Chapter 214

Louis went downstairs with Angelique and Donya after taking two painkiller tablets. The others stayed in the lounge. The nannies were trying to calm the children, who were still crying and asking for their mothers. Some of the children had fallen asleep on the sofas, while a few were still awake. Sister Sarah was reading a story to the ones who were still listening, her voice soft. She looked up as Louis and the women entered. Her eyes were red.

“Is it over?” she asked.

“For now,” Louis said. “We are safe.”

Sister Sarah nodded. “Thank you, Mr. Collins. For everything.”

“I did what I had to do, Sister Sarah.” Louis nodded and went to the lower bedroom with Angelique and Donya. The bed was stained with the Prophet King’s blood.

“Let’s clean this up,” Louis said. He stripped the bloodied sheet and blanket and put them in a laundry basket. Angelique took it and went to one of the washing machines. Donya brought a wet cloth and wiped the mattress. Louis joined her. Their hands brushed. Donya looked at him.

“Louis.”

“I know, Donya,” Louis said.

“I’m scared,” Donya said, her hands trembling. “Of what you’re becoming. And of what I’m becoming. Because I’m with you.”

Louis wiped a stubborn bloodstain. “You’re becoming stronger, Donya. And I’m becoming myself. This is who I am. This is our burden to bear.”

“I don’t want to be a monster, Louis.” Donya’s eyes filled with tears.

“You are not a monster,” Louis said, taking her hands. “You are a woman with a good heart. I love you for that.”

“I love you too, Louis,” Donya said, her tears falling. “So much.”

He leaned in and kissed her. Her lips were soft and wet. He pulled her into an embrace. He could feel her body against his, her warmth, her fear, and her love. Angelique came back. She saw them and joined their hug.

“Sometimes we make difficult choices,” Angelique said. “We just have to live with them together.”

“I know,” Donya said, her face buried in Louis’s chest. “I just wish it didn’t have to be this way.”

“So do I, Donya,” Angelique said. “So do I.”

They held each other for a while. Then Louis broke the silence. “Let’s get this mattress cleaned. Then we can get some rest.”

Angelique nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Cherish came in. “Do you need help?” she asked, her eyes on the mattress.

“Sure, Cherry,” Louis said. “The more the merrier.”

Cherish came over and started scrubbing with them. “What’s going to happen to the Prophet King? Will he be okay?”

“He’s a tough man,” Angelique said. “He will survive.”

“What about the Kingdom?” Cherish asked.

“Good question.” Louis sighed. “And a complicated one.”

“I’m scared for them,” Cherish said. “For the children and the wives.”

“We are already doing everything we can to protect them,” Angelique said.

“I know,” Cherish said, looking down. She continued to scrub without saying anything else.

They finished cleaning the mattress. A few stains remained.

“We’ll need to have the mattress professionally cleaned when we get back.” Angelique sighed.

“Don’t forget the bullet dents outside,” Louis said. “I regret coming here.”

“I don’t,” Angelique said, looking at him. “We got Sterling and a deal with the Prophet King. We saved him and his family. And we are getting closer to the truth. That’s what matters.”

“And we have to face the consequences,” Louis said. “Good and bad.”

“That’s what being a leader is all about,” Angelique said. “Making the hard choices and living with them.”

“I just want to go home,” Cherish said. “I wish we could forget all this.”

“We will, Cherry,” Louis said. “After we finish what we started.”

They left the lower bedroom and went to the lounge. The RV was moving on a dusty road near the lake. Maeve and Gladice were drinking beer. Savannah was cleaning her rifle. Willa was on her laptop. She looked up as they entered.

“Status update,” Willa said. “The Prophet King is in surgery at a Dominion black site hospital in Sacramento. He’s stable.”

“And the Kingdom?” Angelique asked.

“It’s in chaos,” Willa said. “I’m trying to get into their secure channel. But their network is a mess.”

“What about the public response?” Louis asked.

“There is none,” Willa said. “The Zion TV is the only major network. After it’s gone, the locals are in confusion.”

“What about Brother John’s followers?” Savannah asked.

“I doubt he has many left,” Willa said. “Many of them would be at the TV station. The rest would be disorganized.”

Maeve took a sip of her beer. “Good riddance, I say.”

Donya sat on a sofa, hugging her knees. “So many people are dead because of us.”

“Think of the bright side, Donya,” Gladice said. “Many terrorists are dead too. And their leader is gone.”

“But there are still innocent people in that building,” Donya said. “People who were just doing their jobs. People who had families.”

Gladice sighed. “I know. But this is war. And in war, people die.”

“Let me remind you that we are the ones who started this particular battle with a tungsten rod.” Angelique folded her arms.

Gladice snorted. “The Danites started it when one of them tried to kill Louis. We just finished it with style.”

Savannah loaded a fresh magazine. “Now we have a city in chaos and a kingdom in crisis, with a bunch of scared kids and a king in a coma. What a mess.”

“It is,” Louis said. “I wonder how the Prophet King will react when he wakes up.”

“He will be grateful for us saving him and his family,” Angelique said. “And he will be angry about what we did to his capital. But he will understand.”

“Will he?” Maeve asked. “Or will he see us as foreign imperialists trying to undermine his country?”

“We will have to wait and see,” Louis said. “Besides, he will want to get to our good side when the entire family is under our protection. He will need us, more than we need him.”

“True,” Savannah nodded. “We have lots of leverage.”

“I hope you mean lots of responsibility.” Donya frowned.

“Robin, what’s our extraction status?” Louis asked him, who was looking out the window with a pair of binoculars.

“The choppers are on the way,” Robin said. “ETA thirty minutes.”

“Good,” Louis said.

“There’s a problem,” Robin said. “They can only carry a limited number of passengers. We have more people than they can take. We need to make a second trip.”

“Then take the children, the nannies, and Sister Sarah first,” Louis said. “With the captive Danite.”

“Agreed. The rest of us will stay here and wait for them to come back,” Savannah said.

“Alright,” Robin said. “I’ll go with them. To secure the transfer of a second flight in Nevada.”

“Understood,” Louis said.

Robin left the lounge and went to the lower level. The women looked at Louis.

“What are we going to do now?” Gladice asked.

“We’re going to wait,” Louis said. “And we’re going to rest and enjoy the view for a little bit.” He smiled. “Maybe steal a few shrimp.”

Gladice laughed. “Now you’re talking.”

The RV slowed down and stopped near the shore of the Great Salt Lake. The sky was dark, the moon was rising. Three helicopters appeared in the distance, their lights blinking. They landed on a nearby clearing. Robin and several of the Dominion guards helped the children and the nannies board the choppers. Sister Sarah gave Louis a long hug, her eyes wet with tears.

“Thank you again, Mr. Collins,” she said. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome, Sister Sarah,” Louis said. “We’ll see you soon.”

She nodded and boarded one of the helicopters. Robin nodded to Louis. “Stay alive, kid.”

“You too, Robin,” Louis said.

The doors closed. The choppers rose into the sky and flew away. Louis watched them until they disappeared. Then he turned and went to Yamamoto. “Status report, Captain.”

“The perimeter is secure, sir,” Yamamoto said. “Captain McCarthy has left four men with us. We have twenty soldiers left, including ourselves. Sergeant Petrov and his team is setting up motion sensors. Sergeant Zhang is monitoring the network and radio frequencies. And his team has multiple drones in the air. We’re well protected.”

“Good,” Louis said. “I’m going to get some rest. You should get some rest too. Let Robin’s men take the first watch.”

“Understood, sir,” Yamamoto said.

Louis went back to the RV. Cherish and Donya were at the kitchen, making coffee and tea. The other women were cleaning the lower lounge and the powder room. It was a mess after they got the children and nannies out.

Gladice frowned as she wiped the floor of the powder room. “They peed on the carpet.”

“It’s alright, Glads,” Cherish said, bringing a cup of tea for her. “They’re just kids. They were scared.”

Louis smiled. “That’s why I don’t want kids. Too much work.”

Savannah threw an empty can of juice in a trash can. “Suits me. I don’t want to bring a child into this crazy world.”

“Me neither,” Willa said, scrubbing the toilet. “I’d rather have a dog.”

Cherish looked at them. “I want to have children one day. With Louis.”

Everyone stared at her. Louis looked at her. She was blushing, but her eyes were serious.

“Cherry,” Louis said. “I understand. But I don’t think it’s a good idea. At least not now. The world is a mess. And we’re in the middle of it.”

“I know, Louis,” Cherish said. “But I can’t help it. I want to be a mother. I want to have a baby. And I want you to be the father.”

Louis sighed. “Are you happy with us now, Cherry?”

“Of course I am, Louis,” Cherish said. “I love you all. I love our life. I would never leave you. But a family needs children to be complete.”

“Says who?” Maeve said, crossing her arms. “The church? The state? The patriarchy? We are a family, Cherry. We are complete.”

“I know, Mae-Mae,” Cherish said. “But I still want it.”

“Then I can be your baby, Cherry,” Gladice said, grinning. “I’ll cry and poop and demand attention. And I’ll sleep with you for free.”

Donya sighed. “Glads, be serious.”

“I am serious, Donya,” Gladice said. “I’m a very convincing baby.” She began to cry, her hands balled into fists. “Waaah! Waaah! I need milk! I need a spanking!”

Cherish laughed. “You’re silly, Glads.”

“I’m a silly baby, Cherry,” Gladice said, still pretending to cry. “Now, hold me and sing me a lullaby.”

“Alright, alright,” Cherish said, hugging her. “Hush little baby, don’t say a word…”

Gladice stopped crying and rested her head on Cherish’s shoulder. “That’s nice. You’ll be a good mommy.”

Cherish flushed. “I try.”

Savannah looked at Louis. “She’s serious, Louis. She’s been thinking about it for a while. We talked about it yesterday.”

Louis glanced at Cherish, who was still patting Gladice’s back. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Then don’t say anything,” Savannah said. “Just think about it.”

“I will,” Louis said, feeling a knot in his stomach. He did not want to be a father. He did not want to be responsible for another life. He had enough on his plate. He sighed and sat down. He took out his M1911 and began to clean it. He stared at the inscription: My Place is Earned In Service.

Gladice came and sat next to him. “You had definitely earned it today, Louis.”

“What did I earn today, Gladie?” Louis asked, not looking at her.

“Respect. Fear. Love,” she said. “And a headache.”

“Tell me about it,” Louis said, wiping the barrel with a cloth.

“Are you okay?” Angelique asked, sitting on the other side of him.

“Just thinking,” Louis said.

“About the Prophet King?” she asked.

“About the future,” Louis said. “Our future.”

“It’s going to be a nice compound in Honolulu,” Angelique said. “And a nice university with beach parties, yachts and surfing.”

“I know,” Louis said. “But can we go back to that? After all this?”

“Of course we can,” Angelique said. “We must. Or else those bastards win.”

“Maybe,” Louis said, loading the magazine. He clicked it back into the pistol. “Maybe they already won.”

“No,” Savannah said, walking over to them. “They didn’t.”

Louis looked at her. “How do you know?”

“Because we’re still alive,” Savannah said. “We’re together and free.”

“For now,” Louis said.

“For always,” Savannah said. “Because we don’t give up. And we don’t back down.”

“Damn right,” Maeve said, joining them. “We’ve been through worse and survived anyway.”

“We have,” Donya said, bringing a tray of coffee and tea.

Maeve helped her distribute the drinks. “We’ll keep on surviving.”

“Because we’re a family,” Cherish said, smiling.

“A very strange family,” Gladice said, sipping her coffee. “But a good one.”

“The best one,” Louis said, looking at them. He smiled.