Chapter 7:The test

James stood at the edge of the settlement, his hand on the hilt of his knife. The sun had risen completely now, sending long shadows stretching across the fortified town. It was a strange sensation—being behind walls again, among people who weren't trying to kill him.

Evelyn, the leader of the settlement, stood beside him, looking out over the bustling streets. "You and your group want to stay," she said, her voice flat. "That means you'll need to earn your keep."

James nodded. "Fair enough. What do you need?"

Evelyn turned to him, her expression unreadable. "We need fighters."

James prickled. "Fighting what?"

She sighed. "Walkers, mostly. But we've had… other problems. Not everyone out there is looking to rebuild."

James had figured as much. He'd encountered enough bandits, raiders, and desperate survivors who'd kill over scraps.

"Are you asking me to be a soldier?"

Evelyn shook her head. "I'm asking you to do what it takes to defend this location. We do turns patrolling the perimeter, clearing out the threats, making sure no hostile gets in. If you and your people can manage that, you'll find a home here."

James gazed out at his people. Emily was speaking with some of the settlers in a vegetable garden. Maria was already inspecting the settlement's defenses. Tyler stood alongside Daniel, the old man giving him some quiet advice about something. They had worked for this chance.

He looked back at Evelyn and nodded. "We're in." Their first task came that afternoon. James, Maria, and a man named Carter were sent beyond the walls to clear out a small group of walkers near an old highway checkpoint. The settlement relied on that road for scavenging runs, and it had to be kept clear.

Carter was tall, muscular, and had the hardened look of someone who had been fighting since the world fell apart. As they moved through the abandoned cars, he kept his rifle raised, his eyes scanning for movement.

"They come out of nowhere sometimes," Carter muttered. "You get distracted for one second, and they're on you."

James tightened his grip on his knife. "We've handled worse."

Carter smirked. "We'll see."

They caught up to the walkers alongside a rusted-out military truck. Five of them, lurching along mindlessly, their rotting faces hardly recognizable as human.

Maria didn't hesitate. She moved in quick, stabbing her blade into the head of the nearest one before it even had time to react. Carter fired a silenced round into the head of another, taking it down where it stood.

James took the last three. He avoided the first, stabbing it in the temple and utilizing its body to push the others back. The second one attacked, but James was faster, kicking out its knee and finishing it off with a swift thrust.

The last walker snarled, making a grab for him. James seized its wrist, twisting it until it fell to the ground. No time for fooling around—one stab, and that was it.

Carter whistled low. "Not bad."

Maria wiped off her blade. "Told you we could do it."

Carter chuckled. "Alright, you're not dead. That's a good start."

James ignored the remark and glanced back towards the settlement. They had gotten through today with flying colors, but he knew well enough it would not be the last test.

Far from it. As they were back inside the settlement, James could not help but be impressed with what these people had built. The walls were sturdy, the food supply steady. They had gardens, animals, and even a water purification system.

It wasn't spotless, but it was better than he'd seen in a long time.

They were met at the gate by Evelyn. "How'd it go?"

"Cleared them out," Carter told her. "They did good."

Evelyn nodded, then smiled at James and Maria. "Welcome to Haven."

James's eyebrow rose. "That's what you call this place?"

"It's what we're working on," she said.

James looked around at the people—at the children laughing, at the farmers tending crops, at the guards keeping watch. He wanted to believe it was possible.

"We'll do our part," he said.

Evelyn gave a rare smile. "I know." That evening, the group gathered around a fire inside the settlement. People talked, laughed, shared stories. For the first time in a long time, James felt something unfamiliar.

Peace.

Emily sat beside him, watching the fire. "Feels strange, doesn't it?" she said quietly.

James nodded. "Yeah. Like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop."

She smiled wryly. "We've been running for so long, I don't think we know how to stop."

James sighed. "Maybe it's time we learn."

Maria joined them, pulling a chair over. "I checked out their armory. They've got enough firepower to fend off a small army."

James's eyebrow rose. "Supposed to make me feel better?"

Maria shrugged. "Means they're ready. But it also means they've had to fight before."

James glanced across the fire at Evelyn. She was speaking in low tones with Carter and another man, their faces grim. James knew that Maria was right.

It was safe here, but that was not going to continue.

Tyler dashed up, his face shining with enthusiasm. "They have a school here!"

James blinked. "A school?"

Tyler nodded. "It's not much, but they have books and lessons. There's a woman named Sarah who teaches the kids during the day."

James exchanged a look with Emily. It was such a small thing, yet in this world, it meant the world.

"You ought to take a look," James said.

Tyler hesitated. "You really think we'll be here long enough for that?"

James looked around at the fire, at the people, at the walls that stood between them and the horrors outside.

"I hope so." Later that night, as James lay in his bunk, he stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Haven was a miracle. A place where people lived instead of just survived.

Yet privately, he knew miracles never lasted.

And when the next threat came, he would be ready.