Chapter 363
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As Keeler and the soldiers marched through Washington Eve couldn't help but notice the looks on people's faces. It was a combination of fear, disgust, and anger. Experience had taught them to fear soldiers with guns, even those in the right uniform. Rumors were circulating about people putting on loyalist uniforms, then just using them to steal and pillage. The anger was just a natural expression of the time. 30 days until impact, ofcourse people were angry, and afraid. Eve knew why they looked at her with disgust. She was leading children, young children, to a certain, and possibly very ugly death. As usual, she wasn't really sure why she was doing this. Did she think she'd get into the president's private shelter if she proved herself? Refusing the president's orders, might've meant execution. Even with her new religion, Eve's instincts were still to survive. But did she really want to live with the guilt of killing ore children? A part of Eve preferred to think she was trying t protect the kids. To keep them alive, or at least make sure their deaths weren't too painful. Even if it was a futile gesture, it was a better way to die, than just getting them killed. But then a terrible thought occurred to Eve, the angry crowd likely had hungry, desperate children in their ranks. Eve wondered if she should shoot those children, end their suffering and send them into Paradise. Perhaps Walker was using attitudes like this to justify a holy war, his crusaders against satanic death cults. Either way children would soon be killing children, and Eve knew there was nothing she could do to stop it.
When they arrived at the wall major Keeler put his soldiers to work. They began making barricades, places they could hide and shoot from when the fighting began. Given the massive size of the mob, it seemed unlikely that these barricades could stop them for very long. But even a few minutes could mean the difference between life and death for some. So major Keeler had Eve collect chairs, tables, and even mattresses to be used from local homes. Some gave Eve one or two chairs, said it was all they had. Eve took them at their word, even though some were clearly hiding other pieces of furniture. Despite Mason's orders, Eve wouldn't force them to give up their few luxuries, which they might be able to trade later for what they needed, or use as weapons later. One such man had the mark of a desserter, Eve said nothing, he didn't mention Eve's tattoos. Eve knew these people were desperate, might kill her to protect their few remaining possessions, so she let them keep them .Perhaps Eve was committing a cowerdly act, but it was the best Eve could do.