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He sees the world in a really warped way. He’s convinced we’re about to do another Alamo. ”

Nerit shrugged. “Maybe. I have a feeling that a lot of what he is telling you is important, just twisted to fit his theory of how the world runs. ”

Katie shook her head. “Okay, what do we do?”

“I guess get ready for the military to come knocking,” Travis decided.

“Calhoun says he overhead them talking about coming to see us today.

Maybe they’re gonna finally answer us. ”

“And I get to be John Wayne,” Nerit decided with a gleam in her eye, but a stoic expression “Oh, no, no, no, Nerit. I want to be John Wayne,” Travis protested.

Nerit considered this. She shook her head. “No. I’m John Wayne. ”

Katie looked back toward the people gathered to pet the cows. She knew in these moments of ridiculous brevity there was serious concern. They were going to have to take to heart something she had read somewhere that John Wayne had said, “Courage is being scared to death - but saddling up anyway. ”

They were going to have to saddle up.

Sweeping her hair back from her face, she could only wonder what Bill and Jenni were experiencing in this very moment.

What were their thoughts? Were they saddling up?

Chapter 15 1. Tales of the Madison Mall Jenni poked at the lumpish gray stuff in her bowl that she was certain was supposed to be oatmeal. It looked nothing like oatmeal, though the smell was similar.

“Army food,” a woman said sitting down across from her.

Jenni was surprised that someone was talking to her. Everyone the day before seemed to regard her with suspicion. But she was grateful for the company. “Not all that great. ”

“Makes me really appreciate the army,” the lady said with a wry smile. Her eyes flicked to a soldier strolling by in full battle fatigues. “Where did they rescue you from?”

“I wasn’t rescued. They kidnapped me,” Jenni said with a frown.

The woman blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

Jenni lifted her eyes to truly look at the woman. She was probably a few years older than Jenni, but those had been hard years. She had lank dark blond hair and pale blue eyes.

“We were returning to our fort and this helicopter swooped down and blinded us. We had an accident and woke up here. We were pretty much kidnapped. ”

“Fort? Do you mean a real fort?”

“Well, more like four blocks of a downtown walled in, but the big hotel is pretty damn nice,” Jenni answered.

The woman double-blinked. “Are there lots of people?”

Jenni furrowed her brow. “I think may be close to two-hundred and fifty people now. I’m not real sure. ”

The woman slowly exhaled. “Wow. We really thought we were the only ones still alive out this way. But why would the army take ya if you weren’t in trouble. ”

“I think whoever runs this place wants the fort. Or at least that is what my friend Bill says. ”

“Well, damn, that would be the Senator. But then, it has been real tough here,” the woman confessed.

“How long have you been here?” Jenni shoved her plate of food away with one hand and tried to eat something that looked like toast.

“Since the first day. We were over at that yonder civic center first. When the news started getting bad, FEMA said to go there. It was a rescue center. At first we didn’t pay no attention. It was just crazy talk on the TV, but then this man came and started trying to get in our back door. Troy, my husband, he shouted at the man to get lost, but this guy kept hitting the door. Hitting it so hard he was busting his hands open. We could see it through the window. My kids started screaming. Troy keeps threatening to shoot the guy with the shotgun, but the guy keeps banging and making these noises. ”

“Oh, God, what did you do?”