4338.211 · July 30, 2018 AD
Find the Shepherd
The fence is finished. The gate locks with a metallic clang that sounds less like safety than captivity. Around the campfire, the settlers who followed Luke into this dimension are starting to ask questions he can't answer — where are the people who haven't come back, and what exactly is the plan? Kain's accusation lands harder than a shove. But exhaustion has a way of clarifying priorities, and as the flames die down, Luke's thoughts turn toward Adelaide. Toward family. Toward a father whose word has always been law.
The fence interception worked. The chain-link perimeter now encircles Bixbus, a barrier against the shadow panthers that watch from beyond the firelight. It should feel like victory. Instead, it feels like a cage — protection and imprisonment wrapped in the same metallic embrace.
The settlers gather around the campfire, and the cracks begin to show. Kain's frustration spills over into accusation. Joel, Jamie, and Glenda remain missing. Every question about the future meets Luke's shrug, his honesty about not knowing what comes next doing nothing to reassure anyone. Beatrix defends him, but defence isn't the same as answers.
Then Luke speaks the plan that's been forming in the back of his mind: Adelaide. His parents. His brothers. Bringing the Smith family to Clivilius. The announcement lands differently than expected — Paul doesn't argue, doesn't question the wisdom of adding more mouths to feed. Instead, he offers the insight that reshapes everything: convince Dad, and the rest will easily follow.
Their father has always been the centre around which the family orbits. His approval the currency, his disapproval the storm. If Luke can move him, the others will come. They always have. The strategy isn't complete — the words, the approach, the precise way to make an inter-dimensional portal sound reasonable to a man who raised his children Mormon — but the framework exists now.
Tomorrow, Luke flies to Adelaide. Tonight, the flames dance against the darkness, and somewhere beyond the fence, the shadows are watching.
