“There is,” nodded Irene. “Great invention for its time.”
“Wait, it’s been here since it was built?” asked Hex.
“Of course it has. Now, this book here might be particularly interesting for you, Ajei.”
“What is it?” she asked taking the book from her ghostly grandmother-in-law.
“Well now, I think you should read it to understand what might be happenin’ here.”
“Wait, Grandma, are you saying you have something that could help us with this whole thing? Why didn’t you tell us?” asked Luke.
“Luke, I’ve been tellin’ you boys for years that things have to happen in their own time. Tellin’ you everything don’t help you learn nothin’. Now, you read that book and I think you might get a clearer idea of what you’re dealin’ with.”
Irene disappeared, leaving the eight people standing in the space, stunned at what they’d found.
“What now?” asked Kate. Ajei shook her head, holding the book to her chest.
“I guess I’ll be reading for the next few hours.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Why does this all feel so overwhelming?” Luke asked Cam as they walked through the animal sanctuary. It was the one place where they all felt they could be themselves and safely discuss anything.
“Because it is,” smirked Cam. “Our father’s understood what the burden of all this was. REAPER, Steel Patriots, REAPER Patriots, Voodoo Guardians, Gray Wolf, GW Legacy and Shadow Warriors. We’ve reinvented ourselves more times than I can count. Because we had to.”
“I get it,” said Luke, “but for some reason taking over Gray Wolf feels an added weight.”
“That’s because you’re getting old and you know it,” smirked Gaspar, walking toward them with Nine, Ghost, and Ian.
“Hey, Dad,” smiled Luke.
“Hi,” he said kissing his son’s forehead. He started to say that was just like grandpa but Gaspar held up a hand. “Don’t even say it. It seems I’m doing more and more shit just like my parents every day.”
The two men laughed, nodding at their elders. Although technically, they were all elders. Cam scanned the grounds, looking over toward the docks and spotted Trak, kneeling in front of Alvin.
“Is everything okay with Alvin?” he asked.
“Hmm? Oh, yes. He’s fine. We’ve had him out looking for any potential victims of whatever this virus is,” said Gaspar. “So far, not much but he’s helping for sure. I never thought I’d say this but that alligator has been a blessing.”
“I never thought I’d hear you say anything about an alligator,” smirked Ghost. They all laughed, nodding in his direction.
“You know, the other day when Calvin dropped off the feed for the week, the animals acted very strange. They were roaring, pacing, trumpeting, everything they would do if they were in danger. They know Calvin, they know he’d never hurt them,” said Gaspar.
“What do you think that was about?” asked Ian.
“I don’t know. Hazel and the girls were out here to feed them and they made the comment that maybe the animals were upset because humans were sick due to something the animals aren’t exposed to. For the life of me, I can’t think of what that might be. Especially here. They’re exposed to everything we are.”
“Well, let’s think about that,” said Luke. “They’re exposed to food, humans, other animals, the bayou, and the elements.”
“All true,” nodded Nine. “They don’t travel away from us, they don’t drive, they don’t shop, and they’re not exposed to any humans other than us.”
“That’s true as well. Maybe they were worried about being exposed to Calvin,” said Gaspar. “Again, I can’t figure out why. He’s around us all the time.”
“I don’t know,” said Gaspar shaking his head. “Back to you two. Why is this all suddenly feeling overwhelming to you? You know what you’re doing. Hell, you’ve been doing it at the highest levels for the last thirty years or more.”
“This feels different,” said Luke. “Didn’t you guys ever think about the weight of all these people being your responsibility? I mean, I know the Shadow team will be taking the big gigs, the tougher ones, but that almost feels like more pressure knowing that we’re here, responsible for everyone.”
“We know what you mean,” said Ghost. “But I think you know that every man and woman here feels the same. We all feel pressure to protect one another. All of us. Whether you’ve served or whether you’re the spouse of someone who served. The weight of that doesn’t lessen for you. In many ways, our spouses have the bigger burden. They kept things running perfectly all these decades while we were off in some foreign land. Can you imagine the pressure that was for them?”
