Abby wiped sweat off her neck and paused for a moment in the hot sun. She and Janey were loading the last of the rifles, and Abby had been particularly impressed with the cache of HK416s that Janey had, somehow, managed to acquire.

A moment later, Janey came trotting around the corner and Abby almost couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Okay, spill – how the heck did you get one of those?”

“Ha,” said Janey. “Don’t ask, don’t tell! Give me a hand here, will ya, and stop gawking.” Between the two of them, they lifted the M2 Browning into the truck bed.

She’d nearly reached the top of the hill, one of the tallest in the entire camp. Truthfully, she wasn’t completely sure where the legal boundaries were located but she guessed that it didn’t matter much anymore. Most of the trees were cedars, but there was one majestic oak that stood out. Swinging a rope over the lowest branch, just out of her reach, Abby began to climb.

Obtaining her goal after several minutes, Abby hooked one leg around the branch upon which she was sitting. She pulled a pair of binoculars out of her pack and began to survey as far as she could see, starting with the space closest to her.