It's been a week since Troy gave us the order.
Just five of us—myself, plus four soldiers—were tasked to head out to one of the most important sites our boss owns: the largest orphanage he built, located somewhere deep in Virginia.
Troy said it himself: "Protect it at all costs. The boss said there are only a few adults there. It could fall fast if something goes wrong."
And yeah… I took that seriously.
Still, the journey was rough. Roads were clogged with abandoned vehicles. We even saw some people—if you could call them that—walking slowly like their bones didn't work right.
Some of the army patrols we passed by started opening fire on them. One of my men tried to intervene—thinking they were innocent. We held him back.
"Troy said don't get involved," I reminded him. "Focus on the mission."
Was it the right thing to do? I don't know.
But I do know that I'd rather be punished by the boss than by Troy. The boss—Marcus Walt—is strict but fair. Troy? That man's punishment has a bite.
I kept quiet during most of the trip, but my thoughts ran wild. The world was falling apart. We'd seen enough—people biting each other, the police failing to contain it…
Even my men—tough as they were—were shaken. I saw it in their eyes. Confusion, and fear. We weren't trained for this.
But Marcus prepared everything. And I trust his judgment more than anyone.
We were sent with a year's worth of supplies, medical kits, fuel, and ammunition, and I had a satellite radio just in case things went sideways.
"This orphanage will be a future safe zone," Troy had said. "The boss knows."
Now, I saw the treeline shifting as we rolled into the forest road.
"We're close," I muttered.
The road narrowed into a single path, winding past tall oak trees. The deeper we went, the more I realized—this place was perfect. Hidden, and isolated.
Then I saw it.
A walled compound with a metal gate, surrounded by a 5-meter-high concrete perimeter wall. No signs of panic. No bodies. Just silence.
"Place looks untouched," one of my men said.
I nodded.
"Good. Means we're early."
One of my men walked to the gate intercom and radioed in.
"This is Aiden Doll, we're from the Florida convoy—Marcus Walt sent us!"
There was silence for a moment… then a mechanical whirr. The gate slowly creaked open.
A group of adults stepped out. I counted 15 in total—5 women, 10 men—armed with blunt weapons: bats, pipes, and crowbars. Makeshift gear.
One of the women stepped forward. Mid-30s, tightly tied hair, sharp but tired eyes.
"I'm Ms. Dana Robins," she said. "Head caretaker here."
I saluted her casually.
"Jack Hall. Sent by Marcus. We're here to reinforce and protect the orphanage."
Her face relaxed. Several of the adults behind her let out sighs of relief.
"Did you bring supplies?" one of the men asked hopefully.
"Plenty," I said. "We're parked just outside. Give us a hand unloading."
"Thank God," he whispered.
We motioned for our convoy to pull in. Gates closed behind us.
The compound was larger than I expected.
There were two main buildings, made of reinforced wood and stone, each two stories tall. Around them, a few storage sheds, a communal kitchen, gardening plots, and an open courtyard with a playground.
Kids peeked out from windows. Some ran across the courtyard, stopping to stare at us.
"How many kids?" I asked Dana.
"A hundred and fifty-five," she replied.
I looked around. The children varied in age—from toddlers barely old enough to walk, to teenagers already hardened by life. Some wore hand-me-downs. Others had bandages and bruises—likely from the chaos outside before arriving here.
"Where are they from?" I asked.
"All over," she said. "Many of them are orphans from Marcus's programs across Virginia. A few were abandoned recently when this whole thing started."
"He saved all of them," I murmured.
She nodded slowly.
"We owe him everything."
This was why I followed Marcus.
I looked back at my soldiers unloading crates of food, water, medicine. The adults already organizing distribution.
If this place holds… it could be something special.
After unloading the supplies, I approached Dana as the sun began dipping behind the treeline.
"We need to start setting up watchtowers," I told her.
She didn't argue. She just nodded, already understanding what had to be done.
With her help and a few of the adults and teens, we managed to build two basic wooden watchtowers by nightfall. They weren't fancy, but they gave us elevation and line of sight. It was enough—for now.
As I stood atop one of them, looking out into the dark forest, I realized the next thing I had to do.
We need more people trained to fight.
We only had five soldiers—including myself. Add Dana and her 14 other adults, and maybe a handful of older teens? Our numbers were just enough to hold for a short while. But it wouldn't be enough in the long run.
That's when I made the decision.
"I'm going to start training the teenagers," I told Dana.
She hesitated.
"They're just kids."
"So were we," I said quietly. "If they can hold a rifle, they can protect themselves."
Deep down, I knew Marcus might be angry if he found out. He always cared about orphans—people like us. He built this place to give them peace.
But peace is over.
And Troy? I'm sure he'd agree with me. He's practical. He knows what needs to be done to survive.
So I gathered the teens the next morning and started organizing them. Some were hesitant. Some were terrified. But a few… a few had the look. The same look we had when we were young.
With five soldiers, 15 adults, and now some teenagers joining training, our fighting force would slowly grow to over 30.
And it had to.
With that done, I climbed back up the watchtower, pulled out the satellite radio, and began to report back to Marcus. My voice steady.
"This is Jack Hall. We've secured the Virginia orphanage. Perimeter fortified. Two watchtowers up. Supplies delivered. Training initiated. Over."
I took a deep breath and leaned back, watching the stars above.
Whatever comes next… we'll be ready.
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Bonus Chapter !!
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