Frank's POV
I found myself driving down a country road with a man I barely knew. The longer the silence stretched, the more I doubted my descision.
Why would he offer to take me back to his camp? He doesn't know me. I don't know him. What if he's not who he says he is? What if he's actually a cannibal who's bringing me to be cooked and eaten? What if he has pet growlers and he wants to feed me to them?
Every horrible scenario was running through my head when Gerard pulled the truck to a stop on the side of the road.
"What are you doing?" I asked, getting ready to open the door and make a run for it. He kept staring straight ahead.
"There's lots of people at this camp. People who are important to me. I don't know why, but I trust you. Don't do anything to make me stop trusting you." His voice was quiet, but intense. I had no doubt that if I stepped out of line, he would make me regret it.
He started driving again, and I began to relax, rolling down the window and letting the late sunmer breeze run through my hair. We had left the city behind, and there was nothing but trees on either side of the road.
After about two hours of driving, he turned off the main road onto a dirt driveway. He waved to a short man next to a gate, who then opened the gate to allow us to drive onto the property. The driveway led to a large white farmhouse, surrounded by fields.
He pulled up next to the house and hopped out of the truck. I followed him slowly, still leaning heavily on the cane, acutely aware of everyones eyes on me. He brought me through the front door into their 'camp'. So far, I had counted about ten people outside.
A dark haired man ran up and hugged Gerard.
"Hey Mikey," said Gerard, pulling away. "This is Frank,"
Mikey looked me up and down and pulled Gerard to the side. They seemed to be arguing, but it was too quiet for me to hear.
"I trust him, okay?" Said Gerard sharply, and that seemed to end the discussion. They turned their attention back to me.
"This is my brother, Mikey," he said. Then he leaned in and whispered in my ear "He's not usually this much of an asshole. Just give him time, I'm sure you'll learn to love him."
"Where's he gonna sleep?" Mikey asked Gerard as if I wasn't even there.
"You and Ray have enough space in your room, right?"
"No. We don't. You're the only one in this whole house that isn't sharing a room, and you have that extra bed."
It seemed like Gerard was about to protest when a little girl with dark hair ran up to them.
"Gerard, we need you. Brendon fell off the watch tower," she said, out of breath.
"Ugh, again?" He looked between Mikey and I and sighed. "Just... show him around the place. I guess he can stay in my room."
He ran off, muttering something that sounded like "Dammit Brendon."
Mikey began the tour of the 'camp'. Although it was just a farmhouse, it was more luxurious than any place I had been since the shit hit the fan two years ago. There was electricity from a windmill on the property and water pumped up from a well. In the fields they grew various fruits and vegetables. There were two watch towers, a kitchen big enough to feed everyone there, and enough room for everyone to live comfortably.
The last place he brought me was Gerard's room, which I guess was my room too. He stood in front of the closed door and turned to me.
"This is the room you'll be sharing with Gerard. Go ahead in and get comfortable, I'll send someone up to check on your leg."
