Strange Survivors

The winter sun barely crested the horizon when the lookout's alarm bell rang through the shelter. The sound—two sharp clangs of a rusty metal rod—echoed across the courtyard, where a handful of early risers huddled around the communal fire. Leila had just stepped outside, boots crunching over the frosty walkway, when she heard the urgent summons. Her breath caught, heart thudding. Another undead surge? A fence breach?

She exchanged a tense glance with Mark, who was distributing morning ration cups. He set them down abruptly and strode toward the eastern gate, rifle slung over his coat. Leila followed, her pulse already spiking with old worries about footprints, frostbiters, or potential raiders.

A small knot of watchers stood on the elevated platform near the gate, scanning beyond the fence. Darren pointed to a pair of figures trudging toward the compound, arms raised in a universal gesture of non-aggression. Snow flurries swirled around them, half-obscuring their faces, but it was clear they were in bad shape—tattered coats, visible bruises, one even limping.

Kai, who had joined the watchers for the morning shift, aimed his binoculars carefully. "Two survivors," he murmured, passing the binoculars to Leila. "No sign of an entourage. They look exhausted."

Leila peered through the lenses. Up close, the newcomers were a man and woman, both in their late twenties, wearing threadbare gloves and boots that looked nearly disintegrated from trudging who-knows-how-far across the frozen fields. Their expressions were raw with desperation, lips chapped from the wind. She noted how the man clutched at his side, wincing with each step, while the woman's eyes flicked around as if expecting an ambush.

"Open the gate?" asked one of the watchers, glancing at Leila.

She hesitated. In normal times, they tried to help stragglers, offering a safe haven if they passed screenings. But caution was essential. "We'll let them approach—under watch. Keep your weapons ready." Her voice carried a sharper edge than she intended, but the memory of infiltration threats and the recent footprints near the fence weighed heavily on her mind.

As the two figures reached the outer fence, watchers parted the reinforced gate just enough to admit them one at a time. Tamsin and Tanya kept rifles trained from the catwalk, while Mark stood near the opening, prepared to intervene if things turned sour. Leila planted herself at a safe distance, scanning the newcomers for hidden weapons. Kai lingered on the periphery, quietly vigilant.

The woman, panting from cold and fatigue, raised her arms higher to show she carried no gun. "Please," she croaked. "We're not raiders. We only have a knife—here, I'll show you." Carefully, she pulled a small hunting blade from a sheath and set it on the snow. "We're starving… just need refuge." Her voice trembled.

The man glared around warily, shoulders hunched from a mix of cold and fear. "We've been running for days. The band we fled… they're ruthless, bent on revenge. We had to get away." He hissed in pain, pressing a hand to a bruised rib.

Leila's stomach twisted. Ruthless. Bent on revenge. The words echoed ominously. Her mind immediately jumped to Jace and Ellie—could they be behind these new rumors? But she kept her face impassive, not wanting to broadcast her old ghosts. She simply nodded to the watchers. "Search them."

Mark and a couple of watchers carefully patted them down, finding nothing beyond the discarded knife and a few scraps of dirty cloth that might have once been bandages. Satisfied, Mark gestured them forward. The gate groaned open further, letting the pair stumble inside.

The group guided the newcomers into a small open area of the courtyard, where a few fires crackled in barrel stoves. Caleb offered them a threadbare blanket each, fending off the worst of the chill. Leila crossed her arms, posture tense, studying them. "You said you fled a vicious band—who are they? Where?"

The woman swallowed, exchanging a glance with her companion. "They roam near the old highway. Took over a couple of farmsteads. We were part of them for a time, forced to scavenge or else they'd punish us. But their leaders… t-they kept speaking of revenge. Something about tracking down old enemies." She shuddered. "We couldn't do it anymore."

The man nodded, wincing from the motion. "Anyone who disobeyed was tortured or worse. We escaped at night. Didn't even know this place existed until we saw your fence from a distance."

Leila's pulse quickened. Old enemies. Revenge. She found herself exchanging a sidelong look with Kai, who picked up on her tension. She masked her alarm, remembering Jace and Ellie's vow of vengeance. But it was too soon to jump to conclusions—there might be other ruthless bands. She cleared her throat. "We've had our share of raiders. We can't just let you stay without some screening. That's the rule."

The newcomers nodded frantically. "We understand," the woman said, voice raspy. "We'll do anything. We're just… we're done running."

In the main hall, a hurried meeting convened with the watchers, Fiona, Mark, Tamsin, and a few other core members. The newcomers waited outside under guard, sipping a bit of hot broth. Tamsin frowned. "We're short on everything—food, medicine, even fuel. Taking in more people isn't easy."

Fiona, arms folded, shot Tamsin a pointed look. "But do we turn them away? Send them back into the cold to die?"

Mark sighed, massaging the back of his neck. "We can't dismiss the possibility they're scouts or moles for a raider group. We've been burned by infiltration attempts before. Let's not forget the footprints near the fence a while back."

Leila exhaled, pressing her lips thin. "They claim to be fleeing a vicious band with leaders obsessed with revenge." She hesitated, eyes flicking momentarily to Kai. "Could be rumors about Jace and Ellie, or someone else. We don't know." Her heart pounded at the mention of Jace's name in her own thoughts, but she kept her face blank.

A hush fell. Tamsin drummed her fingers on the table. "So what's the call?"

Kai cleared his throat, voice quiet but firm. "We can grant them temporary shelter. Subject them to standard screenings, keep them under watch. If they prove themselves, we reevaluate. We've done this process before."

Leila nodded slowly. "That's fair. We can't ignore they might carry information about a new threat. If it is Jace and Ellie… we need to know."

With agreement from most present, Leila stepped outside to deliver the verdict. She found the newcomers huddled around a small brazier, eyes brimming with both hope and fear. She drew in a breath, adopting a firm tone.

"All right. We'll let you stay," she announced. "But it's a trial basis. You'll get screened for any suspicious behavior, follow our rules, no stepping outside without permission. Understood?"

Relief flickered across the woman's face. The man bobbed his head, tension sagging from his shoulders. "Thank you," she managed, voice quavering. "We'll help however we can—just let us prove it."

Leila's gaze lingered on them. They look half-dead from cold, she realized, recalling her own near-death experiences on the road. The memory briefly softened her. "Fiona will check your injuries. After that, we'll find you a spot to rest. Don't abuse this chance."

The pair nodded fervently. Fiona approached, gently guiding them inside. Tamsin's faction, while still uneasy, parted to let them pass, watchers trailing closely behind, rifles at the ready. The mood in the courtyard was cautious yet not hostile—a testament to how the shelter's rule set had balanced compassion and security.

Once the commotion settled, Mark and Tamsin discussed logging the newcomers' details in a ledger. Kai lingered nearby, finishing a perimeter check. Leila stepped aside, arms crossed, brow furrowed in private worry. If the mention of "ruthless leaders bent on revenge" truly pointed to Jace and Ellie, then the old threat she feared so intensely might be creeping back. She swallowed, forcing her pulse to steady. No proof yet. But her stomach churned.

From the corner of her eye, she caught Kai watching her, that quiet question in his gaze—You suspect something, don't you? She averted her eyes, heart pounding. She wasn't ready to voice her suspicions about Jace and Ellie, especially not in front of all these watchers. Not when she remained haunted by how easily letting her guard down had ended before.

A cold wind swept through the courtyard, rattling the newly repaired fence. Leila stood stiffly, listening as the two newcomers were escorted into a side room for Fiona's medical check. The phrase "bent on revenge" replayed in her mind, fueling the old anxiety that Jace and Ellie's betrayal might resurface to haunt her community. Yet for the moment, she kept silent, not wanting to incite panic or reveal her personal ghosts.

The group had voted to offer these strangers a chance, but tension simmered beneath the gesture of compassion. The watchers remained on high alert, fully prepared in case this was a trick. Leila gazed across the snowy compound, her breath hitching at the faint swirl of flakes drifting down. If indeed these survivors' warnings rang true, the fragile peace her shelter clung to might be threatened once more.

She glanced fleetingly toward Kai, who stood by the gate with unwavering composure, scanning the horizon for any sign of trouble. A pang of fear and longing twisted in her chest. Don't rely on him, her caution whispered. Not again. Yet a quiet voice inside her yearned for the day she might finally let him see her worry, let him share the burden. But that moment wasn't tonight.