Chapter 58

“Stop-gap measures should never be allowed to become the norm.”

History of a Changed World, Angus T. Moss

ANGUS HEAVED HIMSELF up using his walker and headed for the door. They’d chewed over the small bit of information that they had until they’d both run out of ideas. Tilly went back to checking her lists of things that needed to be done, or delegated or figured out. That list got longer every day. She was so immersed in work that the first grunt went nearly unnoticed. It was after the fact, in the silence, that she realized she’d heard a sound. The next sound made her turn off the light in her office and creep to the door. Something very wrong was going on in the kitchen. A woman whimpered. A man gasped, and Tilly heard the painfully soft thud of a body hitting the floor.

Tilly listened with all of her might. A rough voice grumbled an order. A grunt and a mumbled question answered him.

“Because if you have control of the food, everybody toes the line,” a man growled.

Tilly sucked in air, realizing she’d been holding her breath. The hallway from her office went behind the kitchen down to the back entrance of the small theatre. If she could sneak out that way, she could get help. She huddled in her office, out of sight. Would they see her? Where was Martin? Frustration and fear filled her making her second guess herself. The men didn’t know where she was. She was safe for the moment.

Tilly felt relieved and guilty that whoever got shot wasn’t Eunice. She needed her. But that meant someone else had been shot and possibly killed. Her mouth went dry, and her heart beat hard. She didn’t want to think about who it might be, but her mind started ticking off people. It had been long enough that Angus should be in his office. At this time of night only the kitchen workers should be around. Martin should be doing a round of the guards.

Someone started sobbing, but Tilly didn’t think it sounded like Eunice. She waited to hear voices, the Watch responding to the gunshot, but no one came. Were they dead? Had these usurpers already killed the Watch? That was the last straw pushing Tilly over from fear to outrage. No one invaded her castle and got away with it. She crawled over to her desk. As quietly as possible, she opened the drawer and removed a key. Then she scooted over to the small lockbox hidden behind the sofa. She pulled out the gun and ammunition, loading it with practiced efficiency. It had been years since she’d handled a weapon, but it all came back too easily.

The weight of the gun in her hand gave her false bravery. She crept down the hallway listening with all her might. Someone had half closed the door into the kitchen. Tilly leaned against the wall and listened. The woman crying sounded like Mary. Groans were coming from a low position, someone on the floor, most likely the person who’d been shot. From the sound of the voice, it was a man. With Eunice, that made three people, but she knew there could be a few more in there.

She peered in the doorway, but the sharp angle showed her the edge of a worktable and a bloody smear on the floor. The next door down went into the dish room. It ran the length of the kitchen, from hallway to cafeteria, and would give her a clear view of the room. And thankfully, the light in the dish room was out. She slipped past the door and hurried to the next one.

Tilly recognized Joshua’s voice. He must have come down with Mary. He rarely worked in the kitchen, but Tilly was glad for his level head in this situation.

Tilly crawled into the dish room and peeked over the counter between the dish racks into the empty cafeteria. Past the tables and chairs, a man’s body lay sprawled by the exit to the main corridor. She couldn’t tell who it was, or if he was still alive. Anyone walking by would see him. She hoped that meant help was on the way, but this late at night, few people would be out.

She silently moved over to the hatch into the kitchen, but used bowls and utensils blocked her view. Tilly had to find a slot to peer through. What she saw made her blood boil. Three strangers, one had a gun, the other two had long, wicked-looking knives in their hands. Directly across from her, the man with the gun stood with his back to the big industrial stove where he could see the whole room. At his feet lay Jack, his shirt so bloody she couldn’t tell where he’d been wounded. Joshua was to his right near the entrance into the cafeteria. One of the men armed with a knife stood guard on him. Joshua had his arms around Mary who sniffled, her face pressed against his shirt. To the gunman’s left, Eunice stood behind a work table, the other raider watching her. She looked nervous but not frightened. Her eyes ranged the room, searching for a way out of the situation, Tilly supposed. It took a few passes before Eunice’s brain registered what her eyes had seen. She blinked, then locked her eyes on Tilly.

Tilly gave a tiny nod, worried that any motion might attract attention. Eunice looked down, then repositioned the heavy wooden cutting board in front of her. She shot a glance to her left where the man with the knife stood. Her eyes moved to Joshua, who had all his attention on Mary. Then she looked back and gave Tilly an answering nod. She cleared her throat which caught everyone’s attention.

Eunice gave an exaggerated sigh tipping her head in an odd manner. Tilly waited patiently until Joshua looked over at her. He kissed Mary on the top of the head and smoothed her hair using the motion to push her back a step.

“What are you doing?” the gunman barked, aiming at Joshua who stepped in front of Mary.

Her hand rose as if of its own volition. Other instincts took over, aiming, bracing the gun. The loud report startled Tilly. She hadn’t realized she’d pulled the trigger. The intruder went down. Eunice swung the heavy cutting board catching her guard in the throat with the edge. Joshua took the other one down with a roundhouse kick.