CHAPTER 80: SUNSHINE’S FIRM DECISION.

Alarms blared, the sensors in the wall shared an attempted breach warning. Sunshine separated from Hades; she had been sharing a chair with him for three hours as they watched the survivors out of the wall.

"What you are doing is very dangerous. I urge you to turn back and seek shelter elsewhere. This mountain is very vast, you have options."

Damien looked into the camera and answered, "We are going nowhere, this is my property."

"We are going to activate the security protocols of the wall. When that happens, your lives will no longer be guaranteed. Are you going to choose pride over your lives?" She asked.

"So be it." Damien snarled.

Sunshine backed away. If that was what they decided, then who was she to stop them from digging their graves. She activated level one security protocols.

Those attempting to climb the wall were electrocuted.

Some parents took their children and run back down the slope. Some small holes appeared in the wall and blasts of water shot out, blasting the men that were wielding weapons.

"Tear gas?" Nimo asked.

Sunshine nodded. She got her walkie-talkie and said into it, "Use rubber bullets to fire at those that won’t give up."

All the survivors retreated, running down for safety, leaving behind the ones that had been unfortunate to die from electric shock. But they did not go far. They moved to other bases, to try their luck.

Hades wondered how they would fair. The billionaires were more ruthless than Sunshine was. Where she used rubber bullets, they would use live ones.

The alarms stopped blaring, quiet was restored in the base and the soldiers on the walls took deep breaths. Another threat had been quelled. But how long until more survivors showed up and attempted to scale the walls?

Sunshine and Hades left the tower. Word about the Quinn relatives outside had reached the Quinn’s inside the fortress. They were waiting for the couple in the lobby of the manor.

Grandpa Quinn had just one questions. "You really won’t let them in?"

It was hard to tell who the question was addressed to.

Sunshine looked at Rori and then the rest, one at a time. "If the question is meant for me then the answer is yes. I will not let them in. They betrayed you once and they will do it again if they get the chance. If anyone here feels sorry for them, we will open the gates for you to go out and join them. When they chop you up as food or sell you as a slave for supplies, I will not shed a single tear."

She walked away from them. If they let in their relatives, she would just get a gun and shoot them all. Or maybe, she would move all the Quinns out to the first wall because they would be idiots.

Lisha shuddered. "I...I don’t want to be a slave."

"Then remember who you can trust." Hades told her. "Does anyone here trust Damien? Hands up if you think you can count on Aven." He looked at his relatives.

Not a single hand was raised.

"Ambrosia just called my wife a maid." Hades hissed angrily. "Even now, in the apocalypse when we are facing such dangers, they are still acting like snobs. They want to live on the base Sunshine built and enjoy the protection she provides while treating her like a servant. I don’t want them here. If anyone wants to help them, I will turn my back on you the same way I have turned my back on them."

"But not all of them are bad." Warren responded. "Damien, aunt Fifi, Uncle Aven....we know the bad ones. But there are some good ones too. Colleta is innocent."

"Colleta is not a child." Hadrian barked. "She collected her own share of the money and followed her mother. She is in her twenties. Stop making it seem like she is a toddler."

Warren exhaled. "What about Ambrosia’s twins? They are only twelve."

"And you think we can bring them in without bringing Uncle Aven in?" Lisha questioned. "Uncle Aven and Cousin Damien are birds of a feather and they both have children. If we accept one, we have to accept the other. I don’t want to be a slave. I don’t want to live in the same shelter with people I cannot trust."

"But the kids..."Rori said in weak voice.

"Are unlucky because they were born to greedy selfish parents." Hadrian chimed in. "Even if we bring them in, can you guarantee that they won’t hate us for leaving their parents out there. Are you sure that they will not sabotage the base to grant their parents entry. Mom, you should consider the fact that we are living on Sunshine’s grace and mercy." He pointed up. "Those are her pink bubbles. The food on the base, half of it is hers. The supplies here, Hades said she was in charge of everything.

The gate that protects us, it is hers. He doesn’t even know where she purchased it from. The knowledge on the apocalypse and the high-tech guns being manufactured, all hers."

"Hers." Lisha repeated with a head nod. For her, Sunshine’s thigh was the best to hug in this apocalypse. Where she went, Lisha would follow.

"The soldiers that protect us came because of her and her friend Nimo." Hades reminded them. "I am one hundred percent certain that they will follow if my wife leaves. And honestly, so will I. And not just me but my children as well." He gave them all stern looks, especially his soft-hearted mother. "I hope that you will all be wise enough to put aside foolish sentiments and concetrate on our survival."

He strode past them, took the elevator. He wanted to check on his wife.

Lisha looked at her parents, Darren and Camille Quinn. "Mom, dad, you should go back to work. Sunshine said the mutated animals are about to start showing up. We have a lot of work to do. Thinking about those who betrayed the family is of no use. Remember that there are rules here and we are not exempt from them."

She turned and left, heels clicking on the tiles loudly.

Darren and Camille left the group. Hadrian was the next to leave and the others followed, one by one.

In their house, Hades found Sunshine in the kitchen about to prepare the children’s lunch. The house was very clean; Cathy had come by and cleaned it.

He gripped her arms and turned her around. "Are you angry?"

She shook her head. "It is to be expected that some of your family members want us to let the others in. For you, they are blood relatives. For me, they are strangers that I would rather shoot dead because I know they are somewhere out there plotting against us. Sooner or later, Damien will be back. Mark my words."