The next day went by without incident, yet the tension among those living inside the Mission was palpable. Sara was still livid with Jacob for starting the signal fire in the first place, and Sawyer spent the day walking the compound on high alert, the Mossberg locked and loaded. He had not been able to extinguish the fire, but it had eventually died out, and now they could do little but wait. More than anything, Sawyer feared that the smoke would bring some form of danger to their doorstep, and on the evening of the second day, he noticed a thin plume of white smoke rising a short distance away. At that moment, he knew that someone had indeed answered Jacob’s call, and he ran straight back to find Sara inside the main house.
Jacob was already standing beside his daughter when Sawyer arrived, and by the wide, smug smile on the man’s face, Sawyer could see that he had already told her the news. Jacob looked over at Sawyer and smirked.
“Ah, Sawyer. I am sure that you have seen that we will soon have a guest, or possibly guests.”
Sawyer walked over and stared into Jacob’s face. Mason was standing beside Jacob, and he stepped away.
“Guests? For all we know, whoever is out there came here to kill all of us. They’re sure as hell not guests. You’ve risked all of our lives, Jacob, and for what reason?”
Sara could see the vein on her father’s forehead beginning to pulse, and she jumped in before he could reply.
“Sawyer is right. We don’t know anything about who is out there yet; we need to be careful until we know what they want.”
Jacob snorted.
“I know exactly what they want. They want to make contact, and I am going to be the one to give it to them. Come on, Mason. It is time to go.”
Sara and Sawyer stood shoulder to shoulder, Sawyer’s mouth clenched shut, Sara’s open and moving fast.
“What are you talking about? Mason is not going out there. Neither should you.”
Sara reached out and took Mason by the hand. The boy stepped next to her and hung his head. Jacob raised his voice and pointed to the column of smoke.
“If they wanted to kill us, why would they let us know they are here? Why would they set another signal fire?”
Sara opened her mouth to answer, but Jacob would not listen.
“Now come with me, Mason. We are going out there right now.”
Jacob reached out to grab Mason by the arm, but Sawyer quickly stepped in between them and gently pushed the boy back toward Sara.
“Mason isn’t going anywhere, Jacob. If you want to risk your own life, then go ahead and do it, but you aren’t taking him outside of this compound.”
Jacob glared at Sawyer for a moment before he spoke. His teeth were clenched tight.
“So, is that how it is? You speak for everyone now, Sawyer? Well, we will see how long that lasts. Get out of my way. You don’t speak for me, and I am going out there—alone, if I have to.”
Jacob brushed past them and headed outside of the compound without saying another word. Mason stood watching him go in silence, one eyelid twitching, his hands clasped tightly. Sawyer could see that the boy was upset, but he turned his attention to Sara, who was also trying hard to control her emotions. Still, Sawyer knew exactly what was on her mind. He put his hand on her shoulder.
“You think that your father is going to get himself killed out there. Don’t you?”
Sara nodded her head.
“Yes, but he won’t listen to me. He won’t listen to anyone.”
Sawyer sighed.
“Do you want me to go with him?”
Sara thought for a moment, then shook her head.
“No. If he wants to risk his life, that’s his choice.”
She wrapped her arms around Sawyer and buried her head in his chest. Her voice was soft and quiet.
“I just hope he comes back.”
Sawyer squeezed her tight.
“He will. Your father’s a tough bastard; I’m sure he’ll be back sooner than you think.”
A half hour later, Sawyer was proven correct; Jacob returned to the Mission unharmed and smiling. Sara tried not to seem relieved, but she ran over to her father and began to ask questions.
“So, what happened? How many were there? What did they say?”
Jacob looked at Sara and raised one eyebrow.
“I thought that you weren’t interested in our guests? Or has Sawyer changed both of your minds so quickly?”
Sara ignored his taunt.
“I haven’t changed my mind about anything. We just want to know what happened.”
“Well, in that case, I can only tell you that there are three of them, two men and a woman, and they are unarmed and hungry. Starving, even. I only spoke to the woman. Her name was Rebekah. We made plans to speak again tomorrow morning.”
Sara raised an eyebrow.
“That’s it? They didn’t tell you where they’re from or why they came here?”
“No, Sara. I am sure we will find all of that out in due time. Now, if you are done with the questions, there are preparations that must be addressed.”
Sara sighed and smiled over at her father.
“To be honest, I’m just really glad that you’re OK.”
Jacob raised both eyebrows.
“Is that right? I wish I could believe you, Sara, but most of the time, it seems quite obvious that you couldn’t care less about what happens to me. I am not sure why today would be any different.”
Jacob turned and walked away, leaving Sara speechless as he disappeared up the stairs. Mason followed the man, and Sawyer stepped over to Sara and shook his head.
“It sucks that your father treats you like that, Sara. Let me know if you want me to adjust his attitude, if you know what I mean.”
Sara shrugged.
“No. I’m over it. Besides, we need to talk about what’s going on, not how much of an ass my father is.”
Sawyer rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.
“Well, if those people really are starving, then we can’t just turn them away. We have to do something to help them, but I need to talk to your father first. I’ll come find you afterwards.”
He kissed her goodbye and found Jacob carrying a box of bedding out of the main house. Sawyer stood and watched him without a word, waiting for him to say something first. Finally, Jacob stopped and looked over at him.
“What do you want? I am busy here.”
Sawyer stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Tell me that you are not actually planning to bring those people inside here, Jacob. This is something we all need to talk about. Whether they’re hungry or not, we can’t take that risk.”
Jacob set the box on the ground.
“I am simply planning for all potential contingencies, Sawyer. I would think that a mind like yours would appreciate that. Obviously, I will know more after I speak with them again tomorrow.”
“You mean after ‘we’ speak with them again tomorrow. I’ve changed my mind. I’m going with you.”
Jacob stared at Sawyer for several seconds. He was thinking. He smiled.
“Good. I am glad to see that you are finally coming around. Now, if you will step aside.”
Sawyer did not move.
“I’m not done talking to you, Jacob. You need to understand that you don’t make the decisions around here alone. Even if they are starving, if you think that you can just bring those people inside here without any discussion, then you’ve lost your mind.”
Jacob set the box down on the ground.
“Oh, my mind is just fine, boy. It’s like a steel trap.”
Sawyer thought for a long moment about what he should say next. He swallowed hard.
“Look, I agree they may deserve help, but we don’t have enough food and supplies to support three strangers for any length of time. I say we give them what we can spare and send them on their way. Anything more than that is a mistake.”
Jacob laughed out loud.
“What do you know about mistakes, boy? Nothing! Is it such a mistake to want to start over, Sawyer? To begin a new chapter, to make up for the mistakes that we made in the past? You don’t know a thing about mistakes, or you would have never fallen in love with my daughter. I don’t care that you grew up here. I was here at the Mission first, this is my family, and I never asked for your help. This is not a democracy, and as long as I am alive, this is my Mission, not yours. If I want to bring these people inside, I will bring them inside. This is just the beginning, Sawyer. You can be a part of it, or you can simply walk away. That is up to you.”
They stood facing each other for another few seconds before Sawyer realized that there was no use negotiating with Jacob, and there was no chance he was going to walk away.
“All right. But if these people do even one thing to hurt a single hair on either Sara’s or Mason’s head, I’m holding you personally responsible. Do you understand me, Jacob? One goddamn hair, and you’ll see what I’m really capable of.”
Jacob opened his mouth to respond, but Sawyer’s posture reminded him of a viper coiled before the strike, and the man thought better of it. Instead, he simply nodded and picked up the box.
“Are we done, Sawyer?”
Sawyer shook his head.
“No, Jacob. We both know that we’re not done, not by a long shot. Just remember what I said, and I’ll see you in the morning.”