Strengthen What Remains (Book 2): A Time to Endure by Kyle Pratt

everyone, including me, time to prepare.”
    “Okay…the
first day of spring is in about two weeks. Let’s get married then.”
    The
grin faded as her eyes searched his. Then, the hint of a smile returned, but
with a bit of sadness that frightened Caden.
    “There
are times that I want to throw caution and everything my mother taught me aside
and just be with you.” She leaned up against him, resting her head on his
chest. “I’ve seen so much tragedy, so many people have died in the last six
weeks. The night we met we both killed someone.”
    “They
killed your parents. They tried to kill me and Adam.”
    “I
know they deserved to die, but in a saner world we wouldn’t be judge, jury and
executioner.”
    “We
do what we have to do.”
    She
nodded and looked at him with soft caring eyes. “I guess that’s it. I don’t
want to marry you because I have to. On the day that I know I could walk away
from you and not starve, not be killed or raped by some gang or warring armies,
that’s the day I will marry you.”
    “There’s
a new normal. That day may never come.”
    “It
will. As long as there are enough men like you.”
    She
stepped away, but he held her hand. Pulling her back, they kissed.
    An
hour later, Caden drove toward the armory a bit confused about his engagement.
He touched his lips with one finger. If
she’s having second thoughts, she has a strange way of showing it.
    Walking
toward the main building, he saw Zach and a young private working on a truck
engine. He decided to bring Zach along when they went to Olympia. The young man
could help load supplies.
    Brooks
was talking to another soldier as Caden entered the office. With his mind
awkwardly drifting between his conversation with Maria and concern about MS-13,
he grasped the coffee cup from his desk and returned to the common area. “Why
is the coffee pot off?”
    A
private sitting at a nearby desk said, “Ah, sir…we ran out of coffee
yesterday.”
    With
a frown Caden turned back to his office. One more reason to go to Olympia tomorrow.
    “Here
is the requisition list.” Brooks followed him. “Some of the medical supplies
are for the hospital and some of the fuel is for the sheriff and some of the
food is for distribution at the schools, the hospital, the Salvation Army and
the Community Church, just west of town.”
    Caden
nodded at the mention of the church his family had attended for years. He took
the paperwork and continued on to his desk. He sat down flipping pages of the
seemingly endless list of needed items. Finally he said, “Add coffee.”
    Brooks
gave him a doubtful look.
    “We
won’t get half the stuff on this list, but maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll
have coffee.”
    Brooks
grinned. “I’ll add it.”  
    *                *                *
    The
next morning several trucks and a fueler waited at the armory for the trip to
the supply depot. Zach was about to climb into the back of a deuce and a half,
when Caden motioned for him to come over. “Keep me company.” He pointed. “Ride
up here in the SUV.
    The
boy hesitated, then said, “Sure.”
    The
two sat in the back with a driver and guard in the front. Caden thought getting
better acquainted with Zach would be a good use of the hour long trip to
Olympia. While he genuinely wanted to know more about the boy, he didn’t want
to reveal that he had been checking into the young man’s background.
    Such
a “get to know you” talk could start with something like, “So, what does your
dad do for a living?” But he knew Zach’s father had been murdered and Caden
didn’t want to open that area of discussion—at least not yet. Finally he
settled on, “How has the fishing business been?”
    “We
won’t starve. We’re better off than many, but when I have a choice I don’t
think I’ll ever want to eat a fish
again.”
    Caden
smiled.
    The
conversation continued with Zach talking about the traps and where to place
them in a