The McClane Apocalypse by Kate Morris

Author:Kate Morris [Morris, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Ranger Publishing
Published: 2014-04-10T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Kelly

“Please be careful,” Hannah requests quietly. They are the only two people left in the kitchen. Everyone is already out in the barn tacking up horses and likely saying their goodbyes. It feels too fatalistic, too final. He’s never been on a mission like this one. He’d always fought for his country, taken orders from a colonel or general or squad commander. They’d fought against terrorists, communists and men who wanted to harm Americans. He’d never had to fight actual Americans. They’d made arrests when they were sent into the fray when the shit hit at home a few months ago. But they hadn’t had to kill anyone. They’d been acting as glorified police officers, which was probably part of the problem and why things had gotten so out of control so quickly.

Hannah reaches for him and Kelly steps into her hand, still marveling at her delicate touch as her hand falls lightly against his chest. He’s never been sent into battle before by someone who wants so badly for him to come back. He’s never had so much to lose, either.

“Yes, ma’am,” he gravely answers her. Hannah’s lovely features are contorted with angst and worry. He hates this look on her. Kelly lifts her braid, which hangs over her shoulder down to her middle chest. Her breathing increases. If he fails in this mission, they’ll come here next. The thought angers him, fills him with dread and makes him feel like he could do violent things. He lets her braid drop down again.

Kelly turns to go, but Hannah throws herself around his middle, hugging him tightly. Her arms barely reach all the way around him. At first he’s too stunned to do anything, but he eventually wraps her in a brief embrace. When he pulls back, there are tears streaming down her pink-tinted cheeks. It’s more than he can bear. He grasps her face between his two large hands and holds her there.

“I’ll come back,” he promises, and she nods with a delicate sniff. Kelly carefully leads her by the hand to the barn with the rest of the family.

Once they are at the barn, he deposits Hannah next to Grams and gets his horse from its assigned stall. When they are all saddled and ready to leave, Kelly and the other men give a few more simple instructions to Doc.

Cory rushes over to him, and Kelly knows what’s coming again. “Kelly, come on, man. Let me go with you.”

“I told you that I need you here. The littler kids are your responsibility now, Cory. You have to take care of them and look out for Grams and the women for me, too,” Kelly tells him for the fourth time.

“Ok, Kelly. I’ll take care of them,” Cory says with resignation and maturity beyond his teen years. It’s saddening for Kelly to see his teen brother feeling the weight of the world on his slim shoulders.

Kelly turns to the grandparents and women in the group. “Put all the kids in the living room tonight for bed.

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