PROJECT ANDERSON

CHAPTER TWELEVE: SARGE

I sat on my roof with Andie's rifle to my shoulder and Lilly-Bella and Timmy strapped to my torso with a blanket.

I was going to protect these children even if it meant that I had to stay up here all night.

I had enough food and water up here to last a couple of nights, and I had the radio just in case Andie was close by and needed to talk.

I didn't know where she was, but I was starting to worry.

I looked through the scope for a perimeter scan and noticed two figures in Army Fatigues.

I focused on the figures trying to observe their movements...they were walking at a normal pace and they didn't look like they were blind, but I didn't know if I could trust that.

Maybe not all of them were blind at the start...so I gave them a warning shot to see their reaction.

To my relief they ran away from the tree line.

"Fuck!" I heard one of them yell.

"Sorry, but I had to be sure!" I yelled back hoping that they could hear me.

I didn't know that any of the soldiers had made it out, but I was glad to see that those two had.

the two soldiers made their way up to my house and I watched them the whole way.

There was a man and a woman between the ages of 20 and 28, and to my surprise they didn't have any weapons on them.

"What's the big idea old man?" The man asked when they were standing in my driveway.

"I had to make sure you were still alive." I answered back, choosing to ignore the old man comment. "What are you doing out there without any protection?"

"We had to ditch them." The man answered suspiciously calmly.

"A good soldier would keep their gun and use it as a melee weapon until they find more ammo." I said before shooting something off in the distance.

"And what would you know about being a good soldier old man?"

Was he trying to piss me off by repeatedly calling me an old man?

"Because I have been one my whole life and probably out rank both of you, and based on you lack of stripes I know that you haven't even made it out of basic yet...Private."

"He's got you there Johnny." The woman finally said. "Sorry about my brother, he's always like this."

"That's alright...what are you doing out here anyway?" I asked as Johnny sulked.

"We were escaping our base...everyone is gone..." The woman answered as she looked down at her blood stained combat boots. "We were hoping to find shelter for the night."

"Well you're in luck." I said before climbing down off my roof. "I have plenty of supplies for all of us."

Lily-Bella and Timmy woke up and started to cry as I stood in front of Johnny and the older woman.

"What it that?" Johnny asked as he pointed to my chest.

"Our youngest survivors." I answered before readjusting the blanket so they could see the babies. "This is my daughter Lilly-Bella and this is Timothy."

"Why do you have them? Shouldn't your wife be the one taking care of them." Johnny asked as if the act of taking care of a child was beneath him.

"My wife is dead...and Timmy is an orphan, do you want to try again?"

"I'm so sorry." The woman said solemnly.

"It's okay..." I said before inviting them into the house. "I'm Sarge...and you are?"