Who: Thomas Wright and whoever lacks the ability to sleep at normal hours When: Late evening Where: Walking the streets, whichever ones suit your fancy What: A late night patrol Why: An inability to sleep brought on by recent disturbances in the populace
Not just four days ago, Maxine had begged him not to leave. Those pleas were eventually followed by Jonathon's, Agatha's, Marcus' and then finally Thomas' youngest, Joshua, added to the mix that his family needed him more than some derelict town in the middle of nowhere. It was hard to explain responsibility to children, to emphasize that hard work was important and came with sacrifices. Maxine was old enough to know that but it still didn't stop his younger sister from instigating a riot of pouting and big eyes. Had he been a lesser man, it was quite possible his siblings could have persuaded him to take an extended leave from Sedona.
Now, being back, all of Thomas wished that he hadn't left in the first place. It was hard not to feel responsible for the men that had lost their lives to a savage murderer. He knew well enough that the fault was only that of a deranged mind but still, the deaths weighed heavily on him and already he was beginning preparations to insure such barbarism never happened again. At least not while under his watch. Sure, Sedona had deputies and a sheriff but where had they been when three men were shot dead? Gunshots in the dead of the night were not an easy thing to dismiss.
Too restless to call it a night like the rest of his men had, Thomas paced outside of the tavern he and his men had been calling home for the last month or two. The innkeeper was tolerant and the place was clean. VC regulations saw to that. Of course they weren't staying for free. Their board was paid for through some faction of the VC just like it was in any other town. Imposing on businesses wasn't their goal; allowing them to flourish was.
Still dressed in his uniform, armed as well because one could never be too careful, there was little about him that suggested there was fatigue clinging to his every bone. Exhaustion was a prevalent issue these days but he remained vigilant as he walked the empty streets, surveying closed shops and occasionally stopping by those few that were still lit. Despite what his brothers and sisters had said, Sedona thrived with potential and this so-called backwater town was rife with possibilities.