AARON The cafeteria was loud with voices. Dozens of people talked at once, trading stories, rumors, and advice they believed might help them survive this new world. The noise rolled over me like a wave. It still shocked me how easily people could ignore the cannons firing somewhere in the distance. Every few minutes awareness snapped back into place. Either I had forgotten about the guns again, or they had stopped for a short while. Each time I noticed them, my stomach tightened, already waiting for the next blast. A tray of middle school food rested in my hands as I walked to our table. I set it down in front of Lucas and Elena. Others were already there, bent over half eaten meals, speaking in low voices. Two seats stayed empty. Elliot and Marcus Hale were still in the field hospital set up in the classroom wing of the building. Seeing those empty spots made my chest feel tight, even while I tried to stay calm. Seraphina surprised me by being there. With both men in surgery, I expected her to be waiting in the hall outside their rooms. Instead, she sat stiffly at the table, pushing food across her plate without eating it. The look on her face told me she was not really present. A quiet thought crept in that maybe someone had convinced her to sit with us so she would not be alone with her fear. Lucas felt none of that weight. He made happy sounds while biting the heads off his dinosaur chicken nuggets. Laughter bubbled out of him as he held up the chewed remains for Nathan to see.Nathan waited until the other adults were distracted, then copied him, grinning wide. The sight pulled a small laugh from me. My hand reached out and ruffled Lucas’s hair. “Want some barbecue sauce, buddy?” I asked. “Yes please,” he said, talking through a mouthful of food. Elena leaned toward him. “Lucas, swallow before you talk.” The school setting played tricks on my mind. The bland food, unchanged since my own childhood, and the press of people in one space made the world feel lighter. Hope slipped in without asking. Maybe things really were improving. Maybe the military was finally getting control of the situation. This entire area was locked down tight. The airport sat just down the road, and between there and here stood thousands of soldiers with heavy equipment. None of them had threatened us. Nobody tried to take our supplies. No one hurt my family. The opposite had happened. Elliot was getting surgery that would likely save his life. Shrapnel near his artery was being removed. Doctors were working on Marcus Hale’s eyes, trying to repair the damage. That mattered. It meant something. The army had told us we could not continue on to Highland State yet. The bridge we needed to cross was still held by insurgent forces, though they promised it would be cleared soon. Waiting here felt reasonable. It felt safe. Believing that the government was stepping back into its role brought a strange comfort. Soldiers even allowed civilian vehicles to recharge using a portable fusion reactor.That small kindness carried a lot of weight. I sat beside Elena. Her hand slipped into mine while she spoke with Seraphina. The warmth of her palm sent my heart racing. A quiet hope rose up. Maybe she knew now. Maybe she believed I had always been faithful. Maybe our marriage was healing. A smile spread across my face before I could stop it. She returned it, smaller but real. That alone felt like progress. Conversation drew me in. Elena talked, Seraphina slowly opening up, her shoulders easing as words flowed. Color returned to her face, as if she could forget, just for a moment, where her husband was. Social people needed other people. That truth felt obvious now. A thought lingered at the edge of my mind.Staying here might be smarter than pushing on into Highland State. Her parents had a house there, but no one knew its condition. No one knew if they were even alive. Saying that out loud could shatter the fragile calm. I kept it to myself. Panic still burned fresh from earlier, when similar thoughts about my own parents and siblings had nearly crushed me. This place felt solid. Soldiers would stay as long as the bridge needed protection. Bridges did not move. That meant safety stayed close. Elena coughed softly into her hand, then rested it back on mine. The sound of artillery returned, or maybe I simply noticed it again. Dust drifted down from the ceiling tiles, floating in sunlight pouring through the high windows. An attack here would be madness.Those massive guns made that clear. If the unit ever moved, we could follow. The Mobile Hauler gave us that option. Old history lessons surfaced in my mind. Groups had followed armies before, living near them for protection, offering services, surviving in their shadow. If it worked then, it could work now. There was no reason we could not do the same.