" You ARE a hero," Major Van Dyke insisted. "You symbolize American persistence and relentless drive to survive. You did whatever it took to live out ...here, didn't you?" Yes, sir," Josh responded."Do you know how many men are listed as missing from the Sedro-Woolley operation?" No, sir." 435 men are MIA," Major Van Dyke explained. "We know of six men who managed to swim the Skagit after the bridges were blown. What you did is exceptional. You could easily have been among the 435 we presume are. "We're not going to listen to you telling us we all need to be independent and you don't want to do this and that to our lives. We've all heard your little self-deprecating crap before. While it's still as endearing as hell, save it for your girlfriends. Your sisters are all immune to it already," she warned me."All right then," she continued. "Melinda has her assigned tasks while we're in college. We'll be home a bit more regularly from now on. By the way," she said, turning to our father,. Could you give me a hand?”“Of course.” Ellis nodded. “Where’s she at?”Numb led him back over the rise. Three small white ovals sat on the ground where Ben had been sitting. Of Veronyka there was no sign.“Fuck!” Numb cursed.“Damn.” Ellis seconded.Day 180:John killed a pair of Legion scouts that first night he was free. The lightly armored Powry who tried to sneak up on him were skilled trackers, and reasonably quiet to boot. Without a moon the nights were dark, so the pair must have marked him. Off to the right of a large entry hall was a spacious living room like she had never seen before in her life. The lush carpeting was almost pure white, and it all seemed to focus on a sunken area in front of a huge stone fireplace. In the center was a low, black table, and it was surrounded by large colorful pillows. The table was already set for a candlelight dinner, and it looked so cozy, she was ready to start eating right then.Walking through an arched passageway, they were in a kitchen.