Chapter 14 "the Villarreal's"

We were just a normal couple we served in the Military with the Marines. My wife was a nurse and I was a Sargent. I got injured during the war and that's when I met my beautiful wife. She was the beautiful nurse that helped me get better.

Not to long after the war, I proposed to my wife. And then after that we were married. We have been married for 40 years and they have been beautiful. After finishing our terms in the Military we moved to the small town and tried for years to have kids, but unfortunately after 3 miscarriages we were told that we wouldn't be able to kids ever. And we were fine with that, as we grew older the neighborhood kids became our kids. Hannah and Hunter became our kids. Their parents don't really take care of them since they were about 5 years old we would see them roaming around the streets and we asked them to come on over to have some dinner, and well since then they have been out unofficial foster kids.

Every so often we would have them come over spend the night and take them out to eat or even take them to buy them some clothes. I know it sounds weird but it was helping them have some adults around to teach them right from wrong and it helped us learn more or less what it was like to have kids.

Since have been retired we spend our time helping the local police department as well as the school. Sometimes my wife will go and fill in for the school nurse. While some years she is the school nurse. And I was the police chief for a few years but then I passed it on to Mr. Sanchez. It was a lot on me as I got older. And I was perfectly fine passing it on to a younger version of myself.

After finally getting used to the retired life we met Ms. Vanessa. She was a sweetheart. When she came into town she minded her business and didn't get into the town gossip. When we got a call saying that my wife needed to go and asses her and her baby because she was injured and that's all they told us. All I could think was "How could she have injured herself and her baby?" When my wife arrived, Vanessa had been badly beaten. When we learned that her ex had done that to her, we couldn't let that happen again. So we took it upon ourselves to stay with her and make sure she was safe. Even after little Isaiah was born we stayed over to help her with him.

Our small town was a family so it was so hard to learn that a Military fuck up destroyed our home. That day the misses and I were outside enjoying the fresh air like we always do, when we decided to go for a walk. Well that was a bad decision, because that's when we felt the ground shake. We didn't know what it was so we just decided to run and take cover. We ran for the Salinas' house to take cover and then we get smacked with the water out of no where.

I am holding down my wife trying to protect her with my body and just as fast as this wave came was as fast that the water went down. We compose ourselves and make our way to the streets to maybe figure out what the hell had just happened.

That's when we heard screaming. We followed the sounds and we see Mr. Sanchez under a car. I am trying as much as I can to lift the car off of him but it just to hard. We hear some voices coming our way and my wife calls out for help and that's when we see Vanessa and Iris and the kids coming to help.

We went from living somewhat of a quiet normal life to being on the run. I'm getting to old for this. That is why I wanted to go out first. Now I have to live with the fact that Iris sacrificed herself to save all of us. Since that night I have been having nightmares about that. I replay little Gracie's face as she realizes that her mom is dead.

Now I am doing all that I can to make sure that we all make it out alive. I have to so that way the kids have someone to be with. Being in the new safe house doesn't make me feel anymore safe then when we were in the last one. But we have to make the best of it. Tomorrow I am going to train everyone on the best combat fighting that I can remember from the Marines.

We have to be mentally and physically prepared for anything. I hope we won't have to fight but that is definitely a possibility.

"Sweetheart, You have to get some sleep. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow." My wife tells me as we lay here in bed.

"I know my love I know. I will. I just have a lot on my mind. I don't want anything to happen to you." I say as I move over to face her and stroke her cheek.

"Honey haven't I proven over and over again that I can handle myself. But I will promise you that I will take all your training seriously and protect you and everyone else. We have to be good and make sure that we are all reunited with the kids." She says as she leans in to give me a kiss.

"Sweetheart, I will protect you with my life. I know you can handle yourself, I just don't want you to get hurt. I don't think that I can live this life without you. We have been together to long for it to end over something stupid. So please sweetheart take care of yourself and take this training serious. It's going to be hard for people our age but we have to make the best of it and survive." I say.

"We will survive. Now go to sleep I love you and Good night my love."

"Good night beautiful."