***
Sentries were stationed in every room in the house. Warren watched them set up the cameras in the kitchen, the living room, all of the bedrooms, and the garage, and he tried not to be obvious while watching them.
When they showed up, Warren thought they were there to collect him or search the house. Whatever Alex had gotten himself into was now affecting him. He shook his head and walked back into the living room, where one of the sentries leaned back in his chair.
“Hey, get off of that!” Warren yelled.
“Or what, old man?” the sentry replied, aiming his rifle between Warren’s shoulders.
Warren waved him off and walked out the front door, where more sentries were stationed outside. He didn’t know where the hell all of them were coming from.
The muscles in Warren’s back popped as he bent over to stretch. He plopped down on the edge of the curb and rubbed his hands together. He had never wanted a smoke so badly in his life. He would have mowed down anyone in the community for the chance at another drag, but the fatigue in his muscles beckoned him to stay put.
A few of the neighbors poked their heads out of their homes to get a look at the spectacle that was his house.
“Why don’t you come over?” Warren yelled across the street. “We’re having some MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS FOR DINNER!”
The doors quickly shut, causing a few of the sentries to turn their heads, but Warren knew most of them didn’t care about the crotchety ramblings of an angry old man. He traced the liver spots that covered the tops of his hands. Every movement of his fingers highlighted the bones underneath his skin. He felt a quick tap on his shoulder and jumped. “Jesus Christ!”
“I’m sorry.”
“God dammit, Alice! Are you trying to give me a stroke?”
Alice Harper was a mouse of a woman, and not just because of her size, which was tiny. Her ears were far too large and round for her head, and she had buckteeth and an overbite. This, accompanied by a way of always keeping her hands at her chest, curled like the top of a candy cane, only exemplified the comparison. Warren couldn’t imagine the woman ate much even before the crisis. He didn’t think her world changed at all compared to the rest of them.
“What do you want?” Warren asked.
Alice took a seat right next to him and scooted close. She cupped her hand to her mouth and pressed it to his ear. “I didn’t tell them anything.”
Warren pushed her off him. “Well, don’t bring attention to yourself by acting all clandestine now!”
“Clandenwhat?”
“Never mind.”
“They questioned me for over an hour, but I just told them that I didn’t know anything.”
“I know you didn’t say anything, Alice. If you did, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
“Oh.”
The words came out in a defeated whisper. Alice kept her head down and fiddled with the rags she wore as a shirt. Warren gently nudged her am.
“Hey. You know Alex went to go and get Daniel, right?” Warren asked.
“He did?”
“Yeah. I told him he was an idiot, but he did it anyway. And judging by the amount of company we’ve received today, I’d say he made it.”
“Do you think he can do it? Can he bring Daniel back?”
Warren remained silent. He was focused on the ruckus coming from inside the house. The sentries were shouting at one another. The next moment, a few of them started running outside with their guns pointed at Warren.
“You! Get up! Now!” the sentry ordered.
Warren pushed himself up, using Alice’s small shoulders to help steady him. “What is it?”
The sentry’s answer was a pair of cuffs around Warren’s wrists and a shove face-first into the ground. “We got you, asshole. We found your stash.”
Warren immediately started squirming, trying to thrust the sentry off of him. “No! You idiots!” He quickly turned to Alice. “Alice! Get dow—”
The explosion that followed rocked the foundation of the house and shook the whole community from the ground up. Concrete and broken glass rained down and littered the yard. A solid ringing sounded in Warren’s ear, and when he looked over at the house, the front half had been completely blown away.