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his wife, Elizabeth, stood at the rear of the SUV looking at a frail Theodore Forrest.  The dying man, despite his ailments, was smiling ear to ear.  Max was in shock, his mouth wide open and his eyes as big as saucers.  Elizabeth was growing more and more frustrated as the silence continued.  Ever since the war ended, she felt her husband slipping further and further away from her.  It was clear to her that Max was keeping a very big secret from her.
    “Who’s up to no good?  What’s he talking about, Max?  What’s going on?”
    Theodore gave Max a surprised look as if to say You didn’t tell her?   Max was still processing the miracle revelation he had just heard and realized the cat had been let out of the bag.  “Elizabeth, run and get Vanessa and James so they can see Theo.”
    “First tell me what’s going on.”
    “Now is not the time, Elizabeth, Theo has spent a long time away from his wife and son.  Don’t make him wait any longer, please hurry.”
    Elizabeth knew her husband was simply trying to get rid of her but also knew he was right.  For Theo’s sake, she did not push the issue any further and headed to the front gate.  Once she was out of earshot, Max held the hand of his friend and looked at him with compassion.  “How long?”
    “I should have died two weeks ago.  I’ve been fighting it with every fiber of my being to survive long enough to see you.  I imagine once I’m comfortable in my own bed, I’ll go to sleep and that will be it.”
    “Where have you been all this time?  What happened?  Why didn’t you get word to us that you were alive?  We could have sent for you.”
    “It’s a very long story my friend that I don’t have time to tell.  None of that matters, Maxwell, what matters is that I’m here now.”
    “Theodore, I have to know how you got like this.  You were healthy when you left.”
    “Took an ass beating a while back, infection set in, thought I was getting better and caught pneumonia.  I’m an old man and pneumonia is this world we created is a death sentence.  Isaac sent some men to get some antibiotics and they were killed.”
    “Tell me about Isaac and his people, do you trust them?”
    “I do, completely.  And you’re going to trust them when I’m gone.  You will need them for what’s next.”
    “But you didn’t trust Isaac enough to tell him what you just told me.”
    “Trust wasn’t the reason I kept him out of the loop.  I simply wanted the first person to hear the news be you and you alone.  You deserve as much.”
    “Start from the beginning, tell me everything.”
    “When I left here with my team we had one mission – find Dupree at all costs.  I was prepared to go to the gates of hell to bring him back here to you.”
    “I had it on good authority that he killed all of you.”
    “I’m the only one that survived.  I never thought one man could be a match against two dozen men.  The things he did, Maxwell, he’s nothing more than a psychopath.  He slaughtered us … we never had a chance.  He got us to split up and took us out two or three at a time until it was just me.  Do you know why he did that?”
    “He’s done it many times to taunt me, you weren’t the first.”
    “Son of a bitch kept me alive to tell you …”
    “That he’s not ready to come home yet, yes, I know, I’ve heard it many times.  After what he did the bastard has the nerve to think this is his home.”
    “I thought the same thing but turns out we’re both wrong.  He knows this isn’t his home.”
    “So what the hell is he talking about, Theo?”
    Theo began gasping for air and started wheezing violently.  This made Max nervous.  Theo produced a canteen and sipped some water.   Theo tried his best to calm Max.  “It’s okay, I’m fine, really.”
    “Are you sure?  We still have some medical staff here.”
    “No, it’s okay.”
    “You were saying about his home?”
    “Yes, he knows his home is not here.  I knew he