Chapter 21 - New Mission

2 Weeks Later

Life was tough and depressing before, but after the storm things have hit a new low. So far there's been over two hundred people reported deceased and another seven hundred reported missing. Those numbers grow with every passing day. I'm lucky not to have lost anyone close to me because it seems everyone that I come across is grieving the lost of somebody. The people have turned the open area by the northern entrance into a grave yard. However instead of headstones, people have carved the names of the person buried there into pieces of wood and planted them into the ground. It's an eerie sight and I get goosebumps every time I see it. The day right after the storm all of the rookie guards and searchers were promoted to start immediately. Those that were physically able to carry out the job that is. Casualties of searchers and guards that day were so great that they were basically forced to promote all of us that were still alive. We were needed for recovery efforts and they've been very grim. I've found nine dead bodies in the rubble so far and only three injured people. Speaking of rubble, unfortunately my home along with many others were destroyed that day. We've been relocated to the western side of the city since a lot of it was left undamaged. We spend every day trying to recover resources from the wreckage and assisting those who've been injured. However, thanks to our new living environment most of the other guys live in close proximity to me. Alyssa, Khiara, Nesha and Miguel live right next to us. Every evening the entire group meet up at a nearby park just to talk, and clear our minds for a while. It's the one time of the day where we all show a genuine smile. Besides from being with them I spend whatever free time I have crafting new arrows and I've even made an entire new bow since the old one was lost that day.

"There's been a spike in people seeing infected in the city." Said Alyssa.

"Maybe they're gonna send us on a hunting mission to kill off infected around the city." Dameer stated.

"Nah they're probably just gonna ask us to help repair the wall." Lj replied.

"Have you guys heard about a secret meeting?" Dameer asked. "I've heard rumors of a supposed secret meeting with a few selected searchers and guards."

"And where did you hear that?" Asked Lj.

"Throughout different squads." He replied.

"What would they need to have a secret meeting about?" Asked Alyssa. "I'm sure the last thing we need are secrets and speculation at a time like this."

"That's true but given everything going on, I wouldn't be surprised if there is something happening that they wouldn't tell us about." I replied. "Why give the public another problem? All it's gonna do is lower everybody's moral."

"So throw the problems on us instead?" Alyssa asked. "Then there's still that thing Ejay told us about."

"I thought we wasn't gonna talk abut that in the open." Dameer replied.

"Yeah but it's around the time we were originally supposed to become searchers." Lyssa added. "For all we know this secret meeting could be associated with what Ejay told us."

"Well for now let's keep our mouths close and our ears open." Lj stated.

"Yeah."

"Sure."

"Alright."

She raised a good point though. Rodney has been disappearing a lot lately, and I've been wanting to talk to him about our conversation that day in the classroom. Something is happening and my dad has a hand in it somehow. It's been quietly eating at me but I'm ready now to figure out what's going on. We carried on our walk to morning check in at the new office. It's just about a mile in from the western gate and it's where we meet with our squad leaders and receive our tasks for the day. As faith would have it, Zhaire became our squad leader after being promoted to sergeant. Speaking of promotions, Rodney is now a lieutenant. Him and the Captain could be found together even more than before now. Again, I don't trust that what they're showing us is all that's going on.

"Alright team let's move outside." Zhaire says to us as he walks out the office.

"So are we hunting infected today or no?" Dameer asked.

"Well yes, but not today." He replied.

"Wait you being for real?" Liam asked.

"We're actually teaming up with some guards tomorrow to try and deal with the growing infected sightings. Several different teams will be positioned in different sectors around the city. We're gonna be in the north western area which isn't far but still, be ready to move for 5am."

"Hold on wait, you moving kind of fast. I can't even comprehend all of this that quick." Lyssa exclaims. "We actually gonna go hunt infected?"

"Yes girl, keep up." Lici responded. "Anyway, please continue Sergeant."

"I'll give more information later for now let's focus on what we're doing today." Zhaire replied. "We're providing assistance to the people repairing the wall."

"You gotta be joking." Dameer replied as me, Alyssa and Lj chuckled.

Later that evening while we were all hanging out on the park, I sat by myself and became lost in thought. I wonder if my dad thinks about us as much as we think of him. He's out there working on something that's highly classified while I'm repairing walls. I'm becoming tired of these walls...

"Hey fatty, what you thinking about?" Angie asked as she sat next to me.

"Nothing in particular." I replied. "Question, your mom's...gone right?"

"Yeah, out of all the questions why ask that one?"

"I don't know...sorry."

"Nah it's alright."

"How'd she die?" I hesitated before asking.

"That's not alright." She replied.

I looked at her for a while as we sat in silence.

"She was a searcher and she died outside of the city." She finally answered.

"Oh, I didn't expect that."

"What were you expecting?" She asked.

"I don't know, just...not that. Is that the bigger reason you chose to be a guard over a searcher?"

"I chose to be a guard because that's what I wanted to be. Protect the people from immediate danger."

"I understand."

"Attention! Attention!" Victor yelled as he stumbled onto a bench. "For those who don't know, tomorrow is a big man's birthday."

"I don't believe your drunk the day before an important mission." Angie stated as we watched him lean and stumble on the bench.

"I just want to say...burp...I, love all of you guys. I couldn't ask for better friends."

"We love you too Vicky." Shea responded.

"Someone get him down before he doesn't get to see his birthday." Nesha added.

"You guys have an important mission tomorrow?" I asked Angie.

"Yeah, apparently we're gonna be backing up a searcher squad and helping them find infected in the city."

"In which part of the city?"

"North western why?"

"That searcher squad your backing up is ours."

"I had a weird feeling yanno." She replied with a smile. "Now I could see if your actually useful for anything.

"Your jokes are never funny you know."

"Who said I was trying to be funny."

"COUNTRY ROADS! TAKE ME HOME!"

"Victor shut up before I knock you out." Nesha said to him.

As the sun heads to rest under the horizon, the moon illuminates the night. Tomorrow is a new day.