Garen and Bekka couldn’t remember when they ever had ten people in their house here at one time. They were all in the living room eating, talking and enjoying, for the most part, the conversations.
After the introductions were over and some pleasantries, bits and pieces of their collective story began emerging, not in a cohesive string but more in a jumble. Some elements each group had already surmised, some things were a surprise.
“I saw the campsite and the note you left for Emilia. I was so glad when we met you in the woods the other day.” Kara said at one point. At this Heidi and Emilia cringed.
And
“So, yeah, it was your Remote Manual I found the stuff to figure out how to fix Doug’s electrolytes.” Heidi explained.
“After that was when I thought she might make a good Paramedic.” Doug pointed out to Garen.
And
“It was when I found your water bottle with Angelique’s alcohol stove I knew she would be safe. I still don’t know how I can ever repay what you have done for my daughter.”
And
“So there we were, trying to get away from the wall of water and he’s still worried about roads! So I told him to just lock onto my ass and follow me! So he did and we went up the embankment and got away from the wave. So you could say, my ass saved Garen’s” At Kara’s description, Garen turned red and sputtered.
“Well in my own defense, it is a cute ass.” His comment was lost to the laughter.
Later, the talk turned more serious as the later events started dovetailing and the elements got much more serious. The first mission to town, Garen’s injury, Terry’s sacrifice, the battle for the building in the dark, the dawn raid of the lower camp in the forest. All poured out into the room. Enough details to hurt, not enough to drown them.
The damage done to his little girl horrified Doug. Everything she had accomplished made him proud. The events at the stadium were unthinkable. He couldn’t help but wonder what he would have done in their place. He hoped he could have done as well as they did, but he knew he would have been outmatched.
Zed sat and just soaked up the stories. He was once again glad Marta wasn’t here for the devastation and destruction. He was sad, however, she wasn’t here to meet these new people. She would have liked them he was sure. He was happy they had come together. These were likeminded people and it would be good to have them around.
Garen and Bekka were glad. Glad the group was here, glad they had been able to rescue Angelique and Allyson, glad Doug survived the ambush, glad Heidi and Emilia had saved Doug. This group felt more and more like family. They hadn’t felt this way about so many in a long time. Not since the military.
Allyson was really enjoying this gathering. This was like when her father would have a bunch of his buddies over when she was a little girl. Everyone here understood and were comfortable with one another. There were no outliers. Even Emilia was part of the group. She might not be a steely eyed killer, but she had been both the hunted and the hunter and fully invested in the group.