him of a more innocent time. He found himself feeling bad for Noah and the question came to mind to ask him who was ill. “Can I ask who needs the antibiotics?”
Noah was still frozen to the spot just outside the garage door. He looked at Vincent with his sad green eyes and said, “My daddy needs it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Vincent said, then pulled off the cover and unlocked the SUV. He made a mental note to temper his comments. He grabbed a box from the backseat and opened it.
“My daddy was shot.”
Vincent stopped and wondered if he had been in the mob attack. He thought about what to ask but decided to just stay quiet.
“He, um, is in a bad way,” Noah said sadly.
Vincent finished putting in the medicine and tossed the pack. “Everything your mother will need is in there. I even put in some prescription pain meds.”
Noah snatched the pack and said, “Thanks.” He looked, took a step away but stopped. He turned back around and said, “I have to go. I know my mom’s looking for me.” He then sprinted away.
Vincent couldn’t help but wonder if Noah’s dad had come to the property that day. Maybe that was why she didn’t trust him, but her comments didn’t make sense. She had clearly mentioned hating men. However Noah’s father had been shot, it had been traumatic for the entire family. He hoped that what little help he gave would be enough, and if it wasn’t, he couldn’t imagine the pain of loss Noah would experience by losing his father. Vincent could feel his foot throbbing and the hunger pangs came back. He rested against the SUV and began to think about all the children out there who had suffered, who had witnessed such horrific things. For him he hadn’t yet truly seen what had become of the world, but soon he’d be right in the middle.
Wellsville, Utah
Nicholas opened his eyes and found himself in a strange room. He looked to his right and saw a body draped with a white sheet; he looked to his left and saw a woman wearing medical scrubs. He opened his dry mouth and asked, “Please tell me you’re here to help me?”
“Yes, we’re here to help.”
“Who’s that?” he asked, motioning to the body next to him.
“Your colleague.”
“He’s dead, right?”
“Was he a friend?” she asked.
Nicholas nodded. He could tell he was on some type of narcotic by the way he felt. “Will I be okay?”
“I think so, but the doctor can answer all your questions. Let me go get her,” she said and left the small room.
Nicholas looked again at the draped body and felt so sorry for Proctor and for his wife, Katherine. What a tragic mistake going out to help Luke. Even though he hadn’t voted to authorize it, he found himself feeling guilty.
A tap on the door jolted him back from his remorse.
The door opened, but a woman didn’t enter like he expected. Two men came in.
“We heard you were awake,” the first man said. He was average height, his black short thinning hair was cut in the style of what Nicholas used to know as a flattop. The man had a burly deep voice, which Nicholas recognized as being the man who had spoken to him in the forest.
“Hi,” Nicholas replied.
The man looked at the far bed, which housed Proctor’s body, and said, “He had a weak pulse when we got him here, but he didn’t make it. I’m sorry.”
“He was alive out there?” Nicholas asked, surprised to hear this revelation.
“Yeah, we thought he was dead too, but he had a bit left in him. He had lost too much blood by the time we got him back, and well…you know the rest.”
“Who are you?” Nicholas asked.
“My name is Brock, and this is my cousin Logan. We’re scouts for the town of Wellsville. We had been tracking those savages who took you since they came through our town a few days back. They robbed a couple farms, took some food, and kidnapped those two kids.”
“So it was just a coincidence you came upon us?” Nicholas asked, genuinely curious.
“We came
Noah was still frozen to the spot just outside the garage door. He looked at Vincent with his sad green eyes and said, “My daddy needs it.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Vincent said, then pulled off the cover and unlocked the SUV. He made a mental note to temper his comments. He grabbed a box from the backseat and opened it.
“My daddy was shot.”
Vincent stopped and wondered if he had been in the mob attack. He thought about what to ask but decided to just stay quiet.
“He, um, is in a bad way,” Noah said sadly.
Vincent finished putting in the medicine and tossed the pack. “Everything your mother will need is in there. I even put in some prescription pain meds.”
Noah snatched the pack and said, “Thanks.” He looked, took a step away but stopped. He turned back around and said, “I have to go. I know my mom’s looking for me.” He then sprinted away.
Vincent couldn’t help but wonder if Noah’s dad had come to the property that day. Maybe that was why she didn’t trust him, but her comments didn’t make sense. She had clearly mentioned hating men. However Noah’s father had been shot, it had been traumatic for the entire family. He hoped that what little help he gave would be enough, and if it wasn’t, he couldn’t imagine the pain of loss Noah would experience by losing his father. Vincent could feel his foot throbbing and the hunger pangs came back. He rested against the SUV and began to think about all the children out there who had suffered, who had witnessed such horrific things. For him he hadn’t yet truly seen what had become of the world, but soon he’d be right in the middle.
Wellsville, Utah
Nicholas opened his eyes and found himself in a strange room. He looked to his right and saw a body draped with a white sheet; he looked to his left and saw a woman wearing medical scrubs. He opened his dry mouth and asked, “Please tell me you’re here to help me?”
“Yes, we’re here to help.”
“Who’s that?” he asked, motioning to the body next to him.
“Your colleague.”
“He’s dead, right?”
“Was he a friend?” she asked.
Nicholas nodded. He could tell he was on some type of narcotic by the way he felt. “Will I be okay?”
“I think so, but the doctor can answer all your questions. Let me go get her,” she said and left the small room.
Nicholas looked again at the draped body and felt so sorry for Proctor and for his wife, Katherine. What a tragic mistake going out to help Luke. Even though he hadn’t voted to authorize it, he found himself feeling guilty.
A tap on the door jolted him back from his remorse.
The door opened, but a woman didn’t enter like he expected. Two men came in.
“We heard you were awake,” the first man said. He was average height, his black short thinning hair was cut in the style of what Nicholas used to know as a flattop. The man had a burly deep voice, which Nicholas recognized as being the man who had spoken to him in the forest.
“Hi,” Nicholas replied.
The man looked at the far bed, which housed Proctor’s body, and said, “He had a weak pulse when we got him here, but he didn’t make it. I’m sorry.”
“He was alive out there?” Nicholas asked, surprised to hear this revelation.
“Yeah, we thought he was dead too, but he had a bit left in him. He had lost too much blood by the time we got him back, and well…you know the rest.”
“Who are you?” Nicholas asked.
“My name is Brock, and this is my cousin Logan. We’re scouts for the town of Wellsville. We had been tracking those savages who took you since they came through our town a few days back. They robbed a couple farms, took some food, and kidnapped those two kids.”
“So it was just a coincidence you came upon us?” Nicholas asked, genuinely curious.
“We came
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