Sally helped Zach prep for the rescue run to the mine, filling clips and water bottles and helping to organize his and other people's packs. Ellie had initially just wanted Zach to help out getting the supplies prepped for others to go on the run, but one of the people she'd selected for the run had sprained his ankle out on patrol that afternoon by stepping into a gopher hole and she needed another person she could trust on the team. It was easier to replace Zach out on the perimeter than to find someone with as much experience out on runs as he had, so Ellie rearranged the schedule and informed Zach and Sally of the change in plans.

Sally had initially been insanely jealous, wanting to go with Zach and help out. Also, all the people that she cared about had not had the greatest luck on runs in the last few days and she was loathe to let Zach out of her sight. At the moment, he was the only person she had left. Who knew what would happen to Alex out there and Jake still wasn't out of the woods.

Once the jealousy subsided, Sally realized she really just wanted to make sure Zach came back, regardless of how the run went. She began to surreptitiously pack her own pack with ammo and water, aware that she wouldn't be able to carry much weight for long but knowing if they got into a jam they would need all the ammo they could get. She stuffed her pack behind a crate for later. Now she just had to figure out how to get on the truck without anyone noticing.

The plan was to take two trucks out to the mine, which was less than ten miles from the Lazy H, and rescue the remaining women at the mine camp. If their prisoners intel was correct, they only had to worry about three old men guarding the camp, and hopefully things would go smoothly. They hoped that when the men realized they were outnumbered they would go quietly. Sally knew it was wishful thinking, but she could hope things would go smoothly.

Sally listened intently as Ellie and Tim laid out the plan for the group that was going on the run. They would be leaving in the morning. Ellie had initially wanted them to go that afternoon, but Tim pointed out that the men guarding the mine would likely have their guards up, expecting attack. If they went in early the next morning they had a better chance of catching them off guard. Or at least that was the prevailing assumption. Sally had to agree with Tim's logic. As much as it would be nice to just get it over with, it would be better to wait if they thought they would have a better chance at success in the morning.

If they were going to leave first thing in the morning, Sally was going to need to figure out a way to be in the area, unnoticed, before everyone started gathering to leave. It was unlikely that she would be able to leave the clinic unnoticed at that hour of the morning, and she would be exhausted by the time she walked all the way to the barn. That wouldn't work, she was going to have to come up with another plan.

When the briefing was finished, Sally hung back and waited for Zach to join her and they walked over to the bunkhouse for dinner. They sat at their own table, the one that the council members usually sat at. Recently, the table had been mostly empty, as the council had dwindled to essentially three members, and at the moment only two of them could sit at the table. It was disheartening, and Sally sat thinking about how small her "apocalypse family" had become.

"What's up, kid," Zach asked, noticing Sally's dejected look. He sat next to her and gently elbowed her in the shoulder.

She exhaled loudly. "It's nothing, really," Sally said. "It's just sad how small our group has become."

Zach found her statement odd since their group was, in fact, growing. They were still bringing people in occasionally and the incoming definitely outnumbered the rate at which they were losing people. But he figured Sally wasn't talking about the group at large. She was talking about her family.

"I know it seems bad right now," Zach said, "but things will be better soon. Jake will get better and Alex will be back. Scott will make sure of it," he said. "It's just been a rough couple of days."

"Days? More like months," Sally said, frustrated, angrily stuffing food into her mouth.

Zach took a couple of bites of food while he thought about how best to respond. "I know it's shit right now. Is there anything that would help cheer you up," he asked.

"Can't do anything anyway," she said, shaking her head. "I want to go hunting, I want to go on the run, I want to fucking help but I can't do anything," she cried. "I just want everything to go back to normal!"

"We all wish things could go back to normal, Sally," Zach said quietly. "We all miss how life used to be."

Sally shook her head. "No, that's not even what I'm talking about. I miss my parents and my friends, but I don't really miss how the world was before. People were mean and petty, everything was busy and bright and fast. And now… well, people are still mean, but there are a lot of nice people too. And it's kinda hard to be petty when you're fighting for your life every day and you have to work for everything you've got. I meant things going back to normal like before Alex and I went on that stupid run. She and Jake were happy and we were all living at the house… things were good. I felt at home. Now it just feels like limbo, like I'm just waiting for everything to fall apart and move on to the next thing. I don't feel like I belong anywhere."

Zach patted her on the shoulder and brought her in for a side hug. "I'm sorry you feel that way, but you do belong here. Even though it feels off right now, you are right where you're supposed to be," he said, scruffing up her hair. "And I'm a little hurt," he added with a slight grin.

Sally looked at him. "Hurt? By what," she asked curiously.

"I consider you to be my family and you will always have a place to belong. We gotta stick together, us orphans," Zach reminded her. "You aren't alone, Sal."

Sally gave Zach a big smile and a hug before settling in to finish her food. "I guess that's better than nothin'," she teased.

After dinner Zach took Sally to the clinic to see Jake. Ellie had told them that he was awake and had asked about her and Sally was eager to see him. She kept telling herself that he was in bad shape so that she wouldn't be surprised when she saw him, but she still couldn't hide her shock when she walked into Jake's room and saw him lying there on the bed. She let out a small gasp when she saw how pale and weak he was. Jake was quick to flash her a smile to she could see that he was okay. Sally came and sat next to the bed, carefully avoiding the many tubes that he was connected to.

"Hey, Sal," Jake slowly breathed out. "You okay," he asked.

Sally couldn't believe he was worried about her. "I'm fine," she deflected. "How are you?"

Jake smirked. "Ta be honest with ya, I've felt better," he whispered. "Seriously, Sal, are ya okay? Who's takin' care of ya," he grunted.

Sally shrugged her shoulders. "Takin' care of myself, for the most part," she said. "Been helpin' out as much as I can an' tryin' to stay out of everyone's way."

"I don't like ya bein' alone all tha time," Jake said. "Ya stayin' here at tha clinic," Jake asked.

Sally shrugged. "Yeah, but I'd rather not," she said. "But it's not like I have anywhere else to go," she said quietly to the floor.

Jake was quiet for a minute, thinking. "Ya wan' me ta see if ya can stay with Ellie fer a bit?"

Sally shook her head. "No. I like Ellie but I don't think I'd be very comfortable… she an' Tim…"

"Yeah, yer right," Jake said, knowing what she was going to say. Jake was quiet for a minute as he thought about the options. "What about Zach? What if he came ta stay with ya at tha house," he suggested. Sally could see that all the talking was wearing him out. He really didn't need to be worrying about her right now.

"Did I hear someone say my name," Zach said as he entered the room carrying a fresh glass of water. "Cindy asked me to bring this to you," he said to Jake as he set the glass down on the table next to the bed. He switched the straw into the new glass and offered it to Jake, who took a short sip before thanking Zach and nodding to Sally.

"Was jus' tellin' Sal I don' wan' 'er ta be alone all tha time an' she don' need ta be stayin' 'ere in tha clinic. Was gonna ask ya if ya would mind stayin' at tha house with 'er 'til… well 'til thangs settle down a bit," Jake breathed out. He was short of breath and his color was getting worse by the minute.

"Couse, Jake," Zach said. "Whatever you need me to do, I'll take care of it. Don't worry about Sally, we'll be just fine," he said. "You really should get some rest, man. You still got a lot of work ahead of you, so just relax. I'll take care of Sally until you're back on your feet."

"You don't have to worry about me, Jake. I'll be fine with Zach. You get some rest. Hopefully Alex and Scott will be back soon with the part to get the power back up and running and Dr. Benson will be able to finish up your surgery," Sally said optimistically.

Jake got a confused look on his face. "What'rya talkin' 'bout," Jake asked her. "What's Alex doing with Scott? Where'd they go," Jake asked, becoming increasingly agitated. The beeps of the monitor began to speed up and Sally became alarmed.

"Didn't anyone tell you what happened," Sally asked him, panicking. "Jake you gotta calm down, I'll tell you everything, but ya gotta relax," she pleaded.

Jake slowly took a breath and did his best to slow his heart rate. When the beeping finally began to slow, Sally started talking.

"From what I was told, Alex showed up just in time and killed most of the guys that surrounded the group, but you had already been shot. Then they got you stabilized and sent you back here while she and Scott went to Auburn to the shop that sold Scott the machinery in the first place. We're hoping they'll be back by tomorrow," Sally explained.

Jake was quiet for a moment while he digest the info. "What was she doin' there? How did she know," Jake breathed out.

"I don't know. No one here has talked to her, other than Leon, and he only talked to her about the prisoner. We have more questions than answers at this point, that's what I heard Ellie say," Sally replied. "Now, you have to get some rest. You need to be ready to go into surgery as soon as they get back with that part." Sally patted Jake's hand and gave him a cautious hug. "She'll be back, Jake. Scott will bring her back," Sally whispered to him before she stepped away from his bedside.

"Wait," Jake said softly. "If Scott's with Al, then that means Christine an' tha baby are alone too," he said, slowly churning out the words. "Maybe ya should see if she needs another set of hands, Sal. She shouldn't be alone either."

Sally didn't want to stay with Christine. That would mean staying at the clinic and it would mean she wouldn't be able to sneak out on the run. She had to be at the house or the barn to make that work.

"I don't know," Sally replied. "I don't want to be in the way."

Zach interrupted before Sally could say anymore. "I'm happy to stay with her, Jake, but this sounds like a good idea too. Besides, I saw you hide your pack, Sally. You know there's no way I'd let you go on the run with us, right? It's too dangerous and you are nowhere near being in good enough shape for that kind of exertion. But you could help Christine. It'll give you something to do while we're out on the run and it will bring comfort to Christine as well. She's got to be worried and stressed about Scott being gone right now," Zach said sympathetically.

Sally was irritated with Zach but she knew he was right. She wouldn't be any use out there because she really couldn't take care of herself. It would be selfish of her to sneak out. That didn't mean that she wanted to spend another night in the clinic though. She knew better than to argue, however. They were right.

"Fine. I'll go talk to Christine and see if she needs any help. But if she doesn't want me around we go back to the other plan," Sally insisted.

"Sure," Zach said. "But I doubt she's going to say she doesn't want you around."

"Sal, promise me ya won' try ta sneak out on tha run," Jake breathed. "I can' have ya out there too."

Sally shook her head. "I promise to stay here," she relented. "It was selfish of me… I just wanted to make sure Zach was alright… wanted to make sure he came back."

"I'll be back, Sal," Zach said.

"Alright. Jake, I'll come back and check on you tomorrow, okay," Sally asked him. Jake gave her a quick nod before closing his eyes.

"Take care a 'er," Jake mumbled.

"I will, Jake," Zach promised. He and Sally quietly stepped out into the corridor. "We should probably let the doc know that we told him about Alex. He got a bit agitated when he heard her name, might be important for the doc to know."

They took a few minutes to located Dr. Benson and explained how the visit went and what they had talked about.

"Thanks for letting me know. His reaction isn't surprising and it's probably best that the news came from you, Sally. You did good in keeping him calm and hopefully you are right and they will return with the parts sooner rather than later. He looks a little better than this morning but he's still really weak. I'll hold off on the surgery as long as I can," Dr. Benson replied.

"Thanks, doc. I'm going to see if Christine needs some help with Joey, offer to stay with her until Scott and Alex get back," Sally said.

"That sounds like a great idea," Dr. Benson said. "You let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks," Sally replied. "I will."

"So, you want me to go with you to talk to Christine," Zach asked once Dr. Benson had returned to his office.

"No, that's okay," Sally said. "I can do it myself. Besides, you need to get some rest. You've got a big day tomorrow."

"You sure? I don't mind. I can help you move stuff from your room," he offered.

Sally shook her head. "Nope. I'll just change in there tonight and get the rest figured out tomorrow. Thanks though," she said.

"Alright," Zach said, bringing Sally in for a big hug. "Night, kiddo."

"Night. You be careful on the run," she said seriously. "You've gotta come back."

Zach nodded. "I will do my best. Nothing fancy, just in, out and back home," he agreed. He gave her a big smile and then stepped out into the evening, leaving Sally standing alone in the hallway.

Sally stood there for a moment while she tried to figure out what she was going to say to Christine. She'd really only talked to the woman a couple of times but Christine had been very sweet and she was easy enough to talk to.

Sally figured they best thing was to just be direct. It wasn't like she was asking Christine to be her new mommy, she just needed a place to belong for a few days until she was more functional and things settled down a bit.

Sally walked to Scott and Christine's door and knocked lightly. There was no sound from within, but in a moment the handle turned and Christine's face appeared in the crack of the door.

"Hi," Sally said with a smile. "Can I talk to you for a minute," she asked.

"Sure! Come on in," Christine said, stepping aside and swinging the door open. She indicated the chair next to her bed for Sally to have a seat while Christine sat on the bed. "What's up," Christine asked.

Sally fiddled with her fingers in her lap while looking around the room. She finally brought her eyes to Christine's and got to the point. "Well, Jake is worried about me being alone all the time since things are so crazy right now and I'm still recovering so I'm kinda limited in how I can help out, but we were thinking that since Scott is gone maybe I could stay here with you… help out with Joey so you can get a little rest. What do you think," Sally asked.

Christine's face erupted in a huge smile. "That would be wonderful," she gushed. "It's very lonely here and it would be nice to have someone else to talk to. You can sleep in Scott's bed, Cindy just put new sheets on it this morning."

Sally smiled at her. "Okay, sounds good. I'll just get changed into my pajamas and grab my pillow from my room and then I'll be back."

"Okay, I'll be right here," Christine replied with a smile.

Sally went back to her room and got changed. She gathered her book and her pillow and headed back to the room. She and Christine got settled in for the evening. Christine talked about Joey's improvement and how his schedule was generally. When Joey woke up she explained the ways that Sally would be able to help her out and showed her how he liked to be held. There was not really much for Sally to do if Joey was hungry since he was being breastfed but she would be able to help out when Christine needed a shower or just wanted to take a little break.

Christine was happy to have someone to talk to and for another set of hands, just in case. As they talked, Sally relaxed and realized that she felt more comfortable than she had been in a long time. It was like a little oasis from the world, they were safe in this room and life looked like it might not always be so bad. Sally felt a little bit of hope blossom in her heart. Maybe Jake was right about this after all.

§

The rescue run left right on schedule the next morning and Zach was glad for that. If he was being honest, this run had him a bit nervous. He trusted the people he was with, many of whom had just been out on the previous run that had failed. He wasn't concerned that they would let him down; he was just worried about the veracity of the prisoner's information. The man seemed to be telling the truth, but they wouldn't know for sure until they got out there and saw for themselves how things stood.

They had taken two trucks and twenty people. Tim had thought it was overkill, but they didn't want to be at a disadvantage and they thought for sure they were dealing with ten people, even if the women weren't armed. Ellie wanted the numbers to be on their side.

Zach was teamed up with John and they were part of the "lead" team that would be going into the mine first. They had a loose plan based on what the prisoner had told them about the camp schedule and layout. They were prepared to make changes on the fly, but the hope was they wouldn't have to.

When they were about a mile out from the mine, they parked the trucks on the side of the road and made the rest of the trip on foot. It didn't take them long to reach the perimeter of the camp, designated by cans and other noisemakers hanging from rope and wires threaded through the trees at ankle level. They carefully stepped over the trap and then spread out to surround the camp. Zach and the rest of the lead team took point and headed straight in.

They stopped under the last cover of the trees to keep watch for a few minutes, determining whether what the prisoner told them was true. It was apparent within a few minutes that he was honest with them, as a few malnourished women emerged from the mine carrying empty water jugs. They were under the watchful eye, and gun, of an old man who looked to be about seventy. Zach was surprised for a moment that the women hadn't tried to overpower him but upon closer inspection, they all looked pretty beat up and they had probably been starved on purpose to keep them weak. Zach was glad they had come to save these women.

The old man led the women away from the mine entrance, towards the visitor's center. Behind that building, Zach knew, there was a spring fed creek. Like most kids that grew up in this area, they had been to the mine for a field trip in the fourth grade. Though Zach hadn't been back since then, it didn't look like anything had really changed in all those years. His attention was grabbed by John nodding his chin in the direction of the visitor's center; they were going to ambush the group. Zach followed John's lead as their group spread out and headed around the building.

It wasn't hard to take control of the group. While the women were at the creek filling the bottles the old man had taken a few steps downstream and started peeing along the shore. John and Zach took the opportunity to come up on him from behind; John slipped his hand around the man's mouth and secured him in a headlock while Zach took his gun and checked him for other weapons. The others from the group moved in to secure the women, in case they were going to put up a fight, but once they realized they weren't being threatened the women all threw themselves on the men closest to them. Before they could start crying, James told them they needed to be quiet.

"We're here to rescue you from these assholes, but we aren't out of the woods yet. We need to get inside to secure the rest of the men," he said quietly as John and Zach finished securing the old man's hands and gagging his mouth.

"You should kill him," one of the women said to John earnestly as she broke away from the other women and approached him and Zach. When she was close to the old man, tied and sitting on the ground, she swung her leg out and kicked him square in the kidney. The man grunted and slumped over to the side, hitting the ground with a thud. Zach reached out and grabbed the woman to keep her from kicking the man again.

"Get your hands OFF of me," she screamed. John reached out quickly and put his hand over her mouth, pulling her in close and securing her against his body. She struggled for a minute but when she realized she wasn't going anywhere her struggles ceased. John loosened his grip slightly, just enough for her to breathe easier.

"You want to join him down there tied up or you want to tell us why we should kill him," he asked calmly into her ear.

The woman looked panicked for a moment but she shook her head slowly and John removed his hand from her mouth. "You should kill him because he's the worst of the old men. He can't get it up anymore but that doesn't stop him… he rapes us with anything he can, broomsticks, rifle barrels… he even used a baseball bat on one girl… fucked her up so bad on the inside she ended up dying… He doesn't deserve your mercy," she begged them.

The old man just laid there on the ground with a horrible smile on his face. The group had a hushed discussion that ended when James bent down and quickly inserted his knife into the back of the old man's head. The group then turned their attention to the women.

"Alright, miss," James said. "Can you tell us about the inside of the mine? How many people are in there? Are they all in one area or spread out," James asked her.

The woman shook her head. "Everyone should be all grouped together. About twenty yards in it opens up into a wide space… the camp is set up there. They've got some lanterns set up, so you should be able to see them before they can see you. Just the two old men in there, they've both got rifles. I don't think they're the best shots, but they are armed."

The group retreated and met up with some of the members of their group. They explained the situation and were getting ready to head for the mine's entrance when the woman that had told them about the inside layout spoke up.

"I need to go with you… the rest of the women inside are worse off than we are, that's why we were the ones filling the water jugs. They're scared and they probably aren't going to react well to new men. They'll listen to me," she said.

"Alright, but if you betray us, if you attempt to give them any warning-" James said.

"I know, you'll kill me," she interrupted. "The only thing I'm interested in is getting the hell out of this place. You won't hear a peep out of me until it's time," she promised.

After making a slight adjustment to their plan to account for the woman, the group of eleven quietly entered the mine and slowly inched their way deeper and deeper underground. Zach could tell they were getting close when he spotted a faint light in the distance.

The woman was right, the lanterns were burning and they lit up the open space well. When they had consulted with past of the group outside they had decided the best plan was to take out the remaining guards with silenced shots from the darkness. There was no reason to confront them or try to take them back to the ranch. John and James took the shots, screams echoed through the cavern when the women realized the men had been shot. The group came out into the open and the woman rushed over to her counterparts who immediately stopped screaming upon seeing her. The woman quickly explained that they would be going with the newcomers and that they should grab anything they wanted to take with them.

After a few minutes the women were ready to leave, though two of them were in such bad shape they required assistance to walk. James and John carried them out to the trucks and helped them get settled. James pulled the woman to the side, within hearing of Zach.

"Is there anything else here that we should scavenge and take with us," James asked.

"I don't really know," she answered. "The main group probably took most of the guns with them… I think they kept them inside the mine, but I'm not sure. We were only allowed in that main area. They would take us to the visitor's center if they wanted alone time with us… I don't think there's anything in there worth taking. But I haven't seen them in a couple of days. I don't know where they went or when they'll be back. They were supposed to be hunting, there isn't much here to eat," she said. "My name's Allie, by the way," she said, sticking out a filthy hand for James to shake.

"James," he replied, shaking her hand. "That's John over there, and Zach behind ya. We'll get the rest of the introductions taken care of once we're on the road," James said.

"We should leave before the others come back," Allie said, looking around nervously.

"Don't think we have to worry about them… had a little run in with them yesterday. They didn't make it, except for the one we took prisoner. That's how we knew you were here," James explained as he helped Allie into the back of a truck. "We'll explain everything when we get back. We've got a doctor that can make sure you all are okay, plenty of food and a place for you to stay."

"What are we waiting for," Allie asked. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

"You heard the lady," James called, rapping on the roof of the truck. "Let's get the hell outta here!"

§

"Did you see that smoke to the southwest," Zach asked John as they pulled through the gate. The ride back was uneventful and Zach had noticed the smudge in the sky when they were driving back on the ridge road. It was pretty far away, but Zach was pretty sure it was close to Auburn.

"Yeah, I saw it," John said. "Hope it means they got what they needed and are well on their way home."

"Me too. Jake wasn't looking so great when I saw him last night. He needs that surgery," Zach said, concern evident in his voice.

"They'll be back. In the meantime, we've got work to do. You gonna help get these ladies settled into a trailer," John asked.

"Of course. Whatever needs to be done. They'll probably all want to stay together, at least for a while. That's how it usually works when new people come in. But you know Norma and Betty will probably move them all into the bunkhouse so they can make sure they're well fed," Zach teased.

"Yeah, that's probably true," John said with a smile. "In any case, there'll be plenty to keep your mind off of Jake."

"I hope so," Zach said. "Being busy helps a bit."

The trucks came to a stop in front of the barn and people began approaching to help unload the passengers. Dr. Benson and Doc Hobbs were amongst the greeting party and once the women were all off the trucks they were taken to the bunkhouse where they were interviewed and examined in private. It was decided that the two women in the worst shape would be taken straight to the clinic. They were dehydrated and malnourished, and the doctors wanted to get IV's in them immediately. Dr. Benson also suspected they both had infections as they both had low grade fevers. Given the statements made about their treatment at the camp, he suspected it was related to repeated sexual assaults. The other women were going to stay at the bunkhouse and get cleaned up, eat and then figure out living arrangements. They would come by the clinic later to be evaluated thoroughly.

Betty and Norma took the lead on things, so after checking in with Ellie and eating, he went to check on Sally at the clinic. Sally was busy with Joey, holding him while Christine took a shower. Zach had just wanted to let her know that the run went smoothly and that he was back. He didn't linger long at the clinic though. Back at the barn, the women were getting settled in at the bunkhouse, as Zach had suspected. The other women that had been staying there were giving up their rooms so the newcomers could bunk together while they got accustomed to their new living situation.

Zach spent the rest of the day helping the women move from the bunkhouse to the trailers they would be sharing and the time passed quickly. Before he knew it the sun was starting to get low on the horizon and he was being called to dinner at the bunkhouse. Sally had come up for dinner and he joined her at their usual table.

"Well, how did your day go," Zach asked her when he sat down.

"Pretty good, I guess," Sally replied between bites. "Pretty much just held the baby all day and learned how to change him and stuff. Mostly just talked to Christine about stuff… what she did before this happened, how things were at the the bunker she and Scott were in… they were on the road a long time," she said. "I can't believe they made it here, through all of it. Especially with little Joey."

"Yeah, they got pretty lucky, that's for sure," Zach agreed.

Ellie came rushing over to the table with a walkie in her hand. She looked worried. "What's wrong," Zach asked her.

"Cindy just radioed… Jake's vitals took a dive and they can't wait anymore to start the surgery," she said, her voice shaken.