“It’s…it’s something. I don’t know. There was a body, part of a body. I think it was a person.

  “You mean the thing died. Just like that?”

  He shook his head, “Whatever we saw was gone, nothing but odd-looking tracks and a strange funky smell. The body had been dead a while.”

  Carla let that sink in. Something out there had killed it or maybe was feeding on it. Something in her friend’s words made her think it was an animal instead of a person they’d been seeing. “I came through here yesterday, went right by those trees. There was nothing there.”

  The sense of unease grew as they neared the farm. Carla's senses were hyper-alert to strange sounds in the trees. Several times, they heard loud snaps, like firecrackers or guns firing. They held their newly acquired rifles even tighter. Even Meredith was carrying a gun now and scanning the surroundings.

  Joshua stopped again to examine an odd-looking, purplish vine encircling a nearby tree. He was about to say something when he saw Carla crouching and motioning for him to stay quiet and get down.

  Two figures were standing outside the farmhouse in the shallow valley below. She first assumed it was Tom and Anna. But the second figure was too tall to be his daughter. Then she noticed the truck sitting almost out of sight behind the barn.

  "Shit!" They got here first, thought Carla.

  She stood, ready to go down and help the farmer when Meredith grabbed her arm and pulled her back down into the cover of tall grass. "Don't," Meredith pleaded.

  "We have to help them, Meredith."

  "This is the place, you know…the one I saw in my dreams.” She tugged on her sister’s arm. “Please! It…it’s going to be bad."

  Another sound came from far back behind them, "Josh they’re trying to box us in," Carla said, swinging her gun around in a wide arc. She wanted to remind Meredith that her visions had been wrong before, but she, too, had a bad feeling about this. Out of the corner of her eye, she glimpsed another vehicle moving slowly up the two-track trail toward the farmhouse. The beat-up SUV slowed to a stop, and armed men began pouring out of it like cockroaches when you click the light on.

  "They’re going to need our help," Carla said, motioning for Joshua to follow her down.

  "You've got to be kidding," Joshua said in disbelief. "You know, when I said we weren't farmers, well, we aren't soldiers either!" He was still haunted by what he'd had to do the night before. Like the others, he was in no hurry to get involved in a replay of it way out here.

  "I have to," Carla whispered. "That man down there agreed to trade us food, and that was after he gave me shelter and food even before he had any reason to help."

  "Are you really going to have to kill those men?" Jackson asked, the fear evident in his shaky voice.

  Carla’s focus was several hundred yards away as her response caught in her throat. She'd once been an adamant pacifist, hated guns. The thought of killing another human had once seemed so barbaric and alien to her. Now, it felt almost natural.

  "Yes, Jax. We may have to do it to save Anna and her dad," Carla said to herself as well as the group. "I'm not looking forward to it any more than y’all are. But this is the world we have. It’s the wild west all over again. We must fight to survive.

  "I don't know who these guys are, but I know the type. They are parasites, living off others. They won't stop until everyone is dead or under their control. If they saw us out here, they would massacre us. We can't give them that chance.

  "Meredith, you stay here with Jackson. Joshua, you come with me."

  "I want to help, too," Meredith argued. And Carla could see Jackson, too, seemed ready to join in. His superhero, drop-trooper t-shirt nearly swallowed him whole. She smiled, despite the tension in the moment.

  "You are helping, I’m not sure we can take on that many and survive. You have to get away if we don’t make it. Wait til its safe, try and get Anna out at least, then get as far away as possible. She leaned in and kissed her sister on the cheek. "I love you!"

  "Love you, too," Meredith whispered, but Carla was already moving stealthily down slope.

  She had two guns, and Joshua mirrored her, removing his second piece from the pack and winding his way down to slip in behind her. "I guess we're all in, right? I always wanted a hero's death, you know."

  Carla turned toward him, her face a mask of determination. Her eyes had the same fire as the night before. He braced for a harsh rebuke, but instead, she leaned closer and kissed him. Once they separated, Carla looked at him. “You’re such an idiot.” But she was grinning when she said it. She rose to a crouch and ran. Joshua, who was completely at a loss, quickly moved to follow.

  They proceeded along the field's border, their movements shielded by the scrubby mesquite. The men’s voices were easier to hear now. Some of those near Tom weren't adults. They were some of the kids she had rescued from Lehigh. She wondered what had gone on in the last twenty-four hours. Tom must have taken them in for some reason. Maybe they couldn't find their own homes, or, maybe there wasn't anyone left once they got there.

  "What exactly do you want?" Tom was yelling and quickly motioning for his daughter to stay behind him.

  Carla and Joshua worked their way closer, zipping between buildings and abandoned equipment to stay hidden.

  "We need food and the girls. All of the girls," the spokesperson for the armed men said. "Give us what we want, we will leave you alone. Your choice, friend. Turn us down, and we take it anyway, and you'll not be around to make trouble for us ever again."

  Carla and Joshua recognized the ringleader's voice. He was the one who knocked her out and robbed them. She guessed she knew what became of the people from Vineland now, although he and his men looked beat to hell. They all had bloody wounds, makeshift bandages, and strange cuts over much of their bodies. Their clothes were ripped to shreds, and some seemed be burnt.

  This was not the first battle these guys had been in today. No, she was certain they were looking for a place to hide as badly as she was. Something bad had gone down at the refugee camp, something really bad.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  No way the timing of this is coincidence, Carla thought. Maybe Meredith was right about fate, it kept putting Carla right where she needed to be. Whether she wanted it to or not.

  "This is bad," Joshua said.

  "Agreed,” she whispered back. “They look even more desperate than before. We’ve got to be careful," Carla cautioned. "Otherwise, we risk getting all those kids killed."

  Joshua was thinking the risk was even more personal but agreed with her. As they moved even closer, dipping behind a small earthen terrace, Carla saw Anna looking in their direction. But they ducked out of sight before she could spot either of them.

  The ongoing talk between Tom and the leader was heating up to even more shouts and warnings. "We know you have plenty of food here,” the man said. “And with all those seeds you've got stored back there, you'll never have to worry about going hungry. Shit, man, you're one of the luckiest men still living.

  “But we know plenty of people who would kill for what you've got. And most of them are a lot less civilized than us. They know nothing about this farm…yet.” The threat was more implicit than specific, but they all got the message.

  “You know, on second thought,” the man began, “maybe we should just set-up right here. There’s some shit out in those woods that none of us wants to face again.”

  "No," Tom said with finality. "We might can work out something on the food, but my daughter will not go anywhere with you fucking animals."

  The ringleader sighed. "Suit yourself," he said, signaling his men, who steadied their guns at the farmer.

  "Wait!" Carla shouted, stepping up out of her hiding place before Joshua could stop her.

  Oh, God! Joshua thought.

  The mob immediately re-centered their weapons on her.

  "You," the ringleader said, stepping forward. "I fucking remember you. I should have killed you when I had the chance. You’re the one that took out Cleveland."

  "Let this man and the kids go," Carla demanded.

  "Are you always this stupid?” the man said, chuckling softly. "Boys, burn it all down. The farm is useless without Mister Tom anyway."

  Several of the goons shouldered their long guns, lit makeshift torches, and headed for the fields; others went for the barn and house.

  “You don’t need to do this,” Tom said.

  The man flipped the power lever on the weapon. Carla realized it was one of the more advanced military pulse rifles. It fired a super charged lightning bolt of energy instead of a bullet. He raised it toward her head, "You're going to burn for this, darling. This thing will cook you from the inside out."

  He held it dead center at her chest. Her mind went through all the emotions, then thought of Meredith’s vision. This wasn’t how she said the end would come. “Someone in Vineland must have really fucked you up, man,” she yelled. “Ya’ll look like you picked on the wrong people.”

  “It wasn’t no fucking people that did this, bitch.” The man smiled a nearly toothless grin as he squeezed the trigger.

  The shot came before the man completed the pull. The fancy rifle fell from his grip and part of his head split away as well, as it was shredded by a round. The kids all ran for cover as the rounds began to fly.

  Carla didn’t need to turn around to know that Joshua had again come to her aid. Getting rid of the leader was all Tom needed to go into attack mode. He pushed Anna out of the way, down to the ground and began firing his own rifle at the mob. Many of them fell; torches dropped into the dry Texas grasses, which ignited at once.

  “We have to get them all," Carla shouted over the gunfire. "If any get away, they’ll come back with even more!"

  Soon, there were only a few left standing. One fired a mean looking handgun at Tom; a bullet from Joshua connected with the shooter first, deflecting his aim, but the round still caught the farmer in the shoulder. He fell to the ground, and Anna was instantly by her father's side.

  The fire was spreading quickly across the field, two buildings were already fully engulfed. Carla found herself thinking about Meredith's visions again, and as if on cue, a lone soldier came out from the woods.

  He had Meredith and Jackson at gunpoint.

  Carla had picked up the pulse rifle after both of her weapons had run dry. Now she and Joshua had guns trained on the man. But they could not get a clear shot. There was no way they could hit him without hitting one or both of his hostages.

  "Let me go, and I’ll release one of these two. I’ll take the other one with me," the man said, holding Jackson and Meredith close together. "You might have enough time to kill me before I can do them both, but I don’t think you can save them both. So, what do you say?" He ran his fingers creepily through Meredith’s hair as he yelled his threats.

  Meredith nodded slowly at Carla, who finally understood that this was the moment she would have to choose. Save her sister or the boy they’d adopted into their family.

  It was an impossible choice. An impossible choice in a week of impossible choices. Carla couldn’t bear to save one just to lose the other and she knew she couldn’t trust the man to not kill them both. Life was meaningless to these people.

  The man held the pair's heads together so that any shot would pass through both of their skulls to get to him.

  Carla sighted down the advanced optics of the rifle, fingers rested lightly on the trigger; she felt the slight vibration of the energy inside the powerful weapon. It could take the asshole’s head right off, but he was right, one…or both of his hostages would be dead as well.

  Through the scope, she saw Meredith’s mouth moving silently and somehow knew she was about to make the choice for them. Meredith had seen this all before. She was going to push the boy out of the way, drawing the wrath of the man. Carla would then have one shot to put the asshole down.

  “No, no, no!” Carla saw her sister tense. “No, Meredi…” The words died on her lips as the shot rang out. But instead of her sister’s head exploding in gore, Carla was shocked to see it was the man who pitched forward. His gun fired, too, but it narrowly missed both Meredith and Jackson, burrowing into the field.

  He released his grip on the gun and stumbled forward. Carla unleashed a satisfying plasma round into his chest, and he sagged lifelessly to the ground.

  The shooter emerged from the tree-line directly behind Meredith.

  "Betty?" Carla said in total surprise.

  She was walking down the small hill, clutching the Glock in one hand and her medical bag in the other. "You came after us," Carla gasped. "Why?"

  Betty shrugged. "I guess I wanted in on that second chance. Been following you guys all day. Surprised you didn’t hear me." She looked around at the flames that were already beginning to die down. "Looks like I got here at the right time."

  "I'll say," Joshua said, grateful that another crisis was apparently over. “We need your help, though. The farmer took a round to the shoulder.”

  Betty patted Meredith and hugged the boy, then rushed down the field to Tom.

  "How are you holding up?" she asked, digging through her bag for medical supplies.

  Tom winced in pain from the wound in his shoulder as he pulled himself into a sitting position. "I've been better. But I'll survive. Maybe…just maybe we all will."

  Meredith and Jackson ran down to Carla, and she held them both tight. "It didn't come true," Meredith breathed. "We're all still here."

  Carla could hear Meredith's voice breaking. She believed in her premonitions, and even Carla had to admit, now that there was something to them, Meredith seemed relieved this one hadn’t played out exactly as she’d seen.

  “Sometimes fate gives you a choice, sister,” Carla said grimly.

  "I knew you wouldn't let anything happen to us," Jackson said, holding Carla tightly.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Carla helped Betty get Tom back inside. He shooed them away like fussy chickens, but the women persisted.

  “Shut-up, you old fool,” Betty said. “You always were a stubborn one.”

  It didn’t register with Carla right then that Betty and Tom had a history. It would come out in time.

  Carla worried that all the gruesome killing was going to be traumatic for the kids, but they were playing before she and Joshua had even hauled away the last of the bodies. Everyone, it seemed, we’re all now conditioned to accept these horrors as normal.

  “What do you think did this?” Joshua asked, pointing at a series of small but deep cuts on several of the corpses. The two of them had piled them on one of Tom’s wagons like yesterday’s trash.

  She leaned in close; the cuts were all in a straight line and extraordinarily precise, almost like a surgeon. Most of them had multiple series of the wounds. “No idea, some new kind of weapon maybe, or maybe they just all ran into the same barbed-wire fence.”

  Joshua nodded thoughtfully. “Concertina razor wire could do it. Damn, had to be painful, though.”

  Carla thought back on some of the comments the guy had said. “They definitely were running from something. Whatever they’d encountered had taken them off the top of their game.”

  “Lucky for us,” Joshua replied.

  Several hours later, the homestead once again looked more like the idyllic farm it was. No sign of the would-be killers remained. Their vehicles were stored under tarps, and their weapons had all been cleaned and secured in Tom’s makeshift armory room.

  “Won’t do for the kids to get a hold of those,” he said, wincing as he turned to Carla. “In time, though, we’re going to need to train them all on how to shoot, how to hunt.

  As evening came, Carla sat on the front porch, watching her sister playing with the children. She couldn’t tell what game they were playing, but she could see that her sister seemed truly happy and content for the first time in a long while. She couldn’t remember the last time she had heard Meredith laugh like that. Maybe there was hope for her yet.

  Tom had already made it clear they were welcome to stay there as long as they wanted. “Call this place home now, Carla Garcia. I owe you everything.”

  "Thank you for saving us," Anna said, huddled up next to her dad. "You’re our guardian angel."

  Carla laughed. "Don't say that around my sister. She'll think I'm trying to steal her spotlight."

  "So, what happens now?" Betty asked, walking up and sitting beside them in one of the other old rocking chairs.

  "I don't know,” Tom said. “I guess we try to stick together and look out for each other. There are going to be other troubles out there. This thing ain’t over…not by a long shot."

  Carla knew he was right. She was already planning a recon trip to Vineland. She wanted to see what had happened at the refugee camp. “I think we should scout out Lehigh in the next few days. The mayor had some very useful stuff stockpiled there, and if I’m right, most of the security forces should be gone by now.

  “Let’s save that battle for another day,” Tom said. “We need to heal up a bit before we pick another fight.”

  “So, all these other kids?” Carla asked a previously unspoken question.

  Tom nodded glumly as he held Anna close to his chest. “Most of ‘em got home to find nothing. Parents gone or dead. Homes destroyed or in the process of being overrun by squatters. They just started showing up here not long after you left. I couldn’t send them away. Me and Anna did what we could to feed them, give ‘em a safe place to sleep. This world has made orphans out of all of ‘em. They've all had to grow up so fast.”

  He leaned back and sighed. “We have a large bunk-room, and all the kids automatically started helping out. I guess they had duties in Lehigh as well. The older ones even assigned chores for the younger group. So, we'll be looking at teaching them survival skills."

  Anna gave Carla a playful nudge. "Maybe you could teach us a lesson or two, as well."

  Carla hadn't imagined the world would still need teachers. But something about Anna's suggestion felt right. It was as though she was where she needed to be.