Chapter 22

The girl was Amanda and Megan’s height with a medium build, short brown hair, and gray eyes.

“My name is Rachel,” she said in a thick southern accent.

“We were out here hunting, and we have gotten lost,” she added, and Amanda and Megan looked at each other.

Curiously, Megan looked at Rachel.

“Who is we, and where did you come from?” she asked, and another girl and two guys' heads poked up from the bushes.

“Hi, I’m Travis and this is Emma, and this is Robby. We have a camp that is just a couple of miles up the road,” said one of the guys.

He had long, light-brown hair, big, brown eyes, and a short beard. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, and so did the rest of them. Emmma had curly, dark-colored hair that was cut into a bob, dark, almond eyes, and light brown skin. She was tall and thin with a deep scar on her right arm. Robby was tall and thin with short, dark hair, tan skin, and green eyes.

Heavily, Amanda sighed, and she looked at Megan.

“If you could take us home, we can give you gas, or we can see if you can stay if you don’t have a camp already,” said Travis, and Megan looked at him oddly.

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to bring strangers to your camp?” asked Megan, as she holstered her gun, and Travis smiled at her.

“We will take you to Melanie. She is the one to decide who stays or not,” said Travis, and Rachel, Emma, and Robby nodded.

“Are you sure about going to another camp?” Amanda asked Megan, and she looked at her hopelessly.

“No, but what other choice do we have?” she asked, and Amanda sighed, heavily.

“Alright, but if we see anything strange or if something doesn’t feel right, we are gone,” she said, and Megan nodded.

Amanda holstered her gun, and then she took a couple of steps backwards.

“Okay, come on,” she said to the group, and slowly they emerged from the bushes.

Suddenly, Amanda grabbed Travis’ arm, and she looked at him seriously.

“Listen, not to sound like a dick or anything, but if this is some sort of trap, we will not hesitate to use deadly force,” she said, and Travis nodded.

Lightly, he smiled at her, as he put his hands up, and she let go of him.

“Melanie is kind to everyone, whether you stay or not. Come with us, I mean, will you please take us to camp, and I will personally introduce you?” he asked, calmly.

Amanda thought for a moment, and then she nodded. At that moment, they all heard snarling and growling noises, and Megan quickly pulled her handgun.

“Incoming,” Joe whispered loudly, and he waved for everyone to get into the vehicle.

“Okay, Rachel and Emma, you are riding with us,” said Amanda, as she pointed to Megan, and Emma looked at Robby nervously.

“Please. Rachel and I will ride with you, and Emma and Robby can ride in the other vehicle with your friends,” said Travis, and Amanda nodded.

They didn’t have time to stand around and argue, so she just let it go. Quickly, Amanda, Travis, and Rachel got into the SUV with Joe, and Megan, Emma, and Robby got into the other SUV with Josh.

***************

“Man, you had better be serious about this camp,” said Josh, as he followed his cousin back out onto the main road.

“Yes, it’s not much, but we have managed,” said Emma quietly, and Josh only nodded.

Uneasily, Joe looked at Amanda, and she gently took his hand.

“It’s okay. As long as Travis is being one-hundred percent honest with us,” she said, as she glanced in the backseat at the bearded young man.

“You folks must have been through some hell. I think you are going to like Grove City,” he said in a calm voice.

“I really hope so,” said Joe, and he squeezed Amanda’s hand.

“Okay, we are getting close,” said Travis, as he leaned over the seat.

Shocked, Amanda and Joe looked out of the windshield, as they drove up to a large metal gate. Joe stopped the vehicle, and Josh pulled in right behind them. Happily, Travis looked at Amanda, as he grabbed for the door handle.

“Wait here,” he said, and then he and Rachel got out of the vehicle.

Surprisingly, Emma and Robby didn’t get out of the other SUV, and Amanda cleverly smirked at Joe.

“What’s so funny?” he asked, as he looked at her in confusion.

“I’m sure Megan told those two to stay in the truck,” she said.

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, if it is a trap, we still have two of their people,” she said matter-of-factly, and Joe chuckled.

“Good plan,” he said with a grin.

At that moment, a woman came to the gate, and they watched as she and Travis spoke with each other. A few moments later, Travis and Rachel walked back to Joe and Amanda’s SUV and got into the backseat.

“Alright, we are all set. When the gate fully opens go ahead and drive through,” said Travis, and Joe nodded, as he heavily sighed.

Another camp meant meeting strangers, which could lead to weird situations, and that was something that Amanda, Joe, Megan, and Josh did not want. They hoped that this group would be different from the rest, and be somewhat normal, but they kept their guard up just in case.

“You can park over there,” said Rachel, as she pointed to the other vehicles.

There weren’t that many. A truck, and a couple of sedans.

“You can either leave your weapons in your vehicles or you can check them into the armory and check them out when you leave. Our only rule here is that there are no weapons in the community,” said Travis, and Amanda nodded, as she looked up at Joe.

“Well, I hope Megan isn’t throwing a fit right now,” teased Joe, and Amanda only nodded.

“I will talk to Melanie when we see her,” she said, and he only nodded, as he took his rifle off and laid it onto the seat.

Travis and Rachel got out of the SUV, and Joe looked at Amanda, as he put his palm on her cheek.

“We will be okay,” he whispered, and she pressed her face into his palm.

Noticeably, Megan and Josh got out and they walked up to the SUV. Megan looked through the window and made a face at Amanda. Amanda laughed, as she and Joe got out.

“So, no weapons, huh? I don;t like this already,” Megan said, as she crossed her arms over her chest, and Amanda nodded in agreement.

They all looked around the camp, and they couldn’t believe their eyes. It was a suburban area with many houses, and there were people walking around talking and laughing with each other.

“Well, this place doesn’t look so bad,” said Josh, as he looked around, and Megan rolled her eyes at him.

“Neither did the last camps, at first. It’s the people we have to worry about,” she said, and Joe nodded.

“Welcome to Grove City,” said a middle-aged woman, as she walked up to them with a smile.

She was a little shorter than Megan with blonde, graying hair, and light brown eyes.

“Travis told me about how you saved him, my daughter Rachel, and Emma and Robby. Thank you,” she said, and Amanda nodded.

“My name is Melanie, and I oversee the settlement. Now, you folks look like you could use a place to clean up, get some food in your bellies, and a good night's sleep. We can talk in the morning when you have rested up,” Melanie added, and Megan looked at her thoughtfully.

“So, that’s it. No interrogation, taking our weapons, supplies, and vehicles?” she asked, and the woman scoffed, as she threw her hands up.

“We don’t want to take from you guys. You look like you have had a rough enough time just getting to this point. You look like you could use a little comfort, not more trouble,” she said, and they all nodded.

“We have a two-bedroom house that is vacant towards the back of the community. It is yours,” said Melanie.

Nervously, Amanda looked up at Joe, and he nodded, as he pulled her close to him. Megan and Josh moved closer to them, and Megan took Amanda’s hand. Melanie looked at the four of them with care, and she smiled.

“Listen. I am not expecting you to trust us at the moment, but maybe if we show you some hospitality, you will all warm up to us,” she said, and then she turned to Rachel.

“Would you and Travis show these folks to the house? I will drop by later and check in. There are sweatpants and t-shirts that you can change into, and put your hamper with your dirty clothes out on the porch. Emma and the other ladies in charge of laundry will wash your clothes for you,” said Melanie, and they all nodded.

“This way please,” Rachel said, and she and Travis started heading down the road.

Thankfully, both vehicles were able to lock, and Joe and Josh locked them up. Then, they followed Rachel and Travis down the road. The whole settlement was guarded by steel walls and fences, and the houses stood neatly in rows down each side of the streets. Surprisingly, it was a fairly large community, and they found that their house was on the main road towards the back of the camp.

Rachel and Travis led them to a two-story, white house with a gray porch, and then they turned to Amanda, Joe, Megan, and Josh.

“Thank you for bringing us home,” she said, and Travis smiled and nodded, as Rachel gestured for them to go into the house.

Nervously, Amanda, Joe, Megan, and Josh looked at each other, and then they made their way into the vacant house.

***********************

Seemingly, DJ, Christie, Robert, Dale, and Steve cleared out the old farmhouse of the residing mutants, and they stayed there for the night. DJ missed his family, and he hoped that they were safe somewhere.

“So, what is the plan now?” Dale asked, as he took a sip of his drink.

They had found an unopened bottle of whiskey when they were looking around the house, and they all decided to share it. DJ rubbed his head, and he sighed heavily.

“First things first is that we need to rebuild. I hope my family turns up soon,” he said, and Christie put her hand on his arm, as Steve looked at him in question.

“You mean the cute little red-head, and the brunette that liked to run off together at shift change?”

At that moment, DJ looked at him with angry eyes, and Steve put his hands up defensively.

“What about them?” he snapped, and Robert looked up.

“They got out of camp. They took one of the stocked SUVs,” he said, and Dale nodded.

“We didn’t realize that you were talking about them when you said family,” Steve added, and DJ sighed.

“They got out. That means they are still alive,” he said softly, as he looked down at Christie.

“We will find them or they will turn up. They found their way to you once before, and I am sure that they can do it again,” she said, and DJ only nodded.