Free The Army Comes Calling by Darrell Maloney

above for bringing each of you into my life.”
         They still weren’t buying it.
         “Now with that being said, I’d like to move on to my next item of discussion. I’d like to continue to keep half of the livestock and half of our seed stores in the mine indefinitely, and we’ll need everyone’s help to make that happen.”
         The groan emanated from the back of the room again, this time accompanied by several “I knew it…” glances.
         John ignored them and went on.
         “I felt that the time I spent with Colonel Montgomery was productive. I learned a lot about what’s going on in the world, and specifically about the dire circumstances in San Antonio and Bexar County.
         “And I got the impression that Colonel Montgomery, although a bit gruff, is a good and decent man. Yes, we got off to a rocky start. But now I feel we can trust him when he says he won’t ask anything else of us.
         “However…”
         One of the best things that made John an excellent security manager was his ability to second guess his own estimations. He was his own devil’s advocate.
         “However, even though I consider myself an excellent judge of character, I am not flawless to that regard. Flawless in every other way, sure, but not in that one.”
         There were a couple of guffaws and a lot of smiles. The mood in the room overall was joyful, since everyone thought they’d dodged a bullet when the Army didn’t cause trouble for them.
         “I could be wrong about Montgomery. I doubt it, but one thing I’m not willing to do is to gamble the rest of our livestock and seeds. If we bring everything back into the compound, and then the Army returns and is able to take over the place, then we’ve lost it all.
         “And if that happened because I was hoodwinked by Montgomery, I’d never be able to look any of you in the eyes again.
         “Before I open it up for discussion, let me give you a second reason I’m advocating this.
         “Even if Montgomery is honest and forthright, he still has to answer to higher authority. Granted, a bird colonel is pretty high in the food chain. But he’s still got a general he reports to. So even if his intentions are good, he can still be overruled and ordered to come back in and take our stuff.
         “And those of you who have served in the Army know how bad they are about constantly changing their minds and shifting directions.
         “Okay, now it’s your turn to tell me I’m an overcautious nervous Nellie.”
         Brad stood and spoke.
         “Well, you’re right. You are a nervous Nellie. In this instance, though, I agree with you. But I’d like to hear more details about what you’re proposing before I give your idea my vote.”
         “Quite simply, I’m proposing that the livestock in the mine stay there. Forever. Same with the seeds that are there. And new animals that are born there will live out their lives in the mine. That way, six months from now, or even six years from now, they’re still safe if the Army changes its mind.”
         Sami asked, “What about the animals that are in the compound?”
         “We’ll leave them there. The Army already knows we have them. If they showed up and they were gone, they’d demand to know where they went. And in all likelihood, they wouldn’t stop searching until they found them.
         “But by leaving them there, if they ever do come back, they’ll likely just take the ones in the compound and leave us in peace. They’ll think we have nothing else to give them, and hopefully they’ll leave us alone.”
         Sarah, one of the most kind-hearted of the bunch, said, “I don’t know, John. I see what you’re saying. And it makes sense. But put yourself in the animals’ shoes. How would you like it if you never saw the sunshine, or the stars at night? If you never got to munch on fresh grass, or to