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You take Rachel's hand and let her lead you fifty yards back from the summit of the hill. A short stretch of hard rock and dirt leads from the ledge to an open meadow of grass and numerous wildflowers. In the short walk, you spot white thistle flowers that resemble upside-down spiders with spindly legs, red-and-orange trumpet horns, and even edible desert paintbrush flowers. The breeze picks up and carries the strong scent of pine, but in harder gusts, the odor of death and decay rises off the hill. When you reach the woodlands, you enter the dense forest and weave through the low branches and pine needles, your feet breaking twigs and pine cones on the undisturbed earthen floor. No humans have come by this way in a number of seasons, and the critters and insects scurry as you disturb their domain. The high tremolo of blue jays and sparrows adds music to the background.

Another twenty yards and you see a massive circular clearing, its borders dark brown and clearly separated from the flora, like the grove has avoided growth over a cursed plot of land. It's flat and round and hidden, and the only footprints here were made by your team's scout. Deer tracks dot the area, and you notice damp areas of ground where animals have marked their territory, likely larger rodents or foxes. The breeze dies out once you step into the circle, as the knitted trees provide walls to the clearing that keep out the flow of wind.

The remaining survivors arrive in turn, each finding a small plot of land where they can sit and rest. Nora unfolds a beach chair in the shaded canopy of branches, and Reilly sits next to her on the dirt. He fixes her pant leg, which has risen from the walk, and she pats his back. Kelly sits with Parker, the pair comforting one another against the trunk of an old tree. Nathan sits next to Nora and shares a half-full bottle of water with her.

As everyone finds a spot in the clearing, you step into the middle of the forty-yard-wide clearing. "Everyone, get over here and sit so we can discuss a few things," you say. "I'll try not to waste too much time."

Church stands leaning against an old tree, wiping sweat from his brow with a checkered pocket square. Reilly, Madison, and Brody are last to enter the clearing, having spent the most effort dealing with the last of the infected horde.

With the entire group present, you…