and Tony retched on his shoes.
"Morgan" Alex called through the house. Morgan's head appeared around the corner of the door. She was afraid to enter. "Morgan, I need you to take the next watch." Morgan gasped.
"I...I can't...I don't know how..."
"You don't have to do much. Here, take this rifle," and Alex handed the 410 bore double barreled shotgun out for Morgan to take. "If you see anything moving, stick your head in the window and holler for me. I'll be right here in this room, but I'm exhausted and have got to get some food and rest. Sam and Tony are the same. If you think something is getting too close, just aim and pull the trigger. It doesn't kick that much." The shotgun hung there in his hands waiting for her. She did not move to take it.
"Morgan, you know I'm right about this. I'll be right here of you need me for anything. And I do mean anything. But we've got to let your dad and Tony rest. They can't take much more."
Morgan physically shuddered at the prospect, but moved to take the shotgun from Alex. "You don't even have to go all the way to the edge. If you could just sit right outside the window and keep a watch out, Sam and Tony can get some rest and relieve you soon." Morgan took the shotgun. It was cold and heavy in her grasp, something deadly and frightening.
Alex placed a comforting hand on Morgan's shoulder. "I'll be right here." He took her hand and helped Morgan through the window onto the rooftop. After settling against the wall of the house Alex asked her if she could handle this.
"I'll be fine, Alex," Morgan said with a tenderness he had not heard from her in a long time. "Get some rest. I'll call you if I need anything. Go rest."
Alex ducked back inside the window and chose a spot on the floor where he could lean against the wall and see directly out the window. Morgan leaned around the window frame and started to ask him a question. Alex was already fast asleep.
CHAPTER THREE
Flight
Alex had been asleep for almost two hours when an urgent whispering woke him. "Daddy?" a tiny girl's voice said. "Daddy? Are you awake?"
Alex's eyes fluttered open and the face of his five-year-old daughter was in front of him. Her question floated in his mind, a moment of childhood innocence that he was not sure he would hear again. "Of course I am sweetheart. What's the matter?" Alex straightened his back against the wall, wincing at the pain and soreness of his body. He wasn't old by any measure, but the brutality that his body had just taken would take its toll on anyone. Gemma crawled into his arms and curled in his lap.
"Daddy, I'm scared." Gemma's voice quivered and she sounded as if she would cry at any moment.
"Everything is okay, sweetheart. Mommy and daddy won't let anything happen to you, okay?" Alex squeezed the tiny person closer to him, desperate to take away any of her fears.
"Okay," Gemma sighed as if resigning herself to something that she didn't quite believe. She paused for a moment and Alex sensed that there was something else that she wanted.
"Gemma, is there something else that you wanted to say to me?" His daughter had always been a very forth-coming child, but considering everything that she had witnessed over the last two days, Alex was not sure how much she would be willing to confide.
"Daddy," she hesitated. "Did you kill that man back at the school?" Gemma looked up at her father, tears welling in her eyes. Alex could not tell if she was angry or sad at what he might say. He had never lied to his daughter and he supposed now was not the time to start.
"Yes, Gemma. I killed that man. Are you angry with me for doing that?"
"No, not really," Gemma creased her brow and looked away from her father's gaze. "He hurt people, didn't he?"
"Yes, sweetheart. He hurt a lot of people very badly. And he was trying to hurt you and Becky. Daddy was just trying to protect you and get you two home safe. If I hadn't done what I did, he would have hurt you and Becky very badly
"Morgan" Alex called through the house. Morgan's head appeared around the corner of the door. She was afraid to enter. "Morgan, I need you to take the next watch." Morgan gasped.
"I...I can't...I don't know how..."
"You don't have to do much. Here, take this rifle," and Alex handed the 410 bore double barreled shotgun out for Morgan to take. "If you see anything moving, stick your head in the window and holler for me. I'll be right here in this room, but I'm exhausted and have got to get some food and rest. Sam and Tony are the same. If you think something is getting too close, just aim and pull the trigger. It doesn't kick that much." The shotgun hung there in his hands waiting for her. She did not move to take it.
"Morgan, you know I'm right about this. I'll be right here of you need me for anything. And I do mean anything. But we've got to let your dad and Tony rest. They can't take much more."
Morgan physically shuddered at the prospect, but moved to take the shotgun from Alex. "You don't even have to go all the way to the edge. If you could just sit right outside the window and keep a watch out, Sam and Tony can get some rest and relieve you soon." Morgan took the shotgun. It was cold and heavy in her grasp, something deadly and frightening.
Alex placed a comforting hand on Morgan's shoulder. "I'll be right here." He took her hand and helped Morgan through the window onto the rooftop. After settling against the wall of the house Alex asked her if she could handle this.
"I'll be fine, Alex," Morgan said with a tenderness he had not heard from her in a long time. "Get some rest. I'll call you if I need anything. Go rest."
Alex ducked back inside the window and chose a spot on the floor where he could lean against the wall and see directly out the window. Morgan leaned around the window frame and started to ask him a question. Alex was already fast asleep.
CHAPTER THREE
Flight
Alex had been asleep for almost two hours when an urgent whispering woke him. "Daddy?" a tiny girl's voice said. "Daddy? Are you awake?"
Alex's eyes fluttered open and the face of his five-year-old daughter was in front of him. Her question floated in his mind, a moment of childhood innocence that he was not sure he would hear again. "Of course I am sweetheart. What's the matter?" Alex straightened his back against the wall, wincing at the pain and soreness of his body. He wasn't old by any measure, but the brutality that his body had just taken would take its toll on anyone. Gemma crawled into his arms and curled in his lap.
"Daddy, I'm scared." Gemma's voice quivered and she sounded as if she would cry at any moment.
"Everything is okay, sweetheart. Mommy and daddy won't let anything happen to you, okay?" Alex squeezed the tiny person closer to him, desperate to take away any of her fears.
"Okay," Gemma sighed as if resigning herself to something that she didn't quite believe. She paused for a moment and Alex sensed that there was something else that she wanted.
"Gemma, is there something else that you wanted to say to me?" His daughter had always been a very forth-coming child, but considering everything that she had witnessed over the last two days, Alex was not sure how much she would be willing to confide.
"Daddy," she hesitated. "Did you kill that man back at the school?" Gemma looked up at her father, tears welling in her eyes. Alex could not tell if she was angry or sad at what he might say. He had never lied to his daughter and he supposed now was not the time to start.
"Yes, Gemma. I killed that man. Are you angry with me for doing that?"
"No, not really," Gemma creased her brow and looked away from her father's gaze. "He hurt people, didn't he?"
"Yes, sweetheart. He hurt a lot of people very badly. And he was trying to hurt you and Becky. Daddy was just trying to protect you and get you two home safe. If I hadn't done what I did, he would have hurt you and Becky very badly
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