Live Another Day by Baileigh Higgins (reading in the dark .txt) 📗

her head, disturbed at the broken look on the older woman’s face. She opened her mouth to reply, but the moment passed when an impatient Peter and Thembiso pressed in for their food. With leaden feet, she found a seat and picked at her food. It no longer seemed at all appetizing.

She forced herself to eat every morsel, however. In the fight to come, she’d need the energy to sustain her. Afterward, she took her plate back and poured herself a cup of sweetened tea, hot and black just as she liked it. This she nursed while waiting for the rest to sort themselves out.

Lisa noticed the moment when Max called Peter and Thembiso. The two friends had wolved down their food in record time and even gone back for seconds. Now they were fresh and eager to please.

“Peter, Thembiso,” Max called.

They jogged over. “Yes, Max?”

“I want you to relieve Abe and Joseph on the walls. Send them here so they can have breakfast as well.”

“Okay,” they chorused.

“I’m counting on you to keep us safe, got it? It’ll be just the two of you for at least an hour. Can you handle it?”

“Yes, Sir.” Comically, they saluted the bemused Max.

“And boys, don’t try to be heroes. If you see anything suspicious, I want you to run straight here.”

They bounded off, as eager as puppies, and not long after, Abe and Joseph entered the room. Elise dished up for them, and they took their seats while Julianne went about clearing the room of dirty dishes.

She press-ganged the children into washing up in the kitchen under the supervision of Michelle and Ruby, and the group trooped out amidst promises of sweets as a reward for their hard work. That left only those who would attend the meeting, and Lisa sat up straighter.

The room was abuzz with speculation as everybody wondered what the decadent breakfast was for. What could be so important, that even the walls were abandoned except for a single pair of guards in the form of two teenage boys? And who were the strangers? Not everybody was familiar with either Mpho or Ruby.

Max stood up and cleared his throat. “Right, I guess you all wonder why I called you here.”

Murmurs of assent rose.

“It’s simple. This morning, I received information to the effect that Ke Tau is attacking us in full force. Tonight.”

Wild chatter broke out, and he had to wait a full minute before peace was restored. A few lingering voices called out questions.

“Why tonight?”

“Why now?”

“What do we do?”

“Can we fight them off?”

“Where is Breytenbach?”

Max raised a hand. “If you allow me, I’ll tell you everything and answer all your questions, but you have to let me talk.”

Silence fell.

Max cleared his throat and in a somber voice, relayed everything he knew. As he spoke, the mood in the room changed. It went from excited, to restless, to shocked. And finally, dismayed. He ended with the news that nobody knew where Breytenbach was or why they hadn’t returned.

In the corner, Julianne lowered her head. She, more than anyone there except Max, missed the Captain and the members of his group.

“I think it’s safer to assume we’re in this fight alone. We can’t count on Breytenbach to return in time to help us,” Max said. “We’re on our own.”

The words echoed through the room like the thud of the final nail sinking into a coffin, sealing all their fates. Lisa closed her eyes. The phrase didn’t frighten her. She didn’t want to rely on anybody but herself. It would make her stronger, and she’d fight all the harder for it.

She listened with half an ear while Max laid out the plans. Michelle and Ruby were too weak and inexperienced to fight. They'd look after the children inside the schoolroom along with the two young mothers, Erica and Tumi. Hannah, Dave, Dr. Lange, and Jonathan would run the infirmary and look after casualties. As the only medical personnel, they were too valuable to risk.

There was some debate over Peter and Thembiso. Neither Elise nor Julianne wanted them to take part, but the boys were nearly grown and well-trained. In the end, Max gave each the role of runner. They'd be used to relay information back and fro.

“That leaves only a few others I’m worried about,” Max concluded. “Elise, Julianne, Abraham, Phillip, and Ben.”

“What about me?” Ben asked in his gravelly voice. “I can fight.”

“So can I,” Abraham said, raising a stick-thin arm in the air.

“And I,” Phillip said, placing a hand on Abraham’s shoulders. “I’d never let my best friend fight alone.”

“Aren’t you two a bit old?” Abe protested.“

I might be old, but I bet I could still teach you a few things, son,” Abraham replied with a chuckle.

“Count me in,” Elise said.

“And me,” Julianne added.

“Are you all sure?” Max asked.

“Yes,” they chorused.

“Good. We’ll need as many hands on deck as possible.”

After that, the meeting descended into a back and forth on weapons, tactics, food, water, and positioning. Mpho insisted that Ke Tau would most likely lead the attack with a swarm of undead, just like before. It was a favored tactic of his, and much of the discussion centered around this.

It was decided two snipers would be placed in the tower, both to keep a bird’s eye view of everything and to provide back-up to those below. Liezel and Abe were chosen for this job. Both were excellent long-range shots.

“The outer wall can’t be defended for long,” Michael asserted. “We’re too few. We should concentrate our forces on the inner walls, especially the main gate.”

“Yes, but we mustn't forget about the smaller gate either,” Max said. “We need a force stationed there as well.

“What about the goats, and the reserve?” Elise asked. “We can’t afford to lose either.”

“Herd the goats into the reserve for now,” Joseph suggested. “I'll build an earthen wall to barricade it off from the rest of the farm. I can do the same with the smaller gate.”

“Do you have enough time?” Max asked.

“With a few helping hands, yes.”

A