Chapter 24

After everyone was dressed, Amanda, Megan, Joe, and Josh walked out of the house and smiled at the bright community. The place seemed to look a lot different in the daylight. The people who lived there smiled and waved at them as they walked by, and Amanda politely waved back.

“This place seems very friendly,” whispered Megan, and Amanda nodded.

“It’s kind of creepy, in a way,” said Josh, and Joe looked at his cousin, as he nodded.

Joe slipped Amanda’s hand in his, and Megan slipped her hand in Josh’s. Amanda looked up at Joe, and he chuckled.

“Can’t have anyone thinking that you are up for grabs, now can we?” he asked, as Amanda waved back at a few passing community members.

Noticeably, there were a group of girls staring at Joe and Josh, and Amanda and Megan giggled.

“No, we can’t have that,” she said, and Megan nodded in agreement.

“So, does this mean you like me, like me?” he asked, as he raised an eyebrow at her, and she smiled shyly, as she nodded.

“Good. Now, doesn’t that feel good to finally get that off of your chest?” he teased, and she smiled, as she shook her head in disbelief.

“What about you? Do you like me, like me?” she asked, and he looked at her thoughtfully.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” he said matter-of-factly, and she laughed.

“Good. Glad to hear.”

“Great. Now, can you two kiss, and get it over with already?” snickered Megan, and Josh laughed.

“Maybe someday,” said Joe, as he smirked at Amanda, and she bit her lip.

She heard Joe make a low grunting noise, and she sighed as she looked at him. He shook his head. Noticeably, they had come to the old court house, and Amanda looked at the building.

“Well, this is it,” she said, as they stopped in front of the building, and Megan sighed heavily.

Oddly, Amanda looked at her friend, and then she placed her hand gently on her shoulder.

“You okay?”

Megan looked at her uncomfortably, and then she nodded, as she blew out a breath.

“What is it?” Josh asked, and Megan looked over at him.

“This lady decides if we stay or not. What if she doesn’t like us?” she breathed, and Joe looked at her with care, as he chuckled.

“Come on, Meg. What’s not to like? We are a strong, independent group that has survived the world out there,” he said, and she only nodded, as she swallowed hard.

“We got this, Meg,” said Amanda.

“Together?”

“Together.”

At that moment, the front door to the building opened, and startled them. Travis smiled at them as he walked down the front steps.

“Hi, guys. Have you eaten?” he asked, and Amanda nodded.

“Yes thank you, and thank you for the clean clothes,” she said, and Travis smiled, as he nodded.

Suspiciously, Joe looked at Travis, and then Travis clapped his hands together.

“Come in,” he said, as he gestured for them to come inside the building.

Amanda nodded, and she and Megan held hands as they walked inside. Inside the old court house looked very old-fashioned. There was a large, elegant staircase that was painted white that led upstairs, and there was a large, crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the room.

There was a sitting room to the left, and the shelves were lined with bookcases that were full of old books. The room also had two black, leather couches and a wooden coffee table that had a glass top. The smell of old books and fresh lilies filled the air, and the room was lit up by the rising morning sun.

“Please, have a seat. Melanie will be with you in a moment. She wants to speak to each of you individually,” said Travis, and Megan looked at Amanda with wide eyes.

Sincerely, Amanda looked at her friend, and she held her face in between her palms.

“You are going to be okay. Trust me, at the first sign of trouble,” she said, as she held Megan’s gaze and searched her eyes.

After a moment, Megan sucked in a breath, and she nodded. Amanda didn’t need to finish her sentence. She knew what would happen at the first sign of trouble, they would fight to get out of there.

“Okay?” Amanda asked, as she held her gaze, and Megan nodded again.

“Okay,” whispered Amanda, and then she let go of Megan’s face.

Gently, Josh wrapped his arm around Megan’s shoulders, and they took a seat on one of the couches. Travis looked at each of them with care, and then he sighed heavily. He had to figure out a way to show these people that he and the whole community were safe for them.

“Listen. I can understand that this is a really scary situation for you guys. Your group must have run into some really rough people, but I can guarantee that we are not like them,” he said, seriously, and Joe looked over at him.

“I’m sorry, but that is something that we are going to have to see for ourselves. We have met some of the most awful people along the way. People who offer their hospitality, and then turn around and poison your food or kidnap and torture you. So, you are going to have to forgive us if we seem a little distrustful,” he said, and Travis nodded, as he placed a hand on Joe’s shoulder.

“It’s understandable.”

Joe only nodded, and then he pulled Amanda close to him.

“Hello, everyone,” said Melanie, as she walked down the stairs, and everyone looked up at her.

“Don’t you all look like totally different people than the ones that came through our gates last night,” she said, as she smiled at them.

“Yeah, it’s amazing what a shower and a good breakfast will do for you in the apocalypse,” blurted Megan, and then she quickly covered her mouth.

Melanie chuckled, and Amanda, Josh, and Joe laughed.

“I like your sense of humor, dear. What is your name?”

“Megan, ma’am,” she said, and Melanie threw her hands out.

“Oh, you can drop the formalities here.”

“Sorry, ma’am. It was the way I was raised, and from being a soldier,” Megan stuttered, and Amanda giggled.

“Calm down. You already made her laugh, so I think you are a shoe in,” she whispered, and Megan’s cheeks turned red.

“Come with me, Megan. This won't take long.”

Nervously, Megan looked at her friends as she walked up the stairs with the woman, and Josh shot her a thumbs up, as he grinned at her.

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

Believably, DJ, Christie, Dale, Robert, and Steve walked into what they had thought was an abandoned building, but they found a large group of survivors from the camp, hiding inside. The survivors stared at DJ with wide eyes, and a man stepped forward.

“General, sir. You’re alive!” he stated, and DJ looked at him with a grin.

“Yes, I am. Are my cousins, my family, are they here?” he asked, and the man shook his head.

Sadly, DJ hung his head for a moment, and then he wiped his hand over his face as he sighed a heavy sigh.

“Okay, okay,” he breathed, as he felt that his blood pressure was beginning to rise, and Christie looked at him oddly.

“Are you alright?” she asked, and he nodded.

“It’s not their fault that my family is still out there. Don’t worry, you will find them soon,” he whispered to himself, and then his face twitched strangely.

Shocked, Christie looked at him with concern in her eyes, and he looked at her as he smiled.

“I’m fine. Really,” he said, and she only nodded.

“Okay, so let’s secure the perimeter. Kill any mutants that are left, and let’s get this place in order,” said Dale, and DJ clapped him on the back, as he nodded.

“Good idea,” he said, and Dale nodded.

The whole group scattered around the compound of the warehouse, and within a couple of hours everyone had the fence line around the building secure with the tractor trailers, killed all of the mutations that popped up here and there, and they had found enough room to house everyone.

The warehouse provided protection from the outside decaying world, and gave the survivors a new home. Evidently, since the survivors were from the base camp, they had no problem with appointing DJ as their leader, and they all looked up to him. After all, in their minds, this was the second time that DJ had saved their lives, and now he had provided food, shelter, and safety for them again.

DJ had restored order, and he split the group up into teams and gave everyone a job to do to keep their community thriving. His motto was you had to earn your keep and not everyone agreed with the general’s rules, but they felt as though they needed to oblige, because he was the one that saved them.

One team had set out to see what supplies they could find, and on their journey the team had found another building. DJ called it the outpost. The teams that were responsible for finding food and supplies stayed in that building, while the other teams that were in charge of medical, training anyone who didn’t have survival skills or didn’t know how to use a gun, and keeping the main compound safe stayed back at the warehouse.

Sometimes, the teams would find other survivors, and they brought them back to DJ. He gave the new survivors a choice. They could live and join the Defenders or be stripped of everything they had on them, and they would be sent back out into the dating world. Most of the survivors agreed to follow DJ’s rules, and the others were stripped of their weapons, supplies, and anything else they had on them of value and then they were sent back out into the world.

After time had passed by, DJ became more and more aggressive and angry. If someone disobeyed his rules, he would have them hunted down and terminated on the spot. He stayed more to himself, and even Christie even saw the significant change in him. Surprisingly, he had called the search off for his family, and he decided to accept the fact that they were dead, and they weren’t coming back.

In his mind, if they were still alive, then that would mean that they didn’t want to come back, and that they were against him now. Dale told him the story time and time again about him, Robert, and Steve watching them leave in one of the stocked vehicles, and he wondered why they didn’t stop to try and help anyone. Why would they just leave?

Seemingly, he began to live with the fact that, no matter what had happened, that they were gone, and he had a new mission now. To protect his new group, his new community, which he now called the Defenders. He welcomed all and any new survivor to join them as long as they agreed to follow his rules.

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

Melanie spoke with Megan, Josh, and Joe, and then it was Amanda’s turn. Patiently, she waited for Melanie as she walked with Joe down the stairs.

“Don’t you worry your handsome head, now. I won’t keep her too long,” she heard Melanie say, and Joe laughed as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

“Take as much time as you need. Megan, my cousin, and I will be waiting for her to come home,” said Joe, as Amanda approached them.

Joe leaned down to Amanda’s ear, and she felt goosebumps rise as she felt his breath on her skin.

“You are going to be just fine,” he whispered, and she felt even more goosebumps rise down her back.

Surprisingly, Joe kissed her gently on her cheek, and she blushed as he pulled his head back and looked at her with care. He then turned his head and smiled at Melanie.

“Thank you, Melanie,” he said, and then he turned back to Amanda.

“I will see you back home when you get done,” he said to her, and then he walked out of the common house.

“Come on, dear,” said Melanie, and Amanda swallowed nervously as she nodded, and followed the woman up the stairs.