Chapter 26

A couple of months had passed by and Melanie finally gave in, and made Amanda, Joe, Megan, and Josh head of security. They were given permission to carry their weapons with them at all times, and they were in charge of everyone of keeping track of all of the supply runs and the people that went out into the decaying world.

Once, Josh and Megan went on a supply run with a few others, and things escalated quickly between Josh and another member of the community. When they returned, Josh and the man went toe to toe with their differences. The man didn't agree with the fact that Amanda, Joe, Megan, and Josh came into the community and basically took over the place.

The two men began to fight in hand to hand combat, and Melanie, Amanda, and Joe went out to see what all the commotion was about. Amanda and Joe broke up the fight. Melanie told the man to stay away from Josh, and to turn his weapons in the armory. Reluctantly, the man stormed off angrily, and Melanie sighed a frustrated sigh.

Throughout the months, Amanda, Joe, Megan, and Josh made sure that the supply room was stocked full of everything the settlement needed, which included food, weapons, and medical supplies. They went on many runs, and with the help of the hunting team, they had enough food to last for months. Things were going well in Grove City. Surprisingly, Melanie appointed Amanda to take her place if anything were to happen to her, and Amanda gratefully accepted.

One day, when they were out on a supply run, Amanda and Joe found some survivors from their old camp, and they brought them back with them. They asked the survivors about DJ and Christie, but none of them knew if they had gotten out of the camp or not. Sadly, Amanda never stopped searching for the rest of her family, but Megan told her that she should accept the fact that they were probably dead.

Eventually, Amanda made herself accept the fact that they were dead, and she took the time to let herself grieve for her old sargent, and Joe stood by her side every second. Finally, Amanda gained her barrings, and she and Joe were back to work with the others. The medical team ran some blood tests on Amanda, but she told them that she wanted to keep the results private.

Weirdly, when she went out on supply runs, the creatures never blinked twice at her, and she wanted to know if maybe she had gotten infected. Surprisingly, when the test results came back, her blood had bonded with the deadly virus instead of killing her blood cells. The medical staff wanted to see if maybe they could create some sort of vaccine or a cure for the virus, and Amanda gave them permission to do so.

Patiently, Amanda waited a month, and then the medical team finally got back to her. Sure enough, her blood carried the antibodies needed for a cure, and she decided she would tell only Melanie, Joe, Megan, and Josh. Evidently, they still spoke to Harper, and he was to the point where he was out of supplies, and he needed to leave the base. The plan was for him to get to Grove City, so he charged a couple of radios, packed up what supplies he had left, and then he set out for the settlement.

DJ and his crew were doing alright now, that they were settled into the warehouse. The compound held up against the creature's attacks, and the Outpost was up and running. He made it clear, if his people found other camps, they were to offer two options to the outsiders. They could pay for protection, or they could join the Defenders.

There were a few camps that had joined DJ and the Defenders, but there was one community that decided to take the protection option. They traded a small percentage of their food and supplies for the Defender's protection, but the Defenders would always catch the people of the community doing supply runs, and they would bully them into giving them what they had found.

The community was called Town Circle, and since the man who ran the settlement, Glen, decided to take help from the Defenders, they left their community struggling. The community was in comparison to Grove City. It was once a small residential neighborhood before the apocalypse had started, and it was protected by steel platforms they used for protective walls around the settlement. There were also broken-down cars around the outer walls.

There was a team of four that was sent out on a supply run, and strangely they had't returned, and it had been a couple of days since they left. Gale and the other community members began to worry about their friends, and they were afraid that they might not return.

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"So, what is the plan for today?" asked Joe.

Amanda, Joe, Megan, and Josh were in the medical building. Joe, Megan, and Josh had volunteered to be the first to test the new vaccine. After this test run, and if it worked, Melanie decided she would offer it to anyone in the community who wanted it.

"Well, I guess we can head east. See if we have missed anything, because I know we have cleared out to the south, north, and west at least thirty miles out," said Megan, and Amanda nodded.

"Sounds like a plan," said Josh, and Joe nodded in agreement.

Soon, they were finished getting injected with Amanda's vaccine, and then they all stood up.

"Great. Let's head out," said Amanda, and they noodled as they left the building.

They waved to Melanie, who was looking at them from the upstairs window of the common house, and then they got inside the SUV.

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

"Let's head east and see what we can find," stated a girl named Nicole.

"But what about the trail of mutants that are on the main road?" asked another girl named Daytona.

"We can avoid them if we take this route," said a man named Jay, as he pointed to the map.

Nicole, Daytona, and Jay were part of a team that was assigned to stay in the Outpost, and DJ had gotten word to them that more supplies were needed.

"Okay, and if things get too zombieish, then we can head toward the south," said a man named Micheal, and everyone nodded.

"Alright. Let's move out," said Nicole, as she folded the map neatly, and stuck it in her pocket.

Nicle was tall with a medium build, long dark hair, and sparkling brown eyes. On the other hand, Daytona was slender, with a slight muscular build, thick dirty blonde-red hair, and blue eyes. Jay was tall with a thick muscular build, short, light brown hair, and brown eyes. Last but not least, Micheal was a large round man with medium length, dark brown hair, and dark eyes.

They had been the fastest team to go out into the dead world to receive supplies, so DJ appointed them head of the Outpost. After everyone geared up and grabbed their weapons, Nicole and her team loaded up into a truck and headed out.

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

"I hope they come home soon," said a girl named Chelsea, as she looked at Glen.

Chelsea had thick curly blonde hair, an average build, and green eyes. Glen was a tall and slender man with graying hair and soft, blue old eyes. They were in the main house in Town Circle, and they were very worried about their people who had been out in the decaying world for so long.

"They will, and Johnny will be right there beside them when they get back," said Glen, softly, and Chelsea gave him a worried look.

Heavily, she sighed, and then she gave him a serious look.

"I hope you're right," she said, flatly, and then she turned her attention back to the window.

Not only was Johnny Chelsea's husband, but he was also Glen's son. Glen also hoped that he was right, and they were just delayed by the mutant creatures.

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

"No, that isn't true," said Amanda, as they drove down the road.

Before they had left, a few of the other supply runners wanted to tag along, and Amanda and Megan were happy to have them along. Travis, Rachel, Emma, and Robby rode along with them, and they turned out to be a lot of fun to have around.

"You know our friend Jason would scoop you right up," said Rachel in a thick southern accent, and Joe turned to her as he raised his eyebrows.

One of Rachel and Travis's friends back at the camp ogled over Amanda, and they were teasing her about it.

"I don't think he stands a chance. Besides, she has me, and I can be a lot to handle," said Joe, as he smirked, and Megan snickered.

"What?" asked Joe, as he looked at Megan, and she cleverly smiled at him.

"Well, why don't you and Amanda make it official, and have that first kiss already," she said, frankly, and Josh nodded in agreement.

Joyfully, everyone laughed, and Joe looked at Amanda. It was true. They had been so busy making sure that the camp was fully stocked with food and supplies, and securing the settlement that it didn't leave much alone time for them. Amanda smiled at Joe, and then she glanced at Megan.

"Well, it will happen when the time comes, and until then, all of you can shut your mouths," she said, and Megan made a face at her.

"Yeah, when you finally man up," Megan teased, as she laughed, and Amanda shook her head.

"Look!" exclaimed Rachel, as they pulled into a small town that they had never been to before.

The town looked empty and abandoned. The buildings looked run-down and there was trash everywhere littering the streets and sidewalks. Slowly, Amanda let off the accelerator and stepped on the brake. The SUV came to a stop, and everyone got out as they loaded up their weapons.

"Look, there is a pharmacy. Maybe we can find more medical supplies," said Emma, as she pointed.

"Great idea," said Robby, as he smiled at her, and she grinned at him.

"Alright. Everyone spread out and see what you can find, and we will meet back up here in twenty," said Amanda, as she loaded a clip into her handgun, and everyone nodded.

Emma and Robby headed over to the pharmacy, while Travis and Rachel ran over to the clothing store, and Megan and Josh ran into the small supermarket. Joe and Amanda saw a small convenience store and they walked over to it. Everyone searched for anything that they or the community could use.

Cautiously, Amanda made her way through one side of the store and Joe searched the other side. Noticeably, Amanda saw a strange-looking box up on a shelf, and she holstered her gun. She inspected the box for a moment, and then she picked it up.

"Hey, I think I found something," she called, and then suddenly, a yellow-green hand shot out from behind the shelf and grabbed her arm.

Painfully, the creature sunk its fingernails deep in the flesh of her arm. She screamed, and struggled to get her arm out of its grip, but it wouldn't let go of her.

"Joe! Help me!" she yelled, and suddenly, the creature immediately stopped growling and its grip loosened on her arm.

Shocked, she looked up at Joe and he was right in front of her.

"Are you okay?" he asked with worry, and she only nodded, as she stared at him for a moment.

At that moment, she grabbed him by the back of his neck and pressed her lips to his. For a moment, he didn't move, and then he gave into her kiss as he wrapped his arms around her. They both felt the attraction between them grow stronger, and they kissed each other harder.

"Thank you," she breathed, as their kiss ended, and they rested their heads against each other.

"You know I would do anything for you," he whispered, and she slightly nodded.

"Well, now everyone can shit the hell up," she giggled, and he nodded, as he huffed a laugh.

They pulled away from each other, and Amanda picked up the box she had found before the mutant had attacked her. Eagerly, she opened it and they looked inside. The box contained a large bag of marijuana, a few pre-rolled joints, a few packs of cigarettes, and a handgun and a box of shells.

"Well, this is a good find," she said, and Joe nodded, as he gave her a knowing look.

"Hello?" asked an unfamiliar voice, and Joe and Amanda looked at each other.