The Odds Are Stacked

::3::

I sit with Carl and Sophia who are signing greetings to each other and watching Jim over their heads.

"Jim, take some water?" Shane says glancing my direction causing me to move my gaze back to the kids quickly.

"Oh, Sophia this is name," I say correcting her signing, "You're signing sit."

"Will you pour some on my head?" Jim asks Shane whose attention finally wavered from mine.

Lori and Carol come up to me and the kids whispering something to one another before Lori says, "We can take the kids now Rose."

I nod quickly and signal for Ares to follow me away from his spot on the ground. I move my head towards where Andrea and Amy are cleaning the fish that they caught earlier today. I sit down on the bench next to the younger of the two sisters who greets me with a big smile.

"You know I never thanked you for standing up to Ed." Andrea says waving the knife around in her hand.

I roll my eyes and smirked, "Yeah, he wouldn't have lasted very long if I were to have gotten here sooner."

The sisters look back towards their fish while I sit there not knowing how to clean fish. I stretch my back causing the pain from the cuts on my back to erupt a new pain my back. I wince causing Ares to stand from his seated position.

I quickly get up from my spot on the log and walk over to my pack, grabbing my knife and slipping it in my boot. I look around the camp before deciding to walk up to Dale.

"Hi Rose," Dale greets as I climb on to the top of the R.V. "What can I do for you?"

I smile looking at the camp, mainly at Shane who's talking to the kids.

"I'm really tired, is there anywhere that I can sleep without being in the way." I ask pulling my gaze away from the kids who are eagerly running towards Amy and Andrea.

"Probably the back of the RV." Dale says smiling at me.

I nod, "Can you have someone wake me up before dinner?"

He nods and I sign thank you before climbing down the ladder and hooking Ares back on my waist leash as he sits next to the ladder wait patiently for me. I walk over and grab my pack, my AR15, and then grabbing the Axe that I had grabbed earlier. I walk over to the RV, Carl waving at me as I walk past. I climb to the back of the RV dropping my pack to the side of my bed putting the gun and axe next to it. I sign for Ares to lay down and take out my hearing aids and turning them off. I take off my combat boots and then lay down on the bed taking the knife out of my boot and putting it under my pillow.

——————
The night is dark besides the road flares that are slowly dying out that were put there by the riot squad that was called in before us. Gunshots echo across the small town.

"Sargent we're taking fire to the north."

I quickly move behind a road block before saying, "Providing Backup Lieutenant."

"10-4"

I sign out to stay and wait for my command to the squad that's positioned behind the road blocks that were put up by the police. Another round of gunfire echos from the north, I peak around the left side of my road block, looking through my night vision scope. "Clear."

We turn down an alleyway heading to provide backup for the other squad. I clench my fist as we make it to the next street, telling my squad to stop, I hear the gunfire getting closer. I clear the corner, shooting two guards by the tank and then diving to the nearest road block. I knock my head back calling over the three other men to follow suit.