John shook his head. "I asked them while you all were bedding down your horses. They said the same thing the three from today did." He waved his hand toward the older man standing next to him. "This is Ralph Henderson. He was one of the men who came in today."
Stefan glanced at the man, hoping he might have answers. "Did you see his face at all?"
The guy shook his head. "Sorry, no. He wore a mask that covered the lower half of his face, dark glasses, and a hood up over his head the entire time."
Damn.
"I'd sure like to know who he was, though. I'd like to thank him for getting me and my boy out of there. From what I've seen, this new world takes a little getting used to, but it's better than being trapped in one of those ice tubes."
"Amen!" Frankie agreed. "I spent ten years as a popsicle. If I never see another one of those damn cryo-tubes in this lifetime, I can die a happy man."
Roark growled as he hauled Frankie to him. "No dying. I didn't search for you for ten years just to see you die."
Frankie chuckled. "Wasn't planning on it, baby."
Stefan quickly glanced away when Roark bit Frankie on the neck. They were always going at each other, kissing and touching and a few things Stefan needed bleach to forget. He swore the two men were trying to make up for the last ten years they'd been apart.
He really wanted to find Sawyer so they could make up for the last two years.
"You all know where the guest quarters are located," John said. "I've assigned you to rooms two, three, and four. You know where the mess hall is located. Dinner is in thirty minutes. That should give you time to get settled."
"Thanks, John." Roark patted the man on the shoulder. "We really appreciate this."
"You ADF guys are always welcome. You know that."
Considering Roark helped establish the Allied Defense Forces and was one of their most fierce commanders, making sure he was welcome kind of went without saying. Anyone stupid enough to deny him hospitality might find themselves without recon soldiers to fight for them.
Stefan knew where the guest quarters were located. He'd been here before. He left everyone to their conversation and headed downstairs. He wanted a little time to himself. He kind of thought, considering more than half the world's population was gone, that there would be more opportunity to be alone, but every time he turned around, someone was there.
Stefan set his bags down on the cot in room two. There were two cots in this room so he knew he'd be sharing with someone. When Dahl walked in, Stefan knew he was right. "Hey, man, right side or left side?"
Dahl shrugged as he tossed his bag on the other bed. "I sleep on the floor, so I don't care."
Stefan's eyebrows lifted. "You don't want to sleep on a bed?"
Dahl shook his head. "Naw, man, it'd just spoil me. Next thing you know, I'd start wanting hot water and shit, and then where would I be?"
Stefan chuckled. "I hear you."
He was still sleeping on the cot.
"I'm going to grab something to eat and get some air. I'll catch up with you later." He still wanted to be alone for a little while.
Stefan slung his rifle over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. The mess hall was one floor above the guest quarters. He nodded to a few of the people he knew from previous visits, but kept going, not stopping to make conversation.
The need to be alone was eating at him, making his skin crawl. He quickly grabbed a plate of the stew they were serving for dinner then carried it upstairs. Once outside, he started to walk toward a small grouping of trees, but before he could take more than a couple of steps, one of the sentries stepped in front of him.
Stefan just stared at him.
"No one outside after dark."
"I'm just stretching my legs," Stefan said. "I've been on horseback since Denver."
Surprisingly, the guy nodded and stepped out of the way. "Stay inside the fence and away from the boundary line. One of the sentries thought he saw some movement out there earlier."
Stefan glanced toward the boundary line. It wasn't a real line, but more of an invisible one that people didn't cross until they had been acknowledged by the sentries. Crossing it without permission could get someone killed.
"Is there somewhere I can go sit out here and eat?"
