We were not alone.

That was definitely a human huddled there in the bushes at our tree line. I kept the drone in a high-altitude hover and just watched and tried to think. With the drone up at that altitude you couldn’t hear it on the ground so we had a temporary advantage; but battery would quickly become an issue and I needed a better approach.

I cast the display to the big screen and the women all stopped and stared at what I was seeing. As we watched the heat signature on the screen split in two and the larger of the figures moved up to the very edge of the line and appeared to stare in our direction. We now had two humans out there and they appeared to be small ones.

They joined together again after a minute, and I assumed they were protecting against the cold of the night. I began to suspect that they might not be adults.

I announced quietly to the ladies, “I think they are waiting for us to go to sleep so they can come scrounge for food.”

Matilda nodded in agreement.

“What if they want to hurt us?” Sonya said.

Michelle simply looked at her and said, “We’re armed.”

I let that alone for a minute and then recalled the drone, I had the start of a plan.

*****

The drone returned to base and I invited them all to sit with me at the table.

I said, “I think they are cold and hungry and hiding for whatever reason. I think we should bring them in.”

Sonya wasn’t for that but Matilda and Michelle sided with me; I started to lay out my plan. Surprisingly even Sonya went for it in the end, so we got down to work.

I put fresh batteries in the drone and moved its base to the top of Michelle’s horse trailer, I positioned it so that the camera was looking across the pasture to the location of our intruders. Powering the drone up I could zoom in to pick them up on infrared again, the battery would drain here but much slower than if it was in flight.

Sonya sat at the table and kept watch on them while the rest of us finished the setup. I retrieved my A2 and M1911 out of the gun safe. I kept the A2 with me, I gave the M1911 to Matilda and my pump shotgun to Michelle. Sonya got the double barrel just in case of a true emergency. We spoke quietly while we did all this and tried to stay out of view.

With the weapons distributed I moved the big screen and Sonya back into the camper; Mila went with her. Michelle took Brin and disappeared into our tent. Matilda put Kordi in her tent and then started banking the campfire. She left the stew pot hanging over the banked coals and also left the dutch oven out with the bread in it: lidded but out where our visitors could get to them. I faded back into the bushes with the drone controller so I could keep watch; the camp was shut down and mostly dark.

After that we just waited. And we waited. And waited.

We waited almost three hours before there was movement again. I launched the drone straight up to silent altitude; the girls could hear it go up so they knew things were starting.

I told the drone to hold position and I locked the camera on to our visitors, this was a preprogrammed function and it worked well. Sonya and I were watching the progress on our respective screens and we watch them pick their way slowly across the pasture. They took a wide berth around the corral and came to the edge of the camp, they waited there a while.

The banked fire gave off hardly a glow and I couldn’t make out much more than that they were small and very skinny. They moved to the fire pit, the larger of the two swung the stew pot out from over the coals and removed the lid. They both started eating from the pot with their hands. They ate ravenously.

A few minutes later Matilda emerged quietly from her tent carrying two blankets and two bowls, she was within ten feet of them when they finally noticed her and froze. Matilda kept walking and held the bowls out to them, I thought they might bolt. There was a moment of a tension.

The smaller of the two tentatively reached out, took the bowls and filled them from the stew pot. Matilda was closer to them now and held out the blankets, the larger of the two took the blankets and draped one over each of them. At that point Matilda simply walked up, stuck a spoon in each of the bowls and then turned and unbanked the fire. She put the kettle on and fetched them chunks of bread from the dutch oven.

Matilda went back to stoking the fire while our visitors ate, they ate slowly and cautiously now but they ate.

Michelle and Brin joined them next sitting down across the fire from them while Brin walked over and gave them a sniff, he licked each one of them; they were completely frozen until he went to Matilda to beg for more food.

Sonya showed up next bringing cups for the tea and Mila with her, Mila repeated Brin’s actions and then laid down on her blanket. I guess the dogs had decided these folks weren’t a threat.

I used my mobile and brought the awning lights to dim, it was time to see. I sent the drone to base and walked over to make introductions.

*****

They were kids, a boy and a girl. Early teens at best.

They were black.

They were runaway slaves.

I smiled at them and then accepted a cup from Matilda, it was coffee and it was good. I mentioned that it could use a little something and Sonya fetched me a bottle from the camper. I went and sat down at the table.

“Boy,” I said, “come sit here at the table with me.”

He slowly rose and came over leaving his bowl and his cup behind. Before he could sit down I told him, “Bring your bowl and your cup, you need to eat some more.”

He tried to do that quickly but Matilda insisted on refilling his bowl, he fidgeted as he waited and Michelle just smiled sweetly at him.

When he finally sat down he refused to look me in the eye. I got a bit gruff and told him, “I can’t properly speak to a man if he won’t look at me, so look at me son.”

Holy shit that kid was worn out: he looked like he had been ridden hard and put up wet. The stew was starting to hit him and make him drowsy, but fear was still keeping him wary and fairly alert.

Michelle joined us at the table.

“Who are you?” I asked.

He looked down and mumbled, “I’s Moses sir and that there is my sister Ruth.”

“Are you on the run son?” I asked.

He nodded to the affirmative.

“Well,” I said, “Then your name isn’t Moses any more your new name is Amos.”

Michelle smiled and said, “Your sister’s new name is Esther. Please call her up here and tell her that.”

He called and she came; he told her and she looked confused.

“Let me explain,” I said, “you can’t keep the same names when you are on the run. That’s how you get caught.

“You can stay here with us for a while, but if a white person comes around you have to tell them that you belong to me and that I brought you west with me. To work my homestead as my slaves.

“You will be free here with us, but we have to tell that story if anyone comes looking for you to keep you free, do you understand?”

They slowly nodded but I could see Sonya shooting daggers at me over Michelle’s shoulder.

Ruth/Esther was starting to nod out and we needed to get her to bed. I turned to Moses/Amos and asked him to follow me. We went to the horse trailer and I opened one of the stall doors. “Tonight you can sleep in here, I’ll give you some fresh hay for a bed. Tomorrow morning we’ll set up a proper place for you two.”

I pulled down a fresh bale of straw and he spread it out on the floor and laid their old blanket over the top, Michelle led Esther over and laid her down covering her with a blanket. Amos looked uncertain so I said, “Take care of your sister Amos, we’ll see you at breakfast.” I left closing the door behind me.

Matilda and Sonya had shut things back down, I finished my drink and wandered off to bed with Brin and Michelle trailing behind me.

My last thought before I slept was, “For fuck’s sake now I have kids to look out for…”

It was late and that damn rooster would be awake far too soon.