by Robert Boren
“Don’t tell me,” Gallagher said. “They’re playing this up as cruelty to the Islamists.”
“How’d you guess?” Ramsey asked, disgusted look on his face.
“Can the Feds come in here and take us over?” Maria asked.
“Not unless they bomb us to smithereens,” Wallis said, “and we know they won’t do that. They’re having enough trouble with the population outside of Texas as it is. They’re on the verge of losing control of California, from what I’m hearing. Attacking Texas will bolster the opposition. Most US citizens agree with the point of the posting.”
“This international outrage is nothing new,” Hendrix said. “During the Civil War, there were countries in Europe who wanted to come in and stop it, due to the horrible casualties. Lincoln had to work pretty hard to prevent that movement from taking off.”
“Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad,” Maria said.
“It would have stopped the war and kept the status quo,” Wallis said. “Meaning we would’ve had slavery a lot longer. England liked the cheap cotton. The battle would’ve been put off until we had even more terrible weapons to use against each other.”
“Oh,” Maria said. “I get it. Sorry.”
“Why did you want a meeting about this?” Hendrix asked.
Nelson sighed. “I’m looking for advice. We need to insure this doesn’t invite meddling from the very globalist forces who started this whole mess in the first place. I’m sure they’re looking at this as a giant opportunity.”
“I would if I was them,” Wallis said. “What are the alternatives?”
“Well, the first one is that we portray this as a fringe group that got out of control. We could condemn it. Say we were investigating the perpetrators, and that they’d be brought to justice.”
Gallagher laughed. “Are you serious? No way are you gonna do that.”
“I’d have to be convinced, and I can’t imagine what anybody could come up with to move me in that direction.”
“I’m the most liberal guy here by far, and I think that would be a big mistake,” Hendrix said.
Nelson smiled. “Yeah, there’s just no way. The second alternative is to put out the entire story of what happened here and why. Stand behind the actions as justice against the rapists and killers who victimized the girls. Warn the enemy that they can expect more. Commend people who take it to the enemy in this manner.”
“I like that choice better,” Gallagher said.
“So do I,” Wallis said. “Something bothers you about that choice, though.”
“We’ll be accused of making Texas unsafe for moderate Muslims,” Nelson said. “And I am sensitive to that.”
“It’s worth worrying about,” Wallis said. “Neither the Feds nor the EU believe that we are a legitimate country. They consider us to be an unruly state that needs to be brought back into line.”
“Yeah, well screw them,” Gallagher said, “and the horse they rode in on.”
Nelson chuckled. “Spoken like Gallagher.”
“What’s the third choice?” Hendrix asked, “assuming there is a viable third choice.”
“Clam up and keep our mouths shut,” Nelson said. “Send back channel warnings to the Feds and the EU telling them exactly what happened, and warning them to stay out of it, or else.”
“Or else what?” Hendrix asked.
“We’d have to think of something,” Nelson said. “I don’t think this is a viable option. It’s better than option one, but not by much. If we were an established country that everyone recognized, that would be a different story.”
Wallis laughed. “Yeah, they’d start working sanctions through the UN, which would take a year to put into place, and probably wouldn’t hurt us anyway.”
“Being considered a state will prevent that, like I was saying,” Nelson said. “They’d pressure the Feds to get us under control. Of course, since the Feds can’t really do much about us short of bombing us back to the stone age, it’s likely they’d do nothing, while trying to placate their globalist friends somehow.”
“So I take it you’re leaning towards option two,” Gallagher said.
“Yep,” Nelson said. “We’ve got to look at the risks, though.”
“You’re right there,” Hendrix said. “We’d be doubling down on a pretty disturbing action. That might push the Feds and the EU to do more than rattle sabers.”
“We could use option two to our advantage within our own borders, you know,” Gallagher said. “We could use it to enrage and recruit the citizens. That could help us win this war faster.”
“The Feds and the EU could get together to blockade us,” Hendrix said.
“They’re already doing that to a degree,” Nelson said. “We haven’t pushed back yet, but if this continues for a few more months, we’ll need to push back.”
“None of the choices are perfect,” Ramsey said. “For the record, I like option two. Damn the torpedoes. Talk it up to take full advantage of the recruiting angle. It will help us against the Islamists, and it could help us against the Feds too, if it comes to that.”
“I concur,” Gallagher said. “I also suggest we play up the angle that the Feds, the UN, and the EU are sabre rattling, and that we won’t take that. Throw it right back at them. Most of the people will love it.”
“I don’t think we have a choice,” Wallis said. “We have to take option two. It’s got the most positives and the least negatives.”
“Kip?” Nelson asked.
He sat silently for a moment.
“C’mon, man,” Ramsey said.
“Take your time, honey,” Maria said softly.
He sighed. “It’s got to be option two, but when you give the statement, make sure to play up the fact that we do have citizen Muslims who are on our side. They aren’t the same as the invaders, even though a small number of the enemy fighters are homegrown.”
“Don’t go overboard on that or we’ll lose a lot of people,” Gallagher said.
“I agree with that,” Hendrix said. “In fact, I’d be downright bloodthirsty about how we’ll treat the invaders. We just need to draw a sharp line between the invaders and our citizens who happen to be Muslim.”
“Okay, I’m going to think about this for a while,” Nelson said. “Thanks for your input.”
“Welcome, boss,” Gallagher said.
“Gallagher, could you send one of your armored transports over here?” Hendrix asked. “I need to go talk to the head of Health Services.”
“Oh, going to see Cole this morning, huh?” Nelson asked.
“Yep,” Hendrix said. “Wish me luck.”
“Okay, Kip,” Gallagher said. “I’ll get one over there. Probably be in half an hour. Does that work?”
“Perfect,” Hendrix said.
Chapter 10 – Morning Talk
Don woke up next to Sydney in the chilly trailer. Her back was to him, and he moved closer to warm himself. She stirred, moaning and pushing back against him.
“You feel nice,” she said.
“You too,” Don said. “Sleep well?”
“Bad dreams,” she said. “You?”
“Okay. Do you have the same bad dreams over and over?”
She turned towards him. “No. Do you?”
“Yeah,” Don said. “Most nights.”
“You didn’t mention that before,” she said, brushing his hair out of his face.
“It’s weird,” he said. “I don’t think about it during the day. Only right before sleep and when I wake up with one.”
“You haven’t mentioned it when we’ve woken up together.”
He was silent for a moment. “I never have them right before I get up. It’s always in the middle of the night, and I go back to sleep.”
“Does it help when I’m here?”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s embarrassing, though. I’m afraid I’ll wake you up when I come out of one. I’m not in a good state.”
“Well, I’ve got to pee,” she said, slipp
ing out of bed. She rushed naked into the bathroom, her raven hair swaying against her bare shoulders. Don’s heart quickened, his lust forcing the worry out of him in an instant. He heard the toilet sprayer, and watched her rushing back in, sliding under the covers. “Take a picture, why don’t you?”
“Sorry, I can’t help it,” he said. “You’re perfect.”
“Stop,” she said. “I’m getting older. I sag more than I should.”
“Are you kidding?” Don said, moving close to her, his hands roaming on her body. He moved to kiss her.
“No, I’ve got morning mouth,” she said.
“So do I,” he said, not wanting to stop.
“I know,” she said, pushing him back. “Let’s just cuddle a little, okay? You can touch me.”
“And you can touch me,” he said.
“If I do that you’re gonna get out of control,” she whispered.
“How far we go is up to you, honey. Remember?”
She moaned, moving closer to him, feeling the arousal building in her, trying to keep control over it.
They petted for a little while, Don getting more and more heated, both trying to go slow but starting to lose the battle.
“You want me, don’t you?” she asked.
“Yes, but I can wait. I have good willpower.”
“I think we’d better stop,” Sydney said. “Tell me about the dream.”
“Can we not talk about it?”
“You might need help with that,” she said. “If this is gonna work between us, you have to be open, okay?”
Don rolled on his back, taking a deep breath. “You’re right. It’s hard. I might cry if I talk about it.”
“Are you afraid to cry in front of me?” she asked softly. “You shouldn’t be. It’s me. I want you to feel safe.”
“It’s embarrassing,” he said. “Men are like that. We’re supposed to be strong.”
“Oh, honey, you’re plenty strong, or I wouldn’t be in your bed at all. Tell me. Please?”
“You sure?”
“It’ll move our relationship along,” she said. “The closer we are, the sooner I’ll be ready for more.”
Don laughed. “You feel pretty ready right now.”
“Shut up,” she said, smile on her face. “Well?”
“It’s not interesting. It’s sad and frightening.”
“Yes, but it’ll help if you tell me about it,” Sydney said, looking into his eyes. “Trust me.
He lay silently again for a few moments, looking at the ceiling. “What if you think I’m too much of a mess to be with?”
“I’m not gonna think that,” she said. “I’m already in love with you, remember?”
“Okay, he said, sitting up. He propped his pillow against the headboard and leaned back. “Cold in here.”
“So stay under the covers,” she said.
“I’ll go turn on the heater for a few minutes. Might smell a little, since it hasn’t run before.”
“Whatever you want, honey.” She watched as he got up and rushed to the thermostat, which was in the hall right outside the door. He came back in as the fan started.
“This really does bother you,” she said.
“Why do you say that?” he asked, getting back into bed.
She giggled. “I can tell if you’re turned on, you know. This is killing your mood.”
“You’re the one pressing on it,” he said.
“You aren’t mad, are you?”
“No, I’m working my way to talking,” he said. “It’s okay. You’re right. All of our cards need to be on the table. That goes for you too.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” she said.
Don chuckled. “Everybody is hiding something.”
A gentle heat flowed from the register in the room, the smell of burning dust hitting both of them.
“Geez,” Sydney said. “That does stink a little bit.”
“Have to go through it eventually. Colder weather is coming.”
“I know,” she said. “You’re stalling. Out with it.”
“Okay, okay,” he said. “It’s about the attack on Deadwood, right before we fled.”
“Go on,” she said.
“The dream is short, so there’s not much to tell,” Don said. “It’s always the same. Francis, Dirk, Chance, and I were in front of the Smith’s big two-story house. It got hit by a mortar round. Killed the parents instantly. The house was on fire and the two children upstairs were screaming for help. The explosion took out the stairway when it hit the master bedroom, and there was no way out. No way to climb down. We were trying to figure out how to get them out when we heard the enemy fighters at a house down the street. We had to decide which to save. The young children in the burning house or the four Stanley girls. We could hear the girls screaming a block down. I wake up right when we decided to save the girls. The last thing I see is one of the Smith boys watching us leave, while he’s still crying for help.”
“Oh, God,” she said. “That really happened?”
Don started to cry, shaking the bed.
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” she said, holding him.
“I couldn’t save them,” he said, trying to settle himself. “See, I told you.”
“You’re trembling all over,” she said softly. “We can stop now.”
“No, I’ve already had the reaction I didn’t want you to see,” Don said. “Big he-man, aren’t I?”
“Stop it,” she said, looking into his eyes. “You’ve saved people. We’ve saved people. This is a war. Some horrible things are going to happen.”
“I know, but that reality doesn’t help. I keep seeing the kid.”
“But you saved the girls, right?” she asked.
He looked at her silently, shame on his face.
“Oh, no, you couldn’t, could you?”
“We found one dead on the lawn. The Islamists had raped her and then smashed her face in with a rifle butt. She was the youngest.”
“What about the others?”
“We found the mother in the same condition as the youngest daughter, except it was on her bed. The husband was next to her with a bullet hole in his forehead.”
“What about the other daughters?”
“They took them,” Don said, fighting hard against the tears that were coming.
“Why?”
“Three beautiful girls, aged sixteen, eighteen, and twenty-one,” Don said. “I don’t need to say anything else.”
“Sex slaves,” Sydney said, looking into space. “Amanda and I have been sheltered from the worst of this, haven’t we?”
“So far, and I hope it stays that way. I’m afraid something will happen and I won’t be able to save you.”
She sat up and looked him in the eye. “You’ve got to work past this. It’s not your fault. In your head you know that.”
He looked at her silently, tears running down his cheeks.
“Don, if you had stayed there, could you have gotten those kids out of the burning house?”
He was silent for a moment, then looked at her. “No. We looked for a ladder in the surrounding buildings, but there wasn’t one.”
“And you thought you might be able to save the girls,” she said. “Leaving somebody you can’t help for somebody you can is the right choice.”
“But we couldn’t save any of them,” he said.
“Like you said, this is a war. I heard Francis and Sherry talking about Deadwood. You guys did save some people.”
“Yes, we did, but not enough,” Don said. “We barely got out of there ourselves. Taking the time to hitch up Francis’s trailer almost got us killed.”
“You got your daughter and her friend out.”
“Yes, barely,” he said. “That’s when I killed the first time. Shot two Islamists. They already had Chloe.”
“No wonder those girls think you walk on water,” Sydney said.
“They don’t think that.”
“Oh yes they do, but maybe it’s
just as well that you don’t dwell on it. You need to be a strong parent. Especially now that they have some love interest. They’re probably getting hit with the same kind of thoughts that us older women are having.”
“I know,” Don said. “Not a lot that I can do about that.”
“You can lead by example. That’s part of the reason I want to go slow with you. We’ve got more than just ourselves to deal with. Your girls need to understand that this war isn’t the end of their lives.”
“Not sure what you mean,” Don said.
“This war won’t last forever. Most of us are going to live through it, given a little luck. We’ll have to live with the choices that we make during this crazy time for years, maybe even the rest of our lives. We need to make sure that your girls understand that. They’ve got a long life ahead.”
“That’s part of the reason why you want to go slow too, then. You aren’t sure we’ll last beyond the crazy time.”
She smiled at him. “I’m not as flighty as my sister, but don’t take that to mean that I’m any less in love with you than she is with Curt. I want you right now. Badly. My hormones are going crazy. It’s mostly because I’m in love with you, but it’s also whatever this thing is with the war. I want to make sure that both of us would choose to be together during normal times.”
“Okay, I get it,” Don said, “but part of this doesn’t make sense. We’re living in this trailer together. The girls probably think we’re already making love.”
Sydney chuckled. “Have you had a vasectomy?”
“Nope,” Don said. “We were going to have more kids, until my wife got sick. I think I know where this is going.”
“I get pregnant fast,” Sydney said.
“You’ve been pregnant before?”
She sighed. “Can you keep your mouth shut?”
“Of course.”
“I mean it. No matter what happens between the two of us.”
“You know me,” Don said. “I’m not like that.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ve been pregnant twice. The first time was with Eric. I miscarried early on. He doesn’t know. I don’t want him to know. Ever.”
“You were young.”
“We were both seventeen,” she said.
