Two hours later, Doug and Lisa met near the edge of the compound wall. They sat atop the wooden railing of one of the turrets overlooking the grassy fields below. There were hundreds of tents spread across the expansive lawn, each occupied by a different family. Several dozen armed men and women guarded the perimeter of the property, keeping watch from every possible angle.

Above them, clouds covered the sun and rain threatened to fall any second. A cold wind blew across the field, sending waves of goosebumps racing along Doug's arms and legs.

Lisa pointed to main gate of the estate. "There they are. Those are the guys I chose to join you. Looks like six of 'em."

Doug peered closer. Sure enough, there were six burly men standing near the entrance of the compound. Each carried a rifle slung over their shoulders, which rested against their backs. Two of them stood slightly apart from the others, watching Doug and Lisa intently as they approached. Their expressions remained neutral, neither hostile nor welcoming.

The men were pretty well equipped. In addition to their rifles and bulletproof vests that Doug had chosen from the armory, each man wore a simple leather belt around his waist containing a handgun, extra ammunition clips and a dagger.

One of them stepped forward as soon as Doug and Lisa approached.

"Who are you?" He asked gruffly.

Doug held out a hand and introduced himself, "Hi, my name is Doug Carlton. And I believe you know Lisa."

Both of the men grunted at his words, but didn't reply. Instead, they motioned towards the gates. "Let's move." One of them ordered. "We're losing daylight."

Were these guys in the military before the Rapture? They seem all business, and no chatter.

Doug followed them back into the courtyard. As they walked past rows of tents, he saw children running wild among the adults; mothers desperately attempting to calm crying babies while fathers tended to injured friends. A young boy ran ahead of them towards a tent that was partially collapsed. He scrambled inside, emerging seconds later carrying a large stack of blankets.

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Before long, they arrived at the Mansions massive 4-car garage. Three guards stood guard beside them, but unlike the previous ones, these three were younger, and less intimidating. One of them was a teenager wearing baggy pants and a faded T-shirt with holes in it. The other two were middle aged men who both wore thick jackets despite the warm weather. All three were armed with pistols, although Doug noticed that each of them kept their weapon holstered as they waited patiently.

Inside the garage, four vehicles were parked neatly next to each other: a black SUV, an RV camper van, a pick-up truck, and a small sports car. Most of the cars were heavily damaged, with dents and scratches covering their exteriors. Some of them were missing doors entirely, and most of them sported cracked windshields.

Doug surveyed the scene silently for a minute, taking note of all the damage done to these fine automobiles. Finally, he cleared his throat loudly and addressed the group.

"Okay men! Here's the plan!" He announced enthusiastically, "This is our chance to take back what belongs to us! I've located the camp where a group of lowlifes have hidden the food they ransacked from homes in our community."

A chorus of approval rose up from the gathered crowd.

"Good!" One of the older men yelled. "Do it! Kill them and let's eat tonight!"

Doug shook his head, "No, no. We'll do nothing of the sort. If we attack them directly, we risk getting caught up in a turf war. Or worse yet, we might accidentally start shooting at each other and end up killing somebody. Which brings me to my point, we should avoid direct conflict whenever possible."

He paused briefly, waiting for silence before continuing. "Instead, we'll sneak in under cover of darkness. With luck, we won't encounter anybody. Once we locate the food, we'll load it up and get out of there. No bloodshed necessary."

His words appeared to placate his audience. After several moments passed without any objections, Doug decided it was safe enough to continue.

"Now here's another thing," He said seriously, "I don't want anyone dying on my account today."

All eyes turned towards him immediately. For once, Doug felt uncomfortable speaking in front of so many strangers, but after seeing how serious everyone else was acting he figured it wasn't worth backing down. Besides, they needed to hear what he had to say.

"These men are going to accompany me to the camp where the food is stored," Doug explained, "but when we arrive, I'm ordering them not to engage anyone unless absolutely necessary. I want everybody to stay behind me, keep your hands away from your guns and follow my lead."

Several heads bobbed vigorously in agreement.

Doug smiled reassuringly at them, "You've got this! Now let's go!"

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