Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Jane took Tom’s hand between them, and the three boys moved closer to where we were seated.
“Your chickens will become more precious than gold. I’d work with neighbors you trust to have them guarded around the clock. I’d also gather your neighbors and form a perimeter. Moving as many of your garden plants inside and starting to preserve seeds. Families will come here looking for help. There’ll be children, and babies. You’ll have to turn them away because if you don’t, your own family will die. Some won’t ask, some will be prepared to take, and you’ll have to be ready for that too.”
Tom glanced at his sons and then met my eyes. “We have ammunition.”
“Are you ready to shoot a hungry mother who’s trying to feed her toddler or a child the same age of one of your sons?”
Jane let out a small sound of distress, and Tom scrubbed a hand down his face. “I’m not telling you what you have to do—I’m only telling you to be prepared.”
Jane gave a jerky nod. “Yes. We understand.”
“How soon do you estimate?” the oldest boy named Uriah asked.
“Isaac was among the first to leave the city. He was alone and kept moving. If you’d been on his route, he’d already be to you.”
“We’ve seen some travelers out on the road, and a few have come this way, which is why Kyler was on the porch watching for trespassers when he spotted you. But…”
“I don’t know exact timing, but I’d estimate you have about a week until the numbers increase. Whether that’s a little or a lot depends on many factors.” Routes from cities. The locations around them where folks might stop first. If I were these people, I’d sit down and calculate it all out, but we’d given them the information. The rest would be up to them, because we’d be gone by morning. Tom seemed deep in thought, and I figured it was a good bet that he was already doing some calculations. He looked at his oldest son. “Uriah and Luca, go see the Bensons, Ortizes, Perkinses, and Hillmans. Tell them to meet here at ten a.m. tomorrow morning.”
“What if they ask why?” Uriah asked.
“Tell them you don’t know, but that your dad has some information he’d rather share in person.”
Uriah and Luca left the room, and a moment later, the front door opened and closed.
“I’m gonna go guard our road from the porch again,” Kyler said enthusiastically.
“Just make sure to stay on the porch,” his mother said. “Come get your father if you spot anyone.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The boy skipped out of the room. To him, at least for now, this was an adventure, and I hoped it’d remain that way, though I was all but certain it would not.
Tom turned back to us. “The families I sent Uriah and Luca to are the neighbors I trust the most. We all have different resources. That will be important.”
I nodded, glad I was right that he was already planning.
“Okay,” Jane said, the word breathy and filled with worry, “we’ll get a plan underway in the morning. Right now, I’m going to go to the shed and start bringing in some pots to put in the back room. It’ll be our temporary greenhouse.” She stood, and I thought her legs trembled a bit. What we’d said had obviously scared her, and I was sorry for that, but I also wasn’t because if they weren’t scared, they weren’t living in reality, and they wouldn’t do what needed to be done.
“Can I help?” Emily asked.
“You can help by collecting the eggs from the henhouse,” Jane said with a wobbly smile. I sensed she needed a bit of time alone and couldn’t blame her for that. She was a mother with three children and she’d just learned that hordes of people would likely be arriving on their doorstep in the weeks ahead, not to mention that the situation was going to last several years. I still felt slightly dazed when I thought about that. Staying on the move was helping me cope, and ensuring it settled little by little.
“Sure. Of course,” Emily said with a smile.
“There’s a basket in the kitchen near the backdoor,” Jane said as she turned away. “And thank you.” Jane exited the room quickly, and Tom watched her with a frown.
“Emily, while you see what the girls left for us, I’ll show Tuck to the room you’ll be sleeping in.”
“We’re really perfectly happy in the barn, sir. We have sleeping—”
“Nonsense. I said that before I spent a few minutes with you. You’ve given us invaluable information and you’re obviously good folks. We have a guest room and I insist.”
I met Emily’s eyes as she stood, hers flaring slightly with something I couldn’t read. Discomfort, perhaps, and I could only assume it was because we’d have to figure out a sleeping arrangement. I didn’t mind taking the floor though. In fact, I’d been sleeping on the floor by choice since getting out of prison. And after bedding down on the hard ground, a portion of carpet would be a luxury.