She came shortly after the bus turned the corner into our small hidden valley just below the tiny house we had. "They were not followed from what I can tell. Your fluffy one is keeping watch on the hill to the main road." Lada sat looking at me. "The time has come Tala" I heard her say.
I looked around to see how a storm up here on the mesa had formed. The clouds had managed to pop up without a warning. I had seen this in the mountians of the high Sierras and the Appalachia Mountians. but never here. "I need to make sure they are settled." I shouldered my rifle. To puck up the pace toward the valley on foot. Lada trotted next to me. "He will be fine," she whispered just before she took a path to the right suddenly.
I hoped so. I really did. I put on some speed, which in sand sucks. But I did it. I was huffing and puffing when I turned the corner to see people milling about. I seen a few elderly, lots of little children and a few of the teachers from the local elementary school.
I found Ruthann sitting on the steps to the bus crying, Her face puffed and red from it. kneeling down I asked her, "You did very good." I hugged her as tight as I could. I heard Chief tip and seen he was with the kids. He always knew who needed those big brown eyes.
"Red told me to come here." I heard Ruthann hiccup.
That snapped my attention back to her in less then a heartbeat. "Red?" I asked again.
Another voice came in behind me, "he came to the school told all of us to get in the bus. and get moving he would clear a path for us." I turned to the other voice to see Butch, a mighty man in his day. Age had dimished his body but not his spirit. "You have a helluva man there." His age lightened brown eyes almost an amber colored wrinked to show a smile.
"I know, one in a million he is," I murmured.
Butch added, "He found me at the coffee shop when this crazy hit. Threw men and a few others into his scout and plowed straight to the school. Watched him jump out and take down the group that was in the parking lot headed inside. Gathered up the kids and people he could find, got them on the bus, and literally plowed the road to get us through the road block that those nasty son of a bitches made." There was a snarl to his last few words. "I watched him make mince meat out of any of those things. If I was younger I would have stayed to help. But he reminded me these need help too." He motioned to the women and children as well has his friends from the coffee shop.
I was silent a moment. He was getting people out, I knew some of the people in town to be old military from marines to spooks. I was hoping he was going to gather them up. "Did he mention when he would be back?" I looked at Butch.
"No," Butch said solemnly.
"I hope soon" I murmured. Looking at the kids I seen Chief had taken up cuddling and playing with them. "Thank you, will you get them sorted. I need to go back to the gate and double check all is well."
"Of course," Butch nodded. "I can get them, settled". He leaned in gave me a quick hug and said "I suspect he will be back soon." He smiled patted me on the back.
I gave Ruthann a quick hug, looking back to Chief I told him to stay. He would do good work here. The kids and people would need him. I took off to ward the gate again. I needed to make sure that they were not followed. I heard the bark in the distance, telling me another vehicle was coming. I picked up the pace to meet a familiar truck at the gate.