Dead: Siege & Survival by Tw Brown Page A

before you dropped down and entered the actual course itself was visible through the trees. There were at least a couple dozen people out there dressed in combat fatigues.
    Very slowly, Willa lowered down into the snow. Kevin moved in beside her. He couldn’t make out faces or anything, so he couldn’t tell how many men and women made up the group. The realization that he might die…his friends might die…all came crashing down. What had he been thinking?
    “I give them twenty minutes before the sentry is missed,” Willa whispered.
    “Why?”
    “Because I watched them pass by twice before I approached them. And there are at least two other patrols that I spotted from where I had climbed over. That is at a minimum. I can’t say for sure how many patrols are out here.”
    “Maybe you were right—” Kevin began.
    “I don’t want to hear it,” Willa cut him off. “You went through hell and back to get medication for some little girl you just met. You can’t and won’t give up. We both know that you won’t be able to walk away from this. Odds are absolutely against us…but then none of that matters.”
    Kevin considered her words. He knew she was telling the truth. There was absolutely no way that he would be able to live with himself if he walked away.
    “So what do we do?” Kevin asked. “Now that we’ve seen what we are facing, is the plan still the same?”
    “It’s the only option.”
    Kevin felt a lump build in his throat. So many things could go wrong. What if he ended up being ultimately responsible for the deaths of all of his friends? He glanced over, but Willa was already scooting back. The pair slipped into the woods and made their way back over the wall.
     
    ***
     
    Making sure to stay in the tracks that had been previously made—probably by Paul and his two companions—had proved to be difficult and nerve-wracking. Eventually, they made it to a wooded area and were able to forge their own trail. From that point, Willa actually deferred to Kevin. He knew the layout of the surrounding area better, and after specifying what she was looking for, he was able to think of the perfect spot.
    They circled around to the north side of the golf course and climbed the fence where a thick copse of white pines offered them plenty of cover. It took them all day, and Kevin spent the entire time worrying if what he’d done—the killing of the two sentries—would result in repercussions for his friends.
    It was almost dark by the time they reached their objective. Kevin was cold, tired, and hungry, but since Willa kept quiet, he remained silent. Once they cleared the wall and ducked into the trees, they scooped out a small pit to hide in while they ate what proved to be the last MREs in their packs.
    “What was the last home cooked meal you ate?” Willa asked as she squeezed the last of the pot roast and gravy from the pouch and into her mouth.
    “You’ll be mad,” Kevin opened his candy bar and popped it into his mouth, an audible moan escaping his lips.
    “Why would I be mad?”
    “Because it wasn’t that long ago. One of the best finds we came across was an Italian restaurant. We were pretty well stocked when it came to pasta and that sort of thing.”
    “So you guys have been eating pretty regular meals?”
    “Mostly.”
    “I guess it’s just so much harder when there are twenty or thirty of you than when there are just a few.”
    “Simple mathematics,” Kevin said after swallowing. He tried to savor every second of that flavor from the chocolate bar as it melted and trickled down his throat. “I walk into a house and discover a full pantry and I can eat for days…maybe weeks. A group of thirty might make it a day…if that.”
    “So are you saying we shouldn’t band together?”
    “No, because you also need security, and that is where the numbers come in, but you need a balance.”
    “And what determines that balance?”
    Kevin had a feeling there was more to Willa’s question