Frank was up early and had checked and cleaned three shotguns by the time the others came down. He surveyed their dark-circled eyes and sluggish movements.
‘You lot are going to be no use at all.’
‘Thanks, Dad.’
‘You can’t mess with these things.’
‘We don’t want to,’ Max pointed out.
They looked at the weapons, and they brought back horrible memories for all of them.
‘Eat some breakfast and join me up at the field,’ he ordered, gathering up the weapons and leaving them to it.
Thirty minutes later they all trailed up the track. Barb had set her jaw into a determined scowl. Max looked thoroughly miserable. Only Mary had a bounce in her step as she swung her arms and admired her yellow cardigan.
‘Take one each,’ Frank instructed.
Barb and Max stepped up and picked up the weapons.
‘And you, Mary.’
‘No, I’m not doing it.’ She smiled.
‘Yes. Everyone has to do it.’
‘No. I’ll watch.’
‘Mary …’
‘Frank.’ Her voice was steely. ‘I don’t need a gun. I will watch.’
‘Let her be. Come on, Frank. Let’s do this,’ Barb said.
She was shaking as she tried to forget wrestling with Marinda, but it was hard as the barrel of the gun pressed against the soft scab of the wound Shaw had poked just the day before.
Max wasn’t much better as he jarred his shoulder repeatedly because, try as he might, he couldn’t stop the tension in his body.
After an hour, they took a break.
‘It would be less tiring and stressful to walk there myself and shoot him,’ Frank announced in frustration.
They had mostly missed their targets, although Barb had caught the edge a couple of times.
‘Perhaps we can just frighten him.’ Max was shaken by his lack of ability. Despite hating the idea of using a gun, he had assumed it would be easy and he would be good at it.
‘I don’t think he’ll frighten that easily,’ Barb replied glumly.
Frank did frighten that easily though, and now he wondered if he was about to lose his only son again. ‘I really think I need to come with you.’
‘No.’
Before the men had a chance to argue about it, Mary intervened. ‘When I escaped from the Facility, we did it at night. Everyone was asleep, and it made it hard for them to see us.’
They all thought about it.
‘Shaw must have to sleep,’ Max pointed out. ‘Does he have helpers, or is he alone?’
‘He was alone as far as I could tell,’ Barb admitted. ‘But if he is asleep, then it’s likely that the children will be too. We’ll have to wake them up and get them ready. The power will be off for the night, so it’ll be completely dark.’
‘But you all know the Bank better than he does.’ Frank was clutching at straws.
‘The sound will travel more,’ Barb said.
‘He won’t be able to see us to shoot,’ Mary offered logically.
‘We won’t be able to see him. It could be a bloodbath, ’cause he won’t care if he shoots us all,’ Max fired back. ‘Maybe we’ll shoot better in the dark,’ he added bitterly.
Barb laid a hand on Max’s arm. ‘To be honest, I don’t think we’re going to get much better in half a day, and it’s just putting off the inevitable. We’d be better off getting this over with. If we set out now, we’ll get there tonight as it gets dark, and we can choose our moment to go in.’
It was decided.
They picked up their weapons and started the walk down the hill back to the farmhouse. It was a bright, sunny day.
‘I’ll start getting the house ready for our guests,’ Frank said. ‘Max, come and give me a hand with the top shelves.’
They walked up the stairs to Frank’s bedroom. ‘Pass down all the bedding. Doubt it will be enough. Better get the older kids to bring some bedding with them. We’ll have to see if we can go back for any of the supplies later.’
As Max moved to the door, he grabbed his arm. ‘Max, I know you don’t want any killing, but this Shaw guy … he won’t just let you walk away.’
‘I know, Dad.’
‘I mean, if you get away and he’s still alive, even if he’s wounded, he’s not going to just forget it. He might come here alone, or he might go and get his Wucker friends to come after you. Sometimes you have to give things a definite ending, not leave loose ends.’
‘You want me to be a murderer? Like you?’
‘I would never wish my nightmares on you. Believe me, I dream of that girl every single night. But I don’t want you looking over your shoulder every day for the rest of your life, wondering if Shaw is going to leap out at you. If you don’t do it, then Barb or Mary has to. One of you has to finish it.’
Max stood and looked at his father for a moment. ‘I know.’