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The Waters’ Homestead

Outside Ellisville, VA

“Get theht now, Jason!”

Despite the intense co his level best to follow his mother’s instructions and keep an eye out thefor any intruders By the tih, Mark was on thehis way toward the kitchen and, fros went off just before he crossed the threshold froh, and thus he was the only person inside the house to be spared froht In the several second timespan bethen he heard Tina’s frantic shout and when the roup who saw everything that transpired

Jason’s grip on Jacob and Josie was precarious, and between his injury and the intensity of the flashbangs, he only ht blinded hi at the wall for purchase He stumbled backwards down the stairs into the base himself around at the last second, and came to rest on his rear end at the very bottom of the staircase

Meanwhile, as Jason was trying to keep fro to open the basement door all the way Jason’s rasp knocked her off-balance, though, and she tripped forward down the stairs, but she ed to stop herself just a few steps down

Even as the ringing in Mark’s ears—which was still far less than the rest of the group suffered—was still echoing strongly, he could hear the faint shouts of the men outside the porch as they started a brief countdown to fully breach the door and enter the ho toward his brother and sister only to find hi pulled to the side just as he was about to reach therabbed hied hi the basement door shut

“Let et back to his brother and sister and htened as she pulled hi her other hand around his mouth to quiet him down

“You hear that? They’re in the house! They’re not shooting, though, whichto take prisoners” Tina whirled Mark around and he gulped nervously as he saw her wild-eyed expression The ferocious, tenacious, unchained and unrestrained Tina Carson was on full display The thin coating of sanity she had kept up ever since being rescued was gone and in its place was a wo stand in her way “If they’re being taken prisoner, then we have to escape so that we can mount a rescue”

“But Jac—”

“Mark, if you want to save them, you have to trustat her “If they wanted the you, our best—no, our only—chance is to not let them find us We have to move, now!” Tina’s hissed words didn’t make sense to Mark, but he was too numb to think much of them The ferocity and intenseness displayed by Tina moved him to follow her instructions, and he and Jason fell in line behind her as she ran past the hydroponics and toward the double doors leading down into the tunnel

Upstairs, the cloan to spread out across the house as thefor anyone else Tina pulled open one of the thick doors down into the tunnel with a grunt, then grabbed a flashlight sitting nearby on the floor “Quick,” she said, pointing at a handful of guns and cases of arab asto need whatever we can take!” Jason and Mark filled their arms and just a few seconds later they dropped down the stairs into the tunnel and Tina pulled the door shut behind them With handles on both the inside and outside of the double doors, Tina grabbed a nearby piece of lu the doors and ensuring no one could follow them She then turn

ed and jogged down the tunnel with Jason and Mark in hot pursuit

With nothing but a few randoht and a couple crates of miscellaneous ammunition to their names, Mark had no idea how they could possibly mount a rescue operation for Sarah and his family Hiswho-knehat done to the and preparation and the recent lessons learned since the event, Mark was lost without a clue of what to do How could a wizened woainst a group like the one that had repeatedly attacked them and won?

Mark closed his eyes, shook his head and continued walking forward Somehow, they would find a way

Somehow