IV - The Response

-Eleven Days Later-

The center of town was decorated again, though not it didn't appear as luminous and merry as last Christmas. A tall Christmas tree with ornaments and presents underneath it attracted many of the civilians.

Lori looked over her clipboard. She had the names of everyone who volunteered to be part of the militia and defend Houlton.

The militia received extra training from George, Buck, and Pike. Though Buck and Pike were excellent instructors, when asked about their military background and why the chose to work for the K.H.A.N., they gave puzzling answers. Lori figured that their family were in danger, just like Sandy's situation with David and their son.

Members of the militia were allowed to carry guns wherever they go, though the guns are required to be on safety mode. Only if they were patrolling or guarding were they allowed to have the safety off.

Drinks were served around, though some of the underaged tried to get a hold of it.

"Becky!" exclaimed Dana. "You can't drink that! You're underage!"

"Sure. Like that matters anymore."

Becky sipped the bottle of wine and exhaled with a smile on her face.

"Want some?" she asked.

"No, thanks. We're supposed to be sober, remember? We're protecting these people."

"Sure, look at Sergei. Sober as a judge."

Sergei cackled with Ted and Kotaro. He took another sip from his bottle of vodka and burped.

"I'm gonna get myself some of that," said Becky.

"You're gonna fry your brain," said Dana.

"Dude, legal drinking age in Canada is like eighteen or nineteen in some places. And it's just like a mile away."

"Whatever."

Dana turned around. She saw Hana drinking in a table with Kimi.

"Sup," said Dana. "Aren't you in the militia? Can't drink, you know."

"No. Drinking age, Japan. About twenty. What is your name?"

"I'm Dana. Nice to meet you."

"You look pretty. What is better word? Sexy."

Dana rubbed her head and chuckled nervously. Hana petted Kimi in the head before winking at Dana.

"I think you look cute, too."

Dana then walked away.

Jace looked around the park. He found Luna standing close to the Christmas tree, though he wanted to lead her to a specific location.

"Hey, moonrock," called out Jace. "I heard that you rocked this place last year. Someone said something about your friend?"

"Right, my girl, Sam. We rocked this place with Xmas jams."

"I bet you did. Wanna come walk with me?"

Luna nodded, grabbed Jace's hands, and walked with him as snow set into the town.

Luan and Benny sat on the porch of Dana's house by the town center. Luan stood up and turned the doorknob to the house, opening the front door. Seeing the home empty, she turned around, moved her thumb to her mouth, and bit her lower lips while she strutted towards Benny.

"The house is empty," she said. "Wanna come in and… do it?"

Benny smiled and quickly stumbled upwards. He chuckled and rubbed his head as he walked inside.

"Wait…" he said. "I don't know. Do you really think it's the right time?"

"I'm feeling lonely," said Luan. "And I… think you might help."

"Not like this. I know you're thinking about your parents right now. They wouldn't like it if I took advantage of you right now."

"No… Benny, you're not taking advantage! Let's just forget about my parents now! This is going to help me forget!"

"It really isn't," said Benny. "This is not right. Look, Luan, as much as I want it too, it's not the right time. You should be with your siblings, they can help you get through this. I just don't want you to do something you'll end up regretting, even if we're a couple."

"Well, I guess you're right. Thanks, Benny."

Luan hugged him and kissed his cheek. She then leaned close to his ears.

"You just guaranteed yourself a first time…"

Luan giggled and looked at his eyes while leaving. She wiped a tear and giggled again as she headed towards the town center.

Jace and Luna stood below a light pole. Jace rubbed his hands together and chuckled.

"Look above," he said.

Luna found a mistletoe tied with a string hung from the light pole. She closed her eyes and smiled. Jace winked at her.

"You know the rules," he said.

"You got me, greaser."

Luna cupped her hands together and gave Jace a soft peck on the lips before winking at him back. Jace smiled before noticing Sam walking close to the pole.

"Hey, you're Sam, right?" asked Jace.

"Yeah. You must be Jace Taylor. Luna talked about you," said Sam before brushing Luna's hair. "Hey, Lunes. You didn't tell me you were gonna hang out with him."

"I was waiting for you by the tree," said Luna.

Sam grabbed Luna's face and kissed her in front of Jace, whose jaws widened in shock. He gulped and exhaled a large breath of cold air. Sam then released her tongue from Luna's.

"Geez, Sam, missed me that much?" asked Luna.

Sam looked at Jace.

"Bother you?" she asked.

"Not at all," he replied.

Jace then flinched at seeing Becky whoop at the top of her lungs. Next to her was Dana standing in embarrassment as she tried hiding her face from the onlooking crowd.

"Come on, Becky, no more vodka for you," said Dana.

"I… would love to see Lincolnovich spin his underwear out for me," slurred Becky. "He can definitely call me babushka again."

"You're so wasted," said Dana. "Don't you remember? That was Lincoln."

Luan walked to town center looking for Lori. She found Luna, Sam, and Jace looking at the scene that Becky caused.

"Hey, Luna!" exclaimed Luan. "Wanna help me find Lori?"

"Sure–"

Gunshots thundered across the sky, all coming from the east. Sam pulled out a Glock 42 from her coat and flicked off the safety switch. Dana placed a scope into her MSR-10 and ran towards the military-zone.

Luna followed Sam to the prisons while Jace and Luan stood below the light pole. They both looked above and frantically eyed each other.

"Nah," they both said.

Jace grabbed Luan's arms and ran with her to the park. Many of the civilians were encouraged to stick together while Bobby, Lincoln, Tabby, and other non-members of the militia protected them.

Sergei grabbed his small carbine while Ted and Kotaro ran home to grab their weapons. Becky looked around and pulled out her Glock 17.

"No, no, no," said Sergei. "You're not coming with us. Stay here. You're too drunk."

"What?" gasped Becky. "You're drunk too!"

"I know how to hold my vodka! Stay!"

Sergei ran to the prisons along with some of the civilians of the town.

Dr. White drove Lori and Benny to the military-zone. They both were ready to fight the rogues.

Lead's forces attacked the fences by the prisons and the runway.

"Weaken the defenses!"

The rogues in the tip of the spear pushed forward with ballistic shields. The soldiers behind them shot at the prison towers, shattering all the windows and lights.

"Incoming!" yelled Lead.

The militia arrived by the prisons, some by foot and others by vehicles. Luna rushed to the front guard tower in Unit A, placing her gear on.

"Move north!" yelled Lead. "Make your way to the highway!"

The rogues shot at the militiamen, most wearing protective gear.

"Shoot the fences!" ordered Lead.

The rogues aimed between the wall of ballistic shields and shot at the fences that guarded the runway. The militia took cover behind the prisons, which allowed the rogue soldiers to run across the fences.

On the other side of the town, Captain Moss led his soldiers to the northwest gate with M4s in their hands. Under the barrel of the M4s were M203 grenade launchers, capable of destroying an entire town if used all at once.

"Romeo! Three… two… one…!"

A few rogues launched their grenades near the fences to the right of the gates. The explosion sent dirt and snow flying everywhere while shattering the fences.

"Lima! Three… two… one…!"

Different rogues launched their grenades near the fences to the left of the gates.

The civilians in Houlton looked to the west and saw a slow, bright light in the horizon. The explosion added to the thunder of attack.

"Foxtrot! Three… two… one…!"

Lori ordered some of the militia fighters to drive to the west part of Houlton, taking Benny and Wavehead.

Kotaro took one of the trucks and drove some fighters to the west. The militia fighters on the east continued chasing the rogues along the fences, unable to penetrate their ballistic wall.

Becky ran to the infirmary and found Carol and Haley with other survivors as the gunfire continued to rage from the distance.

"Heya, Carol," slurred Becky. "Still reading The Scarlet Letter?"

"Yeah, but not right now. No doubt there are going to be patients who need my help. Becky, are you intoxicated?"

"No… I just want to be here with you."

"Ugh, take a seat. I'm going to get us some water."

Becky sat down outside of the room while Carol looked out the window. She then grabbed two cups of water in the infirmary kitchen, worried about Lori.

Benny and Wavehead jumped out of the trucks and fired at the rogue soldiers. However, they moved quickly through the woods, appearing as shadows moving along the fences.

All the rogue soldiers moved north and met up by the highway where many armored vehicles waited for them. The militia stayed behind the fences, seeking cover from houses and trees.

The rogues tossed hand grenades at the fences, bending the metal wiring and weakening it. Some of the fences pointed inwards towards the town, with its base off the ground.

"They're retreating!" yelled Lori. "Fall back and defend the perimeter! Take the wounded back to the infirmary!"

Lori contacted Dr. White with her walkie-talkie.

"Any fatalities?" she asked.

"Not as far as I know," he replied. "Only two wounded. These soldiers weren't trying to attack us."

Lori looked around.

"You think they were trying to scare us?" asked Lori.

"To induce fear into the heart of the leader… wouldn't that make it more likely for her to surrender?"

"I'm not scared," said Lori. "Are you?"

"I am. They're attacking our home, killing our people, destroying the kind of normality we're supposed to have. But it doesn't matter."

Lori grabbed the note from her pockets.

"You're the leader," said Dr. White. "Best I could do is advise you, but I don't have the courage to do what it takes to be a leader. Take charge."

Lori ripped the note and watched the last armored vehicles leave the highway. She headed back to the center of town with George by her side.

Becky drank her cup of water while she feasted her eyes on Carol's golden hair. Her eyes then moved down to her lips as Carol placed it on the edge of her cup.

Carol looked over and caught Becky staring at her. She smiled as she placed her hands on her belly.

"You're really hot, you know that," said Becky.

"It's just the alcohol talking," replied Carol.

"Your hair, your eyes…"

Becky and Carol locked eye contact. Carol gulped and found herself unable to escape the grasp of Becky's dilating eyes.

"Your lips…"

Becky leaned towards Carol faster than she could lean back, leading to both girls sharing a kiss. Carol blushed as the taste of alcohol entered her tongue. Becky then leaned back and wiped her lips softly while smiling.

"I… have to– look! Patients! I have to look– help some patients out," stuttered Carol.

Becky tilted her head and winked at Carol. She nodded.

Carol rubbed her arms as she entered the patients' rooms to help out Haley. She looked back at the halls and thought about the girl who just kissed her.

Lori arrived at the town center with the rest of the militia. The community gathered around her on their own and prepared to listen to her.

"The rogues are gone," said Lori. "They won't be back tonight. They're only trying to bring the fear out of us. And as long as we don't give in to that fear, the rogues will fail. Thanks to our militia, you're all safe. Continue celebrating, everyone."

-Eight Days Later-

The splosh of the snow grew louder with each footstep that the militia took as they marched through the woods. The pine trees provided cover for the militia, should they encounter the rogues they were looking for.

Dana nudged Becky on the arms as they trudged behind Lori.

"So… you and Carol?" smirked Dana.

"She finally told you about it?" murmured Becky. "I don't want to talk about it."

"C'mon, I see you got the hots for her."

"That night was a mistake. Besides, I don't like girls… like that."

"Guys, focus," said Lori. "We can come across the rogues at any second."

The people leading the militia wore were in full riot gear that they found in the prisons while the rest of the militia wore bulletproof armor found in the armory. Benny and Hana were two of the leading members as they cut through annoying branches with their identical swords.

"Hey," Vonda whispered to Lori. "There are trimmed branches over there. And below…"

Vonda went prone and found strings with cans attached to them.

"Just like I thought," she said.

"Alright," said Lori. "George, take the right flank. Sergei, take the left. Benny and I will go forward. And watch out for the string– go over it."

Hana crouched and walked ahead of the group. Lori called out to her with a whisper, though Hana ignored her.

"She's going her own way," said Benny. "Should we follow her?"

"Nah," said Lori. "Just go through with the plan."

Lori held out her revolver and snuck towards the strings. She walked over it and crouched under the trees. She stepped on the snow with a light and steady footstep, muffling the noise. The militia stopped as she raised her palm.

"I see them," said Lori. "Two tangos. Think we can melee our way through this."

Lori moved her finger across her throat as a signal for George and Sergei. They took out their knives and stalked the two rogues by the lonely tent smoking. One was talking while holding his cigar.

"I know it's against the rules, but damn– the leader is something else. Would you…?"

"Dude," replied the other rogue. "I got a wife back home. Plus, ain't she like seventeen or some shit?"

"No, she's–"

Hana leaped from the bushes and decapitated the married rogue. She then drove her sword into the smoker's stomach and walked him back to a tree.

"Where… is… Black?" hissed Hana.

"I ain't telling you… bitch!"

"Bitch? I don't like sound of that word."

Hana pulled the sword out and stuck it in his throat.

Lori flinched and looked back to her militia. She swallowed hard and motioned her group to move forward.

Hana walked back to Lori and tossed her their dog tags. Lori shuddered and placed them in her pockets. She continued walking ahead in the snow.

Back in a snow-filled Houlton, Lana wanted to see her new favorite reptiles again. She snuck away from Lincoln and Clyde and found herself wandering the streets of Houlton. She used her fingers to count how many blocks Jace was from her house. Then, she walked towards his home.

Lana found Jace talking to Jeffrey before he walked into the graveyard behind the church. She waited for Jeffrey to walk back inside the church, but he stood outside, flipping his Bible.

She grabbed a ball of snow and tossed it inside the church, alarming Jeffrey. He walked inside and closed the door, allowing Lana to pass by him and to the graveyard.

Lana peeked from the corner of the church and saw Jace staring at the tombstones. Lizzie licked Jace on his face and gazed at Lana.

Jace turned around and smiled at Lana as she tried hiding her face.

"Come here, Lana. Lizzie and Izzy want to lick your face."

Lana walked to him and grabbed the lizards. They crawled all over her, causing her to giggle.

"What are you doing here?" asked Lana.

"I miss my mom and dad and my sister, Alex. I have very little hope that they're still breathing, so I kinda want to be there for them, spiritually."

Lana frowned. Leni and Luna walked to a narrow pathway between the church and a house that led to the graveyard. They snuck to the corner and peeked at Jace and Lana.

"You miss your mom and dad too?" asked Jace.

"And my sister. I mean, Lucy too, but for some reason, I was able to move on from her… death. But Lola, my twin sister, she's– I can't get over her. How come I can get over one sister but not the other? Does that make a bad person?"

"Not at all. I get it… she was inseparable. I assume you two always did things together and fought each other, but those are the memories you have. And to think about the future memories you could've made… it's painful to think about."

"Everyone keeps telling me that she was spared from this world… but that doesn't really make me feel better. What if there is no heaven or other world? What if Lola is just… dead?"

"We still have a pursuit of happiness even in this hellhole, and sometimes… we do get a moment of joy. And deep down in your heart, you wanted to experience those moments with her."

Jace took out a small picture from his wallet, which contained only photos of his family. The picture was of young version of him with another young boy, both wearing pirate costumes.

"That's Alex," said Jace. "This was before we went trick-or-treating for Halloween. One of my favorite memories."

"I thought Alex was your sister," said Lana. "You didn't mention a brother."

"I get that a lot. You see, when Alex was ten, she identified as a girl. So, instead of calling Alex a he, we called her a she. Then, two years ago, when she turned eighteen, she got a… gender reassignment operation."

Jace then took out a photo of him with his parents and Alex.

"That was after the surgery. She looks so happy…"

"I'm confused," said Lana. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know you could go from a boy to a girl."

"It's alright, I don't expect you to understand it yet. But I just want to tell you… it's okay to want your sister here. Even if you know this world brings suffering… you want to suffer with her."

Jace grabbed Lana's shoulder and pulled her into his chest as she sniffled softly.

"Make new memories with your friends and family," said Jace. "And never beat yourself up over thinking like this. It's okay. You're not the only one."

Luna and Leni held their hands over their chests to calm their rushing hearts.

Jace turned around and motioned them to come over.

"What are you guys doing here?" asked Jace.

"Just wanted to see Leni," said Luna.

"And I was at the church," added Leni. "I told her you were at the graveyard and she just HAD to talk to you too."

"Ah, I see," said Jace. "Leni, you got some snow on your hat."

"Do I? Yeah, I think it was snowing inside the church because a snowball hit me on the head. I'm totes alright, though."

Jace smiled as Lana let out a soft chuckle. Lana then hugged Jace, surprising him. He then hugged her back, as Luna and Leni tried to hold back tears of joy.

Over the course of the next couple weeks, Lori and the militia encountered small groups of rogues. More often than not, the rogues escaped from the militia, usually unharmed as they wore powerful ballistic armor.

Sometimes, the militia won the skirmishes and were able to take out the rogues. The dog tags were collected, but Lori didn't have the courage to look at their names.

However, eliminating the rogues is not all what Lori wanted. She needed to find General Black's location, but she was unable to find someone willing to give up information about their respected commander.

On a particular cold day, where the snow covered the ground but not the air, Lori and the militia encountered Lead's forces. A firefight erupted between both groups, resulting in the first casualties on Lori's side. However, Lead's forces faced bigger losses.

Lori and the militia ran past the bodies of the rogues as they chased Lead. Hana picked up the dog tags from the rogues, placing them in her pockets.

"Lori!" shouted George. "Roll over!"

Lori crouched and dodged incoming fire from the rogues hiding behind three pine trees. Some members stopped at their track and faced the rogues, while Lori continued chasing after Lead.

Sergei pulled the pin from a grenade and tossed it behind the trees. The rogues popped out, only to get caught by the militia's raining bullets.

Lori saw Lead's footsteps and ran up a hill. She used her hands to climb up the slippery slope as Benny and Lynn caught up to her.

"He can't be far!" exclaimed Lori as she reached the top of the hill.

"Oh, he ain't," said Captain Moss, who was hiding on top of the hill with his rogues.

"I'm right here," said Lead. "Surrender now or–"

Lori raised her Python, but Lead grabbed her wrist and shoved her hand away in a blink of an eye. He grabbed the barrel of the revolver and pulled it out of her grip.

"What a bitch," said Lead.

He aimed the revolver at the sky and shot it until no bullets were launched. Then, the rest of the rogues fired their weapons in the sky, creating a noisy drumfire of bullets.

Lori watched in dread as the rogues created a giant wall in which she was unable to escape from as she stood in the edge of the hill.

Moss walked up to Lori and kicked her down the hill, watching her tumbling body land on the solid ice.

She shivered and groaned as she struggled to pick herself up. The rogues snickered before leaving. Moss left one last message before he led his forces back to their camp.

"So… you've chosen siege."

Lori turned over and looked at the empty hill as she heard the marching footsteps turn softer and softer until they left no specks of noise.