Induction

“I don’t know, Em. It sounds like there’s more of us out there. They could be doing better than us, or could need our help.” He cupped my face. I expected him to lean in and kiss me, but instead he just stared into my eyes. “And that’s why I need to go out with the men tomorrow. I need to see for myself. I can’t sit idle behind these walls anymore. I’m going stir crazy.”

The glass slipped from my hand and shattered on the rooftop. “No. Absolutely not. I forbid it. Jake Rossi, you will not leave me here alone to go off on some fool’s errand that will get you killed.” The proverbial walls were closing in on me, and I was overcome with raw fear. The tears that I had held at bay for days filled my eyes, and I grabbed him by the shirt. “Don’t go. I don’t have it in me to keep going if you don’t come back.” I flung my arms around him and held him with everything I had. I sobbed in his arms, repeating, “No,” over and over until my throat was hoarse.

He just held me close, not saying anything until I had cried myself out. “Baby, I love you so much. Way too much to ever let anything happen to me. I promise you, nothing will stop me from getting back to you.”

No amount of begging would change his mind. I know this because I resorted to begging as the sun went down. After awhile we just snuggled and discussed the ‘what-ifs’. What if we became separated, where would we meet? Where would we go?

“Which one is Plan B again?” I asked, knowing full well it was the lighthouse.

He rolled his eyes at my question. “Plan B is the lighthouse, Plan C is Cape Harbour. I got it, Em. It’s locked away in the vault,” he said, tapping his forehead.

There was nothing left but to accept his decision, as much as I hated it.

We took full advantage of the rest of the evening. Peering up at the sky, Jake tried to point out the constellations. The next day’s events were tugging at the back of my mind, making it hard to concentrate. We made love under the stars, for what I prayed wouldn’t be our last time, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

Chapter 14 This is my Rifle

The sound of an engine rumbling to life woke me the next morning. Daphne was sleeping in the crevice of my armpit and I opened my eyes to see her beady little eyes staring at me from where her head lay on my chest. I smiled as I took in her total cuteness, and she sprang to her feet as I stretched. Rolling over I found Jake’s side of the air mattress empty. For just a moment I thought maybe he had gotten up to take a trip to the canal and pee in the water. The facade was shattered when I heard the barricade gate screech along the pavement.

Frantically, I looked around the roof for any sign that Jake was still here. Finding no sign of him, I ran to the edge of the wall and peered down to the leaving convoy. I screamed his name, desperate to find him tucked away safely behind the wall, but instead saw him perched atop the last of the exiting Humvees manning the 50-caliber machine gun. I turned to run down the stairs to stop him and tripped over Daphne. She let out a yelp of pain as I fell and landed on my chest, skinning my knees and knocking the wind out of myself in the process.

Sure that my C cups were now inverted from the impact, I threw open the door and bounded down the stairs as I gasped to get my breath back. I didn’t care that I was probably giving the residents of the compound heart attacks as I tore through the building. I had tunnel vision and Jake was my only concern. I hit the front door as the last of the convoy made it through the gate and it swung shut behind them.

Crossing the parking lot, my body slammed against the gate and I pulled on it like a caged monkey. I yelled for him again and again, pleading words spilling out of my mouth like diarrhea. Jake turned back to me, and I could just make out his words as he mouthed I love you before the vehicle turned off the street and out of my view.

I was crazed with the panic of losing him. Adam grabbed me from behind and halted my efforts to open the gate and chase Jake as he went into battle. He held me from behind and offered comforting words that fell on deaf ears as I kicked to free myself and get to my husband.

The residents of our quaint haven piled out the front door to see what all the racket was about. I plowed my way through them and ran back up to the roof, Adam right behind me, and Daphne barking, hot on our tails. The roof’s wall halted my momentum and I searched the streets for the trucks. The sound of gunshots to my left snapped my head in that direction and I could just make out the top of the transport truck as it moved slowly down a side street. My eyes stayed on the truck until it was gone from my line of site. Even then, I stared out to the empty streets before me in hopes I would catch sight of it again.