Chapter 20


"We got company." Burk announced as a lone figure on horseback galloped towards them down the main road. He, Alisha and Danny had stayed outside as Wolf chased after Miller. He felt like he was in a western movie as he saw a tumbleweed roll by. Hell all the shop fronts and houses were all old style architecture you'd expect in a western film and now a lone figure on horseback was riding towards them.

Alisha and Danny stayed in their positions with the rifles ready, as it was hard to believe one person would be out here without some sort of back up given the stories they were told at the gas station. They waited, tense as the rider drew near within a few moments the horse pulled to a stop and the rider pulled a shotgun from the saddle.

"Gun." Burk announced as he and the others raised their weapons.

"You better not be robbing me." the rider shouted at them in a gruff tone, it was hard to tell if it was a man or woman given the rider wore a heavy jacket and a hat pulled down on with a scarf covering their face.

"Look, we're not robbing you. So why don't you put the gun down." Burk told the rider.

"I don't think so. How about you tell me what you're doing here before I unman you." the rider told him, Burk opened his mouth to say something when Miller and Wolf stepped out on to the porch.

"Eric?" The gruff voice changed and Burk watched as the rider holstered the shotgun. then pulled off the scarf to show a woman in her early fifties with red hair and the same brown eyes as Miller. "That you Son?" she asked, she still had a low rough voice but it was more feminine now. If anything she sounded like Lauren Bacall.

"Mom?" Miller said shocked as his mother dismounted from the horse. He rushed towards her tears in his eyes as he pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh my sweet boy." his mother whispered in his ear. She pulled back and gripped his face with her hands and pressed a kiss to his forehead and cheeks. Tears streaked down her dust covered face. "Look at you." she said with a watery smile, before she embraced him again.


"How was your run?" Kara asked Kat. When Kat offered to take Halsey for a run, she had been a little worried about Halsey running the girl ragged. But Kat assured she'd be fine.

It was only when Tex mentioned Kat being a cross country runner that it made sense. Frankly they both felt it was safe for Kat to go running as Halsey would keep her safe. The only problem Halsey seemed to have was being leashed, it seemed Danny had gotten him into the habit of doing running drills on the ship with a leash. So he hadn't taken to being leashed for a run but he got over it as he realized he wouldn't be going for a stroll but a proper run. Obviously Kat's gait was shorter and slower than Danny's but he seemed pretty happy and Kat didn't look like she'd been harassed by a big dog dragging her.

"Good, I'm a little out of practice but Halsey was kind to me." Kat said as she unhooked Halsey's leash from his collar freeing him. Even he was panting for air which said it was a good time as Kara knew Halsey was a working dog, one who needed structure and a lot exercise. So it was good to have other people around to share in the exercising part as she just didn't have the stamina to keep up with him in her pregnant state. "I think he'll need a run later in the day." Kat added.

"I recommend passing the torch onto your father or maybe Larrin." Kara told her with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm beat. How was your morning?" Kat asked her as she stretched out her legs.

"Productive. So you excited about school next week?" Kara asked.

"Not really but I agree with Dad, it's important that I finish high school. I just don't know what I'll do about college." Kat said looking a little down about it as Kara knew college cost a lot of money no matter what the degree. She felt Kat was bright enough to get a scholarship but whether those programs still existed and were accessible was another question entirely.

"Well, you got a few years before you need to think about that." Kara said hoping to assuage Kat's concerns.

"But gotta save for it." Kat said, Kara had to admit she was surprised that a 14 yr old would be so practical. But then Kat seemed more mature than most teenagers Kara had ever encountered.

"It's an admirable goal. I'm sure the banks will be operational in the future have you already started saving?" Kara asked.

"Yeah but it's not much."

"Well it takes time to save but if your savvy, you'll get part of the way and I'm sure your Dad will kick in the rest." Kara told her, she knew Tex well enough to know he probably already had a college fund set up for Kat and if he didn't he'd find a way to get Kat to college if it was what she really wanted.


"Mom, let me help." Miller said as he picked up the coffee laden tray from his mother's hands and carried it over to one of the tables in the shop that they were all sitting.

"I'm fine, now I know I don't have much. I think I have enough that I could bake a cake." Barbara offered nervously as she came over to the table. She felt like she was in some kind of dream that she'd wake up from and be alone all over again waiting for her son to come home.

"Coffee is just fine, Mom." Miller said wanting his Mom to just sit down and relax. She looked like she was expecting them all to evaporate.

"Ma'am don't go to trouble. The coffee is welcome enough." Danny said to Mrs Miller, he could see where Miller got his nervous nature which was amusing given the woman had only half an hour ago been ready to shot Burk in the crotch.

"I'm sorry for how I acted early. But Scavengers have been in the area picking over the remains of empty towns." Barbara told them as she sat down at the table next her son. She was so surprised at how much he had changed. It wasn't just physically but also his demeanour. He seemed more comfortable in his own skin and his posture was straighter something she figured came from his military training and the confidence instilled in him from his work.

"Scavengers?" Burk asked.

"Hmm, they work for the Regents who built walls around their towns and cities. They cut themselves off from the rest of America claiming parts of it for themselves; like small colonies. They only take in survivors if they pass a 96 hour quarantine and they shoot anyone who has signs of the Red Flu. They use the scavengers to source things that they can't get from inside their walls. They also transport goods between different colonies." Barbara told them.

"The Scavengers must be immune." Alisha commented.

"They come through here?"

"Once or twice but that was back in the early days when majority of the town was alive." Barbara took her son's hand in hers and looked at him. "People started dying, and the rest fled. Once the petrol and canned goods were gone they left the place alone but I stayed because I knew you'd always come home." She told her son with a soft smile and squeezed his hand.


"Ow- Son of a gun!" Tex cursed as he jumped slightly in his chair. He probably would have popped up higher but Kara gripped his hand in a firm grip.

"Stop fussing, it's just a splinter and I nearly have it." Kara told him as she used a sterilised sewing needle to pry a splinter out of Tex's hand. She nearly had it too until Tex flinched. Now she had to start from scratch. It made her wonder why he came to her for help to begin with.

"It would have worked it's way out." Tex informed her as he wished he never mentioned it or agreed to Kara treating it. It was just annoying the hell out of him.

"You're grouchier than the Lion in the fable. Sit still." Kara told him. Tex gave her a look that she could swear aged him by 40 years as she could just imagine as kid looking annoyed at being told to sit. Though she still couldn't imagine Tex without a beard so the imagery in her head of a bearded child made her smile.

"Maybe if you weren't digging for gold you'd find it." Tex told her, Kara looked at him with an amused expression.

"Maybe if you got glasses then you wouldn't need my 20/20 vision to help you." She said teasingly as she looked down at his finger poking around to get the splinter out.

"Cute, but my vision is perfect. It's just an annoying and minuscule piece of wood." Tex told her, Kara chuckled as she reached for the tweezers.

"Uhuh, so why weren't you working with gloves?" She asked him.

"It had a hole in it." Tex said.

"So I saw Michener this morning." Kara told him,

"You did?" Tex asked, he didn't know why but he felt that Michener believed he was a cut above them. So it was a surprise to know he would have talked to Kara.

"Purely by accident. I was asking about when the banks were going to reopen among other things." Kara said, she pulled the splinter out and held it in the tweezers to show Tex before she placed it on a tissue nearby.

"Thank you and did the President give you an answer?" Tex asked judging by the fact that she waited all day to tell him about it meant it wasn't good. But grateful she'd gotten the splinter out as it was one less thing to worry about.

"Not really, just the 'We're working on it.' and no real promises." Kara told him with a sigh, Tex smiled as he hated politicians, they said one thing and always did another so he wasn't surprised that Michener would be any different now he held office.

"I'm sure he won't leave you and Nathan James crew out in cold. You guys deserve more than free housing, and given money is still the going currency then he has to make it his first order to get your accounts opened and backpay for the past few months." Tex pointed out,they all would need money and jobs at some point but it would be nice to to have their savings to help give them all a small holiday and time to reintegrate with society.

"I'm a little more worried about Larrin." Kara admitted, sure the money aspect was important if they all wanted to continue their habit of eating but it wasn't what was bothering her the most.

She was worried about Larrin, given Wolf left her in their care; Kara felt like she was older sister in their dynamic. She wanted to help Larrin feel like she was part of family and not alone. She knew if Larrin went in search of work, she'd be met by rejection just because she wasn't American. Something Kara thought was stupid given Larrin had education and skills that were in high demand for continuing Rachel's work and the proliferation of the cure.

"Why?" Tex asked.

"I sort of asked in a round about way about how I could help her. You know with possible access to ration supplies, work opportunities and he made it sound as though people like Larrin who were displaced by the pandemic here are a low priority. He says it's up to the consulates to look after their displaced citizens but there aren't any that are active here in St Louis." Kara told him.

"Well, the Government has to focus on it's constituents first. It's not great but it's just the way the world turns." Tex said being pragmatic even if he didn't like what Kara was saying.

"I was thinking that we just keep Larrin busy with the renovations so she doesn't find out so soon." Kara suggested, hoping they could shelter her away from the outside world until Michener had a better handle on what he was doing and hopefully had a better way to help people as one whole group instead of segregating them based on citizenship status.

"She'll clue in." Tex told her, Kara nodded as she agreed Larrin was too bright not to notice their change in tune when Tex had been adamant she go out and find a part time job to challenge her intellectually.

"I know but I just want to protect her. She's been through so much. I don't want her to feel alienated." Kara explained, Tex nodded as he too cared about their little make shift family and it's members.

"Well, I guess it's lucky your place needs an overhaul." Tex said in an amused manner.

"About that, I think Commander Garnett would come and look over the house. To see if it's structurally sound to renovate the way we'd like." Kara said in a slightly questioning tone that said Tex that he was going to be roped into something.

"And?" he asked with a smile.

"She really loves ice cream-"

"I'm not taking Garnett on a date for you. She's a good looking woman but I'm not interested." Tex told her, Kara laughed and shook her head as Tex hadn't let her finish her sentence.

"No, I need you go and find some nice people who have the ingredients to make ice cream and key lime pie. I was going to invite her over for dinner as payment for looking over the place for us." Kara explained as she figured the Commander would happily enjoy a free meal and her favourite dessert on offer for quick survey of Kara and Danny's house.

"Why can't you go shopping?" Tex asked.

"We don't have a lot of money and you can make it stretch better than me since you have a way with women. I'm sure the people at the supermarket would let you open a tab." Kara told him as she looked at the house they were sitting in to know that Tex just had a gift of making good things happen.

"At least there'll be dessert in my future." Tex said in good humour.