Nathan Jones - Determination

As it turned out there were plenty of people who needed a hand. Jane had already gathered the thirty or so defenders willing to go south, to help with the preparations to move, but when Matt arrived she dropped everything and announced that they should probably head out. She had some of her people go grab the two missile launchers and remaining missiles, which they’d be taking with them along with the best of the remaining gear and weapons Aspen Hill had to arm the group.

“I just want to say a last goodbye to Lewis,” the redheaded woman abruptly said as the men ran off to complete the task. Without another word she turned and headed for where her husband lay in the cart.

In the slightly uncomfortable silence that followed Matt turned to her other volunteers. “This is probably a good chance for you to say your goodbyes too,” he told them. “Just don’t take too long.” The crowd nodded and dispersed.

Matt took the opportunity to catch up to Jane, handing her the radio Davis had given him. “Believe me, it’s come in handy for me and it should for you, too.”

His friend immediately stuck it in her pocket and put on the noise canceling earbuds, talking as she worked. “Thanks. It’ll probably be less awkward for me if I’m delivering orders by radio.”

Matt remembered Catherine saying Jane had worries about leading. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “You’re going to do a great job.”

She gave him an impatient look. “I doubt it, but I’ll do the best job I can. Lewis really should’ve picked someone else to take charge, though. This feels like nepotism.”

He couldn’t help it, he chuckled. “You may not be the most social person out there, Jane, but believe me: you’re probably the only one who thinks you’re not qualified to lead.”

Jane hesitated, looking up at him with clear blue eyes. “As long as it just involves making sure my people get what they need and are where they need to be, maybe,” she replied. “I’m not going to be giving any rousing speeches or rallying the troops, though.”

She sped up a bit, clearly done with the conversation, and Matt let her go say her goodbyes to her husband. They didn’t take long, and within just a few minutes she was back gathering her volunteers and chivvying them to get on the road.

As the group made their final preparations to leave Matt gave the redheaded woman a few last tips on what she could expect to the south, both with the blockheads and with the volunteers already there, as well as with Davis and Harmon. She listened attentively, but even so he did his best to keep the instructions brief and pertinent.

Then Jane and her volunteers were ready to go. The town’s preparations to move slowed to a halt as the group set off down the road, a crowd of friends and families gathered to bid them farewell. Lewis’s mom and sister were there waving to Jane, and Matt joined them in waving until she and the others were out of sight.

At which point Matt got everyone back on task packing up camp. First off he put the remaining defenders to work where they were needed, as well as assigning them to hauling wagons and carts. There was a bit of grumbling from some but everyone pitched in, and within the next hour the town in exile had started on its way to their new home.

Matt’s dad joined him pulling the cart, although he looked sad. “Every step takes us even farther from Aspen Hill,” he said.

“Two miles or twenty, it hardly matters as long as the blockheads are occupying it,” Lewis said. “And two or twenty, once they leave we can go back.”

“Maybe,” Matt’s dad replied, glancing over his shoulder at the two men in the cart. “Or maybe they’ll burn it to the ground, or this war will go on for years. We might not see it again for a while, or there’ll be nothing left to return to.”

Matt’s mom spoke up reprovingly from beside the cart, where she was carrying Paul and leading Aaron by the hand. “Home is wherever we all are. Whatever the future may hold, for now we’ll make this valley our home.”

The day dragged on with the drudgery of pulling their burdens, everyone moving at a snail’s pace along the road. Sometimes vehicles passed going one direction or the other, and even a unit of soldiers on foot headed for the military camp. Nobody had an easy time of the trip, but working together they kept moving without anyone straggling behind.

When they stopped for lunch Matt went around seeing how everyone was doing. He was tired enough that he wanted to just collapse somewhere and enjoy his meager meal with his family, but he couldn’t shirk his responsibilities.

To his surprise there was less complaining than he’d expected. The townspeople were tired, but at the same time they were glad to be on the road. There’d been a lot of fear at the refuge, with blockheads a stone’s throw away and only the massively outnumbered and outgunned defenders holding them back. The idea of going to a place where the reality of war was far removed appealed to his neighbors.

It wasn’t far as the truck drove, but even on bicycle it took a while to reach and everyone considered it a safe distance away. Matt had to admit the move appealed to him as well, and if anything he considered it past due. It offered a more permanent place to settle in and really begin concentrating on preparing for the winter, and was close enough to Huntington Creek along 31 (albeit probably wanting to give the refugee camps a wide berth), that fishing, hunting, trapping, and gathering trips were realistic.

Much as he hated to do it, he called everyone back onto the road after only a brief lunch. They still had a long ways to go, and their pace hadn’t been reassuring.

He ended up working with Tam to get the line of people moving again, and awkwardly felt his way around a conversation with her. The auburn-haired woman asked how Lewis was doing, and admitted she didn’t blame him for losing her husband. But she also said she didn’t think she could talk to him, at least not for a while. Matt supposed he couldn’t blame her for that, and left her and her family to their place in the line while he returned to the cart. The shelter group was one of the first to get going, so they led the line setting the pace.

It took some doing, but with cooperation and determination most of the townspeople reached the valley that day, although for many it was hours after nightfall. The long line of hundreds of weary men, women, and children continued filing in as those who’d arrived struggled to create temporary accommodations for the night. Those that didn’t decide to just drop where they were and sleep under the stars, huddled together for warmth. Around fires if they were lucky. Very, very few among them found the time or energy to attempt to build shelters for others, although Matt did what he could.

The few stragglers that couldn’t manage to make it the entire way all camped together with a few defenders to protect them, a mile or east along the road. It didn’t seem so far to go, but exhausted and hauling burdens Matt couldn’t blame them for deciding to finish in the morning.

As for him, all aches and discomforts aside he got to collapse into bed with Sam huddled against him, and that was better than a hotel. She seemed to feel the same, although in her condition the walk had been hard.

There was no conversation tonight; both were asleep within minutes.

“Are you going to be okay doing this, son?” his dad said quietly.

Lewis tried to nod, but the motion made his head spin so he stopped. He hoped he was going to be okay. “I’ll tough it out. I’m more worried about how you’ll manage with your broken leg. It was my fault, after all.”

His dad straightened slightly in his lawn chair, awkwardly adjusting the leg in its cast. “That wasn’t on you. What happened, happened. No use making it worse by trying to find someone to blame.”