Destroyer

Chapter 12

The assault on the bunker had gone exceptionally well. Despite losing a handful of resistance members at the hands of Faith's Angels, they were no match for a strategically placed bullet to the head. Unlike John's bunker, destroyed at the hands of Hudson and Nayeli, the resistance made the conscious decision to not destroy the bunker, instead, they would turn it into a safe haven. They spent the latter half of the next week clearing out the Peggie paraphernalia and getting everyone situated into their new temporary home until this entire epidemic was over.

The Cougars handled the residential situation coordinating with Sharky, Grace, Nick, and others while also beginning a headcount of how many people they actually had and how many were MIA. Eli took a handful of his Whitetails to search whether or not Jacob's bunker had been abandoned as well. Considering Eli had been the one who helped build it, he'd know all of the hiding spots and traps to look out for. If it was indeed empty, that meant more supplies and more room to place those who had lost their homes to the Peggie's until they could get a word to the outside world for assistance.

As for the deputy department, they were still licking their wounds, so to speak. Whatever conditioning Jacob had put Pratt through left him almost in a constant "fight or flight" state. Hudson was doing better physically, but the road to recovery mentally was going to be a long one, having suffered at the hands of John Seed who, surprisingly to Nayeli, had not made any sort of retaliation since they destroyed his bunker.

The Marshall, Burke, was still technically under medical watch but with everyone so busy they could not afford to keep him under supervision at all times. He really never disclosed what happened to him before Nayeli rescued him from one of Faith's outposts, but he seemed well enough to be left alone for a few hours.

Whitehorse, though spared the wrath of the Seeds for the most part, had probably endured the same amount of stress Nayeli faced in trying to maintain this resistance. Despite all the work ahead of them, Nayeli figured Whitehorse could use a few hours to just decompress. Lord knew she needed a few hours too. They had driven up north to the Drubman Marina which currently sat unoccupied. No Peggies or resistance members to be found. The tranquility of the marina already set Nayeli at ease as she and Whitehorse sat on the edge of the dock, their feet dangling over the water. They sat in silence, admiring the overcast skies and impending rain shower heading their way.

"You know," Whitehorse smirked as he gazed out into the open water, "I first met your mother here. Was doing my first patrol as a junior deputy when a call came in about a domestic disturbance here between the Drubmans. There were a few other civilians here at the time but I just remember her with a little boy tugging at her jeans while she held the most precious looking girl in her arms as she tried to diffuse the situation. Just the fire in her eyes..."

Whitehorse continued as he leaned back on the deck, his elbows supporting his weight, Nayeli sat silently, listening to his tale as she continued to stare ahead "...I knew from that moment on I was a goner." he admitted.

Nayeli smirked, the memory of them coming down here to feed the fishes being a bittersweet one yet one she cherished. She remembered being terrified of the fishes with the big mouths after Takoda told her they would swallow her whole if she fell in. From that point forward she refused to go anywhere near the water until her teenage years. She always wanted to get Takoda back, but she never did. When Nayeli continued to remain silent, Earl shifted back up to a sitting position.

"I'm sorry kiddo. I know you're probably tired of hearing me yammering about Sokanon."

Nayeli looked at him with a sympathetic gaze, "No, of course not Earl. It's nice to hear more pleasant stories. And I know you loved her very much-"

Before Nayeli could finish, the Sheriff exhaled loudly, a deep cry escaping from him as he wiped away the tears that had suddenly been summoned forth.