𝙵𝙻𝙴𝚂𝙷 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙱𝙾𝙽𝙴 | 𝚃. 𝙾𝚃𝚃𝙾 𐂃

Chapter 24

"You think they're watching us?" Following her sister's anxious eyes darting back and forth the hills, Cristine too scrutinized the quiet mountain. The silence unnerved most, but Cristine hoped the Nation's scouts witnessed this exodus of Broke Jaw Ranch. This needed to be as convincing as possible, so yes, Cristine wanted their enemy to see them at this point. Strapping the store-it-all boxes with the medical supplies in the back of the truck, Cristine answered, "I hope they do. That's part of this plan."

Hailey's mouth puckered up when she ran her tongue through the inside of her cheek. She was rather envious of her sister. So calm, so sure, and fearless of the risk they took with this plan. If it wasn't for Cristine, Hailey wouldn't have mentally made it through this precarious time. Not without a plan to keep them out of harm's way. The reality of things truly dawned to her when Mike and their team came back. Their other losses were usually so far away from their eyes. The people lost before, those were names and faces she could mourn, but they usually came with a sacrifice. A sacrifice for the Ranch making it through. They held a service, thought of the lost souls and continued with their lives like business as usual. Scrunching her brows, Hailey felt her warm skin prickle and goosebumps ran over her body thinking that this was the first time they were backed into a corner and had to make such a big deal out of jt. Play this game of war. Go outside for the safety of their future, have their militia fight while they hid, temporarily, outside in the wild.

"Here," feeling Cristine pull her towards her, Hailey quietly watched her sister wound the gun holster around her small waist. The weight of the weapon rest heavy on her hip and she felt self-conscious of the fact that this was really it. They were at war. Their livelihood threatened and they were going out to meet the danger. Gulping, Hailey felt her eyes sting, but she pursed her lips to push down the reflexive shake of her them. The tales of the walking dead now a stark reminder in her mind. She could count the spoiled on her fingers, the reanimated head of Jeff in their pantry basement not as funny anymore.

"-Hailey. Did you hear me?" Snapping her neck, wide blue eyes blink at the concerned dark brown of Cristine. Her strong, fearless and brave sister who could take on the world. Feeling the bones of her slender fingers on the curve of her shoulder, Hailey made an inaudible sound at the back of her throat. The unconvinced frown softened some degrees and following her full lips moving, made sense of her heedful advice. "I said, you only use this when it's the last option. We don't want to draw the dead. You remember how to use a gun right?"

"Of course, daddy taught us," Hailey answered under her breath, raising her hand to touch the underside of her sister's outstretched arm and palming it. Feeling the tension in her grip, Hailey grimaced at the thought of this risky plan, but reiterated their militia's instructions to give herself and Cristine a peace of mind. "Silent weapons for the dead. Noise will attract more and we can't risk attracting threats; dead or alive. When facing an infected; aim for the temple, eye or brainstem. Anywhere that's able to penetrate the brain. Hit the skull, blade skips off." Cristine nodded and with it the grip on her shoulder relaxed just that little bit and that small shift alone dropped Hailey's anxiety.

"Good. Now help me with the last infirmary supplies. We're behind schedule as it is."

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