Leadership

Percy POV

A woman with dark hair and sharp features walked toward me. Her long, black hair flowed through a bandana and rested against her waist. Her face showed no kindness, but there was respect and politeness. Overall, it was easy to see that she was the leader of the group.

I couldn't help but draw similarities between her and Annabeth. Of course, no one can rival Annabeth in terms of intelligence. However, this woman held the same powerful aura.

"Hello, my name is Reyna Ramirez-Arellano. And, you are?" she asked sternly.

I shook her hand before introducing myself.

"Why did you come to our camp?" Reyna asked suspiciously. "No one knows the whereabouts of our group. What brings you here?"

Before I could respond, a tall blonde intervened. His slender stature gave off a cold and mean personality. I immediately got the wrong vibe from him. Plus, his words didn't help me at all. "Isn't it obvious, Reyna? He's here to raid our resources."

"I'm not here for that. I didn't even know that people were living here," I said loudly. "Don't put words in my mouth."

"Octavian, show some respect to our guest," Reyna ordered angrily.

The blonde boy shook his head and scowled. Frank and Hazel shook their heads as Octavian walked away. He went back to a group of men in the corner of the large room. I glared at his back before turning my attention to Reyna.

"Thank you, Reyna. I don't mean to intrude," I expressed.

"He's correct, Reyna. Percy had no clue that we live here. However, I'm glad that he showed up because he cleared the zombies who were chasing me," hazel explained.

"Frank, how did so many zombies come into the hospital?"

"There is a large horde of zombies traveling through the city right now. When we have a large sweep, more zombies infiltrate the hospital. It's natural," Frank explained. While he continued, I looked around the large room.

Reyna was the natural leader. The others were talking quietly amongst themselves or doing some chores like cleaning clothes. Most of the people were older members, so it makes sense that Hazel mentioned that most of them aren't fighters. As people get older, they can't fight as strong or fast as younger individuals.

The few young fighters (ie Reyna, Frank, Hazel, or Octavian's gang) were keeping the group alive. But, they won't last long if they're starving already.

"Right now, a large horde of zombies are in the streets outside," Frank finished.

"Then, it looks like Percy will be staying the night," Reyna suggested. That snapped my attention back to the group.

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed.

"Percy, this happens from time to time. Thousands of zombies form a horde and travel through the city. It is NOT safe to go out today. If you have somewhere to be, it will be safest for you to leave tomorrow."

I didn't want to stay here for long. However, Reyna was making a very good point. It's not safe to travel around thousands of zombies even in a minivan. Annabeht wanted me to come back as soon as possible. She'll certainly get mad at me if I don't come home today, but she's just gonna have to understand.

I sighed before nodding at Reyna. Frank and Hazel smiled at me. They were happy that I was staying here tonight. I liked them a lot.

I spent the next few hours walking around the room. Frank and Hazel introduced me to everyone. Most of the older survivors were quite nice and welcoming. I'm not a fan of Octavian and his three buddies. They reminded me of people who would steal children's stuffed animals or pillow pets and stab them with a knife.

Needless to say, I stayed away from Octavian. Even the others seemed to distance themselves from Octavian and his goons.

Around seven in the evening, Reyna pulled me out of the main room.

We walked quietly through the halls of the basement. I kept my eyes open for the medical dispensary. I'm hoping that I can still get the drugs for South Sector even though there aren't any baby resources left.

"You came to the hospital for a specific reason. What do you want?" Reyna asked firmly. Nothing gets past her.

"Gods, you're good," I exclaimed with a smirk.

"I'm the leader of this group. Most of them don't fight, yet I've kept them alive for months now. It's my responsibility to make sure no one is an intruder," Reyna commanded. We turned the corner of the hallway.

Thundering footsteps echoed through the dark corridor. We're in the basement, so the zombies walking above were resonating their steps down below. The lights turned off in this section of the basement. The generator's access must stop here. We were quite far away from the rest of the group. This had quickly become a private conversation, and that's why Reyna pulled me away from the group.

Reyna was trying to pry the information from me. Of course, I have no problem with sharing things with someone I trust.

I want to help these people.

"I live at the Metropolitan Museum near central park. We have a survival camp there with over 300 members. I have a baby sister there as well. She's less than a year old," I expressed with a genuine smile.

"I'm surprised a baby lasted this long," Reyna said matter-of-factly.

"Well, Estelle had help along the way."

"Anyway, we need medicines at the camp. No one is sick, but they have specialists there who are conducting research. They sent me to the hospital so that I can pick up some drugs, defibrillators, and Epinephrine."

"So, you need to get into medical storage? Well, lucky for you, we're in the basement right now," Reyna shared.

"Wait, you're willing to help me?" I asked.

Reyna gestured for me to follow her. We traveled a couple of yards in the dark before coming upon a double door. The sign read medical storage and dispensary.

She put her palm on the door handle before looking at me.

"I'm making a deal with you," Reyna confirmed. "You spent the last several hours getting to know the group. They're tired, hungry, and lonely. They need hope to continue. I'm doing my best here, but we do need help in surviving."

Reyna took a deep breath. "We ran out of food. For gods' sake, George and Martha are dividing nasty crackers and canned foods for 22 people. What I'm trying to say-"

"Reyna, STOP," I affirmed.

We both stood in silence. The shadows enveloped our facial features. She held a serious expression on her face as she waited for me. While getting to know the group, I had already made up my mind to help them.

Furthermore, the camp wouldn't mind. Chiron and Hestia, especially, are always willing to bring new people to the camp. For them, it's about collaborative survival.

"Reyna, would you and your group like to come with me back to my survival camp? We would be more than willing to bring you guys along," I expressed. "It's safe there and a lot more lively."

Reyna smiled before shaking my hand.

"Thank you, Percy."

Then, she pushed into the medical storage room. The room was filled with medical equipment of all sorts. I immediately saw the defibrillator on a shelf. Another door led into a freezer room where (no doubt) the medicines are stored.

Reyna pulled out a walkie-talkie and contacted Frank.

Frank was the leader of their group when Reyna isn't around. Upon Reyna's request, Frank sent George and Martha to help us with the equipment. We loaded the equipment onto a gurney bed and pushed it back to the main room. We left the resources outside.

It was nighttime. Everyone had some stale crackers and disgusting canned food before going to bed. Reyna is right. This isn't a good way of living. These people deserved to live at the survival camp.

They're starving and isolated. Some of them probably haven't left this basement in months, which is awful.

I couldn't sleep that night. The atmosphere was too different. Snores and heavy breathing circulated around me. I stared at the ceiling while laying on my mattress. I absorbed everything about this small group today.

One thing's for sure: I'm doing the right thing by taking these people back to the camp.

I'm saving them. I'm helping them survive.

***

"THIS IS A HORRIBLE IDEA. WE CAN'T TRUST SOMEONE WHO WE MET IN ONE DAY. THIS IS PREPOSTEROUS," Octavian boomed.

"Octavian, calm down. This is the best option for the group," Reyna spoke calmly and professionally.

Most of the group agreed with her. Even if they don't agree with her, they respect her because she's the reason they're all alive. Whatever their personal opinions are, Reyna is their natural leader. Their only leader right now.

Octavian scoffed in Reyna's face.

Reyna, Frank, and Octavian's group continued to argue while everyone watched.

They were standing in the middle of the room. The group was surrounding them. Reyna just revealed her plan for us to leave the hospital this morning. The hospital has a bus, which is stored in the parking structure. We'll have to fight our way to the bus, hotwire it, and ride it to the museum.

It's a simple plan, and it should be relatively easy to pull off.

However, the group will also transport resources at the same time. The fighters will protect the group while the members will carry stuff to the buss. For people who don't have experience with fighting, the hardest part is to keep them moving in the face of zombies.

Octavian isn't making the situation any better. My initial opinion of him was correct. He's always so negative, and he cares more about himself than the group.

"This is everyone's decision. I am the leader of the group, but I WILL NOT force anyone to come with me," Reyna affirmed. "However, this is the best option for survival, and I am choosing to live and survive."

Octavian scoffed again much to Reyna's spite.

My fists clenched in anger. He is so damn disrespectful, and I wanted to punch the scowl off his face.

"You're just another weak woman, following a man's word," Octavian insulted. "This is the problem with women. They're so influenced."

"SHUT UP," Reyna exclaimed.

Her fist clocked Octavian's jaw. The young man staggered backward and landed on his bottom. The jerk deserved a lot worse.

"I am Reyna Arellano. I've led this group with and without help for the past 7 months. You have no right to disrespect me or my decisions. I am still in charge, and the group will follow me over you, Octavian," Reyna said boldly.

Her strong voice emanated through the room. The group nodded and approved Reyna's decision. Then, they started packing again. George and Martha were helping them lead the charge of packing and assigning them resources/bags to carry.

Octavian stood up and looked around at everyone.

"I can't believe you're following his word," Octavian snapped.

"Trust and unity may be difficult for you guys, but not for us," Frank claimed.

Reyna, Frank, and I got closer to Octavian and his three buddies. They stared at us before taking a step back in nervousness. I smirked at their fright. They were all talk and no brain. However, they don't want to come.

"Do you want to come or not?" Reyna asked once.

Octavian didn't answer, but his frown was clear. That was the only answer that Reyna needed.

She smiled victoriously.

"I'm freeing you from service to our group," Reyna ordered. "Clearly, you don't want to come with us, so don't come. We don't need you."

Reyna continued to smile while turning around. Frank nodded while pulling me away from the four stunned guys. Regardless, they didn't come with us much to my delight. I'm confident that they wouldn't have gotten along with people at camp either.

If they don't want to come, that's their personal decision.

We left Octavian and his goons at the hospital.

Reyna, Frank, Hazel, and I had guns with us. George and Martha were carrying machetes. George and Martha were near the back of the group while Reyna and I were at the front. Hazel and Frank were flanking the sides. The other group members were transporting lots of resources for us.

The travel up the stairs and through the first floor was simple. We easily slashed the zombies in our path. The group was scared. You could see fear in their eyes. However, they listened to Reyna with respect and discipline.

As I said, Reyna's leadership qualities are a rare quality.

We efficiently walked to the dark parking garage and went to the white medical bus. Surprisingly, George hotwired the bus in a few seconds. It was almost like he's used to hotwiring and stealing vehicles.

Regardless, everyone filed into the bus.

The epinephrine and medical equipment were stored in the back of the bus while all the members took the seats in the front and middle.

George was going to drive them. Frank and Reyna sat in the very front. Hazel was right behind them. I stood in the front of the bus and looked at everyone's nervous faces. I can't let them down.

I'm making the right decision here.

"Listen everyone. I parked my minivan on the top floor of the parking structure. I'm going to get the van, and I'll lead you all to the museum. Please lock the bus doors," I instructed.

I practically ran up the parking garage. The minivan was where I left it. I got inside and drove it down to the bus. George fired the bus engine once he saw my van. I waved my hand through my window before driving out of the hospital.

We barreled through the zombies on the streets. I left the camp early yesterday morning, and I'm returning over a day later. It felt like an eternity though.

Central park was (once again) a peaceful ride.

The fresh breeze ruffled my hair as I led them to the safety of camp.