We headed out and rolled down the road, moving towards what I hoped would be our permanent home. I smiled over at Sarah, and she returned the smile, giving my hand a squeeze. She and I had gotten even closer in the past couple of weeks, ever since her abduction at the hands of psychotic teens and subsequent rescue. I will admit something had been building between us for some time, but it took the possibility of losing her that caused me to finally make my feelings known. That was the plus side. On the down side, there was now another person in my life I cared a great deal for, and I had to make sure they both were safe. Up side of that, I would fight even harder to make this a safe place for them.

We moved at a decent clip, making our way once again into Leport. We had spent the last week moving our supplies and gear into the old school. It was as secure as a place as I could find, being on top of a hill and overlooking the river. It was an older building, built back when they took pride in their schools and built them to last. The doors and windows on the first floor had been secured with iron grates, and the heavy doors would be effective barriers if needed. It would only be a temporary place until homes were secured, then it would resume its duties as a school.

The areas surrounding the road seemed peaceful, the only reminder that things were out of kilter were the skeletal remains of homes we had torched. I passed by the burned-out remains of the estate home we had visited earlier, and I felt another pang of sadness as I remembered what that escapade had cost us. Jake rode alone in the back seat, sitting forward like a big boy these days, but even his little voice couldn’t make me forget we were supposed to have another passenger.