plan in his head. However, he quickly stopped himself and asked Grace what she was thinking of doing.
“Honestly? I'm not sure. It's not as though my last plan turned out well...We only just got this information. So, for now, we've been trying to reinforce the barriers. People are getting a little more scared, but they're coping well. The point of this meeting was to try coming up with a plan. But I must admit I'm worried we're going to be outnumbered and outgunned. And, quite frankly, I'm not sure I want to be the leader anymore.
“When all this began, I thought I could help the people and prevent a war from coming, but it seems that all I've done is bring it about more quickly. I appreciate everyone's help and support, but I'm not sure I'm the right person to sit behind the desk or call the shots. I've had a taste of it, and I think that's enough for now.” She turned to Mack with a look that asked him to take command. Other heads turned toward him as well.
“I understand why you're all looking to me, but Bob, you did lead this settlement for a long time. I have to make sure it's okay with you first,” he said.
Bob, who still was sitting with his hands folded across his barrel chest, snorted with laughter. “I'm happy to wash my hands of the whole affair. It's more work than I want. Good luck to you,” he said. With that Mack nodded and he passed Grace as he took her place behind the desk, and she took his seat. Mack placed his hands on the desk and looked at them each in turn.
“All of us have been through a lot. Some of us have been together longer than others, and there have been some differences between us.” He looked at Saul and, in turn, Grace and Bob exchanged glances as well.
“But we're all in this together, and we all have to trust each other unconditionally. There is a dangerous group out there who have made us their number one target, and if we're going to survive, we need to be at the top of our game. Bob, Luis, and Will, you did a good job at getting the information. At least we know what we're up against and have a sense of their numbers. From what you say their arsenal is daunting, but that doesn't mean they're going to win. As long as we work together we can make it through this. I will not see this settlement fall.”
Mack spoke with such inspirational, commanding authority that it lifted the spirits of all those in the room, and he was glad to be back in his rightful place. Sometimes it was difficult to be in charge. Especially when he had to remember to adjust his style to cope with people who weren't used to the way a military command worked. Yet he still enjoyed being a leader, and was a natural fit for the role. But he was also wise enough to know that a leader was only as good as the people he led, and as he looked at the people around him he knew he couldn't have asked for a better group. He had complete faith in them and, over time, they each had proven themselves, even Bob. Although he was irascible and they had had their differences, Mack knew he had the best interests of the community at heart and would not let them down, not in this time of need.
“We've got a lot of things to do,” Mack continued. “It's good that the barriers are being reinforced, but we also need to remember that the people of this settlement are going to need taken care of as well. We're going to have to look out for each other. Maggie found her son, but it's going to be a hard adjustment for both of them. Bob, you knew both of them before all this. I think it would be helpful if you spent some time with them and try to make the adjustment a little easier for them both. I know we have this faction to deal with, but I'm sorry to say that our problems don't end there.
“Maggie and I were captured by the Lost Children. Tristan was a part of their group. They're ruled by a young man who has proclaimed himself a king and thinks the adults have failed this world. They were ready to kill us before Tristan came to our rescue and helped us escape. But they've basically declared war on adults, and it won't be long before they make their way through the city. There are hundreds of children there, though, and we have to try rescuing them before it's too late. It only seemed to get worse for all of them.
“Hopefully, one day we'll just be able to relax in peace without worrying that there are people out there trying to kill us,” Mack said, smiling ruefully.
“Right now, I think we all should continue going around the settlement, helping where we can. You all know what you're good at, so I'm not going to dictate to you what you should do. I trust you all. But Grace, if you'd like to show me to the prisoner, I'd like to have a few words with her myself.”
Grace and the others nodded and the room emptied quickly. Mack stood by the doorway and waited with his rifle as Grace was having a moment with Luis. As people passed him out the door they expressed their delight that he was back with them. When Saul left, the big man stood awkwardly, halfway through the door, before he stopped and stepped back into the room.
“I'm going to go make sure the prisoner is ready,” he said, and stroked his big gray beard. Mack waited patiently for the tall, broad-shouldered man to say what was on his mind.
“Mack, what you said about trusting us, and that we all need to work together...I've been thinking a lot. I know that in the past we've had our differences, and that's been down to me. I know I'm difficult sometimes, well, most of the time, but I want you to know that I have your back and I'm on your side. You don't have to worry about me arguing with you for the sake of arguing. I wasn't sure how I would be able to handle it when I got here, but I like this place, and I like the people in it. I'll do anything I can to see they don’t get hurt.”
“I appreciate that, Saul. You're a good man and a good friend, and I hope you still argue with me from time to time. I need putting in my place sometimes,” Mack said with a warm smile. Saul returned the gesture and left, with both men feeling more positive for the interaction.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
AFTER LUIS PASSED HIM, Mack was left alone with Grace. She walked awkwardly toward him and, after a few moments, they hugged. It lasted longer than either of them had intended, but they realized how much they had missed each other.
“I really wish you had been around,” Grace said.
“It seems like you have things pretty much under control,” he said, as they left the office and descended the stairs, walking out across the settlement in the direction of the prisoner.
“If you call being putting the place in danger having things under control then, sure, I have everything under control,” Grace said in a self-deprecating tone.
“From what I can tell, I don't think you had
the worst plan in the world. You wanted to get their attention, and you hoped they'd be reasonable enough to want to talk with you. You couldn't have known they would react like this.”
“I should have been able to tell. I should have seen that this would happen. I felt so stupid after I'd caused all this chaos and forced Bob out, only to see everything fall apart in front of my face. I feel like I've let everyone down.”
“You tried to do what you thought was right, and from what Hank said, people were willing to support you. Bob wanted to take people to war. There's a difference between being the aggressor and responding to a threat. You didn't want to fight, but you're prepared to do so. I'm proud of you for trying to find a different way to handle things. I don't think there's much I would have done differently if I had been in your position.”
“I'm sure that's not true. You would have found a way to make everything alright.”
Mack smiled at her praise. “That's sweet, but I'm not as perfect as you think I am. I've made my share of mistakes, and when I was your age, I made a hell of a lot more. I just have the advantage of a few more years than you to have learned from them.”
“A few? More like a hundred, old man,” she teased.
“Yeah yeah,” Mack said, glad to see her in good spirits.
“So, Maggie has a kid?” Grace said after a few minutes.
“She does, indeed.”
“What's he like?”
“He seems okay. Much like his mother, really. He's been through a lot, though. The Lost Children, Grace...it's horrible. There are so many of them, and they don't realize the danger they're in. This kid, Peter, he thinks he has everything figured out, and he has all of them believing it.”
“How did that even happen?”
“It's not that surprising, really. A lot of them had the same stories as Tristan. When everything fell apart, a lot of the adults died, and a lot of the kids were left alone. Without anyone to take care of them they were lost, so they found each other. In a way, Peter should be applauded because he has made them stronger together, but they've been kidnapping kids from existing families. They don't want to return to the way things were. They want to take the world for themselves and prove we were wrong all along.”
“Seems like he has some issues he needs to work out.”
“Yes, but he's dangerous. We only just managed to get out of there alive. If it wasn't for Tristan, I'm not sure we would have made it. Peter was ready to kill us.”
“I, for one, am glad he didn't. I missed you, Mack.”
“I missed you, too. Strange, isn't it? Back when we were on the plane you'd barely talk to me.”
“Yeah, and when we crashed you were afraid that I'd run off. I had to convince you to break the handcuffs.”
They chuckled a little. “We've come a long way since then.”
“We have, indeed. I tried my best, you know. I tried to do what you would have done while I was the leader.”
“And you did a good job. I'm a little surprised you gave it up so easily after having worked so hard for it.”
Grace shrugged and kicked an errant pebble. “At the beginning, I didn't even intend to be the leader. I was talking with the others and, for some reason, they looked at me. It just happened, I guess, and then there I was, standing in front of City Hall declaring we would continue in a better way, promising them peace. And all they get is war.”
“You wouldn't be the first politician to promise something and not deliver on it,” Mack said wryly.
“But no,” Grace said seriously. “I think I'm quite content taking more of a backseat. I must admit I did enjoy being involved and having a say, and I think I learned a lot about myself, but there were so many little things that I hadn't even considered. It's so stressful as well. To be honest, one of the main thoughts I had was how you deal with it all the time. It's like you just know the right things to do, but I always was trying to search through fog.”
“The secret to being a good leader is to be confident. There have been times when I've felt utterly lost, but I just hide it. If you can make people believe in you, they're more likely to believe in themselves. That's what being a leader is all about. And look around you, everyone is working together. The place hasn't fallen apart.
“You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault anyway. This war probably was coming no matter who was in charge. This other group, they seem like warmongers, and they've been stockpiling those weapons for a reason. Who knows who else they've attacked? They saw this place as easy pickings, and probably just were waiting to grind us down, but now that we've proven we're no easy target they'll come for us. It's just another bully, though,” Mack said, setting his jaw into a look of grim determination.
“Yeah, a bully with a load of guns,” Grace said.
The comment hung in the air between them as they left the park and walked along the paved streets. People still rushed about and nodded to them as they passed. After a while Grace broke the silence. “There is something else that happened while you were gone.”
“Oh yeah?” Mack asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Grace inhaled before speaking. “Me and Luis we...well, we talked and stuff, and we decided to try it out, you know, me and him.” She didn't know why she was so nervous about telling Mack, but she was.
“It's about time the two of you sorted yourselves out,” Mack said.
“You think so?”
“Of course! He had eyes for you when you first met, and you just needed to open your own eyes to it. I think it's great. You need to take what little happiness you can get in this world because you never know how long you're going to have it.”
“It's funny. When you and Maggie first disappeared, Luis thought the two of you had gone off to, you know,” she said, raising her eyebrow suggestively. Mack laughed a little.
“And what did you think?”
“I figured probably not. The way you've gone on about Anna...but then again, I don't know what it's like in this world. Like you say, we have to take happiness where we can find it. I was scared when Luis and I started. Scared of these feelings inside. I mean, they make you so vulnerable, and you can't do anything to stop them. My old life was easier. I closed everything away and didn't have to feel, but now I do. When he left on that mission I was so worried. I couldn't sleep until he came back and all I could think about was what if I never was going to see him again? What if I never got a chance to tell him the way I truly felt?”
“To be honest, the time with Maggie and Tristan showed me that, although the world has changed, there are some things that remain the same, and love is one of them. It's always difficult to open yourself up to someone, because you end up not only caring about your own well-being, but that of someone else as well, and you have no control over what they're going to do. You worry, and you wonder, and there are times when you tear yourself up inside because of it, but, in the end, it's all worth it. When you're lying in bed with them in your arms and time seems to stand still, or you just catch them looking at you, and you know that they feel exactly the same way, and it just breaks your heart, but makes it so strong at the same time.”
“So... Luis was definitely wrong then?” Grace said, somewhat taken aback by the poetry and passion in Mack's words.
She had known him as a soldier and a leader and had not truly seen the depth of love he held for his wife. That was on purpose, as Mack did not want to show too many other people that side of him, not least because it only reminded him how far away from his beloved he was. He smiled softly.
“Most definitely. Anna ruined me for anyone else. Until I find out what happened to her, I won’t be able to be with anyone else. Even if I found out she was dead, I'm not sure I ever could be close to someone again. When I was younger, love seemed to be such an easy thing for people, but I was married to the army. Due to the nature of my work I had to keep a lot of secrets, and I didn't want to put that burden on a partner. I also saw so many women become army widows. Some people wer
e able to pull it off, but not me. I wanted to do my time and then figure out the rest later. But, to be honest with you, I wasn't ever sure I would find someone who would be a good match for me. Then I met Anna, and everything fell into place. I never believed in fate, but if it does exist, then it led us to be together. She made me happier than anyone or anything else ever did, and seeing Maggie find Tristan only made me realize how much I want to see her again.”
“You're not going to run off like Maggie did, are you?”
“No, not just yet anyway. There is still much work to be done here. Anna would want me to help these people. Everything I do, I do it for her.”
His words touched Grace and she realized this was something he wouldn't divulge to just anyone, not even in his old life. He trusted her, and that was something Grace wasn't used to having. She realized then that she could tell him anything about herself as well, and there was something that had been on her mind, something that she had wanted to tell him for a long time.
“I'm glad because I really did miss you when you were gone. I do think back to that first day together. I was so angry at everything. I was angry that I got caught. I was angry at you for being the one to escort me. Then I was angry at whatever caused that damn EMP. But I also was scared, and part of the reason I stayed with you was because I really didn't know how I would survive on my own.
“I know what this Peter of the Lost Children has been doing isn't right, but it's a horrible feeling to be on your own. I'm not surprised he's managed to get so many children to go along with him. But I was lucky in that I had you, and although I wasn't sure about you at first, I'm so glad you were the one who was with me. I know I've done some bad things in my old life and, technically, I suppose I still am in your custody, but you've shown me so much goodwill.
