Nathan Jones - Shortage

They sat for a while in cozy silence as the night fully darkened and the air grew chillier around them, content to enjoy each other’s company. Matt spent the time building up his courage, aware that at any moment Sam might suggest they should go back inside where it was warm. He wasn’t sure what had her so thoughtful while he was busy with that, but he was afraid he was going to miss his chance if he didn’t hurry.

She was just starting to stir when he finally acted, sliding off the bench to one knee next to her as she stared at him with moonlight reflecting from her wide eyes. He couldn’t read her expression, which in a way made it easier and harder at the same time as he pulled the ring out of his pocket with trembling fingers. He’d asked his mom for it that morning, and gotten it after a torrent of happy congratulations and spontaneous hugs.

Sam’s eyes were locked on the small twinkling stone as he raised the ring between them. “Samantha Hutchins,” he began solemnly, trying to keep his voice steady. “My life has been better from the moment you scared me half to death that night in the campus parking lot months ago.” She made a quiet sound that might have been a laugh or a sob. “And ever since then I can’t imagine living without you. I love you. Whatever the future holds I want to live it with you.”

He held the ring up a bit higher, noting the way her eyes sparkled a much as the diamond itself in the moonlight. “Will you marry me?”

For a breathless moment she was silent and his heart was in his throat, and then her small hands wrapped around his. “Yes,” she said in a soft voice, then laughed. “It’s about time.”

Grinning exultantly, Matt awkwardly slipped the ring onto her finger in the dark. The band was a bit big, but she didn’t seem to mind as she brought it up to look at it closer. Then Matt stood and lifted her to her feet, kissing her.

When he finally broke away she put her head on his chest. “Whatever the future holds,” she murmured. “I’ve felt the same way for a long time. Whatever comes we’ll handle it better together.” She abruptly pulled away, and in the dark he caught the white flash of her teeth as she grinned up at him. “Should we go in and tell everyone?”

The party had been winding down, but when Matt and Sam came in and she gave the news to the rest of the family by happily displaying her engagement ring everyone exploded into a new celebration. Aaron and Paul were overjoyed that their Aunt Sam was really going to become their aunt, and they kept randomly coming up and giving her hugs for the rest of the night. So did his mom and sister, for that matter.

When things finally wound down and everyone went up to bed Matt and Sam stayed on the couch for their usual quiet evening conversation, where they seriously talked about things like wedding dates and what their future together would hold. Both agreed that there was no reason to drag the engagement out too long, although there were things they had to consider when it came to the timing.

One thing was going to get the cache. Matt had planned to bring Terry and go for it right after they finished moving, leaving his dad, mom, April, and Sam to watch the shelter. He’d been thinking in terms of the trip delaying the wedding, but Sam insisted that she wasn’t going to be left behind to worry about him this time. He tried to argue about the danger and that they didn’t want to take too many people and leave the shelter unprotected, but she wouldn’t budge.

“I’m going,” she insisted. “Besides, with three people we’ll be able to pull the wagons faster, and if we fit everything in two of them we’ll always have the third person free to stand guard.”

Matt couldn’t argue with that, or the fact that Sam was better able to protect them now. While he’d been recovering from Razor’s wound over the last week he’d finally got a chance to give Sam her wish, when he not only offered to teach her, Terry, and April to shoot but practically insisted they learn, and as soon as possible. He’d taken the time to do a bit more target practice himself.

There wasn’t much ammo to spare for it, but thankfully learning to hit things with a rifle, especially a good heavy one with a bipod, good recoil absorption, and a scope like his dad’s reclaimed .30-06, was easier than learning to shoot a pistol. He planned to leave that rifle behind for defending the shelter and see if he could borrow a lighter rifle for the trip, to go along with the shotgun he’d given Terry and his own .40, as well as the revolver Sam had claimed from the looter that he’d also helped her practice with: although she was still working to get over anticipating the recoil her aim with it wasn’t terrible.

He hoped to borrow an assault rifle in the .223 caliber, but even with that lighter firearm he was a bit concerned about Sam being strong enough to aim the rifle while standing, or even in a kneeling or crouched position. Out on the range just outside of town they’d practiced with his dad’s large caliber rifle resting on a sturdy support, kneeling or prone. He’d have to help Sam get used to holding it in the aiming position long enough to shoot, and with any luck on the trip she could work at it and strengthen her arms enough before she really needed to use the weapon.

All of this was reasoning himself around to accepting her offer to come along. All other considerations aside, Matt honestly didn’t want to leave her for any amount of time either. He knew it would be risky, and the thought of her coming to harm made his heart freeze, but the route his dad had found was a fairly safe, isolated one. And arguably nowhere was truly safe these days.

So he told her yes.

The next morning they got packing. To his surprise when he went to tell Jane’s refugees that they’d soon have a home Tom Harding insisted he and his son would help them move. Matt thanked them but refused, since they couldn’t pay the father and son for their help, but the two men weren’t motivated by that. They wanted to get their group moved in as soon as possible, antsy staying in the town storehouse under the suspicious eyes of the men guarding the supplies in the backroom.

Matt still refused, although politely. They wouldn’t be taking any furniture and what they were taking would only need a few trips with the wagons, their own plus the one they’d borrowed to go after the cache. It wasn’t that he necessarily distrusted the man or his son, but he wanted to keep the location of the shelter a secret both for his family’s sake and out of respect for Lewis and Trev. Instead he encouraged them to join a hunting party and find food, and that soon enough their group would be able to move into a furnished house.

Jane was showing small signs of improvement, with every indication that she’d be up and about after a reasonable amount of time with no permanent damage. When Matt talked to her she offered to join the town’s defenders on a patrol route once she was strong enough, as well as any available hunting parties too on her days off.

After what he’d seen from her Matt had no issue with the idea, but since he’d turned over protection of the town to Chauncey Watson in his absence he told her to seek him out once she was healed. He also warned that he was taking the town’s doctor so she needed to really make sure she was healed before pushing herself.

Their neighbors were oddly incurious, both about them moving and about Matt and Terry’s planned trip. Not that Matt and his family spread either of those things around, but those they did tell didn’t even ask where they were going or why. Matt didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved by the lack of prying, although he trusted that Catherine had things in hand if anyone turned out to be untrustworthy.