The Wanderers Return

Posted on Fri Nov 17th, 2023 @ 9:04pm by Hale Stratton & Vienna Quinn & René Rouen

1,449 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: Bangor or Bust
Location: Wynn Estate, Outskirts of Bangor, Maine
Timeline: 29 August 2010 - 10:00 p.m.

Hale left the table early, coffee cup in hand, and went outside. After the last few days, the manicured, pristine expanse before him seemed at odds with everything he'd seen. No shambling corpses here. Nothing out of place as though the fenced-in property held the tragedy the world was facing at bay. He sat, sipping his coffee, while his mind wandered; the others remained inside, lingering over a last good meal before they headed out.

A rustle in the nearby bushes, and signs of movement revealed the return of Vienna and René. Vienna looked more the worse wear as she held onto René as they walked towards where they knew they needed to be.

René was tired from the two kilometer trek back from the Quinn home. He had good hikers backpack on and was helping Vienna, who was still in shock, along. His other hand clutched a smaller frame backpack that was Vienna's. He looked. He was relieved to have made it safely back to the Wynn Estate by twilight, but darkness was only minutes away. He put Vienna's backpack down and helped Vienna to sit before before standing at the gate. He hit the button and called up to the house.

Vienna was numb, she hadn’t said anything since leaving her parents house. Her face was still wet with tears, her puffy eyes and red nose from her crying said it all.

Charles and one of the lower enlisted stepped out of the manor. Charles glanced at Hale and gestured for him to follow. "Somebody called Rene Rowan said he is a part of your group. He's with someone called Vienna Quinn. You know anything about these two?"

Hale nodded and followed Charles out to the gate to provide visual confirmation -- though how and why anyone would ever think to pretend to be two teenagers was beyond him -- and nodded as the pair came into view. The practiced leader in him, the part of him that had been running teams for awhile now, took in their overall condition even as he spoke. "That's them. Vienna and Rene."

Vienna held onto René pretty much refusing to let go after what she’d just been through. Chances were her mother was dead too, and who knew where her brother could be. She seemed to brighten up a little as she considered the idea that maybe he was alive.

Rene looked at Hale as the approached. "Captain Stratton. Vienna needs medical attention. She's in shock and needs Doctor Olaffson."

"Take her on up to the house, Vic's there along with everyone else," Hale said.

Charles quirked an eyebrow. He pulled a hand held Motorola from his belt. "Vivian to the pool house for newcomer inspection." He turned to Hale. "Nobody goes to the main house without a head to toe inspection Mr. Wynn and Lieutenant Madison will have both are asses if that happened."

"After you get checked for bites," Hale repeated dutifully. He turned to the teens and shrugged. "Price of admission I'm afraid."

René gestured at the two top of the line backpacks resting just inside the gate as he looked at Hale. He pulled the pistol from his belt and handed it to the Special Forces officer. "We need the packs brought to the house was and this would be safer in your hands. I know very little about guns and nothing about pistols."

Vienna’s eyes fell on the pistol that had been in her father’s hand, the image made her bury her head in René’s chest.

Hale accepted the pistol, emptying it at once, before tucking it into his belt at the small of his back. Later, when he had a moment, he would clean and inspect it before assigning it to someone. And that thought brought him up short. They weren't a group any longer and he wasn't in charge ... not of them anyway.

He turned toward Charles. "Can we hurry this along," he asked as he nodded toward Vienna. "Hanging around the gate isn't doing anyone any good."

René put an arm around Vienna and helped her to the pool house.

Vivian was already there when they arrived. She took hold of Vienna's hand and led her inside.

René glanced at Charles and Hale. "What's happening inside?"

"Food and hot showers," Hale said. "Helicopter is being sent to take those that want to go to the safe zone."

Meanwhile inside Vienna was settling down, the shock of seeing her father and the condition of the area had her convinced that her mother was also dead. She wasn’t sure about her brother, which at least gave her some hope.

Vic arrived to the pool house moments after they did, a small med bag slung over one shoulder. “Captain, you said that….” She paused in her speech, spotting Vienna and looked at Vivian. “…I need IV fluids, warm; a blanket, and a dose of epi…. The IV cannot wait until you are done checking her over” her voice was sharp and commanding

Vivian was just about to begin the inspection of Vienna when Vic came barging in issuing directives. She paused an gave Vic am unimpressed expression. "First of all, anyone coming onto the estate must undergo a visual verification they have no bites or deep scratches. No exceptions. Two, you are a guest here and have absolutely no authority. Finally you can administer whatever treatment you like. Once I am done."

“Please...” Vienna exchanged unhappy glances between the two women. “Don’t!...haven’t we lost enough already?”

Vivian sighed as she turned to face Vienna. "Sorry to do this but I need you to take of your clothes. You can keep your bra and underwear on. I can't let you go to any of the other buildings without checking you for bites and deep scratches."

Vienna nodded and did as she was asked. “We never...encountered any soulless, we just found my....” She paused. “Father...he...killed himself!”

Vivian listened as the young woman and the Navy officer spoke with one another. She finished her inspection and looked up at Vienna. "Your clear." She turned to Victoire. ""She can go to the main house. She probably needs food and a shower. I recommend a good night's sleep too."

Outside, René was pacing back and forth. He was worried about Vienna. Though not physically hurt, she was traumatized by seeing her father dead from suicide. He had secured the envelope when he went back into the room for supplies.

Charles eyed René and finally gestured. "Is that a real sword?"

René stopped pacing and looked at Charles. "He nodded. "Oui, it is my rapier. It arrived from France, just before the field trip to Millinocket." He turned to Hale and unhooked the machete and sheath from his belt. "I won't be needing this either, now that I have a proper weapon."

"Keep it," Hale said. "Or leave it. I don't need it." He nodded and moved off from the group, found a place to sit at one of the umbrella shaded tables off to one side of the pool. The world of wealth and privilege represented by the expansive estate, manicured lawns and gardens, and seating areas arranged with a decorator's eye for detail held little interest for him. The natural world had its own way of speaking and he missed the sounds of wind sliding through the trees and water dancing over rocks. The easy camaraderie of his family as they shared chores or tackled the bigger things, like his mother's greenhouse, the one they built from old windows and doors.

Alaska, he thought, is a long, long way from here. If things go bad, it could take years to get home and who knows what I'd find when I got there. There was a bleakness to that and he remembered again that first night. He'd sworn his oath and stood with the others, shivering in rough formation in a parking lot, while his instructor finished his coffee before coming outside. The life he had chosen meant that visits home were few and far between, made easier by video calls and long letters from his Mom tucked into care packages he'd shared with his friends.

In this moment, he was just Hale. The vigilant Green Beret, newly promoted to Major, was pushed to the side. There were guards here and really, other than Alonzo and Ethan, there was no one counting on him for protection. He could afford a few moments off duty and so, he sat in the shade of an overpriced umbrella and let the world flow by him for once.

 

RSS Feed