Okay, so I've gotten a question concerning the content of this story. I wrote it in the first chapter: This is a rewrite of Darkest Days, meaning that most of the content is going to remain the same, and I called it Black Lust because it was the only thing I could think of.
The ground shook violently, nearly knocking the mouse from her bed. She woke with a gasp, shocked by the rumbling as dirt rained from the ceiling. The only thing keeping her in place was her grasp on the bed frame, even though it was also shaking. The entire world moved, devoured by a thunderous growl that deafened her. She dropped to the floor, becoming surrounded by her children, who were screaming in terror. The floor beneath them was vibrating so strongly she had to crouch to stay upright, holding her children near.
"What's happening?" cried Martin. "What's going on?"
Teresa screamed. "Mother!"
Timothy was silent, Cynthia too scared to cry out, only able to cry.
"I don't know," Elizabeth did her best to be heard over the noise, certain her cracking voice was barely audible to them. "Stay down, and stay calm," she continued, trying to comfort them.
The shaking continued, a massive, mechanical earthquake. The bed frames clattered loudly, jumping around from the vibrations. Dirt rained down like ungodly snow, shelves and drawers crashing to the ground as the world turned on its side. Yet there was an odd rhythm to the chaos, a pounding in the ground that felt like a great machine. Then with a thud, it all came to an end. It didn't stop entirely, but the ground was at last solid to their panic-stricken feet. The house stopped moving with a life of its own, and Elizabeth and her children all gasped for breath as they struggled to settle themselves.
"Is everyone okay?" she asked, checking each child, putting her hands on their shoulders to calm them, ensure they were still real, that the world was still real. Martin and Teresa were shocked but okay, and Timothy barely looked fazed. Cynthia had crumpled to the ground, uncontrollable tears of fright streaming from her eyes. Elizabeth pulled her close.
It's all right, Cynthia," she said soothingly. "It's all right."
"What just happened?" Martin asked. He gazed at the ceiling, as though looking for answers.
"I don't know," Elizabeth's eyes were wide as her children's, though Cynthia's remained tightly shut, her tears slowly subsiding. Looking around, she gathered them close for comfort, and they sat for minutes that felt like hours, unmoving, afraid to move, that the earth would tear apart and swallow them. Then the rumbling started again. They grew tense, then recognized it, their panic subsiding. It was the vibration of tire treads, one they'd grown used to, the farmer having driven his truck around more than once. But these vibrations also felt different, heavier, and more soon followed. There was more than one vehicle up there.
Snapping back to reality, Elizabeth snatched her cape from the ground, tying it firmly around her neck.
A crack of concern entered Martin's voice, "Mom, what're you doing?"
"I won't be long," said his mother. "I'm only going to see what's happening; stay here."
Cynthia cried out. "Mommy!" she tried running to her mother, stopped by Teresa.
"Don't worry," Elizabeth said soothingly. "I'll be right back, Cynthia. Children," they looked up. "Take care of your little sister."
Teresa held her sister close. "It'll be okay."
Elizabeth crept slowly to the entrance, sifting through the loose rubble that had once been her ceiling. She could feel the ground pulsating, though softly, a giant heartbeat. Amazingly, the tunnel had remained intact, despite the tremors. She ascended quickly, hearing voices once she reached the top. They were men's voices, and plenty of them. She slowly went topside, looking around. There were men everywhere, standing by the house, running around the yard and from the woods, getting in and out of the trucks parked everywhere. They all looked so busy, she was confident no one would notice her. She ventured out completely, keeping her body low to the ground. Everywhere she looked, men were running about, and she made her way to the stone that blocked a large piece of her view. Once there, she snuck to the edge and peered around, stunned by what she saw.
The giant black helicopter looked so out of place, she couldn't help being taken aback, watching as its massive rotor blades spun slowly to a halt. A man was talking to someone inside the huge machine, who emerged a few seconds after he left, taking a headset from her ears and putting it on the seat. The woman was dressed like all the others: black boots and shirt, camouflage pants and jacket. There was a nametag on the front pocket, but her face was different from the others. Her skin was pale, long, high ponytail white from age, and her eyes held a piercing stare, one that frightened Elizabeth. The woman looked around, apparently unhappy with something. She raised a hand radio, saying into it, "Valentine, we're behind schedule, report."
Valentine? Elizabeth shivered. That man from…
Her thoughts cut off as the NIMH RV drove up the farm road, returned back to where it'd been the day before. In a flash, she remembered the strange men who'd appeared the night before, breaking into the farmhouse, then farther back to the argument the farmer had had with Valentine the day before. The pieces were fitting together much too chillingly, and Elizabeth strained her eyes to read the woman's nametag. Her blood ran cold when she recognized the letters: Schultz. The woman who'd started it all, who'd created the rats of NIMH, the woman who Justin, Nicodemus, and Jonathan had escaped from years ago had caught up with them.
This isn't happening, the mouse thought desperately. This isn't real, I'm dreaming! I'm having a bad dream!
Schultz barked into the radio again. "Valentine!"
The sound of her voice verified that this was no dream. Schultz was really standing in front of her, and she couldn't move, but then the man she knew as Valentine came jogging up.
"The van got caught in some mud," he said. "Back on the road."
"That doesn't excuse everyone else," Schultz fumed at him. "This base camp was supposed to be set up before I arrived, and here I am, finding all of you playing catch-up!"
Valentine could only stand silently beneath her stare, then she shoved a notebook against his chest, saying, "Let's get set up." with an exasperated sigh. The two of them walked to the house, Valentine nervously jotting things down in the notebook.
"What do we do first?" he asked.
"First, I want you to show me the cave you found all this junk buried in," his boss started. "Meanwhile, I want the others to comb through the area, find any animals there may be nearby, any samples that can be collected, living or dead. I want to see just what these rats have been up to." With that, they went inside, and Elizabeth pressed her back to the rock. She slid down to her knees, burying her face in her hands. "No, no, no," she whispered. What are we going to do? Wait, she gasped in terror. What are they going to do? She'll find out…everything the rats did…she'll find out everything!
She watched as Schultz came back on the porch. Men walked past her, still taking various bits of equipment inside. "Look in the attic," she told one of them. "There might be a squirrel's nest, and check around the yard for rabbit holes. Didn't you say there was a farm cat?"
Someone nodded. Elizabeth didn't care who.
"Try to get that, too," Schultz continued. "Look for anything; rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, whatever, just find something."
Mice! Elizabeth snapped back to reality, ran to her home and shot down the tunnel. Her children were in the living room, all dressed and worried. "Come on, children," she was nearly panicking. "We're going."
"Going where?" asked Teresa.
"What's going on, mom?" said Martin.
"NIMH is here," said Elizabeth. "And, they're looking for animals. We have to go now!"
"But NIMH left yesterday."
"Don't argue, Teresa," Elizabeth scolded her. "They're here. Now, grab your sister; we need to get to Jeremy's before we're spotted."
She was scared, but there was inner strength coming, from somewhere. She had a plan, and had to escape, had to warn Justin. "Martin, Timothy," she turned to her sons. "Watch your sisters, follow me closely."
She bolted back up the entrance and waited for her children, an otherworldly pressure weighing on her. She looked at the men, all wandering aimlessly, looking for anything.
"Come on!" she urged. In a few minutes they were all above ground, and Timothy asked,
"How're we going to get out of here, momma?"
Elizabeth looked around wildly, but her thoughts stayed focused. The men from NIMH were everywhere, and she knew five mice standing in the open would quickly be spotted.
"Okay everyone," she said, voice strangely calm. "Hold hands. These men are looking for animals, but they aren't looking for us. We're going to run straight for the trees, the direction of the old bridge. Hopefully, we can catch them by surprise and they won't see us soon enough. We'll be safe once we're there; I doubt they'd try to follow us." She looked back at them. "As soon as I say it's clear, we're going to run for it; you must hold on tightly!"
The children were speechless. On one hand, their mother had never been so commanding, and on the other, they were frightened out of their minds. They stood silently, waiting for her word, Elizabeth watching the men from behind the stone. It was a straight shot to the trees, and there were stray patches if tall grass to hide them. Unfortunately, those patches would also slow them down. The men looked unmotivated, moving within the yard, nets clasped in their hands. They spread out further, widening the gap surrounding her chosen path, thinning themselves out, and when three of them had passed, she saw what she knew was her only chance. She squeezed Martin's hand, looking back to see they were all afraid to move.
"Get ready," she told them, then looked back to make sure she still had a clear shot. "Now!"
They ran, headlong, into the yard, going as quickly as they could while staying together; Elizabeth, Martin, Timothy, then Teresa, who carried Cynthia.
"There, right there!" Schultz yelled.
Elizabeth panicked; Schultz had spotted them. She hadn't seen her before; the scientist had been blocked from her view, somehow.
She screamed. "Faster!" her hand clamped more tightly on her son's, her pace quickening. She was certain her children wouldn't be able to keep up, but when she looked back, they were all still with her. The thumping sound of footsteps echoed in her ears as they faded into tall grass. They were halfway there. More footsteps came, accompanied by sounds of confusion. The tall blades were hiding them.
"I don't see them," said one.
"Over there," said another. "What's that?"
Schultz screamed. "Use your damn nets!"
The woods were coming closer. Any minute, Elizabeth expected a net to come crashing over her, or one of the children to lose their grip and fall behind, but it never happened. There was only the sound of confused men, searching for what they couldn't see. The trees were closing in; ten feet, five, two…
"I got 'em!" a hunting net crashed to the ground, missing Teresa's tail by inches, the tiny family escaping into the underbrush. They headed straight for Jeremy's nest, the rats' valley the only destination on their minds.
(****)
Justin stormed outside, a look on his face that could peel paint. The guard didn't even try to talk as he went by. He went straight to the firing range, the guard's outside training ground. Guards, new, old, or in training went almost daily, practicing everything they knew; sparring mats for self-defense, obstacle courses where they trained like football players, and a line of wooden targets that had given the area its name. When he'd told Elizabeth they were ready for anything, he hadn't been kidding. They'd come up with a new weapon several years earlier, knowing most of their enemies were creatures they couldn't face directly; it was a crossbow.
The design had gone through several stages, the final product a fairly heavy, rifle-like object half a rat's size. Shoulder mounted, it required two hands to fire, but they'd had to greatly increase the string tension to make their small arrows effective. Doing this had made it nearly impossible for them to pull the string back by hand, so they'd come up with a pump-action system, using a series of block and tackle pulleys. A side effect of this strange design was a loud snap that was heard whenever it fired, almost like a whip cracking. There was also a side-loading magazine, one that held up to twenty more arrows. These loaded automatically. It was difficult to use, but very effective, the weapons sturdy and accurate. Each guard was trained expertly with them, though they'd never actually been used, just in case the time ever came. But Justin hadn't gone to squeeze off a few rounds. Drilling a target from ten feet away wouldn't have been enough. He wanted to tear something apart with his own hands.
Late in the morning, there were about a dozen rats there, all of them off-duty except Orion, who supervised some of the training sessions. He was a little surprised, seeing his boss out there. Even though the range wasn't off-limits to anyone, it was still strange to see non-guards out there.
"Well, this is new," he muttered.
Justin barely acknowledged his presence, grunting as he grabbed a half-foot dowel from a pile, shoving the sharpened end in the ground, twisting it until it was firmly set. He then threw off his cape and grabbed a sword from the ground, bringing it down across the tip, taking half an inch from the top. Then he swung in the other direction, another inch falling cleanly away. He repeated this until two inches were left, bringing his blade straight down the middle, splitting it like a log.
Then he looked around, catching his ragged breath, seeing most of the rats staring at him, perplexed.
"As you were," he growled. There was fire in his eyes as he drove the sword tip angrily into the ground. Orion had never him so upset, and tried to calm him down.
"Need to let off a little steam, Justin?" he asked.
Justin only stared at him, the crack of a crossbow eventually breaking the silence. "I just had a chat with our good old buddy, Cameron," he stated.
Orion rolled his eyes. "Great, what'd he do now?" he asked.
"He didn't do anything," Justin spat. "That's the point. I swear, I get so fed up with him, I wonder if it's even worth the effort."
"Of course it's worth the effort, boss," Orion told him. "If you let one bad example loose, then you might as well forget the plan for a perfect community, because more'll only follow in his footsteps."
"A perfect community is impossible," Justin said grimly.
"Yes, I know that," answered Orion, almost bitterly. "Perfection is impossible, but we can get as close as we can to it, right? I knew a rat once who said that."
"For Christ's sake, Orion," Justin yelled. "Can it with the pep talk; I've been up all night!"
"We've all been up all night," the Captain reminded him. "But it doesn't give any of us the right to act like a jerk."
Justin's fists went to his head, as though to pull his hair out, and he let loose a shout of frustration. Quick as lightning, he grabbed another rod and shoved it in the ground then, taking his blade, swung viciously at the middle, sending the top half sailing through the air. He then shoved the sword back into the earth.
"Feel better?" Orion asked.
"A bit," he replied. "I just pretended the stick was Cameron."
"Look, Justin," Orion put a hand on his leader's shoulder. "Right now we've got bigger fish to fry; there are more important things than Cameron's petty antics. And once we figure it out and get it over with, we'll go beat that lazy rat within an inch of his life, but for right now, you need to focus just as much as the rest of us."
"You're right," said Justin, then he looked up. "And since you're right, you can wipe that shit-eating grin off your face. Castor's coming."
The two straightened as Castor drew near.
"Any news?" Orion asked before Justin could.
Castor shook his head. "Still no sign."
"Have the search parties turned up anything?" Justin inquired.
"No," Castor emphasized it. "I said 'no sign', Justin."
"You're searching the woods now," said Orion. "Right?"
"We're searching the woods, yes," Castor felt like a child, repeating his father's instructions.
"Now, when you last checked on her," said Justin. "She didn't say anything, didn't act strangely, nothing?"
"No, Justin," Castor almost shouted it. "I told you, she was acting like she always does; sitting on the stool, watching the stars and trees, keeping an eye out like she always does."
"I don't need your attitude, Castor," the leader reminded him. "I have a guard missing from her post on your shift, and I want some Goddamn answers; so, if you don't have any, go find some!"
"You don't think I want the same thing, Justin?" snapped the Night Commander. "She was my fucking guard! I want to know what the hell's going on just as much as you do!"
"Shut up," Orion interrupted. "Both of you; here comes Pollux."
Castor's younger brother came running up to them, waving his arms. "That bird is back," he said urgently. "At the front gate!"
"So?" said Castor."
"This time, he brought the whole Brisby family!"
Without another word, the three of them left him behind as they bolted for the gate. It had become a truly bizarre sight, with a small crowd gathered around two birds, the family of five mice clustered in the center. Justin sprinted ahead when he saw them. Arthur was already there, trying to keep everyone calm while he tried to get Elizabeth to make sense. The birds stood back, concerned, yet confused looks on their faces. The rats were also concerned, though only because they'd heard some of Mrs. Brisby's comments.
"Now, slow down," Arthur told her. "Just take it easy and tell me what happened.
"I'll take it from here," Justin said suddenly. Elizabeth nearly burst into tears at hearing his voice. She'd barely said his name before he took her in his arms. "It's all right," he said softly, soothingly. He settled on the ground with her, pulling her children close, putting his arm as far around them as he could. "Come here, it's okay." He gazed at Elizabeth. "What's going on? Why are you five here?"
"Oh, Justin," tears were flowing, her head on his chest. "It's awful, just awful…"
"What is?" his voice was still soft, free hand coming to cup her cheek. "Tell me."
She gazed in his eyes, unable to speak. Her children cowering and shaking next to her didn't help. Then he smiled, and she finally found the strength to speak. "I-It's…NIMH," she began. Her grip tightened on his shirt. "They've come back. They know..." she sniffed. "They know everything!"
(****)
Elizabeth and her children were taken to a nearby lounge to rest. They were given blankets, and there were small logs burning in the fireplace. The lights had been dimmed, in hope the children wouldn't be as shocked by their new environment. Word had spread very quickly of their arrival, and many people had gathered outside the lounge doors, to see what was happening. But they parted when Nicodemus arrived, and once he was there, Elizabeth explained everything that'd happened on the farm, from the farmer's argument with Valentine and the strange men that same night, to NIMH's sudden appearance the next morning.
The crowd listened silently, Justin sitting on the floor with her. Cynthia had curled up next to her mother and had fallen asleep, the other children nearby with looks of sleepiness, confusion, and fear. Nicodemus was in an overstuffed chair, his palms pressed together in front of him. Brutus stood behind him, arms crossed over his chest. Arthur knelt on the ground, Brenda standing behind him with her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders. Orion, Castor, Pollux and others stood farther back, giving Elizabeth space to tell her story.
She seemed exhausted, after going over every detail, but she tried hard to stay strong, yet her voice was soft as she asked, "What's going to happen now, Justin?"
"I don't know," he shook his head, then sighed. "This is all very sudden."
"NIMH is far more dangerous than we ever anticipated," Nicodemus said suddenly, capturing everyone's attention. "It's also more powerful than I had imagined. What they did to that family was against human law, but evidently it has the power and authority to override those laws."
"And if they can break those laws," said Orion. "Then they won't think twice about breaking the no-fly zone over this valley when they find it."
"But, what if they don't?" asked Elizabeth.
"We have to assume they will," Justin told her. "If we don't, then they'll surprise us one day, just as they surprised you this morning."
Elizabeth solemnly shook her head. "Thank goodness for Jeremy," she said, sighing. "If he hadn't been there, I don't know what we would've…Jeremy!" her head shot up. "I didn't even thank him! Is he still here?"
Justin stopped her from getting up. "Don't worry about him," he said gently. "He's still here. He said he'd stick around, to make sure you're okay."
The room was quiet until Elizabeth spoke again.
"Justin," she said. "You told me before that the rats of NIMH were ready for anything. Were you ready for anything like this?"
He took her hand. "I said what I meant," he spoke reassuringly. "I won't let anything happen to this community, and I'm especially not going to let anything happen to you. We've worked too long and too hard to have NIMH stop us now. You're safe here, and you're going to stay safe."
"We need to have a meeting," Orion spoke up.
"Yes, a meeting," Justin agreed. "It's important enough that everyone needs to hear; whoever's on duty can listen over the intercom."
"People are gonna need time to get there," said Arthur. "There's going to be a lot of rats in the hall, all trying to get to one place."
"You're right," Justin thought a second. "How about eight o'clock? That's after shift change, and everyone will've had dinner by then."
"That should work," said Orion. "But, what's your plan?"
"I don't know; that's something Nicodemus and I will need to talk about." Justin looked at the old rat, who nodded gravely, then back at Elizabeth. His grip tightened on her hand. "Everything's going to be okay," he whispered. "I promise you."
(****)
The meeting hall was filled to capacity, the giant auditorium seeming to stretch to infinity. It was a marvel to be seen, a technical triumph for Arthur and his crew. The seats stretched upwards, stadium-like, in order to give everyone a clear view of the stage, and the stage itself had a podium, complete with a microphone, and speakers to project the speaker's voice clear to the back. Elizabeth and her children arrived with Arthur and Brenda, shortly before the meeting was to begin. They'd been reserved seats in the front, and upon entering the room, Elizabeth's jaw dropped. There were rats everywhere, more than she'd ever seen, hundreds lining the seats from wall to wall. Old and young, short and tall, male and female, and families, some with several children, stretching back like a field of wheat.
With so many voices going at once, the voice level was like a small roar, though it grew nearly silent as Elizabeth entered with her family, as most of them had taken notice. The voices returned after that pause, the tone of conversation entirely different. Arthur led the mice to their seats, the children almost forgetting to sit, as they were wide-eyed at the spectacle. Arthur and Brenda sat on either side of them, after helping them into the large seats, to help them feel more comfortable. He sat on the left, with Elizabeth, Cynthia, Timothy, Teresa, then Martin, with Brenda just to his right, all of them looking up at the empty stage. There was a large clock hanging above it, the face reading three minutes after eight.
"These things always start a bit late," Arthur told Elizabeth. "So that everyone has time to arrive, since some always wait till the last minute. The only problem is that some people figured it out, and they wait even longer, knowing they start late, but it looks like everyone's on time today."
Elizabeth nodded, but, "I feel like there's a thousand eyes staring straight at me."
"Don't worry about it," the big rat assured her. "You might be the center of attention now, but once things get rolling you'll forget all about it; everyone'll be focused on the stage. In fact…" he craned his neck, trying to see to side-stage, where some movement had caught his eye.
The mummer of voices died down as Justin walked on the stage, followed by Orion and Castor. Elizabeth got goose bumps looking at him, beaming with confidence, the image of ultimate leadership in his crisp, dark-colored uniform, long black cape flowing behind him. Orion and Castor were equally regal in appearance, the Captain wearing a white shirt beneath his black vest, matching hat strapped to his head. Castor was dressed in the traditional blue and yellow, a blue beret representing his rank of Night Commander.
It was the first time she'd seen Justin since that afternoon, as he'd spent most of his time locked in Nicodemus' quarters with Orion and Castor, cooking up a plan that would hopefully save them all. Meanwhile, she'd spent her time with Arthur and Brenda, getting the grand tour with her children after they'd eaten lunch. And to Elizabeth's surprise, the children had calmed down remarkably quickly. They're handling this better than I am, she'd thought during the tour. Elizabeth had been worried all afternoon, but she'd calmed down the moment he'd walked on the stage, and she forgot all about the eyes behind her.
Justin took the podium, looking over the crowd. Orion and Castor continued walking, stepping down from the stage and taking their positions among the other uniformed guards. As Justin waited, he made eye contact with Elizabeth, throwing her a quick wink. He then repositioned the microphone, clearing his throat before speaking.
"Ladies and gentlemen," his voice echoed through the speakers and throughout the great hall. "As most of you know by now, we have a missing guard. Jessica disappeared last night while on duty at the front gate. Many of you found this out early this morning, as you were called upon to help us search for her. The search parties have been ongoing throughout the day, but unfortunately we have turned up nothing. The searches will continue tomorrow, and the day after until we find her. Jessica's disappearance is a mystery, and if anyone knows something that might be useful in the search, please come forward, don't be afraid. We are all care about her and are worried about her. We don't want to jump to conclusions, but if anyone knows if she purposely left her post because of personal or professional problems she was having, please tell us. No harm will come to anyone if this is true. We only want her safely back. But I'm sorry to say that Jessica's disappearance isn't the only bad news I have. You have all been asked to meet tonight because a matter of grave importance has occurred. We are once again faced with the threat of extermination, at the hands NIMH."
A small uproar spread through the crowd, but Justin silenced them by raising his hands. "We must remain calm at all costs," he continued. "We have faced many challenges in the past, and this one is no different. We have escaped NIMH's hands twice before, as just two weeks ago, we would have been exterminated had we not been warned. We survived that and we will survive this. Fortunately, we have been warned by the same person who warned us that night at the rosebush, Mrs. Elizabeth Brisby, the widow of our compatriot Jonathan Brisby."
He motioned with his arm to where she sat, watching as she blushed, the reaction almost making him forget his speech.
"For two weeks," he continued. "NIMH has been investigating our former home. Unfortunately, we did not cover our tracks well enough. They discovered something that was important enough to sacrifice the Fitzgibbons family this morning, and they have set up a base camp at the farm. We can only assume that they will use any means necessary to track us down. Dr. Schultz herself is there at the farm, and we know that if she has not given up after all these years, then she will never give up,
"However, unlike the rosebush, we now have the element of surprise. NIMH has miles of ground to scan in order to find us. They obviously plan on being at the farm for a while, if they were willing to take it by such extreme measures, but we cannot sit back, for even a day. We must assume they will find us at any moment. That is why we must keep NIMH from ever finding Thorn Valley.
"Tomorrow morning, a select group of rats are going back to the farm, to find out exactly what Schultz has planned. The same birds that brought the Brisby family have agreed to fly seven of us back. The rats will infiltrate and hide wherever Dr. Schultz is held up, and listen in on what she has to say. From that point on, they will use any available means to thwart NIMH's plans to find us. Dr. Schultz must be stopped, no matter what the cost.
"I have asked Captain Orion and Commander Castor to each select three volunteers from their ranks for the mission. I realize there are many of you who would wish to go in their place, and your courage is greatly appreciated, but we simply do not have time for that right now. Orion and Castor will select from the best they have, the best of the best, then those six and myself will leave before dawn, and head for our old home."
Elizabeth's fur stood on end at his words.
"No!" she said it under her breath so quietly, it might as well have been in her head.
"This is not a suicide mission," Justin said firmly, as though he'd heard her voice. "We will return. In the meantime, I leave Captain Orion and Chief Engineer Arthur in charge of Thorn Valley, but have no illusions. The six brave rats and I will return unscathed; there will be no lives lost on this mission. We're going to play our rules this time. We are not going to let NIMH threaten our lives anymore. This time, we are going to take the battle right to NIMH, to tell them we will not go quietly into the night. We are not going to vanish without a fight, we're going to live on. We're going to survive." He pounded his fist on the podium. "This is the first day of the rest of our lives in Thorn Valley!"
The crowd rose to its feet, cheering Justin's words, shouting and clapping their hands, their thunderous cheers deafening in the great hall. The ground vibrated with the sound, the standing ovation a tidal wave of strength and courage. They were all as one, and they believed in their leader.